With The Big Guns On The Bench, Dobbs Ferry Holds On To Win The Semis
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By Tom Pedulla-–
The Dobbs Ferry boys’ basketball team is no one-man show, and it proved that when it counted most.
With Section 1 all-time scoring leader Anthony Ficarrotta and indispensable point guard Mateus Hertz-Bird having fouled out, the Eagles found other answers in dispatching scrappy Hastings 69-61 in the Class B semifinals on March 3 at Westchester County Center in White Plains.
The Gold Ball that has been maddeningly elusive for Dobbs Ferry will be at stake when the Eagles oppose top-seeded Woodlands for the championship at the County Center on March 8 at 7:30 p.m. Woodlands flexed its muscle in a 76-54 rout of Blind Brook in the other semifinal.
If they are to prevail, Ficarrotta will need to play one of the finest games of his magnificent career. Everyone will need to elevate his game against one of the most powerful teams in the state. As Hertz-Bird said, “We’re looking for a much better game on Sunday and we know we can do better.”
Ficarrotta, double-teamed for much of the hard-fought contest against Hastings, closed with a game-high 31 points before fouling out with 35 seconds left to join Hertz-Bird on the bench. But players such as Andrew Zendel, Calvin Higgins and Thomas Joslin were up to the task as the second-seeded Eagles prevailed for the 18thtime in 22 games.
“We said it’s going to take more than one guy for us to do something special this season and this shows there are more players here than the one superstar that we do have,” said Coach Scott Patrillo. “It’s great for our team.”
Zendel, in his third game back from a major injury to his left knee suffered in the last game of the football season, provided a spark with 11 points. With the Yellowjackets attempting a dramatic comeback behind furious full-court pressure, Zendel was as clutch as he could be. After the second of two missed free throws, he snagged a critical offensive rebound and scored to make it 63-55 with 1:24 remaining.
Higgins also finished with 11 points. Joslin cooly sealed the deal when he sank two foul shots with 9.7 seconds left, creating a 68-59 margin. The Eagles are playing for the title for the first time since 2019.
If anyone embodies the team’s desire, it is Zendel. He never lost sight of making a comeback and what that could mean. “I showed up every day for practice when I could, I went to physical therapy when I had to, and I just stayed in the mix,” he said. “I wanted to do as much as I could to help my team.”
The closing minutes of the second quarter turned out to be pivotal, and they were all Ficarrotta. He rejected offers from a number of prep schools to chase the Gold Ball and he rose to the occasion by producing consecutive three-point plays before sinking a deep three-pointer from the right side to forge a 27-17 halftime margin.
“River town rivals, it’s always going to be a dogfight. We’re a composed, veteran team,” Ficarrotta said. “Even when stuff started to go wrong, I thought we were ready for it. We weathered the storm and came out on top.”
Ficarrotta added: “It shows that we have some guts. When me and Mateus fouled out, we had full trust that our five teammates out there were going to go and finish the game.”
Hastings made tremendous strides in finishing 15-7 after last year’s 9-13 record. “I’m just proud of the way the guys fought,” said Coach Chris Rohle. “We had basically one bad offensive quarter and that was the difference. We couldn’t hit some shots, we couldn’t get anything going, and that was basically the difference.”
Rohle added: “It was a big step forward. The seniors, credit to them, were always itching to get back into the gym. We had a great season. They should be proud of themselves.”
Patrillo also took a moment to appreciate what already has been accomplished. “We were a game short each year, bowing out in the semis, so getting to the finals for us is a huge deal,” he said. “We know there is a juggernaut ahead of us.”
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