We’ll be giving away two more sets of free passes to the County Center with contests today.

The first will be at 3 p.m. It’s another photo contest. I think it will be quite easy, so I suggest logging on before and getting ready to punch in the answer.

The next contest will be at 7. It will be a blog scavenger hunt, perhaps even a 2-3 part question. I haven’t decided yet.

Get the answers correct and you’ll be into any day of games you choose for no cost.

As one observant blogger wrote about me tonight: “You couldn’t pick a two headed coin right in this section one championship.”

Sounds about right. The picture to the right is me in 50 years.

But I’m not alone, really. Five No. 1 seeds have taken the floor through the first three days at the County Center. Only one has won. The Blind Brook and Albertus Magnus boys and Briarcliff and Valhalla girls were all bounced in the semifinals. Martin Luther King, which got a bye in the D boys final, is the lone survivor.

How do you explain it? How do you explain four teams that had the best overall seasons in their respective classes, won an impressive number of games and came in with the most momentum, all losing before they could even get comfortable in the County Center? It’s really a case-by-case basis.

In the boys, it was a matter of a hot team running into even hotter ones. Blind Brook knocked off Valhalla in the season finale to capture the No. 1 seed in Class C. But it ran up against a North Salem team hardened by a grueling schedule and a few heart-breaking losses. It was the same with Albertus Magnus. The Falcons won 17 games against a very tough schedule but lost to a Lincoln Hall squad that turned the corner in the last month and is playing phenomenal basketball. What happened before February (see: 3 losses to Pleasantville) is ancient history.

The County Center can do funny things to teams. And it might actually be to blame for these No. 1 seeds going down.

Think about it: Albertus Magnus went 7-1 at home, losing only to rival Nanuet. Blind Brook went 8-0 at home, including wins over North Salem and Valhalla.

As much of a thrill as it was for these teams to play at the County Center, they might have been better off playing at home. Had Section 1, which initially canceled semifinal games at the arena because of budget cuts, not found a way to make the numbers work, these teams could be playing for championships.

Despite the scores, all four B and C semifinal games all came down to the wire.

• Blind Brook had a potential game-tying free-throw attempt with 1:45 left miss and North Salem held the Trojans to two points the rest of the way.


• Hamilton was down by only a point entering the fourth and was within four most of the way before Valhalla pulled away late


• Croton-Harmon was down two midway through the fourth quarter and were within reach until the end


• Albertus Magnus was down 52-50, with the ball, with under two minutes to play

Class C: No. 4 North Salem vs. No. 2 Valhalla, noon
Class B: No. 7 Pleasantville vs. No. 5 Lincoln Hall, 5:15 p.m.

We’ll find out the Class AA and A final matchups over the next two days. Those games will have a tough time living up to the ones already played.

Here’s what I’m wearing at the County Center for the rest of the week:

My apologies to the people at Albertus Magnus for predicting them to win a championship.

If Mount Vernon and Peekskill somehow lose tomorrow, then we know I’m a jinx.

Update, 9:55 p.m.: Sir Aaron Taylor hit a step-back 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Lincoln Hall a 47-42 lead going into the fourth quarter. Taylor had eight points in the quarter.

Update, 9:33 p.m.: The woman’s on her feet and is OK. The crowd applauds. Game will resume in four minutes.

Update, 9:32 p.m.: The paramedics are here and are attending to the woman. She looks like she’s going to be fine but they’re be very cautious since she apparently hit her head when she fell down.

Update, 9:23 p.m.: Lincoln Hall leads 29-28 at the half. Somehow the United got by the entire second quarter without Sir Aaron Taylor, who picked up his second foul in the final seconds of the first quarter. He had seven points and three rebounds in the first quarter.

Albertus Magnus senior Floyd Leroy scored 12 points in the second quarter and has 18 in the game with five rebounds.

The start of the second half is going to be delayed after a woman fell near the basket. She’s conscious and being attended to by a trainer and County Center staff.

Update, 9:01 p.m.: After one Lincoln Hall leads Albertus 18-14. Sir Aaron Taylor has seven points for the Hall but just picked up his second foul. The United need him on the floor to pull this one off.

