Boys Basketball
Peekskill’s Boys Basketball season came to an end this past week. On Tuesday, March. 4, Peekskill faced No.1 ranked Tappan Zee in the semifinals of sectionals at Westchester County Center.
It was a tough game for the Peekskill Red Devils. After Tappan Zee secured an early lead, the Red Devils struggled to regroup. The Dutchmen took advantage, stayed strong in defense, and dominated for most of the game. The final score was Tappan Zee 45-29 Peekskill.
“They came out fast and we really couldn’t shake it and bounce back,” said Peekskill’s Jaden Chavis.
“Playing a disciplined team like that – there is little room for errors and we made too many,” he added.
In this game, Tappan Zee’s Xavier Leveille led the Dutchmen in points with 13, followed by Tommy Linehan with 12. For Peekskill, Jojo Brickhouse had nine points for the Red Devils. Chavis also contributed with six.
Tappan Zee will play Rye (No. 3) in the Class AA championship final on Saturday, March 8, at the County Center.
While a semifinal finish may not be ideal for some Red Devil fans, Coach Tyrone Searight’s transformation of Peekskill’s basketball program cannot be overlooked. In 2021-22, Peekskill finished with a season record of 3-17. After taking over the reins in 2022, Searight turned Peekskill back into a winning team. In his second season, Searight led the Red Devils back to the County Center for the first time in over a decade. The Peekskill boys made it all the way to the regional finals, before losing to Lourdes by one point.
This season, a lot of eyes were on the Red Devils and they put on a show almost every time they played. After experiencing some mid-season hiccups, the Red Devils finished the latter part of the season strong. On the road to the semifinals, Peekskill beat John Jay Cross River in the first round of sectionals and Poughkeepsie in the quarter-finals. The Red Devils finished the 2024-25 season with a record of 16 wins and seven losses.
With a few successful campaigns under his leadership, Coach Searight is a big reason that Peekskill basketball fans should be excited for what the future holds.
In a statement to the Herald, Peekskill Athletic Director Austin Goldberg said:
“We are very proud of our team and coaches. We appreciate their dedication and hard work. Thank you to the Peekskill community for their constant support throughout the season. A very grateful thank you goes to our seniors and we wish them the best of luck moving forward. Once a Red Devil, always a Red Devil.”
College Corner
Track & Field: SUNY Plattsburgh sophomore Isaiah Ritter (Peekskill High Class of 2023) posted a personal-best long jump of 6.83 meters last week. This jump has qualified Ritter to compete in the All-Atlantic Region Track and Field Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships this weekend at Ithaca College.
Track & Field: On Feb. 22, University of Buffalo’s Juliette Salazar (Peekskill High Class of 2023) won the women’s 800-meter run with a time of 2:18.92, at the Marc Deneault Invitational at Cornell University. Salazar is currently in the pursuit of beating her personal record of 2:15.03.
If you know of any Peekskill High School graduates doing big things at the collegiate level, please contact [email protected]. We’d love to cover it!
