Combined Energy
Athletes Team Up In Splendiferous Tri-Valley Relays; New Paltz Boys and Rondout Valley Girls Are Tops; Tri-Valley Girls 2nd Overall And Tops In Small Division; Ellenville 2nd In Boys And Tops In Small Schools; T-V Boys 3rd Overall, 2nd In Small Schools Array; Spackenkill’s Sahsche Allen And New Paltz’s Alfredo Mazzucca Outstanding Track Athletes; Ellenville’s Jeff Nuñez And New Paltz’s Cora Butler Outstanding Field Athletes
Boys Team standings and key: 1. New Paltz (NP) 180 points; 2. Ellenville 157.3; 3.Tri-Valley (TV) 143; 4. Rondout Valley (RV) 124.3; 5. Liberty (Lib) 84.5; 6.Saugerties 76; 7. Sullivan West 66.5; 8 John A. Coleman Catholic (JAC) 61.33; 9. Spackenkill 53; 10. Eldred (Eld) 49; 11 Millbrook 17; 12. Chapel Field 11
Girls Team standings and key: 1. Rondout Valley (RV) 197.5 points; 2. Tri-Valley (TV) 174; 3. New Paltz (NP) 124.5; 4. Ellenville and Liberty 90; 6. Saugerties 77; 7. Spackenkill 69; 8. Sullivan West 54; 9. Eldred 44; 10. Chapel Field 35; 11. Coleman Catholic 24; 12. Millbrook 7.
By RICHARD A. ROSS
Photos at www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
Scenes from the Tri-Valley relays (clockwise) T-V's Autumn Bender wins the 2000 steeplechase, Spackenkill's Sahsche Allen wins the 100. She was the Outstanding track athlete of the meet. Eldred's Hunter Proscia captures the 2000 steeplechase. T-V's Jimmy Bernstein is second in the 1600. SW's John Masten shows great form in the 1200 shuttle hurdle relay as does T-V's Ali Reynolds. New Paltz's Alfredo Mazzucca was the outstanding track athlete at the meet. Here he is en route to winning the 1600. Sullivan West's Amanda Rosenberger wins this semifinal 100 heat. She finished third overall. Sullivan West's Corrine Van Wagner soaks up the water in the 2000 steeplechase. She finished 5th. Eldred's Christine Donnelly took 2nd in the 1500. Liberty's Andy Hazelnis completes the anchor leg of Liberty's winning varsity 400 relay. Lara Jane Heslop does the same for the Lady Indians' victorious team. Tri-Valley's Raphael Ramirez does his part to capture the hammer throw relay. Brendan Tierney added his throw after taking the SAT's. Eldred's Craig Burns wins the 100. Sullivan West's Matt Cardona combined with Mitch Paciga to win the high jump relay. Tri-Valley's Katlynn Greffrath leaps over the hurdles as she completes one third of the winning 1200 hurdle relay for the Lady Bears. T-V's Sabrena Smith carries the baton in the winning 3200 relay. .
GRAHAMSVILLE, NY—Given the wisdom of the old adage that two heads are better than one, imagine how much more viable are three or four, especially when they’re attached to strong young bodies in pursuit of a combined victory in any given event in track and field.
That is the modus operandi of the annual Tri-Valley relays, a departure from the normal track meet proceedings wherein the only combined events are the 400, 800,1600 and 3200 relays. In this relay meet, the individual events on the docket were the 100, the girls 1500 and boys 1600 and the 2000 steeplechase. Every other event was scored by combining the times, heights or distances of a team’s participants.
Needless to say every athlete strives for his or her best individual performance and indeed the day would evince numerous personal best marks. But even with such landmarks posted, teams could lose an event if one of the other participants failed to muster a sufficient time, distance or height. Track meets are always a blend of individual efforts that combine for team standing, but in meets such as this, the combined effort is even more consequential.
As it was two weeks prior for the Tri-Valley Invitational, the weather was magnificent, perhaps in deference to Coaches Joe and Missy Iatauro who will retire after next season and who have witnessed more than a few maelstroms and frigid outings on the days on which landmark meets have been staged over more than three decades.
For the purpose of this meet, schools were divided by T-V Coach Joe Iatauro into Division I and II though those classifications have little to do with the state size categories. For this meet Division I was comprised of New Paltz, Rondout Valley, Saugerties and Spackenkill. Division II participants included Chapel Field, John A. Coleman Catholic, Eldred, Ellenville, Liberty, Sullivan West and Tri-Valley. Invitees Livingston Manor/Roscoe and Clarkstown South were not present. Events were scored through the eighth place finishers.
Continuing their spring barnstorm of success, Tri-Valley’s boys and girls teams excelled with the girls taking second place overall and first among the small schools on hand. This followed team victories at the Tri-Valley Invitational wherein the Lady Bears not only won out over Division II schools (by state size standard) but also held sway over every one of the other 26 schools competing. They followed that up a week later with a team win at the Monticello Games.
In the Tri-Valley Relays The Lady Bears were gold medalists in the following:
F/S Sprint Medley Relay 4:36.7; 6400 relay 24:34.6 (Brooke Gillette, Olivia Rehm, Danielle Graham and Sabrena Smith); F/S Discus relay 162-3; hammer relay 237-8 Dominque Darby and Heidi Furman; varsity shot put relay 68-5 ½ Darby and Mareena DiMilia; 2000 steeplechase 7:58.9 Autumn Bender; 300 shuttle hurdles 51.8 DiMilia, Vicky Tingley and Ali Reynolds; distance medley relay 14:14.6 Bender, Alex Brooks, Sabrena Smith and Rehm; javelin relay 185-9 and the 1200 intermediate hurdle relay 3:42.5 behind the combined effort of Katlynn Greffath, Sabrina Smith and Ali Reynolds.
As for the boys squad, a third place finish overall and second among small schools marked yet another stellar outing. The boys finished first among Division II schools at the Tri-Valley Invitational and fourth overall at the Monticello Games.
The Bears were gold medalists in the following:
F/S sprint medley relay 3:54.4 Aidan Woolsey, Tyler Greffrath, Josh Winters and Justin Weintraub; and the hammer relay 269.4 Brendan Tierney and Raphael Ramirez.
Jimmy Bernstein took 2nd in the 1600 (4:32). This was Bernstein’s last competition on the Tri-Valley track completing a storied home career.
But Tri-Valley was far from alone among Sullivan County schools in capturing its moments of glory on the day. Eldred’s Hunter Proscia won the 2000 steeplechase in 6:25.3, just three second shy of the mark he had posted to win the event at the Tri-Valley Invitational. Craig Burns won the 100 in 11.3.
Christine Donnelly took 2nd in the 1500 (5l08.3).
Sullivan West took gold in the high jump relay as Mitch Paciga and Matt Cardona combined for a height of 11-6. Amanda Rosenberger recorded a blistering 12.6 in the 100 and 27.1 in her legs of the 400 and 800 relays for personal best times. She took 3rd in the 100. The 1500 racewalk (non-scoring) was easily won by Rachel Deppa (8:09.4).
Liberty claimed the gold medal in the 1200 intermediate hurdle relay 3:00.5 as Erick Cuellar, Andy Hazelnis and Kane Sauchuk combined for the speedy win. The Indians also garnered gold in the varsity 400 relay (46.) as Cuellar, Nick Campos, Kenny Jaycox and Hazelnis marshaled the victory. Liberty’s girls varsity 400 relay (52.7) was also victorious as Amanda Bertholf, Nikole Snyder, Rebeccah Harman and Lara Jane Heslop took turns speeding forward with the baton.
Staged on the day when SAT’s and ACT’s were being given, the meet always has a 12:00pm start. As those students who were undergoing the rigors of the long tests arrive, they find their way to the events they are slated for and compete, usually after the other members of their teams have finished at that particular venue.
For this photographer the prime agenda was two-fold: First and foremost was to amass a collection of hundreds of stunning photos of athletes at their craft, with a particular concentration on the Sullivan County schools. Second and nearly as important was to stay abreast of milestones both on an individual and team basis.
Track is a complex matter, not for the feint of heart of the occasional unfamiliar correspondent for whom the entire mélange of events taking place all around is undoubtedly confusing and impossible to fathom.
As for me, being a ten-year veteran of these multi-ring circuses, it all makes perfect sense.
During the course of a track meet I always find time to schmooze with many of the kids I have come to know so well and to encourage them to press on with the tasks at hand. Invariably they seem to appreciate the attention both in words and in the photos that pour onto the www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com.
So too do the parents who are grateful for the up close, professional photographs that will grace their albums and walls as mementos of these halcyon days of their children’s youthful ardor.
Medals were awarded to first, second and third place finishers. Team trophies were awarded as well.
First through third place finishers are listed below but for more edification I have provided the score sheets that show all eight place finishers courtesy of T-V scorekeeper Kevin Giroux.
