Wednesday’s schedule/scores: Class A and B quarterfinals
Another day, another group of eight games, another four bids to the County Center on the line. Here’s a great stat: Of the 16 teams competing today, 14 have advanced to the County Center since 2008. Poughkeepsie, Byram, Kennedy, Pearl River, Tappan Zee, Peekskill, Blind Brook, Pleasantville, Valhalla, Dobbs and Albertus (11 teams!) have been there in one of the last two seasons alone.
One of the two teams without any recent County Center playoff experience is Brewster, but we all know the Bears have made their trips to White Plains. Their last appearance was in 1993.
Only one team has never been to the County Center and that’s Eastchester. The Eagles will try to change that today when they host Poughkeepsie.
Unfortunately, I’ll only have a chance to see one ticket punched. I’m headed to Kennedy this evening for a rematch of last year’s Class A semifinal, which was won by Byram. But you can follow me on Twitter @LoHudInsider for updates on that game and more. I’ll have scores, game recaps and County Center matchups posted shortly after the games are complete.
Enjoy the games! I think today could be one of the best days of the postseason.
Wednesday’s games —
Class A quarterfinals
Poughkeepsie 61, Eastchester 58
Peekskill 80, Brewster 73
Byram Hills 55, Kennedy 50
Tappan Zee 54, Pearl River 39
Class B quarterfinals
Blind Brook 43, Pleasantville 42
Croton-Harmon 56, Woodlands 55
Albertus Magnus 69, Briarcliff 51
Dobbs Ferry 67, Valhalla 32
GAME RECAPS —
Class A
Byram Hills 55, Kennedy 50: In a Class A quarterfinal at No. 4 Kennedy, Ryan Golden had 17 points and 11 rebounds for the fifth-seeded Bobcats. He hit two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, the second of which gave Byram its first lead of the second half, 44-42, with 2:53 remaining. The defending Class A champ will now meet top-seeded Tappan Zee on Wednesday at 8:15 at the County Center in the semifinals.
Jeff Lynch had 11 points and four assists and freshman Andrew Groll added 10 points, six rebounds and three blocks. He helped goad Kennedy big man Thiago Randazzo into foul trouble. Randazzo had 20 points and seven rebounds, but sat out for most of the final 10 minutes of the game. He picked up his fourth foul late in the third quarter as Kennedy held a seven-point lead and fouled out shortly after he returned in the fourth quarter.
Jordan Hardy added nine points and 10 rebounds for the Gaels, who led 30-18 at halftime and led by as many as 14 points before Byram launched its comeback. Matt Debold hit a pair of key 3-pointers during the comeback as well.
Peekskill 80, Brewster 73: In a Class A quartefinal game at No. 2 Peekskill, Chandler Pierce had 30 points and five assists for the Red Devils. Eddie Reeves added 12 points and 10 rebounds. Jack Dignan had 32 points for the No. 10 Bears. Peekskill will play No. 11 Poughkeepsie at 6:30 p.m. the Westchester County Center on Wednesday in the semifinals.
Poughkeepsie 61, Eastchester 58: In a Class A quarterfinal game at No. 3 Eastchester, with the game tied at 58-58, Ray Knight scored on a 3-point play with 2.1 seconds left in the game for the No. 11 Pioneers. Dave Solano (20 points) hit a 3-pointer with 8.2 seconds left in regulation to tie it up for the Eagles. Teammate Jack Daly scored 25 points. Poughkeepsie will play No. 2 Peekskill Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. at the Westchester County Center in the semifinals.
Tappan Zee 54, Pearl River 39: In a Class A quarterfinal game at No. 1 Tappan Zee, Joe Letizia scored 15 points for the Dutchmen, who improved to 20-0 and advanced to the County Center for the third straight year. They will play No. 5 Byram Hills in a semifinal between the last two Class A champions on Wednesday night at 8:15.
“It’s a big accomplishment, third year in a row,” said Letizia. “We played very good defense, like we always do. That’s what we harp on all year. Defense is our identity. Our offense in the third wasn’t really moving, so we had to come with the D.”
Letizia hit four 3-pointers in the game, including three that helped TZ out to a 26-9 lead early in the second quarter. Teammate Billy O’Shea added 12 points and Brendan Donohue 11.
Kevin Degnan led Pearl River with 13 points and Tom Davis added 12.
Class B
Croton-Harmon 56, Woodlands 55: In a Class B quarterfinal game at No. 3 Woodlands, Wes Turner (21 points) scored on a 3-point play with 20 seconds left in the game to give the No. 6 Tigers a 56-54 lead. Turner scored five points of the 21 points in the fourth quarter. Justin Smith hit a free throw with four seconds left in the game to cut the lead to 56-55 for the Falcons.
Ian Thom had 13 points and six assists filling in the point guard slot for Aaron Thompson who was out due to injury for the Tigers. Rob Simmons had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Teammate Brian Oliver scored 10 points. Andre Scipio scored 19 points for the Falcons. Teammate Fred Bowers scored 12 points.
Croton-Harmon will play No. 2 Albertus Magnus Wednesday at 3 p.m. at the Westchester County Center in the semifinals. The Tigers are making their first appearance at the County Center for the first time since 2008.
Albertus Magnus 69, Briarcliff 51: In a Class B quarterfinal at No. 2 Albertus, Tyler Sayre had 29 points and 12 rebounds for the defending Class B champs, who will play No. 6 Croton-Harmon at 3 p.m. Wednesday in the semifinals at the County Center. Jack Sullivan added 20 points. Tom McConnell and James McEntee combined for eight points and teamed to defend Briarcliff’s leading scorer Brian Daniels (4 points). Tyriek Johnson had 14 points to lead the seventh-seeded Bears.
Dobbs Ferry 67, Valhalla 32: In a Class B quarterfinal at No. 1 Dobbs Ferry, Spencer Avalos, Eric Paschall, and Thomas Fleming each had 11 points for the Eagles. Terrance Tribble had 12 points for the No. 8 Vikings. Dobbs Ferry will play No. 5 Blind Brook in the semifinals Wednesday at the Westchester County Center, 4:45 p.m.
Blind Brook 43, Pleasantville 42: In a Class B quarterfinal at No. 4 Pleasantville, Sam Adler hit the winning free throws with 1.5 seconds remaining and his team trailing by one to lead No. 5 Blind Brook into next Wednesday’s semifinals. The Trojans will play No. 1 Dobbs Ferry at 4:45 at the County Center.
Adler’s free throws capped a wild fourth quarter. Pleasantville’s Jack Eisenberg hit a layup with nine seconds remaining to give his team a 42-41 lead. Teammate James Leyden had banked in a 3-pointer to tie the game 40-40 earlier. Then, with 42.9 remaining, Brennan Schaenmann hit one of two free throws to put Blind Brook up 41-40 and set up the final sequence.
The wild game included three buzzer-beaters. Adler hit a 3 from a step behind halfcourt to give his team a 13-10 lead after one quarter. Leyden then beat the buzzer from halfcourt to give Pleasantville a 21-16 halftime lead. Jack Jamilkowski of Blind Brook hit a 3 before the third-quarter buzzer to cut his team’s deficit to 32-29.
The game also pitted Blind Brook coach Mike Welsh against his younger brother, Pleasantville coach Chris Welsh. Their mother sat with Mike’s family, including his children.
“Our dad was a big basketball fan,” Mike Welsh said. “He passed away a few years ago, so I’m sure he’d be real proud.”
“It’s surreal,” Chris said prior to the game. “Out of all the teams, we end up with this draw. … The both of us are rooting for each other, just not tonight.”
UPCOMING SCHEDULE —
Wednesday, Feb. 29
Class B semifinals
At the County Center:
No. 2 Albertus Magnus vs. No. 6 Croton-Harmon, 3 p.m.
No. 1 Dobbs Ferry vs. No. 5 Blind Brook, 4:45 p.m.
Class A semifinals
At the County Center:
No. 2 Peekskill vs. No. 11 Poughkeepsie, 6:30 p.m.
No. 1 Tappan Zee vs. No. 5 Byram Hills, 8:15 p.m.
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Poughkeepsie-66 EASTCHESTER-60,WELL PLAYED GAME BY BOTH TEAMS,BUT POUGHKEEPSIE SHOTS FALL MORE FREQUENTLY IN THE FOURTH QUARTER.
MY OTHER TEAM:
WOODLANDS ERUPTS,AND BLOWS CROTON AWAY,
77-57
haywood –
Upset special – Woodlands plays sloppy and gets tripped up by Croton with Ian Thom leading the charge with 22 points. Book it!
