NCN SPORTS BLOG

Pat Cooney’s free throw with 6.2 seconds (above) left in the fourth quarter lifted the Tigers to a 68-67 win at Lincoln Hall on Jan. 24

Ryan Sawyer led the Tigers with a game-high 22 points.

Jamol Johnney scored a team-high 19 points for Lincoln Hall.

Notes on the game:

I am going to try and keep this brief.

* First off, this was my first time getting to Lincoln Hall this season — one of my favorite places to watch a game. It is a gym / program that must be enjoyed in this exact setting: close game, packed house and plenty of screaming. It is a shame that they don’t play Kennedy anymore, because that would be a game for the ages. Kennedy and Lincoln Hall, in my opinion, have the loudest and proudest fans out there.

* Croton seems to have found itself after losing leading scorer Alex Judge with a season-ending knee injury back on Jan. 8 against Byram Hills. The senior leadership — which Coach Thom was yearning for — has been on display over the Tigers current three game winning-streak. Ryan Sawyer and Frank Dimaggio are playing with a previously unseen passion.

* Sawyer has switched to the point guard position, while Dimaggio has taken over the shooting guard slot. This arrangement allows Dimaggio — a true slashing guard — to create out on the wings and in the flow of the offense. Now, he is able to find seams within the defense and attack the basket, utilizing his uncanny ability to adjust his body in mid-air and get a shot off. Sawyer, on the other hand, said he just feels much more comfortable at the point. He has a good enough handle and seem looks to be able to find his shot much more frequently. Also, the emergence of Brandon Sileck (21 points) cannot be understated. This kid can really do it all: shoot from the outside, handle the ball, run the floor and bang inside. When Sileck is on, it gives Sawyer more time to find his shot out on the perimeter.

* According to the squad, Coach Thom has been pushing them in practice — friendly term for lots of suicide-style running — and has beefed up the film study. The results, as of now, can’t be argued with.

* It is really quite amazing how quick a turnaround the Tigers have made. After losing ugly to Briarcliff, the Tigers were at 3-6, virtually outside of the playoff picture. Coming off a solid win over Lincoln Hall AT Lincoln Hall, which makes it even more impressive, the Tigers look dangerous. Clearly, the credit has to go to Coach Thom. His flexibility within the system and the trust of his players has really shone through these past couple of games.

* Lincoln Hall, however, has been the polar opposite of the Tigers over their past two games.The United’s losing streak stands at two — both of which came at home. Sir Aaron Taylor was in foul trouble early and often, effectively limiting his ability to be aggressive around the rim. In fact, this might have been the first time I haven’t seen him record double-digit rebounds. He picked up his fourth foul about 6:30 into the third quarter and wasn’t able to do much down the stretch. Clearly, the United need his services to be the team that they are capable of. Coach Taylor even admitted this after the game.

* A bright spot was point guard Darren Brown. Standing at only 5-6, Brown gives Lincoln Hall a true point guard, which they haven’t had in the absence of Jeff Valloy. Brown showed the ability to take his man off the dribble and get to the rim, exhibited by his 13-point performance. What is even more impressive is that this was only Brown’s second game of the season. According to Taylor, he wasn’t able to play earlier because of non-basketball related issues. Brown’s addition also takes some of the ball handling duties away from the sharpshooting Jamol Johnney. Johnney’s ability as a scorer are much better suited as number 2.

These rankings are as of Tuesday, Jan. 22 @ 12 p.m.

1) Peekskill (14-0) — Since Mookie Jones’ eight-point performance against White Plains in the finals of the Slam Dunk on Dec. 29, he has been on fire, averaging 20 ppg over the last seven. His 23-point performance in a win over Albany Academy on Jan. 20 typified the torrid stretch. With all the talent on the Peekskill roster, the points can come from several players, but Jones, as he has proved lately, is still the Michael Jordan of the Red Devils.

2) Briarcliff (12-2) — The Bears snuck out of Kennedy with a win, turning it on in the last three minutes. The commotion and controversy over the clock at the end of the match overshadowed one of the best basketball games of the season. Time was not stopped when Briarcliff asked for a timeout following O’Connell’s basket, so the refs were correct in putting the additional time back on the scoreboard. This argument could be tangled and twisted every which way, but the bottom line is that these teams put on quite the show. Briarcliff will not lose to a Section 1 opponent this season.

