Iona Prep football standout Darlos James has committed to play next season for the University of Maine.

A four-year varsity player, James will play cornerback for the Division I-AA power. The 5-foot-10, 175-pounder was the cornerstone of a dominant Iona Prep defense that lifted the Gaels to the CHSFL AAA championship this season.

James caught 28 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns as a senior. He was a preseason Super 11 pick and a Journal News first-team all-star.

Still feeling quite ill but I’m going to make it up to Peekskill for tonight’s matchup with Poughkeepsie. Should be a fun night. First, here are the latest rankings:

Top 10
1. Mount Vernon (9-2): Montverde Academy (Fla.) exposed Mount Vernon’s weakness — a lack of multiple 7-footers. Just play all your 6-foot-9 or bigger guys and you should be able to beat the Knights.
2. Peekskill (13-0): The Red Devils haven’t played a game closer than 23 points since beating Gorton for the Slam Dunk title. Could that be a factor entering today’s showdown at home with Poughkeepsie?
3. Iona Prep (15-1): Like Peekskill, the Gaels haven’t been challenged since the Slam Dunk tournament. They have the week off before facing Cardinal Hayes on Friday, and then another week off before St. John’s Prep on Jan. 30. The Bishop Ford meeting has been moved to Super Bowl Sunday at noon.
4. New Rochelle (10-2): The Huguenots take a six-game winning streak down to Missouri for the Missouri Eye Institute Winter Classic. A second-round meeting with host Glendale High could be a major challenge.
5. Mount St. Michael (12-4): The Mounties are coming off a solid 18-point win oer LaSalle this weekend, and are gearing up for Friday’s meeting at Stepinac. The Crusaders beat Mount at home in late December.
6. Stepinac (9-6): Stepinac won back to back game this week, knocking off a scrappy Fordham Prep team on Sunday and beat St. John’s Prep by 10 yesterday. Consistency is a huge factor for this team moving forward.
7. Poughkeepsie (12-1): It seems few are giving the Pioneers a chance to win tonigh at Peekskill as coach Lou Panzanaro goes for win No. 500. That might be a good thing for Poughkeepsie.
8. North Rockland (10-1): Seeing this time live on Monday convinced me they’re for real. With five underclassmen starting, the Red Raiders are very quick, has excellent shooters and a versatile post player in John Perez. Beating Gorton by 20 left me very impressed.
9. Mahopac (10-1): The Indians are eager to pull off the season sweep with Arlington when they meet at Mahopac on Friday. A win there and Mahopac’s toughest remaining game could be Lakeland if they meet in the Mahopac tournament on Jan. 31.
10. White Plains (7-7): The Tigers have a lot to build off of from last week’s losses to Mount Vernon and White Plains. Darrell Ward played exceptionally on both ends, and the bench provided a spark. If White Plains can get consistency from their other veterans, they’ll be a tough out in the playoffs.

Conference rankings
Class AA
1. Mount Vernon
2. New Rochelle
3. Poughkeepsie
4. North Rockland
5. Mahopac

Class A
1. Peekskill
2. Lakeland
3. Lourdes
4. Kennedy
5. Pearl River

Class B
1. Albertus Magnus
2. Nanuet
3. Lincoln Hall
4. Dobbs Ferry
5. Pleasantville

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

Please take a moment and click over to the Gameday Central blog and vote for the Gameface of the Week.

There are some familiar faces in this week’s poll of candidates, including Maurice Easterling of Stepinac, Kevin Luong of Ramapo and Christian Nunez of White Plains.

My apologies for the lack of posts the last two days. When I went to yesterday’s North Rockland-Gorton game, I had a slight runny nose. Not soon after I got home, I was laid up in bed with a full-blown cold.

I actually called out sick today, which I rarely ever do. I think in 10 years at The Journal News, I’ve taken 3-4 sick days. I’m feeling somewhat better this afternoon, but I felt it would be best to rest up today and tonight and be ready for tomorrow’s Poughkeepsie-Peekskill extravaganza.

As I mentioned last week, we’ll be airing the game live on our Mogulus sports channel, and be wrapping Varsity Central Live into the format. I’ll do a pregame, we’ll show the first half, and then I’ll answer your questions at halftime. After the game is over, I’ll come back on with postgame interviews and to answer more of your questions.

It should be a great night. Peekskill coach Lou Panzanaro is going for career win No. 500 and Ralph Watts is on the verge of his 1,000th career point.

I’ll probably lay low for the rest of the day and check back in tonight with some thoughts on the day’s action. I’ll be awaiting the results of Briarcliff-Croton, Hamilton-Tuckahoe and Fox Lane-Roosevelt.

Slight change to the weekly picks: More games, less description. I figure people would like to see me picks more games. This is the best way to do it.

