Yorktown Ends Mahopac’s Unbeaten Run; White Plains Handles Mt. Vernon

By Ray Gallagher, Examiner Sports Editor @Directrays

With just two weeks remaining in the regular season, the Class AA hoops circuit is flooded with top-notch challengers from the Examiner-area region, including current No.1-seeded Yorktown (13-2), No.2 Mahopac (13-1) and No.3 Peekskill (13-1 in Section 1, 14-1 overall) while No.7 Fox Lane (10-4, 10-5), No.8 Somers (9-5, 10-5) and No.10 Horace Greeley (9-6) round out the top 10; that’s six local clubs within serious striking distance of the Westchester County Center Final 4.

The goodness along the boys’ hoops circuit is striking for the locals, including Class C state-ranked No.3 Haldane, Class AAA state-ranked (No.13) White Plains and No. 25 Class B Westlake, with all three looking like they are Final 4-bound should they play their cards right.

CLASS AA

A capacity crowd turned out on both sides of the stands and were up in arms for the national anthem, much less the game, between Class AA state-ranked (No.15) YORKTOWN and 13th-ranked host MAHOPAC last Wednesday. The infamous #Crop had the final say over the #MahopacManiacs when the visiting Huskers survived a 41-40 win over the previously undefeated Wolf Pac.

Huskers Billy Feeks (11 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds), Brandon Montero (8 points, 5 rebounds) and Tommy Costello (7 points, 3 rebounds), who drained the go-ahead three-pointer from the top of the key, were enough to offset a superb outing from Mahopac senior F Liam Scnalon (game-high 19 points, double-digit boards).

“Tonight’s game was not the prettiest, but the kids kept to the plan, and won a tough game on the road,” Yorktown Coach Mark Pavella said. “Tommy came up big late in the game with a 3 to put us in the lead for good.  Our defense and rebounding has been a point of emphasis for us, and we will continue to work on it. It was a very balanced team win.”

Scanlon got it going early and often with a backdoor assist to Danny Koch after a Scanlon trey, which led to an  early Mahopac lead it would hold most of the night. Another Scanlon 3 made it 9-2 Pac at 5:20 of the first.

A John Kearney rebound and putback made it 11-4, Pac, but a Feeks 3 was the answer, 11-7. Koch made it 13-8 Mahopac, but a Gonzo 3 trimmed the deficit to 13-11. Scanlon scored off another put-back, in what was a massive first quarter effort, 15-11, Mahopac at 1:31 of the first.

A Costello pull-up followed, 15-13. Feeks scored off a lazy Mahopac inbound set, which made it 17-15 to end the first quarter.

Scanlon picked up his second foul at 6:52 of the second and Husker F Ryan Duffy cut it to 17-16 off the foul. Scanlon stayed in the game with two fouls and scored off a gorgeous move for an and-1 conversion and a 20-16 Pac lead. Kearny followed for a 22-16 Pac lead at 5:40, Yorktown timeout.

Montero went strong to the hoop to make it 22-18, Mahopac, but the defensive struggle ensued throughout the second quarter before Pac wing Connor Ferrieri scored from Koch to end the half with Mahopac up 24-18. Yorktown never got into a rhythm offensively and did not do so until late in the fourth, if at all.

“Mahopac is one of the best defensive teams around, so we were definitely struggling on offense throughout the first three quarters,” Feeks admitted. “Defense keeps you in games when you’re struggling to score and that’s exactly what we did. We gave ourselves a chance and it worked out amazing. It was a huge win. They are a very good team and it’ll be just as good of a game if we see them again.”

A Feeks 3 made it 24-21, but Dedvuvaj went to Scanlon for a 26-21 lead and Scanlon went to work again for a 28-21 lead off a strong entry pass to the left hand. A Koch three put Pac up by 10, 31-21 at 4:45 of the third, scoring off a double post to a skip pass from Kearney.