3) Kennedy Catholic (8-4) — Kennedy completely outplayed Briarcliff for the first 29 minutes of their heartbreaking, 61-60, loss. Steve Feeney, Vincent Tancora, Edmond O’Connell and Anthony Spinola flexed their muscles against the brawny Briarcliff front line, matching their intensity and strength on the boards and in the paint. In the somewhat rundown Kennedy gym — dim lights and aged floor — the Gaels almost pulled off the upset of the season. Their six-game winning streak was snapped, but they proved that the magic of the storied program is alive and well. Say what you want about the conditions of the gym, it is my favorite place to watch a Saturday night basketball game. It almost feels like being in a rural area of Indiana, ala the movie Hoosiers.

4) Lincoln Hall (8-5) — The United’s disappointing loss to Byram Hills, 51-35, moves Sir Aaron and company out of the top three. My biggest concern with the loss was that it was at home — a place where the United generally thrive. Long scoring droughts will be the death of this squad, exemplified by their zero point output in the second quarter against Byram. Despite the rough game, I predict that the United will go 5-1 over the last six games of the season, securing a top playoff spot and home court advantage.

5) Panas (8-6) — Panas rebounded from the Hen Hud debacle with a solid 63-52 win over Beacon on Jan. 15. Losing by 19 points at Poughkeepsie on Jan. 17 was all but expected. With games against Beacon, Peekskill, Lakeland, Ossining, Our Lady of Lourdes and Hen Hud to close out the season, the Panthers have a shot at going 5-1. It would help if Michael Pagan scored 20-plus points, as the Panthers have yet to lose a game when that happens.

6) Lakeland (8-4) — In a column that ran two weeks ago, titled, “Nickname madness,” I named point guard Lou DeMello, “The Dime.” So when he scored 16 points and was looking for his shot all game against Yorktown last Thursday, I felt a little foolish. Sure, he is still a pass-first point guard. But when challenged to shoot — as Yorktown Coach Steve Veteri explained was the team’s strategy — DeMello proved he is not one dimensional, sinking four 3-pointers against the Huskers. Veteri, ultra impressed, called it a “career performance.” DeMello’s progression into more of a scorer basically mirrors his expanded role into a finisher on the soccer pitch this past season.

7) Yorktown (6-8) — The eight-year losing streak to the Hornets was all but over, but the Huskers fell apart down the stretch and failed to make clutch shots in the waning moments. This, of any loss Yorktown has suffered this season, has to really frustrate Coach Veteri. It was the kind of loss that makes one want to get right back on the floor, erasing any painful memory that may still linger on. Rebounding against Pelham on Jan. 19 with a solid 43-37 win probably helped ease the pain — albeit not very much. Brendan Kurpis needs more touches and shots in order for the Huskers to finish up strong and make the playoffs. His size and touch from 15-feet and in gives ’Town a steady stream of points. Down the stretch of the Lakeland game, going away from Kurpis was the deciding factor in the loss.

Mahopac (7-5) — Since the paltry 24-point effort against Arlington, the Indians have averaged 65 ppg in two wins over Ketcham and Carmel. Seeing that it was a fierce rivalry game against Carmel, I knew it was going to be a physical. But Mario Iacuone’s 13-for-19 performance from the charity stripe was eye popping. Kudos to Iacuone for getting to the line that much. With five games left on its schedule, I guarantee that Mahopac will finish the season with a double-digit win total.

9) Ossining (5-9) — Ossining’s, 49-44, win over Hen Hud was overshadowed by a disappointing loss to Beacon, 56-53. Sadly, this has been the case all season for Coach Drinks’ squad. Only once have they been able to string together two wins in a row.

10) Hen Hud (6-6) — The Sailors came down to earth with a loss to Ossining on Jan. 17. Needless to say, this squad is proving to be a lot tougher than anyone could have ever imagined.

11) Croton-Harmon (5-7) — The Tigers have reeled of two-straight wins, 77-60, over Putnam Valley and, 60-54, over Westlake. Ryan Sawyer, showing the senior leadership Head Coach Bill Thom was craving, averaged 17 ppg in the two wins.

