Westchester Guard Explodes For 47
The heated Hastings/Hamilton rivalry stems all the way back to the 1980s, when the two Westchester County-based and Section 1 programs were entrenched in dizzying, chippy battles with plenty of augmented physicality and ramped up trash talk and hostility along the way.
With close-town bragging rights at stake, the legendary games of this illustrious heyday typically reached 90+ points scored by both teams, quite rare at this level of play.
They were typically decided by a final possession and with under a minute to play in regulation or overtime. Ferocity wise, these games are always and will forever be akin to blood-sport.
On Monday, a new page in this storied rivalry was written. Hastings would emerge as the victor in this one, producing a 72-70 win during an overtime thriller.
With the performance, Hastings was able to restore its reputation as the defensive-minded force which won the Section 1 2020 title, capping off the storybook season with a state quarterfinal win.
Those Yellow Jackets had a considerable upper hand, as a youth laden 23-2 which had a state title game waiting in the wings had Covid not shutdown the NYS post season tournament for good.
Against Hamilton, Hastings was catalyzed by a 47-point eruption from seasoned senior guard Josh Thigpen.
A four-year starter and the go-to option as a then sophomore on that Sectional championship team, Thigpen has inherited some ownership of this team.
Thigpen has been a natural scoring threat since he arrived at the doorstep as an unassuming and quiet freshman with a visible mental edge to him.
He has posted a handful of 25+ point games throughout his career. Beyond threading through defenders and knifing his way to the rim off natural ability, Thigpen has cemented his status as an outside-shot maker.
Rob Kennedy, a junior who was also a starter on that County Center title team, which snapped a 21-year championship drought with its Sectional title win, was monstrous. The multi-sport athlete and perimeter-oriented guard scored 18 points, including a vital go-ahead bucket in overtime.