Friday

Class A

5 p.m. No. 15 Beacon at No. 2 Lakeland
5 p.m. No. 13 Sleepy Hollow at No. 4 Peekskill
5 p.m. No. 10 Hen Hud at No. 7 Ardsley

Class B

5 p.m. No. 14 Dover at No. 3 Briarcliff
5 p.m.  No. 13 Hastings at No. 4 Kennedy
5 p.m. No. 11 Croton-Harmon at No. 6 Dobbs Ferry

Saturday

Class AA

Noon No. 17 Fox Lane-No. 16 Mamaroneck winner at No. 1 Ossining
Noon No. 15 Ketcham-No. 18 Gorton winner at No. 2 Carmel
4 p.m. No. 10 John Jay at No. 7 Our Lady of Lourdes

It was the final game of the regular season and fittingly the best game, at least around these parts.

Peekskill (15-3) was seemingly in control against Ossining (15-3) as it entered the fourth quarter with a 49-36 lead and with five minutes left had upped the lead to 17. It seemed Peekskill was going to clinch a share of the league crown with the visitors.

However, Ossining showed why it has such a great basketball tradition, storming back for a thrilling 65-63 victory that gave it sole possession of the league crown.

What Ossining Head Coach Dan Ricci thought was a key turning point was when with 4:11 left in the game, Hayley Awerdick was injured.

“I never give up on my kids, my kids work really hard,” Ricci said. “When Hayley got hurt, our players took offense to that because they felt she was pushed. They were pretty upset and started playing a little bit harder. We weren’t playing with intensity and I think that kind of woke us up.”

As for whether or not Awerdick will be able to play in the opening round of the sectionals Friday, that was not known.

“She has a torn ACL (suffered during the preseason), there’s really nothing else she can do with it, she’s in a lot of pain,” Ricci said. “If she’s not ready to go, we’ll sit her.”

Ready to go against Peekskill was Alex Venuto, who scored 17 of her game-high 33 points in the fourth quarter. Venuto made three 3-pointers in the final quarter, including a trey that pulled Ossining to within 61-60.

“Alex is a clutch kid,” Ricci said.

Saniya Chong, who tallied eight of her 15 points in the fourth stanza, then stole a Peekskill pass and fed Connie Andujar, who scored with 59 seconds left to put Ossining up 62-61 and they never trailed again.

Chong, Ossining’s freshman sensation, also garnered 11 rebounds, 11 steals and eight assists.

“I thought Saniya struggled but she really played well in the fourth quarter,” Ricci said.

Peekskill Head Coach Rodney Headley Jr., while disappointed about the loss, feels the effort against the potential No. 1 Class AA seed, can only bode well for his squad in the upcoming Class A tournament.

“If you can hang with a potential AA section winner, which Ossining is, you can do well in Class A,” Headley Jr. said. “They played their heart out. Asia got in foul trouble and that’s what killed us, losing her with five minutes to go in the game, that’s huge. The girls that came in, I give them credit, they held their own. We had a shot to send it into overtime (on a jumper that missed).“

Leading Peekskill was Jazmin Garcia with 23 points.

“Jazmin was the leading scorer in the last game at Ossining, so she has something to build on,” Headley Jr. said. “She just picked up where she left off.”

Peekskill’s Sheridan Taylor contributed 10 points, Kiana Letsinger and Jackson tallied nine each. Jackson’s points all came in the third quarter.

“I think they (his players) played with a lot of character,” Headley Jr. said. “Like I said, to play against the potential AA champion the way they did, means they got a lot of heart.”

1) Ossining (14-3) — Ossining celebrated its Senior Day in style, crushing visiting Hendrick Hudson, 72-47, Friday.

Freshman sensation Saniya Chong led the way with 17 points, seven assists, seven rebounds and five steals.

Seniors Alex Venuto (14 points), Jalisa Taylor (nine), Aerion Ward (seven), Connie Andujar (six), Hayley Awerdick (six), Kai Lilley (two) and Angela Soldner (two) all contributed.