Coach Reeves,
I wouldn’t count on that, but I wouldn’t mind seeing it happen! I’m just hoping AM can get passed Briarcliff. Not your typical 2-7 game.
COACH REEVES,
I LOVE YOUR ENTHUSIASM,BUT THE CLOCK HAS STRUCK TWELVE,WOODLANDS IN A BIG WAY.
Peart River over TZ – Upset Special
Tough to beat a team three times in one year. Especially a tough team like Pearl River
Eastchester 20 Pok 17 4 mins left in half
Ok I went out on a limb last time and got a bunch wrong. Heres where I make up for it:
A
Tappan Zee, Byram Hills, Poughkeepsie, Peekskill
B
Plesantville, Croton-Harmon, Dobbs Ferry, Albertus Magnus
States, thanks and keep those updates coming. I couldn t get down there.
Statesman,
Thanks for the reporting. Hope POk turns it up!
Eastchester 28 Pok 27 at the half. You’ve never seen me bash officials but these guys are awful. I’m on board for hiring CHSAA refs for Section 1 Posteason Play.
poughkeepsie score ???
I’m here at Eastchester too. I’m pretty much in “fan” mode; Kevin Devaney’s doing tweets from the game. I agree with Statesman on the officiating, though. Still, PK needs to step it up this half…
No problem fellas. East is 11-12 FT for the Half w/ Daly having 9 FT’s and 15pts for the game. Pok has been scoring by committee.
states
good luck!... eastchester never been there! (county center) the ref’s are going to help them get there!!.. this practice trickles down to youth level!!!...
East 43 Pok 42 after 3. Too many missed layups and FT’s. Gotta make it count now.
How u been prince?miss ur posts during football season.u excited for the fall.how will new ro be compared to this year??
East 49 Pok 46.
I have some choice words for th refs w/l
sec12011
how are you?.... i think new ro should be ready too reclaim sec1 class AA chip!!... i think this year they had the talent to make too states!!... but they should be a lil more mature!! the past season they played with 2 returner on defense and 2 returner on offense this season should be a lil different!!
i been thinking football!!..
Good.living in florida lol.80 degrees everday
Blind Brook wins!! 43-42
Pok 61 East 58 2.1 secs. East ball
sec12011
great weather, great football, and beautiful women!! perfect life!! ... 
are you watching football down there!!...
D. Smith catches ball sailing out of bounds. East retains 1.7 secs
statesman,
great job,the newburgh game was the turning point,
Pok wins61-58. Refs did everything to help East. Lawrence’s dunk on Solano changed everything. Refs literally ran out the gym as the clock struck 0. No choice words from me.
Peekskill v poughkeepsie like the good old days should be a good one
No good football where im at.yup,the women are good looking down here
.take care bro ill be back when its that time
i called that early in the year, should be a good one
Laude the kids. They’ve worked so hard for this. Showed great heart overcoming such adversity as they did today. I apologize for spazzing on the refs, care about the kids a ton.
And Croton Wins!!!!
poughkeepsie knows how to close games,great win,eastchester played well,hats off and be proud you have great athletes in that school.
sec2011
ahhhhh!!.. thats not fair!!... do you need me down there!!.. lol…. maybe you can bring back a few (pretty women)!!.. lol…. you take care as well!.. cn’t wait for the blog reunion!!! in a few months!!.. bring back some football players i will put them up!!
and some coaches!! 
Statesman,
Thanks for the good news!
haywood –
That clock of yours doesn’t tell time very well now does it? From Coach Bill Thom’s lips to your ears, “SSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
The Sports Guy –
You can count on it now.
states
congrats!!.. glad y’all survived the ref!!.. i told you i was expecting to see you at the county you said you didn’t wanna speak too!!.. fast!!.. well would you like to speak now!!...
croton did a great job,congrats,woodlands you played well
coach enjoy your victory i know you where sweating,and nervous,lllooolll
Po Fan, no problem!
#5 and Solano on East are players. Didn’t expect #5 to be such a menace w/ his penetration though. Great season Eagles. Hopefully Pok will see you on the gridiron soon.
Peekskill brewster score
pville missed too many foul shots…I guess they were 500 from the line.
refs were bad in 2nd half. both ways.
big plays. Intentionail foul vs Pville with 1:37 to play. 2 shots and the ball. BB scored on that possession.
no foul called on Pville layup with 16 seconds left. Would love to see that on replay. It seemed like they killed him.
Pville got called for a foul with 1.5 left with the kid a touch inside the 3pt line and no threat to score. he was dribbling towards sideline and was doubled teamed. It would have been nearly impossible for him to score there. I believe it was a tough but the right call. Just a HUGE mental mistake by Pville.
Pville getting to the CC would have been nice after last years 3 win performance or lack of performance. They should be tough next year with the 3 main guns back and the top two brothers who come off the bench but will step into the starting lineup next year. They need a little depth to come from someone who is on bench or a kid from JV. If they find that they will be tough next year.
Good season Pville. Good luck BB
Peek 80 Brew 71. Bears faught hard like I thought they would.
Statesman,
My last words where I got your seat,CONGRATS,LLLLLLOOOOOLLLLL
Statesman, if you think the refs were bad at the Poughkeepsie game, you should have been at Peekskill. Does the name Howie Green ring a bell?
You have more faith then me. Keep it going. It’s been a heck of a run since August.
Prince,
You nailed it. Def looking forward to seeing the CC again. Just not on the usual Friday.
Once again, great season Eastchester—we know the feeling.
Howie Green? The last thing I need for Pok/Peek is Green and this crew tonight to run the show. My already splitting headache would go to straight migrane status. Fate is a funny thing, didn’t meet up to start the season off but these teams who mirror each other will get a chance to do work at a great venue. Could not ask for more.
The refs were horrible both ways. I have never seen so many great form tackles in a basketball game!!
Howie even had his usual theatrics by threatening to kick fans out of the stands and yelling into the stands.
PEEKSKILL. VS. POUGHKEEPSIE
ANYBODY GOT A COIN ?
Should be a dog fight. I think the difference is Peekskill’s depth on the big court. I think they win by 5-10 points.
Ouch. Sounds a lot like what went down over here. Ref winking to the Eastchester stands. It was bizarre. C’est la vie as my girlfriend will tell me. Can’t believe peg-leg Lynch and the boys from Byram sent the recruiters home. Was not expecting that. Lynch is a tough kid, high pain threshold—if you look at his face and not the hobbling you could never tell he was in pain. Great job!
Class B final 4 without Woodlands, just waiting to hear those comments as to why Woodlands is not there . I guess true teams win! Its about team concept and not 1 or 2 kids scoring all the points. Congrats to Croton amazing game.
PEEKFATDADDY,
OH WHAT A “SHOCK”,LLLOOOLLL,GOOD LUCK
Reality, Woodlands has been the epitome of team ball. Don’t take my word for it. Go to HighSchoolSports.net at the top of this page and navigate to the point totals. You will see four of the starters in a range of between 10 and 14 ppg.
You obviously have a bigger agenda by your comment, so speak on it son.
Great game tonight in pleasantville vs blind brook. Welsh vs Welsh was awesome. Lookforwars to the next one.
states and pok crew
this is Laffins best job yet. Tested these kids with tough schedule and it has paid off. No need for knuckleheads and guys that got in trouble. This is sweet. Winning the right way with the right kids. I am sooooo proud to be a pioneer today. I ve seen alot of pok ball over the years. I have a feeling we ll see a pok tz final. No team in the final four is as tested as we are.
Jets,
We are playing w/ house money so that makes Pok danderous. 11-3 since the slow start. Very tested and all the traveling helps. It was great to see the kids so happy after the game today. Knucklehead #1 learned a valueble lesson this season, I hope he can go to Dutchess amd get things back on track. Knucklehead #2 is very young so I wont give up on him…yet. I wish the Pioneer teams of my ancient lore laid it all on the floor like these guys. I love the way they get after it. Laff’s best job and it isn’t close!
states
agreed
What time is Woodlands playing on Wednesday ? LOL
If you guys look up you’d see I called Pok/East very evenly matched after my warm-up eye test. I guess this Statesman guy really knows his hoops.
Rudy T just reading your commets all season so your response doesnt surprise one bit. No need to go to websites actually saw live games and saw what i saw. 1 or 2 kids scoring no team concept.
As for my comment no agenda here to speak on to be honest. Son
Umm, Thom and Turner did the bulk of your scoring, so what are you talking about?
Umm, Rud T look at the team approach witnessed tonight!!!!!
SMH Reality. It’s a shame that you can’t enjoy your team’s win without dumping on WL, especially as it was a class performance by both teams.
