NYSSWA Polls Drop, Lots of Locals Ranked in Week 1

Yorktown Handles Eastchester; Byram Bops Panas; Mahopac 5-0

By Ray Gallagher, Examiner Sports Editor @Directrays

The New York State Sportswriters Association basketball rankings, as meaningless as they often are, came out this past week. Coaches will tell their players to pay no mind to them, but we like to have some fun nonetheless.

Here’s what we know as we flip the page on the first month of the 2023-24 Section 1 boys’ basketball campaign: It’s going to be a wild, wide open ride to the Westchester County Center where the Final 4 teams in Classes AAA, AA, A, B and C are up for grabs.

Class AAA is quite intriguing. Perennial power Mount Vernon, currently unranked in the NYSSWA poll, doesn’t appear to be the lock it has so often been; not with Examiner-area, state-ranked (No.16) White Plains (6-1), No.21 Ossining (4-1) plus No.25 New Rochelle, Mamaroneck and North Rockland in the hunt. There will be a very telling week for White Plains and Ossining, who should duke it out for league bragging rights, from the 23rd through the 31st of January when the two will meet twice and the Pride will visit New Ro’.

Class AA is equally titillating with reigning NYS champion Scarsdale (5-1) carrying a No.8 NYS ranking with No.17 Yorktown (6-1) and No.19 Poughkeepsie (3-1) lurking close behind. And be forewarned: Don’t sleep on Somers (2-2) or surprising Mahopac (5-0). Scarsdale will be as battle-tested as any team in NYS when push comes to shove in the playoffs; the Raiders will have faced CHSAA powerhouses Stepinac and Cardinal Hayes, along with league rivals Mount Vernon, Mamaroneck and New Rochelle. That said, Yorktown will put itself to the test on Jan.3 against a quality Class A Byram Hills club in an early-season battle for league supremacy.

Class A was supposed to be all about reigning champion Tappan Zee on one tier and everybody else chasing the Dutchies (1-3), who have gotten off to a horrific start with losses to an inconsistent Lakeland (3-5) squad, Kennedy Catholic and Rye (3-0). TZ’s poor start has left the door open for state-ranked (No.14) Byram Hills (5-0) and No.10 Pearl River (4-0) to assume the role of favorites in what looks like a wide open Class A. Outside of its wins over Yorktown and TZ, Lakeland, which has some good athletes, and Panas (3-4) have yet to show that they can challenge the upper crust until they fix their consistency issues.

Class B’s Examiner-area teams like Westlake (3-1), Valhalla (3-4) and Croton-Harmon (4-2) have some work to do to get on the same plane as state-ranked (No.12) Woodlands, No.18 Dobbs Ferry and Blind Brook, but to date it doesn’t look like we have a clear-cut favorite as much as a wide open field of challengers with the locals heavily involved in the title chase.

State-ranked (No.10) Class C Haldane (4-1) has emerged as the early favorites in the four-team classification, which also includes rival Tuckahoe, No.17, in NYS.

CLASS AA

YORKTOWN, after a season-opening loss to Lakeland, has gotten a handle on things; HEN HUD will concur after the Huskers put a 69-40 whipping on the Sailors Wednesday, as will Eastchester after the Eagles (6-2) were clipped by the Huskers, 65-57, Friday.

Yorktown was led by senior wing Billy Feeks, who dropped 21 points despite having his shoulder pop out for the second time this season. Coach Mark Pavella will want to nurse the nasty sniper back to health over the break.

“My shoulder feels fine, it’s just a little sore right now,” Feeks said following the win. “This is the second time that’s happened to me this year, so I can pop it back in easier. More importantly, we are finding our stride.”

That’s a lot easier to do when fellow seniors Brandon Montero (20 points), Kaden Gonzalez (16 points) and versatile Justin Price (4 points, 9 assists, 4 steals).

