Cohen's Hot Shooting Helps Boys Basketball Advance to Quarterfinals
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After its best season in years, the Raiders began their Section 1 Tournament bid with a win at home against Clarkstown North Friday night, 56-45. Though the No. 7 Raiders were seeded above the No. 10 Rams, the Rams came in off a big win against No. 2 North Rockland last week, while the Raiders were hoping to end a four-game skid. The older Scarsdale players also had last year's tournament in mind, which ended with a heartbreaking 68-66 loss against Clarkstown North in the first round. This year, led by a strong senior class, Scarsdale mustered a 12-6 record and was looking for revenge against the 10-8 Rams.
Jon Cohen's shooting got Scarsdale off to a fast start. His two consecutive three-pointers with four minutes to play in the first quarter had the packed Scarsdale bleachers going wild and gave the Raiders a 10-5 lead. The Rams never caught up. Cohen would go on to score 21 points, 19 of which came in the 1st half. The Raider's offense was also aided in the first half by big man Jack Hewitt, who ended the game with 11 points. Hewitt's presence was even more apparent on defense as Clarkstown had no counter to the 6-6 center. Under the basket, he made the Rams look gravely undersized and ended the game with 5 crucial blocks.
Going into the half, Scarsdale held a comfortable 31-19 lead, but came out flat after the break. Cohen's three-pointers stopped falling and a visibly frustrated 
Hewitt missed what are typically automatic shots for him, allowing the Rams to bring the game to within 6 points. But two big layups from Dylan Lobue (who, in the first half, impressed the crowd by playing a defensive possession without a shoe), as well as contributions from Tyler Nathan and substitute Peter Simon, combined to stop the Rams from tying the score. At the end of the third quarter, Scarsdale still held its lead, 39-30.
In the fourth quarter, Clarkstown, having been dominated near the basket, tried to tie up the game with long jumpers. But as had been the pattern throughout the game, Scarsdale's timely scoring and solid defense were aided by horrendous Rams shooting. In the final few minutes, the Rams were launching more air balls than baskets. As the game wound down, Scarsdale lengthened its possessions and began rotating in backups, including future starters Grant Goodman and Andreas Larson. After the buzzer, the team looked alternatively relieved to have ended their losing streak and excited to continue their run.
In the quarterfinals on Wednesday, the Raiders will take on the powerful No. 2 North Rockland squad that trounced Suffern in its first-round matchup 72-33. Although it will be an uphill battle from here on out, the best Scarsdale squad in years refuses to go down without a fight.
This article was contributed by Brian Solender, a senior at Scarsdale High School, and a former reporter, assistant editor and sports editor for the Maroon.
Sign Up for Softball, a Half Marathon and Junior Tennis
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Girls Youth Softball League: The Scarsdale Recreation and Parks Department, in conjunction with the Neighborhood Athletic Associations, have begun its online registration for the 2013 Spring Girls Youth Softball League program. Season starts Saturday, April 20 and ends on Thursday, June 20. Teams are organized by grade and local school area. Registration Deadline is March 3. Late fees will apply for those registering after the deadline. Go to www.scarsdale.com to register with the Recreation Department (RECONLINE).
Half Marathon Team Looking for Runners:
County Harvest, a nonprofit food rescue organization, is a charity partner in the March 17th NYC Half Marathon. We have a few entries left. The deadline to register is February 25th. Join us and run with Team County Harvest!
To register please click here: http://www.countyharvest.org/teamcountyharvest.php?nid=8
Junior Tennis at Fox Meadow Tennis Club: 
The Fox Meadow Tennis Club on Wayside Lane in Scarsdale announces their spring junior tennis program, open to all. They are offering group and personalized clinics to help juniors play tennis and sharpen their skills under the supervision of Head Tennis Professional, Gary Squires.
Group clinics will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays from April 22 - June 17 & April 24 - June 19 and will include fun drills and games to develop strokes, footwork, and strategy.