Well Rudy T yes you are correct great game and there was no dumping on WL at all here.
I guess like age, tournament seedings ain’t nothin’ but a number…
Great win by Poughkeepsie; it does seem as if the Pioneers’ tough early schedule is now paying dividends in February. PK’s will to win is simply amazing… Still have to credit Eastchester for its tough defense of its home court; the Solano/Daly tandem is every bit as good as advertised. The officiating did the Pioneers no favors, but when you make more of your free throws, that takes the refs’ questionable calls out of the equation…
And so, Poughkeepsie and Peekskill will resume hostilities once again when they meet at the County Center in the Class A semis a week from today. Despite the efforts of some, you could say this matchup was destined to happen… Can’t wait to see what happens…
Ray Knight scored the bucket when it was 58 all.
Laffin can flat out coach kids!
Woodlands is the very definition of a balanced team. It’s a shame that somebody said otherwise. Woodlands shares the ball about as well as any team I saw all year.
Oh, and before I forget:
“Bracketology February 22nd, 2012 at 6:29 pm
Ok I went out on a limb last time and got a bunch wrong. Heres where I make up for it:
A
Tappan Zee, Byram Hills, Poughkeepsie, Peekskill”
So, Bracketology, what are Friday’s winning Mega Millions numbers?
Seriously, good call…
CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN HOW THESE REFS GET THEIR ASSIGNMENTS? THERE IS NO NO NO WAY THESE GUYS ON TONIGHTS GAME WERE THE HIGHEST RANKED AND BEST AVAILABLE? NO WAY? SOME ONE TALKS ABOUT CHSAA REFS BEING HIRED- THIS NEEDS TO HAPPEN??I WAS @ A JV PLAYOFF GAME TUES AND THE 2YOUNG KIDS DID GREAT EVEN THE LOSING COACH AGREEED! THEY ARE WAY WAY BETTER AND YOUNGER AND FASTER AND HAPPIER.
WHAT A GREAT BASKETBALL NIGHT,AS A FAN YOU COULD NOT HAVE ASKED FOR MORE,IF YOU FELL SHORT OF THE COUNTY CENTER,YOU HAVE GIVEN YOUR ALL AND THOSE ARE THE BREAKS,IF YOU MADE IT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE MOMENT,GOOD LUCK
I was at the Woodlands game. Basically Croton played bad and Woodlands played worse.
Woodlands IS a better team I believe. Woodlands has a way of being a little too calm and maybe not taking opponents seriously enough like the last Dobbs game and the North Salem game and definitely tonight against Croton. A lot of times in sports pure intensity and passion can win games.
Woodlands is a little too cool.
Croton had to play a very imperfect game at a very intense level, doing everything they could to squeak out a win against the Falcons. Woodlands just simply played poorly and barely lost.
They were also without, arguably their best player Reece Williams. With Reece in the Falcons win no doubt.
Congratulations Croton and good luck. You’ll need it. You ain’t that good and be prepared to get totally stomped by Magnus.
Woodlands: Good season, should have went at least one game further but all in all you played well, beat some big teams and really got stomped by no one.
Can’t be 100% every game and tonight was one you weren’t.
Lastly, I echo the sentiments of Jets and Respect; the Pioneers’ playoff performance this year should erase whatever doubts remain regarding Brian Laffin’s coaching abilities. I know the Poughkeepsie Journal might want to give Coach of the Year honors to Matt Hoyt for turning Arlington around this year, but Coach Laffin molded what was essentially last year’s JV team into a Class A semifinalist. That’s truly remarkable, IMHO…
Boy was I wrong on Kennedy!. Eatin that crow now. Was at PR/TZ game. Not even close. One thing really good came out of it for PR though. The big sophomore really stepped up his game and was quite impressive. He is a legit 6 6 and can shoot it. Jerry has a star in the making.
Sharing the ball doesn’t equate to good basketball. Woodlands is one of the wildest teams in the county. I have seen them several times and there are no legit sets, no legit screening, it is run and gun to the max. A well coached team can exploit it. The year with Henry and Atkins they got away with it because those kids were special for that level.
States…congrats my man. Ill buy you that hotdog Wed. I still owe you it!
Jets, This is his 11th CC visit… No one should question Coach Laff to begin with. I hope they do well. 11x’s?? WOW!
Josh, thanks for setting the record straight.
Coach Reeves,
I’ll take it. No tears will be shed from me!
Laffin is excellwnt Great at giving young men confidence in themselves and developing as time goes along. The gang will nearly all back but it’ll be nice for the seniors to ride this out for as long as possible. I’m an advocate of letting the kids play b/c they are the ones working all year and laying it all on the court. Fair and consistent both ways always suffices, that’s all both sides ever want.
Just so everyone knows, the Albertus Magnus players did not hold Brian Daniels to 4 points, but rather it was the poor, unfair, one-sided refs. Sec 1 powers that be should get a tape of this game to see how bad it was. After a bad call toward the begining of the game , anAM player said to a Briarcliff player, “Get used to it. This is how these guys call it HERE. Section 1 should take better stock of their officials to insure a better/fair game. The officials took Briarcliff out of the game right from the start. AM is a good team that needs no extra help.
RE>”
Look in the mirror Briarcliff. If your team wasn’t a complete embarrassment, maybe they could have kept the game in single digits. Have your so called leader take a look in the mirror and tell gym to get with the program. Maybe if he hadn’t have gotten himself ejected for throwing elbows it would actually have been a competitive game. And don’t say Albertus was talking trash when your guys were talking to the Am players when they were down 20. The Briarcliff basketball program embarrassed themselves tonight. Check that out on the tape.
No need for hostility Sports Guy. The FACT is that the game was called very one-sided and everyone saw that. What are you talking about “so called leader”? I’m not talking about programs. I,m calling for better officiating and that helps all the kids!
One more thing: I did not say Albertus player was talking trash. The players comment was honest—he was just stating what was coming down the pike. The kid was being friendly, giving the Briarcliff player a heads-up. You TOTALLY mis-interpretted what was said. I’m not putting the players down. I’m stating that the officiating is often very bad and this was another example tonight at Albertus.
wanna hear something crazy: tz got 4 foul calls on three point attempts. FOUR! im for tz and i dont even think some of them were fouls.. they missed one on clinton in the beginning of the game.
Yolo…Does that seem right to you? I didn’t see the game but my guess is that it was lop=sided officiating….Were you there? Was the game called well overall?
HRs… Did you see Woodlands this year? This was a very different Woodlands team than the Atkins/Henry team. Not nearly as athletic, but a bunch of excellent shooters. Scipio, Tilford and Williams were all deep threats. That and the offense rebounding of Bowers were the primary weapons. It wasn’t about athleticism at all. Dobbs was significantly more athletic.
The refs from the Pok / East game were disgustingly horrible … It was like 7 on 5 out there .. the little short bold headed ref w/ the high water pants was out there whinking his buddies in the East crowd …. it was so obvious he was refing against POk .. hope he can live w/ himself or sleep night.
Pok kids live for adversity .. good job fellas for fighting thru ignorance and beating the East 5 + the 2 Refs ….
Jeff,
24, 35, 12, 56, 42 and 4 LOL! Thank you Thank you Takes a bow I’m very DC biased but I had to let my sport knowledge do the talking. I was 20-5 in the first round. Missed the AA Quarters but I would picked them all except Mahopac. and finished strong with a 7-1 tonight. Missed it by a point too!!!! 28-7 overall
.............. Wait till my CC picks hahah
Yea the officials have been horrible all year long at just about every section 1 game I have attended. Most of them are older and out of shape so they can’t get themselves in the right position to make the call. Either add a 3rd official or hire younger one who can actually do their job. Pretty sad, guess anyone can become an official just gotta be able to pass a test Rolls Eyes
POK making it back to the CC is amazing. Everyone doubted those kids and coaches all year and they showed the heart of a champion. Anything is possible at the CC. Josh, I know PK is not in your coverage area but you should do a story on this team. I also think you should do a story on the Pac. This program was dead a few years ago and after speaking to ARlington I learned some facts. 3 league titles in 5 years, three trips to the quarters only losing to Keith Thomas led Yorktown. Two consecutive years to county center and this year after graduating 9 seniors that is unheard. What putnam school does that, especially where bb is the 4th most popular sport behind football, baseball and lacrosse. Give them some love like you did peekskill. similar story for PK. Oh yeah and pac coach 3 time coach of the yr in 5 yrs amazing. Give Putnam and Dutchess some love.
