Survive, Advance: Panas, Mahopac Reach Class A Final 4

Putnam Valley Advances to Class B Semis; Ossining Ousted in Class AA

By Tony Pinciaro

It was a little too close for comfort at halftime for WALTER PANAS in its Section 1 Class A Girls’ Basketball quarterfinal game against Pearl River.

The third-seeded Panthers led the 11th-seed and upset-minded Pirates by just six points. Panas did not want to become Pearl River’s second consecutive upset victim, so junior F Kelsey Cregan and her teammates came out surging.

Panas took control of the game with a quick outburst, extending its lead to double digits en route to an easy 57-41 victory. The Panthers, now 19-3, will play at No.2 Harrison, Wednesday, in a semifinal. The other Class A semifinal has No.4 Mahopac going to No.1 Tappan Zee. The semifinal winners will play for the Class A title, Sunday, 4 p.m., at Yorktown High School.

“At halftime, our coaches always tell us that the first couple of minutes of the third quarter are very important,” said junior and captain Kelsey Cregan, who had 13 points and 12 assists. “That reminder helped us come out with high energy.”

Freshman G Sofia Tavarez had a game-high 17 points and she also had five assists for the youthful but effective Panthers. Panther G Cadence Nicholas, another fresh-faced freshman, contributed 16 points and Sarah Chuili added seven points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Panas Coach Matt Evangelista credited Nicholas with fueling Panas.

“Cadence knocked down some really difficult threes early in the third quarter,” Evangelista said. “We also really took care of the defensive glass and created some turnovers.”

Cregan and her teammates were well aware that Pearl River was a strong No.11 seed and not being prepared for it could have ended the Panthers’ season prematurely. Panas, especially the seniors, wanted the final home game to be a celebratory memory.

“We knew that Pearl River was a very good team and the upset against Brewster helped us stay focused because we knew they were coming to play,” Cregan said. “It was very special to play at home and we are so excited to move on to the semis.”

Even though Panas did not play Harrison in the regular season, the Panthers began focusing on the Huskies once the quarterfinal win concluded.

“We know that Harrison has a variety of skill and hustle players,” Cregan said. “The next couple of days we will work in practice and approach the next game like we always do. We are just really excited to be at this point and see where we can go.”

This is Panas’ third trip to the sectional semifinals under Evangelista. The Panthers advanced to the semifinals of the 2020 Section 1 Class A Girls’ Basketball Championships and last year, Panas played in the Northern Westchester/Putnam Large School Championship game where it was defeated by Putnam Valley…

Melanie DeMeo and her senior classmates made sure their final MAHOPAC home game would be memorable. The fourth-seeded Indians took charge early and handed fifth-seeded Lakeland a 67-35 defeat in a Section 1 Class A Girls’ Basketball Championship quarterfinal.

Mahopac will visit No.1 Tappan Zee, Wednesday, for a sectional semifinal. The semifinal victors play for the title, Sunday, 4 p.m., at Yorktown High School.

Senior sniper Julie DeBrocky led Mahopac with a game-best 17 points, including 15 in the pivotal first half. Junior G Kristina Rush finished with 15 points and DeMeo added 11 points as Mahopac led by 20 points at halftime.

“All sectional games are special and this one being the last home for the seniors, was extra special,” DeMeo said. “We needed to win to move on to the next game and we didn’t want to lose our last home game.”

Even though Mahopac was unsure whether Lakeland’s top player, Tyler Hormazabal, who was injured, was going to play, it did not alter their preparation. Once again, Mahopac’s defensive intensity dictated terms.

“The big keys for us in the first half was our defense, and Julia and Kristina hitting shots early,” DeMeo said.

Mahopac is no stranger to Tappan Zee, having played the Dutchies in its season-opener in December. Tappan Zee won that day, but DeMeo pointed out that it was a different Mahopac team back then.

“We were still trying to figure out playing together at that time, but I think we have that fixed,” DeMeo said. “Now, we just have to practice like we normally do and it should be a good game.”

PUTNAM VALLEY is two-for-two in the Section 1 Class B Girls Basketball Championships after the fifth seed eliminated No.12 Dobbs Ferry and No.4 Bronxville.

The Tigers travel to top-seeded Hastings, Thursday, in one semifinal while No.6 Westlake faces No.2 Irvington in the other. The semifinal winners play for the Class B title, Saturday, 4 p.m., at Yorktown High School.

