NCN SPORTS BLOG

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.

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.

I had to see this team already and boy did they deliver the goods. The Indians             (6-0) disposed of a 4-3 Suffern team by a final of 71-46. Even Coach Fioretti admitted that he thought it would be a tighter game, but it was far from that. It was pretty much over at halftime with the score at 36-13 at recess.

Gillian Felix is a dominant inside presence as she dominated the paint and altered tons of shots. Suffern looked completely out of sync on offense and could not get anything going inside. Mahopac forced plenty of turnovers and converted in transition. Everything was falling for them. 

Felix had 20 points, 11 boards, and 7 blocks in the game. She has excellent post moves, can pass well out of the double team, and can consistently knock down free throws as she constantly gets hacked down low. She obviously doesn’t take tips from Shaq at the charity stripe.

Junior Jessie Kavana is the perfect complement to Felix with a smooth outside jump shot. She can penetrate and dish with the best of them. Kavana looks like a basketball player. She has that swagger that every great player has. She finished the game with 14 points. Kavana and Felix are probably neck and neck with Briarcliff’s Coon and Blair as the top 1-2 punch in the North County.

This team is not all about just two players though as they get contributions from everyone. Bari Chavis (8 points, 4 assists) gives Mahopac another strong ball handler that passes very well and can knock down an open jumper. MacKenzy Ryan and Sarah Demarzo (10 points) are both very solid players as well that can score and handle. The Indians also shoot exceptionally well as a team from the foul line.

Four of the five starters have been playing together since the third grade, so they have a myriad of chemistry at their disposal. This team is very young with all five starters as juniors. You would think a lack of senior leadership would hurt them, but the girls seem to be experienced beyond their years. They all can handle the ball and finish. The Indians play in a tough league, but with the start they have had I’m sure they’ll be ready for anything.

Ok, enough ranting by me - I’m sure I’ll have plenty of other good things to say about this team as the season goes on. Time to get the article done. I hope everyone has a happy holiday, a merry christmas, happy hannukah, etc. I’ll be back with thoughts next week on the Slam Dunk Tournament as Briarcliff is participating as well as the Yorktown Tournament.

1) Briarcliff (7-0) – Briarcliff continued their winning ways this past week with convincing wins over Woodlands and Westlake. This team is firing on all cylinders and an undefeated season is definitely possible. Woodlands was supposed to be one of the Bears toughest regular season match-ups. They beat them by 32.

2) Mahopac (5-0) – Coach Fioretti probably couldn’t have asked for a better start in his first year with the Indians. Absolute train wreck of Lincoln yesterday, 72-24. Can’t wait to see them play tomorrow against Suffern. The Indians will truly be tested once league play begins with the likes of Arlington, JJ-East Fishkill, and Lourdes standing in their way. I’m sure he’ll have them ready.

3) Ossining (4-2) – Ossining fell to league rival Beacon on Tuesday to drop them to this spot. Brittany Garrett was held to five points in the loss, while Vallach and Venuto combined for 40 of the teams 47 points. They will need more consistent offensive contributions outside of this trio to succeed.

4) John Jay (3-2) – The Indians will be more than ready when league play starts as they will square off with the likes of Lakeland, Somers, and Yorktown. Emily Sanders has continued her hot start with 19 points in a win over Ketcham and 17 in a win over Rye.

5) Peekskill (4-1) – Welcome to the top five, Peekskill. I couldn’t hold this team out any longer. The Lady Red Devils, who went 4-16 last season, are off to a fantastic start with Roberta Sleigh leading the charge. They took down a very tough Brewster squad this past week and Ossining this Thursday will be a fine test of where the team really is.

Thoughts on Recent Games:

Yorktown 52, Lakeland 49: I thought Lakeland would pull out that first W here, but Yorktown proved me wrong. It has been a rough start for the Hornets. Allison Palmadesso had a nice game with 14 points for the Huskers. I’ll be at the Yorktown Tournament next week which will contain both of these teams along with Somers.

JFK 67, Croton 28: The Gaels impressed me big time, I thought they had a lot of potential to be a great team when I saw them scrimmage Somers. They are relentless on defense with Lauren Race all over the place, and a strong young inside game with sophomores Santini and Tracy on the glass.

