Iona Prep Hands Knights 2nd Straight Loss
MOUNT VERNON, NY – A game that was decades in the making was overshadowed by the Mount Vernon Knights losing their second game in a row. “I’ve been here 11 years and we’ve never played them,” said Iona Prep head coach Steve Alvarado. "As far as losing back-to-back games, that might also be over a decade old"
Sunday afternoon’s pivotal game was an all-out war that lived up to its hype. It would be a heated contest that stretched into overtime but when the smoke cleared, the Gaels handed Mt. Vernon an 85 – 79 loss. This comes on the heels of a 60 – 59 defeat at the hands of Scarsdale.
“Our strategy was to limit our turnovers against their intense pressure,” said Alvarado. Iona Prep also sought to shut down the paint, forcing the Knights to win from the perimeter.
Knights head Coach Bob Cimmino initiated his patented swarming defensive attack against the Gaels. An onslaught that usually cripples an opponent and turns into offensive opportunities. In this game however, the small ball interplay between Mt. Vernon’s pesky backcourt of 6’1” Elijah Morris ‘23 and 5’6” Tavien Tyler ‘25 was countered by Iona Prep’s back court of 5'11" Johnny Keenan '25 and 5'10" Blaise New '23. The Gaels had one advantage tactical advantage and that was its front court. Specifically, the p[play of 6’5” AJ Rodriguez ‘23. The senior wing gave the Gaels a slight 38 – 34 lead at the half.
Tyler was a one-man wrecking crew for the Knights with his scoring from beyond the arc Mt. Vernon was no where near going quietly into the night and tied that game at 49 apiece going into the final stanza.
The Knights jumped ahead early and led by 8 points with 3 minutes left to play but it was the floor generalship of and timely scoring by New that kept the game tight. Mt. Vernon was also losing the battle of the boards. Even with the best efforts of undersized 6’3” Chris Fitzgerald ‘23 in the paint, Iona Prep’s 6’8” Alexander Bryant ‘24 dominated the boards, sending the game into overtime knotted at 72.
Mt. Vernon had home court advantage, but Iona Prep had a height advantage. The Knights normally use their speed and swarming defense to cripple an opponent. Ironically, Iona Prep’s small backcourt neutralized Mt. Vernon’s diminutive counterpart.
The Knights seemed drained but scrappy in OT but Iona Prep’s lead increased to 6 points with 2 minutes left to play. Even though Iona Prep was in the driver's seat, Coach Alvarado took no chances and wisely called a timeout get his ducks in a row. He cautioned his team not to get complacent saying, "Be mindful of the press. It's coming." The Knights were Unable to sustain that press plus Iona Prep defended well down the stretch ultimately pulling off off the dub.
Rodriguez paced Iona Prep with a double-double (26 points and 11 rebounds). New also contributed a double-double with 18 points and 10 assists). High man for Mt. Vernon was led by the trio of Tyler, Morris and 6’3” Dylan Colon ‘23 who each netted 21 points.
