PV Clinches First Playoff Berth in Program History

Brendan Schmelmer SKIP PEARLmAN The Tigers won the fist tournament of any sort by grabbing the Solomon Schechter Tournament, and PV got its first win in the annual Putnam Challenge.

But the biggest accomplishment for the team was clinching the first-ever playoff birth in the boys basketball program’s history.

The Tigers lost in the first round of the sectional playoffs to Pleasantville and finished the season at 7-11 overall and 0-8 in their league. Despite losing early in the playoffs, it was a big step forward for the program.

“Finally getting into sectionals was good,” said coach Ralph Smith. “Hopefully some progress can be made. We made strides; first tournament win and first playoff birth were definitely goals we wanted to get accomplished this season. It was nice to do those things, since other teams with the school have already experienced them.”

Anthony Tyndal SKIP PEARLmAN Two players earned post-season honors. Anthony Tyndal earned All- League accolades, and Brendan Schmelmer was named All-League Honorable Mention. Tyndal averaged nine points, six assists and two steals a game. Schmelmer led the team in scoring at 11 per game, and rebounds, at six per game.

“Other than running the show, Tyndal did many things for the team,” said Smith. “One game he scored 29 points, another game he had 18 assists. He did whatever he had to do for the team to win. Schmelmer brought toughness to the team that we needed, he brought scoring and a winning attitude. Schmelmer and Jon Warden each brought a different dimension to the team, they helped a lot, but this is their team next year.”

Five seniors will be leaving the team after the season, Tyndal, Zach Maucieri, Mike Rufo, Alex Basso, and Chris Ungania. Tyndal and Basso were starters.

“Basso has been a big help the past two seasons,” said Smith. “Rufo was a coach on the floor for us, a smart player who was an asset off of the bench, Maucieri hit the threes and Ungania was a one-year player but he was a big man who brought strength to the team. Our seniors were big for us and will be missed.”

Smith thinks his team can come back next year and improve on the success of this season.

“Next year is a whole new year,” he said. “Guys like Schmelmer and Warden will have to step up. We have Steve Mazzarisi, a tough kid who came back from two shoulder injuries, Jon Helm, who missed the first month of the season with an ankle injury … they both can help us if they come back healthy. I want to see if we can continue to win games outside of the league and start getting some wins in the league. But that is the next frontier. Hopefully guys go out and work to get better over the off-season so we can be better next year.”