Guards Laura Choma (11 points) and Amanda Vitteretti (9 pts) both handle the ball very well and are deep threats - the team had very balanced scoring. They moved the ball inside-out and around the perimeter very fluently. I’m anxious to see how this team matches up with a team like Briarcliff. They could be cracking the top 5 soon.

PV 42, Croton 34: Katie Geyer and Amanda DeChent form a potent inside-outside combo for PV. Their ball handling has definitely improved from the first time I saw them play, and they look like a team that will only get better as we get into January and February.

Croton returned inside threat Meridith Vasta who made an immediate impact tonight. They looked like a new team as they were much more aggressive and looked for their shots, although PV is nowhere near as physical as JFK which I think rattled the team.  As Croton Coach Weinstein said, “We gain one player, we lose one player”, the team has now lost junior guard Tory Tuman for 3-8 weeks. Tough break for the Tigers of Croton.

The mighty have fallen. Lakeland has started the season 0-3 after Ossining defeated them this afternoon - 63-45 at Ossining High School.

Lakeland’s height advantage with Tori Jarosz (6′3″), who returned from a wrist injury, was not really a factor on defense as Ossining’s Brittany Garrett really dominated inside - with 16 points, 12 boards, and 7 steals in the game.

Jarosz had a strong first game back on offense with 17 points. She can finish inside even when she takes a hit - it’s just a matter of the guards getting her the ball and in better positions to score.

The Ossining full court pressure was too much for the inexperienced Lakeland guards as they forced countless turnovers. Alex Venuto (7 steals), Kelsey Vallach (7 steals) and Kiki Shelton were suffocating on defense - points off turnovers were huge for Ossining.

The game was close at halftime at 33-25, but Ossining came out of the locker room absolutely en fuego. The Lady “O” outscored the Hornets 21-5 in the third to pull away. Kelsey Vallach was money from long range, knocking down three treys in the third as she finished the game with 14 points and 5 dimes.

Free-throws were also an important factor in the game as Ossining went to the line 22 times and converted on 14. Lakeland only went to the charity stripe 8 times-going 4 of 8. Looks like Coach Ricci has been putting in some extra time on FT’s as they really improved from the game I saw against Briarcliff. The Houston Rockets should take some lessons from Ossining on their freebies - I saw Houston was something like 2 of 17 from the line tonight - Wow.

Lakeland was without guard Kristin Pappalardo, which would have definitely helped. She should be back soon, according to coach Fallo. I think the guard play will improve with each game. I saw the Hornets play Brewster - and they handled the ball much better against Ossining. With their strong inside play with Jarosz and Johnson, and the guard play coming along - I think it’s only a matter of time before Lakeland turns it around.

I’ll be at the Panas tournament tomorrow (weather permitting - I’m thinking it will be moved to Friday) which features three NCN teams in JFK, Panas, and Lakeland.

Lakeland gets a rematch with Brewster in the first round, while JFK takes on Panas. I think Lakeland will give Brewster a much better game this time around - and JFK-Panas should be a good one as well as I saw both teams play in pre-season scrimmages.

Briarcliff 85, Woodlands 53 - So much for Woodlands giving the Bears a game. Shelby Coon had 33 points in yesterday’s blow-out. She might be the top low post option in this area - that I’ve seen at least.

Looks like being spoiled with beautiful fall weather is going to catch up to us this winter - oy’ve - hopefully not too many cancellations because it really messes up the schedule. Stay warm and I’ll be back soon with thoughts on the Panas tourney.

~ Rob

 Senior forward Shelby Coon was absolutely unstoppable tonight in Briarcliff’s 65-48 victory over Our Lady of Victory. Coon had 26 points and a ridiculous 23 boards. She has solid post moves, can handle the ball well for someone of her size, and can knock down the open jumper. She’s so smooth down low and has so many weapons like the up and under, hook shot, and so much more. I was talking to someone at the game who said she is being highly recruited by Cornell.

Briarcliff led from start to finish in this game, but it was much closer than the final score indicates. Every time the Bears seemed to be pulling away, the Jaguars just kept clawing back - knocking down countless triples to keep them in it.

The closest OLV got was 44-40 early on in the fourth quarter, but Briarcliff turned on the jets from there and never looked back.