Dedvukaj piled on, 33-21 at 4:00 before a Duffy layup. Ferrieri nailed a 3, 36-23, at 2:15 of the third. Scanlon began piling it up on both ends, with a block of Feeks. Gonzalez hit two at the line, making it an 11 point game, which was followed by a turnover and a Feeks 3, 36-28, at 1:36 of the third. The worm was turning at this point.

Kearney scored just off the elbow at 1:20. Price answered for Yorktown at :20, 38-30, end of three.

To open the fourth, Price hit two at the line, cutting the deficit to six. Costello then scored off a pump fake, 38-34. Montero, at 6:09, made it 38-36. Gonzalez drew a charge on Scanlon for his fourth foul. Justin Price, who had been relatively quiet by his standards, tied it off a great look with 4:30 to go. A Scanlon put-back made it 40-38, Mahopac. Kearney forced a turnover,  timeout Yorktown, with 4:02 left. The Huskers came out of the break to seal the deal with a Costello 3, Yorktown leading 41-40 at 3:20. A Yorktown turnover set up Mahopac for the win with 33.08 left. Montero to the line with 18.9 left, and uncharacteristically missed both. With 9.7 left, Yorktown took a timeout. A Duffy block with 3.4 seconds left led to a Pac timeout. Mahopac set up a good look for  Devukaj, which didn’t’ fall as time expired. Costello’s go-ahead 3 closed out a 16-2 run for the Huskers, who handed the Wolf Pac its first loss of the season.

“We will learn from this,” Mahopac Coach Matt Calabro said. “Our goal was never to be undefeated, but it was a tough way to lose a game after controlling the first three quarters. To be fair, I think everyone thought we were frauds going back to when we were 4-0. I’m happy now that the concern is to close out the regular season as well as possible.”

Yorktown closed out the week with a 69-38 win over a struggling Class A WALTER PANAS, which was led by C Logan Tolbert (15 points, 11 rebounds), who, unfortunately suffered a season-ending injury late in the game. Isaiah Wallace and Cayden Turner chipped in with nine and seven points, respectively for the Panthers (6-9).

Panas junior guard Isaiah Wallace had one of his best games of the season scoring 19 points (5 threes) in a 71-47 loss to Suffern Saturday.

“Wallace kept us in it despite being severely shorthanded,” Panas boss Mike Auerbach said.  “We trailed 30-27 at half and were tied early in the third. We just ran out of steam late against a solid AA school. The effort was great, which is what we’re looking for at this point. Without Tyler Greene and Logan Tolbert the rest of the way, it’ll be a challenge for some other guys to step up.  We’ve gotten good production from some JV call ups, with more to come over the last two weeks.”

Yorktown was led by Montero (17 points, 5 rebounds), Feeks (11 points, 4 steals, 3 assists), Gonzalez (10 points, 4 rebounds) and Price (6 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists).

We’ve been saying for weeks now, sleep on state-ranked (No.25) PEEKSKILL at your own peril. Only a severe letdown or major breakdown can keep Coach Tyrone Searight’s Red Devils, aka #DaSeaDawgs, from a long-awaited postseason run. It’s been more than a decade since Section 1’s second-most decorated program has made this kind of mid-season noise.

In Wednesday’s 72-65 win over visiting Nyack, from start to finish, when Red Devil star swingman Jaden Chavis nailed a three off the opening tap, and Amir Tahmes scored from Zeke Jones to make it 10-4, Peekskill was off and running. A Zeke Jones 3 made it 17-4 before Thames hit again, 19-6, with 4:00 left in the first. It extended to 21-6 when Chavis went off the glass, before Chavis scored again for a 27-12 lead. Peekskill ended the first quarter on a 2010-type-notorious 29-14 run.

If Peekskill can consistently defend like it did in the first quarter, sky’s the limit. A Chavis rebound, and long outlet to Jones, led to a 31-17 Peekskill lead at 6:15 of the second.