Monday
North Rockland vs. Gorton, noon: The Wolves are at crossroads in their season, facinga tough opponent after a rough stretch of games. North Rockland is striking at the right time. PREDICTION: NORTH ROCKLAND 62, GORTON 58

Tuesday
Briarcliff at Croton-Harmon, 6:15 p.m.: Briarcliff needs to string some wins together to get into the playoffs. After Friday night, I don’t expect Croton to be held down again. PREDICTION: CROTON-HARMON 60, BRIARCLIFF 55

Wednesday
Blind Brook at Valhalla, 4:30 p.m.: As well as Blind Brook has played of late — and the Roosevelt win was certainly impressive — I have to stick with Valhalla, especially at home. I’ve been high on the Vikings all season. PREDICTION: VALHALLA 46, BLIND BROOK 42
Kennedy at Lincoln Hall, 6:15 p.m.: Kennedy has played so well of late, and it has the big bodies to muscle with Lincoln Hall inside. The Gaels will likely pack in a zone. Lincoln Hall usually shoots well enough at home. PREDICTION: LINCOLN HALL 57, KENNEDY 52
Poughkeepsie at Peekskill, 6:30 p.m.: With Poughkeepsie forward Brandon James still out, coach Lou Panzanaro gets win No. 500 and Ralph Watts should reach the 1,000-point plateau in the win. Even with James, I still like Peekskill be a healthy margin. PREDICTION: PEEKSKILL 77, POUGHKEEPSIE 65
Lakeland at Horace Greeley, 6:15 p.m.: Horace Greeley has hit some bumps in the road this season and faces a Lakeland squad that’s steamrolled through the second half. I like the Hornets’ momentum. PREDICTION: LAKELAND 67, HORACE GREELEY 64

Thursday
Pearl River at Albertus Magnus, 6:30 p.m.: We get treated to a rematch of one of the seasons best games. Pearl River knocked off Albertus in overtime on Saturday. Look for the Falcons to get some revenge. PREDICTION: ALBERTUS MAGNUS 64, PEARL RIVER 59

Friday
Mount Vernon vs. Jefferson, 6 p.m.: This game is the opening round of the SNY Invitational at NYU’s Coles Sports Center. It should be a major test for Mount Vernon. Jefferson just beat Boys & Girls in OT. Jefferson is deep, balanced and athletic. PREDICTION: MOUNT VERNON 75, JEFFERSON 72
Arlington at Mahopac, 6 p.m.: Mahopac is riding high and recently knocked off the Admirals in a league showdown. Look for the Indians to all but lock up the title with a win here. PREDICTION: MAHOPAC 70, ARLINGTON 64
Mount St. Michael at Stepinac, 7 p.m.: The Mounties are eager for another shot at Stepinac after losing the first meeting at home last month. It’s hard to envision Stepinac will beat this team twice. PREDICTION: MOUNT ST. MICHAEL 62, STEPINAC 57
Clarkstown South at North Rockland, 7:30 p.m.: Huge meeting of Rockland County rivals. Winning the Nanuet tournament should certainly vault South into this one. PREDICTION: CLARKSTOWN SOUTH 65, NORTH ROCKLAND 64
Lakeland at Yorktown, 8 p.m.: Lakeland hasn’t played a close game since losing by a point to Rye in mid-December. Even before then, the Hornets were winning by a healthy margin. I think they’re the cream of the crop in this league. PREDICTION: LAKELAND 68, YORKTOWN 60

Saturday
Pearl River at Byram Hills, 1 p.m.: The Bobcats have quietly played very well of late but face a hot Pearl River team. Byram could struggle to stop Pearl River’s weapons, especially Matt Grossbard. PREDICTION: PEARL RIVER 53, BYRAM HILLS 49
Briarcliff at Hastings, 2 p.m.: Tough match up for the Bears considering Hastings’ size and depth inside. Hastings, though, has struggled to stop prolific scorers. A big deal from Najee Forte could get a win. PREDICTION: BRIARCLIFF 52, HASTINGS 48

Good weekend of games. Here are some thoughts on the biggest games:

Friday
Albertus Magnus 75, Nanuet 57: I was at this game and was in awe of how well Albertus played. To put up 75 points on this Nanuet team, especially on the road in a hostile environment, is a major feat for the Falcons.

Perhaps losing at home to Nanuet last week woke Albertus up. Perhaps they needed a few games to get used to playing without Francis Lopez. Perhaps they caught Nanuet on the right night. Whatever it was, the Falcons were a vastly improved team from when I saw them last month, thanks to Terrence Michalak and Ryan Sullivan.

The guard duo devastated Nanuet in the second half, combining for 21 points (33 total) and keying a 17-4 run that stretched from the end of the third quarter to early in the fourth. Nanuet simply couldn’t keep up with that scoring.

Albertus’ discipline and coaching won this game. The Falcons boxed out and were patient on offense. They ran a lot of good sets, passed the ball well and, as one Class B coach sitting near me noticed, Albertus scored every single possession coming out of a timeout. That’s good coaching right there by Pat McFadden.

Flynn McFadden knocked down four 3-pointers and had 21 points, and Floyd Leroy did a little bit everything, whether it was rebounding, blocking shots or coming up with steals. He had the play of the game just before halftime, swatting a jump shot at the foul line and the running around the shooter and going down the court for a thunderous dunk. I like his demeanor on the court, too. Very cool and reserved.

