Peekskill Coach Holliman Knows Thing or Two ’Bout them Red Devils

By Tony Pinciaro @Finch63

It was an opportunity that former PEEKSKILL basketball standout Nyrie Holliman could not pass up.

Holliman, a five-year varsity player during her Red Devil career, was presented with the Peekskill modified girls’ basketball coaching position and she accepted it. Before Holliman knew it, she would ascend to girls’ varsity assistant coach and in January 2024, she became the varsity head coach.

“I had goals of coaching at the collegiate level and always wanted to coach and, over time, I reflected on the impact my coaches had on my life and I realized how much I wanted to give back to the community,” said Holliman, who received a full scholarship to play at American International College. “Coming back to Peekskill and taking on this role felt like the right way to honor the legacy and make a difference in the lives of the young athletes, just as my coaches did for me.

“It wasn’t a part of the original plan, but it has become one of the most meaningful chapters of my life.”

The Red Devils are currently 3-3 after a 55-42 victory over Yonkers behind a game-high 25 points by Amari Murphy and 10 points from Jayla Smith.

Once Holliman was named head coach last year Murphy noted the season just went on.

“The team was excited and there was not a big transition because she was always coaching us like she was the head coach even though she was the assistant coach at the time,” Murphy said.

Even though the girls were familiar with her, Holliman did not take anything for granted once she became coach. She knew she had to establish herself in her new role.

“My short-term goal was to leverage the bond I already had with the girls from their assistant coach,” said Holliman, who has a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Business Management from AIC. “I understood the transition could be challenging, so my priority was earning their trust in my new role as head coach.”

The girls responded to Holliman’s leadership and Peekskill finished the season strong. Holliman said this enabled the team to establish a foundation for a productive offseason where the girls were able to focus on building skills, teamwork and discipline to prepare for future success.

The off-season work resulted in the same goals entering the current season which is what Murphy and her teammates wanted and what is exciting.

“Coach wants us to win more games,” Murphy said. “She just holds us at a high standard and wants the team to be successful.

“I love to see the underclassmen come to practice every day, work hard to get better and to buy into what Coach Holliman is teaching us.”

Holliman, a 2017 Peekskill graduate, has already made an impact on the girls basketball program just by her presence and her maturity beyond her years.

“My players are aware of my Peekskill background and it has helped me bond with them because I can connect with them on a different level,” Holliman said. “Coming from the same community gives me an understanding of their experiences, challenges and pride in representing Peekskill. They know I’ve walked in their shoes, and as I share my experiences with them, I feel as though it builds trust and shows them I genuinely care about their growth, not just as athletes but as individuals.

“It also helps that I can use my journey as an example, showing them what’s possible when you work hard and stay committed. That shared connection allows me to push them harder because they know I’m invested in their success on and off the court.

“For my student-athletes I want them to achieve more than success on the court. I want them to grow in confident, disciplined and resilient individuals who understand the value of teamwork, accountability and perseverance. My goal is to help them build the skills and mindset they need to be successful in basketball, in school and in life.”

PANAS is a perfect seven – 7-0 – after handling Tappan Zee, 56-42 as Cadence Nicholas and Sofia Tavarez each scored 17 points.

Katie Hofmann continues to show she is a dependable third scorer for the Panthers as she finished with 14 points for the Panthers, who should come out atop the initial NYS Sportswriters Class AA poll later this week.

“What pleased us the most during this game was the energy we brought from the jump ball all the way to the final seconds of the game,” said Tavarez, who will attend Connecticut College next September and also play basketball. “Our intense effort on defense fueled us to play as hard as we could which led to the amazing win.”

Panas will not rest during the holiday break. Instead, the Panthers will return to Rockland County for a second consecutive year to play in the Albertus Magnus Tournament, 12/27-28.

The Panthers will play Class AAA power Ursuline, 12/27, 1 p.m., in a first-round game. The winner will get the Clarkstown South-Albertus Magnus victor in the title game, 4:30, 12/28. Last year, the host and also the 2024 New York State Class AA champions, defeated Panas in the final.

“Playing in this tournament is going to help us tremendously because of the excellent competition and atmosphere we will be competing in,” said Tavarez of the season and sectionals. “I believe this will benefit us for the tougher games later on in the season. It will also highlight what we need to work on and focus on to bring a state championship to Walter Panas.”

This year, traditional Catholic powerhouses Albertus Magnus and Ursuline are in Class AAA for sectional and state play and remain among the top programs in the state.

WESTLAKE goes into the holiday break with a spotless 5-0 record after convincing wins over Woodlands (70-39) and Briarcliff (75-25).

“It feels great going into the break 5-0 because we have been gelling well together,” said senior and captain Maggie Plotki, who scored a game-high 19 points against Woodlands. “We have been communicating and working with each other really well and everyone is playing with a ton of confidence.

“We definitely still have our work cut out for us considering we have a few tough games when we come back.”

When Westlake returns to action, it will play Hen Hud (1/6 ) and Rye (1/11).

Along with Plotkin’s 19 points, Olivia Celaj added 18 points and Brooke Pfeiffer chipped in 17 points.

