With all the variations brought on by this year’s new seeding criteria, it’s next to impossible to determine the seeds without all the results. As someone who has broken down the numbers the last five years, this system is definitely the most uncertain.

So, without being to offer much help there, I’m going to head out to Port Chester in a bit. That’s one of the key games that will affect seedings in just about every class, because Port Chester can become a double-bonus team with a win and Rye can become a single-bonus team with a win.

Take Lincoln Hall, which needs to beat North Salem today but is also rooting for Rye to finish .500. This would help move it past Dobbs Ferry in Class B.

The whole thing is mind-spinning. So let’s get as many of these final scores in as possible. Here’s the schedule below:

4 p.m. games —
Greenburgh Academy at Children’s Village

4:15 p.m. games —
Arlington at John Jay-EF
Poughkeepsie at Beacon
Hen Hud at Putnam Valley
Peekskill at Ossining

4:30 p.m. games —
Brewster at Lakeland
Haldane at Dover
John Jay at Fox Lane
Rye at Port Chester
Blind Brook at Hawthrone Cedar Knolls
Valhalla at Bronxville
Clark Academy at MLK

6 p.m. games —
Lourdes at Ketcham
Pawling at Kennedy
Lincoln Hall at North Salem

6:15 p.m. games —
Carmel at Panas
Byram Hills at Harrison
Keio at Hamilton

7 p.m. games —
Yorktown at Mahopac

Some of you may know the ins and outs of this year’s seeding procedure, but I know others may not. So before I try to roll out whatever I can of this year’s seeding predictions/guesses, here’s a look at how they will be determined at tonight’s meeting:

1. The committee will determine which teams qualified for the playoffs in each class. If you don’t know the qualification standards, check you this post for them.

2. Based on each team’s overall record (including out-of-state games), teams are assigned a winning percentage. If a team has a winning percentage of .750 or above, its opponents (no matter the outcome of the game) are awarded two bonus points. Opponents of teams between .500 and .749 earn one bonus point.

3. Now, each playoff team will be rewarded four points for every win against a team inside the New York State Federation, meaning state public schools, CHSAA schools, independent schools or city public schools.

4. Add the total number of points for wins with the additional bonus points awarded for playing winning teams and divide by the total number of games play against schools from within the Federation. That index will be used to seed teams, with the highest number earning the No. 1 seed and so on.

5. In the event of a tie, the committee will consider the teams’ head-to-head records first, followed by their records vs. common opponents. In the unlikely event that the tie cannot be broken, the committee will make an ultimate decision.

I know it’s a lot to process, so here’s a real-life example:

Let’s take Pleasantville, which will be awarded the No. 1 seed in the Class B tournament tonight. The Panthers finished 17-1 with three games against teams with .750 winning percentages (Briarcliff – twice, Valhalla) and four against teams with .500-.749 winning percentages (Port Chester, Greeley, Nanuet, Blind Brook).

At the moment, Pleasantville has 68 points (17 wins x 4) and 10 bonus points. But the bonus-point total will eventually jump to 11 (confused? see below). So divide those 79 points by the Panthers’ 18 games and their index is 4.389, the best in Class B.

Now, why will it jump? Because Pleasantville (and many, many other teams) will see its number shift slightly this afternoon.

In this case, the key game is Port Chester vs. Rye today. Port Chester can become a team with a .750 winning percentage with a win over Rye, giving Pleasantville (and the Rams’ other opponents) an additional bonus point. However, Pleasantville will still earn a bonus point if Rye wins because Rye will then reach .500 for the season.

For this reason alone, the seeds remain even more in flux on the final day than in year’s past. Unfortunately, we can expect the confusion to last late into the night tonight as coaches and other members of the committee hash out the final seeds.

Get ready for a long day…

A ton of games were played outside of Mount Vernon. Eastchester’s Tom Pinto hit a clutch 3 with 12 seconds left to help the Eagles beat Ardsley.