12) John Jay (4-9) — Two straight losses to Kennedy, 59-49, and Fox Lane, 50-39, really hurt the Indians’ chances of making the playoffs.

13) Putnam Valley (2-11) — The good news for the Tigers is that they broke the 30-point plateau against Croton, scoring 60 points for the first time since Jan.7.

14) Somers (1-12) — The Tuskers lost to Greeley, 81-32, back on Dec. 12. Against Greeley on Jan. 15, they only lost by 16 points, 60-44. That’s a marked improvement, fellas.

1) Briarcliff (14-1) – Here is a scary stat: the Bears have outscored opponents 981-493 this season. They average an insane 65 points per game. Maggie Blair paced the squad with 20 points in a recent thrashing of Eastchester, 69-22. When the Bears are clicking on all cylinders I fear for the rest of Class B. If they play like they have been playing, it does not look like a team could stop them. 69-13 destruction of Croton-Harmon. Ouch. Looks like the entire team contributed for the Bears.

2) Mahopac (9-2) – Lost to a very good Lourdes team this past Tuesday, but in their games prior to that, all W’s, Gillian Felix has averaged 24 points and Jessie Kavana has put up 22 points per game. Talk about a loss lighting a fire under a team. Impressive league wins over Arlington (Kavana 29 points) and Ketcham, 58-57, where Felix was unstoppable with 33 points, 11 boards, and nine swats. Lourdes and JJ-East Fishkill seem like the Indians biggest threats.

3) Ossining (9-5) – Close one against Greeley in Ossining’s first home loss. They were down by 10 with two minutes left and almost pulled it off. Followed that game up with a blow-out win over Hen Hud. The rematch with Beacon at home today is pivotal and a win will bolster their confidence big time with the post-season around the corner.

4) Lakeland (6-6) – I hate to say I told you so, but I knew deep down the Hornets would turn it around. Huge win over first place Greeley. Tori Jarosz has been taking over as she had a monster game with 24 points, 20 rebounds, and seven blocks. She is quickly turning into one of the most dominant forces in the area. Even with Kerry Johnson and Kristin Pappalardo in serious foul trouble against Somers, they still find ways to win with Jarosz taking the team on her shoulders with 28 points. Followed up a loss to Brewster who really has their number (beat them three times), by crushing John Jay, 54-27.

5) John Jay (5-6) – I knew the Indians would not be out of the top five for very long. It was an emotional last second win over Somers in overtime with Emily Sanders knocking down the dagger. Christina McLoughlin is a tough inside player that does the little things to help a team win as she secured the rebound and made the pass to Sanders for the game winner. Tough stretch of games upcoming will show if the Indians are a contender. Not a very good start to this stretch as they got thomped by Lakeland.

Just click “play now” and the video screen will pop up.

Enjoy.

These rankings are of Tuesday, Jan. 15 @ 12 p.m.
1) Peekskill (13-0) — Daquan Brickhouse’s Peekskill Red Devils have yet to stumble. My co-worker, Sam Barron, a news guy, was at the Peekskill vs. Hen Hud game on Jan. 9 which the Red Devils won, 55-31. When Peekskill clung to only an 8-point fourth quarter lead, Sam was on the verge of calling me in to witness possibly the biggest upset in the history of Section 1. Yeah, so much for that, Sam: when Peekskill turns it on, they are unbeatable. This game had a pre-game ceremony for Hen Hud and former Peekskill student, Justin Woodward. It was a touching tribute that honored the young man whose life was tragically cut short.

2) Briarcliff (11-2) — After playing three tough games against Byram Hills, Pleasantville and Lincoln Hall, the Bears got back to their blowout ways against Croton on Jan. 14. Alex Gulotta seemed possessed, scoring 3-pointers with such ease that one would have thought they were lay ups. Concentration will be the name of the game for the Bears from here on out. The upset-minded Panthers and their hooligan fans almost shocked them on Jan. 11. Welcome to the elite, Briarcliff: everyone is gunning for that giant bull’s eye on your chest. Expect a momentous effort from the opposition each time out.

