Mount Vernon blew out Jefferson of Oregon, 74-43, in the second round of the Les Schwab Invitational in Hillsboro, Oregon late last night, moving into Monday’s semifinal against Dominguez of Los Angeles.

Sherrod Wright scored 28 points and Odayne Clarke added 10 for the Knights, who blew the game open in the third quarter by outscoring Jefferson, the reigning 5A state champs, 26-5. They held Terrence Jones, Jefferson’s star 6-7 junior, to just seven points.

It’s important that Clarke starts to play positive minutes for the Knights. He started every game as a sophomore but was minimal contributor last season as a junior thanks to injuries and lost confidence. He had surgery in the offseason on his knee and is primed for a comeback season. Games like this are important for him, and Mount Vernon.

Mount Vernon vs. Dominguez should be a tough test for the Knights. Dominguez, as we detailed yesterday, is loaded with Division I prospects, led by Keala King, who had 17 points and 10 rebounds in the quarterfinal win over Jesuit.

That game is tomorrow night at 11:30 New York time. Fairfax and Westview are in the other semifinal.

You can also check out the Hoop Knight blog, which is run by “new media” students Chris Kieffer and Collin Crowell at the Columbia graduate school. They’ll also be following the team every game this season.

Peekskill leads South Shore 61-19 with two minutes of tonight’s final opening-round game of the Slam Dunk at the County Center.

Ralph Watts had 15 points and Daquan Brickhouse added 12 for the Red Devils, who’ll face Iona Prep in the Slam Dunk semis tomorrow night at 7 p.m.

If you’d like to watch the game live, click over to our Mogolus broadcast. Hurry before Peekskill breaks the County Center scoreboard.

Iona Prep dismantled Greece Athena of Rochester in today’s third opening-round game of the Slam Dunk tournament, rolling to a 69-33 victory at the County Center.

Jordan Bronner scored a team-high 17 points on 7 of 12 shooting for Iona, which is 8-0. Jeff Mack had 13 points off the bench, and Andre Pope and Brian Voelkel each scored 10 points. Voelkel added nine rebounds and three steals for the Gaels, who had 22 steals in the game and forced 32 turnovers.

Iona led this game 35-6 at the half and were up by as many as 40 midway through the third.

The Gaels did their part in our plan for an Iona-Peekskill semifinal. It’s now up to the Red Devils, which face South Shore in the nightcap. They might as well just call that game the championship. As well as they played yesterday, I don’t think Gorton or White Plains will be able to contend with the Iona-Peekskill winner.

White Plains defeated Collegiate 46-30 in today’s second opening-round game of the Slam Dunk tournament at the County Center.

The Tigers were down three at the half before holding Collegiate to six second-half points in an ugly contest.

White Plains looked in trouble early. It had a bad second quarter as an eight-point lead evaporated. Christen Fisch scored 10 of Collegiate’s 14 second-quarter points and has 16 at the break.

Bobby Jones has played well for the Tigers. But he’s not getting much consistency around him.

The game tipped off approximately 40 minutes late. Don’t expect Iona Prep-Greece to start until 6:30 and Peekskill-South Shore to being until 8:30.

If you’d like to watch White Plains-Collegiate, click over to our Mogolus broadcast, which you can access here.

Gorton came back from 13 points down to knock off Long Island Lutheran 59-56 in today’s first round of the Slam Dunk tournament.

Chris Ranglin scored 27 points on 9 of 16 shooting, with eight rebounds. He had 16 points in the second half. Corey Green added 16 points in the victory, which saw nine lead changes and seven ties.

Trailing by two in the final minute, LIL had 3-pointers on consecutive possessions that bounced off the rim. Anthony Baker corralled the last rebound for Gorton with 11.2 seconds remaining. Baker made 1 of 2 free throws to make it a three-point game before another LIL 3-pointer missed and Chris Ranglin grabbed the rebound and ran out the clock.

Ranglin was sensational. He made a runner through traffic to give Gorton a 58-56 lead with 1:15 left.