Here’s a look at some of the rest (with more to follow):

Croton-Harmon 78, King 54: At Croton-Harmon, Matt Tralli scored 12 points. Joe Tralli added 11 points and seven steals. Eric Turner led the Tigers with 15 points.
Eastchester 66, Ardsley 65: At Eastchester, Tom Pinto hit a 3-pointer with 12 seconds left to play to give the Eagles the win. He scored 12 points for the night. Mike Satriale added 22 points. Nick Zee scored 20 points for the Panthers.
Hastings 52, Solomon Schechter 43: At Solomon Schechter, Mark Siden scored 16 points. Mike Parton added 15 points. Jonathan Glatsein scored 20 points for the Lions.
Tappan Zee 62, Clarkstown South 43: At Tappan Zee, Ryan O’Rourke had 20 points. Brendan Donohue added 13 points. Zach Mager had 17 points for the Vikings.
Children’s Village 51, Haldane 46: At Children’s Village, Isaiah Santana scored 17 points. Teammate Ed Harper had 13 points and 12 rebounds. Jackson Zuvic led the Blue Devils with 36 points.
Gorton 56, Saunders 45: At Gorton, Corey Green scored 15 points. Anthony Baker and Reggie Williams each added 14 points. Mike Nolan led the Blue Devils with 17 points.
Hawthorne Cedar Knolls 88, Greenburgh Academy 64: At Hawthorne Cedar Knolls, George Johnson had 26 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Markim Murphy added 21 points and nine rebounds. Anthony Berardino scored 23 points for Greenburgh Academy.
Sleepy Hollow 64, Irvington 56: At Sleepy Hollow, Jorge Berenguer scored 20 points. Justin Best added 17 points. Peter Crisara led the Bulldogs with 21 points.
Pelham 46, Edgemont 30: At Edgemont, Jack Doucette scored 14 points. Doug Eich added seven points. Billy Kreinik scored 14 points for the Panthers.
Scarsdale 55, Mamaroneck 49: At Mamaroneck, Evan Fielder scored 19 points. Raymond Grazi added 15 points. Sam Gruppo scored 22 points for the Tigers.
Albertus Magnus 71, Clarkstown North 43: At Albertus Magnus, Tyler Sayre had 20 points. Eric Torchon had 14 points. Mike Paolino had 11 points for the Rams.
Horace Greeley 60, Somers 35: At Somers, Matt Townsend scored 26 points. Adam Honig added 14 points. David Byrnes scored eight points for the Tuskers.
Kennedy 74, Dover 64: At Dover, Joe Smith scored 15 points. Matt Schoen added 14 points.
Briarcliff 63, Keio 35: At Briarcliff, Danny Collins scored 14 points. Conor Murnane added 12 points. Takuma Hori led the Unicorns with 11 points.
Suffern 55, Pearl River 41: At Suffern, Alushula Odongo had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Mounties. Vince Crotty also scored 18 points. John Donovan led Pearl River with 14 points.

For the second time in nine days, New Rochelle rallied from a 13-point deficit to beat rival Mount Vernon. This time the Huguenots trailed by 13 to start the fourth quarter but their press keyed a 77-67 victory on Mount Vernon’s vaunted home floor.

New Rochelle hadn’t won on the Knights’ court since 1989 — before any of tonight’s combatants were even born. I asked Mount Vernon coach Bob Cimmino when his program last dropped a league game at home. It was back in the mid-90s to the White Plains team of Mike Summers and Kevin Clampet, back when Spencer Mayfield was a young coach. I’m still working on locking down the exact date.

This time, the historical win was crafted on the backs of Antoine Mason, A.J. Burton and Steve Whittingham. Mason and Burton were particularly destructive at the top of New Ro’s press, which flummoxed Mount Vernon’s guards yet again.

Mason, a senior, told me afterward he just refused to lose. He played like it, scoring 10 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, including a ferocious steal and dunk (as he was fouled) with 4:53 left. Mason drew a lot of emotion from the opposing crowd, especially at that signature moment of his team’s comeback.