Update, 8:25 p.m.: Pleasantville has locked up one berth in the Class B championship. In a few hours, Lincoln Hall or Albertus Magnus will earn the other.

Those two teams tip off in about 12 minutes in what I felt would be the best game of Championship Week. Predictions? I’m sticking with Albertus.

However, it’s worth mentioning this: I’ve polled six other Class B coaches on who they think will win the championship (not just the semifinals). And ALL SIX said Lincoln Hall. Wow.

Update, 7:42 p.m.: It took some time but LEFTY correctly answered all four questions to tonight’s ticket giveaway.

My dog: Brady
My wife: Jaime
My dad: Kevin
My best friend: Frankie

Nice work my friend. The email has been sent to you. Enjoy!

Update, 5:38 p.m.: The first two contests were apaprently too easy. So if you want free passes to the County Center this week, you’re going to have to earn them.

Here are the questions. Get all four correct and you win:

1. What is my puppy’s name?
2. What is my wife’s first name?
3. What is my father’s first name?
4. What is my best friends name (the guy who texted me from the Scarsdale-Mount Vernon game)?

If you read the blog daily, you’ll know these have all been mentioned at some point.

Remember to put a valid email address when posting your comment so I can contact you with the details.

FINAL: Pleasantville 50, Croton-Harmon 43 — Croton made it interesting late, but Pleasantville made plenty of plays late to win. Croton cut it to two midway through the quarter and Matt Nicolai scored two baskets. Both times he created his own shot by beating his defender off the dribble. Those four points gave the Panthers a little cushion to play with late.

Brandon Sileck scored a game-high 27 points. Pleasantville did a solid job on Alex Judge, holding him to 12 points.

Nolan Robinson led Pleasantville with 13 points. He also had nine boards. Jack Bramswig had 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Pleasantville advanced to meet either Magnus or Lincoln Hall — they’re up next — at 5:15 on Saturday in the Class B final.

End of the third quarter: Pleasantville 34, Croton-Harmon 28 — Sorry, having a little internet trouble. … The Tigers picked it up offensively with three 3’s. Sileck (18 points) had two, a rebounding Alex Judge had the other.

HALFTIME: Pleasantville 22, Croton-Harmon 15 — The Panthers pulled in front with a strong second quarter. They outscored Croton 12-4 during that stretch. Their defense actually held the Tigers without a point for a 7:33 stretch and without a field goal for 9:18. That dubious dry spell ended when Brandon Sileck (10 points) knocked down a 3 with 1:17 to play in the half. Pleasantville’s defense has done a particularly good job against Croton’s leading scorer Alex Judge, who was held to just two points in the first half. For the Panthers, it has continued to be the tandem of Jack Bramswig and Nolan Robinson. They combined for 15 points and 10 rebounds in the first half. It’d be a normal half of work, but scoring has been hard to come by in the first half.

More later…

End of the first quarter: Croton-Harmon 11, Pleasantville 10 — Hey this is Josh Thomson subbing for Kevin, whose writing his story at the moment. It’s been a very clean quarter. Only two fouls and five turnovers combined. Brandon Sileck leads Croton with seven points. Jack Bramswig has six for Pleasantville. He and Nolan Robinson have all the Panthers’ points. More later…

Update, 6:20 p.m.: MLK wins 68-49. Good game until MLK opened it up in the fourth quarter. Shaliek Laney had 10 points in the fourth as the Tigers pulled away.

Update, 5:48 p.m.: What a great quarter. Clark pushed MLK but the Tigers didn’t break. MLK leads 45-39 through three quarter after a Shaliek Laney 3-pointer at the buzzer. Nigel Wilcher and JR Brathwaite each had eight points in the quarter for Clark. James Gordon had eight for MLK.

Update, 5:29 p.m.: MLK is clinging to a 24-21 halftime lead on Clark Academy. Good game. Clark did a much better job spreading the ball in the third quarter and was able to get back into the game. MLK has held them off so far. Can they in the second half?

Updated, 5:02 p.m.: MLK leads Clark 15-7 after the first quarter. James Gordon has eight points for MLK, which led 13-2 to pen the game. Todd Landers has five points and six rebounds for the Tigers.