Clarkstown South 80, Iona Prep B 40: (Note: Initially I forgot to mention this was Iona Prep B. Minor detail, I guess) I got to see the future of Rockland County basketball in this one. Mike McCahey, a 6-foot-3 freshman, nailed 7 of 10 3-pointers and scored a career-high 23 points. The rotation on his shot and release is so smooth, and you could see the kid oozes potential. Coach Chris Meyers said he had a lot of things to work on his game, most of which are things that will come with maturity and experience. Kevin McCahey and Doug Conway did a nice of penetrating and creating space for Mike. They deserve some credit, too.
Byram Hills 55, Scarsdale 51: All that praise I heaped on Scarsdale the other day — and then it loses this one. Byram, though, does a very good job at running the matchup zone, which will allow it to play with just about anyone. Erik Britz had 14 points for the Bobcats (7-3).
Hen Hud 54, Beacon 51: Important win for the Sailors, especially coming off that lopsided loss at Peekskill. Adam Mayer scored 22 points as Hen Hud held off a fourth-quarter comeback.
Iona Prep 88, Stepinac 64: The Gaels win another lopsided CHSAA game. The closest of their 13 league wins was the 10-point victory last Friday against Mount St. Michael. The margin of victory overall is over 23 points per contest. Jordan Bronner had 33 points, including 15 free throws, and Brian Voelkel added 16 points.
Edgemont 62, Rye 47: Somewhat of a stunner, especially after I watched Rye hold off Pelham at home this week. Edgemont will need to pull off a few more upsets to qualify for the Class B playoffs. Billy Kreinik scored 24 points in the win.
Pleasantville 59, Croton-Harmon 45: I was way off on this one. I didn’t think Pleasantville would be able to match up with both Alex Judge and Brandon Sileck. Yet the Panthers held them to 11 combined points. Matt Nicolai scored 20 points for Pleasantville.

Saturday
Blind Brook 66, Roosevelt 50: It’s not all that surprising Blind Brook was able to pull this off, beating a Roosevelt team playing its fourth game this week. But by 16 points? Shocking. Roosevelt is a quality Class AA team coming off wins over Gorton and Arlington. Might I have to rethink my rankings, and my prediction of Valhalla-Blind Brook on Wednesday? Perhaps.
New Rochelle 68, Mamaroneck 39: Not a great effort by the Huguenots, who were sluggish against a Mamaroneck team without Taylor Mondshein (ankle injury). Antoine Mason had 19 points for New Rochelle, which is 10-2.
Clarkstown North 53, Tappan Zee 46: North hands Tappan Zee another tough loss. This is a bad matchup for the Dutchmen considering North’s height and physical play inside. Josh McKinley had 15 points.
Hen Hud 73, Blind Brook 69, OT: The Sailors came back from six points down in the fourth quarter to force OT. Alex Solnick had 18 points and Mike Tandy had 17. Josh O’Neill had 28 points in the loss.
Pelham 67, Woodlands 49: Beating Woodlands shouldn’t be a big deal for Pelham. But the way it did it was encouraging. After shooting so poorly the last three games, Garrett Johnson hit four 3-pointers and scored a game-high 24 points. Teams are going to pack in a zone against Pelham. It will be up to Johnson and the other guards to make them pay for it.

Update, 4:30: FINAL — Montverde 74, Mount Vernon 65. After a long final minute, Montverde prevails. It went 21 of 22 from the line in the second half. Mount Vernon didn’t shoot well enough to win.

Justin Jackson led Montverde with 24 points. James Bell added 19. Both are juniors.

Sherrod Wright had 22 and Jabarie Hinds had 18.

Going down to the locker room to do postgame interviews. I’ll check back in with news and notes before I head back South.

Update, 4:25: Make that 18 for 18 from the line. One minute left down 11.

Update, 4:23: Montverde leads 69-60 with 1:46 remaining. Tough loss for Mount Vernon, although its aggressiveness on defense allowed it stay in this game longer than I expected. Montverde is 16 for 16 from the line this half and has committed only two turnovers in the fourth quarter. Hard to come back when teams do that — and when you’re under 20-percent from 3-point range.

Update, 4:19: Sherrod Wright made a put-back with 2:54 left to cut into Montverde’s lead. It’s 65-57 Montverde.

Don’t get too excited. Montverde just effortlessly took a minute off the clock by passing the ball around the perimeter, getting an offensive rebound and then keeping it away for another 30 seconds. As fast as Mount Vernon is, the guards didn’t sniff a steal.

Update, 4:16: It’s 65-55 with 5:00 left in the game. Montverde doesn’t miss foul shots. It’s 14 of 14 from the line this half.

Update, 4:12: Montverde is hanging on to a 61-49. Mount Vernon is making some threats but can’t knock down anything from the perimeter. For whatever reason, James Bell hasn’t played much in the second half. As I just typed that, he checked back in.

Update, 4:04: Montverde leads 56-44 after three quarters. Sean Harris just banked in a 30-footer at the buzzer for the Knights.

As well as Mount Vernon played that quarter, it took that miracle shot to actually make up some ground. The Knights started to hack in the paint and Montverde responded by making 8 of 8 at the line.

Update, 4:00: Mount Vernon is on a 14-4 run and has cut the deficit to 50-40 with 2:05 left in the third.

Update, 3:56: Mount Vernon is playing with a lot of fire right now, which is pretty much its only chance. The Knights trail 50-36 with 4 minutes left in the third.

I was also just informed by a reader that Montverde star James Bell is the cousin of former Mount Vernon star Nadia Duncan. Bell’s stepfather is Aaron Duncan, a 1987 Mount Vernon alum. Small world.

Update, 3:54: Montverde leads 48-36 with 4:48 left in the third.

