NCN SPORTS BLOG

1) Peekskill (9-0) — Sophomore point guard Daquan Brickhouse, the MVP of the Slam Dunk, led the Red Devils to the crown with uncommon poise. So, the Patriots went 16-0 with a win over the underwhelming Giants. I informed Daquan of this after the win over White Plains in the finals and asked him if Peekskill had a chance to run the table like the Patriots.

“We could be the Peekskill Patriots, the ‘72 Dolphins. We are going to go strong this year,” he said.

Peekskill’s game against Long Island’s St. Anthony’s on January 5 will be another big time challenge in its quest for perfection.

2) Briarcliff (6-2) — It is very rare that a 1-2 record and seventh place in a tournament of eight teams is considered a success. But the Bears triple-overtime win over Stepinac and its strong play throughout the entire Slam Dunk can’t be ignored. This team will return to its league schedule an entirely different squad. Watch out Class B, you have been forewarned.

3) Lakeland (5-1) — In a return to the scene of last year’s heart wrenching loss to Peekskill, the Hornets picked up a quality win over Tuckahoe in the Slam Dunk challenge game. Lavor Morris is averaging 15 ppg over his last three, indicating he is becoming acclimated to the Hornets system. Quietly, the Hornets are becoming a top team in Class A.

4) Lincoln Hall (6-3) — The Hall have been off for quite awhile. Normally a second half team, the United will be fresh to make a run. Sir and co. open up at home against Briarcliff on January 8. The long awaited home game will bring an added energy, but will it be enough to pull off the upset of the season?

5) Panas (4-2) — Solid win over Sleepy Hollow is negated by puzzling loss to Yorktown. Next three: Peekskill, Ossining and Our Lady Of Lourdes are all big time league games. Going 2-1 would be ideal.

6) Kennedy Catholic (2-3) — All this downtime following the shocking loss to Greeley must be really eating at the Gaels. They will look to take out their frustrations on Fox Lane on January 3.

7) Croton-Harmon (1-4) — Lots of holiday downtime to rev the Tigers up for a turnaround in the second half. Prediction: Tigers get back on the map in Class B with a win over Pleasantville on January 4. Ryan Sawyer locks in from the perimeter and leads the Tigers to the upset.
Yorktown (2-4) — Nothing like winning your host tournament to kick start the season into a positive direction. The Huskers got revenge for a buzzer beating loss to Greeley in the semis and shocked Panas in the finals. Brendan Kurpis’ play brings flashbacks of former Yorktown baller/laxer Bob Catala — wide-bodied attack man that can get it done on the hardwood.

9) Mahopac (4-3) — Losing to North Salem by 23 points is tough to swallow, but the Tigers are an incredibly solid team with quality wins over Dobbs Ferry, Eastchester and Nanuet. Taking down Gorton on January 5 would set the Indians on a path toward making the playoffs.

10) Ossining (3-5) — Footballers — Drinks and Ward — should now be plenty rested. Time to start displaying the talent on the court.

11) John Jay (1-6) — Just a hunch, but I think that the Indians will have things sorted out in 2008 and make a run at finishing at .500.

12) Hen Hud (5-3) — Played Brewster close in a seven-point loss. Sailors get the privilege of traveling to Poughkeepsie for their first game of 2008. Not exactly the way I’d break in the New Year.

13) Somers (1-6) — Would welcome another match-up against Putnam Valley.

14) Putnam Valley (1-7) — Tigers will look to stop the bleeding of a seven game losing streak against Lincoln Hall on January 4.

Yes, the long awaited Peekskill vs. White Plains Slam Dunk championship highlight video is finally complete.

Enjoy.

 

 Flash Video [5:26m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Video highlights to come …

Enjoy Peekskill’s 13-point come from behind victory.

Shout out to Bryan Byrne for filming.

 

 Flash Video [4:13m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Instead of pounding away on this keyboard and giving my thoughts on the game, I decided to just cut this video up and get it on the web.

Enjoy.

 

 Flash Video [4:44m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The following rankings are as of 12 p.m. Tuesday, December 25.

1) Peekskill (6-0) — Not the most aesthetically pleasing win over Wings, but Mookie threw down an alley oop from Jamie Gooding in the final minute of play to please the jam-packed Peekskill stands. Sans Watts, the win looks even more impressive. Seeking revenge against Wings, who handed Peekskill its only loss in a 28-1 season two years ago, might foreshadow a rare perfect season in the ‘Skill. The Slam Dunk tournament from Dec. 27-29 is the Red Devils’ to lose.

