Boys Hoops Notebook

No.2 Panas, No.4 Hen Hud Advance to Class A Quarters

Class B No.1 Putnam Valley, Class C No.2 Haldane Also Seeking Final 4 Berths

And then there were four. Only the strong survived, including Class A’s Walter Panas and Hen Hud, plus Class B’s Putnam Valley and Class C’s Haldane. All have a Final 4 Westchester County Center berth on the line this week.

Otherwise, the opening round of the Section 1 boys’ basketball tournament was cruel to a slew of the locals, who failed to advance to this week’s quarterfinals, including Class A’s Somers, Lakeland, Peekskill and Brewster, plus Class B’s Croton-Harmon and Class AA’s Ossining, Yorktown and Mahopac.

CLASS A

No.2 seed PANAS is flat-out ballin’ as well as anyone in Class A as it steamrolls into a quarterfinal matchup with No. 7 Poughkeepsie (14-7) at Panas (17-4) after the host Panthers posted a 66-52 triumph of No.15 Harrison last Friday. It was the surging Panthers’ 14^th win in a row.

Panas G Joe Staino doesn’t necessarily get the glory provided to the Killer B’s, Panther seniors Brandon Hodge and Brandon Ramos, but Staino was the difference early on. Staino knocked down three 3’s in the first, four by halftime and five for the game while Hodge (24 points) and Ramos (20 points) were doing their usual thing. Hodge was styling and dialing while Ramos was owned the paint and went 6-of-8 from the stripe, but Staino opened things up for all.

“Staino was excellent early on,” said Panther Coach Mike Auerbach, the League II-C Coach of the Year. “He made three 3’s in the first quarter and opened the second quarter with his fourth 3 to give us a 22-12 lead. From that point on, we lead by 10-15 points most of the way.

“Ramos was really good early also,” the coach added. “He hit a few mid-range shots and was able to get inside and finish at the basket as well. Hodge sparked us to start the second half. He hit a couple threes early in the half and got out on the break to get our transition game going.”

Transition will likely be the key against the Pioneers, getting it going offensively and preventing it on defense…

No.4 seed HEN HUD (17-4) will now face fifth-seeded nemesis Byram Hills (15-6) for the third time in four years after King James – senior C Kyle James – was crowned in the Sailors’ 64-44 thrashing of No.13 Beacon last Friday at ‘The Donovan’. James, a 6-foot-4 senior, owned the paint, dropping a career-high 29 points. Senior G Dylan Fraser added 13 points, including three 3-pointers, as Hen Hud advanced to the quarterfinals back at home.

“I’m so proud of Kyle,” Sailor skipper Jordan Hirsch said. “He’s humbly worked hard every single day for four-plus years to put himself in a position to showcase his skill on a playoff stage. He’s been a great leader, he’s been consistent, and he cares about the team outcome more than his individual output. Just a fantastic kid on and off the court.

“I thought our kids fought as a group,” Hirsch added. “They all did a job. Kyle and Dylan had a big stat night, but they all did their jobs and played with great energy. It takes all of that to win playoff games. What I’ve enjoyed about this team is that it could be anybody on any night on the finishing end and all of them are genuinely happy for each other’s success. It’s a fun environment to be around.”

It could reach new levels with a win over Byram Hills, which would put the Sailors, wo recently ended a 30-year league-title drought, into the Final 4 for the first time since 1991.

“There’s definitely some playoff history with Byram; a lopsided loss in 2014 and a really exciting one in 2015,” Hirsch said. “They got the best of us. They’re a really good program, and I think our kids are excited for the challenge, and obviously we love playing in Donovan any day of the week.”

Byram Coach Ted Repa has developed a program that is among the best in Class A year in and year out, and he’s finally got the Bobcats at full strength for the first time all year: That is something Hen Hud will have to contend with…

NWE/Putnam Examiner Super 7 Poll

No.1 PANAS – The League II-C champion Panthers have a date with a Poughkeepsie program they once defeated in 1997 for the first Section 1 title in Panas history, and these Panthers are going to need the support of every able-bodied Panther fan available.

No.2 HEN HUD – League II-E champion Sailors get No.5 Byram Hills in the quarters with their first Final 4 berth since 1991 on the line and nobody is more tired of reminding them than this particular pollster.

No.2A PUTNAM VALLEY – After an opening-round bye, League III-E champion Tigers (16-4), the top-seed in Class B, will face No.8 Westlake Wednesday at 7 p.m.; just 20 minutes after the third-seeded Lady Tigers host No.6 Edgemont #BeRowdy #PackthePlace. Tigers are undefeated on their home court in playoffs, so we suspect they advance to reach a 5^th Final 4 in 6 years, which is pretty freaking amazing when you boil it down. Tiger have lost at County Center to Lourdes in semis (2013), Woodlands in finals and semis (2014-15) and Briarcliff (2016) in finals #NotaSlouchAmongThem.

No.4 OSSINING – The Pride (11-11), the No.14 seed in Class AA, had another program-building season under Coach Casey, but Ossining came out on the shy end of a 74-55 season-ending loss to No.3 Mamaroneck, who is better than most figured. Jacob Toppin (13 points) led the way and Latrell Goss, Zahir Hernandez, Maurice Walker and Jahmad Thomas all went for eight points. Toppin also went for 19 points, 10 boards and 6 assists in out-bracket win over Yorktown.

No.5 MAHOPAC – Indians (10-11), the No.11 seed in Class AA, had No.6 Spring Valley on the ropes (leading 44-41 through 3Qs) but suffered a 64-54 loss despite All-Section G Justin Parker’s game-high 21 points and another 19 from Shane Loos (5 three pointers). “We had ’em,” said Mahopac Coach Matt Simone, who got the program back on track this year. “The game plan was to let them shoot, and it worked for 90% of the game. We let them shoot the deep 3s, but they hit them late in the game when it mattered. We held their best players in check, but a few reserves and bench kids hit some big open 3s down the stretch. Justin Parker was phenomenal, by far the best player on the court.”

No.6 SOMERS – Tuskers (13-9), the No.9 seed in Class A, took an early lead, went into a game-changing funk, and battled back for a chance to tie but failed to hit the big hoops down the stretch in a season-ending 56-50 loss at No.8 Ardsley. Tusker wing Lorenzo Bicknese (18 points) and F Jack Gilroy (12 points, six rebounds) led the Tuskers back into contention, but two costly turnovers in the waning moments denied Somers a chance to advance. Tuskers closed the season having lost 5 of 8 games since the loss of star G Gio Tradito.

No.7 BREWSTER – Bears (9-12), the No.19 seed in Class A, suffered a season-ending 64-53 out-bracket loss to Magnus.

HM HALDANE – Class C’s No.2 Blue Devils (14-6) draw No.3 Tuckahoe in today’s semifinal. Wouldn’t want it any other way.

HM LAKELAND – Hornets (6-15), the No.21 seed in Class A, suffered a 68-57 season-ending out-bracket loss to No.12 Nyack. Lax, baseball and track and field await.

HM PEEKSKILL – Red Devils (6-15), the No.22 seed in Class A, couldn’t hang in a 61-45 season-ending out-bracket loss to No.11 Pelham.

HM YORKTOWN – Huskers (7-14), the No.19 seed in Class AA, failed to reach the field of 16 after falling at Ossining, 65-61.

HM CROTON – Undermanned Tigers (8-13), the No.13 seed in Class B, had their hard-luck season conclude in a 52-33 loss to No.4 Blind Brook. If the Tigers all come back healthy next year, expect a complete turnabout.