Update, 3:48: Just learned that 6-foot-8 stud Justin Jackson is has four Division I offers: Auburn, Clemson, Ole Miss and South Carolina. Florida, Georgetown and Kentucky are also in pursuit.

The second half has begun.

Update, 3:47: For all the hype of Montverde’s D-1 stars, it’s Justin Jackson who’s killing Mount Vernon. The 6-9 junior has 16 points (7 for 10 FG) and eight rebounds. Rob Chubb (6-10) has 11 points. Jabarie Hinds leads Mount Vernon with 11 points and Sherrod Wright has nine.

Other stats
Field goal percentage: Mount Vernon 31.3%; Montverde 62%
3-pointers: Mount Vernon 2-for-10; Montverde 1-for-4
Points in the paint: Mount Vernon 12; Montverde 30
Rebounds: Mount Vernon 15 (9 offensive); Montverde 21 (7 offensive)
Turnovers: Mount Vernon 4; Montverde 5
Fast break points: Mount Vernon 2, Montverde 2

I thought the rebounding numbers would be a little more skewed. But Mount Vernon had a nice little stretch where they hit the glass hard.

For Mount Vernon to win this game, the turnovers and fast break points have to favor it heavily in the second half. Right now, though, I don’t see that happening. Montverde is too disciplined and well coached.

Update, 3:38: HALFTIME: Montverde 41, Mount Vernon 26. The Knights are in serious trouble.

Montverde scored the final 10 points in the half to widen its lead. Mount Vernon simply cannot get enough bodies in the paint to rebound or defend this array of big men. At one point, Montverde didn’t have a player on the floor under 6-foot-6. Four were 6-9 or bigger.

To beat a team that big you have to take high-percentage shots and make more than half. The Knights are nowhere near that and could be on the verge of a serious blowout. I’ll get the shooting stats in a moment. It won’t be pretty — nor will the rebound ratio or blocked shots. Montverde is legit.

Update, 3:32: Consecutive transition lay-ups has gotten the Knights to within 31-26 with 3:03 left in the second quarter. Hinds and Lessane are doing a great job of getting out in the open floor after Montverde finally put 7-foot center Ruslan Pateev (Arizona State) into the game. He’s not mobile. When you run like that, it’s like playing 5 on 4.

Update, 3:29: Mount Vernon has put its press on. However, it’s not at all effective. The long arms of Montverde are passing the ball up the court and the ball isn’t touching the floor. Dribbling into trouble is where the Knights hurt you. Can’t do anything when you pass right over it.

Update, 3:27: Mount Vernon trails 28-18 with 5:33 left in the second quarter. Montverde has had some rebounds this quarter where the big men haven’t needed to jump. They’re dominating inside and their zone has caused the Knights some fits.

Update, 3:22: James Bell (Villanova) just stuck a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Montverde a 20-14 lead. The loose officiating of games like this should favor Mount Vernon’s aggressive press, which it started to apply at the end of the quarter. They’ll likely go to it the rest of the half.

Update, 3:19: Mount Vernon trails only 15-14 after Sherrod Wright converted a three-point play with 1:07 left. Good start for the Knights despite not shooting particularly well. The guards are rebounding, which is crucial. Montverde has six blocks already.

Update, 3:07: Starters — Mount Vernon: Sherrod Wright, Odayne Clarke, Jabarie Hinds, Jordan Lessane, Vaughn Allen; Montverde: James Bell (6-5), Rob Chubb (6-10), Justin Jackson (6-9), Kaleb Clyburn (5-9), Papa Samba Ndao (6-8).

Update, 2:57 p.m.: This is the best tournament in the world. Why? Because they’ve managed to stick seven games onto one court, schedule them 90 minutes apart and still manage to keep things on a tight schedule.

Mount Vernon and Montverde will tip off in about seven minutes, which is only six minutes behind schedule. Kudos to the people here in Springfield.

I’d be happy to provide updates throughout, assuming there are people out there to read it. Spacecadet and knockdown3 have already replied. Anybody else out there interested in updates? The more people, the more updates. Thanks.

Update, 2 p.m.: I just walked into the Springfield College arena for the Hoophall Classic. Mount Vernon will take on Montverde Academy (Fla.) at 3 p.m.

It was a pleasant drive up. No traffic and or bad weather. Just me, a bag of gummy bears and Sirius Satellite radio for two blissful hours.

Right now I’m watching American Heritage face Central Catholic. Remember this name: Kenny Boynton. He’s American Heritage’s 6-foot-2 senior guard headed to Florida. His skills are flat-out ridiculous. NBA range and his shots barely touch the net when they fall through. He also caught an alley-oop dunk from Raymond Taylor, their 5-foot-5 guard headed to Florida Atlantic.

I’ve spoken to a few people, including Mount Vernon coaches, who ran into this Montverde team at the hotel this morning. Somehow, they’re bigger in person. Oh, and the 7-footer headed to Arizona State, comes off the bench. The starting front line is 6-8, 6-9, 6-10. Yikes.

Mount Vernon will travel up to Springfield, Mass. this weekend to participate in the Hoophall Classic at the Basketball Hall of Fame. It’s one-game showcase for the Knights, who competed in the prestigious event two years ago.

The Knights will take on Montverde Academy of Florida tomorrow at 3 p.m. Montverde, which is annually in the USA Today rankings, is 11-3, including losses to national powers Oldsmar Christian and Findlay Prep. Findlay is ranked No. 2 in the nation behind Mater Dei (Calif).