Gorton held a five-point lead with just under three minutes to play before giving it away on one LIL trip down the floor. Two free throws, then a steal on the inbounds and a three-point-play tied it back up.

Long Island led by five at the half before the lead changed hands several times in the third. The Wolves nearly slipped out of this game in the first half before making a nice run into the break.

Long Island Lutheran wasn’t quite as good as I thought it would be without Tobias Harris, its 6-8 star forward, who is out for 6-8 weeks with an ankle injury. Not having him clearly set them back.

Still, the credit goes to Gorton and Rob Rizzo, its first year coach. Rizzo did so many little things in this game that allowed his team to be in position to win. If White Plains can knock off Collegiate in the next game, we’ll get a neat Rizzo vs. Spencer Mayfield matchup. Rizzo worked under Mayfield at White Plains for many years, before going off to assist Bob Hurley at St. Anthony (N.J.).

In case you didn’t see, Mount Vernon defeated Beaverton (Oregon) 57-47 in last night’s opening round of the Les Schwab Invitational in Oregon. Sherrod Wright scored 23 points in the victory, leading the 18th-ranked Knights into tonight’s quarterfinal with Jefferson (Oregon) at 8:30 local time.

Weird game for the Knights, who led 23-4 after the first quarter before getting outscored 18-2 in the second. Mount Vernon scored only two points in the fourth quarter against Clarkstown South the other day and when I saw it, I thought it had to be the first time I’d ever seen it. To do it in the second quarter of a game, though, is quite bizarre.

Beaverton had a 6-foot-10 center named Jordan Railey, who blocked nine shots.

Jefferson beat South Medford yesterday, 68-62. Jefferson, the defending 5A Oregon state champs, is the 18th ranked team on the West Coast by ESPN. Jefferson features Terrence Jones, a nationally-ranked junior, who is 6-9. He had 19 points, five rebounds and five blocks in the win.

The game obviously won’t start until after midnight New York-time, but I’ll try to get an update when I get it. The Mount Vernon-Jefferson winner will play Dominguez (ranked 14th by USA Today) of Los Angeles or Jesuit of Oregon.

Here’s a glimpse at the Dominguez roster:

Jordan Hamilton: A 6-7 senior who has committed to Texas. He’s the 8th ranked overall in the nation by ESPN.
Aaron Moore: A 6-7 forward who is being recruited by California, Texas, Florida, Portland, USC and Washington
Keala King: A 6-4 junior getting recruited by Texas, USC and Oregon
Thurman Woods: A 6-5 forward who has committed to Montana
Norvel Pelle: A 6-8 power forward with Division I potential
Myron Green: A 6-2 senior guard who ESPN called one of the most underrated prospects on the West Coast.

If Mount Vernon manages to beat a very good Jefferson team, and then somehow knocks off Dominguez in the semifinal, it would like play Fairfax and a whole new group of Division I prospects in the finals. Fairfax is led by 6-10 Renardo Sidney, a Top 5 national prospect.

Croton-Harmon outlasted Valhalla 59-50 in the first game of the Slam Dunk at the Westchester County Center.

Valhalla made a run, cutting it to four with a minute to play, but a 3-pointer clanged off the rim and the Vikings didn’t score again.

Alex Judge and Brandon Sileck both played really well for the Tigers. They combined for 49 points — 21 for Sileck and 28 for Judge, the MVP — and accounted for 16 of their team’s 18 field goals.

Valhalla was without coach Dave Greiner, who was serving a one-game suspension. Greiner received two technical fouls in Valhalla’s last game against Briarcliff. The technicals were for arguing a call at the buzzer, and he received them with no time on the clock. By rule, if you get two T’s you must sit out a game.

Now that we’re on the door-step of the Slam Dunk, let’s take a look at my revamped rankings.

There weren’t many games on the docket the last 10 days, but the rankings were shaken a bit. I’m having a tough time simply finding 10 teams to including in my overall rankings, and an even harder time deciding on the No. 5 teams in each of the conference lists.

These are meant to be debated, so let the arguing commence.

