Class C Haldane Stomps Class A Peekskill, Lakeland Drops Brewster
By Ray Gallagher, Examiner Sports Editor @Directrays
It was a light week of action, what with the holidays and the recent upticks in COVID-related issues around the NWE/Putnam region.
Get on this HALDANE bandwagon before it fills up and there’s no room left. Blue Devil Coach Joe Virgadamo has seen his club race out to a vibrant 5-1 start, brimming with bounce, balance and effort. Haldane, the early-season Class C favorites, stepped it up a notch and hosted Class A PEEKSKILL last Tuesday before the COVID scare saw a ton of cancellations across the region.
The Blue Devils prevailed, 73-59, behind a troika of double-digit scorers, including Ryan Irwin (20 points), Robert Viggiano (18) and Matteo Cervone (16). Peekskill’s Travis Brown (23) led all scorers.
LAKELAND is looking like a formidable Class A foe this winter after Coach Steve Fallo’s Hornets (6-2) extended their winning streak to four games in a 69-59 victory over host BREWSTER. The Bears (3-4) have now lost four straight. Lakeland has shown a tremendous amount of balance and a willingness to do whatever it takes.
“This year we have a young but tough, gritty and hardworking group of guys,” junior F Andrew Mendel said after scoring nine second-half points to go with a team-high eight boards. “During the off-season we committed to both the weight room and court, and that’s been a huge reason for our success so far. Coach Fallo and the coaching staff preach family and trust. We all believe in each other to score the ball or make a play. All of our guys are willing to put their body on the line to get a rebound.
We know what it’s going to take to compete in our league, and we believe we can compete at a high level in Class A.”
Hornets David Mula (5 assists) and Logan Shiland (5 rebounds) each went for 16 points while Logan Crilly (6 boards) and Grady Leonard each hit for nine.
YORKTOWN has had its fair share of ups and downs to open the season, and down the Huskers (4-2) went in a shocking 55-34 loss to Class B Hastings. Justin Price led the Huskers with 14 points and Eddie Brucaj added nine.
Ray has 33 years experience covering and photographing local sports in Westchester and Putnam counties, including everything from Little League/Travel Baseball to varsity high school prep sports and collegiate coverage. He has been a sports editor at Examiner Media since its inception in 2007.
Visit Ray’s author bio page for more details. Also read Ray’s archived work here and his Direct Rays column here.