I’ll be up in Springfield for tomorrow’s game. Check in for updates. Here’s a look at the talent Montverde boasts:

Ruslan Pateev: A 7-foot center headed to Arizona State
James Bell: A 6-5 junior guard who has already committed to Villanova
Rob Chubb: Versatile 6-10 forward who’s signed with Auburn
Nick Diatta: Powerful 6-8 center headed to Towson

Bell is the best player, at least according to national recruiting sites. He’s an elite shooter.

Those around Mount Vernon, though, aren’t really fazed by the height, or the hype. Many believe Montverde doesn’t have the athletes to handle Mount Vernon’s pressure and they’ll be able to get out in the open floor. We’ll see, I guess.

In 2007, Mount Vernon lost to a powerhouse Norcross (Ga.) teams, 72-63. Norcross finished that season ranked No. 12 in the country and won the Georgia 5A stat title. Here’s where some of the player Norcross guys have gone on to:

Gani Lawal: The 6-9 forward is now a star at Georgia Tech. He’s listed by Chad Ford of ESPN as a potential lottery pick in this year’s NBA Draft. Against Mount Vernon, Lawal had 24 points – including eight dunks – and eight rebounds.
Al-Farouq Aminu: Speaking of NBA Lottery Picks, Ford lists the 6-8 Aminu as a potential Top 10 pick, assuming he leaves Wake Forrest after his freshman season.
Jordan Demercy: Florida State is regarded as the biggest team in the country. Having a 6-7 shooting guard like Demercy certainly helps. He’s starting for Florida State as a sophomore, averaging just 4.1 points per game. Against Mount Vernon, Demercy drained four second-half 3-pointers.

I’m in sort of a hurry this afternoon, so I’ll quickly go through the big games from last night:

Mount Vernon 99, Mamaroneck 38: Yikes. Perhaps this was the effort coach Bob Cimmino was looking for when he ripped his team after Tuesday’s hideous win at White Plains. Sherrod Wright had 25 points and Jordan Lessane (14 points) hit four 3-pointers.
Roosevelt 74, Gorton 61: Another example of how crazy the Yonkers league can be. Roosevelt has been lurking all season and fought through inconsistency. Could this be a turnaround game for the Indians? We’ll see. Gorton hit 13 fewer foul shots than Roosevelt, which is always points towards a loss.
Spring Valley 61, Tappan Zee 49: I’ve ranked TZ as the best team in Rockland for three weeks. But part of me saw this coming. Spring Valley should have blown out the Dutchmen in the season opener but an inspiring comeback came up just short. TZ has improved dramatically over the last six weeks. This, though, is just a difficult matchup. Terry Brutus had 21 points.
Fox Lane 49, Horace Greeley 39: All year I’ve felt that Fox Lane has been able to compete with Greeley, Lakeland and Yorktown in a competitive league II-Central. But to hold Greeley to 39 points is stunning. And to do it without David Hughes (injured) is mind-boggling.
Pearl River 75, Nanuet 65: The Pirates hung 75 points on a defensive-minded Nanuet team at home? Wow. Nanuet got some breaks in the first half of the season — and can’t catch many of late. Pearl River knocked down 12 3-pointers, including six from Luke Houston (21 points).
Yonkers 66: Port Chester 45: Nice win for Yonkers. I remember a few years back when Port Chester kept its starters in a little too long in an attempt to hang 100 points on the Bulldogs. Amazing to think about how things have changed since then. London Reyes had 18 points.
North Rockland 59, Suffern 48: Guess who’s 8-1? North Rockland is. The Red Raiders got 20 points from John Perez and 19 from Jorge Cruz. They’ll travel to Gorton on Monday at noon. North Rockland could be very disruptive come seeding time.
Lincoln 74, Ramapo 65: Dustin Hogue has been on fire this month. The Lincoln forward had 23 points on 10 of 11 shooting and 17 rebounds. Hogue is one of the area’s most underrated players.
Peekskill 76, Our Lady of Lourdes 53: Win No. 499 for coach Lou Panzanaro. It’s amazing to think that Lourdes can be one of the best teams in the conference and still lose to Peekskill by 23 points. Daquan Brickhouse had 21 points.

Two games at White Plains this week… and there were 100 fouls.

After Mount Vernon and White Plains combined for 51 fouls on Tuesday, New Rochelle and White Plains were whistled for 49 fouls today in New Rochelle’s 74-68 win. The number was aided by two technical fouls.

One hundred fouls in two games is quite an accomplishment. When White Plains was whistled for a reach-in foul in the final minute to get to No. 100, I was stunned that they didn’t stop the game and hold some sort of ceremony. Both teams – and the refs, of course – could have signed the ball and sent it to the Hall of Fame in Springfield.

I’m saying this all tongue-in-cheek, of course. The refs have taken quite a beating on the blog the last three days (and from the coaches during each of these contests). Tuesday’s game might have had an un-Godly amount of fouls but I would hardly say the game was poorly officiated. And today’s game didn’t seem like it had 49 fouls, so I suppose that’s a good thing.