3) Lincoln Hall (8-4) — The United followed up a near upset of Briarcliff on Jan. 8 with a thumping of Westlake on Jan. 11. I have watched a few games at Lincoln Hall and knew that the environment would be enough to level the playing field against the Bears. That upset would’ve been something else, eh? But with Taylor and Johnney fouling out early, it was only fiction. The United need to find their #3 guy — like a Larry Johnson-type player on the ’96-’97 Knicks — and Harry Pickney seems to be as good a choice as any.

5) Kennedy Catholic (6-3) — Currently, the Gaels are one of the hottest teams in the NCN region. The Gaels have rattled off four-straight wins to kick off 2008, culminating with their most recent win, 50-45, over a likewise very hot Yorktown team. Coach Tom Nelligan was in the stands scouting the Bears for their Jan. 19 match-up at Briarcliff. Just a hunch, but I say this one goes undecided deep into the fourth quarter. If it was at JFK, maybe, just maybe, the Gaels would have a shot at pulling off the upset. In reality, I think this will be their first loss of 2008. However, the Gaels are the best team in League II-Central. Who could have predicted that?

5) Panas (7-5) — The Panthers are a total enigma. They really make completing these rankings nearly impossible. After beating Kennedy at home, routing Lakeland and going 2-1 over a brutal stretch against Peekskill, Lourdes and Ossining, the Panthers did the unthinkable and lost to Hen Hud, 51-43, on Jan. 11.

6) Lakeland (6-4) — The loss at Kennedy sent the Hornets into a tailspin. The losing streak stands at three games, following the most recent loss to Greeley, 42-39, on Jan. 11. The game on Jan. 17 against the Huskers is a prime time for the Hornets to turn their season around. Yorktown will be looking for revenge after getting embarrassed, 63-38, by Lakeland on Dec. 18. This is quite possibly the game I am most looking forward to this week.

7) Yorktown (4-5) — Huskers have hit the skids — a two game losing streak with losses to Kennedy and North Rockland — after breaking off five-straight wins. The loss at Kennedy is understandable, but losing to a bad North Rockland (3-10) team is a tough pill to swallow. I will attribute the loss to the fact that it was only a day after the emotional loss to the Gaels.

Hen Hud (6-5) — Perhaps the upset of the season was the Sailors’ shocking win over Panas. Maybe it wasn’t an upset, after all; this team hung with Peekskill — albeit a Brickhouse-less Peekskill — for three quarters. Maybe this team is tough enough to win more games than expected. A win over Our Lady of Lourdes on Jan. 17 would add to the Sailors’ resume.

9) Mahopac (4-4) — Going cold in the Northern Kingdom that is Dutchess County is understandable, but 26 points! The Indians only managed to score three more points than my age against Arlington in a 56-20 loss on Jan. 9. But, hey, 26 points is a boatload in comparison to St. Louis University’s 20-point effort in a loss to Kent State on Jan. 10. ’Pac, however, rebounded with a solid 60-56 road win at Ketcham on Jan. 11.

10) Ossining (4-8) — As Coach Lonnie Drinks explained, Ossining is in almost its entire game but is unable to find a way to put the final nail in the coffin. The game against Lourdes must have been extremely frustrating. I am not a basketball coach, analyst, or anything like that, but I’d consider feeding 6-6 Jeff Ward in post about 10 more times a game down in the post.

11) John Jay (4-7) — Don’t look now, but the Indians have won three-of- four after starting the season 1-6. They have all winnable games down the stretch — outside of North Salem — but have the Indians dug themselves too deep a hole? If Anthony Iacomini and Kevin Drew can continue to score 17+ apiece per game, the Indians have a shot of making their comeback a reality.

12) Croton-Harmon (2-7) — With their leading scorer in Alex Judge lost for the season with a knee injury, the Tigers are going to have to find something—or someone—to drive them to victories. Ryan Sawyer and Frank Dimaggio, both senior guards, will have to be spectacular in order for Croton to stay competitive.

13) Putnam Valley (2-10) — In losses to Byram Hills and Pleasantville, the Tigers are averaging 26 points per game. Don’t look for St. Louis University Head Coach Rick Majerus for answers — that’s for sure.

14) Somers (1-10) — Football ended too quickly and lax can’t come soon enough.

Alex Gulotta scored 19 points — including five 3-pointers — to lead the Bears to a 76-58 victory over the visiting Croton-Harmon Tigers.