“We probably had the best-balanced scoring we have had all year,” Head Coach Dan Ricci said.

The talented senior class will be difficult to replace.

“We have a big senior class and they will all be missed,” Ricci said. “It is a special group of kids.

Ricci was very pleased with the defensive effort, holding the Sailors to only 17 points at halftime.

If Ossining defeats Peekskill on Feb. 9 they’ll finish undefeated in their league, and most likely will garner the No. 1 seed in the Class AA sectionals, Ricci said. If they lose, they should be the No. 2 seed.

Will Ossining’s road to the County Center be as heart-stopping as it was last season? Will they be able to upset Mount Vernon? Only time will tell.

2) Lakeland (16-1) — Here’s something you don’t need to be a genius to realize: If Lakeland is going to win the Class A gold ball they need Tori Jarosz on the floor.

The senior star, who suffered an ankle injury Jan. 8 against Mahopac, has learned to fight through the pain.

“Once the adrenaline starts kicking in, that’s when I don’t feel it and I just come out intense,” Jarosz said. “By the fourth quarter, I’m just really breaking down. When I get off the court the first thing I do is I grab a bag of ice and just relax.”

Jarosz, who said she is about 75 percent right now, has been sitting out and resting her ankle in some recent games.

“If we need her, she’s playing,” Head Coach Steve Fallo said. “If we don’t need her in certain games, she’s not playing.”

Well, they certainly will need her in every game in sectionals. Lakeland will probably land a No. 1 or 2 seed. The Hornets’ top challenger is Pearl River, who they routed in the semifinals last year.

“They’re older, they’re better,” Fallo said of Pearl River. “But the bottom line is, so are we. The team this year, they played without Tori for several games and look what they’ve done. You can’t count out anybody else (in Class A). There are too many good teams.”

3) Carmel (14-4) — Carmel held Tori Jarosz in check for one half of basketball. They just need to sustain that defensive effort for four quarters if they’re going to make a deep run in the Class AA sectionals.

Can they get to the County Center? Sure. Will they? Who knows.

At moments, the Rams show flashes of brilliance, but at other times they look like a different team.

The outside shooting was downright ugly against Lakeland. If the Rams shoot like that in sectionals, they could be one and done. Brittany Horne needs to stay inside and fight for offensive rebounds, instead of launching long jumpers.

4) Briarcliff (15-3) — The Bears closed out the regular season with three wins over Keio, Westlake and Pleasantville.

Briarcliff led a 14-4 Westlake squad, 31-11, at halftime on Friday. Brianna Reid led the Bears with 15 points. If they can keep up that effort in sectionals, you may be seeing them in the Class B finals.

5A) Kennedy Catholic (14-3) — Kennedy Catholic doesn’t play an exciting brand of basketball, but they sure get the job done.

How do they do it? Hard-nosed defense. They wear on teams and are certainly much bigger than any squad they’ll face in sectionals.

Kennedy desperately needs point guard Amanda Viteretti (wrist injury) back in the lineup ASAP. Without her, their offense looked lost at times against North Salem on Monday. She will be back on Feb. 12 for the opening round of sectionals, Head Coach Al Morales said.

Morales said the Gaels will probably receive a No. 3 or 4 seed in sectionals. That means they’ll be home in the opening round and in the quarterfinals, if they make it.

“That’s a big plus playing at home,” Morales said.

And could be the Gaels’ ticket to the County Center.

5B) Peekskill (15-2) — Will this be the year Peekskill finally gets out of the first round? I’d bet the farm on it.

Asia Jackson paced the Red Devils with 23 points in a 64-37 win over Newburgh on Saturday. Jackson will turn some heads in sectionals.

How about a Lakeland-Peekskill semifinal matchup at the County Center? Now that would be an interesting game. Hopefully the seeding gods are on our side.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The Red Devils need to get out of the first round and through a probable tough quarterfinal matchup. Both games should be at home, however, where Peekskill thrives.