Josh , yes I saw Woodlands live once and twice on MSGvarsity. Yes the parts were different but the style was exactly the same. It didn’t change at all. So they shot more 3’s, instead of getting dunks from Henry…
You saying Bowers offensive rebounding was a primary weapon shows the lack of offensive sets and use of a kid who was almost always the biggest and strongest kid on the court. Bowers should have gotten 10Xs more touches every game. You can see that within a quarter of watching this team play.
Like I said with Henry and Atkins they got away with it. ...
Care to revise those A power rankings? Poughkeepsie has been to the CC in 13 of the last 14 years. Without having to face Ben Gordon Sr Year in the quarters (the only exception in the 14), why would you ever have them outside of the top 4?
Josh:
HRs has an agenda. He’s still smarting over the gold ball WL won two years ago. Wonder what community he’s from? Instead of giving props to Croton and the four other teams that beat WL (two of which were splits, and are still playing), he diminishes their effort by demeaning the Falcons.
I am just happy that he can now die in peace; one less angry man on the roadways.
Yezzir the Dutchmen do it again. Got my bus ticket to the CC Wednesday, my boys keep making me proud. Never the most athletic or most gifted, but they will out play and out heart everyone. Byram very similar to them, should be one heck of a game. Just want to make sure everyone knows that TZ is the original #family. Congrats to our girls team as well, Rockland representing with two schools sending boys and girls team! Go Dutchmen!!!
HR’s is a homer from The catholic schools, he gets really upset when public schools have a “recruitment flavor” to them. He believes that its only fair when the JFK’s and Magnus’s of the world recruit to play in public school leagues.
Sports Guy,
Who was ejected from the AM Briarcliff game for elbow throwing?
Rudy T… I graduated from Pearl River in the 91. I played basketball, football and baseball. I went on to play college baseball. My father was a coach in the bronx and won a state and fed championship with Gompers in the 80’s. If you want to know anything else, ask. and I have NO agenda at all or hostility towards Woodlands whatsoever. I could care less who won their game and I happy they won a gold ball two years ago. I enjoyed watching Henry and I wish him and Atkins the best wherever they are. Sorry to burst your bubble. I watch a lot of basketball. I call it like I see it. Nothing was diminished at all.
Section 1, you are a completely clueless so stop flexing e-muscles. You have the wrong person. I have nothing to do with catholic schools nor do I stand for or against what they do. Never responded to any recruitment issues involving the teams you mention either. Albertus recruiting is almost as believable as you having n.u.t.s to do anything except to blog tough on the Journal News.
“WOW”,HOW COME I HERE CRICKETS NOW
Still thinking about the game I saw last night. Eastchester v Poughkeepsie an instant classic. Disappointed in the lack of crowd. I thought we had it. Poughkeepsie is an excellent group of kids. They carry themselves with a lot of class. I do not want to sound negative but barriers and stereotyping sometimes get in the way of seeing great kids compete. Class group of youngmen and classy coach.
Haywood, true basketball fan here. I think you know that. Been around the game along time, saw some of the greatest hs players to grace the courts during my pop’s tenure. and still follow it to this day. Have no agendas ever.
Sports guy,
When was he ejected?
HR’s,
How is stating an opinion on a blog, flexing e-muscles? It figures you went to Pearl River, that would explain your “I invented basketball mentality” just because you think something doesnt make it a fact! Blog tough? Spoken like a true career blogger..and no one cares where and when you played, your obviously impressed with yourself,. and more obviously your easliy impressed!
HRs,
I believe,who was the kid from gompers,that use to come to mount Vernon and play in summer league in the 80’s,I thinly his name was Chris?
Yes us PR guys have that mentality. We are truly known for our basketball prowess. I would equate our history to that of UCLA. Very witty and well thought out comment. Man, that was funny.
You didn’t state an opinion, you made up a lie and put blog words in my mouth. Talk hoops, that we can do all day. And Rudy T wanted to know where I was from, so actually read something before attempting to pound an e-chest . Who do you root for by the way? Or does that remain anonymous with you ?
HR
GOOD MORNING MY FRIEND!!!....
EDUCATING!!!!
COACH HAYWOOD
GOOD MORN!!.. ....
Wood.. am,amazing that you know that! His name was Chris Brooks. He was a ridiculous athlete. He wound up leaving my pop and was one of the first kids from the city to go to Oak Hill. Bad move(not because it was my father) but because he was a kid who needed discipline constantly. He listened to my pop. Problem was he also listened to one of my dad’s assistants who didn’t have Chris’s best interest in mind, he had his own. Behind my dad’s back he was promised a job at West Virginia if he could get Chris to go there… So Chris left, went to Oak Hill and then guess where… West Virginia.
He never improved in college and went nowhere after it. My pop also had a great guard, Greg Poindexter. He used to play down there too. Had many offers but never panned out and gave in to the pressure of the streets after he left Gompers
H
HRs,
Tell em bud. Def looking forward to the hot dog God willing haha.
Congrats to all the team still playing. Does Poughkeepsie have a shot against Peekskill? I guess Brewster gave them all they could handle last night and it was a six point game with two minutes to play. Was anybody at that game? Peekskill shoots the ball well from the perimeter and has lots of guys that make plays. Will Poughkeepsie handle Peekskills pressure and not turn the ball over? Will it make shots?
most hated!!!! btw did you hear that the RB from Bosco(Peppers) has transferred? Heading to Paramus.
States…an endorsement from you matters. You are a genuine, knowledgeable guy! Well set it up for Wed. I will def be there. Going to try and take the day and enjoy the games.
About halfway through the 4th quarter. Blatant elbow to the face right in front of the referee.
Poughkeepsie have a shot? No Can they handle Peekskill’s pressure? No Final Peekskill 72 Pok 56
Pok has a week to rest up for Peek and vice versa. They know very well about Peek’s coronation before the post season started. I’m not sure if Pok can cut down on the TO’s b/c it’s organized chaos on the court. They try to get it back on D. If Pok can keep their TO’s w/in 5-7 I’d give them a nice shot. Won’t be easy.
HRs,
No prob. Love reading your posts and seeing the the apple didn’t fall very far from the tree. Would have loved to have my dad work on my game growing up. You embody class on the blog so it’s much love.
Was at the Albertus game last night.
I have never seen a dirtier player than #11.
He threw more than a couple of elbows to some of the Albertus kids faces because he couldn’t do a thing last night and only got caught a couple of times
This act has been going on since he was at Walter Panas, and AAU.
I also blame the Briarcliff coaches for making this kid think he is above everyone.
All the Briarcliff kids were in there warmups and he is in a tee shirt and sweatpants during warm-ups
He got called for about 6 traveling calls and was mouthing off to the officials all game.
No wonder he didn’t get any calls his way.
I agree with the Sports guy the kid needs counseling.
I thought the rest of the Briarcliff palyers played hard and showed good sportsmanship.
This kid has to be nightmare to coach and honestly showed nothing last night.
Tyler Sayre made this kid look like he was in grade school
Go Albertus
DA most hated prince,
Hope to see you at the county
HRs,
Back then Mv was full of talent in the summer time,Walter berry,”the ANIMAL,THEY ALL PLAYED ON A TEAM CALLED MILBANKS
HRs how is scary doing
HAYWOOD
WAS THERE PLAY BACK THEN CALLED THE TERMINATOR!!!!!
HR!!
I POSTED IT ON ANOTHER THREAD LAST MONDAY I BELIEVE!!.. BOSCO HAS PROBLEMS ON THE INSIDE!!...
HAYWOOD
I WILL BE AT THE COUNTY I TOLD STATES THAT I WOULD SEE AT THE COUNTY LAST FRIDAY!!. AFTER I WATCH POK GET PAST PELHAM!!..
WOOD…...............JUST FACT, HUSKY, STATES, HR AND MYSELF!.. WE CAN CATHUP AT THE CENTER AND HAVE A HOT DOG AT HALF TIME!!..
pistol pete,
This years B’Cliff coach inherited this mess from Evangelista who convinced the kid he was a good player. The funny thing is he was a contributing factor to the coaching change. He is an average HS player in an above average body and whenever he plays vs. a kid who can match him physically he gets exposed(like last night).
B’Cliff lost their bid to the County Center when they lost to P”Ville at Pace, that night the kid over celebrated a dunk( on one of the few gooddefensive plays he made) while P’Ville converted a lay up on the other end.
Not much good is going to happen when a Westchester team find themselves in a game in Rockland County from an officiating standpoint, but this kid made it easy for the refs.
I am down for the little hotdog pow wow!! Prince, there are def some issues. Actually know some peeps who work there. Some crazy, crazy stuff.
States, my pop taught me the game and I was around his kids all the time. Taught me a lot about life as a whole. He also taught in the South Bronx for 35 years so I grew up at PS 121. Not the normal PR kid..lol.