Transition points were huge for Briarcliff - Maggie Blair and Taylor Pescetti dished out seven and six assists respectively. They pushed the ball well and limited the turnovers.

I haven’t seen a more complete player than Blair as of yet from the guard position. She can handle, dish the rock, shoot the jumper with a very smooth stroke, take it to the hole, plays solid defense, and rebounds well - not sure there is anything she doesn’t do well.

Pescetti (11 points) is a solid complement to Blair at the Shooting guard position with her ability to knock down the open three when they double Maggie. She is the scrappy defender that every good team needs.

The Heyda sisters played a strong game along with Savina Reid who had some beautiful passes in the open court. Everyone seems to know their role on this team and they jell so well together- I can’t see anyone in Class B beating them, although I hear Albertus is very good again this year.

5-0 isn’t a bad start - I’m hoping to check out the game with Woodlands on Tuesday as I’ve heard it should be the Bears toughest game of the regular season.

PV falls to Nanuet in Tourney Final     

I also checked out Putnam Valley today who fell 56-35 in the Ardsley tourney final. After losing the entire starting 5 which includes junior Nicole Scott who will miss the entire season due to a leg injury suffered in field hockey, the Tigers are very young and small with only one player above 5′9″ - but the team has some promise.

PV trailed 38-11 going into the half. The Tigers had 19 turnovers in the first half, which Nanuet scored most of their points off. Nanuet controlled the offensive glass grabbing countless rebounds for put backs.

The Tigers came out strong in the second half, outscoring Nanuet 24-18. They went on a 14-4 run in the third quarter, but Nanuet stormed right back and regained their composure.

Amanda DeChent has the ability to get on fire as she showed by knocking down three 3-pointers in the third quarter. She has a picture perfect outside stroke.

Katie Geyer has the potential to be a strong inside presence as she had some nice put backs and displayed some strong post moves. Jackie Gallagher is another player that is going to come into her own. Gallagher had 20 points in the Tigers semifinal win over Ardsley.

Most of these girls played on the field hockey team, so they know what it is like to win. DeChent was the only player that really saw much time on last years team that went to the Sectional Final, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before they click as a team and start to put up W after W.

Any comments on any other games you saw this weekend feel free to talk about - I’m kind of upset I missed the Mahopac vs Brewster game in the Carmel Tourney - anybody see that? I’ll be back soon with comments on Somers vs. Hen Hud on Monday.

~ Rob 

Basketball is the most exciting sport to watch live – hands down. I love baseball and it is still my favorite sport, but nothing beats being right on top of the action at a basketball game.

From rim-rattling dunks to high speed fast breaks to fans or coaches abusing the referees to sharp-shooters bombing away from downtown to ankle breaking crossovers– you really can’t beat the excitement and thrills over the course of a game.

In what other sport can you hear the terms “dipsy-doo dunkaroo, diaper dandy, or PT P’er” courtesy of legendary NCAA analyst Dick Vitale?

Here are ten reasons you should be excited for hoops season:

1. Mookie Jones and Peekskill Basketball: Can anyone remember when Peekskill wasn’t good at round ball? I sure can’t. This year will be no different, with Syracuse-bound Mookie Jones leading the show and looking to bring the Red Devils back to a fourth consecutive state title. The acquisition of Lakeland’s Ralph Watts makes them even more dangerous. I’ve been hearing this could be one of Peekskill’s best teams ever. Pretty scary if you think about it.

2. Teams responding to loss of key players: The biggest loss hands down has to be the “Fab Five” girls who graduated from Lakeland. Seeing the Hornets respond should be interesting this season. Other female teams with key losses are Somers with Jaki Goldner, Putnam Valley losing Kim Kastuk and Christine Kemp, Briarcliff losing Angela Pescetti, and Croton-Harmon losing Steph Smith, to name a few.

3. Crazy fans: Basketball seems to bring out the best and sometimes, the worst fans. Nothing is a secret at basketball games that take place in such a small setting of a gymnasium as opposed to the football field where the entire crowd needs to chant in unison to be heard. I’m hoping to hear some creative chants at games this season. Maybe I’ll make a top ten list if I hear enough quality ones.

