Ascher twins lead Mattituck to B title

They are identical twins, but you can tell them apart in an instant on the basketball court. Tom Ascher shoots with his right hand. Steve Ascher is a lefty. "Mirror images," their mother, Karen Ascher, said.

That left-right combination helped deliver a knockout blow Friday night as the Aschers led No. 2 Mattituck to a 64-52 victory over No. 1 Center Moriches in the Suffolk Class B boys basketball championship game at Farmingdale State.

"This is phenomenal!" said Steve with a huge smile. "I can't even explain how I feel."

Steve scored 15 points and Tom added 10, including two huge second-half treys. Along with the Tuckers' third guard, Connor Davis (15 points), they handled the Red Devils' aggressive zone press. Mattituck (15-5), which lost twice to Center Moriches (12-8) during the League VII regular season, continues in the Suffolk playoffs on Wednesday against Port Jefferson in the B-C/D game at Farmingdale State.

"We're a group of seniors that have played together since the fourth grade in CYO. We hang out. We've never even been in the playoffs before," Steve Ascher said.

Countered Tom Ascher, with a laugh: "Hey, we were in the CYO playoffs!"

Those youth teams also included Cody Huntley (13 rebounds) and forward Yianni Rauseo (12 points), who comprised the rest of the all-senior starting five that embraced the moment and each other as the final seconds ticked down.

SEE PHOTOSMattituck 64, Center Moriches 52

"We had high hopes for this season," Tom Ascher said. "The whole community did. Look at all the people who showed up."

Indeed, Farmingdale was Tucker Town Friday night. "We couldn't be more proud of all the kids," said Jamie Ascher, father of the twins and one of their CYO coaches. "It's a bunch of kids who have played together so long and now this. I didn't start celebrating until we counted down the last 10 seconds."

The game was over before that. Center Moriches had one flurry to start the second half, forcing four consecutive turnovers and grabbing a 32-26 lead. But Davis and Tom Ascher nailed consecutive treys and the Tuckers took control. Steve Ascher's spinning layup at the third-quarter buzzer provided a 51-42 lead. At that point, the Mattituck crowd stood and cheered, sensing its team had seized the moment and was about to do something very special.

There were more opportunities for applause in the fourth quarter as Mattituck put away the game with a 9-0 run that included four points by Steve Ascher and three by Tom.

"The twins are so good and so smart," Mattituck coach Paul Ellwood said. "In practice [Thursday] they were asking all the right questions about how to attack the defense."

Noted Steve Ascher: "We have three guards who can handle the ball. We knew if we didn't panic and kept moving, we'd be fine."

Observed Tom Ascher: "Their zone press is pretty much the same as the one we run."

Another mirror image; another nice reflection on Mattituck.