Ossining Rolling, Westlake Whipping, Hen Hud Sailing

Panas’ Nicholas Passes 2,000 Points

By Tony Pinciaro

The quality of a good, disciplined team is its ability to rebound following a loss with a good performance resulting in a win or winning streak. OSSINING has demonstrated this aspect this season as the Pride are currently 9-4.

In each loss, the Pride have bounced back with strong games proving it knew what adjustments needed to be made.

“We don’t look at losses as failures, instead we use them as motivation for our next game and use it as fuel,” said senior and captain Saniya Bell. “We take all the corrections our coach gives us from the previous game and we apply them in order to come out with the win.”

The Pride accomplished this after a difficult loss to Mamaroneck by handling Lincoln and a red-hot Fox Lane. Ossining is now 9-4 this season and has two league games – Horace Greeley (Tuesday) and Port Chester (Thursday) – this week.

What is impressive about Ossining’s resiliency is that following two losses, the Pride responded with a pair of excellent wins. Ossining opened the KSA (Florida) Tournament with a loss to Edison (Va.) the eventual champion in its bracket. The Pride returned in successive days to beat Union City (Pa.) and McDowell (Pa.) both by double-digits.

The Pride lost to Ardsley in the Slam Dunk Classic at the Westchester County Center and were done no favors by the schedule-makers having to play North Rockland and Clarkstown South consecutively. No problem for the Pride as it turned in solid second halves to overtake both Rockland County schools.

“In my opinion, I think they were our most impressive games because many people, after seeing the loss to Ardsley, may have thought we were going to move forward with our heads down,” said Bell, who is averaging 17.8 points per game and 8.3 rebounds per game. “However, when we came out for North Rockland and Clarkstown South, we knew we had to redeem ourselves and had something to prove. Being in such a deficit against Clarkstown South it really highlighted our team’s strength to be able to stay strong and do what we need to do to win.”

Another quality aspect of this Ossining team is that it’s receiving contributions from everyone on the roster. While Bell and Claire Schnecker (17.5 points per game) lead the team in scoring, each game a different player steps up and gives the Pride a double-digit scoring game.

“This year our team is so much more balanced to the point where other teams can’t focus too much on one person because our other four are just as impactful,” Bell said. “Every single player on the court does all the little things that don’t show up on the stat sheet that keep us balanced.”

Schnecker finished with 12 points and six rebounds and  Bell had 11 points and six rebounds against Lincoln. Samantha Carpenter scored a season-high eight points.

Schnecker – 15 points, 16 rebounds – and Bell – 14 points, 10 rebounds – each doubled up in a 56-49 win over Fox Lane. Fellow senior and captain Ja myra Thomas netted 11 points and point guard Sophia Terreri collected eight assists.

WESTLAKE was dealt a severe blow when it lost two starters to season-ending injuries.

However, instead of wallowing in self-pity, the Wildcats bounced back from consecutive losses to win four games last week, improving to 8-2 this season.

“Those first two games without Brooke (Pfeiffer) and Bella (Pastula) were definitely an adjustment period,” said senior and captain Maggie Plotkin. “They are both strong ball handlers for us, so bringing the ball up and handling pressure was definitely a struggle. It also didn’t help that our first two games back without them were our two toughest games of the year.”

The Wildcats opened with a 45-35 victory over nemesis Putnam Valley as Plotkin scored a game-high 18 points and Olivia Celaj added 12 points. Plotkin followed that up with a career-best 31 points in a 58-43 triumph over Rye Neck. Celaj finished with 11 points.

Westlake received balanced scoring in a 59-47 win over Blind Brook. Celaj scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds, Bridget Doherty netted a season-high 12 points and Plotkin had a double-double – 11 points and 10 rebounds.

The Wildcats completed the week with a defensive gem in a 52-22 win over Croton as eighth-grader Sara Plotkin led the team with a career-high 12 points. Megan Nebel and Celaj contributed nine points apiece.

“I was impressed with our ability to push the ball up in transition and get easier baskets,” said Plotkin of the 4-0 week. “Also, we had a variety of different people contribute to our offense, making it hard for teams to guard us when everyone is helping score.”

One of whom was Plotkin’s sister, Sara.

“It’s amazing to have my sister Sara on the team with me because of our chemistry together on the court,” Plotkin said. “Sara is very athletic and fearless on defense, which helps us rebound and get stops. Also, on offense, she has a great 3-point shot and has the ability to drive and kick the ball to the open shooter.