Pfeiffer was on fire against Briarcliff with a game-high 28 points. Plotkin finished with 13 points and Bridget Doherty netted 11 points.

OSSINING played in the KSA Holiday Tournament in Kissimmee and following a first day loss to Edison (Va.), 60-44, the Pride rebounded with victories over a pair of Pennsylvania schools – Union City (68-56) and McDowell (52-38).

In both wins, Ossining’s defense was stifling.

“The girls really locked in defensively, especially against McDowell,” Ossining Coach Dan Ricci said. “Ja myra did an outstanding job on their top scorer in the second half. She had four threes in the first half and only one two-point basket in the second half.

“As you can also see, we had great balance all three games.”

Claire Schnecker led the Pride with 15 points and she added seven rebounds against Edison, who won the Ossining bracket. Saniya Bell finished with nine points and 10 rebounds.

Trailing Union City by one point at halftime, Ossining outscored it 32-19 in the second half as Schnecker led the way with 22 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Ty’asia Carver scored 18 points and Bell contributed 15 points.

McDowell managed just 15 points in the second half. Bell scored a game-best 20 points and also grabbed six rebounds and Schnecker finished with a pair of 14s – points and rebounds.

VALHALLA overcame foul difficulty to overwhelm the Leffell School, 57-34, behind 22 points from Violet Mattoni and 19 points from Giulia Rutigliano.

“We were in a lot of foul trouble early and the team did a great job adjusting to a defense we had run before to stop a run Leffell had gone on to pull within five in the third quarter,” Valhalla Coach Dave Berry said. “Giulia was tremendous, scoring 19 points in about 20 minutes and really igniting our transition despite picking up her fourth foul before halftime.”

SOMERS received 13 points from Eliana Contreras and 10 points from Olivia Allegretti in a 46-32 victory to even its record at 3-3. The Tuskers will not rest during the holiday break. Instead, they will play unbeaten Fox Lane (3-0) in a first-round game in the Pelham Holiday Tournament, 12/27. Pelham will play Eastchester in the other first-round game. The consolation game is scheduled for 11 a.m. and the final is 3 p.m., 12/28.

“Our full-court press really got us off to a quick start and a big lead,” Somers’ Coach Kevin Mallon said. “We’ve been doing this throughout the season and in our wins it’s helped us out.”

CARMEL defeated Scarsdale B, 39-35, in the first-round game of its annual Holiday Hoops Classic.  Kylie Murphy scored a game-high 26 points and Carmel Coach John Sullivan cited Taylor Lotz for being tenacious on defense.

HEN HUD snapped a four-game losing streak with a pair of impressive wins. The Sailors, now 3-4 this season, dominated Washingtonville then handed John Jay-Cross River its first loss (59-37) of the season.

“After a rough start to the season, the John Jay game is what we need to bring back our confidence,” said senior and captain Kaitlyn Raguso, who will attend the University of Scranton next September and also play basketball. “We were moving the ball beautifully, making an extra pass for the perfect shot.

“Not only did we collectively play as a team, we all cheered each other on for good and bad possessions which made it a positive atmosphere for the team, and I believe that is our best source for success.”

Avery Motko scored a team-high 13 points and Maria Ribeiro added 12 points against Washingtonville. Carleighs Ortiz finished with eight points.

Raguso had a double-double against John Jay – 22 points and 15 rebounds – and she also had six steals. Carmen Marino, Kayla McCarthy and Kate Stratton all had nine points apiece.

LAKELAND received 18 points from Sarah Devine and nine points from Lil Aguirre in a 45-20 victory over Edgemont.

A few days after losing to Port Chester by 21 points, HALDANE reversed the outcome. The Blue Devils received balanced scoring in a 43-32 victory for their second victory of the season.

Kayla Ruggiero led Haldane with 13 points, Marisa Peters added 10 points, Miley Pena- Rider contributed nine points and Mackenzie Tobin had seven points.

PLEASANTVILLE improved to 2-1 on the season with a 56-46 win over Dobbs Ferry as Megan Raefski scored a game-best 23 points and Maddie Becerra added 21 points.

The Panthers head into the holiday break where they will play Yonkers Montesorri, January 3.

WHITE PLAINS had a tough week, dropping games to Clarkstown South (65-37) and rival Mount Vernon (43-40).

“We had a productive loss to Clarkstown South,” White Plains’ Coach Benj Carter said. “They can flat out shoot the deep shot, if left open. We had some breakdowns, defensively, and missed too many wide-open shots. I’m starting to see our confidence and toughness growing. We are getting better. The players are improving game by game.”

Emily Plata led White Plains with 16 points and Jade Jackson-Greene added 11 points.

“It was a tough loss to Mount Vernon,” Carter said. “We played better, tough at times, but Mount Vernon made the better, tougher plays that got them the victory. We had too many turnovers and defensive mistakes that Mount Vernon exploited on us for easy baskets. Eventually, we will put together a full 32 minutes of team chemistry. I like the progress we continue to make despite the mistakes.”

Plata had 14 points, six rebounds and five steals and Jackson-Greene chipped in 13 points for the Class AAA Tigers (0-7), who will host YORKTOWN (2-0) out of the holiday break.

 

ANDY JACOBS/DAVID TABER PHOTOS