Knocking on the door: Can Hendrick Hudson (13-5) win an opening round game for the second season in a row? The Sailors should secure a decent seed and a home game, so I like their chances of moving on to the quarters. A blowout loss to Ossining to end their regular season is not very encouraging, however.

Alex Venuto was lights out, burying seven 3-pointers on her way to a game-high 29 points in the 79-40 win.

If Ossining continues to play like that, there’s nobody in Section 1 that can beat them, not even Mount Vernon.

Come see the backcourt trio of Venuto, Hayley Awerdick and Saniya Chong play before it’s too late. This trio is the best Section 1 has to offer. Just ask Head Coach Dan Ricci. He said, when they’re all healthy, it’s the best backcourt he’s had in his 19 years at Ossining. And he’s had some pretty exceptional players pass through over the years.

A positive sign is that Chong looks to have found herself at the foul line. She finally got rid of the Anthony Mason one-handed approach, which wasn’t working. In Monday’s win, Chong looked more like Mark Price than Shaq, going 5-for-5 from the charity stripe.

2) Lakeland (13-1) — Looking at Monday’s box score, I noticed that Tori Jarosz had zero points against Mahopac. Was she held out of the game to rest up? I talked to Head Coach Steve Fallo and that was the case. The Hornets also plan on resting Jarosz against Yorktown (she may play spotty minutes) on Feb. 3 before their marquee matchup with Carmel on Feb. 5.

Jarosz, who is bound for Vanderbilt, going up against Carmel’s Brittany Horne, a junior that will in all likelihood play Division 1 basketball, is a matchup you shouldn’t miss.

To compliment Jarosz’s inside prowess, Vicky Kowalski and Kristin Pappalardo will need to continue to stroke it from the outside to win that elusive gold ball.

“When we have Vicky and Kristin shoot from the outside with Tori inside, that’s a pretty formidable offensive trio,” Head Coach Steve Fallo said. “With shooting from the perimeter, you can be hot one night, and sometimes the next night you struggle. We need all three to play well when we get into the tournament.”

3) Carmel (12-3) — Carmel is itching to prove this week that its win over Lakeland was no fluke. A victory over a Hornets squad with Tori Jarosz in the middle would be a big-time confidence booster heading into sectionals.

I’ll say one thing about the Rams: they win the game they’re supposed to win, disposing of Yorktown, Mahopac and Walter Panas in their previous three games. Two of their three losses have come to the two squads that met in the AA finals last season in Ossining and Mount Vernon.

The defense has certainly picked up, only allowing an average of 30 points per game over the last three contests. Brittany Horne led the Rams over the stretch, averaging close to 17 ppg.

4) Briarcliff (12-3) — Briarcliff held a five-point halftime lead over Pearl River on Friday after a strong first half. They handled the Pearl River press for the most part and didn’t show any signs of a repeat of the Brewster game, where they had a fourth quarter meltdown.

But then the second half rolled around and the Bears looked like a completely different team. They buckled under pressure and couldn’t convert a free-throw.

Briarcliff will have to get rid of this Jekyll and Hyde act if they want to make a deep run in sectionals. The Bears should be looking at a seed somewhere between No. 3 and 5, according to Head Coach Don Hamlin.

Let’s be honest, Briarcliff doesn’t play in the strongest of leagues. So these grueling non-league games with teams like Pearl River, Brewster, Lakeland, and Rye, are vital in preparing the Bears for the playoffs. But like Hamlin said, they need to take the next step and win these types of games against top-notch competition.

And what better time than sectionals to do it?

5A) Kennedy Catholic (11-3) — The sectionals are looming and the Gaels are about ready to make some noise. They’ll definitely have a home playoff game in the first round, and possibly even in the quarterfinals. That’ll provide quite a boost in their chances of reaching the County Center.

5B) Peekskill (14-2) — I was a little surprised when I walked into the Peekskill High gym and saw they only held a single digit lead over Croton-Harmon in the third quarter on Monday.

Peekskill only held a five-point halftime lead. And Head Coach Rodney Headley, Jr. was not too pleased.