“Along with Sara, we also have Izzy Murray as a new addition to our team. Izzy is a great ball handler and can help pick up the slack from losing Brooke and Bella. Sara and Izzy have been playing with so much self confidence and have definitely had a great impact on our four wins.”

PANAS added two more victories to its ledger, but the second one, over Pearl River, was closer than the Panthers would have liked. Panther senior Cadence Nicholas scored a game-high 26 points, including the 2,000 of her career, in a 61-50 win over John Jay-Cross River and Sofia Tavarez added 21 points.

Nicholas became the 17th girl in Section 1 history to surpass 2,000 varsity points.

“This milestone feels surreal to me,” said Nicholas, who will attend SUNY-Cortland next fall and also play basketball. “I’m lucky enough to be surrounded by not only my teammates, but my best best friends as well as my coaches who always want the best for me. They are my biggest supporters on and off the court so I’m extremely grateful to have such a great group my senior season.”

The Panthers rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to overcome Pearl River, 45-42, behind 22 points from Tavarez. Nicholas added 13 points and Kate Hofmann chipped in nine points.

“This was our most physical game we have played all season,” Nicholas said. “Despite being down, we weren’t worried throughout the game since we have trust in our coaches and in each other. We just encouraged each other throughout the game and we knew we could come back.”

It was Panas’ collective team effort that thrust the Panthers forward.

“What led to our turnaround was our determination to stay focused and knowing we had to win,” said Tavarez, who will attend Connecticut College in September and also play basketball. “It wasn’t just one person who led us. It was a collective effort where each of us had individual sparks that contributed to our victory.”

CROTON had a busy week with four games. The Tigers were perfect through three, beating Pleasantville (46-24), Putnam Valley (38-33) and North Salem (49-32). However, Westlake ruined Croton’s perfect week with a 52-22 victory.

“We knew it would be a difficult week,” Croton Coach Don Lucas said. “Early in the week, communication was a key factor. We needed to know where the shooters were.”

The Tigers held Pleasantville to a season-low 24 points. Johanna Hough was one of three Tigers in double figures against Pleasantville, finishing with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

Julia Junkovic added 11 points and three blocked shots and Ava Andrews had 10 points and three steals. Andrews scored a game-high 15 points and Laila Ashgar chipped in eight points against Putnam Valley. Hough registered 11 points and Alana Walsh scored 10 points against North Salem.

VALHALLA had two impressive wins, evening its record at 5-5 this season. The Vikings defeated Hastings, 55-49, behind 23 points from Violet Mattoni and 18 points from Giulia Rutigliano. Valhalla followed this win with a 60-56 triumph of rival Pleasantville with three players in double figures – Violet Mattoni (21 points), Rutigliano (16 points) and Isabella Mattoni (12 points).

“Our perimeter defense was outstanding, running an excellent shooting Pleasantville team off the three-point line and pretty much everyone in the rotation made a big play at some point down the stretch when we needed it,” Valhalla Coach Dave Berry said. “It was truly a team effort.”

Maddie Becerra poured in a game-high 25 points for PLEASANTVILLE and Meghan Raefski added 15 points.

HEN HUD had a misstep the first two weeks of the season as the Sailors had one win in their first five games.

“We were still adapting to a new team and building connections with each other,” said senior and captain Kaitlyn Raguso. “We had to figure out what was needed to have a turnaround, especially after break. That being said, we worked extra hard on those days off and critiqued certain areas of our game. We stayed calm and now we play like a whole different team.”

The Sailors added convincing victories over Sleepy Hollow, Peekskill and Putnam Valley, making it seven wins in their last eight games.

“The energy, positivity and overall confidence that we have been putting on the court, recently, has led us to win multiple games,” said Raguso, who will attend the University of Scranton next fall and also play basketball. “It’s a good feeling to finally see the team coming together, and I’m proud of all of our players.”

Avery Motko scored a team-leading 12 points against Sleepy Hollow, followed by Raguso with 10 points and seven steals and Imani Yusef added nine points.

Kayla McCarthy led Hen Hud with 11 points and four steals against Peekskill. Maria Ribeiro finished with nine points and 14 rebounds, Raguso also scored nine points and had eight rebounds and Angelina Carbone grabbed 14 rebounds.

Raguso scored 19 points and had four steals as Hen Hud closed out the week beating Putnam Valley. McCarthy added eight points and Yusef netted seven points.