4. Coaches gone wild: Aside from fans, basketball also seems to bring out the craziest coaching antics as well. Maybe it’s just because you can hear every word a coach says while he/she is pacing the bench area – but it sure is funny sometimes. The “zebras” really take a beating from time to time and I definitely feel their pain, but you can’t help yourself from chuckling when a coach goes on a 30 second tirade while the referee nods his head thinking to himself, “Is this guy done yet?”

5. Watching players from football and other sports on the b-ball court: Now I can finally see what they actually look like with those helmets off. Jesse Drinks, Jeff Ward, and Myles Thomas of Ossining barely got their pads off before they had to hit the gym for basketball practice. You would have to think players that went deep into a fall sport season might start sluggish out of the gates.

6. Fast pace action: The pace of the game in hoops cannot be compared to many other sports. In no other sport can the same player throw down a tomahawk dunk on one side of the court and then five seconds later say, “Get out of my house!” while swatting an attempt at a lay-up.

7. Diaper Dandies: You have to love when freshman hit the court and produce right away. Briarcliff’s Kasey Heyda scored 15 points in her varsity debut, a decisive 57-48 victory over a strong Ossining team in the Scarsdale Maroon and White Tournament.

8. Teams performing well in basketball that struggled in the fall: Peekskill football had a tough season, but the basketball team is here to save the day. Kennedy Catholic also had a long, injury ridden season on the gridiron, but usually were a perennial powerhouse on the hardwood (I should know as I went to Somers).

9. A change of pace: Just getting inside out of the cold, lengthy football games sounds like a good idea to me.

10. Sectionals at the County Center: The County Center is like Westchester’s own Garden. It’s where dreams come to life. I could only imagine the intensity at these games come February and March. I can’t wait.

 Feel free to add anything else you feel was left out.

~ Rob ~

The Briarcliff girls aren’t just good at soccer apparently: they took down a favored Ossining squad somewhat easily tonight at Scarsdale High. The Bears led most of the game with the exception of a hiccup in the third quarter. Taylor Pescetti (15 points) has an incredible handle and broke down the Ossining full court press relatively easily - along with Maggie Blair who started her first game at PG with the graduation of Angela Pescetti.

Freshman Casey Heyda was dominant in her varsity debut with 15 points and Brianna Reid (member of the state champion soccer team) looked strong in her debut as well. What’s up with Briarcliff’s freshmen class? Could it be the best female freshmen athletes the area has seen since……the 90’s? Who knows. If you do know, leave a comment.

Ossining’s leading scorer from last season Brittany Garrett struggled to get much going as the 6′1″ Shelby Coon really shut her down. To make matters worse, senior guard Kelsey Vallach left the game with an injury and did not return in the fourth.

Aside from the game - I almost forgot how much I love basketball: nothing beats the thrill of being at a live basketball game. It was a nice change of pace from football games where the games last 2 and a half hours and you need to keep track of 14 different things at once. The atmosphere basketball games have is so much more personal in my opinion than football: you can hear every complaint the fans or the coaches have - nothing is a secret.

 From fast breaks, to the Rick Pitino-like Ossining full court press, to Coach Ricci pacing up and down the bench area after a questionable call…you can’t beat live basketball.

 I’ll be checking out Lakeland on Monday at home against Beacon.

 Until then, have a great weekend.

~ Rob

By Tom Forde

What a season this has been for the Lakeland girl’s basketball team. Since early December when I did the girl’s basketball preview for the 2006-2007 season they were my top team and the top story I’ve had the pleasure of reporting on more consistently than perhaps any other journalist. And it has now come to the point where I believe I have run out of adjectives or superlatives to describe just how amazing these Hornets have been. No team could get within 14 points of them through the regular season schedule and after a tough battle against Pearl River in the Class A Sectional finals they accomplished a major goal they had been focused on since the end of last season. They exorcised the demons of last years semifinal loss and finally attained the gold ball trophy that they so desired. But now as coach Steve Fallo says, “It’s time to get greedy.” And Lakeland let it be known this past week that they are not done with their season, not by a long shot.

