Dobbs Ferry Leaves Everything On The Court In Final Fall To Woodlands

By Tom Pedulla–

   For the seniors who led the Dobbs Ferry boys’ basketball team to great heights, the Westchester County Center will always be remembered as the House of Pain.

   After bowing in the semifinals each of the previous two years, the Eagles finally played for the Class B Gold Ball and did everything but wrap their arms around the gleaming prize in an agonizing 56-53 overtime loss to Woodlands.

   “Any time you lose in overtime, it’s a tough game,” said Coach Scott Patrillo after the thrilling March 8 contest. “When you lose in the County Center, a championship game in overtime, it’s really, really difficult. It’s hard on the guys.

   “But they played their hearts out. That was incredible toughness they showed. The grit, the tenacity, was all there. We couldn’t have asked for more from them.”

   Dobbs Ferry fell behind at the outset and trailed the bigger, stronger, and seemingly more athletic Falcons 27-18 at halftime but clawed its way back and finally drew even 51-51 when junior Calvin Higgins cooly swished a three-pointer from the right side with 55.2 seconds left as the packed student section erupted.

   After stunned Woodlands called a timeout, the relentless Eagles made a huge defensive stop, leading to a potential game-winning shot by point guard Mateus Hertz-Bird that bounded off the back iron just before the buzzer sounded on regulation.

   Dobbs Ferry suffered a setback when senior Nastiek Smith, who had done a superb job defensively against taller Woodlands star Aaron Woodberry, fouled out 12 seconds into the four-minute overtime.

   Smith’s effort had been nothing short of inspirational. Wherever Woodberry went, Smith was with him every step of the way, either denying him the ball or practically suffocating him when he had it.

   “I think he’s the best defender in Section 1. He can stay with anyone,” Patrillo said. “He takes pride in his defense, which a lot of guys don’t. That’s why he was voted All-League this year, because of his defense.”

   Senior Anthony Ficarrotta, Section 1’s all-time scoring leader, provided the Eagles with their only lead, 53-51, when he nailed a short jumper and had a chance for more but he misfired on a deep three-point try.

    Noah Cherubin, who would be saluted as the Most Valuable Player, evened matters again at 53-53 with 1:09 to play. Ficarrotta, in his determination to retaliate, attempted to drive the lane only to be called for an offensive foul. Mayberry, with Smith no longer available to thwart him, nailed the go-ahead basket from the left side with 26.6 seconds remaining before Cherubin tacked on a foul shot.

   Dobbs Ferry had a last gasp, a desperation three-pointer by Hertz-Bird that did not come close.

   After Ficarrotta and Hertz-Bird received All-Tournament honors, the Eagles watched as 21-2  Woodlands was presented with its third consecutive Gold Ball. For Dobbs Ferry, there was pride in defeat.

   “We’re leaving this game with no regrets. We left it all out there. We gave it everything we had for 32 minutes plus a four-minute overtime,” Ficarrotta said. “I couldn’t be prouder of my teammates for doing that. At least we can look back at this game knowing we gave it all we had and we came up just short.”

   Ficarrotta closed with a game-high 32 points. Hertz-Bird chipped in 10. Cherubin and Sebastian Benitez each netted 19 points for Woodlands. Dobbs Ferry lost for only the fifth time in 23 games as an era that brought many victories but not the ultimate triumph ended.

   Ficarrotta, who made an indelible mark at Dobbs Ferry, acknowledged that his team struggled to match up against it opponent. “They’re huge in size, but I think we out-toughed them throughout the game,” he said. “We made it very, very hard for them and they’re a very good team. They hit some tough shots late in the game that put them over the edge.”

   In the end, there was no Gold Ball. There was a sense of immense satisfaction. “You hung toe-to-toe with a great team,” Patrillo said. “Our kids just did an unbelievable job. You couldn’t ask for more.”