The Red Devils best get their act together quickly because there’ll be no easy games in sectionals. They have way too much talent to end up with another first-round loss. Last year, I was surprised at their loss to Hendrick Hudson. This season, a quarterfinal trip is a must.

What about a County Center trip? An above average possibility.

Knocking on the door: Hendrick Hudson (12-4) split a pair last week, defeating Yorktown but falling to John Jay-East Fishkill. Meghan Jacobs and Fiona Callagy led the way against the Huskers, scoring 14 and 12 points, respectively. Chelsea Glashoff netted 15 points in the loss to the Patriots.

1) Ossining (10-3) — Ossining trailed visiting Peekskill 41-35 at halftime on Jan. 20. The Red Devils went on a ferocious second-quarter run, outscoring Ossining, 26-15.

But just 1:32 into the third quarter, Hayley Awerdick scored 10 straight points, nine of which coming via 3-pointers, and Ossining never looked back.

“Hayley was amazing,” Ossining Head Coach Dan Ricci said. “She took over the game in the third quarter.”

Awerdick, who scored 21 points (six 3s) in only about a quarter and a half of action, was forced to leave the game in the third quarter. The senior point guard tore her ACL in the preseason. Ricci said they think it’s just sore and they hope she’ll return on Jan. 29 against Edgemont.

At halftime, Ricci told his troops that they needed to get back on defense. The Red Devils were leaking out and getting behind the press for long passes, during the second quarter run. Jazmin Garcia scored 13 of her 20 points in the second.

“We also talked about playing with more passion,” Ricci said. “I felt Hayley was playing harder with her injury than others were playing healthy.”

Jalisa Taylor, who seems to improve by the game, played with plenty of passion and dropped 19 points and grabbed seven boards. Without Christina Rupp (out due to illness), Taylor’s role inside is even more important against bigger teams like Peekskill. The senior forward has really come into her own, Ricci said.

“She has a lot of confidence and is a gifted athlete so the combination of those two things makes her dangerous,” Ricci said.

Alex Venuto had quite the stat line herself with a game-high 26 points, four 3s, eight rebounds, four steals and she went 8-for-10 from the line.

2) Lakeland (10-1) — Without Tori Jarosz for three games, Kristin Pappalardo simply took over, averaging 23.7 points per game.

In a 50-38 win over rival Brewster on Jan. 20, Pappalardo (right) outplayed Brewster’s Lauren Quattrocchi and netted 20 points.

“I thought Kristin was the best player on the court,” Lakeland Head Coach Steve Fallo said.

Lakeland held the Bears’ star guards, Quattrocchi and Marisa Delzio, to a combined 17 points.

Over the past few years, Brewster has had Lakeland’s number, which made the win a little sweeter. Strangely, both squads never seem to be at full strength when they meet up. Brewster was missing star forward Emily Tapio.

“It showed our kids that they can go out there and play against a Top 10 team (without Jarosz),” Fallo said. “Brewster’s legit, it’s a nice rivalry.”

Fallo knows that whoever wins Class A this season, is certainly going to earn it. He believes Albertus Magnus (last season’s champion), Brewster, Pearl River, Nyack, Tappan Zee, Peekskill and Hen Hud are all in the mix.

“There are so many good teams in [Class] A,” Fallo said. “[It’s] going to be a war.

“Every game is important. If you don’t play a quarterfinal round at home, you’re in trouble. If you’ve got to go to Pearl River or Magnus, even Peekskill on a Friday night, it’s a tough place to win a basketball game, no matter how much of a veteran club you are.”

3) Carmel (11-3) — Carmel’s Brittany Horne put up 20 and 18 points in wins over Walter Panas and Mahopac, respectively, last week. Kim Broccoli combined for 28 points in the two wins.

The Rams have solid wins over Lakeland and Brewster (twice), but can they get to that next level and defeat a top AA school like Mount Vernon or Ossining?

4) Briarcliff (11-2) — Ten different players got in the scoring column in a 60-17 rout of Rye Neck on Friday. Savina and Brianna Reid led the way with 15 and 11 points, respectively. Katie Weiner added eight, while Kasey Heyda and Laura Krey both had six.