Updated, 4:22 p.m.: The first Gold Ball will be handed out this afternoon when Martin Luther King and Clark Academy play for the Class D championship.

In case you missed it, check out my story today on Janejellica Johnson of MLK (photo left), who is attempting to become the first girl to ever win a sectional championship as a member of the boys team. All her MLK teammates insist that she’s a legit player.

That game is scheduled for 4:45 p.m. and should tip-off on time.

MLK has a record of 6-9 and Clark is 2-19. Yeah, I know that doesn’t sound too enticing. But these teams played in the regular season with MLK winning in overtime. Hopefully we can get an entertaining game out of it.

Check back for updates.

You can watch the game live on our Mogulus broadcast, which you can access here.

I made you all wait long enough. Finally, here’s my outlook on the Class AA semifinals:

Class AA semifinals
No. 1 Mount Vernon (18-3) vs. No. 4 Yorktown (19-3)
When: Thursday, 3 p.m.
How’d they get here: Mount Vernon beat Roosevelt 97-52 in the opening round before defeating Lincoln, 74-61. Yorktown stormed past John Jay-EF 72-45 and beat Mahopac 66-54 in the quarters.
Regular season meeting: They didn’t play.
Key matchup: Vaughn Allen of Mount Vernon vs. Keith Thomas of Yorktown. Both are versatile big men who can venture out of the low-post. Allen’s role in this game will be primarily defensive against the 6-foot-7 Thomas, who’s blossomed into a superb offensive players.
How Mount Vernon can win: There’s really no secret here. The Knights have the edge in talent, depth and experience, and will have the best player on the floor in Sherrod Wright. As long as they don’t trip up or fall into the funk it’s occasionally been in this season, it should advance.
How Yorktown can win: The Huskers are playing with plenty of confidence thanks to a 13-game winning streak. They’ll need a gallant effort to pull off this upset. Balance and poise are pivotal. Yorktown needs everyone — Thomas, Jordan Moody, Tommy Kelly and the rest — to contribute on both ends, and hope Mount Vernon doesn’t go one of its patented “runs” that’s led it to eight titles in nine years.
Who will win: Mount Vernon hasn’t been the overwhelming team we’ve grown accustomed to. But it’s still the top team in the field. Yorktown has decent matchup with Thomas and Moody. A stage this big, though, could be daunting task.
Prediction: Mount Vernon 80, Yorktown 59

No. 2 North Rockland (20-2) vs. No. 3 Poughkeepsie (19-2)
When: Friday, 4:45 p.m.
How’d they get here: North Rockland beat Scarsdale 61-55 in the first round and defeated Arlington 66-63. Poughkeepsie surged past Mamaroneck 59-46 in a game that was tied at halftime before surviving a thriller with New Rochelle, 69-65.
Regular season meetings: They didn’t play.
Key matchup: Jorge Cruz of North Rockland vs. Dayvon Whitaker of Poughkeepsie. Two of the best guards in the Class of 2010 will certainly be paired head-to-head. Cruz has emerged as an elite defender but could have his work cut out for him in Whitaker, who was unconscious at times against New Rochelle.
How North Rockland can win: Contain Whitaker early. Whitaker’s incredible first-half performance against New Rochelle (19 points on 8 of 10 shooting) allowed the Pioneers to build a double-digit lead. While New Rochelle was talented and poised enough to come back, North Rockland probably can’t. Keeping Whitaker — and Poughkeepsie as a whole, really — in check in the first half is crucial.
How Poughkeepsie can win: Be the aggressor. In watching Poughkeepsie beat Peekskill and New Rochelle, one thing was evident: the Pioneers were out for blood. They dictated the tempo with a blend of speed and toughness, controlling the paint while Whitaker dazzled on the perimeter. This is no time to sit back and figure it will win any other way.
Who will win: Poughkeepsie is the more talented team overall and has more big-game experience. North Rockland doesn’t use a senior in its rotation and, although John Perez and Cruz are a potent combo, this team is a year-away from winning a game of this magnitude.
Prediction: Poughkeepsie 64, North Rockland 56

Update, 3:20 p.m.: Oops. My fault. I meant to write that BALL correctly identified JOHN Donovan in the photo. I wrote Matt. I’m a fool. Sorry for the confusion.