Personalized instruction is available to help juniors quickly elevate their game. To register contact Gary Squires at 914-384-0336 or garysquires3@gmail.com or visit www.foxmeadowtennisclub.com/juniors.
Backyard Sports Cares and New York Knicks to Host Basketball Tournament
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Backyard Sports Cares is partnering with the New York Knicks organization to host the inaugural Adult Three-on-Three Basketball Tournament. The tournament will be held at the MSG Training Center in Greenburgh NY on March 17th, 2013 from 9am – 3pm. Teams will be divided into three divisions: Open (most competitive), 35 years and older, and Recreation (all ages). Beloved Knicks alumni players and the Knicks City Dancers will be on hand to cheer on the participants.
"We are honored to work in collaboration with the Knicks on this unique opportunity for basketball enthusiasts to experience playing at the state of the art Knicks facility, and at the same time help raise funds for children in our area who do not have traditional access to sports programming," said Danny Bernstein, "head coach" and founder of Backyard Sports Cares (BYSC). "Sports such as basketball, soccer, baseball and tennis are a great tool to teach all children life lessons that will help them lead better lives in our community."
There are a limited number of teams. Each $1500 team registration includes three- five players, individual jerseys and food & beverage. To learn more or register a team for the event, please visit http://byardsportscares.org/event-registration.html.
Founded in 2007, BYSC has touched the lives of over 4,000 children in Westchester neighborhoods including Mt. Vernon, New Rochelle, Port Chester, White Plains and Yonkers. Backyard Sports Plus, a unique program that provides one-on-one peer mentors serves special needs children to maximize their sports potential for greater success. Established in 2005, Backyard Sports is committed to replacing today's "win at all costs" mentality of youth sports with an approach that promotes increased self confidence and a lifetime love of sports while maximizing the athletic potential of each participant. Backyard Sports Cares was created to bring these ideals to children who have limited access to traditional youth sports programs, including children with special needs. Learn more at www.byardsportscares.org.
Boys Basketball Falls to Mt. Vernon, 75-50
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Coming off a tough loss to rival White Plains, Scarsdale hoped to continue its otherwise strong season with an upset against perennial powerhouse Mt. Vernon this past Thursday. Though its program is not as strong as in past years, the back-to-back state federation champion Knights came in with a 12-1 record and were ranked 2nd in the state. Additionally, the team was hoping to earn its legendary coach, Bob Cimmino, his 400th win.
The Raiders, however, were playing with confidence that had not been present in the past few years. Having already won more games (12) this season than in the past two combined, the Scarsdale team seemed capable of beating Mt. Vernon for the first time in Coach Jon Feld's tenure as coach.
For much of the first quarter, Scarsdale seemed to have a chance at ending the streak. The some 200 fans in attendance became increasingly excited as senior Jack Hewitt scored Scarsdale's first two baskets and seniors Tyler Nathan and Jonathan Cohen each tacked on a three-pointer. But in what would set the tone for the rest of the game, Mt. Vernon quickly responded 
to each Scarsdale score with a graceful, efficient offensive possession.
With a few minutes to play in the 1st quarter, Mt. Vernon was leading by only a slim margin, 13-12. The tight score did not last long as the Knights began a 13-point run that continued into the 2nd quarter. The Raiders were slow to respond, making offensive errors and not scoring again until the final minutes of of the half.
Although the home team never threatened again to tie the score, they proved resilient in the face of a strong opponent. Hewitt continued to make impressive plays all over the court, eventually notching 23 points. In the 3rd quarter, Nathan hit two three-pointers in a row from the same spot, exciting the large crowd still in attendance. Together, he and Cohen made seven-three pointers. The team also benefitted from strong play by Senior point guard Alex Squadron, whose quick passes and impressive ball-handling managed to avoid too many offensive turnovers.