2) Briarcliff (5-0) — Da Bears will get to prove their mettle on Westchester’s biggest stage at the Slam Dunk. Are they a legit top 5 team in all of Section 1? Taking on Jamesville-DeWitt in the opening round should be very telling. Section 3’s DeWitt, led by 6-10 Colgate bound Nick Pascale, is currently ranked second in the Class A New York State Sportswriters Association poll behind only Peekskill. I’d assume Garth Muratori would have a heck of a time trying to front him on defense.

3) Panas (4-2) — Rough loss to Poughkeepsie at home. Keeping it respectable against Peekskill on January 3 will be a moral victory in itself. Panthers will take some lumps as they navigate through the extremely difficult League II North, but they will be better for it come playoff time. Hence, I am already labeling them as a sleeper in Class A to make a playoff run.

4) Lincoln Hall (6-3) — The Hall — with Sir Aaron in early foul trouble — dropped a tough decision to Albertus, 58-46. Still, their early season record is probably better than most thought it would be. The United depend on Taylor and Johnney to provide the lions share of the scoring. If that doesn’t happen (like against Albertus) they are beatable. Finding a solid third option (Laquan Simpson/ Harry Pickney) would greatly enhance this team.

5) Lakeland (4-1) — Following the rough loss to Panas, Weltman’s crew has rattled off two-straight W’s over league foes Yorktown and John Jay-Cross River. Bumping up the intensity in practice and holding all his players accountable seems to have worked on the defensive end. After giving up an average of 60 ppg over the first three games of the season, Lakeland has relinquished a paltry 46 ppg over the past two.

6) Kennedy Catholic (2-3) — Historic collapse against Greeley —blowing an 18 point fourth quarter lead — and losing 67-63 is clearly a tough pill to swallow. The Gaels are in every single game, however, they have to start finding ways to finish them.

7) Croton-Harmon (1-4) — Three straight L’s for Coach Bill Thom’s squad. They showed heart against Dobbs Ferry, nearly coming back from an early 21-10 first quarter hole, but ended up falling, 72-68. Ryan Sawyer, Croton’s assassin from behind the arc, has only four 3-pointers in five games. In fact, the Tigers have only 20 total 3-pointers this season. In order to start stringing together some wins, I feel like they need to start heating up from downtown. That kind of makes this offense function.

Mahopac (4-2) — I didn’t see a 20-point loss against Lincoln coming — definitely thought they would have kept it closer or possibly won. Junior guard Mario Iuacone was a bight spot, scoring 17 points. He has scored in double figures in his last three games and leads ‘Pac in scoring with 12.7 ppg

9) Ossining (3-5) — Blowout 20-point win over Beacon is masked by lopsided 24-point loss to Peekskill. Jeff Ward has been quiet of late, averaging only 10 ppg over his last three games — well below his average of 17 ppg.

10) John Jay (1-6) — Slow beginnings and streaky play is becoming an all too consistent theme for the Indians. This team is too talented to be in the midst of a dismal six game losing streak.

11) Hen Hud (5-2) — Quality league win for the Sailors over Beacon. Notching another win against Brewster on Dec. 29 is imperative. Hen Hud’s strong start — which will diminish once competitive league play starts — shows that they would be a real threat in another league.

12) Yorktown (0-4) — You knew that Lakeland wasn’t going to drop two-straight to cross-town rivals. The Hornets took out their frustrations on ‘Town in the form of a 63-38 shellacking. Yorktown is still in search of its first win. January 5 against winless Carmel sounds like a good as time as ever.

13) Somers (1-6) — That win over Putnam Valley feels like eons ago.

14) Putnam Valley (1-6) — That win over Keio emits the same feeling as Somers’ win over PV.

I will have some material on yesterday’s Slam Dunk games (Peek vs. Hayes and ‘Cliff vs. JD).

There will just be a quick few thoughts and two highlight videos.

If you were trying to access the site before and weren’t able to, it is because the sever was down.

I apologize for the error.

Check back later for updates.

Mookie Jones soars through the air before throwing down an alley oop dunk.

Mookie Jones led the Red Devils with 27 points in a 66-55 win over the Bronx’s Wings Academy.

Elliot Watson also chipped 19 points for Peekskill.