Boys Team standings and key: 1. New Paltz (NP) 180 points; 2. Ellenville 157.3; 3.Tri-Valley (TV) 143; 4. Rondout Valley (RV) 124.3; 5. Liberty (Lib) 84.5; 6.Saugerties 76; 7. Sullivan West 66.5; 8 John A. Coleman Catholic (JAC) 61.33; 9. Spackenkill 53; 10. Eldred (Eld) 49; 11 Millbrook 17; 12. Chapel Field 11
100 meters: 1. Craig Burns (Eld) 11.3; 2. Kenny Jaycox (Lib) 11.6; 3. Charlton Tsai (NP) 11.7; 1,600: 1. Al Mazzucca (NP) 4:27.2; 2. James Bernstein (TV) 4:32.0; 3. Marco DiBella (JAC) 4:37.6; 330 shuttle hurdles relay: 1. Ellenville (Bruce, Echols, Groat) 51.3; 2. Tri-Valley 53.1; 3. Sullivan West 54.7; 2,000 steeplechase: 1. Hunter Proscia (Eld) 6:25.3; 2. J. Grout (Ell) 7:11.5; 3. Eric Dunham (Sau) 7:21; 400 relay: 1. Liberty (Cuellar, Campos, Jaycox, Hazelnis) 46.0; 2. Rondout Valley 46.4; 3. Ellenville 46.5; 800 relay: 1. Spackenkill (Wilson, Mastmann, Bonden, Clear) 1:35.3; 2. Rondout Valley 1:35.7; 3. Coleman 1:37.4; 1,200 intermediate hurdles relay: 1. Liberty (Eric Cuellar, Andy Hazelnis, Kane Sauchuk) 3:00.5; 2. Tri-Valley 3:02.2; 3. New Paltz 3:04.6; 1,600 relay: 1. New Paltz (Stewart, Hasbrouck, Lamarche, Climer) 3:29; 2. Spackenkill 3:35; 3. Tri-Valley 3:35.8; 3,200 relay: 1. New Paltz (Busby, Hasbrouck, Mazzucca, Mazzucca) 8:30.7; 2. Tri-Valley 8:36.2; 3. Spackenkill 9:47.5; 6,400 relay: 1. New Paltz (Rizza, Torquato, Mazzucca, Busby) 20:32.9; 2. Tri-Valley 21:31.8; 3. Liberty 23:20.8; distance medley relay: 1. New Paltz (Mazzucca, Climer, Mazzucca, Busby) 11:11; 2. Tri-Valley 11:44.5; 3. Sullivan West 12:34.6; sprint medley relay: 1. Coleman (Vansteenburg, Catalano, Discovo, DiBella) 3:46.3; 2. Rondout Valley 3:48.8; 3. Libery 3:53.4; high jump relay: 1. Sullivan West (Mitch Paciga,Matt Cardona) 11-6; 2. (tie) Coleman and Ellenville 11-4; long jump relay: 1. Ellenville (Quicero, Echols) 39-2; 2. New Paltz 37-1; 3. Rondout Valley 35-7; triple jump relay: 1. Ellenville (Echols, Quiceno) 79-9; 2. Coleman 77-1.5; 3. Rondout Valley 76-3; shot put relay: 1.Tri-Valley (Brendan Tierney, Raphael Ramirez) 82-3; 2. Ellenville 78-2.5; 3. Saugerties 74-3; discus relay: 1. Ellenville (Jeff Nunez, Preston Bazemore) 261-4; 2. Coleman 234-3; 3. Liberty 233-2; javelin relay: 1. Ellenville (Gaetta, Boriello) 245-2; 2. Liberty 244-10; 3. Tri-Valley 226-4; hammer relay: 1. Tri-Valley (Ramirez, Tierney) 269-4.5; 2. Ellenville 269-3; 3. Liberty 181-7; pole vault relay: 1. Ellenville (Kasloski, Farrenkopf) 23-0; 2. (tie) Eldred and New Paltz 21-0; Pentathlon: 1. Shamar Corum (NP) 2,571 points; 2. J.P. Heylde Ortiz (NP) 2,127; 3. Mateo Julia-Wise (NP) 1,864.
Outstanding field athlete: Jeff Nunez (Ellenville).
Outstanding track athlete: Alfredo Mazzucca (New Paltz).
Girls Team standings and key: 1. Rondout Valley (RV) 197.5 points; 2. Tri-Valley (TV) 174; 3. New Paltz (NP) 124.5; 4. Ellenville and Liberty 90; 6. Saugerties 77; 7. Spackenkill 69; 8. Sullivan West 54; 9. Eldred 44; 10. Chapel Field 35; 11. Coleman Catholic 24; 12. Millbrook 7.
100 meters: 1. Sasche Allen (Spac) 12.8; 2. Christine Kelly (RV) 12.9; 3. Amanda Rosenberger (SW) 13.1; 1,500 race walk (non-scoring): 1. Rachel Deppa (SW) 8:09.4; 2. Mary Alongi (TV) 9:54.5; 3. Lindsay Green (E)) 11:11.1; 1,500: 1. Shannon Averill (Saug) 4:55.7; 2. Christine Donnelly (Eld) 5:08.3; 3. Cami Ferguson (NP) 5:11.2; 300 shuttle hurdles relay: 1. Tri-Valley (Mareena DiMilia, Vicky Tingley, Ali Reynolds) 51.8; 2. Liberty 54.5; 3. Rondout Valley and New Paltz 57.7; 2,000 steeplechase: 1. Autumn Bender (TV) 7:58.9; 2. Megan McGowan (CF) 8:02.0; 3. Olivia Rehm (TV) 8:31.6; 400 relay: 1. Liberty (Amanda Bertholf, Snyder, Rebeccah Harman, Lara Jane Heslop) 52.7; 2. Rondout Valley 53.0; 3. Chapel Field 54.1; 800 relay: 1. Rondout Valley (Mondini, Ospina, Winnie, Kelly) 1:51.9; 2. Liberty 1:51.5; 3. Ellenville 1:57.6; 1,200 intermediate hurdles relay: 1. Tri-Valley (Katlynn Greffrath, Sabrena Smith, Ali Reynolds) 3:42.5; 2. New Paltz 3:46.1; 3. Rondout Valley 3:49.8; 1,600 relay: 1. Saugerties (Averill, Kilmer, Averill, Averill) 4:19.5; 2. Rondout Valley 4:23.3; 3. Chapel Field 4:25.6; 3,200 relay: 1. Saugerties (Averill, Doyle, Averill, Averill) 10:29.3; 2. Tri-Valley 10:35.7; 3. Rondout Valley 11:09.8; 6,400 relay: 1. Tri-Valley (Brooke Gillette, Olivia Rehm, Danielle Graham, Sabrena Smith) 24:34.6; 2. Rondout Valley 30:24.9; 3. Ellenville 31:47.7; distance medley relay: 1. Tri-Valley ( Autumn Bender, Alex Brooks, Sabrena Smith, Olivia Rehm) 14:14.6; 2. Sullivan West 14:52.4; 3. Rondout Valley 14:53.9; sprint medley relay: 1. Chapel Field (St. Germain, Vellenga, McDermott, McGowan) 4:36.8; 2. Eldred 4:42.5; 3. New Paltz 4:47.1; high jump relay: 1. Rondout Valley (Strang, Mathedy) 9-4; 2. (tie) Tri-Valley and Rondout Valley 9-0; long jump relay: 1. New Paltz (Butler, Bouchard) 32-0; 2. Tri-Valley 29-9.5; 3. Rondout Valley 28-6.25; triple jump relay: 1. New Paltz (Butler, Butler) 68-1; 2. Rondout Valley 64-7.75; 3. Liberty 60-0.5; shot put relay: 1. Tri-Valley ( Dominique Darby, Mareena DiMilia) 68-5.5; 2. Tri-Valley 56-9.5; 3. Rondout Valley 55-9; discus relay: 1. New Paltz (Takacs, Carroll) 177-5; 2. Rondout Valley 170-3; 3. Saugerties 139-2; javelin relay: 1. Tri-Valley (Mareena DiMilia, Heidi Furman) 185-9; 2. Tri-Valley 135-9; 3. Ellenville 131-7; hammer relay: 1. Tri-Valley (Dominque Darby,Heidi Furman) 237-8; 2. Ellenville 196-9; 3. Tri-Valley 155-2; pole vault relay: 1. Rondout Valley (Gribbon, Agustaro) 16-0; 2. Eldred 10-6; 3. Liberty 8-6; Pentathlon: 1. Grassi (RV) 1,576 points; 2. Hart (NP) 1,370; 3. Bader (RV) 1,059.
Outstanding field athlete: Cora Butler (New Paltz).
Outstanding track athlete: Sasche Allen (Spackenkill).
Results of the Tri-Valley Relays showing places from 1st through 8th. Scoresheets compiled and generously contributed by Kevin Giroux.
Once again, photos are located at www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
More Red Than Black
Tri-Valley’s Depth Leads To Convincing Boys And Girls Division IV Track Wins Over Rival Sullivan West As Several Individuals From Both Schools Evince Impressive Personal Bests
Boys: Tri-Valley 100.5, Sullivan West 40.5
Girls Tri-Valley 104, Sullivan West 46
By RICHARD A. ROSS
Photos at www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
Scenes from the Tri-Valley vs. Sullivan West Division IV track meet (clockwise): Sullivan West's Rosa Martinez prevails in the 400. Sullivan West's Amanda Rosenberger evinces a personal best to beat T-V's Katlynn Greffrath's personal best in the 100. Rosenberger came back and clipped Greffrath in the 200 as well. Sullivan West's Hannah Feinman goes skyward to win the triple jump. Katlynn Greffrath won the high jump with a mark of 5-0. T-V's Brendan Tierney wins the 100. He also captured the discus and the shot put. Tri-Valley's Autumn Bender takes the baton from Sabrena Smith in the 1600 relay. Bender won the 1500 and the 800 and ran a leg in the winning 3200 relay as part of her busy day. T-V's Omar Lopez runs the anchor leg in the winning 3200 relay. He also won the 800. T-V's Andrew Malone outpaces SW's Mitch Paciga in the 110 high hurdles. Malone also won the 200. Sullivan West's Kristina Sumfleth sails over the 400 intermediate hurdles en route to a win in the event.
