PV’s Apostolico Earns ConEd Award; Yorktown Flexes

Peekskill’s Chavis Drains 1,000th Career Point

By Ray Gallagher, Examiner Sports Editor @Directrays

It’s no secret that PUTNAM VALLEY will be in the market for a new boys’ varsity basketball coach next season, but before they hit the proverbial road in the fall of 2025 PV Coach J.D. Apostolico and son, James, a senior star guard, will savor each and every game, and cherish each and every practice and the rapport that comes with a father/son coaching experience.

“It’s been very emotional,” said Coach Apostolico, who cut his coaching teeth on legendary Ossining girls’ hoops Coach Dan Ricci’s staff. “We are truly blessed to be in this position as a father and son.”

The two were always chummy, and those bonds will surely grow when the son heads to college next summer and the father hits the road to witness his collegiate career at a school to be determined.

Part of that experience was seeing young James, the kid they call Applehead, take home the most recent ConEd Award, an honor reserved for the top student athletes of the Hudson Valley.

Apostolico, who carries a 4.0 GPA, is leading the Tigers this season with 25.7 points, four assists and six boards per game while recently reaching the 1,000-point career milestone; just a portion of what made him Putnam Valley’s first ConEd winner in 15 years.

ConEd is about ‘on and off the court’, and Applehead hits the high notes for both. Apostolico is heavily involved in the youth basketball program as a head coach in the Putnam Valley Parks and Rec. league. He’s part of the local fire department where dad serves the community as a devoted assistant chief. He was recently chosen as his school’s representative in the Section 1 leadership conference and conducts in the classroom as a member of the National Honor Society, maintaining a 93+ average.

We should all be so lucky as the Apostolicos, but they take nothing for granted, put family first and are ready to serve their community. Coach J.D., who served as an assistant before former Coach Al Morales was cut loose, took over the program as a one-year, stop-gap measure, and he intends to hit the road and watch his son play at the next level, leaving a youthful but talented PV program in steady condition…

CLASS AA

With the return of junior F Ryan Duffy to the lineup, YORKTOWN flexed its might last week, turning a pair of recent losses into a string of big wins, building on a 48-45 win over Rye by backing that up with a 46-39 win over host FOX LANE Friday. Husker senior Kaden Gonzalez (16 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists) continued his ascension toward an All-Section season in the win over the Foxes (5-4). Junior F Ryan Duffy (9 points, 7 rebounds) and Colin Worden (7 points, 7 rebounds) provided a trio the Foxes were hard-pressed to match.

Fox Lane senior G Arthur Shevick (11 points, 2 assists, 2 rebs), who is averaging 22 PPG as of press time, did what he could to match, and Evan Mayers (8 points, 3 assists, 3 rebs), Will Oliverio (3 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist), Logan Mammola (3 points, 3 assists 5 rebounds) and Janak Bain (2 points, 3 rebounds) tried in vain to catch the host Huskers.

Against Rye, Gonzalez (14 points, 6 boards), Duffy (11 points, 6 rebounds) and Worden (10 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists) provided an unmatchable big three for the Huskers. P.S. Gonzo is dropping nearly 25 PPG.

LAKELAND may have played its finest game of the season in Wednesday’s 70-65 win over Class A HEN HUD. Hornets Anthony Attanasio (23 points), Oban Rader (15) and Aadi Sandhu (13) provided three double-digit scorers to offset Sailors Hunter Kennedy Brown (18 points) and Jack Hiltsley (17).

“Oban seems to have gotten himself into basketball shape and is becoming a huge contributor to the team,” Lakeland Coach Shawn Sullivan said. “He is providing us with inside presence and controlling the glass. Anthony Attanasio had a great game against Hen Hud (23 points, 4 assists, 3 steals). Anthony provides us with great long distance shooting, solid defense and a strong ball handler. The team is showing nice improvement on the offensive end and in transitions, we are still a work in progress, but we are headed in the right direction.”