Burton scored on a fastbreak layup of his own as he was fouled about 90 seconds later. His free throw gave New Ro its first lead, 63-62, since it grabbed a 4-2 lead early in the first quarter. Mount Vernon scored again to regain the lead but it was shortlived. All in all, New Ro outscored the Knights 32-9 in a fourth quarter that had to be seen to be believed. Key plays that finally put the game away were three free throws from Mason, a layup by P.J. Torres and Burton’s deep 3 to beat the shot clock with 1:10 to play. The 3 seemed to be the final dagger.

Whittingham, the St. Ray’s transfer, played a big game off the bench. He chipped in 15 points, including eight straight in the third quarter that helped keep this game salvageable. I talked to him afterward; he was truly stunned and humbled.

Bill Murphy was ecstatic, but said he hoped these two wins were humbling for his team. Sure, they swept Mount Vernon, but both games were there for New Ro to lose. There’s no reason the Huguenots should enter round three cocky.

Cimmino took no solace in watching his team outplay the Huguenots for three quarters before another stunning collapse. “We’d rather win,” he said.

After good practices leading up to tonight, Cimmino expected an improved effort. Instead, he saw a similar result unfold that left Mount Vernon searching for answers.

“We didn’t handle their pressure,” Cimmino said. “They took it to us and we didn’t make plays. It was almost the exact same game.”

The Section 1 seeding meeting was moved from Wednesday morning to Tuesday night because of the threat of snow. It will now begin around 8 at Somers High School. I’ll be there (or somewhere) and will bring you the seedings and the matchups as soon as possible.

Stay tuned for a recap on New Ro’s incredible 13-point fourth quarter comeback.

So what did I miss in the eight days I was gone?

I’m kidding — clearly, a lot happened. Pleasantville earned a key win over Port Chester but had its unbeaten record wrestled away by rival Briarcliff. Greeley and Pelham each vaulted itself up the rankings in its respective class with blowout wins over Ossining and Port Chester, respectively. Mount Vernon completed its season sweep over rival White Plains. Tappan Zee did upset Spring Valley, but missed out on a chance for the Rockland County championship by falling to plucky Albertus Magnus two days before. North Rockland then avenged one of its two losses by beating Spring Valley for the Rockland County crown.

But only one team definitely caught our eyes the most: New Rochelle. The Huguenots earned victories and redemption in the first two steps of its three-game grind. They beat Mount Vernon at home before a raucous crowd and followed up with a win over Iona Prep a week later.

Without question, New Ro announced itself as the area’s top team. It even moved into the top spot on the state rankings, ahead of all the NYC kings. But now the Huguenots face one more challenge before the playoffs begin later this week: a rematch with Mount Vernon.

I’ll be on hand this afternoon to bring all the details of the game, which begins at 4:15 at Mount Vernon. For updates, follow along on Twitter at twitter.com/LoHudInsider. You can also watch the game broadcast LIVE at LoHud.com/VCSports1.

I’m excited to be back. This is a heckuva way to return, so let’s get the conversation started.

It’s been a memorable week for the New Rochelle boys basketball team. A productive one as well.

The streaking Huguenots downed neighborhood rival Iona Prep 76-62 on Saturday, getting 24 points from P.J. Torres. Antoine Mason added 16.

Both players hustled downcourt for easy baskets before a leg-weary defense was able to set up.

The visiting Gaels played on Friday night, blowing out Stepinac, another rival. Brian Voelkel had 29 points against New Rochelle, 16 from the line, and Jordan Bronner added 14.

A come-from-behind win over Mount Vernon tipped off a wild seven-day stretch for the Huguenots, who squeaked by in that game 62-58. Next up was a 70-49 win over Mamaroneck. There is no time for an extended celebration.

New Rochelle goes head-to-head with Mount Vernon again Monday at 4:15 p.m. at MVHS. That game can be seen by clicking here, or by going to this address:

www.lohud.com/vcsports1

The Saturday game was part of a Section 1-CHSAA showcase event at New Rochelle. In the earlier games, Scarsdale lost to Cardinal Spellman 44-35, and Peekskill lost to All Hallows 64-55.

David Bougard had 17 points and nine rebounds for Scarsdale.