GRAHAMSVILLE, NY—By dint of sheer numbers, Tri-Valley currently dwarfs its once most contentious rival Sullivan West on both the boys and girls side of the ledger. Consider this: Tri-Valley boys outnumber Sullivan West 48-23, while the Lady Bears have 35 to SW’s 23. This disparity was not always the case.
Tri-Valley’s burgeoning numbers have served them well in track meets where points pour in from first, second and third place finishes in dual meets like the one hosted by the Bears against the Bulldogs, six places like in the recent Tri-Valley Invitational won overall by the Lady Bears as they bested the other 26 schools large and small, and eight places in Sectionals which they have won for the past five years in a row.
In short, having competent contenders across the board like Tri-Valley does leads to big wins against schools which lack sufficient depth. Unfortunately for proud Sullivan West, thin ranks are part of the new world order. That said, what they lack in numbers they make up for in heart and grit.
But when it comes to the war between the red and the black, the legion of Tri-Valley red shirts born of a program that has continued its meteoric rise the past few years, Sullivan West finds itself no longer able to keep up with the school it last bested in a Division –clinching clash back in the spring of 2008.
That history-making win, which shattered Tri-Valley’s 23-year streak of 129 straight dual meet wins, set the stage for Sullivan West’s girls to do what they had done in the prior winter; namely to beat the Lady Bears for the division title. The winter of 2007-08 brought Sullivan West its first-ever girls indoor Section Nine Championship as well.
That historic April 16, 2008 afternoon in Grahamsville when diminutive Rianne Erlwein came from behind to edge Caroline Bertholf in the anchor leg of the meet’s final event, the 1600 relay, that passage led to the one-point victory and the story in The River Reporter entitled, “Won By One.”
For Westie veterans Dani Myers, Rachel Deppa, Kristina Sumfleth who were part of that victory which was soon supplanted by Tri-Valley’s subsequent Section Nine title win which in turn, preceded wins in all three running seasons ever since over Sullivan West, it now comes down to trying to marshal great individual efforts given the current imbalance of the teams overall.
For Sullivan West senior sprinter Amanda Rosenberger who was part of that 2008 Section Nine indoor title win, opting to run track this spring in lieu of playing softball represented a major sea change. It wasn’t an easy decision to forego her spring life on the ball diamond in favor of the track, but Rosenberger was committed to giving it her all in her final sports season.
Needless to say, she was all smiles by this day’s end having turned in personal best times to edge out Tri-Valley’s speedy Katlynn Greffrath in both the 100 and the 200. Greffrath also clocked her fastest times in the events to date.
Both races were incredibly close and clearly highlight moments on the track during the bright, sunny afternoon. Rosenberger got a great start in the 100 and turned in a blistering 12.8 to Greffrath’s 13.2. But as close as the 100 was, the 200 was even dicier.
Greffrath had the lead coming out of the turn heading into the home stretch but Rosenberger edged by her in 27.5 beating the athletic sophomore by a mere tenth of a second. Greffrath cleared 5-0 to capture the high jump and assailed the bar at 5-2 but failed to clear the state standard mark in he three attempts. She also took second in the long jump (14-10 ½) finishing behind her basketball cohort Mareena DiMilia (15-5).
DiMilia who earned a share of the Tri-Valley Invitational’s Outstanding Field Athlete honors, won the 100 high hurdles in 16.4. She was second in the shot put (33-7 ½) behind Dominique Darby (33-8 ¼), who also was an Outstanding Field Athlete at the T-V Invitational.
Sullivan West’s Hannah Feinman won the triple jump (32-2) and took third in the 100 hurdles (17.8).
In more girls action T-V’s Autumn Bender ran a winning leg in the 3200 relay with Alex Brooks, Sabrena Smith, Brooke Gillette and Danielle Graham (11:19.5). Bender came back to win the 1500 (5:24) and the 800 (2:41.1). Olivia Rehm (12:13.8) helped to advance the T-V sweep of the long distance runs with a win in the 3000. The Lady Bears won the 1600 relay (4:39.1) as Smith, Bender, Brooks and Gillette combined their speedy efforts.
Sullivan West got wins from Rosa Martinez (69.4) in the 400 and from Sumfleth (74.4) in the 400 intermediate hurdles as well as in the pole vault (7-0).
In the boys meet, Sullivan West had to forego the normally stalwart efforts of distance maven Reed Scott who was nursing a sore hamstring and opted to eschew the meet rather than aggravate the injury.
Tri-Valley swept the distance events beginning with the 3200 relay as Brandon Bobic, Justin Weintraub, Hauk Boyes and Omar Lopez turned in a winning time of 9:18.2. Lopez won the 800 (2:18.8), while Boyes claimed the 3200 (10:56.4). Weintraub captured the 1600 (5:02.1). Lopez, Andrew Malone, Zach Nilsen and Weintraub combined for the 3:54 win in the 1600 relay.
Andrew Malone was victorious in the 110 high hurdles (16.2) as he edged out Sullivan West’s Mitch Paciga by .3 of a second. Malone won the 200 in 24.7. Brendan Tierney was victorious in the 100 (12.2), the shot put (42-1/2) and the discus (119-5). Eugene Morton won the triple jump (36-10), while Aidan Woolsey won the 400 (55.9) and the pole vault (9-6).
Sullivan West got victories from Matt Cardona in the long jump (17-2) and from John Masten in the 400 intermediate hurdles (62.5).
Complete results are shown below on the score sheets courtesy of scorekeeper Kevin Giroux.
Meet results courtesy of Kevin Giroux, Tri-Valley scorekeeper
Tri-Valley will send a contingent of its best to the Penn Relays as the girls participate on April 26 and the boys do their part on April 27. Both schools will vie at the Monticello Games on April 28.
For an album of photos from the meet, visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
Three Dawg Day
Jeffersonville Whirlwind Tour Provides Early Glimpses Of Bulldogs Track, Softball and Baseball
Softball: Hancock 8, Sullivan West 2
Baseball: John S. Burke Catholic 16, Sullivan West 4
Girls Track and Field: Non-league: Sullivan West 104, Livingston Manor 29; Sullivan West 113, Chester 10; Livingston Manor 52, Chester 10
Boys Track and Field Non-league: Sullivan West 110, Livingston Manor 30; Sullivan West 100, Chester 39; Livingston Manor 66, Chester 56
By RICHARD A. ROSS
Photos at www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
Scenes from Sullivan West track, softball and baseball (clockwise): Sullivan West's Mitch Paciga wins the 110 hurdles. Sullivan West shortstop Carly Grishaber tags out a Hancock's Kayla Berringer via a fine throw from third baseman Victoria Haas. Burke's Tom Sullivan went 3-for-4 in the Eagles' win over Sullivan West in the opener of their Division IV series. Sullivan West's Hannah Feinman wins the 100 hurdles. She also captured the long and triple jump.Livingston Manor's Neal Mock comes around the final turn of the 800. Sullivan West's E.J. Franskevicz swings away at a pitch from Burke's Ryan St. John. Chester's S. Ryan wins the 800 and Amanda Rosenberger sets off at a speedy pace in the uncontested 400 relay. Rosenberger won the the 100 and 200.
JEFFERSONVILLE, NY—It’s not often that a school has three home sports events going on simultaneously in the same town. Sensing a chance to zoom in with my camera to capture track, softball and baseball photos all in one whirlwind afternoon, I headed out to land all three for the price of one.
Literally speaking, with gas prices as high as they are, I find myself looking to be much more efficient with my sports sojourns knowing I’ve got five schools I have to cover completely and that means a slew of photos for baseball, softball, track and field, boys and girls golf and tennis. It’s a lot of ground to cover so I do look for opportunities wherein I’ll find a mix of what I’m searching for in the same place.
The easiest sport to accomplish this is track and field. Not only are there dual meets to visit, but there are also the invitationals, the league and county meet as well as the sectionals. Track meets do present a different challenge and that is that events are taking place simultaneously on the track, in the jumping pits and at the throwing circle. Sometimes you’ve got to choose to shadow one event knowing you’re missing another so by season’s end, it is necessary to see to it that you’ve gotten photos of all of the events and the athletes that participate in them.
After a decade of covering track meets I have this down to a science but naturally, since I was only spending a limited amount of time at this small track meet that featured Chester and Livingston Manor against their larger hosting non-league counterpart, it was going to be just a glancing overview of some of the events including long jump, 110 hurdles, 3200/3000, 100 and the pole vault.
The bright sun and blue sky gave the kind of gorgeous background I look for at track meets. No doubt when it comes to the iconic Tri-Valley Invitational slated for April 21, the weather will revert to its usual fare for that meet with rain and cool temperatures. If we’re lucky, that’s all we’ll see. In bygone years it’s been far worse.
Sullivan West had little competition at this meet except in a few events. Even with its diminished numbers, the girls team readily outpointed both schools. Sullivan West’s boys team fared well too. Listed below are the first place finishers. It will be interesting to see how the Westies hold up against stiffer competition. Tri-Valley will offer the most significant challenge in Division IV as the Bears far outnumber their rivals and in track, depth is vital to racking up points towards team victories.
