Girls Win, Boys Lose Tigers 2016-17 Home Openers
The Lady Tigers opened their 2016-17 Season while participating in the Irvington High School Tournament on Thursday and Saturday, Dec. 1 and 3. The Lady Tigers led by Head Coach Tara Flaherty in her fourth season, started the new season on a positive note while beating Ardsley High School, 50-37.
However, in the Championship of the Irvington Tournament, the Lady Tigers were no match for Head Coach Gina Maher’s 2015-16 Class B Champions, the Irvington Bulldogs, who beat the Tigers 51-20.
Nonetheless, despite the 31-point loss to the Bulldogs four days prior, the young Lady Tigers bounced back like veterans and won their Home Opener against East Ramapo High School, 57-25.
The Tigers have a young team with only one senior Elajah Houston, who contributed five points in the Home Opener win. The Lady Tigers are led by junior Madison Povemba and freshman Julia Reggio, who has been playing varsity basketball since she was in the seventh grade.
The young supporting cast of Flaherty’s Lady Tigers consists of eight more juniors and three sophomores. Consequentially, one of the juniors forward Vanessa Chica is out for the season with a torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament. Chica was a force in the post position last season and will surely be missed this year.
However, Flaherty discovered that sophomore Rae-Anne Richards can play tough in the post and is willing to learn. Richards has assumed the position in Chica’s absence thus far and scored seven points in the Lady Tigers third win of the season against Carmel High School, 56-46, on Thursday, December 8.
“I told everybody at the beginning of the year that it is an open spot with Vanessa out. Rae-Anne has done a phenomenal job and once she learns to get a little more under control she is going to be much more consistent,” stated Flaherty.
Povemba and Reggio have both displayed that they are ready to lead this young Lady Tigers team to prominence in Section 1 AA this season. Reggio was all over the court in the Home Opener securing an offensive/defensive double-double with 11 points and 12 steals.
Povemba led the scoring with 16 points in the Tigers win against Carmel. And her companion Reggio was again on the mark with 14 points and eight rebounds.
Despite the youth factor, the Lady Tigers have depth off the bench with young promising players such as Kennedi Leaks, who netted a team-high 14 points against East Ramapo. They also have talented sophomore Abby Leone, the daughter of the late Tigers Girls Lacrosse Head Coach Mike Leone. They also have junior Tatyana Mitchell, who saw quality playing time last season and juniors Valerie Echeandia and Julia Wisell with sophomore Catherine Armodio, who handles the ball well.
“All of us have been playing together since sixth grade and a lot of girls came-up from junior varsity last year, so we know each other and can feel each other out on the court,” said Povemba.
Tigers Boys Open with Harry Jefferson Holiday Showcase
The White Plains Boys Basketball Team did not fare as well in their Home Opener as did the Lady Tigers. The Tigers Boys were defeated by Yorktown High School, 61-46, in the 23rd Annual Harry Jefferson Holiday Showcase, at White Plains High School, on Friday.
However, Yorktown was no easy opponent for the Tigers, while coming into the Harry Jefferson Holiday Tournament with a 3-0 record. The Huskers won the Mahopac Tournament and beat Our Lady of Lourdes to start their 2016-17 Season.
Yorktown was led by Marc Spinelli and Tanner Dyslin, who scored 18 points each against the Tigers. Dyslin took home Player of the Game honors for his performance in the Harry Jefferson Showcase.
Tigers Head Coach Spencer Mayfield was extremely disappointed with his team’s production in their Home Opener/Holiday Tournament. The Tigers committed 16 turnovers and only managed five assists in the game. Moreover, one of the determining factors in the game was that Yorktown got to the foul line 33 times and made 29 shots, while the Tigers managed only 16 of 22 from the charity stripe.
“Turnovers and bad shot selection and our defensive effort was not good. When you give up 33 foul shots it is a clear indication that you are not moving your feet on defense,” stated Mayfield
Harry Jefferson is a legendary student/athlete, educator and coach at WPHS, who retired as an Assistant Principal in 1996. “How many people get this kind of honor, it is fantastic,” said Holiday Showcase namesake Harry Jefferson, who at 82 years young is a lifelong White Plains resident. Jefferson watched the game in the gym that bears his name and was accompanied by his wife Gertha of 58 years.
Jefferson who was an All-American football player at the University of Illinois before joining the NY Giants is best remembered for his educational, moral and spiritual guidance to many WPHS students over the years.
“Every year no matter what the situation I hope somebody assumes the role I did because we are speaking about young people and helping them develop to become good adults and good citizens and that is what education is all about,” expressed Jefferson.