Against Hen Hud, Huskers Montero (17 points), Feeks (15 points, 4 steals) and Price (14 points, 5 assists, 3 steals) were all over the Sailors (2-4) as Yorktown seeks one of its best seasons in program history #NoPressureDudes. Hen Hud was led by Justin Parkes’ 10 points.

SOMERS made short work of visiting LAKELAND Wednesday, posting a 70-42 win. Behind Phil Santore’s career-high 24 points (8 3’s), the Tuskers fueled a nine-point second quarter lead with a 25-9 third-quarter blitz to open a 28-point lead.

“Phil Santore, who struggled finding his way the first two games, came alive with five 3’s in that third quarter for us. ,” Somers first-year Coach James Loughran said. “I was really happy for him, he needed that. Yet, for me, I trust that kid night in and night out. There will be times he may shoot the lights out, and maybe he struggles a bit, it’s what happens in this game, but I’ll always trust him to hit the next shot he’s taking, whether the first five were off, that sixth one is going in. That’s what shooters do. Very proud of him, and the smile on his face said it all.”

Tuskers Nate Cohen (14 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, Andrew Violante (10 point, 8 rebounds, 7 assists) and Brady Leitner (9 points, 4 assists, 3 steals) were all over the Hornets, who allowed the Tuskers a gaudy 30 offensive rebounds and 24 assists.

“We kept talking about how our third quarters are key,” Loughran stated. “Coming out with energy was huge for us. Lakeland is not a program that just quits. We knew if the energy wasn’t going to be there the same way it was in the first half, it could have turned out in a different way.”

Somers came up short Friday in a 55-52 road loss to Suffern, which might have gotten some home cooking on a charging call, which might have been a flop on the other side of the river. The call proved pivotal nonetheless and the Tuskers went home wondering what if. Cohen (15 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists) and Violante (12 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists) were on the mark throughout.

Lakeland has had a head-scratching start. Quality wins over Yorktown and Tappan Zee have been overshadowed by troubling losses to Roosevelt and double-digit setbacks to Mahopac and Somers during a three-game skid.

BREWSTER had its three-game win streak snapped in a 63-60 loss to Edgemont. The Bears (3-3) led by Lucas Cabiati’s 12 points off four 3’s, followed by Matt Thompson (11) and Harrison Schmitt (10), also in double figures. Brewster was down 12 to start the fourth quarter and battled back to tie it 59-59 on a deep 3-ball from Cabiati, but the comeback fell short as Edgemont knocked down huge shots down the stretch. Billy Pappas provided great minutes for the Bears, exhibiting tremendous hustle as he dove for multiple loose balls in the loss. Brewster is off until they face off with Greeley on 12/28 in the Mahopac Holiday Tournament.

HORACE GREELEY is getting a big backcourt jolt from Benji Ricardo, who dropped a career-high 33 points while Nick Tasso (20 points, 8 boards, 5 assists) did a little bit of everything in the Quakers’ 71-64 win over Spring Valley. The Quakers followed that up with a 57-50 win over Ramapo behind the efforts of Ricardo (15 points), Tasso’s double-double (12 points, 12 boards) and Jaxson Thomas (10 points).

The Quakers (5-1) are off to a solid start but the three wins have come against teams with a combined 3-16 record (as of Thursday), and they have much tougher opponents in the days ahead, including a couple of physical tests in the Mahopac tourney against the Bears and depending on the the Mahopac/Carmel outcome, either or.

MAHOPAC has gotten off to a better start than most expected, but the Wolf Pac’s five wins have come against teams with a combined 9-27 record, so we’ll need to see an impressive performance at their holiday tourney, plus more of the same in a visit from league foe Poughkeepsie to open the new year on Jan.3. By then, we’ll know everything we need to know about whether or not Mahopac can make a run at the League I-A title, going against the powers that be in Dutchess County.

