Tigers Advance to Class C Boys’ Basketball Final at County Center

Justin Nolan has been a quiet force all season, defending and rebounding for the Tuckahoe Tigers without much fanfare and helping the team advance through to the Section 1 Class C tournament.

But Nolan, a junior forward, established himself in the limelight, in a big moment Monday night when he lifted the top-seeded Tigers with a strong first-half performance in a 58-23 victory over No. 4 Keio in the Class C semifinals at the Westchester County Center.

Tuckahoe (17-3) will face No. 2 Haldane (14-6), which defeated No. 3 Lincoln Hall 60-59 with a lay-up buzzer beater in the other semifinal, in the championship game scheduled for Sat., March 5 at 2 p.m.

Nolan, who scored team and game-highs of 19 points and 10 rebounds, scored eight points, grabbed six rebounds and shut down the Keio offense inside in the first half as Tuckahoe took a 22-9 lead despite some missed opportunities on offense.

The Tigers opened a 10-0 lead early, but might have had 10 more points if not for missed free throws and open shots at the basket. Keio’s zone defense chased the Tigers, who missed several lay-ups. Nolan stood strong, established himself in the middle of the defense, rebounded and pushed outlet passes to his teammates.

Sky Williams, the Tigers’ leading scorer through the season, started slow but finished with 15 points, four steals and three assists, and Jason Feuer added nine points for the winners.

Tuckahoe last won the Section 1 title in 2008, but most of the players had not been involved in a County Center game prior to Monday’s semifinal. It took some time to get adjusted to the larger arena and the pressure of the Final Four.

The Tigers led 14-7 after one quarter and allowed Keio only two points in the second quarter to take a 22-9 lead.

Nolan scored 11 points in the second half and Williams added 10 as the Tigers outscored the Unicorns 36-14 to pull away.

Shota Yashimura scored a team-high seven points and teammate Shimpei Konto added eight for the Unicorn, who finished their season at 8-11.

Haldane, which trailed in the final moments of its game, survived when Lincoln Hall could not convert on two free throw chances inside of one minute remaining in the game. The Blue Devils used the opportunity and the game’s final seven seconds to score when  Jackson Zuvic converted on a flipped lay-in, which bounced on the front rim and landed in for the victory.

For more photos from last night's game, click .