Varsity Insider

9:50 a.m.: Back at the County Center for Day 2 of the Slam Dunk. Mahopac leads 28-23, thanks, in part, to a technical on the Harrison bench that we learned about to start the second half.

Kevin Mallon and Anthony Annunziata led Mahopac with six points apiece as the Indians held a 23-21 lead at half. Brandan O’Shea scored 10 for Harrison and went 5 for 7.

10:02 a.m.: Mahopac leads 32-30 at the end of three quarters. But, as has been custom with these teams, it will be close and come down to the finish. These teams are very even. Harrison is playing without starting forward Steve Ricciardi, who is on the bench with four fouls.

10:06 a.m.: Coby Lefkowitz scores to tie it at 32-32, and Michael Chiarella hit a 3 to put Harrison up 35-32 early in the fourth. Nice moment today for Richie Thomas and his daughter Katie, who are officiating the game together.

10:11 a.m.: Ryan Wagner made one of two free throws for Mahopac, but Chiarella answered with a floater. It’s 37-33 Harrison with 4:18 left in the game. Mahopac’s perfect record is definitely on the line.

10:18 a.m.: It’s been a quiet two-plus minutes. Wagner scored on a breakaway, but his two points are all that’s been scored. Harrison just called timeout with the ball, leading 38-35 with 1:47 to play.

10:20 a.m.: After a defensive stop, Wagner missed a pair of 3’s for Mahopac. T.J. Foley was called for an offensive foul after the second miss. Chiarella just made both free throws and Harrison leads 40-35 with 55.1 to play.

10:23 a.m.: Harrison still leads 40-35 with 33.5 to play after a Mahopac air ball. The Huskies just called timeout with the ball. They will win here, and finally pull out a close game. They definitely deserve one after losing three games by a total of nine points.

10:25 a.m.: I (may have) spoke too soon. Harrison, after a timeout, failed to inbound the ball in the backcourt. Wagner hit a very tough, contested 3. So it’s Harrison ball, up 40-38, with 20.9 to play. The Huskies will have to knock down some free throws…that is if they can inbound the ball.

10:27 a.m.: Well, Harrison set up a solid play, inbounding to Ricciardi, who threw downcourt to a streaking Brian Lauro. But Ricciardi and Lauro couldn’t connect. Instead, Foley picked up the steal, and, with 14.5 seconds left, the Indians have another chance for a dramatic winner.

10:28 a.m.: Wagner forced a runner in traffic over two defenders. Michael Jacobson rebounded for Harrison with 3.4 seconds left. He missed the front end of a one-and-one, so Mahopac will have one final chance. Kevin Downes just called a timeout, but the ball will be 75 feet from the basket with 2.4 seconds left.

Somewhere, Briarcliff coach Matt Evangelista can’t watch.

10:31 a.m.: Anthony Annunziata just missed a halfcourt shot at the buzzer. I’m not sure whether it would’ve counted or not.

At any rate, Harrison wins 40-38. I will have the MVP and final stats in a moment.

10:56 a.m.: O’Shea was named MVP for Harrison. He finished with 15 points and six rebounds, shooting 7 for 12 from the field. Chiarella added 10 points, five rebounds and four steals. Lauro had 11 rebounds. Overall, the Huskies shot 16 or 45 (35.6 percent) and struggled from 3 (2 for 14) and from the line (6 for 18).

The reason Mahopac lost is because it actually shot worse than Harrison. The Indians finished 14 for 57, good for 24.6 percent. Their 4 for 21 from 3 was only slightly better than the Huskies.

Ryan Wagner led Mahopac with 12 points, but shot 3 of 16 from the field. Foley had a game-high 12 rebounds. Robbie Catalino, Kevin Mallon and Annunziata all had six points.

Salesian and Woodlands are underway here, with Woodlands on top 8-0 early.

11:08 a.m.: Surprising first quarter. Woodlands leads Salesian 18-13 after jumping ahead 8-0 and 11-3. Fred Bowers has been tough inside for the Falcons so far and their defense has done a solid job forcing Kevin Punter to take tough shots.

11:17 a.m.: Timeout Woodlands, which leads 25-18.

11:30 a.m.: Woodlands still leads 33-29 at the half. James Cole just grabbed an offensive rebound and threw up a quick floater that dropped.

It was a poor first half for Salesian, which does not look like the team that beat Iona Prep and North Rockland. But give Woodlands credit. The Falcons are improving.