The games actually followed an eerily similar pattern. Mount Vernon got ahead 24-8 after the first quarter, led by 13 at the half and saw its lead shrink to six in the third quarter. New Rochelle led 27-12 after the first, went up 19 at the half and saw its lead shrink to five in the fourth quarter.

Both times, White Plains made mistakes and the opposing teams cashed in. I’ve been more amazed in these two games watching White Plains than Mount Vernon or New Rochelle. The Tigers don’t have nearly the talent of these two teams. Yet they’ve made Class AA’s two best teams play ugly and dictated the tempo.

Darrell Ward is slowly emerging as a dominant big man. He had 17 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks against New Rochelle. He’s so smooth in the paint and has impeccable foot work. The amount of time he’s put into his game in the last year is starting to pay off.

New Rochelle, meanwhile, might have found the perfect rotation for a team that goes 10-deep: put two of their best players on the bench. Junior Antoine Mason and sophomore P.J. Torres came into the game and took over, combining for 33 points. They combined to hit 5 of 7 3-pointers in the first half, and accounted for all seven of New Rochelle’s points in the third.

Based on what I’ve seen this week, New Rochelle can definitely play with Mount Vernon and, on the right day, beat them. Is that day January 30th at New Ro? We’ll find out soon enough.

Before I head off to White Plains-New Rochelle game, I wanted to check in and encourage everyone to watch a replay of last night’s Varsity Central Live.

John Calarco of New Rochelle was our special guest. He did an excellent job fielding questions from myself and you, the readers, and gave good insight into the New Rochelle locker room after a rough start.

We have a really special treat for next week’s show: We’ll be broadcasting live from Peekskill as the four-time Class A champs take on Poughkeepsie. If all goes according to play until then, Peekskill coach Lou Panzanaro could win his 500th career game.

VC Live will make an entire night out of the event. I’ll be going live from tip-off at 6:15 until the postgame, conducting interviews with players, fans, friends and, hopefully, Mr. 500 himself.

There’s less than a month left in the regular season. Mount Vernon is the favorite in Class AA, Peekskill has separated from the pack in A, and there’s a solid three-team race for the C championship in Valhalla, Hamilton and Blind Brook.

Class B? Well, we can all agree that there’s no one favorite to win the title — and there probably aren’t four teams you could pencil into the semifinals, either.

Never in seven years of covering basketball have seen anything quite like this season’s field of Class B teams. There are almost a dozen teams that could reach the title game and probably 5-6 with realistic chances of winning a championship. Albertus, Nanuet, Lincoln Hall, Dobbs Ferry, Croton… the list goes on.

I sat down tonight and focused on the 11 teams that could be considered contenders in B, examining schedules and scores. I’ve seen nine of the 11 teams play live (I’ve yet to see Dobbs Ferry or Pawling) and have concluded that it’s all about matchups. Follow these chains as proof:

Albertus crushed Hastings, Hastings beat Irvington twice, Irvington beat Nanuet, and Nanuet beat Albertus

Pleasantville has beaten Lincoln Hall twice, Lincoln Hall has beaten Croton twice, Croton and Pleasantville have lost to Westlake, Lincoln Hall blew out Westlake

As I said, it’s all about the matchups. As several coaches have said this season: “We can beat anyone… and we can lose to anyone, too.”

Let’s go team-by-team and examine the matchups.

TOP CONTENDERS
Albertus Magnus (8-2)
Class B wins: Hastings, Irvington
Class B losses: Nanuet
Why they’re good: When healthy, the Falcons are the most balanced team in the conference. The guards do a great job pressuring the ball in the full court and they rebound and defend well in the paint. Floyd Leroy is one of the classes top five players.
Where they can improve: The Falcons sometimes fall too much in love with the 3-point shot and stray from feeding Leroy the ball. There also needs to be increased defensive intensity. Tappan Zee and Nanuet both beat Albertus because they were tougher down the stretch and made stops.
Who matches up: Nanuet, Pleasantville, Dobbs Ferry, Croton-Harmon
Who’ll have trouble: Hastings, Lincoln Hall, Irvington, Briarcliff

Nanuet (10-2)
Class B wins: Pleasantville (twice), Edgemont, Hastings, Woodlands
Class B losses: Irvington
Why they’re good: The most resilient and mentally strong team in Section 1. Nothing fazes this group. The Knights are superb defending the half-court and they erase all opponents chances of an offensive rebound. To beat them, you either have to shoot extremely well or match their defensive intensity, which few teams can.
Where they need to improve: Honestly, I can’t think of much. The Knights lost to Valhalla and Irvington on days when shots simply wouldn’t fall in the fourth quarter. It’s hard to ‘improve’ on that.
Who matches up: Westlake, Irvington, Croton-Harmon, Albertus Magnus
Who’ll have trouble: Pleasantville, Lincoln Hall, Briarcliff, Dobbs Ferry, Hastings