100 meters: Amanda Rosenberger (SW) 13.4; 200: Rosenberger (SW) 28.0; 400: Rosa Martinez (SW) 73.0; 800: S. Ryan (Chester) 2:29; 1,500: Ryan (Chester) 5:47; 3,000: Corrine VanWagner (SW) 13:22; 100 hurdles: Hannah Feinman (SW) 19.8; 400 hurdles: Kristina Sumfleth (SW) 74.3; 400 relay: Sullivan West (Rosenberger; Sumfleth; Martinez; Feinman) 55.4; 1600 relay: Sullivan West (Rosenberger; Deppa; Martinez; Myers) 5:43.6; 3,200 relay: Sullivan West (Myers; Deppa; Rhodes; VanWagner) 13:35; high jump: Arthi Calo (LM) 4-8; long jump: Feinman (SW) 14-4.75; triple jump: Feinman (SW) 30-6; shot put: Kelly Ellis (LM) 27-10.5; discus: Autumn Thiel (SW) 69-11; pole vault: Sumfleth (SW) 7-6.
100 meters: Hunter Cassisi (C) 12.9; 200: 1. Matt Cardona (SW) 25.1; 400: Shaughn Goggin (SW) 57.6; 800: Reed Scott (SW) 2:33; 1,600: Scott (SW) 5:06; 3,200: Scott (SW) 11:34; 110 hurdles: Mitch Paciga (SW) 17.8; 400 hurdles: John Masten (SW) 65.6; 400 relay: Chester (Cassisi; Matt Perry; Lawrence Young; Billy Bukowski) 50.3; 1,600 relay: Sullivan West (Sam Smith; Goggin; Ben Kline; Masten) 4:16; 3,200 relay: Sullivan West (Scott; Goggin; Jonah Bauer; Eric Hableri) 9:36; high jump: Cardona (SW) 5-10; long jump: Nick Zeimis (LM) 16-7; triple jump Mastens (SW) 34-7.25; shot put: Jesse Jurgen (LM) 36-2.5; discus: Anthony Rydell (SW) 107-3; pole vault: Ben Kline (SW) 10-6.
From the track I ambled across the road to the softball diamond where Sullivan West was trailing 3-1 to Section IV’s Hancock in a non-league tilt. Fresh off their commanding win over Family School and the forfeit they benefited by in the second game as part of the Benny Chesnick tournament, the Westies hoped to build on their 2-2 record but alas it was not to be.
Staying only for an inning or two I could not provide any details of the loss except to say that the Lady Bulldogs weren’t able to parlay baserunners into runs in the time I was on hand. The following brief details come from the Times Herald-Record.
Hannah Schwatz had an RBI triple for Sullivan West in a non-league loss in Jeffersonville.
Sullivan West is 2-3. Lindsay McGraw struck out 15 and went 2-for-3 with a triple for Hancock (3-1).
Into my car I jumped thankful for the blast of air conditioning in the 85 degree swelter. The brief ride to capture some baseball at Lion’s Field got me there in time to see Sullivan West holding a 3-1 lead behind a pair of RBI from Greg Stevenson and one run batted in from Patrick Pierce.
Pierce was on the mound and the lefty was already up to 62 pitches as I watched Burke tie the game and go ahead 4-3 as it used timely hitting and heads up base running to make up the deficit and take the lead. By game’s end Sullivan West would score only one more run while the Eagles piled it on. Strong pitching by Ryan St. John was key in holding the Bulldogs at bay in their season opener. The series continues down at Burke on April 17 and resumes in Jeffersonville on April 19.
Once again, these details are from the Times-Herald Record.
Ryan St. John struck out seven and scattered seven hits over 52⁄3 innings of work and Tom Sullivan was 4-for-5 in the OCIAA Division IV victory for Burke Catholic (3-3, 1-0 OCIAA).Sawyer Erlwein and Greg Stephenson each had two hits for Sullivan West (0-1, 0-1 OCIAA).
For an album of photos from all three Sullivan West encounters, visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
The Eleventh Hour
Sullivan West Picks Up Its 11th Win Of The Season In Non-League Dominance Of Eldred; Yellow Jackets’ Sectional Hopes Now Hinge On Winning Out Over Remaining Five Games
Sullivan West 56, Eldred 36
By RICHARD A. ROSS
rross@sportsinsightsny.com Photos at www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
Scenes from the Sullivan West vs. Eldred non-league clash (clockwise) E.J. Franskevicz looks to pay Eldred back for a 52-49 defeat to the Yellow Jackets back in 2010 as he rises up for a shot. Franskevicz had an off night with only eight points but created havoc for the Jackets defensively. Battle of the bigs: Eldred's P.J. Collins arcs a shot over a leaping Patrick Pierce. Collins had 17 points in the game. Sullivan West junior Sawyer Erlwein capitalizes on a steal with this lay up. He scored 15 points on the night. P.J. Collins rejects a shot by Sullivan West's Drew Parsons. Sullivan West Coach Bruce Nober has orchestrated an amazing turnaround for the Bulldogs in his first year at the helm. They currently have 11 wins, ten more than in each of the past two seasons. Here he draws up a scheme during a time out. Eldred freshman Bray Curreri shows his accuracy from beyond the arc.
LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY—As midnight approaches on the regular season, that bewitching hour looms as a markedly different moment for Sullivan West and Eldred.
For the 11-4 Class B Westies who have already clinched a sectional berth, the anticipation of going to the Section Nine ball will seem enchanting to say the least following two one-win seasons. Though they already know the pressure is off on making it to the big dance, the euphoric anticipation of being on the brink of playing in sectionals will be intoxicating to say the least.
A warrior at both ends of the floor: Sullivan West's Matt Cardona led his team with 22 points, while defensively proving monstrous. Here he blocks a shot with authority put up by Eldred's Mike Donnelly.
But for Class C Eldred following this deflating 56-36 non-league loss to its infrequently encountered neighbor, the clock striking twelve could signal the death knell to sectional hopes unless they can run the table on their remaining five games against Chapel Field, Roscoe, a home senior night clash with Seward, a victory at Family and an upset of Tri-Valley on its senior night.
For the team’s five seniors that include tall tree P.J. Collins, Brian Hazen, Matt Bisland, Chris Fredericks and R.J. Stymacks, the sense of urgency is inescapable. In the final seconds of their post-game huddle in the locker room, Hazen, a three-sport warrior who is anxiously awaiting word from West Point on his application for admission, summoned his team with an impassionate plea.
“We don’t want to go out like this,” he implored. And you can be sure that the Killer Bees will return to their hive against Chapel Field with all of their venom to try and stave off a loss that would make the rest of the season moot.
It’s a tall order but as Coach J.J. Gass sees, it, “We have to take it one game at a time. If we play well, we can hang with anybody,” he affirms. And with Collins who along with Sullivan West junior Matt Cardona, turned this game into a block party, Eldred has an interior weapon of mass destruction. Collins scored 17 points in this game while he altered and blocked shots within his purview. But it wasn’t nearly enough.
The problem for the Yellow Jackets is not Collins’ ability to go up and score or to alertly kick it back out to others who are often more open on the perimeter, it’s the fact that Eldred’s guards don’t do an adequate job of getting the ball into him.
That flaw has cost Eldred a couple of close games including a recent three-point league loss to Chester in a game the ‘Jackets led from the opening tip until the 2 ½ minute mark of the fourth quarter. They missed a shot at the buzzer. The defeat was reminiscent of a close encounter of the losing kind to Tri-Valley. Now it’s do or die. Coming into this fray, Eldred was hoping to stage a replay of its epic 52-49 victory over the Westies back in January of 2010.
Get a ladder! There's not much you can do to alter this as P.J. Collins scores two of his team-high 17 points.
That night it was Sullivan West that couldn’t close the deal as they allowed the Yellow Jackets to come back from an eight-point fourth quarter deficit to tie the game twice before winning it by dint of a trio of free throws. Current Sullivan West seniors including John Masten and E.J. Franskevicz remember that game all too well.
Those were grim times for the then 1-11 Sullivan West Bulldogs and halcyon days for Eldred which had just won Section Nine Class D and Regional Semifinal football honors by downing Chester and Tuckahoe. Its girls basketball team was in the throes of greatness too and cross-country runners Hunter Proscia and Christine Donnelly were state contenders. Those were Green days indeed.
But on this Groundhog Day, the skies continue to sport the hue of Carolina Blue and for the Dawg veterans in particular, the agenda was clear: Don’t let that Giant PJeach propel his team to a win on our court, avowed the Bulldogs who claimed this as their time to shine.
Coming out of the shadows of recent years’ struggles, the Bulldogs are predicting more weeks of winter basketball success as they looked to upstage Punxsutawney Phil in the local nightly news.
Collins controlled the opening tip against Patrick Pierce who was playing his first game back from a bout of strep throat. Pierce had a tall order on his plate in trying to front Collins all night. Given his somewhat diminished verve from his recent illness and Collins’ ability to send shots in the paint hurtling back towards the floor with authority, it seemed clear that the Bulldogs were going to have to get their scoring from others.
Enter junior Matt Cardona who could arguably be named as the team’s MVP this season. Cardona recently led the team to its sectional-clinching win over Tuxedo. His heroics against Monticello were the stuff of legend and on this night, he’d pen another chapter in his ascendant legacy with a game-high 22 points and a spate of blocks authored by his leaping ability and quick reflexes.
Cardona would be ably abetted by junior Sawyer Erlwein who poured in 15 points. Both had to be pleased with the result. Franskevicz struggled in this one in terms of his scoring and his frustrations were written all over his face and in his body language. But the stalwart senior’s defensive verve was right on cue as was that of his teammates who have molded themselves into a unit that applies intense ball pressure and great rotating help.