PEEKSKILL looked quite a bit better this past week, chalking up wins over John Jay CR (66-40), Harrison (67-57) and SOMERS (70-59). Reigning Section 1 Class AA champion Peekskill, which is steadily getting back to form, saw senior swingman Jayden Chavis score 22, 25 and 35 points, respectively, to pace the Red Devils, while notching his 1,000th career point along the way, lofting his name into the rafters among the all-time Peekskill greats.

“Just doing what I have to do to help us win games,” Chavis said. “We lost three tough games in a row, so we knew we had to have a good week. We look forward to keep on winning and keep getting better every day.”

In the win over JJCR, Isaiah Crawford dropped 23 points and added another 12 over Harrison. Justin Headley added 18 points for the vastly improving Red Devils.

So CARMEL is finally figuring things out after winning the North Salem tournament Saturday; only a big deal because the Rams knocked off previously undefeated, Class B, state-ranked (No.8) Blind Brook, 75-66, in Friday’s opening round.

Carmel senior G and tourney MVP Aiden White sank 20 on the Trojans and was followed up with F King Mercer (19 points), Dylan Sullivan (career-high 16 points and Joey Loughlin (15 points). The Rams sank six 3s in the fourth quarter to pull away down the stretch.

“One game at a time,” Carmel Coach Joe Loughlin said. “Potential is a good thing, but that’s irrelevant if you aren’t a family. The guys are buying in and battling. We had a tough schedule early on and going forward, which hopefully helps us as the season goes on .”

Mercer leads the club with 18 PPG

In the championship against Pawling, White scored 19 to lead the way. Loughlin (17 points – All Tournament selection), Mercer (18 points) and Sullivan (11 points) were all in double figures.

LAKELAND had a solid week of action, taking a pair of wins against one loss to get back on track. The Hornets defeated Pelham, 51-38, behind the efforts of big man Oban Rader (14 points, 8 rebounds) and Anthony Attanasio (9 points, 4 assists).

“Oban Rader had an outstanding week,” Lakeland Coach Shawn Sullivan said. “Oban seems to have gotten himself into basketball shape and is becoming a huge contributor to the team. He is providing us with an inside presence and controlling the glass.”

Rader has 24 points and nine boards in the loss to to Roosevelt and went for 15 points and eight rebounds in the 70-65 win over visiting HEN HUD, who could not slow down  Attanasio (23 points, 4 assists, 3 steals).

“Anthony provides us with great long distance shooting, solid defense and strong ball handler,” Sullivan said. “The team is showing nice improvement on the offensive end and in transitions. We are still a work in progress, but we are headed in the right direction.”

The Sailors (2-7) were led by Justin Parkes and Jack Hiltsley with 18 points apiece. Hunter Kennedy-Brown (14 points and Nasir Emery (10 points) were solid contributors.

BREWSTER went clear across the county to hand Class A PUTNAM VALLEY a 48-38 setback behind the efforts of Billy Pappas led Brewster (17 points), Joell Drue (10 points, 7 boards) and Luke Cunningham (8 points, 12 boards). The Bears improved to 4-5 after beating Port Chester 70-20. Sophomores Max Rivera and Brody Snyder led the way with 15 points each. Kevin Francis (10) and Beckett Grutzner (8) provided a spark as well. Apostolico led all scorers with 19 points.

Brewster followed up the Friday night win with a 70-20 win over Port Chester Saturday morning.  Brewster was led by their sophomore guards Brody Snyder (15 points), Max Rivera (15 points) and Kevin Francis (10 points).  Beckett Grutzner contributed 8 points and 6 rebounds.  Cam LaMoreaux added 7 rebounds and Elijah Montes De Oca grabbed 5 boards.

HORACE GREELEY punished the Bears to open the week in a 79-31 thrashing

Senior G Zach Boyriven (22.5 PPG) has been lethal for the Quakers (7-2).

CLASS A

Just what everybody in Class A wanted to see, right? BYRAM HILLS Coach Ted Repa just unleashed another weapon in the Bobcats’ 87-32 win over Class AA WALTER PANAS Wednesday when senior Everett Whelley dropped a career-high 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting from distance. The state-ranked No.4 Bobcats appear to have another sniper in what was already a deep and balanced attack.