Chavis was making like Pat Mahomes, dissecting the Nyack defense to find open teammates with long zips. Jones dropped a trey for a 36-21 lead at 4:30. Nyack cut the deficit to 36-26, then 36-28, then 36-30, before a Peekskill timeout at 2:02 of the second.

Red Dev Marquette Webster ended the dry spell, 38-30. A Nyack 3 was answered by a Jones put-back, making it 40-33, Peekskill at 45.5 of the second. The half could not have ended worse for Peekskill with Chavis picking up his third foul just before a Nyack hoop cut the Peekskill lead to five at the half, 40-35.

A Nyack 3 to open the second half was answered by Jones, making it 42-38. Thames nailed an and-1 at 5:58, 47-38, and Thames went again for a 49-41 lead. A Chavis corner three at 5:04 made it 52-41. Jones dropped two at the line after a tech foul, 54-41. Chavis scored at 2:07 followed by a Jones runner for a 58-43 lead, the Red Devils assuming control.

Chavis then popped a 3 in front of his bench for a 61-45 lead with under a minute in the third, and the third quarter ended with Peekskill holding a 61-49 lead.

Thames scored off a gorgeous pick and roll with Chavis, 63-49, to open the fourth. Peekskill allowed a put-back and will need to better commit to the glass down the line, allowing Nyack to trim the deficit to eight. It got dicey when a Nyack 3, off series of Peeky misses, trimmed the lead to 63-58 with 5:09 left to play. But Chavis did his thing at the elbow, 65-58, in traffic: Size and structure proved so advantageous for a point forward.

Thames went strong for a reverse layup to make it 67-58. A Chavis rebound at 1:00 gave Peekskill possession, leading 67-61 with 46.4 left. Red Devil Isaiah Crawford secured the win off great ball movement, 69-62, with :20 left, and Chavis hit two at line #GameSetMatch.

There was a time in the early to mid-90s when Nyack would come across the river and often go toe-to-toe with Peekskill, but they came back across the river the next day and got handled by host HEN HUD, 56-53.

The Sailors (8-6) led 48-41 after three quarters, but the final quarter belong to Nyack for the first six minutes, taking a 48-47 lead after a tech foul on Sailors, and Nyack followed with a hoop to take the lead, then forced a turnover, leading to a Hen Hud timeout at 5:28 of the fourth.

Nyack took a 51-48 lead off pressure before the Sailors got hot. A Geno Wamack 3 at 4:11 brought the Sailors toa a tie at 51. Hen Hud took a 53-51 lead when Sailor G Justin Parkes (6 points, 4 boards) scored off a choice layup with just over 3:00 to go. Heady scored at 1:30 after he and Wamack forced a steal at one end and then a dish and drive hoop for a 55-51 lead. Nyack scored with :30 left and the wondrous Wamack (27 points, 8 boards, 2 steals, 4 assists) went down with an ankle injury before walking it off. At 55-53 the Sailors were folding under pressure on consecutive possessions, turning the ball over twice. Nyack took a timeout with 23.6 left and a Nyack 3-point shot fell short into the arms of Heady (11 points, 11 blocks), an absolute beast and walking double-double this season with 7.1 left. Parkes hit one at the line for a 56-53 lead with 2.9 left and Nyack missed at the buzzer #GameOver.

SOMERS has had its share of ups and downs this season, but hope to have turned a corner when the Tuskers (10-5) knocked off VALHALLA, 49-39. At 44-30, Tusker G Nate Cohen went coast to coast at 6:20 of the third before Tusker G Philip Santore (8 points, 2 boards) hit a three with just over 4:00 to play, making it 47-32 Somers; the game, essentially, over. Santore hit two more at the line for a 49-32 lead with just over 3:00 to go. The Tuskers saw Cohen (19 points, 6 boards, 5 assists, 3 steals) completely dominate on both ends of the court. A healthy Mac Sullivan (8 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists) was a big deal for Somers. Tuskers Andrew Violante (7 points, 5 boards, 3 steals) and Brady Leitner (7 points, 3 boards) were thorns in the side of the reigning Section 1 Class B champion Vikings (6-11), who also fell 53-44 to state-ranked Class A Pearl River despite a great effort from Julian Amorosa (16 points).

