Top sports stories of 2015

There was triumph and heartbreak, cheers and tears on the northwest Bronx sports landscape this past year. We saw outstanding team efforts, some champions crowned and one individual player whose exploits on the soccer field will not be forgotten any time soon.

So here is a look at our top sports stories of 2015.

Triumph over tragedies for Jaspers

The Manhattan College men’s basketball team overcame major adversity to win their second straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) tournament title in as many seasons last spring and advance to the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons. But it was not an easy ride for the Jaspers. Senior forward Emmy Andujar saw his older brother, Jose, murdered, with Andujar having to testify for the prosecution. Sophomore center Carlton Allen lost his father to cancer in February and senior center Ashton Pankey’s brother was hospitalized with a serious medical condition.

Still, the Jaspers put all their personal tragedies behind them and persevered in the tournament in Albany, knocking off top-seeded Iona in the MAAC championship game to secure their back-to-back MAAC titles.

“We’ve all lost someone,” Manhattan guard RaShawn Stores said after the game. “So we’re all we have. That’s why this year we’re ‘22 Strong.’” The “22 Strong” slogan, which adorned Jaspers’ T-shirts, referred to the Jaspers basketball family of players and coaches at Manhattan.

The Samantha Rosette story

There was not a more dominant player in girls high school soccer than Samantha Rosette, she of the flowing red hair, green spikes and gaudy scoring totals. The senior at Riverdale-Kingsbridge Academy (M.S./H.S. 141, RKA) was not only the city’s top goal scorer this past season; she was also tops in the state with 53 goals in just 19 games. The Lady Tigers breezed through the Public School Athletic League (PSAL) regular season and the first two rounds of the playoffs to enter the PSAL ‘B’ title game for the first time in school history with an 18-0 record.