Through their first seven games of the season, there hasn’t been a whole lot that teams have been able to throw at New Rochelle to slow them down. That trend continued on Jan. 3, when the Huguenots authored their most impressive win to date, a 63-49 over last year’s Class AA runners up Scarsdale.
The Huguenots came out hot, jumping out to an early lead against the Raiders and held a 15 point lead going into halftime. But Scarsdale, led by a game-high 26 points from Carlos Rodriguez began to chip away at the lead, climbing to within seven points before a third-quarter Huguenot run put them away for good.
Kas Mirza, who scored 25 points for New Rochelle—12 of which came from behind the arc—said that, given recent history, the Huguenots couldn’t get too comfortable against a Scarsdale team known for its ability to battle back from early deficits.
“We know this is a team that can make runs,” said Mirza. “So we just had to stay within ourself, continue to look for good shots and keep the pressure on them.”
New Rochelle’s depth was on display throughout, with point guard Lee Hester notching 14 points and forward Malik Gasper finishing with 10 points and 20 rebounds. In total, the Huguenots went to the line 33 times, converting on 17 chances from the charity stripe.
But while he admitted the team would need to improve from the foul line, Gasper said that the Huguenots’ ability to keep their composure against a pugnacious Scarsdale team was a major factor in the final outcome, and something that speaks to the maturity of the 7-0 ball club.
“We knew coming in that they’re scrappy, they’re physical,” said Gasper. “So we said before the game we were going to let our play do the talking.”
The Huguenots will have a tough stretch coming up that will see them take on perennial powerhouse Mount Vernon, on Jan. 11, after press time, followed by a Jan. 19 showdown against a 9-1 Mamaroneck team. On Jan. 19, they will see Scarsdale again, when they travel to take on the Raiders.
As the team eyes the remainder of the regular season schedule, Gasper said that it’s important that the Huguenots continue to approach each game with the same intensity as they have in their first nine.
“We’re not finished yet, and those games against Mount Vernon are always a big deal,” said Gasper. “We’re not satisfied and we want to keep going.”
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