And then, the Vikings popped back with a 47-41 upset of visiting rival WESTLAKE. Amorosa (17 points). Mikaele Martinez (12) and Antonis Paloungos (12) had the vociferous Viking caucus popping. Will the real Valhalla (6-11) please stand up, please stand up!

BREWSTER got itself back in the win column, defeating Class A PUTNAM VALLEY, 81-53, Wednesday. Brewster had five players in double figures and hit 15 of 29 from distance. PV, which bounced back to defeat Class AA CARMEL, 42-40, fought back to gain some county-wide respect with wins over the Rams and Haldane the last 10 days.

Lots to unpack between these three Putnam County clubs, starting with Class AA Brewster, which shot the lights out to knock off Putnam Valley behind the best energy the Bears (5-10) have had all year while connecting on 15 three-pointers on 29 attempts, leaving the Tigers (6-6 in Section 1, 7-7 overall) in shock. Five Bears scored double figures, including junior wing Will Dignan, who led the way with 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Lucas Cabiati drilled five three-pointers, finishing with 17 points, and junior Billy Pappas notched a career-high 17 points. Harrison Schmitt added 11 points, 11 rebounds and five assists for the winners while Matt Thompson contributed 10 points and five assists. Kevin Fox added four assists off the bench.

Putnam Valley junior James Apostolico led all scorers with a career-high 31, putting the club on his back in this one despite being well under the weather.

“We got contributions from the entire roster in a much-needed win as we fight to qualify for the playoffs,” Bears assistant Coach Jay Weltman said.

Brewster kept the fight going by beating North Salem, 70-54, behind 32 points from Thompson. Anthony Calicchia, who also hit three 3s, supplied solid defense, too.

“Thompson was unstoppable and Will Dignan did an outstanding job running the team and also had nine points,” Weltman said of the win over North Salem. “Anthony Calicchia came off the bench and drilled three threes for 9 points and added a defensive spark for the Bears. Billy Pappas set the tone for the team with his grit.”

Putnam Valley answered the bell to sneak off with a tight one against Carmel behind Apostolico, who led all scorers with 19 points while Dylan Tucker added six points and 12 boards for a PV club that has won five of its last six and had a tough battle with Pleasantville on tap last night.

The Rams (4-10) have had a tumultuous week. First-year Coach Doug Hill stepped down in mid-season, and Joe Loughlin stepped up to take the reins. Stability is crushing the Rams’ chances of sustaining their potential, which is more than meets the eye.

“The kids are buying in and we are starting to get it together,” Loughlin said. “I couldn’t agree more with you regarding the potential of these players and the need for stability. We will get the ship turned around for sure.”

CLASS AAA

WHITE PLAINS passed two huge tests this week, taking out mighty Mount Vernon, 80-66, after sending OSSINING packing, 71-59, to improve to 15-1.

The state-ranked (No.13) Tigers got off to a 7-0 start against Mount Vernon and took a 36-34 lead into the half behind a balanced team effort, including senior hotshot Logan McCormick (25 points, 6 rebounds), sophomore G Nick Triolo (20 points, 6 steals), senior G Miles Johnson (12 points, 10 assists), Jake Labrosciano (10 points), Daniel Herzner (6 points, 5 rebounds) and Luke Brooks (5 points, 5 rebounds). The Tigers dished 24 assists as a team, sharing and caring for the ball.

“This is a very balanced team that likes playing together,’ White Plains Coach Spencer Mayfield said. “This senior class has gone through the growth process, having won six games as sophomores, 15 as juniors and as seniors are ready to lead and sacrifice for the team. They are supported by underclassmen willing to follow the process and have made great strides as well. I look forward to all the challenges this game will bring.”

