NCN Girls’ Basketball/Baseball Blog

1) Lakeland (7-0) — Newsflash: Lakeland has more weapons than just Tori Jarosz, Kristin Pappalardo and Vicky Kowalski.

The Hornets have solid depth this season with Courtney Stokes, Lesley Echeverria, Bridget McGovern and Christiana Gjelaj contributing off the bench.

Stokes is a high-motor player who Head Coach Steve Fallo describes as feisty and aggressive. She’s the type of player every team needs.

“Then you come on with Lesley Echeverria and Bridget McGovern, and they’re rebounders,” Fallo said. “They’re just aggressive, intense kids, who want to get the ball, box out, rebound and do the dirty work. I’m real happy with our effort overall from top to bottom.”

McGovern, a field hockey star who was a key defender on the Hornets state championship squad, joined the team for their third game. She had to go through tryouts just like any other player. And for a player that has never played high school basketball, she has made immediate contributions on the glass.

“She is getting more comfortable, and she’s going to help us down the road,” Fallo said.

Against Mahopac, starting point guard Emily Alicea played on the wing a bit and Kristin Pappalardo moved to the point. The switch paid dividends as Alicea looked for her shot more and had a confident stroke. If Alicea starts to score consistently, the Hornets will be even more dangerous.

Lakeland has a big test on Thursday against Carmel. Jarosz matching up against Brittany Horne is worth the price of admission alone. Just think Shaq vs. Tim Duncan, when they were in their prime

2) Ossining (6-3) — She’s baaaaaaack. Hayley Awerdick made a surprise return on Friday in a win over Putnam Valley. But her playing time was limited and she left the game in the third quarter after experiencing soreness.

My immediate thoughts were: Well, it looks like she came back too soon. But if anyone can play through the pain, Awerdick can. She’s very tough and will make a difference, sooner than later.

With the tough schedule Ossining has upcoming (Hendrick Hudson, Carmel and Peekskill); she will be immediately tested. The senior point guard will have to regain her previous form on the run.

“The plan right now is for her to come off the bench,” Head Coach Dan Ricci said. “If and when the time comes when we feel she is ready to start, she will start.”

Saniya Chong, Alex Venuto (24 points against PV) and even a 75 percent Hayley Awerdick, form a very lethal trio. Will anyone be able to stop them?

3) Briarcliff (8-1) — Briarcliff returned to action in convincing fashion with a 52-18 win over visiting Valhalla on Friday. The Bears led 22-2 at halftime. How deflating must it be to score two points in a half of basketball?

The twin tandem of Savina and Brianna Reid led the way with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Katie Weiner and Sammie Muratori both added nine.

I’m interested to see Weiner and Brewster’s Emily Tapio, two of the most underrated front court players in Section 1, match-up on Jan. 18.

4) Carmel (7-2) — The Rams have a big week, taking on Lakeland (Jan. 14) and Ossining (Jan. 17). We’ll truly see if they’re contenders or pretenders.

Brittany Horne has been a double-double machine, albeit against weaker competition in Mahopac (23 points, 16 rebounds) and Yorktown (22 points, 13 rebounds)

The balanced scoring has been a major plus. Nine different players scored against Mahopac, with Kim Broccoli adding seven points.

Against Yorktown, the balance was even more drastic. Ten players scored including Horne (22 points), Sabrina Diaz (13), Nikki Oliver (13), Broccoli (eight), Marie Mullen (eight), Alyssa D’Apice (six), Catie Grace (four), Tiffany Gonzalez (four), Jennifer French (three) and Hayley Calabro (two).

Now that’s what I call getting everyone involved. We’ll see if it continues this week.

5) Peekskill (10-1) — After missing two games due to disciplinary reasons, sophomore point guard Asia Jackson returned against Putnam Valley on Jan. 6. She showed no rust and scored 17 points. Key reserve Kiana Letsinger, who also missed two games, returned to action.

But the bigger news is the emergence of Jazmin Garcia. I already knew Garcia was a solid player, but the last week has just further confirmed it. She scored 16 points in wins over PV and Croton-Harmon last week.

“She is our all-around player,” Peekskill Head Coach Rodney Headley Jr. said. “We have guards, we have forwards, but she is a mix of in-between. We can draw up inside plays or outside plays for her.”

Peekskill will be a dangerous team, come playoff time. They have the ability to run with any team and their entire starting five has the ability to score, which is more than many teams can say.

Knocking on the door: Kennedy Catholic (6-2) faces a big challenge on Sunday when they take on Scarsdale. It will be a strong gauge of how far the Gaels have come. Hendrick Hudson (8-1) posted a 52-20 win over Croton-Harmon on Friday. They received eight points each from Meghan Jacobs, Fiona Callagy, Sareeta Nethersole and Megan Boyle. They will be tested big time this week against Peekskill, who handed the Sailors their only loss, and Ossining.