It’s the playoffs and that means Dan and I have to raise our game, too. So below are our picks as players of the week in all three classes from the opening round of the Section 1 tournament.
Remember, you can tweet us your suggestions and nominate players for the honor @LoHudInsider and @LoHud_DeFran, hashtag #POTW.
CLASS AA
Josh’s POTW: Rickey McGill, Spring Valley —
The sophomore (left) is relentless, so it’s no surprise he was the catalyst as Spring Valley made quick work of Kennedy. Yes, the Tigers were the top seed, but with their youth and Kennedy’s strong play of late, I expected a closer game. Instead, McGill’s 20 points and four steals helped Spring Valley quickly roll up a double-digit lead and run away 66-33. McGill should be a difference-maker against New Ro. He can pressure the ball and knows how to finish.
Dan’s POTW, Class AA: Joe Clarke, New Rochelle —
The lone “upset” (Can you really consider New Rochelle an underdog?) of Class AA came at Clarkstown South where the Huegenots had a very impressive 67-36 win on the road. Who played the biggest part in that victory? None other than Joe Clarke. Clarke accounted for almost half his team’s points, scoring 30 in the win.
New Rochelle has taken a lot of heat this season for their inconsistency and big win like this to open up the tournament was exactly what the Huguenots needed. At this point, records don’t matter anymore. If anyone can appreciate that it’s the kid that just led his football team to a state championship. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Winners win.
CLASS A
Josh’s POTW: Brian Skelly, Byram Hills —
There were so many clutch performances, including a great duel between Panas’ Vaughn Dweck and Albertus’ Jack Sullivan, who were both terrific Friday night. Rye’s Max Twyman probably deserves some sort of honorable mention. Not only did his score his 1,000th in the outbracket round, he nearly lifted Rye, almost singlehandedly, to the upset of the tournament with 44 points against Eastchester. But I’m going with Skelly. He’ll be hard-pressed to ever hit two more important jumpshots than the two he dropped Friday night.
With the prospect of an embarrassing loss for No. 1-seeded Byram, Skelly (pictured right) caught an inbound pass with 0.5 to play and drained a dramatic 3 to send it to OT. He then added another to tie it with 15 seconds left in the extra session, laying the groundwork for Matt Giacomo’s winning basket. Skelly finished with a relatively modest 16 points, but, put simply, he probably hit the two biggest shots of the tournament to date.
Dan’s POTW: Eric Casey, Tappan Zee —
Lost in the madness that was Byram Hills vs. Beacon was the fact that on the other side of the bracket Tappan Zee’s Casey (pictured left) had 26 points and 20 rebounds in a 62-49 win over Riverside. The Rams had no answer for Casey in the paint; he proved to be an absolute beast throughout the game. Casey will need another solid performance if the Dutchies have any hopes of winning a gold ball as they head to Poughkeepsie on Tuesday.
CLASS B
Josh’s POTW: Umar Singh, North Salem —
There’s no one other than Singh. Sure, others were impressive, but Singh carried the Tigers not just to a victory, but a statement-maker against a good Pawling team many believed could win this game. Instead, Singh’s 31 points and 17 rebounds propelled North Salem to a 74-57 romp that was perhaps the most surprising blowout of the opening round. If Singh continues to play this well, it won’t be long before North Salem has more believers.
Dan’s POTW: Umar Singh, North Salem —
Another quasi upset (Josh yelled at me last time I tried picking a 9 over an 8 as an upset), Singh had another huge game (31 points, 17 rebounds) in North Salem’s 74-57 win over Pawling. The win is important because the Tigers will need all the momentum they can muster as they head to Briarcliff Tuesday in a rematch of the 2008 Class B sectional final. Singh, who will likely match up against the Bears’ star Brian Daniels, will need to have another big game if he hopes to help North Salem make a Cinderella-type run.
2012-13 Players of the Week
Dec. 17 —
John Decker, Somers
Jay Cabell, Peekskill
Dec. 24 —
Demarcus Miller, Stepinac
Brian Daniels, Briarcliff
Jan. 2 —
Jack Sullivan, Albertus Magnus
John Decker, Somers
Jan. 7 —
Brendan Hynes, Mahopac
Jan. 14—
Vaughn Dweck, Panas
Umar Singh, North Salem
Jan. 21 —
Dane Williamson, Gorton
Max Twyman, Rye
Jan. 28 —
Joe Letizia, Tappan Zee
Ryan Simone, Mahopac
Feb. 4 —
Josh James, Stepinac
Jack Daly, Eastchester
Feb. 12 —
Ian Thom, Croton-Harmon
John Decker, Somers
65 Comments
Yes. A Catholic school rule..he would’ve lost a year
OK it’s time to write a blog—- after all of these years I have been reading and enjoying the fun of Haywood / Rotten Tomato / Statesman / Iona Prep, Prince Purple Rain (or whatever your name is) etc. and of course the comments of many other writers….
For some Sr players these last couple of days could mean your in or your out of the County Center you have been a great bunch of kids who have dedicated many years of commitment to what you love and believe in——Basketball. For some, there have been CYO, AAU traveling all over the East Coast and also, at the same time, playing Varsity Basketball as well. As Senior parents we see the wonderful young men you have become – you who have given us all the excitment and fun of watching … you play. We as parents are so proud of you for being the wonderful men you have become and for committing all of your time and always willing to be on the court and ready to win. Good luck to all of you for for whatever happens, you have a whole bunch of people who are so proud of you. Keep up the good work all Senior players…........................ we love you…..................
Nicely said
NYS CLASS B RANKINGS…
PUTNAM VALLEY HS #9
Briarcliff HS #12
Lourdes HS #20
Honorable Mention: Dobbs Ferry HS…
BAWLER,
HOW DID YOU END UP ROOTING FOR THE PAC?
Moved there ..kids grew up in Mahopac..my son makes fun of Yonkers schools now ..try to teach him about the williams..morris crute..toone ..Bruno..criss ..he says who???
Westchester ball in the 70’s was serious
BAWLER,
I TALKED TO THE MAHOPAC FOOTBALL COACHES,AT THE COUNTY CENTER LAST YEAR,FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OVER 30 YEARS,SINCE WE PLAYED AGAINST EACH OTHER WHEN THEY PLAYED FOOTBALL AT WHITE PLAINS
They’re good guys ….
BAWLER,
YES THEY ARE,
I really hope spring valley wins. I want to see them at the county center. I haven’t seen them play this year. Hopefully they can stay together. From what i here, They could be really special the next couple of years
bawler,
You’re absolutely right – Yonkers had some great teams in the 70’s. Not just Roosevelt and Gorton, but even Lincoln and Yonkers HS had some good teams.
You claim the CHSAA recruits all the time, yet you say your sons was friends with Taps and Iacuone – you’d know that Taps and Iacuone were certainly not recruited. Taps is a D1 scholarship player, Iacuone is a D2 scholarship player. THats a fairly strong argument against your “recruiting” comment.
So stepinac doesn’t recruit any players ? And I also said education was a big factor. Do you think Mahopac and stepinac are in the sane playing field as far as getting talent year in a year out ?
Congrats, Rickey McGill, for being awarded player of the week. Its nice for someone to have recognized you for your accomplishments. Keep up the good work!
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