Top 10
1. Mount Vernon: The Knights got off to a good start out in Oregon on Friday, beating Beaverton 57-47 behind 23 points from Sherrod Wright. You can follow the Les Schwab Invitational on Oregon Live. This is Mount Vernon’s page on the tournament site.
2. Iona Prep: Should we be wary of overconfidence with this group? Well, there are no individual egos, really. But that doesn’t mean this team couldn’t have a few lapses along the way.
3. Peekskill: The Red Devils are bracing for a potential semifinal meeting with Iona Prep in the Slam Dunk tournament. Not only will it be the marquee game of the event, it could be one of the biggest headlines of the season.
4. New Rochelle: The Huguenots are down in Virginia this weekend for the Benedictine Capital City Classic. They should have some updates on the Richmond Times Dispatch site over the weekend.
5. Poughkeepsie: The Pioneers have had some time off as they prepare for the second half of the season. They’ll be one of Section 1’s most intriguing teams.
6. Stepinac: Beating Mount St. Michael on the road last Saturday was a major step for the program. The Crusaders probably aren’t still serious title contender in the CHSAA. But this proves they’re capable of ruining somebody’s season down the road.
7. Mount St. Michael: The loss to Stepinac can be pinned on early foul trouble to two of the Mountaineers’ best players. Mount is known for being aggressive in the paint. This time, it proved to be costly.
8. White Plains: The Harry Jefferson tournament was a clear setback record-wise. But that’s an event the Tigers historically build off of, and so is the Slam Dunk. White Plains desperately needs a quality win this weekend moving forward.
9. Clarkstown South: The losses are to White Plains, New Rochelle and Mount Vernon. Not bad, obviously. But if the Vikings don’t use those games as a way to grow, they’ll be meaningless.
10. Yorktown: I have a feeling this 10th spot (and maybe No. 9) will be like a hotel. Teams will be coming and going every week. For now, the Huskers get the spot after knocking off a quality Horace Greeley team on Friday.

Section 1 Rankings
Class AA
1. Mount Vernon
2. New Rochelle
3. Poughkeepsie
4. White Plains
5. Clarkstown South

Class A
1. Peekskill
2. Lakeland
3. Pelham
4. Lourdes
5. Tappan Zee

Class B
1. Albertus Magnus
2. Nanuet
3. Pleasantville
4. Lincoln Hall
5. Croton-Harmon

Class C
1. Valhalla
2. Blind Brook
3. Hamilton
4. North Salem
5. Tuckahoe

I’m taking a vacation from my vacation.

Originally, I was scheduled to take my only real time off of the year in the final two weeks of December, bridging Christmas and New Year’s into my own private festival of sweatpants, cereal, pizza and television watching. Slip in a few movies and dinners with the wife, and then I’d be back to work fresh and ready for the basketball season to really get under way, which everyone knows is in January.

But I’m interrupting my time off for three days of wall-to-wall basketball for the Slam Dunk at the County Center, which begins Saturday. Here’s the schedule for those who are unaware:

Challenge game
10:15 a.m.: Croton-Harmon vs. Valhalla
Opening round
1:45 p.m.: Gorton vs. Long Island Lutheran
3:30 p.m.: White Plains vs. Collegiate
5:15 p.m.: Iona Prep vs. Greece Athena
7 p.m.: Peekskill vs. South Shore

You probably all saw my Slam Dunk preview in Friday’s Journal News, which centered around the possibility of an Iona Prep-Peekskill semifinal game. The buildup for that game has already started. If it actually happens, I think hype will be massive.

The entire tournament should be pretty fun and I’m anxious to get the County Center and take it all in.

You can watch all the games live on Mogolus site, which you can access here.

I’ll be checking back in throughout the day with updates and news.

The budget crunch is bad and could get worse.

In anticipation, Section 1 is considering a proposal that would align schools in leagues based on geography — not enrollment or competitiveness — that will go into effect next school year if it is approved as expected.

