AREA NEWSSPORTS

29 Turnovers, Foul Trouble Costly in Mahopac Final 4 Loss No.5 Indians Eliminated by No.9 New Rochelle, 47-42

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When you commit a ghastly 29 turnovers and your best player is battling foul trouble all game before fouling out with less than two minutes remaining in a Section 1 Class AA Final 4, you probably don’t deserve to win, much less have a chance to do so.

VitkusYet somehow, No. 5 Mahopac (17-4) was in it to the very end at the Westchester County Center last Friday night against the ninth-seeded Huguenots of New Rochelle, who trailed by 11 points before forward Joe Clarke (20 points, 10 rebounds, seven blocks) and junior Derek Dorn (15 points, five steals) went on a tear from the end of the third and throughout the fourth quarter, advancing New Rochelle to the Section 1 championship game with a 47-42 victory.

New Rochelle would eventually shock third-seeded Mount Vernon, 61-60, on a last-second buzzer-beater by Khalil Edney in the Class AA finals as the Huguenots were crowned for the first time since 2005 last Sunday as March Madness began with a bang.

New Rochelle began its comeback against Mahopac in the final three minutes of the third quarter, capping it when Clarke swished a rainbow three as the horn sounded, taking a behind-the-back pass from Donny Powell for a 25-foot shot.

State-ranked (No.23) Mahopac, which had won 15 straight entering the game, led 34-24 after Ryan Simone’s conventional three. But All-Section Indian swingman Brendan Hynes picked up his fourth foul at 3:02 of the third up 29-22, and the Huguenots closed the quarter on a 7-0 run and trailed 34-31. Mahopac upped the lead to 38-34 with Hynes back on the floor early in the fourth, as he found Ryan Simone for a hoop and scored one himself.

With Hynes out of synch, Ryan Simone (game-high 22 points and six rebounds) kept the Indians alive with a series of strong moves that bode well for the future. Hynes finished with 11 points and attempted just six shots before fouling out with 1:53 remaining in the fourth quarter on a questionable charging call, his third charge of the game. NFL All-Pro Ray Rice’s posse might have concurred with the final charging call that benefitted New Ro’; but, at best, it was a non-call, perhaps a block, from where this scribe sat… some 10 yards away.

“It’s a shame we couldn’t finish the game with our best player on the court,” Indian boss Kevin Downes admitted.  “This is pretty tough. To be up where we were and not be able to finish is disappointing. It hurts when your best player is not on the floor, and it was really like that for a lot of the game on account of what I would consider some questionable calls, but you’ve got to be able to overcome and we weren’t able to do it.

Ryan Simone“We knew it would be a physical game,” added Downes, the Conference I Coach of the Year. “They’re going to let you play in this kind of environment. In my opinion I think they (the officials) felt they were a little bit more athletic than we were, and they let them get away with some stuff and not us. I thought Clarke had some fouls early that they didn’t call, so it was tough, tough when you’re playing a good team and your best player is not on the floor. He was having a good game when he was in there. It is what it is. It’s disappointing. That’s a very good basketball team, and it’s tough when your best player isn’t on the floor. We had control of the game when Brendan was in the game, and to have it end that way is tough. You’d much rather have it end with their best kids on the floor and your best kids on the floor. My kids gave me a ride I’ll never forget, and when you put it all into perspective it’s something we can all be proud of.”

New Rochelle did most of its damage with Hynes (6 rebounds, 4 assists) on the bench with four fouls and iced the game when he drew his fifth. With Hynes on the floor, Mahopac seemed a sure bet to advance, holding an 11-point lead midway through the third, but with Hynes on the bench the Huguenots amped up the pressure and Mahopac had a hard time protecting the ball, particularly without the benefit of tight officiating. New Rochelle rode the Indians hard, the length of the floor.

It wasn’t long before the Huguenots were forcing multiple turnovers and a slew of flawed possessions resulting in a sweeping change of momentum and New Ro’s first title appearance since 2005, the only time Mount Vernon has been defeated in a Class AA championship since 2000. The Huguenots ended the game on a 23-8 run after the 1:30 mark of the third quarter.

The 6’3” Clarke was a man among boys at times, finishing with 20 points, nine rebounds, four steals and seven swats, including 16 second half points and four clutch free throws down the stretch. He, like the other Huguenots, was particularly effective when Hynes was on the bench, much to the display of the Mahopac Maniacs, who turned up in white-out force but left in a combination of dismay and disbelief.

Eventually, when Indian Country comes to terms with the shattering defeat, they’ll realize what they did for their community during the winter of 2013; bringing Mahopac back to the County Center for a third-straight year and, perhaps, representing Putnam County as well as any boys’ basketball program ever has over a three-year stretch (2011 semis, 2012 championship appearance, 2013 semis).

“I think after our 2-3 start that people kind of said maybe they’re not as good as maybe people thought they were,” Downes said. “But for them to go and reel off 15 wins in a row and do as well as they did all year, and even today, as much as we did, I’m proud of them. It’s a great group of kids. They gave me a great amount of pleasure.”

Truth be told, it’s been an epic, unprecedented three-year Class AA/A run in Putnam County history: 51-13 record; 1 home loss on half court buzzer beater the last three seasons; three league titles and three trips to County Center… not too shabby.

“We had the parts this year,” said heart-broken senior F Mike Simone, who scored four points. “It’s on us.”

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