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Sports

A Look at Harrison's Court General

Harrison Basketball had an up and down season, but it became clear during several games that point guard Matt Pipitone was capable of being the team's X Factor.

Thanks to a plethora of injuries and commitments to other teams and programs, Matt Pipitone only played one year for the Harrison varsity basketball team. But he made an immediate impact, starting every game last season and leading the Huskies in assists.

Pipitone was never the main offensive threat for Harrison, but he was excellent at managing the game and distributing the ball equally to scoring weapons like Jared Hodes, Dennis Rinaldi and Brendan O'Shea. As a senior Pipitone was easily the teams best ball handler and an expert at breaking the full-court press.

Along with his obvious athletic ability, Pipitone is also known as one of the tougher members of the 2009-2010 basketball team. Pipitone dealt with a nagging back injury throughout the course of the season and although he spent his time on the bench either standing, laying on his back in pain or getting treatment from the trainer, you never saw him wince or complain while he was on the court.

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Pipitone's best game of the year came on the road against Byram Hills where Harrison won in a thrilling comeback 53-51. Pipitone took over the game on both sides of the ball and showed that he was one of the best players in the league at handling pressure situations.

During the game the point guard scored all eleven of his points in the fourth quarter and went five for seven from the foul line, helping the Huskies squeak out the victory on the road.

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"Matt single handedly won that game for us," said Pipitone's high school teammate Dennis Rinaldi. "His effort at the end of the game was damn near heroic."

Pipitone continued to be a solid player and great teammate to all of the players on the Harrison team.

"He is a great kid to have around," said Harrison's Jared Hodes. "He adds a lot to the team both on and off the court."

During the season Pipitone averaged 4.1 assists and nearly five points per game. He also added three rebounds and a steal per contest.

Unfortunately Pipitone and the Huskies finished the year with a six game losing streak and ended the season 10-9. In the final few games of the season Pipitone struggled with his back injury while the team struggled to put points on the board. But when he did step on the court he always gave his best effort, win or lose.

Even though his lone season with the Huskies ended on a sour note, Pipitone did end the year as a winner when his classmates voted his pearly whites the best male smile of the senior class.

Best of luck and continued success to Matt Pipitone, Harrison Patch's athlete of the week for the week of August 8 - 14.

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