Rye High School’s boys varsity basketball team defeated Nyack 48-43 in the second game of the post-season on Wednesday, in a hard-fought seesaw battle that went down to the wire.
The Garnets now move on to the Final Four at the Westchester County Center on February 26 against Hendrick Hudson. Pearl River will play Byram Hills in the other semifinal.
Rye started tentatively against Nyack and found themselves trailing 10-7 after the first quarter and 25-22 at halftime. In front of a packed crowd at the Rye High School gym, and with a large turnout from Nyack fans, the intensity on the court and in the stands picked up in the second half.
The lead changed hands several times, and with eight minutes to go the score was tied at 33. Nyack was up by four when junior Jake Kessner hit a jumper and sophomore Carson Miller scored back-to-back baskets, one of them off a steal. The turnaround gave the Garnets a two-point lead with 2:38 to play, and Rye held on down the stretch.
As has been their trademark all season, Kessner and Miller delivered when the team needed them most. Kessner finished with 20 points and Miller 13.
The Garnets concluded their regular season with a 15-5 record that ranked them second as the tournament began among the 22 Class A schools in the four-county region known as Section 1.
Nyack had advanced to meet Rye in the “elite eight” as the seventh seed after routing 10th-seed Obama School by a score of 60-39. Nyack also entered the game against Rye having won five of its previous six games under the leadership of its senior tandem Zavier Jules and 1,000-point-scorer Ray Boutin.
The Garnets’ last two games were against John Jay Cross River and Edgemont highs. They played shorthanded against JJCR on Feb. 7, with two starters out because of illness, losing by a score of 51-40 despite 12 points from junior Rockland Boisseau and nine from junior Andrew Wilmarth. Two days later, Rye bounced back to beat Edgemont 60-42 behind 13 points from sophomore Henry Shoemaker and 11 points each from senior Charlie Margiloff and junior Patrick McGuire.
Entering the playoffs at full strength, Rye dominated 15th-seed Albertus Magnus in the opening round on Feb. 16 with a 61-35 victory. The outcome was evident early on, as Rye led 21-8 after the first quarter. Kessner led the team with 16 points, and Miller added 13.
