LIVINGSTON MANOR, NY — It’s still early days in the 2023-2024 season of hoops, but a couple of local teams gave it their best shot on December 4, as the Wildcats of Livingston Manor/Roscoe took on the visiting Tri-Valley Bears. The home team battled on the hardwood for the first time as a merged squad of varsity hoopsters.

In the opening frame, the Bears clawed out a 9-4 lead, while in the second period, the Wildcats rebounded 12-7 to tie up the game 16-16 at the half.

In the second half, Tri-Valley edged Manor 12-8 and 8-6 to earn a trip to the winner’s circle, defeating the Wildcats 36-30.

The Bears take to the floor with 10 bucketeers on the roster, including three seniors—Austin Swett, Matthew Fanslau and Phenix Scurry—with Swett and Fanslau in the leadership role as captains.

The Wildcats have a 14-player roster, stacked with six upperclassmen (Aiden Johnston, Anthony Zamenick, Cameron Revicki, Levi Werner, Jayson Meola and Zachery Schwartz), with Johnston, Zamenick and junior Logan Park as team captains.

Top scorers (Livingston Manor)

Aiden Johnston (9) and Logan Park (7). 

Top scorers (Tri-Valley)

Joshua Fanslau (10), Travis Capawane (9), Austin Swett (8) and Misha Khodakovski (6).

Kevin Delaney, coach of the Bears’ varsity basketball team (2-0), a squad that recently moved up to Class B competition this season, said of playing Manor/Roscoe, “Every time we play Manor, we know it’s going to be tough and well coached. 

“Especially in early-season basketball, both teams had good looks and a lot of good kids,” he added.

And of the new season going up against larger districts, Delaney said, “We have low numbers, and we’re trying to get up to speed as fast as possible.”

Noting that last year the Bears qualified for the sectionals, Delaney has hopes of a repeat performance, “We hope to make it to the sectionals, and give it a good run… and keep the program growing.”

Charlie Hicks, helmsman of the newly merged Manor/Roscoe Wildcats (1-2), said that “size is an issue” this year, and this factor played a role in the game against Tri-Valley. “We got killed inside.”

But they’re “going to make it work, and we’re starting to gel, figuring each other out, looking forward to a good season,” he said.

For a lot of high school sports teams, the cheerleaders rule the roost as they delight the hometown fans and provide a vibrant spark to the players.

The Wildcats cheerleaders are coached by Jan Lemyre, and this year’s squad is composed of 10 very vocal exponents of sports: Allya Anderson, Alivia Garcia, Krysta Hallock, Emily Hathaway, Jordan Jones, Michelle McKinley, Isabella Park, Kaelyn Perry, Nevaeh Touhey and Bronwynn Wolcott.

Asked to provide a quick snapshot of what the cheerleading squad is all about, Lemyre responded about a team that features many first-timers, “It is very exciting to build a team from the ground up… this group of ladies has bonded and grown into a phenomenal squad.

“Their energy, enthusiasm and work ethic is fabulous… cheerleading is a very unique sport in the sense that these ladies are not at all in charge of the outcome of the game; they cannot control whether we win or lose, but instead are there to support their fellow student-athletes out on the court through each up and down, win or loss—and cheer them through it all.”

And now a few words from where the Wildcats cheerleaders roost while cheering on the home team. 

“Being a cheerleader is so much more important, fun, challenging, creative and rewarding than people think,” said Kaelyn Perry, a sophomore member of the cheer squad, when asked her take on the sport.

“I’m lucky to have some amazing teammates and an amazing coach that I have formed a great bond with.”

What’s more, “in simple words, being a cheerleader is super fun and I would recommend it to anybody, because it will lift your spirits and make going to school and games much more exciting.”