Winter sports such as basketball, hockey, and wrestling are entertaining and exciting. The winter sports season is coming to an end, but many of Scarsdale’s teams had a great season, with many teams exceeding expectations in the playoffs.

The boys’ basketball team finished the regular season with twelve wins and eight losses and were Section 1’s eleventh seed. In the first round, Scarsdale played sixth-seeded Ossining on Saturday, February 19th. At the end of a close game, Scarsdale was losing 61-60 with five seconds left. Carlos Rodriguez ’24 dribbled up the court and shot a deep three-pointer, banking the shot in off of the backboard as time expired. Rodriguez’s big three-pointer capped off an incredible 28-point performance, giving Scarsdale the win 63-61. Scarsdale advanced to the quarterfinals and played the three-seed Fox Lane team. Unfortunately, Fox Lane defeated Scarsdale, putting an end to Scarsdale’s playoff run.

The girls’ basketball team had a tough schedule, but stayed competitive all season. “We proved that we can put up a fight against the strongest teams in the section,” said Hannah Wasserman ’25. “We shared the ball and communicated on defense, and we encouraged each other even when one of us made a mistake,” Wasserman added. Scarsdale’s record was a respectable 9-11 at the end of the season, giving them the twelfth seed in the playoff tournament. In the first round, Scarsdale played Albertus Magnus, the 5th seed. Sadly, Scarsdale fell short, ending the team’s hopes of a playoff run.

The boys’ varsity hockey team had a successful season, finishing the season strong and ending up with an 11 and 9 record. The team was helped by big contributions from Brian Nicholas ’23, Ian Silberstein ’23, and Freddie Kushnick ’23, among other players. Off of the ice, players reported having a close bond throughout the season. “This was the closest I’ve ever felt to a team,” stated Harry Wolf ’25, a defender for Scarsdale.

Going into the playoff tournament, Scarsdale was the fifth seed. In the first round, Scarsdale faced off against Carmel and came away with a victory. In the quarterfinals, Scarsdale was matched up against North Rockland. Again, Scarsdale was able to emerge victorious, advancing to the semifinals. Scarsdale faced a tough matchup in the semifinals, playing against Suffern, the number one seed. Scarsdale was not able to defeat Suffern, and was eliminated after a considerable run in the playoffs. Nicholas, the team’s star forward, played his final games for SHS before he leaves Scarsdale to play in the USHL next season.

Scarsdale’s wrestling team’s roster was full of depth going into the season, with many wrestlers eager to learn and develop. “Coming into the season we had about 28-30 kids on the roster. There are only 13 varsity spots so having lots of extra kids helped us. It made the practice room more competitive as kids had to work hard and fight for the varsity spot,” explained varsity coach and SHS science teacher Jeremy Szerlip. “As the season went on you could see the improvement in every kid,” added Szerlip.

In the Section 1 Division I championship tournament, Tommy Iasiello ’25 came in third place in the 110 pounds weight class, falling one match short of advancing to states. Additionally, Steven Hill ’24 advanced to the quarterfinals in the 138 pounds weight class. At the end of the tournament, Scarsdale had placed twentieth in the standings with a score of 26.5. 

Szerlip has big aspirations for next year. “We want to jump a few levels next year. This year we qualified 5 guys for the sectional tournament, a 10-year record high. Next year we want to get 7 to qualify!,” said Szerlip.