Dobbs Ferry (10-1)
Class B wins: Briarcliff
Class B losses: Hastings
Why they’re good: The depth was among the best before the season and, feasting on a weak schedule, the Eagles are giving their reserves more time every day. The guard-play has been very good on both ends, and Kevin Dahill is as versatile and explosive a wing as there is in Section 1.
Where they can improve: The loss to Hastings exposed Dobbs’ vulnerability against teams with multiple big men. The schedule will hurt, too. Dobbs is already 7-0 against Class C teams and should push that number to 15-0 by the playoffs. The most important thing for the Eagles is to not get complacent or overconfident. Beating teams by 50 points isn’t always a good thing.
Who matches up: Albertus Magnus, Nanuet, Hastings, Lincoln Hall, Croton-Harmon
Who’ll have trouble: Irvington, Westlake, Briarcliff, Pleasantville
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NEXT IN LINE
Lincoln Hall (8-4)
Class B wins: Croton-Harmon (twice), Westlake, Put Valley, Woodlands
Class B losses: Pleasantville (twice), Hastings
Why they’re good: The interior duo of Sir Aaron Taylor and Tysean Saigo is as good as any in Section. They both rebound, and can score in the post or step outside and knock down midrange jumpers. The United also do a solid job of taking down teams who rely on one or two dominant scorers.
Where they can improve: The guard struggle against consistent pressure, although they’ve gotten away with it at times. They don’t have any true perimeter threats and they must knock down some shots early to avoid teams packing in a zone against them.
Who matches up: Pleasantville, Nanuet, Albertus Magnus
Who’ll have trouble: Dobbs Ferry, Irvington, Westlake, Hastings, Briarcliff

Pleasantville (7-5)
Class B wins: Lincoln Hall (twice), Briarcliff, Westlake
Class B losses: Nanuet (twice), Westlake
Why they’re good: The Panthers are blessed with quality 3-point shooters and play very good team defense. When they attack the basket, they open up the floor and create the high-percentage shots the offensive scheme is designed around. It’s all about limiting mistakes and creating turnovers.
Where they can improve: Just because they’re supposed to do those things doesn’t mean they always do it. They rely too much on the 3-point shot at times and don’t pound it inside. They pass the ball as a team as well as anyone. But they don’t take advantage by moving without the ball. That takes time.
Who matches up: Nanuet, Westlake, Albertus Magnus, Irvington
Who’ll have trouble: Dobbs Ferry, Briarcliff, Hastings, Croton-Harmon, Lincoln Hall

Croton-Harmon (7-3)
Class B wins: Hastings, Putnam Valley
Class B losses: Lincoln Hall (twice), Westlake
Why they’re good: Not only do the Tigers have a 6-foot-2 guard who can bury 3-pointers and get to the basket — they have two of them. Alex Judge and Brandon Sileck are a brutal match-up for teams that don’t have guards big enough to defend or forwards who are quick enough.
Where they can improve: Time will help this team more than anything. The Tigers sputtered early with so many guys coming over from football. That’s not an excuse. But when you have year-round basketball players like Judge and Sileck with part-time basketball players around them, it’s tough to mesh. Rebounding could also be an issue for Croton.
Who matches up: Lincoln Hall, Nanuet, Albertus Magnus, Westlake, Pleasantville
Who’ll have trouble: Dobbs Ferry, Hastings, Irvington

Hastings (8-4)
Class B wins: Lincoln Hall, Irvington, Dobbs Ferry
Class B losses: Albertus Magnus, Croton-Harmon, Nanuet
Why they’re good: The group of low-post players the Yellow Jackets have can be overwhelming. Alby Skrelji is a versatile 6-5 forward, and Jay Aluisio and Ryan Blicker can finish around the basket.
Where they can improve: Hastings really struggled against Albertus when it applied its full-court press to open the game. Handling that pressure will be vital to Hastings’ success. It also seems to stray from pushing the ball inside and catering to its strengths.
Who matches up: Nanuet, Albertus Magnus, Lincoln Hall, Croton-Harmon, Pleasantville
Who’ll have trouble: Irvington, Westlake, Dobbs Ferry
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CAN PULL THE UPSET
Irvington (5-6)
Class B wins: Nanuet, Edgemont, Putnam Valley
Class B losses: Hastings (twice), Albertus Magnus, Briarcliff
Why they’re good: The Bulldogs are a tough, defensive-minded team that’s littered with athletes. Teams like that are dangerous because they’ll play four quarters and be willing to compete with anybody.
Where they can improve: As I’ve said, Irvington is more of a collection of athletes than it is a team of basketball players. The key for the Bulldogs on a game-to-game basis is their ability to defend and push the ball up the floor.
Who they can upset: Hastings, Nanuet, Pleasantville
Not going to beat: Dobbs Ferry, Albertus Magnus, Lincoln Hall, Croton-Harmon

Westlake (5-6)
Class B wins: Briarcliff, Croton-Harmon, Pleasantville, Woodlands
Class B losses: Lincoln Hall, Pleasantville, Edgemont
Why they’re good: They’ve got a good blend of athletic guards and versatile big men. Anthony Calcagni is the probably the most underrated big men in the area. His ability to finish around the rim and play with his back to the basket opens things up.
Where they can improve: Lincoln Hall really pushed the Wildcats around and took them out of their game. Westlake hasn’t really faced a team that challenged it with full-court pressure, so it will be interesting to see how the Wildcats react.
Who they can upset: Croton-Harmon, Pleasantville, Dobbs Ferry, Nanuet, Hastings
Not going to beat: Lincoln Hall, Albertus Magnus