11:55 a.m.: Punter just nailed a 3 to beat the third quarter buzzer but Woodlands still leads 48-44. Big man Fred Bowers has been impressive for the Falcons.

12:02 p.m.: Finally, Salesian ties the game for the first time. The coach’s son, Joseph Miressi, just buried a 3 to make it 50-50 with exactly five minutes to play.

12:06 p.m.: Reece Williams, who has played very well for Woodlands, just fouled out with 4:05 to play. He just hit a pullup jumper to make it 55-51 Woodlands. Could be a big loss for the Falcons.

12:14 p.m.: Jason Alleyne just scored on a putback of a Dior Llewellyn miss, and Salesian now leads 59-57 with 1:22 left in the game.

12:17 p.m.: Two FTs put Salesian up 61-57 with 1:08 to go. This would be a difficult loss for the Falcons.

12:25 p.m.: Salesian hit a ton of free throws down the stretch and Woodlands simply failed to execute. Alleyne and Punter led the Eagles to victory, 67-57. Game MVP and stats to follow.

12:27 p.m.: Alleyne led Saleisan with 20 points and 13 rebounds. He also had four steals. Punter finished with 19 points, seven rebounds and six steals. He was way off from the field, 2 for 8, and Woodlands defending him tough. But Punter, as is his custom, got to the line. He made 14 of 16. Miressi also added 11 points off the bench, including a 3 that tied the score at 50-50 after Salesian trailed the whole game.

Fred Bowers led Woodlands with 16 points and 14 rebounds. He also blocked three shots. Williams added 13 points and Smith had 11 and five assists. But the Falcons committed 24 turnovers, including 13 in the second half. That helped their lead dissipate.

4:10 p.m.: OK, we’re back here after Briarcliff and Irvington girls each won. White Plains and Albany Academy are warming up right now and they haven’t started the game. The clock isn’t moving on the scoreboard. So what’s going on? Well, both teams are dressed in white.

White Plains is waiting for its dark uniforms. There was a misunderstanding and both teams brought their whites, although White Plains was scheduled to wear black. So we should be underway at some point, I’m just not sure when.

4:36 p.m.: OK, so they tipped about 30 minutes behind schedule. It’s been a rough start for White Plains, which just called for time after falling behind 5-0 in the first 1:55.

4:49 p.m.: Missed 3 at the end of the quarter by Alexis Nunez, but he helped spur a White Plains comeback. The Tigers trailed 6-0 but now lead 10-8 thanks to six points from Nunez. Albany Academy seemed to lose its way in the last few minutes.

4:58 p.m.: For the first time this tournament, White Plains looks pretty sharp. Nunez has played well, as have John Anderson and point guard Ryan Brooks.

5:04 p.m.: White Plains leads 25-21 at the half. The Tigers were led by 12 points and three assists from Nunez. Anderson chipped in six points and three boards.

Jelani Currie had a nice finish to the half and now has eight points and three blocks for Albany Academy, which has shot a woeful 7 for 24 (29.2 percent) and committed nine turnovers.

As I said before, White Plains played its best stretch of the tournament late in the first quarter and early in the second. But the Tigers slipped late in the half when they had a chance to pull away some.

5:23 p.m.: Good third quarter so far. White Plains just called time with 3:16 to play in the third. The score is 33-30 Tigers. Pope just hit a 3 from the right wing, but Currie answered with a hoop in the paint.

5:26 p.m.: New Rochelle lost 50-45 to Holy Cross this afternoon in the Stop DWI Holiday Classic in Binghamton.

5:29 p.m.: They say rebounding is about positioning, huh? Well, Currie was just lying on his back in the paint and grabbed a rebound. He passed up to teammate Matt Laclair, whose layup gave Albany Academy a 37-35 lead late in the third quarter. White Plains struggling on offense yet again.

5:43 p.m.: White Plains has fallen behind 44-39 here with 3:41 left in the game and just called timeout. The Tigers simply can’t get good shots, and now Pope is on the bench with four fouls. Troubling times for them.

5:51 p.m.: Timeout Albany Academy, which has the lead and the ball up 48-46 with 57.1 seconds left. White Plains had a nice backdoor lob on an inbound from halfcourt but Pope’s pass was a bit long. Nunez caught it, was doubled and lost the ball out of bounds.

There are still 27 seconds left on the shot clock. Obviously, the Tigers need a stop. Bad.