Haywood, those must have been some sick games. Seeing players of that caliber so raw is awesome. One kid I loved watching was Malloy Naismith aka “the future” . This kid was ridiculous. He almost went to Gompers, never panned out. You prob know the name. He hit the street ball scene and was on some And 1 commercials.
Section 1
Yes he did.
Also, there was 1 ref from Westchester who was making a majority of the calls against him
Most of the games I have seen has 1 ref from Westchester and 1 from Rockland if a Rockland team is playing a Westchester team in the Sectionals.
Believe me the officiating had nothing to do with the outcome of the game.
Sorry to hear Briarcliff has another year of this nightmare.
HR
YEA, I KNOW SOME PAST AND PRESENT PLAYERS, ...... FUTURE WAS A GIFTED PLAYER!!... SEEN PLAY A FEW TIMES!!
HR
IF MY MEMORY IS CORRECT FUTURE SON PLAYS B/BASKETBALL IN “NEW ROCHELLE” HE IS ABOUT 11-12YRS OLD
I guess the rumor holds true….Fred DiCarlo cant win the big game.
Congrats to Eastchester on great season
That aboy prince!!! Malloy was ridiculous. I remember watching him at the Wheelchair classic tryouts. He literally was going full speed down the court and managed to make a pass through his legs without stopping or slowing down. Wildest thing I saw. He also was dunking on everyone. Also saw him at Monore in HS. One of the best ball handlers around. Almost made it to the NBA in 95 too.
I don’t know about his son, so I defer to you on this. If he is learning from his pop, he will be a stud too.
Not exactly sure how you blame the actions of a current Briarcliff player on Evangelista, who got ousted after a gold ball, and a trip to the B finals the next year because the AD thought the program needed to go in a different direction. That direction seems to be down…coach the players you have and if that’s an issue then maybe the AD needs to look at the direction the program is headed in now (both boys and girls for that matter)
HR
HE DOESN’T HAVE HIS FATHERS KILLER INSTINCT YET!!.... BUT THAT WILL DEVELOP!!.(apple will not fall to far from the tree
) FATHER WAS DANGEROUS!.. 1ST 2 STEPS OFF THE DRIBBLE WAS NBA LEVEL
HR
I KNOW BIG CHRIS BROOKS LIVED COUPLE BLOCKS AWAY FROM MT ST. MICHAELS ON WILDER OR MURDOCK AVE!!.. VERY TALENTED KNEE INJURY!!
Hoops Fan
Evangelista who is a teacher at Walter Panas “somehow” ended up coaching the kid at B’Cliff after the kid left Panas(mysterious). Evangelista touted the kid to a ridiculous level and was unable to control him.
Briarcliff was in The County Center for two years, which had little to do with Evangelista who was hired a minute before the season started and inherited a talented group previously coached by….yes the A.D. Briarcliff won a Gold Ball after not winning in 20+ years.
Going in a “different direction” is a polite way of saying “enough is enough”. The Direction they are in now is the same direction they normally go in.
Class A,
DiCarlo had a great game plan. Just ran into a team that was just determined as the Eagles were.
LETIZIA does it again! PR point guard had averaged 18 points a game in his recent stretch, but that ended quickly when Letizia put the cuffs on. The kid was held to 2 FG all in the first quarter and never seen from again. Letizia has a long history of taking down “so called super-point guards”. Hey Joey, last night closes another chapter in your book called “Dream-Slayer”.
Briarcliff is in a tough spot with this kid. I feel bad for the coach, who seemed like a decent guy. Someone told me after the game that he apologized to Coach McFadden for the way the kid acted. I don’t know if it is true or not so take that how you will. Unless that kid ends up in the loony bin, the coach is going to have his hands full next year.
I know I’m all over TZ right now, but can someone else please talk about what Bill O’Shea means night-in and night-out to this team. I’ve watched him get whatever he wants game after game. He’s a double-double threat nightly that guards the oppositions best off the ball player. This guy played the point last night, scores in the post, a threat from 3 and defends! Look back, he does it every game man and like his counter part (letizia) nobody speaks of him. Time for some love huh boys?
Prince, did you used to see Chris and is he still there? Would love to tell my pops if that’s the case.
HR
I WAS WITH CHRIS ABOUT 3-1/2 YRS AGO BUT I CAN FIND OUT WHERE HE IS, I DID AT ONE TIME HAVE HIS CELL BUT I LOST THAT PHONE!!....
We are gonna have to catch up next week at center. My pops would love to talk to him. Chris probably knows where some of his other players are as well. Last I heard he was in construction. Is that true?
HR
MY BUDDY “JUST A FACT” ALWAYS SAYS!!..PPR YOU KNOW ALOT OF PEOPLE! lol… I ALWAYS SAY I BEEN ALOT OF PLACES (many states and cities) AND SEEN A TON OF GREAT ATHLETES!!..
HR
HE WAS DOING CONSTRUCTION AND SOME ELECTRICAL WORK!!
PkKing… If I was to rank the Class A teams, I would still rank Kennedy (and maybe Brewster) above Poughkeepsie based on what the teams had accomplished during the season and who I think would win head to head. It’s nothing against Poughkeepsie, but I don’t think Poughkeepsie had the toughest road to the County Center.
HRs… I wasn’t disputing whether or not Woodlands ran plays. Just that the team is balanced, which was the original reader’s criticism.
Rudy T… You have miscast HRs. I don’t think he has an agenda. I think he just stated his opinion.
This is to everyone… You have made your points, but let’s tone down the individual critiques of one particular player. He’s just a 16-year old kid. Thank you.
Just a fact, was stating a FACT! Chris was something special. Old school basketball gurus like Haywood saw him play. Legendary coaches uses to come to the games.
He really made a bad choice leaving Gompers. The glam and the glory was a lot to pass up, but it hurt him in the end. He didn’t get better once he departed. His game got stale. He could still dunk on you, but never full developed his game. Its nice to hear that he is working and healthy.
As usual, good management of the discussion Josh.
HR
JUST A FACT (is the man
) TRUE CHRIS WAS A SPECIAL PLAYER, HE HAS SAID THAT SOMETIMES HE FEEL OAK WASNT THE BEST MOVE!!... I BELIEVE HE WAS THERE WITH ANOTHER NEW YORK PLAYER CN’T REMEMBER WANNA SAY ROD STRICKLAND, I BELIEVE THEY PLAYED TOGETHER AT ONE TIME!!..
Prince, Rod was there in 84/85. Chris was there in 85/86. Great years of NYC basketball all around. Rod was insane when he was young. Chris was the premier athlete and dunker. He did get beat in a dunk contest at the Wheel Chair by a kid named Mark Brown. Mark did a figure 8 between his legs and dunked while in the air. The place erupted and Chris conceded. It was a scene to remember
I am glad Chris realized he shouldn’t have went. His “buddy” Ron led him down the wrong path. That is for sure.
HR
DIDN’T ROD WHEN A CHIP AT TRUMAN ONE YEAR???.
Josh is the biggest Pok hater out there! They may not have had the toughest road but give credit where credit is due. Do you hear that Pel and East? Pretty much what he said is your brand of basketball is soft. I think the fact that Pok started out 1-4, still won a league that had some good comp and had to travel not once but twice to practically the Bronx deserves respect. No one is saying they are the best team left but give them some props. The problem is the Westchester elite hate the fact that a DC team crashes the party.
@ HR – WOW! Chris Brooks…what a blast from the past. True story, I remember Chris Brooks at the Gauchos Gym in 1988. He was playing with some kids trying out (he was not trying out) and he caught a rebound for a dunk that I will never forget. When I say he was looking down at the rim…I mean he was looking down at the rim. Great great athlete and a good player.
lame… I picked Poughkeepsie to win the championship in the preseason and picked Poughkeepsie to win the last two games. But if you’re asking me where I think Poughkeepsie stands in the Class A hierarchy right now, I’d say no higher than fifth. That’s my honest opinion. (It should also be noted that I had Poughkeepsie in my Top 10 for the entire month of December despite some struggles. It wasn’t like I’ve been against them all along or anything.)
LAME
YOU GOT A VALID POINT!!.. I MUST SAY!!..
What point is that, Prince?
I’ve been a devoted Poughkeepsie fan since the late 1990s, and I have to admit that I doubted the success of this year’s team. They seemed too inexperienced and frankly I thought they lacked the raw talent of many previous Pok teams. It’s easy to get used to Pok dominating local competition and then beating other teams to get to the County Center. Their early losing streak was, as far as I can remember, unprecedented. As things have turned out, though, I was wrong to doubt them. They’ve really come along, and I congratulate them, Coach Laffin, and the assistant coaches on a terrific turn-around. Whatever happens at the County Center, the team has made this another great season. And with only two graduating seniors on the team, next season should be even more successful.