Daquan Brickhouse had 20 points and 15 rebounds for the Red Devils, who cut the lead to four early in the fourth quarter, then missed a layup that would have upped the pressure on All Hallows.

“What killed us was Omar Kellman,” Peekskill coach Lou Panzanaro said of the All Hallows standout. “He scored six buckets in the fourth quarter, all off either offensive rebounds or from breaking our press. They were bigger and stronger than us, but I thought we played a pretty good game. We were never down more than nine points.”

In other games Saturday:

Panas 60, Lakeland 58: Pedro Reynoso had 25 points, including the winning layup with less than a second remaining, to beat visiting Lakeland.

Chuck Grant had 14 points and eight assists for the Panthers. Chris Fazio led Lakeland with 18 points and seven assists.

Sleepy Hollow 63, Edgemont 56: In the Mount Vernon Coaches vs. Cancer tournament, Jorge Beranguer had 17 points and Joe Scarpati had 11. Billy Kreinik had 26 points for Edgemont.

Valhalla 58, Tuckahoe 51: In the Mount Vernon tournament, James Jensen scored 20 points for Valhalla. Tom Longo added 10 points. Sky Williams led the Tigers with 21 points.

Mount Vernon 75, Mamaroneck 47: In the Mount Vernon tournament, Jabarie Hinds had 19 for the hosts and teammate Brandon  White had 10. Matt Mezansky had 14  points and 10 assists for the Tigers.

Pelham 53, Port Chester 32: In the Mount Vernon tournament, Doug Eich had 14 points and four steals and Jack Doucete had 12 points. Laron Norman led Port Chester with nine points.

Horace Greeley 78, Ossining 36: At Greeley, Matt Townsend had 31 points, 23 rebounds and nine blocks. Adam Honig had 25 points. Cameron Davidov led Ossining with 12.

Xavier 56, Hackley 50: At Manhattan College, Jonathon Salandra had 16 points and Marquis Wilson had 12.

Blind Brook 46, Bronxville 45: At Bronxville Friday, Antoine Saliba had 14 points, including the winning basket at the buzzer for Blind Brook. Derek Richter had 22 points for the Broncos.

Rockland championships: Click here for Rick Carpiniello’s column on North Rockland’s victory over Spring Valley, and the girls’ title game, Pearl River over Clarkstown North.

After one quarter: Spring Valley leads North Rockland 10-7. Not much happening. Forrest has five for the Tigers. 

The teams met early in the season, and Spring Valley won. North Rockland has won 15 in a row since then.

At the half: North Rockland 21, Spring Valley 19. John Perez has 10 points for the Raiders, eight of those from the FT line.

After the third quarter: Spring Valley 39, No. Rockland 34. Nickolas Perez had three three-pointers in the third, and Tevin Mackey two, for the Tigers.

With 3:25 left, tied 44-44.

2:26 left: No. Rock has opened a 50-44 lead on four free throws and a layup by Jorge Cruz.

:23.6 left: No. Rock up 52-46 after Jeffrey Jackson’s steal and Terrell Smith’s layup.

Final score of the boys championship game: North Rockland 53, Spring Valley 48.

Today they are involved in a big showcase event. On Monday is the rematch. New Rochelle beat Mount Vernon a week ago at NRHS, a come-from-behind victory that showed us that the Class AA playoffs are going to be very competitive this year.

Monday they meet again at Mount Vernon at 4:15 p.m.

You can catch it right here live, by clicking here, or by going to www.lohud.com/vcsports1.

Meanwhile, today’s a pretty big day.
Mount Vernon’s got a showcase:
Port Chester vs. Pelham, 10 a.m.; Sleepy Hollow vs. Edgemont, noon; Valhalla vs. Tuckahoe, 2 p.m.; Mamaroneck vs. Mount Vernon, 4 p.m.; Salesian vs. Gorton, 6 p.m.

And there’s this triple-header at New Rochelle:
Scarsdale vs. Cardinal Spellman,11 a.m.;  Peekskill vs. All Hallows, 12:45 p.m.;  Iona Prep at New Rochelle, 2:30 p.m.
The Iona-New Ro game could be one of the best in the area this season.