The Bobcats (8-2) went on the road to defeat Obama, 65-51, when C Zach Efobi took the game over in the third. The big man finished with 11 points, 12 boards and four blocks. Senior G Chris  Amenedo led all scorers with 24.

The Bobcats finished out the week with a 57-54 loss to a tough Rye club. Junior wing Kevin Kendall (15 points), sophomore Ben Wolf  (13) and Amenedo (11) were all in double digits.

PUTNAM VALLEY nixed a brief third-quarter run by visiting PLEASANTVILLE Thursday in the host Tigers’ 61-43 win when PV sophomore G Jack Marinelli drained three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and Apostolico paced the Tigers with 28 points. Every time Pleasantville thought it had an avenue to challenge, PV denied the Panthers, including Tiger G Logan Moriarty’s bucket and assist to F Dylan Tucker to end the first quarter with a 22-12 lead. Sophomores Moriarty (10 points) and Jack Marinelli (10 points), who was one fire with three 3’s in a fiery fourth quarter, showed great promise.

Pleasantville was led by G Declan Bruder (15 points).

WESTLAKE (5-2) opened the week with a hard-fought 50-49 setback to Albertus Magnus before defeating Irvington, 60-51. Wildcat Marcus Jackette was sizzling at both ends of the floor, providing a double-double, including a game-high 30 points and a career-best 17 boards. Anthony Marzziotti’s 10 points and three assists and another seven points from Anthony Nigrelli (5 boards, 2 steals) were key factors in the win.

Jackette (23.6 PPG) scored 15 points while Brayden Lingeza added 13 points against the Falcons.

CLASS B

BRIARCLIFF scrapped out a tough 48-43 win at defending Section 1 Class C champion HALDANE – a tough place to win at – behind the efforts of G Luke Lawler 20 (points) and F Xavier Prekelezaj (15 points, 10 rebounds) while the Blue Devils (3-3) received contributions from Zane Del Pozo (11 points), Luke Bozsik (9), Nate Stickle (8) and Fallou Faye (5). The Blue Devils finished the week with a 54-39 loss at Pearl River where Stickle (11), Del Pozo (8), Ryder Griffin (6), Bozsik (6) and Faye (5) were up against a stingy Pirate outfit, which has gone 8-2 this season.

VALHALLA dropped to 1-4 after losing 51-43 at Hastings.

Examiner-Area Top 10 Hoops Poll

(No offense intended, useless polls just make for good reading)

No.1 BYRAM HILLS – State-ranked (No.4) Class A Bobcats are ducking nobody this season, as the schedule will reveal: losses to AAA heavy Scarsdale and league foe Rye with upcoming games against Section 9 power NFA and Class AA favorite and state-ranked (No.4) TZ, plus two more league games against both Harrison and state-ranked (No.18) Eastchester and another with Rye will only strengthen this unit. League II-E is turning out some major obstacles.

No.2 GREELEY – Since getting walloped by sleeping giant Poughkeepsie in mid-December, the Class AA Quakers (7-2, HM in NYS ranks) are on some kind of roll, reeling off four-straight wins, including Mahopac and Yorktown. We like the Quakers to get on some kind of roll here after hammering Brewster, 79-31, behind .

No.3 YORKTOWN – Class AA Huskers (5-2) have relied on grit and defensive intensity thus far, holding both Rye and Fox Lane under 48, but at some point this offense will need to approach 60+ points to get to County Center #IMO.

No.4 PEEKSKILL – Class AA Red Devils (6-4) are beating the teams they are supposed to beat in recent days and they should get on some kind of run in the days ahead when they start to kick some @$$ against a league slate they should ultimately dominate and win.

No.5 FOX LANE – Class AA Foxes (5-4) are among the most vexing units in this poll. The early-season win over Poughkeepsie looms large in their favor, but the loss to Put Valley equally large against. IF Shevick’s Foxes are gonna make a statement and show us who they REALLY are they can do so this week with wins against White Plains and Ossining before the big daddy game against Greeley on Jan. 24 and then again on Feb. 14.

