Varsity Insider

SCOUTING REPORT

NEW ROCHELLE (14-9) vs. KINGSTON (18-2)
Class AA regional final
When: Sunday, 1 p.m.
Where: Christl Arena, West Point
Key players: New Rochelle — Joe Clarke (6-3), Sr., F; Derek Dorn (6-0), Jr., G; Khalil Edney (6-4), Sr., F. Kingston — Justin Robinson, Sr., PG; Jordan DeCicco, Sr., G; Micah Riddick, Sr., F; Pat Dorrian, Jr., G.
Notes: After upsetting Mount Vernon on Edney’s 60-footer, New Ro beat Binghamton 48 hours later to advance. Kingston arrived in the regional final via a bye after beating FDR-Hyde Park in the Section 9 championship. It was the Tigers’ first sectional title since 2004. … The Huguenots have won six straight after falling to 8-9. … Kingston has won 14 in a row since falling to Newburgh on Dec. 19. The Tigers beat Mahopac 78-69 on Dec. 15 and beat Poughkeepsie 66-58 on Jan. 20. … Clarke continued his recent tear with 23 points, 11 rebounds and six assists against Binghamton. Dorn also hit double figures, finishing as the team’s second-leading scorer for the third straight game. … Edney (ankle) came off the bench and played 20-plus minutes against Binghamton the day after he toured the national morning talk show circuit to rehash his buzzer-beater. … Robinson, a Division I recruit and speedy point guard, is Kingston’s star. He is surrounded by strong outside shooters. In fact, Robinson, DeCiccio and Dorrian all shoot over 40 percent from 3-point land and Kingston shoots 37 percent as a team.
Outlook: Kingston should be an interesting matchup for New Rochelle. Outside of the brilliance of Clarke, New Ro’s streak has been spurred by its press, but Robinson might be the perfect anecdote for it. He is one of the state’s top point guards and might just have the shooters to make the Huguenots pay. Judging by the results against Mahopac and Poughkeepsie, it’s safe to say Kingston will give New Ro everything it can handle. If the guards continued to play to their potential — particularly Dorn and Donny Powell — the Huguenots can win. But they might not get away with anything short of perfect.
Next up: The winner will play Long Island champion Northport (Section 11), which edged favored Baldwin 43-40. They will meet in the state semifinals at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Glens Falls Civic Center.