Harold Gutmann has more details today in The Journal News and on LoHud.com. “Here’s the link to the story.”:http://www.lohud.com/article/20081226/SPORTS02/812260356/-1/SPORTS&referrer=NEWSFRONTCAROUSE

As the story indicates, this would have no impact on football. It would alter the basketball leagues, but not as much as you might think. Mount Vernon and Bronxville won’t be in the same league. Once I get a copy of the official league alignments, I’ll post them.

It’s 3 o’clock in the morning on Christmas Eve and I’m still awake gift-wrapping chew toys and miniature doggy sweaters to put under my tree. Where did I go wrong in life?

I’m joking. Well, kind of. The puppy, Brady, has been great so far. In fact, it even left me an early Christmas present today in the living room… and a little in the kitchen… and even some in the dining room. Fortunately, I’ve been there every drip of the way. As I’ve been telling people for the last few days: The puppy belongs to my wife. The responsibilities, though, are all mine.

Buying this dog for my wife for Christmas has made me feel like Ralphie from the epic film, A Christmas Story, which is actually on TV as I write this (it’s a 24-hour loop on TBS). I’d been telling close friends for weeks that I was getting a pup for my wife and they all shook their heads and tried to discourage me. It was like the BB gun in the movie. “You’ll shoot your eye out!” they warned. I’ve shot my eye out, alright. I pay the mortgage but this house already belongs to Brady.

The point of this post wasn’t to vent about my puppy, however. It was more to remind everyone to wake up this Christmas morning and be grateful for what you have in life. You don’t need to hear this from me, but the world is a difficult place right now — between wars, layoffs and the sinking economy. This will be the most stressful and trying holiday season of all of our lifetimes. If there’s even one present for you under your tree, appreciate it. It’s more than many people are waking up to today.

My biggest problem these days is trying to get my dog to stop peeing on my rug. I’m one of the lucky ones and will be the first to admit it. I’ll let my wife and my family know that I appreciate that today and I encourage you to, as well.

OK, no more preaching. I just wanted to wish everyone Happy Holidays again. I’ll be back on the beat early Saturday morning for the Slam Dunk at the County Center.

There were two really nice moments in local basketball last night.

The first was the retirement of Jason Holmes’ jersey at Mamaroneck. Holmes, a 2004 grad, was the school’s all-time leading scorer and went on to play at LeMoyne College, where he had a stellar career. He now plays professional over in Finland. I covered Jason, both in high school and in the Empire State Games, and he really is a great guy. It’s nice to see him recognized.

The other was for Croton coach Bill Thom, who earned his 300th career victory with a 58-49 win over Kennedy at home. Thom, in his 23rd season, was rewarded with a postgame ceremony before a large home crowd.

I actually called Thom last night to congratulate him and get something in the paper and he downplayed the whole thing. That’s the kind of guy he is. He hassles me all the time about not coming up to games at Croton (joking, of course). But he really is a class act and an exemplary figure for all young coaches out there.

It’s weird to even write something like that because I hardly consider him an “old coach” in Section 1. But 300 wins is an amazing accomplishment. Thom strikes me as the type of guy who’d like to coach until he’s 80. Who knows how many games he could win?

Of course, the highlight of the night was Tappan Zee’s stunning win over Albertus Magnus to take the Pearl River tournament title. My buddy Josh Thomson covered the game for The Journal News. I haven’t spoken to him yet. I’ll get his take after the holiday.

What an accomplishment for the Dutchmen. And, based on the roster, this is clearly just the start of something big.

Blind Brook beat North Salem in a Class C showdown; Peekskill remained unbeaten; Ossining beat Ramapo by 15; Pearl River salvaged a win over Suffern; and Westlake stunned Briarcliff. If there’s anything else you’d like to discuss, fee free.

Have a Merry Christmas. I check in tomorrow.

In between clean-ups for my new puppy, I followed the scores from last night’s action.

There were some interesting results, topped by Tappan Zee’s double overtime win over Pearl River in the opening round of the Pearl River tournament. Pat Peterson and Ryan O’Rourke – two players I highlighted in my weekly Rockland basketball column in Sunday’s Journal News — combined for 53 points in the 83-75 win. A sensational victory for the Dutchmen, who enter the second half of the season as the most dangerous team in Class A hoops.