Notes on the game:

* Gulotta was on fire from downtown. He looked as “in the zone” as a shooter can be. Remember when Michael Jordan shrugged his shoulders during the NBA finals against the Portland Trailblazers? Yea, it was kinda like that for Gulotta.

* Like they have been able to do to a lot of their opponents this season, the Bears simply out muscled the Tigers in the paint. Muratori (6 points), Lombardi (23 points), and Beechum (11 points) are simply too much for most Class B teams to handle for an entire game. Lincoln Hall is probabyly the only team that can match their strength and inside presence in all of Class B. For this reason, the United have the most realistic shot of knocking off the Bears come playoff time. Will that happen? No, probably not.

* Croton’s Alex Judge, who went down with a season ending knee injury against Byram Hills on Jan. 9, is sorely missed. Judge’s length, shooting touch and ability to run the floor leaves a gaping hole in the Tigers’ offense. Coach Bill Thom was in search of leadership from his seniors after the loss.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS TO COME …

Forgive me for cheesy titles, it’s late.

Joe Lombardi scored 24 points — including 9 in the fourth quarter — to lead the Bears to a 56-50 win over the Pleasantville Panthers.

Notes on the game:

* My ears might still be ringing from this one. It was a great atmosphere in Pleasantville this evening, but somebody better tell the Panthers faithful football season is already an afterthought. The constant taunts of “28-0!” were amusing, but kind of far fetched in January. Whatever makes you feel good, I guess.

* Pleasantville was running on the fuel of its home crowd and played a real solid game. However, the emotion might have made the Panthers play a tad bit over their heads. Don’t get me wrong, because this team is as fundamental and competitive as they come, but Briarcliff just looked a little off. They missed a bunch of easy shots around the basket and were out of synch against the anti-Phoenix Suns style that the Panthers play. As Joe Lombardi said, if ‘Cliff makes a couple more shots from in close, the game is a 15-point win instead. Needless to say, hats off to the youthful Panthers, they are going to be on the winning side of that rivalry in the near future.

* Joe Lombardi carried the team this evening. If there ever was an MVP, Lombardi was it. Down the stretch — when he poured in nine tough points — is when he looked the strongest. His power inside and ability to follow up his second-chance opportunities was too much for the worn down Panthers. Still can’t believe he isn’t going to college straight for round ball. I gotta see this kid play baseball.

* Briarcliff is in the think of its league schedule, which is actually tougher than most would imagine. Byram, Lincoln Hall, Pleasantville and Croton won’t lay down and have the ability to upset the Bears. I don’t foresee it actually happening, but the point is that the league is solid competition.

* Gulotta had a quiet 14 points, but his presence on the court is an intangible force. He had “no doubt” that the Bears were going to pull out the seemingly close game. When Pleasantville’s Matt Nicolai nailed a 3-pointer to kick off the fourth quarter and tie it at 37-37, I thought there might be a chance at a wild upset. Nah, Gulotta was pretty much right.

* Improvements on defense and coming together as a team equals a good chance to win every game from here on out, according to Lombardi.

* Favorite chants from the hooligans in the bleachers? Post them.

Ossining fell to Lourdes, 61-59, in a hotly contested game throughout.

Down 58-57 with 25 seconds left, Tyler Davidov’s 3-point attempt clanked off the iron.N

Notes on the game: 

* In my opinion, Jeff Ward needs to get more touches. Ward has averaged 20 ppg in the four games that Ossining has won. The big fella has a solid skill set and a nose for the ball around the basket. Like the Knicks tried to do with Eddy Curry — feeding him non-stop inside — Ossining should do with Ward. He is their best player and also the most likely to carry the team on his back to a victory. Feeding him down low on the blocks — in theory — should open up more space on the perimeter for Tyler Davidov. When given time and not rushed, Davidov is pure from outside (especially from in the corner). But he really needs that added space to connect and be successful.

* Myles Thomas is a terrific athlete, however, he probably should have just gone for lay-ups on his two missed dunk attempts. Henry Crosby was there to clean one up in the second half, but his one in the first half ricocheted off the rim and out of bounds. I feel like a crotchety old man saying this, but every single point counts.