A Triolo steal and hoop spotted White Plains a 10-6 lead against the Knights, but they then took a 14-13 lead at 2:40 of the first quarter. McCormick regained the lead 15-14 with two at the stripe. McCormick hit again off the break, from Johnson, 17-14, but the Knights closed out the quarter on a 5-0 run to lead 19-17 at the end of the first quarter.

McCormick hit back-to-back buckets and tied it  21-all at 7:00 of the second. Triolo, who may have played his finest varsity game, hit a trey for a 24-21 lead, and Triolo went again for an and-1 and a 27-23 White Plains lead. McCormick followed off a wonderful sequence; a block and then a spinning layup for a 29-26 lead.

McCormick scored on the break from Johnson, 31-28, White Plains at 2:40 before the half. McCormick scored again for a 33-31 lead.  However, White Plains was sloppy to close out the half and Mount Vernon took a 34-33 lead just before the break when Labrosciano answered with a buzzer-beating trey for a 36-34 Tiger lead to end the second quarter.

Herzner hit a corner three for White Plains to open the third, but the Knights responded with a slam at the other end, 39-38, White Plains at 6:24 of the third.

Brooks hit two at the line for the Tigers, 41-38, and McCormick two more at the line for a 43-38 lead. Johnson scored off a choice backdoor cut, 45-38. McCormick stayed in rhythm, scoring for a 47-39 lead and McCormick again at 3:48 for a 49-41 lead before Labrosciano drained a 3 for a 52-43 lead. A Johnson layup at 2:01 of the third made it a 55-45 White Plains lead, which they then carried into the fourth at 55-49.

To open the fourth quarter, Labrosciano buried a deep 3 for a 58-51 lead with 6:37 to go. Johnson followed with a layup, 60-51. Trioli nailed a 3 for a 65-55 lead with 4:55 left. Herzner canned one from distance for a 68-55 lead before Brooks scored again, 70-55, before Johnson followed to seal a game-clinching run off a 72-55 lead at 3:32 of the fourth. The rout was officially on when Triolo made it 74-57. Mount Vernon, a shell of once-invincible self, lost to White Plains for the first time since the 2020 season, according to Mayfield.

Against Ossining, White Plains was led by McCormick (22 points, 11 boards), Triolo (16 points, 3 assists, 3 steals) and Johnson (15 points, 5 assists).

Ossining’s Franklin Santos (18 points) and Asher Cort (12 points) were both in double figures.

Ossining hotshot Kris Singh picked up his third foul at 3:35 of the first quarter with White Plains holding a 12-5 lead. Ossining’s Sebastian DeCosta hit with 28 ticks left in the first to cut it to 17-11, which is how it ended after the first.

Ashton Cort hit a hoop for Ossining at 7:10 cutting the deficit to 17-14 off a sweet running layup, which forced a White Plains timeout at 6:47 of the second. McCormick scored at 6:00 19-14, and Cort picked up his third foul seconds later, putting the Pride in jeopardy.

A dunk by McCormick at 2:50 and another 3 by Ossining, which was followed by a McCormick 3 extended the White Plains lead to 33-27 at 1:50 before the half.

The half ended, 33-32, White Plains leading behind 16 points from McCormick with Franklin Santos dropping 11 for the Pride.

To start the third quarter, Herzner scored for a 35-32 lead and Johnson nailed a 3 from top of the key, extending to a 38-32 lead. A McCormick dunk at 6:45 led to a 40-33 Tiger lead, and a Triolo 3 gave White Plains a 43-33 lead at 6:23 of the third.

Ossining had some sloppy start to the third quarter, and a reverse layup by Johnson at 6:00, led to a 45-33 lead before a McCormick score off a steal made it 47-34. A Triolo 3 made it 50-36, before Ossining finally answered, 50-38.

