[dropcap]T[/dropcap]here’s no question when it comes to postseason athletics, the intensity and pressure for our coaches and student-athletes get ratcheted up tenfold. And while that may be all well and good 99 percent of the time, creating indelible moments for our local sports stars, win or lose, sometimes the grand stage of the playoffs can shine a light on some more negative aspects of the game.
Don’t get me wrong; there has been no shortage of absolutely fantastic moments over the last week. Kate Robbins’ third-quarter buzzer-beater against Pelham that propelled Rye to a come-from-behind win over the Pelicans; the Harrison boys’ team putting together an unheard of upset of Ardsley from their spot as the No. 24 seed; heck, even the atmosphere in Scarsdale High School’s gym as Mamaroneck’s boys tried—and ultimately failed—to rally back from a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter of their Class AA playoff game against the Raiders; these moments all represent sports at its finest.
But there have also been a handful of moments over the last week or so that kind of make you scratch your head.
One early playoff story that has gotten a fair amount of press has been the brawl that transpired between members of the Peekskill girls’ basketball team after a hard-fought loss to Tappan Zee on Feb. 18. According to observers, Red Devils’ players began arguing with one another following the game, leading to a fracas involving fans, parents and punches. Police were called and one woman was hospitalized, turning an already disappointing end to the season into something much worse for the Red Devils.
I can’t speak to the underlying tensions that led to the fight, but one would have to assume that the pressure cooker of postseason play factored into it somehow.
Of course, not all scandals—for lack of a better word—are quite as dramatic.
That same day, in a first-round meeting between league foes New Rochelle and White Plains, the Huguenots escaped with a thrilling double-overtime win over the Tigers in what, if you just looked at the box score, one would assume was a classic showdown.
But White Plains coach Spencer Mayfield took to Twitter after the game to fire back at the officials for what he saw as an uneven performance in which New Rochelle accumulated 32 chances at the foul line to his Tigers’ scant five.
Did the referees cost White Plains the game? I couldn’t tell you. But I can say that, from a coaching standpoint, it’s impossible not to get frustrated when the numbers are that skewed.
And sometimes, the ire of fans is directed at the governing body of local sports.
When the leading scorer on Scarsdale’s hockey team, Ben Schwartz, was ejected from the final game of the regular season, Raider fans expected him to serve his mandatory one-game suspension during the team’s first-round playoff game against Rivertown—which most expected to be an easy win for Scarsdale, even without the standout winger on the ice. But Rivertown forfeited the game, and Schwartz’ suspension was carried over into the highly-anticipated quarterfinal matchup between Scarsdale and No. 2-seeded Suffern, despite vocal protests from the Raider faithful. Many felt that Section I misinterpreted the rule and believed that the decision to hold Schwartz out for the Suffern game put an asterisk next to the Mounties’ 5-3 win on Feb. 21.
No matter what happens in the postseason, no matter who wins, no matter how games go, there’s going to be grousing, complaining, and, in some instances, some undignified behavior.
But as the playoffs continue, let’s just hope that the good moments outweigh the bad, and even those tough losses and bad situations provide our athletes—and our coaches—with some valuable life lessons.