Notes on the game

* Ralph Watts was relegated to the bench for the second straight game with a knee injury. Coach Panzanaro explained that the kneed swelled up a bit after being drained and that they had planned to rest him for two games.

* In Watts’ absence, Mookie had his first real dominating performance of the season, scoring Peekskill’s first nine points of the game to build an early lead. He drained two 3-pointers and went a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line. His alley-oop dunk from Jamie Gooding near the end of regulation was by far the highlight. Mookie explained that his surge was a result of “not thinking so much” on the court. Wings, who were undersized, had no one capable of guarding the versatile Jones. As a result, he was dominant on the inside, owning the glass and kick starting the transition game. Despite the quite impressive performance, Panzanaro cited that he would still like to see Mookie be a bit more assertive on the offensive end.

* Elliot Watson had his usual strong outing. The senior forward/center owned the paint and was a perfect complement to Jones all day. I say this a lot, but Watson is an underrated big man in Section 1. With a lot of pub going to Mookie — Syracuse, ’nuff said — and Ralph — as a result of his transfer and initial strong play — Watson has kind of ducked under the radar. I saw him outplay the 6-11 Henriquez from Port Chester early in the season and once again saw him as the most dominant big man against Wings. His ability to play down low and run the floor at Brickhouse’s speed is a huge asset to the Red Devils. I just couldn’t imagine this team with a 6-9+ center (that couldn’t run the floor). The chemistry and athleticism that the rest of the team possesses would be completely wasted. Essentially, Watson is the perfect big-man for the Red Devils.

* I’m not going to lie, this game wasn’t too pretty. There were a ton of fouls (35 total) and that really slowed down the pace. Both teams almost looked a little psyched out by the enormity of this contest. Wings also looks to be a little down this season. They didn’t have a real go-to-guy and presence down low, but had a stable of quick, slashing guards. Glancing at their roster, they also seem to be pretty young.

* Karl Baker is Mookie Jones’ cousin. I didn’t know that before today. More importantly, he played a solid game off the bench, chipping in four points and playing sound defense.

* Peekskill has to be happy with the win sans Watts. They are now in prime position to take the Slam Dunk tourney. Mookie — who explained that the squad had never won the tournament — believes that now is their time to take it.

Highlight video still to come …

Lakeland senior point guard Lou DeMello knifes through the John Jay defense in transition.

Lakeland, led by a game-high 23 points from Jason Obmoni, defeated the John Jay Indians, 62-54. Lavor Morris also chipped in 17 points in the win.

Notes on the game

* Lakeland, who are on a two-game winning streak following their rough loss to Panas back on December 17, look to be gelling as a unit. Point guard Lou DeMello explained that practice had been rough — killer drills and lots of running — since the loss to Panas. Well, it looks like it has paid off. The Hornets used their speed and transition game to perfection against the Indians, jumping out to a commanding 37-24 first half lead.

* Lavor Morris and Jason Omboni played exceptional. Without a true post-presence, Lakeland has to rely on these two players to knock down their open shots. When they are on — which wasn’t the case against Panas — the Hornets are a much more dangerous and effective team. If the duo can score in the mid-teens — as they also did in a win over Yorktown — Lakeland has a real shot at winning the League II Central. Omboni, in particular, is a deceptive player. He doesn’t physically appear to be much of a threat, but has the ability to knock down shots from all ranges and also knife into the lane.

* Late in the game with a 10 point lead, Morris put back an offensive rebound instead of pulling it out and milking the clock. After he missed the shot, John Jay’s Anthony Iacomini went down and buried a 3-pointer, cutting Lakeland’s lead to seven, 61-54. Coach Weltman was irate — and deservedly so — at the err in judgment. Morris, who is a phenomenal athlete and player, will learn from every mistake he makes this season.

* John Jay, per usual, stepped it up once they started playing a team game. When Mike Saldutti elevated his level of play in the third quarter, scoring seven of his nine points, John Jay was able to make a valiant comeback, pulling within two, 47-45. It is no coincidence that Drew had his best quarter — scoring seven of his 13 points — when everyone on the team shouldered a piece of the load. Playing from the point guard position, Drew was able to dish to Saldutti in the soft middle of Lakeland’s zone. He was also able to push the transition, displaying his boundless athleticism.

* Now at 1-6, John Jay has to start putting together complete efforts to be a playoff team. You can see they have the ability, but it comes in short glimpses here and there.