Pearl River’s Matt Grossbard had 31 points — including the 1,000th of his career. The Pirates have stumbled after a nice start. Watching the game against Nanuet, I figured they would struggle against bigger teams because they just don’t have the rebounding. But TZ doesn’t use many guys over 5-11 and they managed to pull this one out.

In the other game of the Pearl River tournament, Albertus Magnus hung on in the final minutes to beat Suffern. Jake Thomases of The Journal News was at both games last night and has the story here.

Here are the other big games from yesterday:

Mount Vernon 77, Clarkstown South 36: No shock here, which is probably what I’ll be writing after every Mount Vernon 40-plus-point win this season. Sherrod Wright had 24 points and Vaughn Allen added 17 for the Knights, who led 20-14 after the first quarter before going up by 21 at the half and 41 through three. Somehow, Mount Vernon managed just six points in the fourth. Were they kneeling down to kill the clock?

Pleasantville 53: Lincoln Hall 46: I don’t know what it is, but the Panthers always show up to play against Lincoln Hall. Nolan Robinson had 17 points for Pleasantville, which had this game well in hand throughout. Robinson has the talent to be the type of player James Dondero was last season as that tall, savvy point guard. Dondero was one of my favorite players to watch last season because of the way he slyly distributed the ball and defended. I don’t think people understand what the Panthers lost when he graduated. Robinson is that type of player and will be vital to Pleasantville’s chances of making a run in the second-half.

Port Chester 73, Spring Valley 50: You never really know what to expect out of Spring Valley in December on any season. But I definitely expect this good of an effort from the Rams, either. Lamont Norman had 21 points. Norman has a lot of moxy on the court and is poised to have a huge second-half.

Yorktown 63, Fox Lane 54: I haven’t heard all that much about Yorktown this season. But a win like this certainly makes me take notice. The Foxes have a habit of going into little ruts during games. Yorktown capitalized after trailing at the half. Keith Thomas had 18 and Tommy Kelly scored 17 in the win.

Gorton 69, Mahopac 53: Gorton and Chris Ranglin are playing well as they prepare for the County Center this week and the Slam Dunk tournament. Ranglin scored 25 as the Wolves broke the game open in the third quarter.

Ossining 60, Hen Hud 45: I saw Ossining play its season opener, at home versus Peekskill three weeks ago. Ossining got completely blown off the floor. But the O have played far better since then as Norval Bailey and Lemar Johnson have settled into new roles. Jeff Ward has put up solid numbers but will have to continue to improve for Ossining to make any noise this season.

Ramapo 64, Nyack 59: Ramapo was actually down by 10 after the first quarter but found a way to crawl back. Malcolm Zamor had 24 points in a characer-building victory.

Pelham 51, Ardsley 36: A very methodical and thorough victory for the Pelicans, who got 22 points and 14 rebounds from Greg Bratone. Pelham could be starting a run here.

Nanuet 53, Woodlands 51: The Devaney curse almost bit the Golden Knights, who needed a 3-pointer from Jamie Wrenn with a minute to go to beat the 2-6 Falcons.

We’ve reached Christmas week, which means the schedule will be pretty thin. Below I’ve made my picks for the next days, as well as attempted to predict the Slam Dunk tournament:

Monday
Pleasantville at Lincoln Hall, 6:15 p.m.: Any game matching up the 7-8 contending teams in Class B is reason to take notice. Pleasantville already beat Lincoln Hall in a 41-38 slugfest that’s become typical in this rivalry. Pleasantville always manages to slow down the pace and protect the boards. And it almost always wins. PREDICTION: PLEASANTVILLE 46, LINCOLN HALL 44
Ardsley at Pelham, 4:30 p.m.: I think this is where the Pelicans start to break away from the pack of Class A teams not named Peekskill. They’ve got a little bit of a gut-check in the first two weeks and have the chance to prove the preseason hype was warranted. PREDICTION: PELHAM 55, ARDSLEY 45
Pearl River tournament
Tappan Zee at Pearl River, 8 p.m.: It will be interesting to see how the young Dutchmen respond in this environment, which should be filled to the brim. Pearl River knows how to get up early and will look to take control quickly. PREDICTION: PEARL RIVER 62, TAPPAN ZEE 50
Albertus Magnus vs. Suffern, 6:15 p.m.: Picking a Class B school to beat a solid AA is always risky. But the Falcons aren’t just any B school. They’ve been sharp through their first two games and are eager build momentum into the break. As long as they come with the full-court pressure, they’ll advance. PREDICTION: ALBERTUS MAGNUS 63, SUFFERN 59

