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.
216 Comments
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.