The Indians, er, uh Wolf Pac – sorry, still tough to get used to – witnessed a career effort from 6’4” senior F Daniel Devukaj, who dropped one of the more impressive double-doubles in school history, going for 21 points and snagging approximately 20 boards in a 56-46 win over visiting Spring Valley Friday. Dedvukaj’s bucket at 3:28 of the fourth quarter provided a 50-40 margin. Mahopac senior John Kearney, who had a big hoop at 3:33 of the fourth for a 48-40 lead, added 11 for the Pac, which will find a way to grind out wins behind the paint play of senior F Liam Scanlon (11 points). Senior G Connor Ferrieri (10 points) hit some big shots as well.

North Rockland saw to it that FOX LANE’s recent offensive woes continued in a 62-30 win over the Foxes (2-2) despite 18 points and three boards from G Arthur Shevick. The Foxes will need to fix that with high-powered Ossining and White Plains due up just after the holiday break.

Not sure what to make of PEEKSKILL yet. Yes, Coach Tyrone Searight has the Red Devils (5-1) on a righteous path, which includes them taking Byram Hills to overtime before losing the Bobcats, but Peekskill needed a blown half-court violation call to force a fourth-quarter turnover and a total collapse by the youthful Tigers in a nail biting 62-58 win over host Putnam Valley (2-5).

The Red Devils notched a 51-43 win over visiting John Jay CR Wednesday when Jaden Chavis (21 points) and Isaiah Crawford (14 points) led the way

In CARMEL’s 79-61 win over Port Chester Wednesday,  Ram G Aiden ‘Ace’ White led the Rams with 33 points, seven steals and six rebounds. Alex Berardi added 13  points while Joey Loughlin (11) and Nate Antonuk (8) chipped in for the Rams (1-2), who hope to leave a mark in the Mahopac Tournament this week as they open against the host Wolf Pac in search of Coach Doug Hill’s second varsity win.

CLASS A

BYRAM HILLS, the 2023 Class B runner-up is on a Class A mission this season, not just to get to the County Center, but to hoist the program’s first gold ball since 2016. Panas couldn’t do much to road-block the operation in the Bobcats’ 56-33 win over the host Panthers Wednesday when four Bobcats finished in double figures. Junior F/C Zach Efobi, who has been a walking double-double this season, did so again, going for 15 points and 16 rebounds in a dominant performance. 2023 All-NYS G Tyson Repa added 14 for the Bobcats while Max Miller (12) and Chris Amenedo (11) provided strong complementary options for a Byram club that will have plenty of time to prep for Yorktown out of the break.

“We had great team effort (against Panas),” Byram Coach Ted Repa said. “Balanced attack, which is always what we strive for.

“First game back from break is against Yorktown, who is arguably the top team in the section this year,” he added. “We need to really tighten up our habits to be able to compete with them; five guys thinking as one out there. That’s our goal, on both ends of the court.”

PLEASANTVILLE (1-2), which has faced a tough schedule to start the year, and BRIARCLIFF (1-3) have found some tough sledding early on as they dabble in the Class A waters for the first time this season. The Bears’ 44-35 loss to Class D Leffell last week is a tad worrisome, given Briarcliff’s prideful history and the 35 points it compiled against a perennial inferior foe.

CLASS AAA

After a 5-0 start, WHITE PLAINS is finding out that victories along the Section 1 circuit will be tough to come by after the Tigers were beaten by New Rochelle, 56-51, before hanging on for dear life in a 47-46 win over Arlington Wednesday.

Against New Ro’, White Plains senior swingman Logan McCormick was limited to 15 points and Miles Johnson added 14.

In the win over the Admirals, McCormick (16 points) was big yet again and Johnson added 12 points, including a pair of game-winning free throws. Nick Triolo (10 points, 6 steals) and

Daniel Herzner (14 rebounds) did some serious grunt work.

OSSINING put itself to the test against visiting Scarsdale, the reigning NYS Class AA champions, but despite leading much of the first half the Pride fell, 66-54, Wednesday. Asher Cort, who scored 18 points and had five rebounds, led the Pride. Isaiah Ahlers returned to the lineup to put up 15 points to go with five steals while Kris Singh added 13 points.