Tuesday
North Salem at Blind Brook, 7 p.m.: Two contending Class C schools square off in an important game for Blind Brook. The Trojans have played quality basketball in six of seven games. Defensively, they’ve been incredible, as usual. North Salem poses far deeper threats in the backcourt than any team they’ve faced. But are the Tigers ready to win this type of game? I’m not so sure yet. PREDICTION: BLIND BROOK 52, NORTH SALEM 50
Kennedy at Croton-Harmon, 6:15 p.m.: Tigers coach Bill Thom will go for his 300th career victory against a Kennedy squad that’s been erratic so far. Croton seems to settle in this weekend, winning its own tournament after a difficult home OT loss to Lincoln Hall. Kennedy could struggle to defend both Alex Judge and Brandon Sileck. PREDICTION: CROTON 62, KENNEDY 58
Projected matchup: Albertus Magnus vs. Pearl River, 8 p.m.: If these teams meet in the championship (or the consolation), it will be the first of three very good games. Albertus knows what it takes to win these types of road games. If Ryan Sullivan can limit the shots Matt Grossbard gets for the Pirates, the Falcons take the title. PREDICTION: ALBERTUS MAGNUS 57, PEARL RIVER 54

Saturday
Slam Dunk tournament
Challenge game: Croton-Harmon vs. Valhalla, 10:15 a.m.: Love this matchup. We’ll get to really see what these teams are made of as they step on the County Center floor for the first time. Croton, with its veterans, seems better equipped. PREDICTION: CROTON 60, VALHALLA 55
Gorton vs. Long Island Lutheran, 1:45 p.m.: Even without Tobias Harris, Gorton could be in over its heads in this one. The County Center experience and a very talented Long Island squad make this a difficult opening round game. PREDICTION: LONG ISLAND LUTHERAN 67, GORTON 55
White Plains vs. Collegiate, 3:30 p.m.: Even in years where White Plains has started slow, it’s almost always found a way to advance past the first round in this event. Collegiate, which is coached by Pleasantville’s Ray Voelkel (Brian’s dad), is annually one of the most disciplined and prepared teams around. Tough game for the Tigers but one it’s expected to win. PREDICTION: WHITE PLAINS 61, COLLEGIATE 58

Iona Prep vs. Greece-Athena, 5:15 p.m.: Admittedly, I don’t know much about Greece-Athena. But I know all I need to about Iona Prep. Greece has a tough big man in R.J. Kalb, a 6-7 senior who’s the only returning starter from last season’s 19-3 squad. PREDICTION: IONA PREP 69, GREECE ATHENA 62
(Note: Greece Athena is the high school of Jason McElwain, the autistic team manager who scored 20 points in a game in 2006 and grabbed national attention)
(Note 2: One of new starters for Greece is John Wallace Jr., the son of the former Syracuse star drafted in the first round by the Knicks in 1996. Wallace was a megastar in high school at Athena in the early 90s. Wallace Jr is a 6-foot sophomore).
Peekskill vs. South Shore, 7 p.m.: There seemed to be a little confusion on our end on which team Peekskill is facing. It’s South Shore of Brooklyn, not South Side of Long Island. South Shore has struggled so far according to the PSAL web site, including a 58-point loss to Lincoln (Brooklyn). PREDICTION: PEEKSKILL 80, SOUTH SHORE 57