The Raiders offense, however, could not match Mt. Vernon's. Spectators were silenced after Scarsdale scores by the speed and precision of the Knights. "Wows" could be heard in the stands as Senior Josh Doughty nailed three-pointer after three-pointer early in the game, and as a Mt. Vernon player on a breakaway lept up above the rim before gently placing the ball in the basket. It was evident to everyone in attendance how Mt. Vernon had won the past two state championships.
Though Scarsdale will not beat Mt. Vernon this year, the team has an opportunity to end its two-game skid Monday against Eastchester on Senior Night.
This article was contributed by Brian Solender, a senior at Scarsdale High School, and a former reporter, assistant editor and sports editor for the Maroon.
Panthers Takes First in Wrestling Tourney at Edgemont
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Both local teams fared well at the 31st annual Edgemont Wrestling Tournament on Saturday January 19, with Edgemont taking first and Scarsdale fifth out of the 19 teams competing that day. The day featured 250 wrestlers from 19 teams and provided competitive and exciting matches leading up to the sectional tournaments in two weeks.
Each individual wrestler on the Edgemont Panthers displayed competitiveness and determination resulting in a first place victory. This is exactly the kind of wrestling that will put the Panther's on the list of top teams in the section
To prepare for sectionals, Panther's coach Manny Alayon stated, "We're doing a lot more drilling and more individual coaching which will give each wrestler the attention while fine tuning their skills so they can get a good taste of sectionals." Among the standouts for the day for the Edgemont Panthers were the Aslanian brothers who both easily made their way into the final round. A top section competitor from Pearl River decisioned younger brother Kyle Aslanian, while Trey Aslanian edged his opponent from New Fairfield. Now a senior, Trey has finished at the top in the New York State tournament in the past couple of years and aspires to cap off his high school career with another state title. Another one of Edgemont's standouts was junior Will Graybeal who pinned his opponent from Yonkers and came away with a bronze medal for the day.
Scarsdale Raider's Head Coach Barney Foltman focused on correcting the mistakes of the more 
-experienced wrestlers while providing support their younger teammates. Foltman reports that, "We have a very well rounded team, and the more competitive matches we face, the more we'll grow as a team." Among the team standouts was Sophomore Robbie Keltz. After failing to place in the last tournament, Keltz was determined to step up his game and this Saturday went 3-1 for the day, finishing in third place. In his final match he put on a stellar performance and triumphed over his opponent from Dobbs Ferry. Another star was Scarsdale's Daniel Baruch who fought his way into the finals of the last tournament but fell short of first place. Correcting his mistakes and improving his mindset, he made it into the finals yet again, this time taking the gold. In perhaps his best match to date, he came away with a close 9-7 victory over his opponent from Pearl River.
Senior captain Michael Hodges has been wrestling at the state-level all season, easily capturing the gold at the Scarsdale tournament and coasting his way to the finals in Edgemont by pinning his opponent from Salesian in his final match. This marks two gold medals in a row for Hodges and expectations remain high for the senior in the upcoming sectional tournaments.
Senior captain Joe Kashakow displayed a high level of technical and composed wrestling this weekend when he faced some challenges. In the semifinal, Kashakow was matched against Oliver Oks of Edgemont. Up until the final periods, Oks had almost full control until Koshakow caught Oks off guard to secure a 4:31 pin. Koshakow then faced his most evenly matched opponent, Ben Miller of Mamaroneck, for his final match. Kashakow had edged a victory over Miller earlier in the season but knew that this match could go either way. With an even score throughout the entire six minutes, the two battled for the gold medal in a thrilling overtime match won by Miller in a 4-3 victory. With both Miller and Kashakow ranked among the top three in the section, the two are likely to meet again this season.
The Raiders and Edgemont Panthers will compete again on Saturday January 25 when they will battle for the Bronx River Cup at Scarsdale High School. The cup has gone back and forth between the two rivals for the past five years, with Scarsdale taking it in 2012. Edgemont hopes to reclaim it this year and will certainly put up a tough fight.
