Homecoming is a special time of the year for all of the students, especially the student-athletes. It is a time where they can display their talents on the court or on the rink. It is also a chance for students who are not playing sports to come out and show their school spirit. The Varsity Hockey team and the Girls and Boys Varsity Basketball teams had their homecoming games on January 22nd and February 2nd, respectively. All teams came away with the victory and really rose to the occasion for their big games.
On Friday, the boys took the court to play against their league opponent and rival Bronxville High School. As the gym filled up with anticipatory spectators, the players warmed up to loud music and got ready to come out and defend their home court. The usual pregame homecoming measures were taken, each player giving a cheerleader a rose and the seniors giving their parents flowers and taking pictures, as the crowd grew antsy and excited for the game. The crowd, dressed for a blue-out, prepared to be silent until the first Blind Brook basket was scored.
Fortunately, they didn’t have to wait too long as a three-pointer from Alex Feuerstein immediately opened things up on the Trojans’ first offensive possession. The very next time down the floor Mike Bucci put up a three of his own and suddenly Blind Brook was rolling. DiGiansante drilled a deep two to give the home side an 8-2 lead, prompting a Bronxville timeout and feeding the home crowd’s enthusiasm.
The boys continued to outplay their opponent despite two early fouls from senior big man Hudson Powell. After a colossal second-quarter run, the team led 27-7 with five whole minutes remaining in the quarter. They continued to score possession after possession and played stifling defense, limiting their opponent to just 16 points after one whole half of play. It was really only 13 points, but what was almost a full-court heave from a Bronxville player banked in at the halftime buzzer, shrinking the Trojan lead to 35-16.
Coming out of the locker room to start the third, the Trojans just continued doing much of the same. They shot extremely well and maintained their defensive tenacity, ultimately finishing the game with 14 steals and forcing additional turnovers as well. After three-quarters of play, the Trojans led by 24 points. At that point, there was no coming back for the Broncos, who continued to struggle at the hands of the Trojans. In a contest where everybody played as a result of Blind Brook running Bronxville out of the building, the game finished 73-44. Bucci led the team with 17 points, five rebounds, and four assists on 5/9 shooting and 4/5 from three. DiGiansante added 15, four, and four on 7/13 shooting followed by Feuerstein who put up 14 of his own.
The Varsity Hockey team has enjoyed a successful season as their record is now 13-6 on the season. Their homecoming game was also “Senior Night” which was a tribute to all of the seniors on the team. The seniors from Blind Brook are Max Chalfin, Joe Bucci, and Kieran Storch. Their senior night turned out well with a win against ETBE (Eastchester, Tuckahoe, Bronxville, and Edgemont) as the score was 8-6. The score was tied 5-5 in the third period with 6:27 to go, but Jake Repaci, Joey Harrison, and Christian Pizzutello scored successive goals to cap off the win for the Rye Town Titans.
The Girls Varsity Basketball team also had their homecoming game against Keio Academy on Friday, February 2nd. They won the game 44-30 behind the play of seniors Lily Kamin and Carly Discolo. Senior captain Lily Kamin shared her thoughts on her final homecoming game, “We all played amazing and Carly and I couldn’t have asked for anything more special.” This game was very special for the seniors as they enjoyed their last homecoming game and were given a real boost by the extra supportive crowd. “