Youthful Panas Pins Somers Tourney Title to Résumé

Undefeated Panthers, Lakeland on Collision Course for League Title

By Tony Pinciaro

Four senior starters graduated from the PANAS basketball team that was the 2021 Northern Westchester/Putnam small school runner-up. This left Panas Coach Matt Evangelista with a young team, which included two freshmen starters.

However, once preseason kicked into high gear, junior and returning starter Kelsey Cregan was witnessing the team gelling.

“The new players that came up to varsity were all very skilled and we had a variety of players,” said Cregan, a three-year varsity player. “We had one girl who came up and fits in with our post players and is very tough under the boards. Kiara Williams and Cadence (Nicholas) are great defenders and Cadence and Sophia (Tavarez) are the fastest players I’ve ever played with. We have some really good shooters, too.”

As a result of the returning nucleus and talented newcomers, Panas is 8-0 after winning four games last week, including Somers’ 25th annual Michael DePaoli Memorial Tournament last Saturday.

Panas, after beating Nanuet and Yorktown earlier in the week, defeated Ossining (62-56), in the first round, and Mahopac (50-41) in the Somers title game. The victory over Ossining was Panas’ third consecutive over the Pride spanning two years.

“We gelled quickly because of our communication on and off the court,” Cregan said.

Cregan, along with seniors Lindsay Kagan, Lizzie Bergamini and Adriana Zazzini were thrust into leadership roles, this season, with the graduation departures. Cregan said this group received an assist from Nicholas and Tavares.

“Cadence and Sophia were with us last year as eighth-graders, and they are all very close friends with the three freshmen,” Cregan noted.

After winning its first four games, Panas knew it was in for a difficult week with four games, especially against four quality opponents. The first four wins were nice, but these next four gave Panas a good feeling.

“For us, and definitely for the underclassmen, it was good to see that we could win games.” Cregan said. “Even with our opponents maybe underestimating the ability of this team because we are young. This (Somers tournament) was a confidence booster for us because we knew we were a good team and we could go out and compete and beat good teams.”

Not many teams can say they beat Ossining three consecutive times, but Panas is one. Cregan and her teammates knew Ossining would be psyched to face Panas after losing twice last year. However, Panas was ready.

“There’s something about playing Ossining,” Cregan said. “I know, myself, I get excited and my energy level was high. To beat Ossining, that was one of our first big accomplishments this season.”

Katie Hofmann led the way against Ossining with 21 points. Cregan had a double-double with 18 points and 19 rebounds and Nicholas finished with 13 points.

In the final, Nicholas had a game-high 19 points and also had six rebounds. Tavares finished with 17 points and nine rebounds and Cregan, the tournament MVP, had eight points and 16 boards. Nicholas and Tavares were named all-tournament.

Nicholas and Cregan had 14 and 10 points, respectively, against Yorktown.

Panas needed some last-minute heroics, against Nanuet, to remain undefeated as Nicholas scored the go-ahead two with 15 seconds on the clock. Evangelista said Julia Gallinger grabbed a rebound and sent Nicholas on her way with a great outlet pass.

Nicholas scored a team-best 19 points in the win. Tavarez had 11 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals and Cregan scored 11 points and collected 12 rebounds.

Panas will host Brewster Tuesday and play at Rye Thursday to close out December. Early indications are that Panas and Lakeland will have a couple of heated tip-offs in January (20th, 29th), which could ultimately determine the league title and district bragging rights.

LAKELAND is a perfect seven, as in 7-0, after the Hornets swept a pair of Rockland County teams – Nyack (67-48) and Nanuet (55-52).

Tyler Hormazabal finished with a game-high 21 points against Nyack. Nichole Ljuljic chipped in 18 points and Sarah Devane scored 14 points.

The Hornets held off Nanuet behind 19 points from Hannah Devane. Hormazabal was held to 14 points, but did record five steals, and Ljuljic also had 14 points.

Lakeland Coach Miranda Mangan credited Kellie Sullivan with playing great defense.

