The Mamaroneck basketball team kicked off its season on Dec. 4, topping Harrison 53-37 in the penultimate game of the annual Harry Jefferson Showcase at White Plains High School. But even despite flashes of solid play in their opener, the Tigers—and head coach Tyrone Carver—still recognize that there is plenty of room for improvement as the season rolls on.
Junior guard Aidan Roy set the tone for Mamaroneck on Saturday, notching a game-high 21 points and dishing out five assists points en route to being named the game’s MVP. Roy is one of two junior captains on this young Mamaroneck team—senior Spencer Webb is the third caption—and acknowledged that the game was something of an eye-opener for the Tigers’ younger players.
“We have a lot of new guys this year, so there were a lot of nerves,” said Roy. “But I think we came out, we did what we needed to do, and got the job done.”
Mamaroneck rode a strong defensive second quarter to take a 26-11 lead into halftime and although Harrison was able to chip away at the Tigers lead later on, the Huskies were never able to mount a significant threat. Carver said hopes that stingy defense will be one of the Tigers’ calling cards this season.
“I thought that we were able to do a good job with the press and create some havoc, forcing them into making uncharacteristic plays,” said. “There were jitters, and a lot of guys were maybe getting their first meaningful minutes, but I thought the way we played early on, and especially in the second quarter, really helped them establish themselves.”
In addition to Saturday’s game being the first varsity contest for many of Mamaroneck’s players, it also represented the first time in nearly two years that the team was able to take the court in front of a crowd. Last winter, Covid protocols severely limited attendance, but Roy said that he and his teammates are eager to play in more packed gymnasiums.
“It’s awesome, the momentum changes everything,” said the junior. “It’s ten times as great, especially if you’re the home team.”
With the loss, Harrison—which dropped its season-opener to John Jay on Dec. 3—falls to 0-2, while the Tigers (1-0) will look to build off of Saturday’s win as they prepare to take on Arlington on Tuesday, after press time. But as they look to the next section of the schedule, which includes the first-ever Keith Yizar Memorial Tournament which will take place from Dec. 16-18, the Tigers know they will need to play more complete basketball if they hope to be a force in Class AA.
“We have to play all 32 minutes of the game,” said Roy. “Whether that’s working on our conditioning or our rotations, we have to be able to close out games.”
Contact: sports@hometwn.com