Update, 3:10 p.m.: Well, that was quick.

Congrats ONCE AGAIN to ‘BALL’ for winning the tickets. He/she correctly identified Matt Donovan of Pearl River. An email with the details is being sent.

Update, 3:00 p.m.: The first person to identify this Pearl River player correctly wins two free passes to any day you want at the County Center. Remember to enter a valid email address when giving your answer:

(I know this is pretty hard)

Check back soon as we get ready for today’s boys triple-header. It’s Dobbs Ferry-Irvington girls first.

Thanks to mrvolo, I found the CHSAA quarterfinal pairings on the league website, which you can access here.

All A Division games are at Saturday at Mount St. Michael. Also there on Saturday will be a pretty good AA matchup: Rice vs. St. Raymond at 2:30 p.m. The B Division is Friday at Fordham. Here’s the complete schedule:

Friday
B Division at Fordham
Sacred Heart vs. Salesian, 4:30 p.m.
Blessed Sacrament vs. Cathedral, 6 p.m.
Farrell at Scanlan, 7:45 p.m.
Bye: St. Agnes

Saturday
A Division at Mount St. Michael
Bishop Ford vs. Cardinal Spellman, 11 a.m.
St. John’s Prep vs. Stepinac, 12:30 p.m.
AA: Rice vs. St. Raymond, 2:30 p.m.
LaSalle vs. Mount St. Michael, 4:30 p.m.
McClancy vs. Iona Prep, 6:15 p.m.

We’ll be giving away two more sets of free passes to Championship Week with blog contests today.

The first will be at 3 p.m. It will be a photo contest where you have to identify the player. I saw the picture already. Trust me, this won’t be easy.

At 7 p.m. I’ll post another question. I’ll try to make it tougher so nobody gets it within the first 12 seconds again. Perhaps it will be a two-parter. We’ll see.

Four games on tap today – Irvington-Dobbs Ferry girls followed by three boys games.

Class D final
Martin Luther King vs. Clark Academy, 4:45 p.m.
Class B semifinal
Croton-Harmon vs. Pleasantville, 6:30 p.m.
Albertus Magnus vs. Lincoln Hall, 8:15 p.m.

All games, tonight and this week, will be broadcast live on our Mogulus channel, which you can access here.

Updated, 7:14 p.m.: Congrats to BALL for correctly identifying my preseason prediction to win the Class C championship – North Salem.

I’m sending an email to that lucky blogger, who’ll receive free admission to any day of games he/she chooses.

Thanks for playing. We’ll have another question tomorrow at 3 p.m. and at 7.

Updated, 7:00 p.m.: Here’s the first question of our Championship Week ticket giveaway. Get it right and win two free passes to any night you choose at the County Center:

In the preseason I predicted Mount Vernon, Peekskill and Albertus Magnus to win sectional championships in the top three classes. Which team did I pick to win Class C?

First person to post the correct answer wins the tickets. Please enter a valid email address when posting your comment.

Want free passes to a day of games at Championship Week? Well, at 7 p.m. you can win two of your own.

The Journal News and LoHud.com will be giving away two tickets for any day you want. Winning them is simple:

Simply come back to the Varsity Insider blog at 7 p.m., which is when I’ll be posting a blog-related trivia question (it will be kind of like a scavenger hunt). The first person to check in with the correct answer in the comments section wins the tickets.

When you post your answer, be sure to put a valid email address so we can contact you.

I’m trying to think of some really difficult questions, so be ready. Good luck.

Today’s an all-girls day at the County Center, so I doubt there will be much chatter on this blog. But let’s try to spark some anyway.