Eight players scored in a 47-28 win over Blind Brook on Jan. 20. Amazingly, none were in double figures. Weiner led the way with nine points, while Heyda and Savina both had eight.

Sensing a trend? The Bears sure know how to share the basketball. They do it probably better than any team around and are the anti-selfish.

Another big test awaits the team on Jan. 29 against Class A contender Pearl River. I’ll tell you this: don’t expect a replay of the Brewster game.

5A) Kennedy Catholic (11-3) — The Gaels held off Pawling and Margo Hackett’s 28-point effort on Jan. 20, pulling out a 54-44 win. Senior forwards Allison Santini and Lauren Tracy led the way with 14 points apiece.

When is the last time Kennedy went undefeated in its league? I’d love to know, because it may very well happen.

5B) Peekskill (12-2) — For one quarter, Peekskill outplayed Ossining in every facet of the game. They were running up and down the floor like gazelles, beating Ossining for easy layups.

It’s just a matter of sustaining it for all four quarters. At times, the Red Devils panicked in the face of the Ossining pressure. With a veteran ballclub, that’s not something that should keep happening.

Tasia Nolan had a big game with 21 points and 11 boards.

But Jazmin Garcia (20 points, 10 rebounds) looked like the best player on the floor at times. Garcia, along with the rest of the Red Devils, just have to keep up the intensity from the opening jump ball, to the final buzzer.

If they do that, this can be a scary team that nobody is going to want to face in sectionals.

Knocking on the door: Hendrick Hudson (11-3) has the type of veteran team that can pull off a big upset come sectionals. Walter Panas (6-5) will only get better and should qualify for sectionals. I think falling behind 25-2 in the first quarter against Carmel on Jan. 20 served as a wake up call.

But Ossining wasn’t going away quietly.

Just 1:32 into the third quarter, Ossining’s Hayley Awerdick (right) got her squad rolling, scoring 10 points, while sinking three 3-pointers in the process. Ossining (10-3) never looked back, pulling out an 83-67 win over visiting Peekskill (12-2). Ossining outscored Peekskill 48-26 in the second half.

The last of Awerdick’s three 3-pointers during the 10-0 run bounced high into the air before hanging on the rim what seemed like for an eternity, before finally falling through the net.

Awerdick, who is playing with a torn ACL, was forced to leave the game midway through the third. The senior guard was absolutely on fire, finishing with 21 points and six 3-pointers.

But Peekskill would claw back into the game, only trailing 61-55 after three quarters. Asia Jackson cut the deficit to 62-59 with 6:22 left, but Ossining put them away after that with a  12-0 run to make it 74-59 with 3:45 remaining.

Ossining’s Alex Venuto scored a game-high 26 points, sank four 3s, snatched eight boards, swiped four steals and went 8-for-10 from the foul line.

Venuto scored the first eight points of the game, hitting two 3s, to get Ossining out to the early lead.

Saniya Chong was somewhat held in check, managing only 13 points and four steals, for a player that usually scores in the 20-25 range.

Jalisa Taylor, who steps up more each game, finished with 19 points and battled with a bigger Peekskill squad on the glass, grabbing seven rebounds.

Peekskill owned the second quarter, getting out in transition and converting easy layups. They outscored Ossining 26-15 behind 13 points from Jazmin Garcia. Garcia (right, fighting with Kai Lilley (24) and Venuto (20) for a rebound) was unstoppable in the second quarter and finished with 20 points and 10 boards.

Tasia Nolan led Peekskill with a team-high 21 points, 11 rebounds and four assists. Jackson (three steals) was held to 10 points by Venuto, one of the best defenders in Section 1. Sheridan Taylor and Kiana Letsinger both added seven for the Red Devils.

Peekskill dominated the glass in the first half, leading to numerous putbacks. But Taylor, Venuto and co. held their own on the boards in the second half.

The Red Devils committed 19 costly turnovers in the face of the intense Ossining pressure.