Sullivan West cheerleader Ali Vertress takes to the floor during a time out as the Lady Bulldogs now down to just seven loyal and stalwart cheerleaders do their part to keep spirits running high.
Sullivan West Coach Bruce Nober understood coming in that to diminish Collins’ effectiveness, his team would need to do just that. That became eminently clearer as Collins blocked four or five shots in the opening minutes of the game.
“We came out a little slow but we made some adjustments by trying to put more pressure on their guards and by picking up the intensity of our defense. We wanted to make it difficult for them to get the pass into him and we were somewhat successful in the first half and far more successful in the second half,” he noted.
Sullivan West led 11-8 at the end of the first quarter though it was Eldred that drew first blood with a bucket from Bisland. Both teams had turnovers in the early going. Collins rejected a shot by Pierce as the din from the Bulldog Dawg Pound began to gather force. Franskevicz gave the Bulldogs their first lead with a trey as they pulled ahead 4-2. Anthony Margarum tied it back as Eldred was playing with intensity from the get-go.
Collins helped Eldred regain the lead but Sullivan West would go on to outscore Eldred 7-2 to marshal the 11-8 lead by the end of the stanza. Another trey by Franskevicz and two points apiece from Erlwein and Drew Parsons accounted for the canine count. Erlwein’s bucket came via a great dish from Franskevicz across the lane. Margarum added another bucket for the Bees in the opening period of play.
The game remained close in the second quarter as the Bulldogs took a 29-22 lead into halftime. Parsons drew the Pound’s accolades as he blocked a shot by Collins from behind at the start of the second quarter. Pierce dished to Erlwein for two in the paint but Eldred freshman guard Bray Curreri answered with a trey to keep it close at 13-11.
Cardona replied with a missile from beyond the arc. He’d soon follow up a miss of his own with a put back. Collins responded as Eldred hung close at 18-15. Collins rejected another Pierce attempt. For a non-league game, this one was proving to be rather riveting and quite entertaining.
Collins picked up foul number two as did Sullivan West’s Masten. Cardona blocked a shot and then rejected an inbounds pass as the Dawg Pound practiced their chants and rants for the coming rematch with Liberty.
The second quarter was Eldred’s best as they poured in 14 points that included a trey from Nick Dilles to go along with the aforementioned one from Curreri. Collins scored six in the stanza and Margarum added a deuce.
Scrambled legs: Eldred's Nick Dilles and Sullivan West's Drew Parsons get tangled up diving for loose ball as E.J. Franskevicz looks to claim it too before it goes out of bounds.
But the Bulldogs trumped that with 18 points in the frame, 13 of which came from Cardona. Erlwein and Franskevicz contributed a bucket apiece and Parsons added one from the stripe.
With a renewed defensive vigor in the second half, the Bulldogs held Eldred to just nine points in the third quarter. Collins has six of those and Margarum ended his nightly tally with a shot that would give him eight on the night. Hazen hit one of two from the stripe for a disconcerting total of one point in the fray.
The Bulldogs scored 15 in the third quarter as Cardona led the way with six. The Westies got four points apiece from Erlwein and Pierce as they led 44-31 after three quarters.
The Bulldogs closed the deal with a 12-5 advantage in the final frame. Erlwein lit it up with a pair of treys, while Cardona and Pierce went four-for-four from the stripe. That said, the biggest cheers of the night were reserved for Adam Talbi who got some rare moments to play as he came off the bench and scored a bucket to the delight of his fanbase in the now totally rabid Dawg Pound.
Collin had three of Eldred’s final five points. Curreri had the other two for the Yellow Jackets.
Sullivan West 11-4 shot 11-for-19 from the stripe (57.8%), while Eldred 4-9 made two-of-ten for an unimpressive 20%.
Sullivan West will have a week to prepare for its rematch with Liberty, a team that is attempting to make its case for a plea to a Section Nine basketball committee that could rule on the Indians’ admission to the Class B Sectionals.
The Indians’ 60-38 win over the Bulldogs on January 10 was reversed when the district discovered that Yovanni Fields was in his fifth year of school and therefore ineligible. Liberty’s four wins including its league win over the Westies were wiped out.
In the story entitled “Revelry and Rivalry, the incredible atmosphere of the game and the competitive vibe between the two schools that has grown to epic proportions was delineated in this writer’s best prose. Read it or re-read it to understand the coming tsunami of the rematch set for the Dawg House on February 10. http://74.220.215.54/~sportsi2/revelry-and-rivalry/
Liberty Coach Mike Salvia was in the stands to scout out the Bulldogs for that coming do-or-die encounter for the Indians. Nober admits to having watched the game film from the first encounter at least 25 times to assess what needs to be tweaked to reverse the outcome.
“They nipped us up there and we’ll try to make some adjustments to beat them on our court,” he noted. The Bulldogs have one game a week for the next three weeks. Following Liberty, it will be a senior night home clash with Burke followed by a trip to O’Neill.
Sullivan West vs. Liberty redux? A "Thriller" in the making.
Yes my friends, Midnight approaches and in the words of the late, great Michael Jackson it’s gonna be a “Thriller.”
For an album of photos, visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
Dawg House Double Whammy
Sullivan West Girls And Boys Collect Wins Over Struggling Family; Franskevicz Hits Career-High Tally After Lady Bulldogs Savor A Rare Victory
Girls: Sullivan West 51, Family Foundation School 4
Boys: Sullivan West 70, Family Foundation School 33
By RICHARD A. ROSS
Scenes from SW's dual wins over Family (Clockwise): Mitch Paciga revs up the Dawg Pound crowd with is patented back flip. Patrick Pierce throws down a thunderous dunk. Stephanie Smith led the girls with 17 points. Family's Lucas Maas scores on a lay up. The Dunk follow through. E.J. Franskevicz records a career-high 21 points including a trio of treys.
LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY- “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” begins Charles Dickens’ classic novel “A Tale of Two Cities.” Indeed when it comes to basketball, there are inevitably sagas that reflect that timeless paradox of good fortune in stark contrast to catastrophic miasma.
A year ago the Family Foundation School’s boys team was seeded number two in the Class D sectionals and though they failed in their bid to advance past Livingston Manor, Coach Larry Patrisso’s Falcons had authored a season to be proud of.
Sullivan West senior point guard John Masten elevates for two of his 12 points on the night.
Given Family School’s transient population, coupled with the fact that basketball players do not enjoy the benefits of a summer program, nor do they have a junior varsity team, each year is a brand new sojourn and the current one is proving to be a rough road to be sure.
With last year’s team gone and a whole new cast featuring many inexperienced players, a good work ethic in and of itself is just not getting it done.
As would prove to be the case yet again on this night in Family’s 70-33 loss to upwardly mobile Sullivan West, wins are yet to come, though it’s not for a lack of effort.
“They play hard but lack experience,” notes Patrisso.
If these are some of the worst of times for the Family Falcons, consider the reversal of fortune for the Sullivan West Bulldogs coming off two consecutive one win seasons and now posting their eighth win of this year’s campaign against four losses.
With a feisty 49-45 home league win over O’Neill just two days prior which took some of the sting out of a stultifying 86-23 league loss on January 12 road win to the defending NYSPHSAA Class B Champion John S. Burke Catholic Eagles, the Bulldogs are literally enjoying the “best of times,” in recent memory.
Just one win shy of qualifying for this year’s Big Dance by virtue of at least a .500 mark overall, the Dawgs will look to secure the rite of passage into that unchartered territory when they host Tuxedo on January 27 in another non-league endeavor.
Open looks for Family were few and far between. Here Derek Mhich fires a bit off as he is challenged by Patrick Pierce.
This is Coach Bruce Nober’s first year at the helm and indeed, his approach has ushered in a new era in Bulldog basketball.
“We played good defense tonight and we’re trying to get better every day in practice. The O’Neill game was a big league win for us on our home court against a good team so we fed off of that.
We had a great practice yesterday and the guys are happy. They’re practicing hard and playing hard,” he noted.
Defensively Sullivan West is coming of age. “We apply good ball pressure and help side defense. We’re not going to give up many easy buckets. Our goal is to get into sectionals. We do competitive drills in practice and we expect to win every game when we get on the floor,” said Nober.
Dickens would approve of such “Great Expectations.” This writer certainly does.
“If you’re inspired, you aspire.” Dickens didn’t say that, I did.
In the great talent spectrum Sullivan West must face in the course of the season, their fate clearly lies in between the extremes of teams like Burke and Family. But once a team enters the unpredictable realm of sectional play, anything can happen and as this sportwriter’s more than a decade of vigilant courtside witness can attest, it often does.
But on this night there would be few surprises.
A sterling rendition of the National Anthem by SW hoopsta Shawn Bailey was well received. Bailey has become the darling of the rabid Dawg Pound who barked their delight with his back-to-back second quarter buckets.
On this night they’d have plenty to cheer about including Patrick Pierce’s demonstrative dunk and track star Mitch Paciga’s uplifting back flip, both of which set off a howl and a holler from the “Pounders” who are bringing back the spirit which was conspicuously missing these past few years from the SW gym which was once the epicenter of zealousness.
Lethal Weapon 23: Sullivan West's Matt Cardona soars over Family's Jon Izquierdo for two of his 11 points.
Sullivan West didn’t score the first bucket of the night, but Family’s pyrrhic victory marked by controlling the tip and its first bucket registered by Rodrick Oringer was short-lived indeed as the Bulldog defense harried the Falcons by dint of 16-6 first quarter Dawg bite.
