Spirited Fox Lane off to Riveting 5-1 Start

Mahopac Settles for 2nd in Pac Tourney

By Tony Pinciaro

Every time FOX LANE takes the court, coach Kris Matts has a smile on his face, and it has nothing to do with the Foxes’ 5-1 record.

“I am just so proud of these girls,” Matts said. “Whether we are up 20 or chasing the game, they never stop playing hard. That spirit, combined with quite a lot of talent has me so excited to see what they can do.

“We stayed the season amazingly well while still working the kinks out. If we can clean up a few things, there is no limit to what these girls can achieve and I’m just having so much fun going along for the ride.”

Matts welcomed back all but two of his team that finished the 2023-24 year strong and qualified for sectionals.

The returning group is experienced, talented and this depth makes the Foxes difficult to play. Then, add in their versatility and scoring diversity.

The Foxes completed the first month of the season with a runner-up finish to Pelham (70-63) in its holiday tournament. Pelham is one of the top teams in Class A. This came on the heels of a well-played win over Somers (54-49).

Riley New led the Foxes with 21 points, including a perfect 4 of 4 from the line down the stretch against Somers. Cara Drapala and Morgan Clinton added 14 and 13 points, respectively. Matts credited Cora Moore with playing outstanding defense and the team with showing grit, defensively, in the fourth quarter to hold off Somers.

Despite the loss to Pelham, the difference came down to one factor.

“We scored 31 points in the first half and 32 in the second half so I don’t think our offense was the issue,” Matts said. “Pelham’s size really hurt us. We just could not stop them. They went inside a ton, often getting their own misses.

“We also lost them in transition throughout the game. Most of their shots from deep came when we failed to pick them up on the fast break. We managed to hit some big shots in the fourth quarter to keep them on their heels.”

Fox Lane returns to the court, Friday, Jan. 3, at Mahopac.

PANAS Coach Matt Evangelista is not one to shy away from high-caliber competition.

For the second consecutive year, Evangelista took his Panthers to the Albertus Magnus Tournament. The field included Class AAA powers Ursuline, the host and 2024 Class AA New York State Champion and Class AA power Clarkstown South.

After dispatching Ursuline, 63-57, in the first round, the Panthers were handed their first loss of the season by Albertus Magnus and tournament MVP Julia Scott (one of the top junior recruits in the nation).

“Playing good competition will only benefit us,” said Cadence Nicholas of Albertus Magnus. “It also exposed our weaknesses which will allow us to work on them.”

Nicholas scored a team-best 22 points and Sofia Tavarez added 11 points against Albertus. Both were selected to the all-tournament team.

Nicholas finished with a game-high 27 points, Katie Hofmann finished with 13 points and Tavarez contributed 11 points against Ursuline.

The Panthers will face Ursuline, again, noon, Jan. 4, at the Westchester County Center as part of the Slam-Dunk Festival.

“We expect Ursuline to make adjustments since they played us in a very tough and physical game from start to finish,” Tavarez said. “We need to clean up some minor mistakes to be fully prepared for the game.”

MAHOPAC completed the first month of the season with a 3-4 record after a second-place finish in its holiday tournament. The Wolf Pac dominated Nanuet in the first round, but lost to Rye (58-44), a Section 1 Class A favorite, in the championship game.

“We forced a lot of turnovers and limited second-chance opportunities against Rye,” first-year Mahopac Coach Jason Conklin said. “Our offense moved the ball well and had many good looks, but the ball just didn’t fall that night.”

Mahopac will resume play Friday, hosting Fox Lane.

Despite being one game below .500, Conklin likes what he has seen from his team.

“After the first month we have shown we are an aggressive team on the defensive end,” he said. “The girls look to push the tempo on both ends of the court. With an overall younger team we have shown a lot of growth and will be a team to be feared come sectionals.”

Caily Salon had 18 points, outscoring Nanuet, and also grabbed seven rebounds. Giana Puckhaber added 12 points and six rebounds and Mady Ford finished with 11 points, five assists and four steals.

Salon also scored 18 points against Rye and added four assists. Fiona Kelleher netted 11 points and Puckhaber snagged five rebounds.

Dan Ricci will take his OSSINING Pride back to the Westchester County Center for its annual game in the Slam Dunk Festival.

The Pride will play Class A power Ardsley.

“Ardsley is going to be a great matchup for us and the first of four real good non-league games (North Rockland, Clarkstown South and Mamaroneck) before we get into our league play,” said Ricci, in his 34th year at Ossining. “Ardsley has a D1 big girl back, which poses major issues for us as well as some very capable guards around her. We are looking forward to the challenge.”

The Slam Dunk is an event Ricci and his team welcomes.
“It’s a great experience for the girls to play there,” he said. “It’s the best atmosphere around, hands down.”

The Pride go into the game having won two of three at the KSA Tournament in Florida and are 5-2 overall.

“I think our chemistry has come a long way since the offseason which reflects how we have been playing,” Ricci said. “The girls are buying in now and accepting their roles. We spend a lot of time watching film of ourselves and our opponents and the girls seem to like that and it’s definitely helped us so far.”

SOMERS closed out 2024 finishing third in the Pelham Holiday Tournament.

The Tuskers lost a tough one to Fox Lane, 54-49, in the first round, before bouncing back to handle Eastchester, 55-38, in the consolation game.

“The Fox Lane game was very competitive,” Somers’ coach Kevin Mallon said. “Fox Lane shot the ball extremely well in the first half which put us in a bit of a hole.

“In the Eastchester game, we shot the ball really well from 3. Ashley Kucinsky, Eliana Contreras and Sydney Ingraham combined for 12 threes.”

Kuchinsky netted six 3-pointers for a team-leading 18 points against Eastchester and Contreras added 16 points.

Contreras scored a game-high 23 points against Fox Lane.

Somers is 4-4 and will resume play, Jan. 6 against Sleepy Hollow.

“Getting back to .500 was a goal of ours for the new year,” Mallon said. “And now the goal is to get back above .500 and continue that once league play begins in the new year.”

PUTNAM VALLEY went 1-1 and finished third at the Mahopac Holiday Tournament.

The Tigers drew Rye, a sectional contender, and dropped a 46-35 verdict. Putnam Valley came back to dominate Nanuet and close out December with a 4-3 record.

“We’ve been playing better each game, but we’re still figuring out what kind of team we are with a lot of underclassmen,” Putnam Valley coach Harrison Deegan said. “I think we have the potential to surprise a lot of teams as we move further along with the season if we continue to progress.”

Jona Kobashi led the Tigers with 14 points against Rye. She followed it up with a double-double against Nanuet – 21 points and 14 rebounds and eighth-grader Sara Pastula added eight points.

 

DAVID TABER/CHRIS SMAJLAJ/RAY GALLAGHER PHOTOS