Putnam Valley vs. Mahopac was Epic; Yorktown Heating Up

By Tony Pinciaro

Putnam Valley vs. Mahopac was one of the finest regular-season girls’ hoops games in Putnam County history last Thursday when the host Indians prevailed, 73-70, in a heavyweight slugfest.

MAHOPAC swept three games last week – John Jay-Cross River, Rye and Putnam Valley – improving to 10-4 this season.

“All three were really good wins for us,” said senior and captain Melanie DeMeo. “The wins against John Jay and Rye really helped us improve and fix the little things so when it was time to play Putnam Valley, we just had to translate our practices into the game.

“We knew PV was going to be a difficult team to beat,” DeMeo added. “We battled them all game. When we play good defense, make our shots and play with energy, we are a really good team. Now we are just looking forward to finishing the regular season strong and heading into the playoffs ready to go.”

Mahopac had four players in double figures against Putnam Valley in a 73-70 win. Kristina Rush led the way with 19 points, DeMeo added 18 points, Julie DeBrocky scored 14 points and Lauren Beberman added 12 points.

This offset a game-high 37 points by Putnam Valley’s Eva DeChent, who added an astounding 24 rebounds to go with five steals and five assists; one of the most impressive stat lines in recent memory.

“She is outstanding,” Mahopac Coach Chuck Scozzafava said of DeChent. “She’s smooth, doesn’t panic, plays great defense… total package. Our help D wasn’t very helpful on her. PV is quick and athletic. They went small and we had to do the same to counter it. We had a good shooting night, which saved us.”

DeBrocky and Rush each had 17 points as Mahopac went into halftime with a 12-point lead on Rye in a 61-42 win.

Mahopac opened the week with a last-second win over John Jay as Beberman provided the margin of victory on a hoop with 2.5 seconds remaining in the game. DeMeo led Mahopac with 19 points and Rush added 13 points.

PUTNAM VALLEY went 1-1 on the week. PV beat North Salem last night 65-39 on senior night. Dechent had 19, Amanda Orlando had 13, Nai Torres had 11, Natalie Mazza had 10. The loss to Mahopac, while heartbreaking, seemed to bring the Tigers together. If nothing else, it proved that when the Tigers (8-6) put their best foot forward, they will be tough for anyone in Class B to contend with. Brianna Foody hit several clutch shots and played one of her best games of the year for PV.

YORKTOWN was anxiously awaiting the 2021-22 varsity girls’ basketball regular season to begin in December. However, once it started, the Cornhuskers were placed on delay.

Covid issues for opponents, the first few weeks of the season, resulted in games being rescheduled. As a result, Yorktown was relegated to practice.

“It was definitely a difficult time for us all, mentally,” Yorktown senior captain Melissa Severino said. “Having practice six times a week without games is a hard situation to be in. We were all waiting for the games to start and trying to get through the down time. We were able to have some time off and regroup mentally to allow us to come back stronger than before.”

Yorktown welcomed the break and focused intently on practice and prepared itself for the condensed schedule it would have – 15 games in 30 days.

“I think our team benefited from having a change and not just having practice everyday,” Severino said. “It motivated everyone to keep pushing. Although it was nice to be back on the court, it was an overwhelming feeling. We knew as soon as we started there would be no break, which is a lot to prepare for both mentally and physically.”

The Cornhuskers have opened the new year with five wins in their last six games, including some thrilling last-second triumphs last week.Yorktown opened the week with a 39-36 win over John Jay-Cross River behind 16 points from Severnino and 10 points and 10 rebounds from Erisa Krsniqi.

The Cornhuskers followed with a 38-34 overtime victory over Fox Lane as Kaitlyn Judge swished a 3-pointer with 20 seconds on the clock, giving Yorktown a two-point lead. Severino made two free throws with 3.6 seconds remaining to seal the win.

Yorktown closed the week, rallying from a 10-point deficit in the fourth against Port Chester. Olivia Lucas completed the furious charge with a 3-pointer from the right corner, with 6.5 seconds remaining in the game, for a 59-56 win. Lucas also swished a trey in the final minute against Brewster earlier in January.

Severino scored 12 of her team-best 26 points in the fourth quarter against Port Chester as the Cornhuskers are now 8-5 this season.

“We have stuck together as a team,” Severino said. “We help each other through the hard times, and we all have each other’s backs. We are starting to gain chemistry on the court and learn what works and what doesn’t. We have locked down on defense and left everything on the court.

“Our team has also stepped up in end of game situations to pull off wins. These are the things that are ultimately going to be the deciding factors in our success during playoffs.”

The win over Brewster gave Yorktown a huge confidence boost. It also prepared the Cornhuskers on how to handle close, late-game situations.

“That win was crucial,” Severino said. “We are in the most important part of the season, and needed a pick-me-up. Not only was it important for our confidence, but everyone needed a morale booster. It’s always fun winning a close one. We needed another win going into a tough last few games. Being able to win another game that was close down to the wire allows our team to adjust to tough situations and gain confidence in environments requiring mental toughness.”

BREWSTER made good on its only game of the week, a 54-46 victory over Lakeland, improving to 12-3 this season.

“Whenever playing Lakeland you know you are in for a very tough, physical game and that’s exactly what it was,” Brewster coach Mike Castaldo said. “In the third quarter senior guard Adrianna Calicchia went off hitting four three-pointers to help give us some breathing room.

“The girls executed the game plan to perfection and Adrianna was the difference in the game. She was unbelievable and I’m so proud of her. Grace (Galgano) was a force, defensively, down low.”

Calicchia made seven 3-pointers, finishing with a career-high 24 points. Galgano added 19 points, 13 rebounds and seven blocked shots.

PEEKSKILL won twice, beating Hen Hud and Tuckahoe. Afuo Yeboah scored 11 points and Bethany Overby added nine points against Hen Hud.

T.K. Cowan Honghoch had a season-high 27 points against Tuckahoe and Overby contributed 25 points.

LAKELAND sandwiched wins against Sleepy Hollow and Lincoln around a loss to Brewster.

Tyler Hormazabal scored 31 points and Ava Lugo added 20 points in the victory over Lincoln.

Hormazabal led Lakeland (13-2) with 22 points and four steals against Sleepy Hollow. Lugo chipped in 20 points and three blocked shots and Nichole Ljuljic scored 16 points.

PANAS (14-1) defeated Somers, 47-32, in its lone game of the week behind Cadence Nicholas, who had 25 points, seven rebounds and six steals. Sofia Taverez added 9 points and Kelsey Cregan added 8 points. Lauren McCartin led Somers with 8 points.

New Rochelle halted OSSINING’S seven-game winning streak with a 63-38 victory. Michelle Mercado had 14 points and five assists and Karen Perriott grabbed 13 rebounds for the 10-2 Pride.

Ray Gallagher contributed to this story