For SW senior E.J. Franskevicz, the evening which would commence with two quick fouls was soon to take on a different aspect as he would post a career-high 21 points on the night that included a trio of swishing treys.
With fellow senior John Masten at the point directing the flow, the Bulldogs show great patience and ball rotation. They’ll dish it into a slashing cutter or kick it out to a long range threat. With Franskevicz, Pierce, Matt Cardona, Masten and Sawyer Erlwein traversing the perimeter, they possess the ability to wound teams with the three.
On this night they’d bury five long range missiles. In a captivating win over Monticello in December, they hit nine of them with five of those coming in the fourth quarter from Cardona. Read “Stun Gunners,” on this website if you somehow missed that dazzling performance.
A quick bucket by Erlwein and one by Franskevicz off a steal put the Dawgs on top for good. Masten accounted for seven of his team’s 16 first quarter points with a trey and an epic lay up which was captured in mid-air flight on this page.
The Dawgs also got four points from Erlwein, coupled with a bucket apiece from Franskevicz and Pierce was seasoned by a free throw from Cardona to comprise the first quarter appetizer. Family got buckets from Bryan Lehrman, Roger Maivre and Oringer in the opening stanza.
They mustered 11 in the second quarter as Lehrman canned a trey and Lucas Maas added five points to go along with a bucket from Connor Cochran and a free throw from Maivre.
Who let the Dawgs out?
Nober did. He sent his hounds a-running on their way to 20 points in the frame to build a 36-17 lead at the half. That compelling second act show began with Bailey’s aforementioned heroics. Franksevicz registered his first trey as part of a five point contribution. Pierce headed up the floor alone for a lay up. The crowd wanted a jam instead. A turnaround shot by Drew Parsons revved them up.
When Pierce did jam it home, the gym erupted with a mighty roar.
Six Dawgs scored in the second quarter as Pierce, Cardona and Bailey had four points, Franskevicz had five, Parsons netted two and Masten had one.
Cheerz! SW cheerleadears rev up the fervor as they ready for their upcoming debut at Minisink Valley's cheerleading competition.
The Cheerleaders showed their lively spirit during timeouts and the half as they continue to work towards their upcoming competition debut at Minisink Valley, a preview of their showing at the OCIAA championships in February at Kingston High School.
Another 20 point outburst in the third quarter equaled the outpouring the prior frame as Franskevicz recorded seven points including his second from beyond the arc. Six points from Cardona included two-for-two from the stripe. By night’s end the Bulldogs were a lukewarm nine-for 16 from the line for 56%. Cardona was five for six so we can’t lay this at his doorstep.
Erlwein had a trey in the frame to help the Canines to a 56-25 lead by the end of the third quarter as Cardona scored at the buzzer to add a punctuation mark.
Family was relatively quiet in the third period with four points from Mass and a bucket apiece from Oringer and Maivre.
The Bulldogs (8-4) outscored Family 14-8 in the final stanza to ice the 70-33 win. As noted Franskevicz led all scorers with 21. Masten posted 12, Cardona 11, Pierce 8, Parsons and Erlwein had seven.
Maas had nine for the 0-8 Falcons, while Oringer, Lehrman and Maivre registered seven each. Family was five-for-12 from the stripe (41.6%).
Patrisso noted “We go over it all in practice and they seem to be getting it against a weaker defense but when they get out on the court in games they race and forget.” With no JV and no summer league Patrisso noted, “If I have real good talent like I did last year and can put it together from November, then we can have good success like we did when we beat Chapel Field during the season when they were ranked 14th in the state. We beat them by 24. They came back and beat us by the same margin.”
Asked how he felt about the Sullivan West team, he remarked on their improvement since he saw them lose to Fallsburg earlier this season. “They played a lot better tonight. They’ve gotten a lot better. They beat Monticello and O’Neill.”
Family goes to Livingston Manor on January 23 and then they host Chapel Field. Hoping to get a 3-3 league record with wins over LM, Chapel Field and Roscoe, the Falcons can still make it to the playoffs.
Ladies First: Sullivan West Girls Pick Up Second Win Of The Season Holding Family To A Mere Four Points
Katie Taylor is still wearing the protective face mask to shield her from harm incurred during the much-publicized blow she sustained during soccer season. Undaunted, she rises up here between Family's Ahna LaFranchi and Laura Hasaj to score to of her nine points in the win.
For Sullivan West Coach Pat Donovan and his young Lady Bulldogs, this season is a learning curve as they take to the floor minus the cadre of seniors who graduated in June. What players remain from last year’s squad saw precious little time on the floor and literally to echo the refrain from the show “Annie” .. “It’s Been A Hard Knock Life.”
Speaking of quotes, in terms of the one from Dickens that began this piece, one might say these are far more akin to the “worst of times,” rather than the best of times for the Lady Westies. But for this night at least, the scales tipped the other way as the Lady Bulldogs garnered their second win of the season to go along with the one they registered against Port Jervis.
As bad as things have been for the Lady Westies, they’ve been far worse for the winless Lady Falcons whose genuine “worst of times” troubles have registered single digit tallies on several occasions this season. After avoiding a shut out against Roscoe by dint of a lone trey, they managed only a quartet of points against the Dawgettes as they were shell-shocked 51-4 in this outing.
SW’s Samantha Smith led the onslaught with 17 points. She was abetted by nine each from Jordan Parsons and Katie Taylor. The Bulldog shut out Family 14-0 in the opening stanza. Smith was quiet early with a mere two points. The major noise came from who netted seven in the opening frame including a trey. Parsons had four and Marianne Durkin hit one of two from the stripe.
The Lady Bulldogs continued the shut out by taking a 31-0 lead into the half. In the second quarter eight SW players scored as Donovan got everyone into the act. Smith led the parade with five points to go along with two points apiece from Parsons, Stephanie Hauschild, Carly Grishaber, Durkin, a trey from Krysten Herbert and a free throw from Hayley Puerschner.
Family finally scored as Ahna LaFranchi scored with 2:18 to go in the third quarter. The Bulldogs led 47-2 at the end of the third quarter with six more from Smith, three from Parsons and Sydney Sipple, to go along with buckets from Herbert and Taylor.
Family got its only other basket of the night in the final period as Laura Hasaj scored in the quiet fourth chapter. Smith scored the only Bulldog points in the period.
Sullivan West travels to Monticello on January 23 for a rematch with the Lady Panthers, a team that hammered them to the tune of 60-14 back in December.
For an album of photos, visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
The New York Rock Exchange
Closing Bell (Buzzer) Signals Profitable Sullivan West Win Over Tri-Valley But Both Teams Yield Valuable Dividends From Investment Of Hard Work In Hotly Contested Non-League Fray
Sullivan West 58, Tri-Valley 48
By RICHARD A. ROSS
Bull or Bear Market? Scenes from the Sullivan West non-league victory over Tri-Valley (Clockwise)Tri-Valley's Dave Donovan looks to dribble around Sullivan West's Sawyer Erlwein, SW's Patrick Pierce opens the second half by tying the game and then giving his team the lead. He scored a game-high 18 points on the night. Sullivan West cheerleaders pay close attention as the game gets dicey and close in the fourth quarter. SW senior E.J. Franskevicz cans one of his two treys on the night. Tri-Valley's James Pugh fires a three over the head of Matt Cardona. T-V's Jesus Lozada cans one of his two three-pointers. E.J. Franskevicz dribbles as he is guarded by James Pugh.
LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY—To some people, basketball and the stock market may seem as unlike as apples and oranges .But in fact the seemingly disparate worlds are actually quite analogous. Both involve investment with the potential for gain or loss and both are subject to a variety of influences that can lead to positive or negative trends.
For those not familiar with the terms, a Bull market is one that is defined by an upward trend, while a Bear market is one seemingly hampered by a downward trend. Stocks go up and down as each day brings a certain degree of uncertainty as to the outcome. Fluctuation is a natural part of the economy as it is with basketball teams whose stock seems to rise or fall based on the acquisition of valuable wins or their troubles in doing so.
One day on the Stock Exchange is only part of a larger picture. Barring a crash such as the momentous one of 1929 or the more recent miasma of 2008, one day’s loss can be offset by the next day’s gain. Similarly the outcome of a particular basketball game is not a life or death matter unless it is requisite to making the playoffs or to the continuance of play in the tenuous life of the postseason.
Sullivan West's Sawyer Erlwein looks to pass the ball as he is closely guarded by T-V's Cody Exner.
What coaches and players hope is that their continued investment in their system, their commitment towards hard work and a bevy of talent will yield dividends in the long run.
Savvy coaches teach their teams the right investment strategy including what moves to make, when to make them and which ones to avoid.
It’s an ongoing process and for players who return to the sport from past campaigns, the accumulation of priceless knowledge and skills is bankrolled from one year to the next.
While basketball is a winter sport in high school, interrupted by subsequent athletic endeavors in spring, summer and fall, it has an ongoing life from year to year. The Tri-Valley community remembers like it was yesterday when they traveled to Westbury L.I. to watch their Section Nine Class C Bear fall one game shy of going to Glens Falls in 2007.
Likewise many Sullivan West denizens hearken back to the glory days of 2004 and 2005 playing in the Sectional finals against Red Hook and Burke.
Though they lost both of those games, they were subsequently crowned 2005 champs when Burke had its victories vacated for using an ineligible player. Unfortunately it was after most of the team had graduated.