It’s all good. If Pok defeats the self proclaimed champions theyll continue to climb the hierarchy.
STATES
The Briarcliff coach is a nice, decent guy. The TRUTH is that the AM players were also very aggressive—that’s basketball. They were fouling Daniels but the fouls were NOT being called by the refs. Everytime the guy went up for a shot he was fouled from three directions but there was no whistle…On the other end the Briarcliff team woukld touch a AM guy and the’d call a foul…the whole game from the start the refs were calling for AM.
As far as the ejection foul, it was not blatant. Daniels got a pass and turned to shoot and hit the much shorter kid in the head with his elbow…it happened like that. Look, they knew if they made it impossible for Daniels then Briarcliff would have no chance…and the refs helped. Plain & Simple. Sounds like Sports Guy should heed his own advice and get counseling. Sounds like you have a personal problem with this kid.
I DO BELIEVE THAT POK WILL HAVE TO HANDLE THE PRESSURE THAT PEEK WILL TRY TO APPLY,ESPECIALLY IF POK GETS A LEAD,HOW THEY HANDLE IT WILL MAKE.OR BRAKE THEM. (PRACTICE,PRACTICE,PRACTICE)
class a fan…just in case you were not at the eastchester game last night. di carlo was on the bench for the last 2 minutes when the ball was turned over numerous times and there was some very poor defense being played. the game is won or lost on the court by the players. considering that eastchester has 2 true basketball players on the team they did a great job this season.
What happen to the Briarcliff PG?
Coming into the season he was supposed to be a player, in the Pleasantville game at Pace he was a complete non factor putting up a zero with multiple turnovers. I see in the box score he was again a non-factor and I believe this was his third year as a varsity player.
Was he hurt, over rated or just not getting minutes/
Peekskill will beat the Pioneers by 15+. I have seen both teams. Pok had no shot and Coach Lou knows he is gonna beat them! He has us winning it all.
Josh,
How do the refs get these assignments and how come they are for the most part old and out of shape? Do all the good young referees go to the CHSAA? And why? Do es any one know the answers? I have seen the same guys for 10 plus years? When are they going to hire new young guys? Can they hire CHSAA refs for the playoffs?
I have a problem with people who act like he did. The fact that you are making excuses for him is unfathomable.
i think pok is going to beat Peekskill and shock them just like TZ did a couple of years ago and i think Byram Hills is going to pull of the upset
I THINK THE REF SEE WHAT THEY WANT TO SEE!.. I THINK SEC1 B/BALL AND F/BALL PROBLEM IS THE POLITICS!!..... PPL SAY THAT SEC1 B/BALL AND F/BALL IS BAD!!.. I SAY THATS NOT TRUE!!!.. THE POLITICS ARE VERY BAD!!.. ( TOO MUCH HE IS MY FRIEND, HE DID ME A FAVOR, WE PLAYED CHILDHOOD BALL TOGETHER, I OWE HIM A FAVOR, THATS MY NEPHEW, COUSIN, GRANDSON) AND IN THE END IT’S REALLY ONLY HURTING THE KIDS!!..
Stop all the complaining about the officiating. The truth is that selfish play, stupid fouls, costly turnovers have a lot more to do with winning and losing than the officials. Do officials make bad calls? Yes!! Do they affect both sides? Usually. Do partisan crowds make the job more difficult? Yes!! If you watch any video review the officials are right more often than not. I have never officiated. I am not sure why they do what they do for $100.Usually the losers and their fans need scapegoats.The officials are often their target. Most a very competent and are rated by the section coaches and no one else, prior to the tournament. A coach can cross off three officials not wanted during the playoffs. Politics? Please get real.
I was told that due to age he is out of high school eligibility, prep school is a good idea I guess, but im not sure what he is preping for.
Josh..Why haven’t you posted my comments about the officiating?
Folks, I asked you to stop calling out players by name. Please stop now. Thank you.
Coach K… I have nothing to do with it. The blog software grabs comments with questionable words in them. I just saw it now and approved it.
COACH K
IS IT SOMEONE IN YOUR FAMILY!!.... OR ARE YOU ONE OF THE BAD REF’S!!.... B/C POLITICS IS SEC1!.. YOU CN’T BE SERIOUS TO SAY THAT IT’S NOT TRUE!!... THEY DO WHAT THEY DO FOR $100 WHEN X BY 4-7 GAMES PER WEEK!!..YOU WILL GET YOUR ANSWER!!
IQ those types of dunks were a constants even in practice. He was special. When my pop got him, he could barely play. Had a lot of issues in and out of the classroom. But he was just so athletic and strong that the game came quick to him. Aside from Greg Poindexter and Troy Murray, my dads kids weren’t special. But they bought into his system and won every year.
Sec 1The Best
None of the above..I have coached many years and have listened to uninformed comments llike yours for years. The officials haven’t been rated by their peers for years( I could get the politics rap if that were true), but it is not true. Should some guys retire, probably, but to paint them all with one brush is not right. By the way, should they apologize for making some extra cash, regardless if they do one game a week or five? The jobs tough, try it sometime.
Glory Daze,
I agree TZ had the closest family 2 years ago and BH took that spot last year… two teams that are perfect examples of how heart and togetherness can win games (along with some great defense and shooting)... that’s why this match up is gonna be so great- two great teams that play basketball the right way and depend on each other for success. Two strongest families in class A basketball. There’s no reason to even talk about Pok and Peekskill because the winner of TZ/BH will most likely take home that Gball
PF Changs,
While “heart, togetherness, and family” are important intangibles in the team dynamic, the one thing that trumps them all is talent. I’m convinced that all four Class A teams playing in the County Center this coming Wednesday possess these things. Also, while you can talk about Byram Hills and Tappan Zee’s “strong sense of family”, don’t forget Peekskill and Poughkeepsie’s pride and tradition. I guess what I’m trying to say is that none of the four teams should assume that it has the Gold Ball locked up should it win the semifinal match-up…
coach k’
i have seen things go on for years with rockland county ref’s and westchester county ref’s so i would say i am informed!!.. (and there is some politics going on) i have seen a ton of games in state and out of state!!.. but i agree i shouldn’t paint them “all”!!.. but i’am painting all that deserved to be painted!!.. for you to say that it’s no politics!... makes me wonder!!!...
DA MOST HATED,
I HOPE YOU ARE GETTING PAID FOR ALL THAT PAINTING,LLLLLLOOOOOLLLLL
Coach k,
I agree that officiating is a very tough job but certain things make it easier. A well conditioned mobile referee with the ability to run with these student athletes for one. Younger official who are not set in their ways or who are trying to make it to the next level college officiating. Here is why the CHSAA have better younger officials. The assignors hold auditions or tryouts and if your not up to par you get CUT. Not the case in boces section 1. The coaching rating is in itself a political agenda. Certain refs work in certain gyms with certain other refs and WONT do a Mt Vern game or a Peekskil because these coaches wont play ball with them. This is how they get these favorable ratings. Again not all of them. But dont think that POLITICS dont play a part.
^ complaining about the ref’s all year long is getting old. did you every stop to think of who they are? they are avg joe’s that enjoy the game and are making a few bucks. granted some are bad but to say it’s political is wrong. you seem to have a lot of time on your hands so why dont you get a job reffing football and basketball. when my kids were playing little league in eastchester if you were a coach you had to umpire games. i can tell you that once i umpired i gained a new appreciation for the guys doing it. you realize that you second guessing yourself sometimes and you realize that you are not always right.
The TZ pg played great the other night but I would argue his run ends this year. He enjoys the team defense that plays behind him more than anyone realizes. The pr pg went by him whenever he wanted but couldn’t finish bc TZ plays great help side def. Agree with your o Shea post, the kid is the glue to that team, he does everything. He also takes pressure off the pg bc he can bring the ball up when teams press, since he is the pf the other teams pf usually can’t pick
up full court and regardless what people think the TZ pg doesn’t have a great handle, he is tough and hard nosed and the right fit for this team. If he truly is a good player he will have his chance to prove it next year as a sr.
Jeff P,
Two years agp Peekskills talent was head and shoulders over Tappan Zee but the heart and togetherness is what led the dutchmen to the victory. Also Tz was able to keep its compsure down the stretch when Peekskill lost theres.
PF Changs,
Im a TZ guy, but no guarantee tz or byram brings home gold. Pok is a great team, and Peekskill is hungrier than any peekskill team off the past.
