Pearl River Shuts Down Nanuet Boys Basketball

Nanuet pulled as close as three points down to Pearl River in the second quarter of Friday's boys basketball game at Nanuet.

Pearl River responded with 15 consecutive points to pull away and cruised to a 52-30 victory.

"Today was our best game we played all year," Pearl River junior forward Kevin Degnan said.

The Pirates held the Golden Knights to only two points as they blew the game open in the third quarter.

"The third quarter was big," Nanuet Head Coach Dave Masterson said. "They did a good job. They did a good job stopping Mike (Mulligan) our point gaurd. They took a little momentum away from us. That's what happens in high school. You lose momentum, you get a little bit disheartened."

"I don't think we can attribute ourselves for all of that," Pearl River Head Coach Jerry Houston, Jr. said. "They missed some shots that were very makeable shots that I'm sure they normally do make. We had a little bit to do with that. We also got some better looks on the offensive end. Defense leads to offense." 

Degnan, the Pirates' top scorer, finished with a game-high 17 points for Pearl River (5-3), rebounding from a season-low nine-point game against North Rockland. 

"I thought he was very active," Houston said. "Ther are times when his motor slows down, and as a result, he doesn't get as good of looks. Tonight, I thought he stayed very focused. He had a good mix of interior and outside stuff. He demanded the ball a little bit more, just with his body language and positioning. Obviously, he's our leading scorer and we need him to put the ball in the basket."

Degnan's presence inside also created openings for the Pirates' outside shooters.

"You try to collapse on him and he finds that open shooter and you're sprinting out to stop it," Masterson said. "He does a nice job there. He's very skilled, inside or outside. He's going to get points, but you can't let other guys score."

Sophomore guard Jack Byrnes added 11 points for the Pirates. Sophomore guard Tom Armour added seven and senior forward Tom Davis contributed six. Houston said he is seeing improvement from Pearl River's young back court. 

"We've got other guys contributing," Houston said. "That certainly is the way we have to play. We can't be Kevin, Kevin, Kevin, Kevin."

"Jack is shooting great right now, shooting threes all over the place," Degnan said. 'Tom Armour is doing what he needs to do. It's going good right now."

Mike Brabham led Nanuet with nine points and Mulligan scored six points for the Golden Knights (4-5).

"I think Mike got a little tired," Masterson said. "He's bringing the ball up. He's running our offense. He's our leading scorer. There is only so much he can do before he breaks down. Somebody else has to step up."

Pearl River's next game is 4 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 8 at home against Albertus Magnus. 

Editor's note: Upated with details, comments from Friday's game.