Tri-Valley’s girls won the Section Nine title last year and that was indeed more than momentous but for both schools the realm of boys basketball has been rather bleak.
It wasn’t just Tri-Valley that had a “Bearish” season a year ago with its insufficient accrual of wins, the same held true for the Sullivan West Bulldogs whose one win was anything but “Bullish.”
Tug of War: Sullivan West's Sawyer Erlwein and Tri-Valley's Conor Walsh have exchanged their football ferocity for basketball and neither one will give an inch as they tug at a loose ball.
But this is a new year and things are looking far brighter for both teams. Needless to say their non-league clash on January 4 was going to result in a win for one and a loss for the other but regardless of the outcome, which ultimately fell in Sullivan West’s favor, there would be priceless experience from the rigors of the fray that both teams can profit from once their league seasons get underway one week hence.
Sullivan West came in with a 3-3 record, while the Bears who were 3-2 were still relishing the newfound feelings of being .500 or above, something they didn’t achieve a year ago. A rich rivalry in football, baseball, golf and track has made encounters between the schools events that bring fans out in force despite the 80-mile roundtrip excursion between the two schools.
Bears Get Out To The Early Lead
Tri-Valley’s Conor Walsh controlled the tip against Sullivan West’s Patrick Pierce and a quick dish from Greg Swarthout to Walsh netted the first points of the game. A steal and bucket by James Pugh made it four-zip as the Bears used early quickness to the basket to their advantage.
Tri-Valley's Shatik Smith drives by Sullivan West's Brad Hemmer who would have his own shining moment by hitting a turnaround jumper to widen the Westies' lead late in the fourth quarter.
A three-pointer by E.J Franskevicz made it 4-3 but the Bears would take advantage of early SW defensive laxity to fire up a quartet of treys in the opening stanza enroute to a 21-10 first quarter lead. Those long-range missiles came from Pugh, Jesus Lozada, Cody Exner and Dave Donovan. Moving well without the ball and coming off screens, the Bears poured it on as Westie defenders failed to close on shooters beyond the arc.
Sullivan West Coach Bruce Nober knew exactly what was wrong as he would later note, “We werent’ playing good defense, not closing on shooters or hedging screens. Nor were we in the passing lanes. It’s easy for teams to run their offensive stuff when there’s no ball pressure or help defense,” he averred.
Good teams make adjustments and Sullivan West was going to need more offense than the ten points it had mustered in the opening eight minutes six of which had come from a pair of Franskevicz threes and a bucket apiece from Pierce and Andrew Parsons.
Change of Polarity
When the buzzer sounded to start the second quarter it signaled a polar shift. Not only were Tri-Valley’s shots failing to fall, but the Bears got away from what had worked early on and settled instead for what Coach Brian Tingley would later describe as just “passing and cutting.” Those aspects are a part of T-V’s offensive strategy but far from all of it. Sullivan West upped its defensive verve as it jumped the passing lanes and closed on shooters.
The result was a 14-5 SW scoring advantage in the frame reducing Tri-Valley’s lead to a mere two at 26-24 by halftime. Half of the Westies pointed came from an enlivened Pierce who had a trey as part of his onslaught. Two points each from Sawyer Erlwein and Matt Cardona coupled with a bucket and a free throw from Andrew Parsons. Erlwein fired a shot from beyond half court that threatened to go in as the buzzer sounded the end of the first half.
Tri-Valley coach Brian Tingley draws up a scheme during a timeout while his players look on with rapt attention.
Tingley counseled his team to get back to what they know how to do well. He fully expected the Bears to come out and reassert themselves and had to be shocked as his team was outhustled on two straight plays by Pierce who tied the score and then gave the Westies the lead they would never relinquish.
Eight straight Bulldog points were the second half welcome they extended to the Bears who couldn’t buy a shot until Swarthout finally scored halfway through the period. Holding the Bears to eight points in the quarter, the Bulldogs scored 18 to pull ahead 42-34 heading into the final frame.
The Bears inbounded the ball but Pugh promptly turned it over. Far from an auspicious start but the Bulldogs would make their fair share of mistakes too as this game got close. Pugh made amends with a trey to cut the lead in half at 42-39. Tri-Valley turned it over again but Parsons picked up his fourth foul, the team’s fifth.
T-V’s Devin Donnolly missed a potential game-tying three and at the other end of the floor Franskevicz went baseline and scored a valuable bucket to push the lead to 44-39. Pugh missed a trey but Pierce traveled as nails were being bitten on both sets of bleachers by anxious fans who knew this game was up for grabs.
With starting senior point guard John Masten out sick, Nober had to rely on other people to handle the ball, something Masten does well. One of those people was Brad Hemmer who proceeded to can a turnaround jumper that was huge as it extended the lead to 46-39. The Bears countered with a trey from Cody Exner. Speaking of missing players, the Bears were without tall tree Alex Brown who was out sick.
Slash and burn: Sullivan West's Matt Cardona slides along the baseline and sends in two off the glass. The fiery junior was quiet in the first half with just two points. He poured in 11 in the second half to make up for it.
Games are often won or lost on the free throw line and the Bulldogs would soon get a chance to control their own destiny from the charity stripe. In the fourth quarter they shot eight for 12 on their way to a 12-for-19 night for a 63 percent success rate. The Bears had only six attempts on the night of which they made two for 33 percent. Do the math: the ten point SW margin of victory was akin to their edge at the stripe.
The Bulldogs outscored the Bears 16-14 in the final quarter for the 58-48 win which improved their record to 4-3. The Bears fell to 3-3 and with a home league game against powerful Seward on January 7 they run the risk of dropping below .500 for the first time this season. The Bulldogs will look to add to their winning ways as they take on Chapel Field.
Aside from Pierce’s 18, the Bulldogs got 13 points from Cardona, 11 of which came in the second half. Franskevicz contributed 12. Pugh led the Bears with ten, while Lozada and Exner had eight apiece.
“We’re a better defensive team than we showed tonight,”said Nober who noted the improvement after the first quarter but who avers there’s much better play to be shown by his squad.
Tingley summed things up thusly: “We had a good start, going to the basket but we stopped setting screens or using other people as screens. This was the first team that played us man-to-man all night but we knew that coming in,” he said. Tingley used a mix of man and zone defense and admitted his team was caught betwixt and between a couple of times when he called for a shift a bit too late.
Sullivan West turned the ball over 20 times on the night (eight and 12 in the two halves respectively). The Bears turned it over half as much (six and four). The Bears had eight treys in the game with two each from Pugh, Exner, Lozada along with one apiece from Rodney Jester and Donovan.
Fans will continue to invest their hope in the ongoing ascendancy of their beloved teams. As for this writer, I’m Bullish on both squads and plan to see the Bears in the Class C playoffs as well as the Bulldogs in the Class B postseason wars. Ante up your enthusiasm people. It’s a sound investment that will bring great rewards no matter what the final outcome.
For an album of photos visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
Play It Forward
Wallenpaupack Reclaims Hawley Rotary Title As Monticello Comes Up Short In Attempted Three-Peat Bid; Fallsburg Boys Win Hambletonian Classic Championship Vs. Sullivan West While Lady Comets Top Lady Westies In Consolation Match Up As All Aforementioned Teams Look To Parlay Tourney Experience Towards Improvement For The Grueling Challenges To Come
14th Annual Hawley Tip Off Classic Championship Game: Wallenpaupack 47, Monticello 35
Boys Hambletonian Classic Championships: Fallsburg 45, Sullivan West 29
Girls Hambletonian Classic Consolation Game: Fallsburg 40, Sullivan West 23
By RICHARD A. ROSS
Scenes from the 14th Annual Hawley Tip-Off tourney (Clockwise) Monticello's Rob Riley scores the first points of the game. Monticello's Anthony Gray electrifies the crowd with this athletic lay up and drew the foul to make it a three-point play. Monticello's Naquan Holman rises up for a shot and is closely defended. Tournament MVP Jake Brown had 24 points in this game and 26 in the first one against Mountain View. The Buckhorns pose with their trophy which was in Monticello's possession for the past two years. Jake Brown shoots over Anthony Gray. The trophy is back at the Big Lake.
WALLENPAUPACK PA AND CHESTER, NY—“The past is history, the future is a mystery but today is a gift, that ‘s why we call it the present,” goes the adage which reminds us that our lives are comprised of three separate domains: what was, what will be and what is.
For basketball teams reckoning with the here and now challenges of the game at-hand, the degree to which they execute their game plan, work together cohesively and deal with the inevitable adversity that comes within the context of a game is all that can be controlled.
That said, what went before, particularly when teams have a history with one another as well as a consciousness of their own prior successes and the lack thereof, the imprint of what came before lurks strongly below the surface. That is particularly true for coaches and the veteran players returning to the fray from past seasons.
Teams that won before want to do so again, while those that came up short in their quests are motivated to turn the tide in their favor.
To put it succinctly, when that tip goes up as it did in this year’s 14th Annual Hawley Tip Off Classic Tournament between cross-river rivals Wallenpaupack and Monticello, the present is all that matters. Gone now was Monticello’s senior-laden team that edged out Wallenpaupack 41-40 for its second straight title a year ago and its fifth straight victory on the Buckhorns’ home court.
For Monticello Coach Chris Russo, that night which authored the story on this website entitled “In a New York Minute” http://74.220.215.54/~sportsi2/in-a-new-york-minute/, was a memorable milestone in a remarkable season. By comparison for Wallenpaupack Coach Rich McGinnis, it was a lost opportunity to close out a game he felt his team should have won and an augur for a struggling 5-18 season in the daunting world of Quad A Pennsylvania basketball.