PV junior G Eva DeChent, the URI-bound sensation, registered a game-high 21 points before fouling out with over two minutes remaining in the game. Feisty senior G Amanda Orlando added 12 points against Bronxville and took the brunt of all things hard.

“We played with energy and intensity all four quarters,” said DeChent of the Bronxville game. “We knew we had to win the games we fought hard for the remainder of the game.”

Putnam Valley lost to Hastings during the regular season but is undeterred entering the Final 4 on the road.

OSSINING experienced the highest of highs in its opening Section 1 Class AA Girls’ Basketball Championship game.

The Pride, seeded 7th, overcame No.10 Arlington, 99-89, in double overtime as Michelle Mercado lit it up with 42 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists and eight steals in a career effort.

However, in its quarterfinal game against No.2 Our Lady of Lourdes, the Pride suffered an immediate blow as senior Katie Marx suffered a severe knee injury in the first quarter. This left the Pride shocked and extremely concerned about their teammate.

The injury and Lourdes were too much to overcome as the Warriors advanced with the win, and Ossining concluded the season with a 15-7 record.

The Arlington game went into the first extra session when Mercado made two free throws in the final seconds. Arlington evened the score with seven seconds on the clock in the first overtime. Ossining dominated the second overtime, outscoring Arlington, 13-3.

“The game was the most fun and nerve-racking game I’ve ever played in,” Mercado said. “I was nervous, before the game, that this could be my last game, so I was determined and made sure to keep fighting throughout the entire game until the very end. It was an amazing feeling that all the hard work and determination we put in got us that win.

“I think what lifted us to victory was we as seniors took the game to another level with our resilience,” she added. “We were determined for this not to be our last game. Our whole team worked very hard the whole game, and Coach Ricci had a great game plan to put us in a great position where we could get a win.”

Marx added 27 points and Karen Perriott contributed 14 points and 11 rebounds.

The Ossining-Lourdes quarterfinal was earlier than these teams were used to playing. From 2010-2020, Ossining-Lourdes was oftentimes the Section 1 Class AA championship game.

This quarterfinal was going to be a well-played, tight game, but the Marx injury deflated Ossining.

“When Katie first got injured, we were all concerned for her well-being and secondary, in terms of basketball, we all knew we had to work a lot harder because one of our best players was out,” Mercado said. “When Katie got hurt, it diminished our chances against a good Lourdes’ team. Katie makes a big impact, especially in the interior since Lourdes was a bigger team.”

The victory over Arlington is one of many memorable moments for Mercado and her teammates as the Pride was once again among the Class AA elite.

“What made this season most memorable was that our team was very close and we all got along very well, including the coaching staff,” Mercado said. “We all looked towards the same goal and we were always trying to make one another better.

“In the preseason, we were not expected to get this far, however, this motivated us to work even harder.”

LAKELAND’s excellent season did not conclude like the Hornets would have liked, especially without its best player. After opening the Section 1 Class A Girls Basketball Championships with a win over Byram Hills, the fifth-seeded Hornets were eliminated by fourth-seeded Mahopac, 67-35, in the quarterfinals.

Lakeland was forced to play without the injured star Tyler Hormazabal, who fell just short of 1,000 career points as a result. The team’s leading scorer, Hormazabal, was sidelined in the first half of the Byram Hills’ game with a serious knee injury. Lakeland finished the season with an 18-5 record.

“It was a special year because we felt, as a team, that we had a special connection and we all had fun playing together,” sophomore wing Ava Lugo said. “We had a starting five composed of two seniors, two sophomores and one freshman. It was a solid mix and we were able to feed off each other each and every game.”

Lakeland was undefeated through 10 games before intra-district rival Panas handed the Hornets their first loss. Lakeland would return the favor and beat Panas in the Giglio games.

“We didn’t play well that first game against Panas and they were such a fast, young, aggressive team that they got the best of us,” Lugo said. “Then we had our rematch in our annual Giglio games and we prevailed, giving them their second loss of the season.”

Lugo also highlighted the team’s win over Peekskill because of the energy and excitement the host Red Devils created.

“It was a great season for us,” Lugo said. “We will hopefully be back in the next few years.”

– Ray Gallagher contributed to this story