Rams, Lady Rams split deuce in Louie Larizza, Jr. Invitational
December 19, 2024 at 1:46 a.m.
Port Chester's fourth annual Louie Larizza, Jr. Memorial Basketball Tournament last Saturday (12/14) turned out to be more of a showcase than a tourney this time around—but what a showcase it was.
Due to a late scheduling conflict with the Yonkers City Basketball Championships, two teams dropped out and couldn't be replaced at the last minute.
That meant it was a tournament with just two opposing teams for the Rams and Lady Rams to play.
Senior Karah Provenzano drives to the basket in Port Chester’s victory over Haldane in the Louie Larizza, Jr. Memorial Basketball Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 14 in the Port Chester High School gym.By Joseph DeCarlo
And that worked out just fine because it showcased where both local teams are in their rebuilding process.
Programs on rebound
The result: Port Chester split the deuce. The Lady Rams beat Haldane 63-41 and the Rams lost to Gorton 71-43.
But win or lose, the high school gym rocked. And both the Rams and Lady Rams looked good.
In the girls’ game, freshmen Aliyah Salmon and Sophia Faraci led the Lady Rams with 21 and 19 points respectively.
That dynamic duo looked like they could be the cornerstones of head coach Danny Davis's rebuilding process.
Junior Jeremy Noel jumps up to shoot for two, but a Gorton defender jumps even higher to block him in the Port Chester Rams’ only game in the Louie Larizza, Jr. Memorial Basketball Tournament last Saturday (12/14) in the Port Chester High School gym. The Rams lost the game 71-43.By Joseph DeCarlo
Because they are surrounded by a strong nucleus of athletic underclassmen in sophomore guards Alyssa Gagnon, Isabella Lopez, Analia Sosa, Julia Wolff and Gianna Rende, an All-Section and All-League soccer player.
Solid roster depth
The team also has a strong veteran senior presence in guards Karah Provenzano and Nagare Jones with the team's Big, Elise Thomas, giving them a strong rebounder and rebounding threat under the boards and in the paint.
That adds up to a lot of roster depth.
"They are playing with a lot of confidence," Davis said. "And those two freshmen have a lot of potential and are already showing strong leadership skills."
Rams head coach Greg Cole said the score in the Gorton loss was deceptive because several of his players were out due to the virus sweeping the high school and a few players were banged up.
Cole sees Rams’ progress
"With a few of our guys down/recovering from being sick, we were heavily reliant on our sophomores in Chris Martin, Justin Tenezaca and Roy Morris to control our tempo and establish the offense," Cole said. "Another bright spot was junior forward Jeremy Noel. He played his best basketball of the season, leading the charge in the paint and rebounding. Carmelo Thompson showed his offensive ability and potential during certain points of the game. Our guys worked hard and gave it their best efforts. We will go back to the drawing board and continue to work on developing our players and strengthening the program."
Senior Angel Mata attempts to drive past an aggressive Gorton defender in the Port Chester Rams’ loss to the Wolves in the Louie Larizza, Jr. Memorial Basketball Tournament last Saturday (12/14) in the PCHS gym.By Joseph DeCarlo
He does have a strong nucleus to work with composed of seniors Angel Mata, Thompson, Joel Sigua, Shawn Cheriyan and Ranbir Singh, junior Andrew Abraham and sophomore Tommy Hinz.
That gives him something to build on although it will take a lot of building blocks to replace the graduated Guillermo (Memo) Zabala, the Rams’ All-Conference player who set the school's single game scoring record with 60 points, led Section 1 in scoring and is now playing at Arizona State.
But Cole, a former high school and collegiate hotshot, knows what it is going to take to make the Rams competitive once again, and he thinks he has the kind of players who are willing to work hard with him to make that happen.
Because they know it can happen and the name Louie Larizza, Jr. reminds them of the storied Port Chester basketball past because Louie was a four-year varsity starter, a two-year captain who helped lead the Rams to three League Championships and was the Rams’ all-time leader in assists, three-point field goals and free throw percentage when he graduated in 2008 and went on to play Division 1 basketball at Louisville University and Fairleigh Dickinson as well as overseas before he tragically died too soon shortly thereafter. Louie's Rams Jersey #3 was retired Dec. 11, 2021 prior to the boys’ Larizza Tournament championship game.
Sophomore Alyssa Gagnon shoots a 3-pointer against Haldane in Port Chester’s Louie Larizza, Jr. Memorial Basketball Tournament last Saturday (12/14).By Joseph DeCarlo
There was no championship game for the tournament this year because that scheduling conflict turned this year's tourney into a showcase. But Davis and Cole are working hard to turn around Port Chester's losing hoops culture, and their teams will continue to work hard during the holiday break to try to make that happen sooner rather than later.
They intend to be in the championship games of the Louie Larizza, Jr. Invitational and start winning league championships once again in the years to come the way the legendary Louie Larizza’s teams once did.
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