Friday’s games, from staff reports

Lakeland 70, Carmel 51: At Carmel, Henry Weltman got his 200th coaching victory. “Ive been around for a long time,” said Weltman, with a laugh.

He has a 200-162 record over 18 years (15 at Lakeland, three at Kennedy).

“I’ve had some great athletes over the years and some terrific coaches on staff. The funny thing is my first win was against Carmel and now my 200th is against them, too.”

Port Chester 61, Harrison 60, OT: Anthony Ordonez had 24 points and hit a tying 3-pointer with 14 seconds left in the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime.

Laron Norman had 17 points and Lamont Norman added 10, including four points in overtime. Dennis Rinaldi led Harrison with 18 points.

Chris Fazio had 27 points. Mike Rooney led the Rams with 25.

Valhalla 55, Hamilton 47: At Valhalla, LaQuinn Shuler had 14 points and James Jensen had 11 points and 14 rebounds. Dan Annunziata made his return after sitting out with a broken elbow for six weeks and had six points and seven assists. Kinson Absolu had 17 points for Hamilton.

Croton-Harmon 42, Putnam Valley 28: At Croton, Joe Tralli had 13 points and Julian Bonilla had 11.

Salesian 66, Sacred Heart 53: At Yonkers High, Kevin Punter had 18 points. Jayson Alleyene had 16 points and 12 rebounds. Joe Kieltyka, Anthony Marino and Ruben Negron each had 10 for the Irish.

North Salem 60, Pawling 40: At Pawling, Umar Singh had 22 points and 12 rebounds. Christopher Wood had 14 points.

Greeley 67, John Jay 39: At Greeley, Adam Honig had 18 points. Sam Kuhn had 16 points for the Indians.

Pleasantville 48, Rye Neck 33: At Pleasantville, Jack Bramswig had 13 points. Nolan Robinson and had 11 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists. Justin Franks had 14 points for Pleasantville.

Somers 54, Fox Lane 49: At Somers, Brian Winters had 18 points. Joe Oriti had 11 rebounds. Timmy Muller had 16 points for the Foxes.

Byram Hills 53, Rye 45: At Byram Hills, Jeff Lynch had 17 points and eight rebounds. Jordan Pollack had 16 points points, five assists and five steals. Conor Smith had 15 points for the Garnets.

Briarcliff 66, Westlake 48: At Briarcliff, Danny Collins had 21 points and 15 rebounds. Tim Blair had 14 points. Conor Murnane added 13. Walter Hickey had 21 points for the Wildcats.

Brewster 62, Mahopac 54, OT: At Mahopac, Nick Blumberg scored 17 points and Sean Trainor had 15.  T.J. Foley led the Indians with 16 points. Anthony Annunziata had 14.

Lincoln Hall 73, Dover 41: At Lincoln Hall, Corey Blair had 24 points. Zach Austin had 17 points and 11 rebounds. Brandon Allen added 11 points and nine assists.

Hawthorne Cedar Knolls 62, Keio 58: At Keio, Randy Boyd had 25 points and 10 rebounds. George Johnson had 18 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Markim Murphy had 10 rebounds.Takuma Hori and Masa Morimato led Keio with 12 points each.

Kennedy 58, Haldane 39: At Kennedy, Matt Schoen had 16 points. Jackson Zuvic had 18 for the Blue Devils.

Yorktown 62, Panas 42: At Yorktown, Jordan Moody had 26 points. Jacob Mercado had 16. Brian Daniels had 13 for Panas.

Iona Prep 72, Stepinac 48: At Iona, Sandro Carissimo had 24 points. Iona won the league title for the third year in a  row. Rich Whitten had 13 points for Stepinac.

Stepinac raised $7,500 for the American Cancer Society in the Coaches vs. Cancer game and presented a check to the family of George Kehayas, who died last week of cancer..

Ossining 65, Hen Hud 53: At Ossining, Cameron Davidov had 24 points. Randy Stephens had 19. T.J. Oleszcuk and Dylan Steward had 14 points each for Hen Hud.