Another note looking at schedules I believe once again class A is going to be the most exciting final four there is this year. To my boys at Tz keep doing what you and bring home another gold ball!!!
So a couple quick questions that you all can feel free to answer…. Which school, moving to a different class, has the best chance to make an impact next year? (Spring Valley, Lourdes, Ardsley, and Groton and those that come to mind. I believe theres a few more)
How do these catholic schools seem to get such talented players year in and year out? I mean JFK and Magnus have had powerhouse programs for at least the last 10 years (I could be wrong) Just impressive to me caz they don’t have the middle school programs and let’s be honest the CYO system is gone down the drain
Best of luck to all the teams playing next week. Every coach should be extremely proud of their respective programs!
Bracketology,
JFK has been the powerhouse. They had won the gold ball in B a bunch of years in a row and then were moved to A where they continue to compete. Albertus is always consistently good, but they won their first gold ball since the mid 90’s last year. They could win another this year, but it has so much to do with Tyler Sayer. He is perhaps the best player in program history. I wouldn’t consider Albertus half the “powerhouse” that JFK was.
TSG,
Thank you did not know that just knew Magnus has been pretty good over the last 5 years I felt. Will they still be good next year? I know they lose a few good seniors and prob their best player in school history
Albertus may have a tough go of it next year. Sullivan will be back along with McConnell but that is about it. They have a freshman on the bench this year that they are hoping will contribute.
Any rumor to Coach Laffin stepping down this year?
Sports guy….sayer is a very nice player but no way the schools best. I think the top 10 is close. Under Collins very few sophs played and if they did they were the 4th or 5th option. Sayer’s has the points bc he scored a lot as a soph when Am was really bad.
Again, he is a great player but he isn’t half the player duvert was. Duvert would have not only shut him down on def he would go for 30 and 20. I watched TZ hold him scoreless in the biggest game of the yr 2 weeks ago in the 2 nd half. No way does that happen to anyone in the top 10 of school history.
Fyi,
Haven’t heard anything. Wouldn’t surprise me. It would be a very sad day but he’s won a lot of games. Hope we can get him a chip. Great man, excellent teacher and was heck of a baseball coach too
. Needless to say the man has done a lot for us and he’s blessed w/ a nice family. Riding off in the sunset would be great 
. This Pok team is hungry as hell and is 54-40 and fight as well as pikes peak or bust.
A lot of teama took exception to peekskills were going to win the chip article. Yes, that is every teams one objective but they made it sound as if it would be easy. This game is further for PK but they’ve might as well have been in the Bronx the last two games and has played at the CC this year already and as many time as Peek. I think they’ll be up to the challenge. It’s going to be the ok corall out there and should be fun to watch.
AMHS,
Are you serious? Sayer is without a doubt top 10 in AM history. Number 1 may be a little high admittedly. And they weren’t a bad team when he and Pat were Sophs. They finished over .500 and had a much better Pville team on the ropes until they went cold late in the 4th.
Coach Laff aint going nowhere! There was some stupid talk that people in the community were trying to have him removed the last couple of years because they want a coach from the community. He is down for the near future. The people in the community are stupid if they want him out. What does he do? Win games, win games, oh yeah win games. Most importantly he gets kids to college. A lot different then the past. Kids actually get out of Pok and do things. In a community where so many brothers are doing nothing there is a pride in being seen as a Pioneer. Give me a break. These people are straight up wacko! There aint much to brag about in a school that struggles but at least they aint got to worry about the ballas. I hope he wins this year but if he don’t I hope he does not leave. He aint goin no where!!!
Come on guys! Eastchester’s Fred D is a good coach. He is solid but I have to say that Poughkeepsie controlled the last 3 mins. The timeout usage was very good.
All I can say about the refs is that yes, we all get on them at games from time to time. However, I did take a refs class just for fun several years ago & I personally found it much more difficult than I thought.
I guess we all have to walk in thier shoes a little bit & as someone said they are not breaking the bank with pay. It’s pretty much a labor of love I think
states I didn’t realize Laffin coached baseball too. What position did you play? Sports, I go back further like AMHS, Kids like Duvert and Ronan would run circles around him. Sayre is still a nice player and is in the history books. That speaks for itself. He had a great career.
summary for sect 1 so far. THE SEEDINGS TRULY NEED TO BE EVALUATED AS EASTCHESTER WAS AWARDED MUCH TOO HIGH A SEED AND NEW RO TOO LOW. SECT 1 REFS CONTINUE TO GET PROGRESSIVELY WORSE YEAR IN AND YEAR OUT. They are very inconsistent and allow certain players to get hammered while calling touch fouls on others. They do not allow players to play the game. JFK who had a 14 point lead at home and came out flat for the 2nd half exhibited the worst loss of the post season where pride and revenge should have been enough of a motivating factor. Byram showed resilience and reflected a never say die approach which is reflective of great leadership.
HRs,
Yup, it was Modified. I played mostly center and right but could be plugged anywhere but picher if needed.
Statesman,
Nate G. ON ESPNU- QUINNIPIAC VS. ROBERT MORRIS AT 11AM SATURDAY
Haywood,
Thank you. He’s in the doghouse though. He’ll bounce back.
IQ,
Well said. Couldn’t agree more.
Eastbound,
Great year. Your coach is very good and you had a very nice team. Daly, Solano and the rest of the boys are good. Nothing to hang your head at. It was a great game and that last shot had us worried.
Haywood,
Thanks for the heads-up about Quinnipiac. Great game, but I missed seeing Gause (except on the bench) while I was watching the last 20 minutes. Was he in earlier?
Statesman,
Are your referring to the campus incident that got blown way out of proportion by the Pok Journal?
PO’ FAN,
NATE NEVER PLAYED
AMHS,
You speak poorly of Letizia and I dont know why. For an Albertus guy that probably has watched Letizia and the Dutchmen torch them 5 out of their last 6 meetings, you dont give enough credit. You hammer his defense and snub his offense. I would say he has pretty much had his way with your “All-star” point guard no? Your PG is a tough player too, but he would not want that match-up everyday I’m sure. Now you’re going to peg his credibility as a player on next year? That’s not fair, but I’m sure he’ll contiue to do what he always does and thats step up. I’d say he has had a dream career already and this season is not even over yet. Plus, I can think of a lot of Magnus Alumni who are pretty upset that you put Sayre in the tops all-time category. Yikes!
mclovin class a February 24th, 2012 at 8:34 am
^ complaining about the ref’s all year long is getting old. did you every stop to think of who they are? they are avg joe’s that enjoy the game and are making a few bucks. granted some are bad but to say it’s political is wrong. you seem to have a lot of time on your hands so why dont you get a job reffing football and basketball. when my kids were playing little league in eastchester if you were a coach you had to umpire games. i can tell you that once i umpired i gained a new appreciation for the guys doing it. you realize that you second guessing yourself sometimes and you realize that you are not always right.
MCLOV….... I FIGURED IT WOULD BE A EASTCHESTER GUY WHO WOULD SAY THERE IS NO!!.. “POLITICS”!!... THE HOME OF LOOKING OUT FOR YOUR BUDDY!!... AND NOT DOING THE RIGHT THING!!... LAST PERSON I WANNA HEAR FROM WITH REF’S AND POLITICS IS A EASTCHESTER GUY!!....
Nate’ Gause is not in the doghouse, he is learning college basketball at a winning university program. Poughkeepsie is a fina example of a basketball program that breeds success through adversity. They work hard and graduate. While other athletes drive there fine cars to school they walk and ride bikes. The work each day with hopes of making it. Coach Brian Laffin leads by example and has the best coaching staff in the state.
Major question is how Poughkeepsie will have to work to make up for the two Westchester Refs, ever notice each year its the Dutchess coachs who gets the T while big bob of Mt. V walks the lenght of the court, contests everycall and then take the refs out to dinner after the game. Yes Westchester section refs are political just reply games vs Rockland County, Putnam or Dutchess.
VET COACH,
ARE YOU TRYING TO IMPLY THAT MOUNT VERNON COULD NOT WIN,STATE AND FEDERATION CHAMPIONS,IF BOBBY C. DID NOT TAKE OFFICIALS OUT TO DINNER?
Vet,
Didn’t mean it in a negative way. Tough love approach. He got some minutes early and did well at times. He’s on a very good team and once he learns as you put it he’ll do fine. He just has to be patient. At that level every one is up to par. He’s a great player that loves the game so I’m happy for him.
To answer another question no it has nothing to do w/ the Pok Journal. I was disapointed how they blew it out of proportion as well. It’s expected. They can’t cover Youth Football Award Ceremonys but they can blurt off about something not even knowing the facts.
