Raiders Celebrate Seniors and Fall to Mamaroneck in Regular Season Finale

The Scarsdale’s boys’ basketball team hosted the Mamaroneck Tigers on February 12 in its regular season finale. The Raiders were looking to avenge an overtime loss at Mamaroneck earlier in the season. In that contest, Jayshen Saigal lit up the scoreboard with 27 points featuring five 3 pointers. The evening began with Senior Night – celebrating Scarsdale’s graduating class of 2020. The following seniors and their families were honored in a pregame ceremony:

Dennis Alter
Michael Callahan
Evan Kashanian
Matthew Lipsay (co-captain)
Chris Saenger
Jayshen Saigal (co-captain)
Fisher Waterhouse

With the playoffs to open in just a few days, Scarsdale was hoping to snap a five game losing streak and get on track for a post-season run. Unfortunately, the Raiders’ shooting was as cold as the early February weather. In a messy game marked by poor shooting and tightness on the part of each team, the Raiders fell to the Tigers 39-29.

The contest began with both teams having trouble making progress on the offensive side of the court – and neither team scored for almost the first half of the first quarter. After the slow start, Saigal got the Raiders rolling with a 3 point play on a drive and another basket after a steal. The Raiders utilized a 2-3 defense which was quite effective in keeping Mamaroneck off the scoreboard - holding the Tigers to a mere four points. Saigal paced the Raiders with seven and the Raiders led 10-4 after the first quarter.

The second quarter saw the Tigers get its offense going. They, too, switched to a 2-3 defense which paid immediate dividends and led to a few Mamaroneck baskets. Saigal, who was awarded all league, conference, and section honors earlier in the week, was hit with two quick fouls on consecutive plays – on both ends of the court - and was relegated to the bench for the final several minutes of the half. With Saigal watching from the bench, the Raiders offense was slowed, and the Tigers knotted the score at 17 at the half.

Senior Varsity Basketball Players: (left to right) Dennis Alter, Michael Callahan, Jayshen Saigal, Matthew Lipsay, Fisher Waterhouse, Evan Kashanian, and Chris Saenger. Captain Jayshen Saigal was named to ALL SECTION

After two quick baskets by Mamaroneck to start the second half, Jacob Smith responded with a three pointer. However, the remainder of the third quarter saw the Raiders continue to struggle when they had the ball. The Scarsdale effort was further stymied when Saigal picked up his third foul on a charging call midway through the quarter. Smith’s three represented the only Scarsdale points of the quarter. On the other side of court, the Tigers got hot from the outside: neutralizing the Raider zone by hitting three three pointers and opening up a 7 point lead. The quarter ended with the Raiders being outscored 13-3, trailing by 10 points, and looking for a spark.

Unfortunately for Scarsdale, the Raiders could not overcome the deficit during the final quarter. Despite a tireless effort, Scarsdale continued to have difficulty scoring and the teams played a fairly even fourth quarter. The game ended with the Raiders on the wrong end of a 39-29 score.

Co-Captain Lipsay looking for an open man. Photo by Ray Cooper.

The Raiders will look to reverse course with the “fresh” playoff season commencing within the next week. Given how well the team played against some of the stronger teams in the league and conference this season the Raiders look to rise to the level of their competition and make some noise. Senior photos by Maryellen Saenger.

Saigal going for 3 from the corner. Photo by Ray Cooper.

Proud moms of seniors with Head Coach Joseph Amelio wearing their son's jerseys.