McCormick answered again, 52-40. Triolo hit at the elbow, 54-40, at 3:25 and The Tigers were off and running. Cort hit for Ossining, 54-42. Johnson had the answer, 56-42. Santos gave Ossining an and-1 conventional 3 at 1:55, cutting White Plains’ lead to 56-45. Johnson made it 58-47 at 1:00 of the third, off a power move in the paint. Cort went to the line for Ossining and hit two, 58-49, which is how the third quarter ended.

Herzner hit a hoop in the lane for a 63-50 White Plains lead before Taylor-Lowe answered for Ossining at 5:09, trimming the deficit to 63-52. Singh scored for the Pride at 3:27, making it 63-54, but Johnson hit two at the stripe at 3:04, making it  65-54 White Plains.

McCormick then found Brooks for an and-1, 67-54, 2:20. Singh drained a 3 at 2:05, 67-57, but the Pride could come no closer.

CLASS A

It’s been a bit of an up and down journey for BYRAM HILLS the last two weeks. After losing four of five to the likes of Yorktown, Pearl River, Somers and Pelham, the Bobcats were back on the hunt last week with three consecutive wins over Nyack, Fox Lane and Rye; all top-notch clubs.

Bobcat F Zach Efobi set the single-game school record for rebounds (27) in Byram’s 55-40 win over Nyack. The senior big added 11 points and cleared the glass for Tyson Repa to score a game-high 21. Chris Amenedo added 10 points and six assists for the ‘Cats (9-5, 10-5).

That was just the start for the Bobcats, who also crushed visiting Rye Friday, 66-53, behind another sensational effort from Repa (32 points, 7 boards. 5 assists) before a packed house. Max Miller came up big with 15 points and six assists while Efobi’s yeoman’s efforts on the glass and defense helped seal the deal.

Byram’s win over FOX LANE was most impressive, given the Foxes’ recent stretch of goodness coming in. The Foxes had won five in a row, including a 62-56 win over Class A LAKELAND, behind Kevin New’s career-high 31 points  to go with eight boards and five assists. James Minotti (10 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists) had himself a day. The Hornets fell to 6-9.

PLEASANTVILLE improved to 7-6 on the season with a 41-29 victory over Sleepy Hollow. Dermot Mc Spedon led the way with 18 points and Brian McPhee chipped in 10.

CLASS C

State-ranked (No.3) HALDANE (11-3 overall, 10-2 Section 1) returned to form after the Put Valley loss, snatching victories of the Leffell School (55-48) and CROTON-HARMON (74-40), the Blue Devils lost the ballyhooed Battle of the Tunnel to Section 9 host Beacon Saturday, 67-62.

Against Leffell, Matt Nachamkin (17 points), Fallou Faye (15 points), Ross Esposito (11) and Mike Murray (10) each reached double digits.

Against Croton, Nachamkin (17), Faye (15), Luke Bozsik (14), Stickle (10) and  Esposito (10) were all in double figures while Croton’s Orlando Gomez dropped a game-high 21 for the Class B Tigers (7-8), who bounced back in a 49-36 win over Yonkers behind 23 more points from Gomez. Marcos Goni (12 points) and sophomore G Gavin Dugan (10) chipped at both ends of the floor.

“We played a very gritty, tough defensive game,” Croton Coach Ben Martucci said.

Against Beacon, Esposito (17 points), Nate Stickle (16), Nachamkin (14) and Faye (8) took it down the wire against the Bulldogs.

Examiner Area CLASS AAA/AA POLL

(County Center edition)

No.1 WHITE PLAINS – At this point it’s Class AAA finals or bust for one of the more balanced clubs in Section 1, considering the way the Tigers handled 34-time-Section 1 champ Mount Vernon. White Plains has been hard-pressed to win the section since doing so three times in the 90s (1993-94-99).

No.2 YORKTOWN – If the Huskers aren’t playing in the AA finals, it’ll be a significant disappointment for a Yorktown program seeking its first sectional title since 1971.

