BOYS’ BASKETBALL — On the heels of a tough loss in their opener at Blind Brook, Haldane bounced back with two road wins, defeating Leffell, 50-43, on Monday (Dec. 16) and Hamilton, 58-35, on Wednesday.
At Leffell, the Blue Devils faced a full-court press for the entire game. Luke Bozsik led the way with 20 points, followed by Nate Stickle with 11 (including seven free throws).
There was little scoring in the first half — Haldane led, 16-15, at the break — but the Blue Devils opened the third with an 8-3 run. Leffell was within one point with 1:23 left in the quarter but eight seconds later, Bozsik scored and Haldane never again trailed. “They got pretty physical, and I thought we matched it,” said Coach Joe Virgadamo.
Photos by Skip Pearlman
At Hamilton, the Red Raiders scored the first four points but Haldane went on a 22-0 run, dominating with tenacious defense and scoring from all over. Bozsik had 12 points in the quarter and finished with 27, and Fallou Faye added 13. Hamilton narrowed the margin to 29-15 at halftime, but the Blue Devils never relinquished the lead.
The Blue Devils (2-1) have 12 days off over the holiday. Their next game will be at Chester (4-1) on Dec. 30.
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL — After a come-from-behind win last week over Leffell, the Blue Devils lost on the road on Dec. 14 to Port Chester, 63-41. The game started well for Haldane, led by Marisa Peters and Kayla Ruggiero, and with 4:28 left in the second quarter, the Blue Devils were down 19-18 after a basket by Elaina Johanson.
But that would be the closest they came as the Rams closed out the half with a 15-4 run and Haldane didn’t score again until there was 1:19 left in the third.
On Monday (Dec. 16), the Blue Devils traveled to Hamilton, where they lost, 58-40. Peters scored 16 and Ruggiero had 12. Although down by 21 points at halftime, Haldane cut the deficit to seven to start the fourth quarter.
The Blue Devils (1-3) traveled to Carmel High School on Thursday for a tournament that continues today (Dec. 20). Their next game will be at Beacon for the Battle of the Tunnel on Jan. 6.
WINTER TRACK — Haldane opened its season Dec. 15, competing against other small schools at the Section I Kickoff at The Armory in New York City.
For the boys, Milo Pearsall finished ninth in the 300 meters in 39.78; Rhys Williams finished fourth in the 55-meter in 6.91 and fifth in the long jump at 18-5; Owen Powers was ninth in the 3,200 meters in 10:47.41; James Frommer was 13th in the 600 meters in 1:37.69; Merrick Williams was 25th in the shot put at 28-9.25; and Jake Thomas was 11th in the weight throw at 30-5.25.
For the girls, Hazel Berkley finished eighth in the 3,000 meters in 12:58.67, a personal record; seventh-grader Olive Allebrand was 14th in the 1,500 meters in 6:05.73; and Samantha Thomas was 25th in the 300 meters at 50.84.
The Blue Devils travel today (Dec. 20) to The Armory for the Coach Saint Invitational.