“We had some ups and downs this week,” Mangan said. “We definitely didn’t play our best, but the girls were able to regroup and refocus in the end. Our game with Nanuet was really physical. They are a tough group of girls and it was great to be in a game that came down to the last few plays. We are looking forward to league play and hoping to keep the momentum going into the new year.”

Lakeland will play Pleasantville Tuesday.

BREWSTER easily won its first two games of the week over North Salem (59-26) and then Poughkeepsie (70-35), in the first round of the Brewster Tournament.

However, R.C. Ketcham took advantage of Brewster being without Grace Galgano to beat the Bears, 59-38, in the title game. Brewster Coach Mike Castaldo said Galgano tweaked her ankle against Poughkeepsie.

“I am proud of the girls,” Castaldo said. “We were a little short-handed and things could have gotten ugly quick. They showed a lot of heart and character and battled a really good Ketcham team. Sophia (Alzugaray) and Madison (Dakin) were awesome! They carried us. If they play like that all year, we’ll be a tough out for anyone.”

Dakin had 15 points and eight rebounds against Ketcham and Alzugaray added 14 points and four assists. Both were named to the all-tournament team.

Galgano finished with 17 points in the first-round win. Dakin added 12 points and Jordan Niles chipped in 10 points.

Galgano scored a team-high 26 points against NorthSalem, followed by Adrianna Calicchia with 10 points and Bre Washington added eight points.

Brewster is now 5-1 this season.

OSSINING split two games, losing to Panas (62-56) in the first round of the Somers Tournament, before rebounding to fend off Somers, 74-68, as the Pride improved to 4-1.

Senior G Michelle Mercado poured in a season-high 25 points and also had five rebounds and five assists while being named to the All-Tournament team. Ella Schnecker added 16 points, Zoey Jowers finished with 13 points, including eight of nine from the free-throw line, and Karen Perriott had 12 points and a career-best 21 rebounds.

Schnecker led Ossining with 18 points, and also had six rebounds, against Panas, Katie Marx contributed 15 points and 12 rebounds and Mercado added 10 points and five rebounds.

Ossining will host New Rochelle Wednesday and welcome Monsignor McClancy (Queens), Dec. 28.

MAHOPAC sandwiched a win over Somers around two losses – to Harrison and Panas (in the Somers’ Tournament championship game). The Indians dropped a 56-31 verdict to Harrison as Lauren Beberman and Kristina Rush each had nine points.

Against the Tuskers, Mahopac trailed Somers by 11 points at halftime, but outscored the Tuskers, 29-12, in the second half for a 47-41 win as Rush finished with a team-leading 12 points. Melanie DeMeo added 11 points and Beberman finished with 10 points.

In the finals of the tourney, Panas blitzed Mahopac, 20-5, in the first quarter, but the Indians closed to within two points late.

“We closed the gap to two and kept it to within five until we had to foul,” Mahopac Coach Chuck Scozzafava said. “The girls played hard and never gave up. Panas went to the line 32 times and made 22. Mahopac went to the line a mere 10 times and made five.”

Julia Paolicelli and Beberman were selected to the all-tournament team.

Freshman Kaitlyn Raguso scored a career-high 29 points, leading HEN HUD to a 56-51 victory over Yorktown.
Raguso went 10 of 15 from the floor. She also had 13 rebounds and six steals. Fellow freshman Kayla McCarthy added 12 points, seven rebounds and six steals.

YORKTOWN went 0-2 for the week and was without three starters because of injury and illness in one of the games. Melissa Severino had 13 points and Kaitlyn Judge added seven points in a 43-32 loss to Panas.

Judge finished with 15 points and Gevanthor had 11 points in a 56-51 loss to Hen Hud as Yorktown played without three starters. Yorktown, now 2-3 this season, hosts Saunders Tuesday.

NWE/Putnam area girls’ hoops coaches are encouraged to contact Ray Gallagher raygallaghersports@gmail.com or Tony Pinciaro at tfinch23@optonline.net for inclusion in our weekly notebook.