Peekskill will look to rebound on Friday (Jan. 22) against host Putnam Valley. Ossining doesn’t play again until Jan. 29 when they host Edgemont.

1) Ossining (9-3) — Ossining takes over the No. 1 spot with convincing wins over Carmel and Hendrick Hudson last week.

Congratulations to Alex Venuto on becoming the second leading scorer in school history. Venuto passed Whitney McDonald and the 1,250-point mark on Jan. 12 against Croton-Harmon

“It couldn’t happen to a better kid,” Ossining Head Coach Dan Ricci said.

The fashion she did it in was even more remarkable. Venuto converted a four-point play, sinking a 3-pointer from the left corner while being fouled. She then converted the free throw.

Venuto had no idea she was close to the milestone, so when they announced her name, she was kind of taken off guard.

“It was really cool,” she said. “My name will be remembered.”

Ricci said that Venuto has done this in four years, while current record holder, Brittany Thomas (1,770 career points) took five years. Hence, Venuto is Ossining’s all time leading scorer for a four year player. Not too shabby.

2) Lakeland (8-1) — This obviously isn’t breaking news, but without Tori Jarosz, Lakeland is just not the same team.

Kristin Pappalardo carried the Hornets on her back in the first half against Carmel last Thursday, but in the second half, they looked lost at times offensively.

“With Tori not on the floor, we need someone else to step up,” Head Coach Steve Fallo said.

But still, Lakeland only trailed by three points midway through the fourth quarter against a top Class AA squad in Carmel, which is a “moral victory” in my book, considering they were without their best player.

“It just showed what type of team we’re made of,” Fallo said. “When we want to get to physical, dive for loose balls, and hustle all over the court, we’re a good basketball team. Tori makes us a very good basketball team.”

I’ll top that. Jarosz makes them a nearly unbeatable basketball team.

Thankfully for Lakeland, Jarosz makes her return on Jan. 22 against rival Walter Panas. I’m sure the Hornets are counting down the days.

3) Carmel (9-3) — At times, Carmel looks like it has the potential to be a Class AA contender. But at other times, they look like they can’t get out of their own way.

Against Ossining, Carmel struggled in the first half. They allowed too many offensive rebounds and either turned the ball over against Ossining’s swarming press, or just couldn’t seem to finish.

“I thought that we ran well against them, we just couldn’t convert,” Carmel Head Coach Dan O’Hare said. “We got the ball in the open court, but we either charged or we walked. It was just that we didn’t finish.”

Outside of the solid trio of junior forward Brittany Horne and senior guards Kim Broccoli and Marie Mullen, the Rams have three very promising sophomores in Sabrina Diaz, Alyssa D’Apice and Nicole Oliver.

Diaz is probably the teams only true point guard according to O’Hare and she distributes the ball very well. Both Diaz and D’Apice were crucial during second-half runs in the win over Lakeland last Thursday.

Oliver does the dirty work inside. O’Hare said she’s the most improved player on the team.

“She gets better with every practice,” he said. “She’s becoming solid, she’s not fancy.”

4) Briarcliff (10-2) — The way Briarcliff started out, I thought they were going to run Brewster off the court last Monday.

But as good as things looked early on, they took a turn for the worst in the fourth quarter. Briarcliff suffered a complete meltdown.

The Bears’ strength is utilizing their athleticism and getting out on the fast break. They’re quicker than most teams and have plenty of experience together. Savina and Brianna Reid, and Kasey Heyda can finish with the best of them. Katie Weiner gets the ball up the court quickly with a smooth pass or can throw the home-run pass for an easy layup.

“When we rebound the ball and get steals, we can run,” Head Coach Don Hamlin said. “In the third and fourth quarter (against Brewster), we weren’t rebounding the ball, we were giving up second and third shots. We couldn’t get out and run.”

Mark my words, the Bears will use this loss as motivation and only get better. They’ll be able to test themselves again against another Class A contender in Pearl River on Jan. 29. I don’t see a repeat fourth-quarter performance happening.