I don’t follow Magus at all but how come some of you are getting upset over Sayre being a top player ever in the program? I believe he scored more points than anyone in school history. That’s a big accomplishment reguardless of how many years he played or who he played against. I’m serious when I say I sit back and laugh at some of your comments. Stop complaining about the refs. Yes most are terrible and whoever says that the “rating system” is good obviously never coached before. The coaches don’t always fill out the evaluations and sometimes the school does it for the coach (giving out all good ratings) Politics plays a role no doubt, but where in life does politics not play a role? In the end the kids win and lose the games. (Prime example Poughkeepsie/Eastchester game) Stop being rude and disrespectful certain kids as well. You never know the situation that certain kids may or may not be in. I enjoy this blog a lot and most of you have some great things to say. Thanks for the great work Josh!
Haywood, lets be real, Mt Vernon has had the best talent that rubber boudries can put on the floor. As a Bronx native many a city player had ended up at the Mount. I would to to play for Bob C. But let the truth be told. He gets all calls in the County Center. He gets to speak his mind at any ref without fear. This allows him to control tempo and intensity. Yes he would have many wins but we will never know the losses because of his intimidation and his close relationships with Section I refs who provie the edge in times when he needs it. If you are a true fan you know exactly what I mean. I have been to many a game were he is out of Section I and watched him lose when he cannot control the refs. Home court is Mt V not County Center.
Bracket,
Noted. However, you have to understand the Poughkeepsie experience. This is deeper then Section 1 Hoops. We have a hard time getting fair and balanced calls from Pop Warner Football, Youth Basketball and up. Yes, the rep of the city may not be pristine but for officials to put the game in their hands and take it out of the kids’ games is ludicrous.
How many other professionals can we keep while not doing our best job? Not many. I’m not going to say the refs have caused PK games but it’s a problem when you have to play that much harder just to keep an equal playing field. It makes no sense and it is time for it to end. It got so bad at Eastchester/PK that I had to yell to the refs, stop taking the game out of the kids, who work so hard for this hands and I also threatened to call the ACLU. Things got better after that. You need to be able to address usurpations—albeit in a civil tone.
Bad refs isn’t a crime against humanity but I think the kids deserve that much. Especially in places in Pok where Basketball, Football and other sports are all some kids really have. If a team loses, b/c the other team was just better you’ll never hear a peep out of me. I won’t stand for refs being the be all end all on their high horses, however.
In what other professions can one keep their job while not doing their best job? sorry.
VET COACH,
THE TRUTH WILL NOW BE TOLD,#1 MOUNT VERNON HAS BEEN WINING STATE TITLES LONG BEFORE BOBBY C. CAME ALONG,#2 TALENT IS TALENT
Vet Coach: As Haywood stated, the on the court success of Mount Vernon precedes Coach Cimmino…I just happen to think he has done it the best when you consider both on & off court success. Nevertheless, your comments are painfully transparent and they reek of envy.
I think that Pok has been an exceptional program and if it wasn’t for MV, they probably would have a few sectional titles under their belt and possibly a state title or two. The success of Pok should not be diminished by any other program solely because they also have not enjoyed the success of Pok. Conversely, Mount Vernon’s success should not be tarnished by statements that are simply not true. So let’s take a look at your see-through, agenda filled rants:
1) Vet coach said, “we will never know the losses because of his intimidation and his close relationships with Section I refs who provi[d]e the edge in times when he needs it.” The funny think Vet coach (& I don’t mean to be disrespectful to POk fans on the blog) is that all of the MV vs POk games have been blowouts if my memory serves me correctly. I believe the last 2 or 3 were by 20-30 point victories by MV. So I believe that discounts your “provides the edge” theory.
2) Vet coach said, “Mt Vernon has had the best talent that rubber bou[n]dries can put on the floor. As a Bronx native many a city player had ended up at the Mount [Vernon]” Please name one transfer aside from Randy Stevens & Peter Runge in the past 35 years? Stevens was from Ossining & Runge from Pelham…so please provide the names and approximate year(s) these fictitious players from the South of Westchester transferred to play ball at MV. You can’t because it’s simply not true!
3) Lastly, I have watched alot of basketball…just like everyone else on this blog. I think as a MV supporter I have been more objective than many MV supporters I speak with on a regular basis. I still remember debating with many Knights supporters years ago that I thought NR could beat MV before the season started…and that was the last time NR won section I…I support MV 100% in terms of spirit and donations, but I don’t watch or evaluate MV games with blinders on like some do. However, there is no question in my mind that there is tremendous “Mount Vernon fatigue” by almost everyone (except MV supporters like Haywood, myself & others like us) when it comes to Westchester basketball. 85% of the crowd roots against MV when they play at the County Center…and I mean whether they are playing against their team or not. I also believe that Section 1 refs have a tendency to make unfair calls against MV on a regular basis. I’m not saying there is a conspiracy, but I do believe that it’s human nature to subconsciously want to root for David when he is playing Goliath. I think I watch the game with a different eye than most & if you just evaluate the game truthfully and objectively you will see what I’m talking about. I always say that if MV gets in a close game at the county center where the officiating could be a factor during the 4th quarter..then that would be a dangerous situation for them. That is just my opinion
So “Vet Coach” I’m not sure where your are coming from with your evaluations of MV
IQ,
Great post. Allow me to be a citation. MV/Pok ‘11, 6 Point MV Win. MV/Pok ‘10, 12 Point MV win. The previous 3 were in between 20-40 w/ Pok having injuries to deal with. Still would have lost.
I’ll take you one step further and will say if Pok was in “A” during that span they’d have 3-5 chips fighting Peek and TZ furiously for a few. Some great teams got lost in AA. They also gave the Geoff/Rice New Ro team a nice run.
VET COACH,
SOMETIMES YOU JUST HAVE TO TIP YOUR HAT, B-BALL IQ THEIR WILL ALWAYS BE PEOPLE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE,HOPEFULLY THE RESPECT FOR THE PROGRAM CAN CLEAR UP ANY CLOUDY JUDGMENTS,GREAT JOB
POLITICS OF SEC1 SPORTS!!....SMH!!!
I have seen Coach cimino work the refs but no more than any other coach in his position. That is all part of the game as far as Im concerned.
We all know who I root for here but please get off the MV bashing. They are a sound program and the envy of almost every inner city public school in the tri state area. maybe the country.
Sour Grapes!
GO GOLDBACKS!
DA MOST HATED,
MAKE SURE YOU COME TO THE COUNTY.
JMOOSE,
YOU SPEAK THE TRUTH,GOOD LOOKIN,I KNOW YOU GUYS HAVE A TOUGH MOUNTAIN TO CLIMB,SO PUT THOSE HIKING BOOTS ON AND GET TO CLIMBING,HOPE TO SEE YOU’LL WHEN YOU GET TO THE TOP,GOOD LUCK,
MOUNT VERNON VS NEWBURGH IS ONLY RIGHT.
HAYWOOD
I WILL BE THERE!!.... YOUR 1ST HOTDOG IS ON ME!!!..... !!
OOOOOOOK
Statesman,
I agree 100% but at the same time it has happened to everyone. Look at the Red Hook/Cornwall game last year. Chando’s brother-in-law (or some kind of family member) I was told was refing the final game and cost Cornwall a shot to get to win the section. I remember also in past years games have gone down to the wire and the officials have made some bad calls down the stretch. The only point I had was Poughkeepsie WON not lost so the fact that everyone was making a big deal about it seemed a lil absurd to me. I won’t doubt for a second that Section 1 needs to reevaluate their officiating and make it either 1.) Harder to become an official or 2.) Make sure the officials are physically able to do their job. Mistakes will be made and that’s a part of the game that won’t change at any level. As coaches we make a lot more mistakes than the officials and the turnovers the kids make are insurmountable compared to the officials mistakes lol. I will be hones though if the officials make a mistake I might be the first one to jump on them for it. That’s just caz I’m so competitive. I hope Poughkeepsie beats Peekskill and I’m looking forward to the game. I know I’ll be there.
I ref’d in a BS mens league a few years ago as a favor to a friend. IT WAS WAYYYYYY HARDER than i thought it would be. Very easy to sit in the crowd and pick apart every play. Crazy hard when you are standing on top of it. believe it or not.
My guess is that no one actually wants to be a ref so the section is stuck with whoever they get.
Coaches pick the best of the bunch.
I heard there was some real controversy in the CBA vs Shen game the other night. Ended in a brawl. Bloggers said refs let the game get out of control and then called shen for ticky tack last play and cost them the win. Ouch!
http://blog.timesunion.com/medved/