LAKELAND and SOMERS were all even through three quarters before the Hornets’ defense propelled them in the fourth quarter to a 40-33 victory.

The Hornets outscored the Tuskers, 15-8, in the final stanza for their fourth win in their last five games.

“Our defense really stepped up in the fourth quarter,” Lakeland Coach Mike Auerbach said. “Emily (Hahn) has done a great job for us, defensively, off the bench this year and her energy sparked us late against Somers. It wasn’t our best day offensively, but we’ve taken a lot of pride in getting better in the half court, defensively, so we can win on days when our offense may be struggling a bit.”

Auerbach cited Riley Waters as having a major impact in the win as she went 6 for 8 from the foul line in the fourth quarter.

Waters finished with a game-high 18 points and Lil Aguirre added eight points.

MAHOPAC began its week with a 62-31 victory over Putnam County rival Brewster as Caily Salon led the team with 16 points and Giana Puckhaber added 15 points and seven rebounds.

Arlington handed the Wolf Pac a 51-33 loss, but Mahopac closed the week with its second win – 85-48 over Poughkeepsie – as Salon rang up a game-high 25 points.

“We were up four points at the half against Brewster, made some adjustments to start the third and outscored them 30-5,” Mahopac Coach Jason Conklin said. “We came out a little flat against Arlington. We made a fourth-quarter run, cutting it to nine with six minutes left, but we couldn’t maintain the tempo. We jumped out to a quick 11-0 lead against Poughkeepsie and didn’t let off the gas the rest of the game. Cay led the way and every player contributed on the scoring front.”

FOX LANE ran off victories over Somers (52-27) and White Plains (57-21) before a loss to Ossining (56-49). The Foxes did make a 3-1 week with a thrilling 43-42 win over rival John Jay-Cross River as Riley New scored the decisive point, and her 15th of the game, in the final seconds. New held the scoring honors against Somers with 18 points and Morgan Clinton added 14 points. Cara Drapala finished with a game-high 15 points and New added 14 points against White Plains.

WHITE PLAINS broke through and secured its first win of the season in thrilling fashion.

Paige Kearon hit a basket in the final seconds, lifting the Tigers to a 43-42 victory over Horace Greeley. The Tigers trailed by one point, 42-41, with nine seconds remaining when White Plains’ Coach Benj Carter called a timeout.

“We’ve had a few games this season where we had the lead and lost the game,” Carter said. “We finally learned to keep our focus and not give up. I feel we are now learning the importance of details and playing through adversity.”

Prior to its win, White Plains lost to Fox Lane as Emily Plata and Milan Ragin scored six points apiece.

Kylie Murphy scored a game and career-high 36 points, including eight 3-pointers, leading CARMEL to a 50-44 victory over Haldane in the Carmel Holiday Tournament championship game. Murphy was named the tournament most valuable player.

“We outlasted a determined and well-coached Haldane team,” Carmel Coach John Sulllivan said. “Kylie also went 4 of 6 from the line down the stretch to ice the game.”

Prior to Murphy’s free-throw prowess, Sullivan pointed out that eighth-grader Alyssa Livulpi made a pivotal play in her first varsity game.

“We were up two with less than a minute to go in the game,” Sullivan explained. “Alyssa broke free on an inbounds play, ran the length of the floor, took the contact, converted the bucket and got the and-one. Jorryn Ogbebor had some key rebounds and Taylor Lotz played suffocating defense.”

Lotz was chosen to the all-tournament team.

PLEASANTVILLE lost a pair of games – 46-24 to Croton and 60-56 to Valhalla before salvaging the week with a 69-52 win over archrival Briarcliff.

Meghan Raefski scored a game-high 23 points, Lexi Tomaselli added 16 points and Juliana Karaqi finished with 11 points against the Bears. Maddie Becerra poured in a game-high 25 points against Valhalla.

HALDANE lost twice – 49-42 to North Salem and 50-44 to Carmel in the Carmel Holiday Tournament Championship game. Miley Pena Rider led Haldane with 18 points and Marisa Peters added 11 points against North Salem. Kayla Ruggiero scored a team-best 13 points against Carmel and was selected to the all-tournament team.

BREWSTER dropped both of its games – 61-33 to Mahopac and 49-44, in overtime, to Yorktown. Olivia Francis scored 14 points for the Bears against Mahopac.

Lauren Leon scored 15 points against Yorktown and forced overtime with a basket in the final 10 seconds.

PEEKSKILL faced two tough opponents – Ardsley and Hen Hud – and lost both games.