NCN SPORTS BLOG

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.