Unbeaten Mahopac Remains atop Putnam/NWE Hoops Poll Panas Takes Somers Title; PV, Peekskill Fall

After a clear-cut No.1 Mahopac, we don’t exactly know where to go with this as we head toward the New Year and the Holiday Tournaments, including the marquee event of the season; the Slam Dunk affair at the Westchester County Center (Dec.26-29) where a slew of the locals will be featured (see schedule below). There were several upsets that featured some of our top-ranked local clubs on the receiving ends of a couple of beatings, including former No.2 Putnam Valley and No.2A Peekskill, but the only team to close the gap on either was Walter Panas, courtesy of its Somers Tourney title. We’re just not sure it’s enough to nudge them past the Tigers, but the Red Devils lost three in a row and deserve to drop some.

No.1 MAHOPAC – Coach Downes’ youthful Class AA Indians (6-0) are only going to continue to improve. It’s going to take a monster effort from anyone in League I-B to stop the lethal inside-outside combination of senior Ryan Simone and RJ Martinez, who made ultra-short work of Class AA Scarsdale in a 69-46 win. Simone led the way with 26 points and 12 rebounds while Martinez, who is slowly recovering from a prolonged illness, went for 14 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Budding junior wingman Chris Esernio added 14 points, seven boards and four assists while hitting four from downtown.

So Martinez is sick, huh? Well, then, everyone should play with bronchitis. The senior guard has been plagued by illness this season but flashed signs of a return to form last Wednesday in Mahopac’s 59-35 win over Salesian. Martinez netted 16 points, pulled five rebounds, dished four assists and grabbed three steals in a well-rounded effort. In an earlier win over Sacred Heart, Martinez scored 17 points to go with nine rebounds and five assists. Yeah, we should all be so sick.

It seems there is one elite team Class AA right now in Mt. Vernon; while White Plains, New Ro’, Clarkstown South, Mahopac and possibly Fox Lane are all lumped into the second tier.

No.2 PUTNAM VALLEY –Coach Mike McDonnell’s Class B Tigers (5-1) got all the way to No.7 in the NYS rankings, but before the giddiness could sink in the Tigers will be looking at a significant drop after falling, 75-61, to a speedy, versatile Woodlands club in the inaugural Putnam Valley Holiday Classic. We told y’all back in our pre-season preview to watch out for the Falcons and we speaketh the truth in this space.

PV played well in its opening round 55-49 win over Sacred Heart, McDonnell’s former club. Zach Coleman had 10 points and nine assists while Ryan Basso had 16 points, including four 3’s, two in the pivotal 4^th. Soph Joey Spinola chipped in with seven points and very good defense in the post, inhaling five rebounds. Jelani Bell-Isaac (JBI) was dominant with 14 points, 10 boards and four assists and Zack Nolan added 10 points and tough defense on Arjon Beqiri.

“I care very much for my former players at Sacred Heart,” McDonnell said. “Coach Frank Kelly and his boys will be a tough out in the CHSAA come playoff time. As for the Putnam Valley boys; there are 14 players who make coming to practice each day a true joy.”

Some of the joy was soured by Woodlands, who, if they weren’t already, should be on your radar. Basso had 16 and JBI had 18 but the Flacons did a good job of minimizing the damage from the rest of the Tigers, including Coleman (season-low 3 points). Putnam Valley led 36-30 at half but Woodlands scored a ghastly 45 second-half points against a soft PV defense.

No.3 PANAS – Coach Sully’s Class A Panthers (6-2) restored some serious faith by defeating the host Tuskers, 59-47, in the Somers Holiday Tournament. As per norm, senior G Tim McCauley was special, earning MVP honors with 19 points. Tom Frost chalked up an All-Tourney nod and Tyler Mason added 11 against the Tuskers, who were led by All-Tourney choice Conor Cousin’s 19 and Matt Moros’ 16. McCauley had 14 points in Panas’ 48-41 win over Mamaroneck in the first round. Somers (1-3) is not getting enough from its bigs and fall from top 5.

“We came to play tonight and when we give this kind of effort we can compete,” Coach Sullivan said of the Panthers, who should be thinking quarterfinals or bust this year, at the very least. “The Irvington game (a tourney final loss) was a big wakeup call because we played no D. We’re undersized so we have to use our quickness to our advantage. We have to front teams and get active on the boards. We’re a team filled with guards, so when we score then we’re in very game. Timmy’s improvement has been amazing, he just never gets flustered. He can shoot well and can rebound very well for a guard.”

No.4 PEEKSKILL – Coach P’s Class A Red Devils (2-3) knew the competition at the Harrison Holiday Tournament was going to be an awfully strong early-season test but coming away from there with a fourth-place finish was hardly what the doctor ordered. The state-ranked (No.8) Red Devils were sent packing with losses to Class AA heavyweight White Plains – the eventual tourney champ — and the host Class A Huskies, who apparently see the light of playoff hope.

Neorck Brown kept the Red Devils in it until just before the final buzzer, but wasn’t enough for Peekskill in the Red Devils 62-54 loss to White Plains in the first round of the Harrison Tournament. Brown dropped 22 points and 11 yanked rebounds while Anthony Guerrero added nine points and 12 rebounds, but the Red Devils could not and did not guard the perimeter well, allowing eight 3’s, including  a clutch pull-up 3-pointer by Tiger senior G Mike DeMello with 1:30 to play.

The 67-65 loss to Harrison and a 66-61 setback against Beacon are alarming; in that Peekskill, as the pre-season favorites to win a sixth sectional title since 2005 (first since 2009), is not supposed to lose to also-rans, which Harrison has been much of the last quarter century (the Huskies last Section 1 title was 1958). Beacon is another story; they’ve had success over there in the past and could be on the right trail this season at 4-0.

Red Devil G Chavis Pigott scored a team-high 20 against the vastly upgraded Huskies, but, as a devout follower of Peekskill hoops, we’re more than a tad concerned over here.

No.5 CROTON — This Patrick Gallagher (18.5 PPG) has been impressive, scoring 26 points and earning MVP of the Croton-Harmon Holiday Tournament as the Class B Tigers (4-0) beat Class AA Carmel 60-48 for the chip. Teejay Searight added 10 points and was an all-tournament choice. Carmel’s Jack Cody (20 points) while Ray Dorritie (17 points, 9 rebounds) and James Loughran (13 points, 5 assists) were also all-tournament picks. More alarming than Croton’s win was the fact that the Rams (3-4) have now lost to two Class B schools — Put Valley and Croton — in 2013.

HM Haldane – Coach V’s Class C Blue Devils (5-1) are off and running but I don’t see a real quality W that could vault them into top 5 contention.

HM Yorktown – Coach Cap’s Class AA Huskers (2-2) lost a league game to John Jay CR that I bet they wish they had back. It’s a really bad sign for a team we had hoped was coming along.

HM Hen Hud – Sailors (3-3) early shocked Poughkeepsie behind a 24-spot from Aaron Treinish after a pitiful peach basket effort against Lakeland.

HM Lakeland — Kevin Lynch had a game-high 18 points for the Hornets (3-2) in a 46-30 win over Hen Hud but we need to see more before serving judgment.

HM Brewster – Offensively challenged Bears got bounced in OT by Greeley 61-56, but Coach Martino may have found something in Adarsh Budhathoki, who dropped a career-high 24 to go with four assists and three loots.