By Steven Kearney
Ask any high school basketball coach what’s on their holiday wish list, and they’d all say the same thing every year: depth, athleticism, hustle — and a couple of kids who can knock down threes with the game on the line.
With the effort the Rye boys showed in a 67-64 overtime loss Dec. 13 at Nanuet, first-year Head Coach Tom Proudian may have to think of something additional to ask for. This Rye Garnets team is loaded with all of the above.
“I loved our effort tonight,” Proudian said. “Things weren’t going our way most of the evening (including the traffic on 287) but the boys never gave up. I know these kids. They don’t ever quit, they keep fighting, and that’s the sign of a winning team. Tonight was our first game. We’re going to be fine.”
Senior captain Jake Kessner (23 points) had a hot hand early with a couple of threes as Rye jumped out to a 16-13 lead at the end of the first quarter. Nanuet rallied in the second quarter behind the athletic combination of Mekhi Vines (19 points) and Dervin Ermilus (16) and the game was tied 26 all at the half.
In the second half, Nanuet seemed to have a slight upper hand most of the way.
“They hit some big shots down the stretch,” Proudian said. “Ermilus is tough to defend. But we hit some big shots, too.”
And a few of the biggest 3-point shots of the second half — under intense defensive Nanuet pressure — came from Rye sophomore sharpshooter Ben Hudson (17 points).
The game heated up toward the end of the fourth quarter, with a back-and-forth race to the finish. For every hard-won, second-chance put-back bucket from Rye’s Patrick McGuire, Henry Shoemaker, or the tenacious Rocklan Boisseau, Nanuet would answer with a clutch jumper from Vines, often after one of seven assists from Nanuet’s slick southpaw point guard Connor Mullen.
Overtime games typically can go either way. For one night, it was Nanuet’s turn, but this Rye team will be exciting to watch all season long.
The Rye boys will return to action 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, at Suffern.