5A) Kennedy (10-3) — I have to give Kennedy some love with the huge win over Class AA Scarsdale. The Gaels have also won nine out of their last 10 games. Also, considering they beat Peekskill, they get the nod for the 5A spot.

The Gaels may not win in the prettiest of fashions, but they sure get the job done. Kennedy utilizes its superior size to just wear opponents down.

With five players towering at 5-foot-9 and up, Kennedy is hands down the biggest team in Class B. The Gaels, who haven’t allowed more than 49 points in a game, engulf opposing offenses with their superior size. Their giant front line is composed of Lauren Foti (5-9), Lauren Tracy (5-10), Shayna Gaskin (5-10), Molly Brennan (5-11) and Allison Santini (6-0).

Head Coach Al Morales said Santini is his most athletic big. While Tracy and Brennan may not be the most fleet of foot, the Gaels help defense makes up for that deficiency.

Kennedy has a chance of attaining a top four seed in sectionals, which could help them avoid an elite team like Nanuet, Irvington or Briarcliff before the County Center.

“I would like to say so,” Morales said of their chances of getting a top four seed in sectionals. “I’m not really looking that far right now only because we’ve still got to take care of the league.”

5B) Peekskill (12-1) — Peekskill posted solid wins over Class AA’s Monroe Woodbury and Hendrick Hudson last week. Asia Jackson scored 18 points in both games.

“Asia is always going to be what she is,” Head Coach Rodney Headley Jr. said. “A menace on the ball and a menace in the passing lanes.”

Jackson will have to be all of that and more, as a true test awaits on Jan. 20 against Class AA powerhouse Ossining. Can the Red Devils handle the pressure?

Knocking on the door: I saw Hendrick Hudson (9-3) for the first time last week against Ossining, and they’re a solid, scrappy squad with plenty of potential. But can they contend with the upper-echelon programs? Walter Panas (6-3) has quietly turned in a solid season and faces a big test on Jan. 22 against rival Lakeland.

I, like everyone else, was disheartened when I heard the news in the preseason that Ossining senior guard Hayley Awerdick tore her ACL. Conversely, it was heart-warming to see Awerdick play at Hen Hud. It was her third game back and second start for Ossining.

Awerdick (right) may not be 100 percent, but she’s still better than most when the money is on the table. She scored 10 of her 15 points in the pivotal third quarter in Ossining’s victory.

I talked with her after the game and you could tell she was genuinely happy to be back on the court, playing with her friends again.

“It means everything to me,” Awerdick said. “Basketball is my passion. My team, I love them like a family. It just feels great.”

Ossining Head Coach Dan Ricci is happy to have Awerdick back.

“You got to have a third option because what is happening is everybody is focusing their defenses on stopping Alex (Venuto) by face-guarding her and double-teaming Saniya (Chong),” Ricci said. “So you have to have another girl that can shoot the ball. And 60-70 percent, whatever she is, she can still shoot the ball. She had 15 today and this is only the beginning. I think she will only get better as we go along.”

Chong contributed to the win by tallying a game-high 30 points. Jalisa Taylor also played a key role in the victory by leading Ossining (8-3) off the glass with 12 boards in addition to scoring eight points.

While Ricci was happy with the efforts of Chong, Taylor and Awerdick, he said overall his team must improve if it wants to reach its goal of winning a Class AA sectional title.

“I am not happy with the way we are playing, I am not happy with the way we are practicing,” Ricci said. “I’m hoping this game is a wake-up call.”

Hen Hud Head Coach Kenny Sherman was happy with his team’s effort, which was led by 17 points from a hard-charging Fiona Callagy and 16 points from Meghan Jacobs (right).

“I wish I had this effort against Peekskill (a 67-31 loss Jan. 12),” Sherman said. “I just said to them, unfortunately in this game as everyone knows, it is a cliché, there are no moral victories but they played their hearts out for 32 minutes.

“I wish we handled their press a little bit better because we gave them some easy points. But in our half-court sets, we got goodton looks at the basket.”