The championship games are still on, weather permitting, at Clarkstown South HS tomorrow. There is a $3 admission fee.

Boys championship: North Rockland vs. Spring Valley, 3 p.m.

Girls championship: Pearl River vs. Clarkstown North, 5 p.m.

Check here tomorrow for changes due to weather (the snow date would be Monday, site and time TBD).

As part of the championship, all the Rockland teams have crossover games as their final game of the regular-season. They are scheduled for Monday at the various schools. Check with your team/school/athletic department for sites and times. The teams which were visitors in the first meeting during the season will host the crossover games. Here they are:

Boys
3rd place-4th place: Suffern vs. Pearl River.
5-6: Clarkstown South vs. Tappan Zee.
7-8: Ramapo vs. Nanuet.
9-10: Albertus Magnus vs. Clarkstown North.
(Nyack vs. non-conference opponent).

Girls
3rd place-4th place: Suffern vs. Nanuet.
5-6: North Rockland vs. Albertus Magnus.
7-8: Ramapo vs. Nyack.
9 -10: Clarkstown South vs. Tappan Zee.
(Spring Valley vs. non-conference opponent).

From staff reports
Dobbs Ferry 47, Hastings 43, 2 OT: David Muoser had 12 points, including two free throws in the second overtime that sealed Dobbs Ferry’s 47-43 win over visiting Hastings Thursday night. Denzell Hasell had 11 points, including a layup that gave the Eagles the lead with 10 seconds remaining in the second overtime. Ali Marpet led Hastings with 14 points.
Eastchester 77, Tuckahoe 50: At Eastchester, senior Billy Kreinik, scored 35 points, including his 1,000th on the varsity.
“It was very exciting for me,” said Kreinik, who has only beeon the varsity for three years. “It’s been on my mind for a while. I thought I would be able to get it within the next two games, but I just had a monster game. “Our team played great and it was a big statement game. We had the big lead
early and kept pouring it on.”
Zach Emdin and  Joseph Hoffman each added 12 points. Justin Nolan led Tuckahoe with 15 points.
Mount Vernon 71, White Plains 59: At Mount Vernon, Jabarie Hinds had 24 points and six steals.  Isiah Cousins added 10 points. Alexis Nunez led the Tigers with 22 points.
Lincoln 53, Gorton 51: At Gorton, Dustin Hogue scored 21 points. Jeremy Gonzalez added 10 points. Reggie Williams scored 22 points for the Wolves.
Clark Academy 64, Greenburgh Academy 61: At Clark Academy, Nigel Wilcher had 23 points and 10 rebounds. Terrell Fountain added 12 points. Anthony Berardino led Greenburgh Academy with 20 points.
Roosevelt 64, Saunders 40: At Saunders, Shayvaughn King scored 19 points. Darnell Glover added 14 points. Matt Clayton led the Blue Devils with 26 points.
Pelham 52, Eastchester 39: At Pelham, Jack Doucette scored 13 points helping the Pelicans clinch an undefeated league championship. Doug Eich added 12 points. Mike Satriale scored 15 points for the Eagles.
New Rochelle 70, Mamaroneck 49: At New Rochelle, A.J. Burton and Antoine Mason each scored 12 points for the Huguenots. Matt Mezansky led the Tigers with 20 points.
Harvey 67, Storm King 51: At Storm King Wednesday, Matthew Bowser scored 33 points, including five 3-pointers.
Bronxville 59, Ardsley 49: At Ardsleye, Matt Troja scored 20 points. Derek Richter added 17, and Chris Morasco had 16. Chris Burrowes and Dakota DiNasio each had 13 for the Panthers.
Leake & Watts 54, King 44: At Leake & Watts, Davon Felder scored 19 points. Devonte Raimey added 16 points. Quami Allen scored nine points for the Tigers.
Irvington 52, Solomon Schechter 20: At Irvington, Peter Crisara had 12 points and both Kevin McMahon and Chris Recine had 10 points each. Jonathan Glatstein had nine points for the Lions.
Pearl River 47, Nyack 41: At Nyack, Luke Houston scored 19 points. Mike Davis added 17 points.  Kivar Thurman scored 14 points for the Indians.
Spring Valley 65, Nanuet 52: At Nanuet, Nickolas Perez scored 26 points. Tevin Mackey added 16 points. Tom Hanney led the Golden Knights with 15 points.
Suffern 56, Clarkstown South 55: At Clarkstown South, Vincent Crotty scored 18 points. Alushula Odongo added 11 points. Zach Mager led the Vikings with 19 points.