Sunday
Slam Dunk semifinals
Projected matchups
White Plains vs. Long Island Lutheran, 5:15 p.m.: Is it too late to flip the brackets around? With Tobias Harris out, Long Island is no longer the unofficial ‘top seed’ of the tournament. Still, Long Island Lutheran has to be pretty good to hang with New Rochelle this weekend without him. PREDICTION: LONG ISLAND LUTHERAN 60, WHITE PLAINS 57
Iona Prep vs. Peekskill, 7 p.m.: The matchup we’re all anticipating, and possibly the ‘championship’ of the tournament. These teams both possess an array of ball-handlers, elite perimeter shooters and superb on-the-ball defenders. Right now, Iona Prep is the more polished team of the two. As good as Peekskill is, it’s still a work in progress. PREDICTION: IONA PREP 67, PEEKSKILL 65

Monday
Slam Dunk championship
Projected matchup
Iona Prep vs. Long Island Lutheran, 7 p.m.: Could we be watching a preview of a game up in Glens Falls in March? It’s way too early for that. But we said that about Peekskill-Jamesville DeWitt last season and it turned out. Either way, Iona Prep would face a Long Island team that lost to New Rochelle, which the Gaels beat by 38. PREDICTION: IONA PREP 78, LONG ISLAND LUTHERAN 63
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The 30th birthday party for my wife on Saturday night went very well. It was a 60-guest event at a local restaurant and everyone had a lovely time. Some actually had too much of a lovely time.

I shocked everyone at the party when I made a toast and gave her her present — a four-month-old puppy, pictured right (sleeping as always). It’s a Yorkshire Terrier named Brady. It weighs in at a whopping three pounds. I could only get a Yorkie because I’m dangerously allergic to dogs and it’s hypo-allergenic.

We’ve had the dog for a little over 24 hours yet it has somehow taken over the house. I’ve also learned three things about dogs:

1. They smell

2. They are hard to house train

3. They don’t like the sounds TiVo makes

I’m on vacation this week so I’ll have ample time to train it to go on the wee-wee pads. Wow, I never imagined I’d ever see the words “wee-wee pads” in print on this blog.

I ranked the Top 10 teams in the Lower Hudson Valley on Wednesday. In the span of the four days, five of them lost a game. And White Plains lost two.

Today’s loss might be the most stunning. Stepinac went down to Mount St. Michael and dealt the Mounties a 61-57 defeat in a CHSAA A Division matchup.

I had ranked Stepinac No. 7 in my rankings, which looked fine until Thursday when it lost to St. Agnes, the reigning B champs. Mount St. Michael was unbeaten and ranked fourth, behind only Mount St. Vernon, Iona Prep and Peekskill.

Now the rankings will get flipped all around, also considering White Plains went 0-2 in its tournament, Clarkstown South lost handily to New Rochelle and Pearl River was upset at home by Nanuet.

Stepinac’s win is surprising not only because it was on the road, but because the Crusaders are so young and faced a Mount squad with so much experience and momentum. Conroy Baltimore, one of the area’s top sophomores, had 15 points, and junior Tommy Decker scored 16, highlighted by going 7 for 8 from the line in the fourth quarter.

Every conversation I’ve had with Stepinac coach Tim Philp included him saying, to paraphrase: “We’re young and we’re going to need time. But when we get going, we’re going to be pretty good.”

Today might be the start of that.

I don’t have any other scores from today. But I do know that the first two games of the Upstate/Downstate Challenge — Byram Hills-South Side and Poughkeepsie-Chaminade — were postponed because of weather. New Rochelle-Long Island Lutheran tipped off at 4 and White Plains faces host Uniondale at 6.

If you’re interested in New Rochelle-Long Island Lutheran, know that LuHi star forward Tobias Harris suffered a serious ankle injury and is out for 2-3 weeks. He is one of the region’s top recruits. Newsday actually wrote a story about Harris, a 6-8 junior, who transfered to the school. Him being out gives the Huguenots a strong chance in this one.

Post any info you have. My wife’s birthday party is tonight, so I won’t be around until tomorrow.

Here’s an interesting, brand new topic to discuss while I’m gone: Could Iona Prep play with Mount Vernon? I came up with that idea today. It’s a gift, I know.