As the Mamaroneck girls basketball team nears the final stretch of the regular season, the Tigers hope to build on an impressive start and close out the remainder of the campaign in style. Over the last week, the Tigers have faced their fair share of adversity, but a Jan. 18 win over Carmel highlighted the team’s resilience and gives head coach Yusef Yizar confidence in the direction of the squad.
Riding a two-game losing streak heading into Tuesday night’s game against the Rams, the Tigers came out swinging, topping Carmel 51-44 to improve to 7-5 on the year. According to Yizar, Mamaroneck’s ability to recover from those two tough losses—to highly-ranked Port Chester and John Jay—is a testament to a mental toughness that has been a necessity for a program affected by Covid-related setbacks this year.
“We had the JV shut down for a number of weeks, we’ve had one case on the team and it’s been pretty tough with all the distractions to remain focused,” he said. “But the girls and the coaching staff have done an incredible job with that, and that’s because the girls believe in each other, and they’ll fight for each other.”
Yizar has been especially pleased with the way his team has gotten contributions from a variety of players, from the six seniors honored prior to the Carmel game to eighth grader Addie Dorfman, who is among the rebounding leaders in Section I, posting 13.9 rebounds per game.
“We have an incredible team and you see the way the youth and the upperclassmen working together,” he said. “ You always just try to put your best foot forward and work with what you have.”
The Tigers will face solid competition over the last three weeks of the season, as they prepare for the bulk of their league schedule. Mamaroneck has already picked up an early season win over Mount Vernon, but will have to contend with squads like New Rochelle and Scarsdale, which have both shown flashes of brilliance this year.
“We consider the playoffs the second season and we’re pretty much working on getting towards our second season right now,” said Yizar. “I talk to my girls about how they respond in games and how the only thing they control is their effort; that has to be the main mission.”
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