Here’s the story I wrote for The Journal News and LoHud.com:

HARTSDALE — A year ago, the gym probably would have been nearly empty.
On Thursday night, it was packed, as Woodlands beat Sleepy Hollow, 72-56 in a game between two boys basketball teams rising from the ashes; two teams that had combined for five total victories in 2008-09.
They are both headed for the Section 1 tournament, although Sleepy Hollow will certainly have a more difficult road. The Horsemen, beaten twice by Woodlands this season, jump up to Class A and Peekskill and Co.; while the Falcons play in B and don’t go in as the favorite (Pleasantville was undefeated before losing to Briarcliff Wednesday).
Get this. Woodlands was 3-17 last year, and now, under second-year coach Bob Murphy, it is 15-2. Sleepy was 2-18 last year, and is 12-4 under first-yeat coach Tony Baxter.
On this night, Woodlands was the better team, led by first-year players Davonne Henry’s 25 points and Malik Atkins’ 15. The Falcons went on a 25-6 run in the second quarter and early third.
“We didn’t know we were going to go this far, but hey, we’re doing it,” Atkins said. “I’m enjoying it. It’s a great record, but that mean other team are coming out as underdogs and gthey’re coming to get us. So we have to work harder to play other teams.”
Hard work. It’s a theme with the Falcons.
“It’s pretty fun, but it’s hard work and dedication,” Henry said.
Woodlands was in the sectional final in 2005, ‘06 and ‘07, but hasn’t won a title since 1990.
Murphy is in his 27th year of coaching. He was at Poughkeepsie, where he won a state title, for 20 seasons, then took nine off, and he laughed that he doesn’t know “why the heck I came back.”
But he understands how things change, and part of it, he said, is players staying at Woodlands instead of transferring, and in one case — Nate Knight, who had transferred to Stepinac — coming back to Woodlands.
“It’s a great experience,” Murphy said about the turnaround. “It’s all about life experiences and I’m sure this is one that they’ll cherish. This is one that shows them a different kind of diversity, and they’ve done well with it.”
Likewise, Sleepy — which got 22 points from four-year varsity player Justin Best — is getting a look at life at, or near, the top. And it may be there for a while; it’s JV team hung on for a two-point win at Woodlands in the matinee to remain undefeated, and the program just got a brand new gym.
“It’s been really special I have some experience with all these guys because I’ve been here for three years (as JV coach before this year) and I know them, as individuals, not just as basketball players,” Baxter, the former Rye coach, said. “I know how much they give and I know how much they care. To see the results start to match the effort is really satisfying because that hasn’t always been the way. They’ve always been good kids; they just didn’t have a lot of success on the court. Now they’re starting to have some, and I feel good for them. You should experience that when you play sports.”
Baxter was especially proud of the way his team leaped on loose balls and played defense and hit the boards in the final minutes of a one-sided game.
“That’s got to be part of what we’re building,” Baxter said. “There are going to be nights like this, and you’ve got to learn from them, just like you learn from the wins.”

Here is Josh Thomson’s story from today’s paper about the teams moving up classifications due to enrollment numbers.

Sorry, I was at a hockey game and just heard about this OT thriller in the rivalry game:

Briarcliff 67, Pleasantville 65, OT: Conor Murnane had 15 points as Briarcliff handed visiting Pleasantville its first loss, 67-65 in overtime,Wednesday night. Ryan Huegel added 12 points for the Bears (13-3), and Najee Forte had 11. Pleasantville’s Matt Nicolai scored 17 points and hit a 3-pointer with three seconds left in regulation to force overtime. Nolan Robinson had 16 points for the Panthers (16-1).