Jake Sussberg’s 3 from the corner provided a 34-25 lead for Scarsdale, which was the fifth consecutive points for the Red Raider sniper, who turned the tide in the third quarter and finished with a game-high 24 points to go with six caroms. Singh answered with a deep 3 to make it 34-28 just over six minutes left in the third.

A Finn Miller putback gave Scarsdale a 36-28 lead. Cort’s offensive board and putback cut the deficit to six, but Sussberg nailed another 3 for a 41-32 lead at 3:45 and the lead ballooned to 11 when Miller got on the glass for another putback for an 11-point lead at 3:00 of the third. Carlos Rodriguez (20 points) followed with an easy lay-in and a 13-point lead at 2:41. Ossining, in trouble, called timeout, but the hole was too deep to dig out of with Scarsdale owning the glass.

Cort cut it to 11, 45-34, off a layup with just under 2:00 left in third. But Rodriguez hit a tough, contested layup for an and-one hoop and a 14-point lead at 1:32.

Ossining’s Isaiah  Ahlers, in his first action of the season, cut the deficit to 12 and then 10 with consecutive hoops. Rodriguez and Williams traded hoops to keep it at 10 point Pride deficit, 50-40 at the end of the third.

A Singh 3-pointer to open the fourth cut it 52-43 before the Pride forced consecutive turnovers but the Pride failed to capitalize on both possessions and Miller put the Raiders back up by 12 with a conventional 3, 55-43. The Pride squandered a huge chance to get back in. Rodriguez hit an easy two for a 57-43 lead before Singh cut it to 12. Ahlers trimmed it to nine with just over 3:00 to play but the Pride could not get a stop. Ossining cut it eight points but Singh and Ahler missed from distance, which would have cut it five points with 2:00 to go. Rodriguez put the final nail in the coffin to go up 10 with a minute left.

CLASS B

CROTON, winners of four in a row, defeated Saunders, 48-43, getting contributions across the board, including a tough-as-nails effort from sophomore Gavin Dugan and an offensive explosion from senior Orlando Gomez (27 points).

“The team is playing with a ton of grit, which is great to see,” Croton Coach Ben Martucci said. In the four games Orlando Gomez has played since recovering from sprained ankle, he’s dropped 20, 24, 27, 27. The kid can hoop. He was All-League and All-Conference last season. If he can stay healthy, he’ll have a tremendous season. He carries us right now.”

WESTLAKE improved to 3-1 after Marcus Jackette put 18 points on Greenburgh North Castle in a 73-43 romp. Anthony Marzziotti (10 points), Mike Pagan (9) and Gjorge Krasnici (8) all delivered for a Wildcat club that is firmly among the mix of Class B challengers as we head into the new year.

PUTNAM VALLEY continues to play tough but lose tight battles down the stretch, including a 56-53 loss to Leffell. Good-looking junior swingman James Apostolico led the Tigers (2-5) with 25 and Connor Flynn returned from injury to add eight in another down-to-the-wire battle, in which PV squandered a fourth-quarter lead by allowing the Lions to erase a 46-38 deficit.

CLASS C

HALDANE posted a 59-55 win over Irvington when Matt Nachamkin and Ross Esposito each went for 14 points while Fallou Faye (10), Mike Murray (9), Jon Bastys (4), Nate Stickle (4), Zane Del Pozo (2) and Evan Giachinta (2) all found the score sheet.

Equally impressive was Thursday’s 56-46 Blue Devil win over reigning Class B champion Valhalla. Nachamkin delivered a game-high 25 points while Luke Bozsik hit a career-high 10. Murray (8), Ross Esposito (5), Giachinta (4), Fallou Faye (3) and Stickle 1 chipped in. Mikaele Martinez led the vikings with 14.