* Head Coach Lonnie Drinks has had a tough season. The team lost a lot of talent last season, headlined by Kenny Horton. Without these star studded seniors, Ossining is wihtout a go-to-guy down the stretch. Ward probabyly should be that buy, but Ossining doesn’t seem to have a pure point guard to dish it down low.

* Jesse Drinks made a play in the latter stages of the game that made me yearn for football season. Following a deep Lourdes baseball-like inbound pass to a wide open man on the far end of the court, Drinks made a cornerback-esque move and broke up the pass right before it reached the intended player. I will have something on Drinks / Thomas defensive back connection in the next issue.

1) Briarcliff (11-1) – After the loss to Lourdes at the County Center, the Bears got right back on track demolishing Byram Hills, 86-28, and Westlake in league games. Byram is in second place in their league, so it shows how much of a gap there is between the Bears and the rest of the league. Shelby Coon scored 19 and Taylor Pescetti added 18 in the win over Byram.

The Bears only led JFK by four at the half on Tuesday, but pulled out a 52-40 win.

2) Mahopac (8-1) – After falling to JJ-East Fishkill in their first league game, the Indians rebounded well by defeating Ramapo, 76-64. Jessie Kavana scored a game high 22 points with Gillian Felix scoring 21. Mahopac may need a more consistent third option to be successful in their grueling league. Sarah Demarzo could be the answer.

Nice win over Arlington. Kavana had a monster game with 29 points.

3) Ossining (8-5) – After taking one of three games down in Florida over the break, Ossining came back to NY more united than ever. They put the screws down on defense with their suffocating full court press in league victories over Panas and Poughkeepsie. Kelsey Vallach runs the fast break to perfection as she draws the defense and kicks to the open player with lightning quick passes.

Fell to Greeley in a close one by three points. Vallach hurt her wrist and wasn’t the same shooting wise after that as she finished with only 5 points. She still fought threw and had 9 assists. Brittany Garrett had another double-double with 19 points and 15 boards. Alex Venuto added 16 points and 7 steals.

4) Lakeland (4-5) – How is a team with a 4-5 record ranked in the top five you may ask? In their last three wins (before todays win) they have held opponents to an average of 29 points per game. With a defense like that, and the offense improving game by game – look out for the Hornets. Greeley, who is first in their league, will be a true test on Friday of how far they have come.

Defeated Somers in a close one today behind 28 points from Tori Jarosz. Jarosz stepped up in a huge way with Kerry Johnson plagued by foul trouble throughout the game.

5) Yorktown (5-7) – The ‘Huskers have been en fuego of late, winning three straight with their biggest win coming over league foe John Jay, 58-50. Ann Kelsey was dominant at both ends of the court, scoring a game-high 19 points, grabbing 10 boards, and swatting four shots.

Town fell to Somers by 1 in a nail biter yesterday for the second time this season. The teams in the middle of the pack are so evenly matched as Yorktown, Peekskill, Lakeland - have all shared the 5 spot. Teams like Somers, Kennedy, and Put Valley all have the ability to crack the top 5 - and obviously John Jay who I believe will be back soon.

Lakeland 50, Somers 45 - With Kerry Johnson plagued by foul trouble throughout the game, Tori Jarosz took the Hornets on her shoulders, scoring 28 points in the W. Point guard Kristin Pappalardo was quiet throughout most of the game, but knocked down 4 clutch free throws in the final minute to secure the win.

Kaitlin O’Sullivan played well for Somers as she was very aggressive, as was the entire Somers team, forcing the Hornets into early foul trouble. She finished with 19 points. Point guard Alyssa Gerety played a solid game, contributing 10 points. The problem for the Tuskers is that they don’t have any depth as the five starters usually play the entire game. By the fourth quarter the starters are completely gassed.

Lakeland showed tonight that they can win games when their #2 and #3 options have off nights/foul trouble in Pappalardo and Johnson. Cassie Kardias and Vicky Kowalski both stepped up and played well on both ends of the court as well as Christiana Gjelaj inside as she filled in nicely for Johnson.

(top left): Tori Jarosz looks determined as she goes up for two of her game-high 28 points.

(top right): Cassie Kardias works her way inside the Somers D.

(bottom): Alyssa Gerety pushes the Somers attack.

These rankings are based on games through Tuesday, January 8 at 12 p.m. 

