16th Annual Augie Nardone Game

The boys basketball teams from Tuckahoe and Eastchester High School met on Friday, January 18 to honor the late police officer Augie Nardone. Nardone passed away in 2004, and the teams from Eastchester and Tuckahoe have met every year since to commemorate the life of such a great man. Funds raised from the night go to scholarships for both schools to give at the end of the year to student athletes under Nardone’s name.

The game finished with a final score of 63-49, with Eastchester gaining the edge for the third straight year over Tuckahoe. Eastchester senior Joey Levy led the team with 21 points, while junior Ryan Hunter had 14. Tuckahoe’s Jack Gentry put up 18 points to lead the away squad.

The energy before the start of the game was prominent, as the Eastchester and Tuckahoe fans both filled the gym with cheers and screams as their respective starting lineups were introduced. One notable name that was not present in Tuckahoe’s starting five was junior Mekhi Clark, as the coaches from the team ultimately decided to bring him in off the bench. In previous years for the Augie Nardone game, Clark dominated as both a sophomore and freshman. His impact was immediately felt when he came in mid-way through the first quarter, but Clark’s presence on the court was not enough to lift the Tigers to victory.

Perhaps the most wild moment of the game came at the end of the first quarter. Eastchester was up 15-8 with just under 5 seconds to go. Tuckahoe’s Roger Burwell missed a shot that was rebounded by Eastchester and passed to freshman Frankie Provenzale. Provenzale heaved the ball the entire length of the court as the buzzer sounded, only to see it drop in the basket for a clean 3 points. The Eastchester crowd erupted in cheers, and the momentum from the shot helped bring Eastchester a competitive edge that kept them up by double digits throughout the first half.

“To be honest, once the ball left my hands, I didn’t think the shot was going in. Once it went in, I was just plainly shocked” stated Provenzale. “It helped us gain momentum that eventually allowed us to win the game”. The shot was posted on the LoHudSports Instagram, where it garnered over 9,000 views and just under 2,000 likes.

The rest of the game proved to be a tad one-sided, as Eastchester showed no signs of slowing down. Tuckahoe put up more points than the Eagles in the third quarter, but it was clear that Eastchester was out-performing the Tigers in almost every single aspect.

The game brought both Eastchester and Tuckahoe to a 5-4 record, with Eastchester ending their cross-town rival’s 3 game winning streak while starting a 2 game streak of their own. Eagle fans were definitely delighted to see their team pull ahead and come out with a win.

“Being able to see my friends on the Eagles shoot well and be able to beat the neighboring town made me proud to be apart of the Eastchester community” stated Eastchester senior Deanna Loukas.

The Augie Nardone game was the 4th game of the Tigers’ 8 game away stretch. They return to Tuckahoe High School on January 30th when they take on Woodlands, a game which will be their first home game in over a month. The opposite is bound for Eastchester, as 7 out of their next 9 games will be played at home.