No.6 MAHOPAC – Class AA Wolf Pac (4-3) best answer the bell and go 4-0, 3-1 at worst, with Brewster, Obama, Lakeland and Clarkstown North before hosting Yorktown in an epic Coaches vs. Cancer Classic on Saturday. Oh, and that clash with Brewster Monday was sure to have some extra appeal after the 19th-seeded Bears busted up the 2024 Class AA bracket and knocked off No.3 Mahopac in last year’s playoffs. Junior swingman Matt Reilly putting up 15 PPG, 5.2 APG and 11.3 RPG #QualityDigitsSon and junior wing Drew Lichtenberger at 12 PPG.

No.7 WESTLAKE – Class B Wildcats (5-2) cracked the HM rankings, before falling to Dobbs and Magnus, so let’s hope the win over Irvington gets them back on track, though Put Valley, Rye Neck, Blind Brook and Briarcliff are some obstinate obstacles in a grueling 10-day stretch (Jan.13/23).

No.8 BRIARCLIFF – Class B Bears (5-3) struggled to score points but managed a 48-43 win over Haldane behind a robust defensive effort, but the Bears can always count on Luke Lawlor (20 points & 16 PPG) and a rich history to keep them in the hunt.

No.9 CARMEL – Class AA Rams (4-5) knocked off state-ranked (No.8) Class B Blind Brook and Pawling en route to North Salem tourney title, which is the first step toward reaching their potential, but the Rams got hammered, 74-54, by a Poughkeepsie club y’all best start to recognize. Senior G Joey Loughlin dropping 15 PPG and 5.2 APG.

No.10 OSSINING – Class AAA Pride (3-6) beat Lakeland head-to-head so they get the nod to round out top 10.

HM LAKELAND – Class AA Hornets (4-5) are showing improvement behind an outstanding week from F Oban Rader: 24 points, 9 boards vs. Roosevelt; 15 points, 8 boards vs. Hen Hud; 14 points, 8 rebounds vs. Pelham.

HM WHITE PLAINS – Would love to include Class AAA Tigers (2-6) in top 10 based on their strength of schedule but the double-digit losses to New Ro’, Arlington and Spring Valley out of the new year are alarming.

HM BREWSTER – Yeah, we were snoozing on the Bears (4-5) when they were getting crushed in the early going but the last of the great Dignan family, senior Will, will not let Brewster go down without a fight: Put Valley will tell ya so after a dominant effort against the Tigers; led by Billy Pappas (17 points), Joell Drue (10) and Luke Cunningham (8). Sophomores Max Rivera and Brody Snyder led the way with 15 points each while Kevin Francis added 10 and Beckett Grutzner had 8 in a 70-20 win over Port Chester.

HM PUTNAM VALLEY –  Class A Tigers (4-6-) took one on the chin in a 57-36 loss to undefeated Rye Neck (7-0), which looks like a strong contender for an uber-competitive League III-A title, which will come down to the Neckers, Briarcliff, Blind Brook and Westlake. If PV can’t lock down the League III-D title, 2025 will be a disappointment.

HM HALDANE – Reigning Section 1 Class C champion Blue Devils (3-3) should know that a 48-43 loss to Briarcliff and a 54-39 loss to Pearl River will only toughen their skin in their initial foray into Class B this season. With 8 winnable League III-D games forthcoming, Haldane should lock down a stretch of victories to improve their seed.

Other Honorable Mentions – Pleasantville (1-6), Croton (2-6), Valhalla (1-4), Panas (4-7, ended 4-game skid in win over Yonkers), Somers (2-8, Phil Santore, 16.4 PPG) and Hen Hud (2-7) need to dig deep to qualify for sectionals; as Metallica reminds us #AndNothingElseMatters.

 

ANDY JACOBS/DAVID TABER/CHRIS SMAJLAJ/RAY GALLAGHER PHOTOS