BOYS’ BASKETBALL — In their first game in eight days, the Blue Devils easily defeated visiting Chester, 72-42, on Dec. 29. Haldane never trailed and led by as many as 39.
Matt Nachamkin had another dominant performance, scoring 34 points, followed by Michael Murray with 19. Coach Joe Virgadamo cleared his bench at the end of the game, and Dylan Rucker, Jordon Hankel, Peter Ruggiero and Erik Stubblefield played for most of the fourth quarter. “They’re just playing for each other and having fun,” the coach said.
The Blue Devils (5-1) hosted North Salem on Thursday (Jan. 4) and travel on Tuesday (Jan. 9) to Sleepy Hollow. The New York State Sportswriters Association this week ranked Haldane fourth in the state among Class C schools.
Meanwhile, Matteo Cervone, a 2023 Haldane graduate who plays for Bowdoin College in Maine, has appeared in eight games for the Polar Bears (6-7). He scored six points and grabbed seven rebounds in a win on Dec. 9 over Gordon College.
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL — The Blue Devils played their first game in nearly a month on Wednesday (Jan. 3), defeating the Barack Obama School of Justice of Yonkers, 45-28.
Haldane played without Marisa Peters, who was sick, and lost Kayla Ruggiero temporarily in the second quarter when she landed awkwardly while driving to the basket. She returned in the third quarter, but Obama used its height advantage to score in the paint and dominate the boards and cut Haldane’s lead to seven. But the Blue Devils went on a 14-4 run to put the game away.
The fourth quarter included a mid-range jumper from eighth-grader Lainey Donaghy for her first points of the season. “She’s our youngest on the team and doesn’t get much playing time, but she certainly made the most of it,” said Coach Charles Martinez.
Camilla McDaniel, who at one point hit three straight 3-pointers, led Haldane with 19 points, while Ruggiero scored 14.
The Blue Devils (5-4) travel on Saturday (Jan. 6) to Yonkers Montessori Academy and on Friday (Jan. 12) host undefeated Alexander Hamilton at 6:15 p.m.