Briarcliff (5-5)
Class B wins: Irvington, Putnam Valley
Class B losses: Dobbs Ferry, Westlake, Pleasantville
Why they’re good: The Bears might be inexperienced, but they have the most dangerous player in the conference in Najee Forte. The junior guard is so smooth and is developing great poise. With the big men developing every day, they’ll take the pressure off him by playoff time.
Where they can improve: The development of the big men could go a little faster or else they’ll be shut out of the playoffs. With a challenging schedule ahead, protecting the ball in late-game situations will be crucial.
Who they can upset: Nanuet, Croton-Harmon, Lincoln Hall, Hastings
Not going to beat: Albertus Magnus, Pleasantville, Dobbs Ferry

Pawling (10-1)
* With Pawling being out of our coverage area, I know very little about them. Perhaps some of our Dutchess County bloggers can fill us in with a scouting report.
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PREDICTIONS
Semifinals
Albertus Magnus over Nanuet
Lincoln Hall over Dobbs Ferry

Championship
Albertus Magnus over Lincoln Hall

Here are the scores from tonight:

Poughkeepsie 80, Panas 57
Rye 46, Pelham 43
Byram Hills 48, Edgemont 37
Eastchester 52, Woodlands 45
Albertus 66, Irvington 58
Lincoln Hall 58, Croton-Harmon 54
Peekskill 87, Hen Hud 28
Kennedy 51, Putnam Valley 37
Harvey 48, Wooster 44
Westlake 51, Pleasantville  42
Harrison 72, Ardsley 60
Iona Prep 68, Xavier 48

New Rochelle star guard John Calarco will be our special guest on tonight’s Varsity Central Live broadcast. The weekly Q&A show starts at 7:30.

We’ll have Calarco on for about 20 minutes and discuss the obvious topics: what schools he’s considering, how New Rochelle came back from the Iona Prep loss and what his thoughts of Mount Vernon are.

I’ve spoke to Calarco before and am sure he’s going to be a great guest. Hopefully you find time to tune in.

Rankings aren’t supposed to be easy. It’s all subjective, and these are predicated on my ability to rate teams based on seeing them all once or two, if at all.

But this week’s rankings — mainly the conference lists — are nearly impossible given some circumstances. Teams like Poughkeepsie, Albertus Magnus, Hamilton and Solomon Schechter have all been bitten by injuries/suspensions. And teams like Lourdes, Stepinac and Nanuet have tripped up a little. Was it one bad day? It’s impossible to really know.

The top 10 wasn’t that difficult. But consider the conference rankings more a forecast for the future as of Jan. 14. Forget records or “who beat who” last month. That’s history. I’m looking towards the future:

Top 10
1. Mount Vernon (7-1): Even when the Knights don’t look very good, they put up 73 points and beat White Plains by 16. Mount Vernon will have to get more disciplined on defense, though, if it wants to contend with the state’s elite teams.
2. Peekskill (11-0): The Red Devils’ showdown with Poughkeepsie lost a little of its luster after Ossining knocked off the Pioneers yesterday. Peekskill, though, knows it will be in for a battle in both Poughkeepsie games.
3. Iona Prep (13-1): If Matt Lyde continues to play this well, nobody in the CHSAA will stop the Gaels. On a team blessed with guards, the 6-foot-6 senior has come into his own and brought a grit and aggressiveness to Iona inside.
4. New Rochelle (8-2): The Huguenots hit the midway point with eight wins, which was probably about what you would have expected. But they’ve improved greatly from that Iona Prep loss and are building steam for Friday, Jan. 30 – at home against Mount Vernon.
5. Mount St. Michael (11-4): Lose two games and move up the rankings? Well, I gave this one a lot of thought. Even though the Mountaineers lost to Stepinac, I feel they’re still the better team on a day-in, day-out basis. Losing to Iona Prep and Bishop Ford on the road is nothing to be ashamed of.
6. Stepinac (7-6): The Crusaders have been very good at times. And other times, they’ve struggled. That’s the sign of a young team. Stepinac is still dangerous. We’ll see how its matured when it plays four straight home games against Iona, Fordham, St. John’s and Mount over a seven-day stretch, beginning on Friday.
7. Poughkeepsie (11-1): I can’t drop Poughkeepsie out of the rankings simply because it lost to Ossining. Clearly, the injuries and perhaps a bout of overconfidence played a part. The Pioneers must endure the adversity and move on.
8. Gorton (8-4): The Wolves rebounded from an ugly loss at New Rochelle with a pair of convincing wins over Saunders and Suffern. If Gorton gets by North Rockland on Monday, it won’t lose again.
9. White Plains (7-6): Many of you didn’t notice, but the Tigers beat a quality DePaul (N.J.) squad on Saturday, rallying from 18 points down in the second half. That was a maturation game for White Plains, as was yesterday’s loss to Mount Vernon. Credit the Tigers for at least partially taking Mount Vernon out of comfort zone.
10. Mahopac (7-1): All Mahopac has done this season is find ways to win close games. And when the Indians finally do blow somebody out, it’s in what was supposed to be their toughest game. Beating Arlington by 21 showed that this veteran group is going to be a tough matchup down the road.

Conference rankings
Class AA
1. Mount Vernon
2. New Rochelle
3. Poughkeepsie
4. Gorton
5. White Plains

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

Class B
1. Albertus Magnus
2. Nanuet
3. Lincoln Hall
4. Dobbs Ferry
5t. Pleasantville, Hastings, Croton-Harmon, Irvington, Westlake, and Briarcliff (it’s all about matchups!)

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