The Regional competition didn’t even know what hit them as Lakeland began the tournament at SUNY New Paltz with a thumping of Section 9 champion Cornwall by a 53-28 margin. This game was over long before it really ever got started as Lakeland jumped out to an early 22-0 advantage and after that it was just a matter of the clock mercifully running out on another overwhelmed Lakeland opponent. Once again it was the Hornets’ defense that game their opponent fits and translated into fast break points over and over again. Rose Fazio had a very solid game with 14 points and Rebecca DiSisto stepped up big time with 10 points from the backcourt. From their all that stood between the Hornets and the state final four was Section 4 champion Maine-Endwell. To say it politely Section 4 didn’t prove to be any harder a road block than their previous opponent from Section 9 as the Hornets punched their ticket for the state tournament with a 65-36 thrashing of Maine-Endwell. Interestingly enough Lakeland has seemingly gotten stronger and better on both defense and offense after the sectional championship which poses a big challenge for their state competitors.

So following their first Regional Championship in school history the Hornets returned to school on Monday to review game tape of their state semifinal opponent Harborsfield from Section 11. So with only two games, a mere eight quarters, away from the perfect season and the first state title for Lakeland girl’s basketball and coach Steve Fallo, here is what I feel are the keys to this next game.

How to beat Harborsfield: The Hornets are one of those unique teams that is focused on each and every game they enter and execute their coaches game plan to perfection on a game to game basis. This time around the strategy should be simple. Haborsfield does not post one single player on their entire roster that is over 5-10 while Lakeland has five girls that stand 5-10 or taller. The Section 11 champion will undoubtedly need to rely on outside shooting to stay in this game but the rebounding edge should be a distinct advantage for the Hornets as long as they box out and get aggressive. On offense for Lakeland…well pick your poison Harborsfield. If you double down on Amy Voelkel, Rose Fazio, or Tori Jarosz in the paint then Sarah Benischek, Rebecca DiSisto or Kelly Schneider will bury you from the perimeter and vice versa. I think that Haborsfield is going to take a look at the Pearl River game and think that they can press the Hornets into costly backcourt mistakes but trust me, Steve Fallo is ready for that. If the Fab Five play aggressive and attack the paint then they should take this one easily. Also it cannot be stressed enough how much their height will play a factor in this game. Second chance points on offensive rebounds are huge. Look for Lakeland take one big step on Friday and look for that giant state championship leap on Saturday night. Good luck girls.

By Tom Forde, NCN  Sports Reporter

This Saturday night (March 3) the County Center will once again be packed and the Putnam Valley fans will be rowdy and ready to cheer on a championship. Undoubtedly Christine Kemp and Kim Kastuk will be bouncing out of their sneakers with excitement from the announcement of the opening lineup. Not many people expected the Tigers to beat Briarcliff this past Tuesday but they did just that. Now just as many nonbelievers and skeptics are lining up to say that Saturday is when the dream ends for Putnam Valley as they face an Albertus Magnus team that has not lost to a Class B opponent all season. The Falcons also have never faced the Tigers this season and I say this is not where the dream ends for the underdog Tigers but rather where the undefeated Class B streak ends for the Falcons. For those of you who scoff at the notion that Putnam Valley can beat a power like Magnus you have obviously never seen the Tigers in action. Putnam Valley is an exciting and energetic team that can wear you out with pure hustle. They have the most skilled and determined point guard in the entire class and a triple threat (Kemp, Kastuk, and Nicole Scott) that gives opposing coaches headaches. Perhaps more impressive than their offense is how hard they play defense. Their double team pressure defense causes countless turnovers and can cause the Tigers to put distance between themselves and their opponents or get them back into a game they are trailing in. The point is Putnam Valley is a very good team in all phases of the game and are never out of a contest even when they are down. But still there are those that insist that they must be the underdog because they are only the fifth seed. Well let me tell you that seedings mean nothing in tournament play. If they did Briarcliff would have been given the title at the end of the season. But that is why we play the games as Putnam Valley proved Tuesday. Truthfully even the statistics technically favor the Tigers. The top three scorers on Magnus combine to average 30 points per game on the season while the top trio of Putnam Valley average just over 38 points per game. So I am going with the underdog, I am going with the Cinderella story known as the Putnam Valley Tigers. They will come into the game with great emotion and energy. If they come in with the mindset of taking the game straight to Magnus and attacking the hoop while shutting down leading scorers Jen Canale and Desheha Waring than I like the Tigers chances. And while some might call them the Cinderella story of the tournament, you can keep the glass slipper. They’ll take the gold ball. Good luck girls, prove me right!