The Kingston High School boys varsity basketball team’s stellar season ended abruptly last week with a surprise 75-49 loss to Pine Bush in the Section IX, Class AA semifinals. The game, played at Kingston’s Kate Walton Field House on Wednesday, March 4, saw the Tigers struggle from outside against a team they twice defeated during the regular season shooting from behind the arc.
“We needed to shoot the ball at a high level,” said Kingston Coach Ron Kelder, noting that the his team had hit 14 3-point shots in two regular season wins over the Bushmen, including an 84-58 result on Feb. 4. In the semifinal loss, Kingston hit just four. “They played at a higher level and we didn’t.”
ShaCorey Jones led the Tigers with 12 points, while Brady Short (9 points, 6 assists, 2 steals), Ryan McCardle (9 points), Ke’montae Thawe (5 points) and Shy’Quan Royal (4 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists) contributed. McCardle, a junior, and Thawe, an eighth-grader, were called up from the JV squad for the postseason and were making their varsity debuts. The Tigers were without sharpshooter Clayton Pattillo, who might have helped make up some points from downtown.
Kingston’s struggles from outside might have been overcome had Pine Bush not been so strong crashing the boards; in the first half alone, the Bushmen pulled down nine offensive rebounds, second chances the Tigers could ill afford to allow.
The visitors jumped out to a 28-15 first quarter lead, which they built upon over the second quarter, giving them a 44-26 advantage into intermission. The Bushmen’s outsized low post players were led by senior center Chris Cain, who scored 28 points and snatched 12 rebounds. Nate Jaloszynski contributed 18 points in the Pine Bush win, most of which came off five treys in the first half.
It was a disappointing end for an electrifying Kingston squad, who opened the year with a thrilling come-from-behind 70-68 road win over non-league powerhouse Uniondale. In that win, the Tigers clawed their way back from a 28-20 halftime deficit, where they scored just four points in the second quarter.
“They went on to win the next 20 games and they didn’t lose after they played us,” said Kelder. “We played out of our minds that day, and we were losing the majority of the game. Because of the second half we ended up winning against a really good team, and it started us out right at the beginning of the year.”
The Tigers went 18-4 overall in 2019-20, a season where expectations were lower outside of their own gym following the loss to graduation of several key players from the 2018-19 team that won the section and went to the state semifinals. Kingston lacked size this season, but they didn’t lack spirit.
“I thought we played at a high level with the kind of team we had,” Kelder said. “We were limited some ways we didn’t have much size, but when we shot the ball at an extremely high level we were very successful. We were able to overcome some possible shortcomings that we might have had. Excuse the pun.”
The Tigers will lose five seniors to graduation, including Short, Daiveyon Jackson, Dylan Perry, Kaeshawn Brodhead and Chapman Parker.
“I’m very proud of my seniors,” said Kelder. “Some of my seniors were first-year players this year.”
Jones, Royal and Pattillo will be seniors next season, along with Ameer Rolle and Dustin Knox. JV players like McCardle and Thawe brought up for experience this season will have a chance of making their mark next year too.
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