Sherman is hoping to get a key player of his own back in all-section guard Sareeta Nethersole, who suffered an ankle injury in the loss at Peekskill. Nethersole was to be re-evaluated Jan. 18 and Sherman is hoping to have her back for the Sailors’ 4:15 p.m. home contest Jan. 29 against John Jay-East Fishkill.

That should be perfect timing because the two other games she will miss, Jan. 19 at Putnam Valley and Jan. 21 at Croton-Harmon, both 6 p.m. starts, the 9-3 Sailors will be favored to win even without Nethersole.

The Rams (9-2) featured a balanced scoring effort, led by Brittany Horne’s 14 points and 20 rebounds. Two days prior Horne (right), a double double machine, posted a monster game with 30 points and 18 rebounds in a win over Brewster.

“She’s becoming very consistent without forcing a lot of things,” Carmel Head Coach Dan O’Hare said. “She’s learning the flow of the game.”

Nicole Oliver netted 11 points, while Sabrina Diaz (left)  added nine.

According to O’Hare, Oliver is the most improved player on the team.

“She gets better with every practice,” O’Hare said. “She’s becoming solid, she’s not fancy.”

Carmel was well aware coming into the game that Jarosz wasn’t playing. Horne and Jarosz are good friends off the court, and Jarosz told Horne she wouldn’t be playing. O’Hare told his Rams to go out and play their game, and not to think they could just step on the court and be handed a win.

“Lakeland is going to step up and try to prove that they can win without her,” O’Hare told his squad before the game.

And Lakeland almost did.

Marie Mullen knocked down a 3-pointer with five seconds left in the third quarter to stretch Carmel’s lead to 40-30 heading into the final frame. O’Hare said that Mullen has been in a bit of a shooting slump, but she is slowly coming out of it.

Mullen and the rest of the Rams need to continue to be effective from the outside for Carmel to be successful.

“That’s important for us because teams will pack it in on Horne,” O’Hare said. “We’re not used to seeing a lot of zone, and to get that shot from Mullen was real big.”

Lakeland’s Kristin Pappalardo was absolutely on fire in the first half, scoring 18 points (12 in first quarter). The senior guard keept the Hornets within striking distance, as they only trailed 27-23 at half. She cooled off in the second half, but still finished with 26.

“She’s been absolutely great all year,” Fallo said. “She’s given me an effort every single night. The last two games where Tori hasn’t been in she’s taken the role as the leader on the floor. She’s done everything I can ask for.”

Carmel switched to a defense they call the “13 special” and they shadowed Pappalardo effectively in the second half. Catie Grace and Alyssa D’Apice were assigned to Pappalardo.

Lakeland’s Vicky Kowalski was plagued by foul trouble, but managed 10 points.

Outside of the duo, however, the rest of the Hornets only managed six points.

“We need somebody else to step up,” Fallo said.

The Hornets were very much in the game and cut the deficit to two points on a Pappalardo (right) bucket with 4:51 to play. Carmel, however, went on a 15-4 run over the final 4:39. Fallo was pleased with the effort, considering they were missing their most dominant player.

“The effort that we gave, I have no complaints,” Fallo said. “We came here ready to fight, ready for a great game. I don’t think the score is indicative of what went on.

“It just showed what type of team we’re made of. We’re a good basketball team. Tori makes us a very good basketball team.”

The rematch between Lakeland and Carmel will take place Feb. 5 at Lakeland High School.

“I told my kids they’re coming to us next time when we’re at full strength,” Fallo said.  “We’ve got to play with the same type of intensity, except this time we’ll have [Tori] on the floor.”

Carmel will look to further prove it is a big-time contender in Class AA when they take on Ossining on Sunday at SUNY Purchase. O’Hare and Ossining Head Coach Dan Ricci are very close friends, and both know each others tendencies.

“It’s kind of a signature game for us,” O’Hare said. “We just want to make sure we go down there and compete.  It should be a battle. Hopefully we can withstand the frenetic nature of Ossining basketball.”