Brewster Senior Galgano Leads Surging Bears by Example
Lakeland Remains Unbeaten, Hormazabal Taking Game to Next Level
By Ray Gallagher, Examiner Sports Editor @Directrays
It’s one thing to be a skilled, gifted player on the court. It’s another thing to be an even better person off the court, the best student athlete one can be; both on and off the court. That means delivering in the clutch, when your teammates need you most, but more than anything, it’s about good grades and showing out in the classroom. Brewster senior Grace Galgano has mastered the craft of student athlete, delivering the goods on the hardwood for Coach Mike Castaldo since he called her up to varsity as an eighth-grader while maintaining spectacular academic standards.
“Grace has all the accolades; All-Section, team MVP, but nobody sees how hard she works on and off the court, how much she cares for this program and what a great teammate she is,” Castaldo said of the Roberts Wesleyan-bound Galgano, who secured a full scholarship behind a 99.4 overall GPA and nearly 1,000 career points and rebounds.
Galgano, who, God willing, will reach those career milestones before the 2022 season concludes, has been the backbone of the Brewster program since 2019 and her recent Con Ed Award nod only amplifies her scholastic prowess.
“Grace is the most dominant player we’ve had on the court in my 10 years here, and she’s the most complete student athlete I’ve ever coached,” Castaldo admitted. “Emily Tapia (2010) was an unbelievable player for Brewster and went on to have a great career at Fordham. Grace is right behind her in my opinion as the second best girls’ basketball player in school history. It has been an absolute privilege to coach her and we’re lucky to have her.”
WALTER PANAS wasn’t quite as lucky last Tuesday when Galgano in-bounded a perfect dime to junior teammate Madison Dakin, who took Galgano’s drop-dead pass for the game-winning bucket with 1.7 seconds left in the Bears’ 44-42 win over the previously undefeated host Panthers (8-1). Galgano was hard on the youthful Panthers, scoring 16 points, snaring 16 boards and swatting eight shots while senior teammate Sophia Alzugaray made it rain behind the arc, hitting five treys and finishing with 17 points. To date, Galgano, who hit the game-tying shot with 15 seconds left, has led the Bears (6-1) by averaging 22 PPG, 12 RPG and 4.5 BPG.
Freshman G Cadence Nicholas had a game-high 26 points for the Panthers and continued to show out like few freshmen in the region have in recent memory.
The run of excellent student athletes does not end at Brewster, though. LAKELAND senior G/F Tyler Hormazabal is another in the form of quintessential. After defeating host Pleasantville, 55-32, last Tuesday, the senior G/F Hormazabal has taken her game to the next level while serving notice that Lakeland is a strong postseason challenger this year. Hormazabal’s double-double (23 points, 11 rebounds) was just short of a triple-double (8 steals) for the Hornets (8-0), who are currently setting the pace in Class A.
“Tyler is truly the hardest working player I have ever coached and she is extremely determined and coachable,” Lakeland Coach Miranda Mangan said. “She understands the game, has a tremendous work ethic and has not reached her full potential as a player. My favorite attribute of Tyler’s is that she makes everyone else around her better. She is an incredible student athlete and role model. The dedication and contributions she has made for this program will continue to serve as an inspiration for all of the future Hornet basketball players to come.”
Ava Lugo added 12 points and three steals for the Hornets while Megan Raefski led P’Ville with 14 points and Gianna Doto added 11.
MAHOPAC G Kristina Rush led the Indians (3-3) with 13 points in their 49-23 win over Briarcliff. The Indians, who need to identify as a better defensive team if things are going to pan out as hoped in Class A, held the Bears (4-2) to a season-low. Nine points and solid defense from junior F Lauren Beberman aided the Indians’ cause. Slow starts and sub-par defense (by their standards) have been a bit of an issue for Mahopac, which, given what the Indians have lost to graduation (defensive stalwarts Mia Klammer, Caitlyn O’Boyle), was predictable.
“We have had a rough offensive start but we’ve definitely been stepping up on defense,” said Beberman, who leads the team in boards and blocks. “We are constantly training and working to gel and will continue to take our best shots. We think 2022 will bring a lot for Mahopac. We definitely have it in us to be a really good defensive team, I know it. This is what we are working toward.”
Kayla McCarthy led HEN HUD (2-5) with 17 points in the Sailors’ 80-25 opening-round win over Yonkers in the Hen Hud tourney last Tuesday. Kaitlyn Raguso added 12 points and while Alex Figueroa (11) and Hailey Pearson (11) all reached double digits. Unfortunately, the finals were cancelled due to COVID-related issues.
PEEKSKILL improved to 3-1 after its 47-39 win over a feisty Class C HALDANE club, who had no answer for Red Devils F Bethany Overby (19 points, 11 boards, 5 steals). Takyla Cowan-Hongosh (14 points) and Kiki Mercado (9 points) also contributed for first-year Red Dev Coach Tyrone Searight. Haldane was led by Madison Chiera’s 10 points.
CLASS AA
OSSINING will head into the break at 5-1 after the Pride’s 64-55 win over visiting Kennedy Wednesday. Pride G Ella Schnecker had a career-high 25 points and tacked on five boards. Point guard Michelle Mercado orchestrated the flow with 20 points and 10 assists to go with four steals. Karen Perriott (10 points, 15 rebounds) notched a double-double while Isabella Florez (3 points, 10 rebounds) and Angela Rios (2 points, 5 boards) also contributed.
Ray has 33 years experience covering and photographing local sports in Westchester and Putnam counties, including everything from Little League/Travel Baseball to varsity high school prep sports and collegiate coverage. He has been a sports editor at Examiner Media since its inception in 2007.
Visit Ray’s author bio page for more details. Also read Ray’s archived work here and his Direct Rays column here.