1) Peekskill (11-0) — Coach P. finally gets his due with Peekskill’s decision to emblazon on its hardwood, “Coach Panzanaro’s Court.” Then, not so ceremoniously, Daquan Brickhouse and Elliot Watson then go down with ankle injuries as the Red Devils creamed St. A’s. Brickhouse did his best Willis Reed impression and suited up against Lourdes, while Watson sat it out. The Red Devils probably have a deep enough bench to rest their ailing stars against Hen Hud (1/9) and Beacon (1/11). Home against Poughkeepsie on the 15th will be the next big test. However, in my opinion, it will most likely be like New England’s 24-20 win over the Colts midway through the season. It could be close — but Peekskill won’t lose.

2) Briarcliff (8-2) — Bears are off and running since the Slam Dunk, winning two-straight. The slim margin of victory over Byram Hills, 69-62, was somewhat shocking, but it is a win nonetheless. Who else wants to fast-forward to Briarcliff’s completely meaningless — in the scheme of things — game against Stepinac on February 20?

3) Lincoln Hall (7-3) — Dismantled Putnam Valley after 15-day layoff. United will travel a tough road in the second half with games against ’Cliff, Byram and Westlake.

The good news? They play five-of-nine at home during the stretch. Trust me; Lincoln Hall may be one of the toughest gyms — with the atmosphere and tight quarters — to play in.

4) Panas (6-4) — Rebounded with a solid win over Ossining. Time to start reeling some victories off over next three against: Lourdes (1/9), Beacon (1/11) and Hen Hud (1/15). The Panthers will need all the momentum they can get for a re-match at Poughkeepsie on the Jan. 17. The loss against Huskers is still a head scratcher.

5) Kennedy Catholic (4-3) — O’Connell and company used the break to recharge their batters. The defense was remarkable in a big time win over Lakeland. Watch out for the Gaels, they are coming together as a team. Addition of Mike Mercurio, a stud baseball player, gives team athleticism and strength. This team — minus Briarcliff and Peekskill — will be one of the toughest match-ups in the NCN area come playoff time.

6) Lakeland (6-2) — Four-game winning streak snapped at the hands of Kennedy. To be honest, though, playing in Kennedy’s gym is actually quite a tall order. Those fans can be pretty cruel. I mean, they were taunting Lakeland players based on their physical appearance. It was a low blow. The Hornets can take solace in the fact that Lavor Morris is becoming one of the better players in the NCN region.

7) Yorktown (4-4) — Who are these guys? Can Yorktown football and basketball undergo a renaissance in the same year? Four-straight W’s since the 0-4 start make the ’Huskers one of the hottest teams around. Tom Kelly can flat out play — 18 points in a 24-point blowout win over John Jay.
Croton-Harmon (2-4) — Win over Pleasantville — which I actually predicted — has the potential to turn the Tigers season around. The success of the backcourt duo of Frank Dimaggio and Ryan Sawyer will determine how far Croton can ride this wave of momentum.

9) Mahopac (4-4) — Mahopac really impressed me against Gorton. They were smaller, less athletic and still had a shot pull out the win in the later stages of the game. Mario Iaucone is deceptive, but he can score the basketball with the best of them. Hypothetically speaking: if Mahopac starts the game against Gorton at 7 p.m. — instead of 11 a.m. — and the gym is packed to the gills, I think the home crowd will get in the Wolves’ heads and ’Pac will pull out the win. Good pizza at half time, though.

10) Ossining (3-7) — Battled with Panas but couldn’t pull out the W. Ossining has five winnable games in front of them. If there was ever a time to make a move, it is now.

11) John Jay (2-7) — Solid win over Brewster kicked off 2008 in a perfect fashion. Ugly loss to Yorktown replaces feelings of hope with a New Year’s Day hangover. Lax season creeps closer every week …

12) Hen Hud (5-4) — Battling in the thick of the League II-North, otherwise known as the “league of death,” is not exactly the way I would want to kick off my year. But what doesn’t kill them, will make them stronger…we hope.

13) Putnam Valley (2-8) — Tigers are 1-1 in 2008 with a win over Westlake. When Hugh O’Gorman scores 20, PV is undefeated.

14) Somers (1-8) — Like Buffalo, Somers is clearly a hockey town.