No.3 PEEKSKILL – Snooze on the Red Devils at your own peril. They have enough talent to get back to the County Center for a Class AA Final 4 run, and then some, as they seek their first crown since 2009 when Peeky five-peated.

No.3A MAHOPAC – If the Wolf Pac aren’t at the County Center for the AA Final 4 and/or challenging for the title, it’ll be a significant disappointment, considering you can go back to 1933 – when they first started counting sectional titles – and not find Mahopac in the win column #MakeSomeDamnHistory.

No.5 FOX LANE – League battles against Class AAA White Plains and Ossining will have Coach T’s club primed and ready for the rigors of Class AA as they seek their first sectional title since beating Mount Vernon in 2016.

HM SOMERS – Tuskers have won 8 of last 10 and have a battle-tested unit that made the sectional finals a year ago, so we’re going to assume they will be poised to make some noise in the post where they will be seeking the program’s first Section 1 title since 1992 #Hyra #Dietrich.

HM OSSINING – Still kinda waiting for that statement win that’ll make me believe the Pride can challenge for a Final 4 spot at the County Center, what would be their first in many moons. 1962 was the former Indians’ last crowning moment.

HM GREELEY – Quaker have lost 3 of last4  now, including being swept by rival Fox Lane.

 

Examiner Area CLASS A/B/C POLL

No.1 BYRAM HILLS – Recent wins over Fox Lane and Nyack, plus a last-second loss to Yorktown are all we needed to see to pencil in the Bobcats for a Final 4 run at the County Center where they seek their first title since 2016 and third since 2011 when Coach Repa turned this program on a dime.

No.2 HEN HUD – The 1-2 punch of Wamack and Heady are troublesome for opponents, but the Sailors need a consistent No.3/4 scorer to make some real noise in AA if they are going to pull off their first sectional title in school history.

No.3 WESTLAKE – State-ranked (No.25) Wildcats, who haven’t won it all since 1965 (the only title I see), are a solid club, but we are still waiting for that statement win that puts them in the upper crust of Class B with state-ranked (No.7) Woodlands and Dobbs Ferry, though the path to County Center is crystal clear.

No.4 LAKELAND – Perhaps the most enigmatic club in all of Class A, what with wins over Yorktown, Tappan Zee and Panas, but crushing defeats at the hands of Somers, Byram Hills and Peekskill. We’ve given up trying to figure out the Hornets, who have never won it all.

No.5 PLEASANTVILLE – With wins in six of the last seven, the Panthers (7-6) have eradicated a 1-5 start and will look to continue this run against the likes of Put Valley, Westlake, Briarcliff and Valhalla in the days ahead; 4-0 would be ideal, 3-1 would be nice, would settle for 2-2, we suppose. 2017 was the last time the Panthers danced the dance of victory at the County Center.

HM PANAS – Panthers will have to go the rest of the way without injured seniors C Logan Tolbert and swingman Tyler Greene #WhataBlow for the their chance to win it all for the first time since 2014 #McCauleyEra, second since 1997 #TarkingtonEra.

HM PUTNAM VALLEY – Another enigma: beat Haldane, fall to Brewster, knock off Carmel #GoFigure! Tigers have never won it all, despite two championship setbacks in 2014-16 to Woodlands and Briarcliff, respectively.

HM HALDANE – State-ranked No.3 in Class C, the Blue Devils put three extreme beatdowns on Greenburgh, Laffell and Croton (74-40!) after a vexing loss to Put Valley #BounceBack #Feb9VsPutValley. Defending champion Blue Devils are a strong favorite to win their fourth sectional title since 2014.

HM VALHALLA – Perhaps that win over Westlake get the reigning Section 1 Class C champions rolling, and the six-game losing streak against some very stiff competition is a thing of the past.

ANDY JACOBS/DAVID TABER/TIM COURT/RAY GALLAGHER PHOTOS