On Jan. 9, bitter rivals Harrison and Rye squared off in the annual Michael Ice Memorial Classic with both teams needing a win to keep pace in a crowded Class A landscape. In the end, a late push by the Garnets put the home team on top for good, as Rye came away with a 56-38 win over the Huskies.
Buoyed by a 23-point performance from Charlie Nagle and an 8-point, 8-rebound showing by George Kirby, Rye controlled the action for much of the game, but Harrison hung tough, trailing 35-29 heading into the fourth quarter. The Garnets put the game out of reach with an early run, however, scoring the first seven points of the quarter and cruising to an 18-point win in the process.
Garnets’ coach John Aguilar was especially impressed with his team’s play late in the game, considering they were coming off a tough 47-43 loss to Byram Hills on Friday night.
“I think it just shows our resilience, and it shows the work they put in during the offseason in terms of conditioning,” Aguilar said. “Our boys showed a lot of guts coming back today on short rest.”
The Garnets, who racked up five straight wins to start the season, came into Saturday’s showdown having lost back-to-back games. According to Rye center Mark Croughan, the Garnets were eager to get back to their winning ways.
“You never want to lose three straight,” Croughan said. “We knew Harrison would be a challenge and that they’d find a way to come back, so we just kept our motors going and kept playing like we were desperate.”
Croughan helped lead a terrific defensive effort that held the Huskies to their second-lowest point total of the season. Jeff Solomon and Omar Nesheiwat paced Harrison with eight points apiece.
Despite the fact that both programs have been among the best in Class A for the last few seasons, Croughan pointed out that the Garnets haven’t had much success on the court against the Huskies in recent years.
“Everyone talks about the Harrison-Rye rivalry in terms of football, but I think people underestimate the basketball rivalry,” he said. “We haven’t beaten them the last six times we’ve played so to come in here today, in the Michael Ice game, this was definitely special.”
Harrison, which dropped to 4-5 with the loss, will be off until Jan. 14, when they take on league foe Pelham, after press time. The Garnets will travel to Port Chester to take on the Rams on Jan. 13 before taking part in the Mamaroneck Tiger Tourney this weekend.