Here’s my Class A preview:

Class A semifinals
No. 1 Peekskill (19-1) vs. No. 5 Pearl River (15-7)
When: Thursday, 6:30 p.m.
How’d they get here: Peekskill had a bye in the opening round and beat Spring Valley 78-61 in a game it trailed by two at the half. Pearl River outlasted Tappan Zee 47-42 in the first round and won at Lourdes, 57-50, to reach the semifinals.
Regular season meetings: They didn’t play.
Key matchup: Matt Grossbard of Pearl River vs. Daquan Brickhouse of Peekskill. Who plays better won’t decide the outcome. But it will be fun to watch two of the best point guards — and perhaps the area’s most intense competitors — go head to head.
How Peekskill can win: Don’t take Pearl River lightly. We all know Peekskill is gunning for its fifth straight sectional title and is facing an undersized Pearl River team, which is among the week’s biggest underdogs. But the Pirates are going to show up to win. If the Red Devils take them lightly, this won’t be a typical lopsided playoff victory.
How Pearl River can win: Many have tried in the last five years and nobody has even come close to succeeding. Peekskill’s dominance in sectional play has been daunting and Pearl River doesn’t seem to pose a serious threat. The Pirates, though, are going to be scrappy. If they can stay close in the first half and cut this down to a 16-minute game, anything can happen.
Who will win: C’mon, now. This is Peekskill’s championship to lose, as has been the case the last four years. The Red Devils got their scare last week against Spring Valley and responded resoundingly. Don’t expect them to get caught napping again.
Prediction: Peekskill 72, Pearl River 56

No. 2 Lakeland (18-2) vs. No. 3 Rye (16-6)
When: Friday, 8:15 p.m.
How’d they get here: Lakeland crushed Beacon 85-61 before beating Pelham 72-52 in the quarters. Rye knocked off Harrison 63-57 before mounting a 14-point comeback to beat Ardsley, 51-49.
Regular season meetings: Rye beat Lakeland 61-60 on Dec. 18. Matt O’Neill hit two game-winning free throws with five seconds left, and Brian Pickup had 19 points for the Garnets.
Key matchup: Matt O’Neill of Rye vs. Lavor Morris of Lakeland. Both are excellent shooters who manage to find their way around the rim. If either one has a rough night, their teams could be in trouble.
How Lakeland can win: Get out running. The Hornets score so many points in transition, which is a tribute to how point guard Gary Austin runs the floor and Chris Fazio finishes. Rye doesn’t have a matchup for Austin, whose improvement in the second half of the season makes Lakeland a far different team than the one that lost to Rye on Dec. 18.
How Rye can win: Don’t live behind the arc. No matter how hard they try, the Garnets aren’t going to be able to simply outscore Lakeland. They don’t have the weapons. They key will be slowing down the tempo and milking the clock. The more they can score in the halfcourt offense and avoid throwing up 3s, the better their chances are.
Who will win: What happens in December rarely forecasts the postseason. On paper, Lakeland is the more talented team. Rye has made a habit of winning close games in the second half of the season.
Prediction: Lakeland 65, Rye 60

Check out the articles on all three of yesterday’s semifinals at the County Center.

Clark Academy beat Greenburgh Academy in the first game of the day. I know Class D doesn’t get much attention, but Jane McManus’s story is definitely worth reading. Clark has been through a lot this season and, despite 19 losses, is playing for a title.

Valhalla won its Class C semifinal, beating Hamilton thanks to so clutch free-throw shooting in the fourth quarter. Jake Thomases has the story.

Remember when North Salem was 1-6? Well, the Tigers have taken an largely-inexperienced roster and developed into a championship-contender after beating top-seeded Blind Brook. Mike Dougherty has the story.

By the way, I caught up with North Salem coach Henry Sassone to find out why the best-dressed coach in Section 1 showed up last night with a clean-shaven head. He said it was owning up to a bet he made with his team back when they were 1-6. He said if they reached the County Center he’d shave his head.

“Back then, who would have thought it would actually happen?” Sassone said.

In a way, I think the coaching job Sassone has done this season might actually be better than last year’s when he was named Coach of the Year. Although it took most of us until February to realize it, that team had serious talent from the start. This year’s group has been a major work-in-progress, and the grueling schedule Sassone put in front of them, and the way he’s developed his young players, has been remarkable.

There are three girls games at the County Center tonight. If you can’t make it, be sure to follow along live online on our Mogulus broadcast, which are brought to you by Velocity Sports.