Rye High’s girls varsity basketball team has been eliminated in the first round of the 2023-24 playoffs, losing last weekend to a talented Tappan Zee team by a score of 52-25.
The Garnets trailed by only five points at halftime, 20-15. But they were plagued by turnovers and poor rebounding in the second half and were outscored 32-10 after the break. Junior guard Kristen Phelan led Tappan Zee with 17 points, while Paige Tepedino led Rye with 10 points.
Tappan Zee moves on to the Section 1 region’s “elite eight” round, where they will play Ardsley High for a chance to reach the section’s finalfour at Westchester County Center in White Plains the weekend of March 1-3.
The Garnets finished their season with a 9-12 record, winning only three of their last 13 games. But they will lose only two seniors to graduation (Meredith Kenny and Piper Tenney) and remain optimistic that the experience gained this season by their core of young players will pay dividends in the win column next year.