NCN LAX/BASKETBALL BLOG

When at full strength, Ossining has the potential to play with anybody. And that includes the North County basketball kings, Peekskill.

With that said, the Big O will have a chance to steal Peekskill’s crown on Jan. 20, as they travel to face their river rival in a marquee matchup.

As and added bonus, Ossining also has a chance to own a piece of history. If they can somehow defeat Peekskill, it will mark the end of the Red Devils’ 51-game home winning streak.

Still, the fact remains: Ossining must be at full strength.

“We have to be 100 percent,” Ossining Co-Head Coach Khalid Sales said, looking forward to the Peekskill game. “You want to look down your bench and see all your pieces. We are going to need everybody.”

For Sales, having a full complement of players hasn’t been a given this season.

In a shocking loss to Croton Jan. 12, Ossining was without leading rebounder Quincy Ingram and power forward Donqutae Washington. Ingram was benched after missing a practice leading up to the game, while Washington was unavailable for undetermined disciplinary reasons.

At 6-4, the lanky Ingram plays more like he’s 6-7. Washington, a physical 6-2 forward, is a defensive stopper and a big part of Ossining’s front-line. Against a Croton team without anyone over 6-2, both players would have been a huge part of the game plan.

Ingram — back in the lineup for Thursday’s nail biting win over Hen Hud — proved his value, scoring 14 points and blocking three shots. Still, Washington remained on the bench.

And these absences aren’t one-time occurrences. Ossining has been missing different players throughout its lineup for one reason or another all season.

“We have yet to have a game with our full team,” Sales said. “We have certain guys missing practices. And those are key guys that make our team go.”

Sales said he hoped to have everybody available against Peekskill. Barring any setbacks, of course.

And let’s be serious, setbacks aren’t an option. If Ossining is to have any prayer against Peekskill, they will need the likes of Ingram and Washington on the court. After all, the Red Devils have struggled against bigger and stronger teams this year, constantly getting bullied around on the boards.

This fact hasn’t been lost on Ossining sharpshooter Cameron Davidov.

“We have all seen Peekskill a little and they aren’t as big and powerful as they normally are,” Davidov said. “We know that we can run with them.”

On the whole, Ossining’s athletically gifted lineup might be able to run with the notoriously supercharged Red Devils. But it’s unlikely that anybody will be able to keep up with Peekskill point guard Daquan Brickhouse.

At 5-8 with Air Jordan’s on, Brickhouse is a veritable blur of red and white on the court. Few in Section 1 can keep up with him — let alone stop him.

“He’s a tough kid and a tough cover,” Sales said of Brickhouse. “He plays 100 percent all the time. We are going to try and get our fastest guys on him and work him all the way up the court.

“And he’s got the championship pedigree. He knows how to win and knows how to run a team. He’s a big part of their team. If we can limit him a little bit, we might have a better shot. Our guys are looking forward to the challenge.”

It’s likely that Ollie Holmes, Lemar Johnson and Justin Young will get to meet that challenge head-on. All three players have the necessary tools — speed, strength and quickness — to make Brickhouse’s life miserable.

But actually doing it is easier said than done. With that said, Johnson is heading into it with the right attitude.

“We have to do the same thing we did today (against Hen Hud) in the second half,” said Johnson, who created a slew of turnovers that translated into easy baskets against the Sailors. “It’s all about defense.”

Last year, defense was a forgotten word in Ossining’s two lopsided losses to Peekskill. The Red Devils scored an average of 75 points in the two wins, with an average margin of victory being 32 points.

Sales and Co-Head Coach Ed Walker are both rookies this year, so the embarrassing losses don’t sting quite as much. According to Sales, this year should be different.

“We feel like we can go up there and play,” he said. “If we play well, who knows what can happen? We are looking forward to it.”

Like Hen Hud did prior to its matchup against Ossining, the Big O will try and duplicate the many problems Peekskill presents in practice.

“They like to get up and down and get up on people,” Sales said. “They play the way we play. So hopefully the game will be like practice.”
But Ossining knows there’s an entirely different element they will be forced to deal with. On top of the Red Devils themselves, they will also be battling the venue, which will be packed to the gills with raucous fans.

In last year’s game between the two schools at Peekskill, things got out of hand and a skirmish broke-out on the court between fans and players. Suffice it to say, there will be enough tension in the John Devins Gymnasium to cut with a butcher knife.

“We can’t simulate the atmosphere,” Sales said. “The place gets loud with the distractions and the people in the crowd. It’s going to be crazy. Our game plan has to be tight. Guys have to look to the bench and know what we are running and doing. We are going to have to be as focused as they come in that game.”