5:54 p.m.: Pope missed a 3 down three points and then committed his fifth foul. Albany Academy to the line with 27.6 seconds to play. Darrien White just hit 1 of 2 and now has a 50-46 lead.

6:00 p.m.: White Plains falls to Albany Academy, 53-49. The Tigers dropped both games in the tournament and are now just 2-3.

I’ll have stats in a bit.

6:33 p.m.: Kennedy trails 16-15 with 7:32 left in the second quarter.

6:40 p.m.: 23-17 Burke Catholic leads Kennedy midway through the second quarter. The Section 1 champ, no matter the team, will struggle against Burke.

6:52 p.m.: Sophomore Billy Kelly knocked down a 3 to beat the buzzer and give Kennedy a 28-25 lead at the break. Teammate Ryan Hickey leads Kennedy with eight points, and Dan Healy has five points and four boards. Frankie Kelly has six points and two assists. He looks healthy, having played all 16 minutes so far.

7:07 p.m.: Probably the best game so far. Kennedy leads 35-31 with four minutes left after a 3 by Kyle Tabulsy. Burke Catholic just called a 30. The Gaels are on a nice run here, showing lots of ability and hustle. They are a definite contender (maybe favorite???) in Class A when healthy.

7:11 p.m.: Dan Healy just hurt his knee and it looks like he’s coming out of the game. I’m not sure what the injury was; he may have just banged knees.

Anyway, I’ll keep you updated. 40-34 Kennedy late second.

7:17 p.m.: Healy is back on the court with 10.3 left in the third quarter. But he is moving gingerly.

7:29 p.m.: Kennedy led by 10 twice, but it’s now a seven-point game, 53-46, with 3:46 to go.

7:41 p.m.: Burke just nailed a 3 and called a quick timeout, but Kennedy is in control. The Gaels lead 59-51 with 1:24 let to play.

7:48 p.m.: Frankie Kelly was a busy man at the FT line tonight. I’ll have his final numbers in a bit, but it’s been quite the return for the senior point guard. Kennedy leads 64-59 with 7.8 seconds left. Billy Kelly headed to the line for two.

7:50 p.m.: Great win for Kennedy, which tops Burke 65-59. Like I said before, Burke would definitely be the favorite to win B in Section 1.

7:54 p.m.: Frankie Kelly finishes with 26 points, six assists and seven steals. He went 14 for 23 from the line and played all 32 minutes in his return from a back injury.

Dan Healy added 14 points, 10 rebounds and four steals for Kennedy, which forced 20 turnovers. Ryan HIckey had eight points and Jordan Hardy had six rebounds.

Zack Rufer led Burke with 21 points. He also had seven rebounds and three assists, and he is quite the playmaker. Brendan Miller added 15 points and nine rebounds.

8:27 p.m.: Mount leads Peekskill 22-17 after a very entertaining first quarter. Mount star Peter Aguilar cannot be stopped. He has 14 points already on an assortment of shots and drives. Jordan Clark is the story for Peekskill. The Red Devils trailed 8-2 early before Clark perked up and banged three 3’s.

8:36 p.m.: It’s tough to post many updates because the game is moving so fast. To be honest, I’m not used to this after two mostly mundane days here at the County Center.

Anyway, it’s now 35-26 Mount with 3:11 to go in the first half. Peekskill has held Aguilar to just three points this quarter, but it’s been Omari Manhertz who has chipped in six.

8:41 p.m.: Shaine Carter just got called for his second offensive foul of the half. He just picked up his first points on a three-point play. 39-31 Mount with 1:37 to play in the half.

8:46 p.m.: Mount leads 44-31 at halftime. Aguilar has 19 points to lead all scorers. Clark has 12 to lead Peekskill, with all of them coming on 3’s.

Junior point guard Malik Gill has proved a big boost for Mount. He just had a layup and a 3 late in the half to push the lead to 13, the largest all game.

9:08 p.m.: Timeout Peekskill. Mount leads 56-40 after another 3-ball from Aguilar, who now has 22 points with 2:47 to play in the third.

9:13 p.m.: Mount 60-42 after thre quarters. The Mount is just too strong and talented for Peekskill, although the Red Devils are playing against a very high-level opponent. Stepinac will be in for a battle when it plays at Mount on Jan. 4.

9:31 p.m.: Mount wins it 70-46. Peekskill scored just four points in the fourth. Mount will meet Kennedy at 7:30 tomorrow in the championship. Peekskill will face Burke at 4.