But no matter what the outcome of the past or present encounters, basketball teams are always forward-looking as they know that no matter what has transpired, it’s what they do tomorrow, next week and the weeks that follow that will determine their fate and what kind of legacy they’ll leave for next year’s team to follow.
To wit, the Buckhorns put last year’s loss and the 2009 one as well in the rearview mirror and looked to parlay their easy 45-23 semifinal victory over Mountain View into the real goal of bringing home the trophy and title they dearly sought.
Monticello returned two veterans to the fray in junior Rob Riley and senior Anthony Gray. Both had played in last year’s tussell but they’d have to approach this year’s quest for the three-peat without the likes of Kenny Sanders Jr, Jesse Kapito, Austin Billig, Billy Cargill and Juan Peña. With as many sophomores on the team as seniors who at present lack the kind of experience only gained from the crucible of big game pressure, the Montie veterans hoped they could carry the team.
To be successful against Wallenpaupack, the Monties would not only have to deal with their size, quickness and cohesive play, but most importantly with standout junior guard Jake Brown who had scored 26 of the Buckhorns’ 45 against Mountain View. Gray was confident that his defensive verve would shut down the AAU-schooled guard. Gray’s messianic approach may have been a bit too enthusiastic as it netted him a trio of first half fouls and consigned him to the bench while Brown continued his showmanship on his way to a game-high 24 points.
Life is about the learning. As legendary UCLA Coach John Wooden noted, “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” There would be lessons aplenty for both teams to carry forward from this tournament; lessons that would resonate with meaning long after the memory of this emotionally charged night faded into the realm of what was from the resonating intensity of what is.
In last year’s piece I chose to write a blow-by-blow description of the action, something I eschew this time out for two reasons: First, this game was not the nail-biter of a year ago. Aside from its 10-9 first quarter lead, Monticello trailed the rest of the way sometimes closing the gap to two or three but never able to get the critical stops it needed or to make its offensive trips up the floor consistently profitable.
There were too many one and done shots, too many misses and too much deviance from the kind of efficient basketball that had seen the Monties overcome early lack of focus to devastate Western Wayne 61-39 in the semifinal clash the night before.
Wallenpaupack was an entirely different animal and the Monties were going to need their ‘A’ game to keep pace with what would amount to a Class AA school were they based on the New York side of the river.
Wallenpaupack’s William McLaughlin controlled the opening tip against Riley but the Buckhorns failed to convert. That honor became Riley’s as he pulled up for an early jumper. Brown would soon tie it up with a put back of his first attempt. A blocked shot by Monticello junior Naquan by McLaughlin sent an early message about the rigors of shooting in the paint.
Brown would score seven of his team’s nine in the opening stanza with the other two coming from junior Nick Tereschak. The Monties got four from junior Latique Liles including a trey, as well as a pair of points from Gray and Riley to marshal the 10-9 lead.
Early foul trouble would force the Monties out of their intended array as Gray picked up his second and then third foul in the ensuing second quarter. Brown also had two fouls by the end of the second quarter.
Wallenpaupack began the second quarter with a pair of steals, one by Brown and the other by junior Alex Moit. The latter gave the Buckhorns an 11-10 lead. They’d never trail again. They outscored Monticello 10-6 in the second quarter to take a 19-16 lead into halftime. Brown had four as did Tereschak to go along with a bucket from McLaughlin. The Monties had gotten within one at 13-12 but Brown had a pair of pull up jumpers to push the margin to 17-12.
Monticello got four of its six from senior co-captain Ros Djombalaj including the last points scored in the period.
Russo implored his team to return to what they do best: play aggressive defense and to keep that intensity past the first rotation of the basketball. But Wallenpaupack was patient using the lack of a shot clock to rotate the ball and to often find easy backdoor penetration or points in the paint. Late rotation by the Monties put the Buckhorns on the free throw line.
Both teams had their most productive output in the third quarter as the Monties got 15, while Wallenpaupack scored 19. The Buckhorns had nine free-throw attempts in the quarter and they made seven of them on their way to an 11/17 night from the line for a 64.7% success rate.
The key to Wallenpaupack’s success in the frame was its distribution of the basketball as evidenced by the scoring balance. Brown had six points, Tereschak had five, Moit had four as did Antony Bouselli.
Monticello answered with four from Gray, Holman and Ben Kapito, two from Riley and one from Djombalaj. Wallenpaupack led 38-31 heading into the final frame wherein they outscored the Monties 9-4 to ice the 47-35 win. Brown was selected as Tounament MVP. He had 24 points in this outing netting him 50 for the tournament. Rob Riley was selected to the All-Tournament team along with Adam Gillis from Western Wayne, Joel Madas from Mountain View, as well as Moit and Tereschak from Wallenpaupack.
Buckhorns’ coach Rich McGinnis was visibly pleased with his team’s accomplishment. “Monticello is very quick. They can be very exciting in the open court when they get the ball in transition. We knew that coming in. I give credit to my seniors, the guys who have been here before and made it an objective to bring this trophy back to the big lake. I give them credit for the poise that they showed,” he noted.
McGinnis talked about Brown. “Jake is a special player. He’s phenomenal. But the kids have to realize that he’s not a one-man show and that we’re going to need other kids to fill certain roles. Some kids emerged in this tournament including sophomore Anthony Bouselli. He got rebounds, put backs and defended.
Everybody is starting to settle into their roles and that’s what the pre-season is about.
Asked about his expectations for the year, McGinnis noted. “We play in a very tough league but my hope is that each night these kids come out and find a way to compete. I think if we keep our poise good things will happen. Team chemistry is important and I’m not worried about that,” he averred.
McGinnis noted that his 5-18 team of a year ago struggled against the daunting competition. We’re hoping to learn from our experiences last year, compete and stay in games. Wallenpaupack is on the low end of the quad-A school. They have just over 500 boys from grades 9-12 and less than 500 girls. “We’re competing against schools that have upwards of a thousand boys or even 1200 once you get into the larger districts. Scranton won the league and district last year. “They’re absolutely electric. But we’re going to play some schools that are similar to us like Delaware Valley, North Pocono and Honesdale. It should be exciting,” he noted.
Russo noted “Our early foul trouble hurt us. What we said to the guys was we didn’t respond to the runs that they made at us and when the game got sloppy and physical we kind of took a step back. That’w what ‘s disappointing that we didn’t put that fight in. We got into too much one on one and people got away from what we had practiced doing,” he offered.
“This is a young team. We have as many sophomores as we have seniors and one of our seniors never played before. We have to adjust and go back and re-teach to make sure guys are in the right spot because when they’re not that’s when we get in trouble. It was disappointing because we didn’t’ execute or defend the way we should.”
Russo went on to say, “We did get a bit too concerned about things which are outside of our control. We wrote that on the board at halftime. We were focusing on some of those things he noted. In the locker room after the game Gray took a lot of the responsibility on his own shoulders for losing his focus and promised the team that things would be different from here on out.
“That’s a sign of maturity,” noted Russo who reminded the team that it was a collective onus, not just on one person.
Needless to say the entire conversation with Russo and the demeanor of the team was a far cry from the night before when the Monties overcame some early defensive lapses to overwhelm Western Wayne 61-39 after trailing 16-15 at the end of the first quarter. Outscoring the Wildcats 32-20 in the second quarter was a product of great defense and running effective offensive sets. Playing at that level, Monticello looks highly competitive. Riley had 15 points in that win while Gray had 13. Djobalaj chipped in 12. That win was Monticello’s sixth consecutive victory on the Buckhorn’s floor. The first one had come while Russo was still an assistant to Dick O’Neill three years ago.
Russo effusively praised the hospitality extended by Wallenpaupack. “They treat us great here,” he noted.
Monticello (1-1) host Sullivan West (1-2) which is coming off of its 45-29 championship game loss to Fallsburg in the Hambletonian Classic tourney in Chester.
Comets Defeat Sullivan West In Hambletonian Classic Final
Scenes from Fallsburg's Hambletonian Classic Tournament championship over Sullivan West (clockwise) Rakkir Watson scores two in the early going. Sullivan West's Sawyer Erlwein defends as Fallsburg's Jim Bertholf looks to pass. Erlwein was selected to the All-Tournament team. Suliivan West's John Masten goes up for two. All-Tourney team member Braiden DeGraw and tournament MVP Michael Robinson. Sullivan West gathers in a huddle in the pregame. Sullivan West's Matt Cardona goes up to score. He led the Bulldogs with seven points. Fallsburg Comets pose with tournament trophy and plaques.
For the second time this season Class B Sullivan West faced off against Class C Fallsburg, this time in the championship game of the Chester Hambletonian Classic Tournament. Fallsburg defeated Chester while Sullivan West had easily downed Chapel Field in the prior weekend’s opening round tilt. Fallsburg had come from behind in their prior fray with the Westies at the Walton Tournament for the 61-57 victory.
This time out it was far less competitive. Fallsburg scored the first four points as Rakkir Watson and Michael Robinson connected but Sullivan West put on a 9-0 run with four points from John Masten, three from Andrew Parsons and two from Matt Cordona. Watson’s three pointer at the buzzer allowed the Comets to come within two at 9-7.
From then on Fallsburg blanked Sulllivan West entirely in the second quarter while scoring 13 of
their own for the 20-9 halftime lead. Robinson had seven in the stanza, while Watson, Jarrett Madison and Jimmy Bertholf had a bucket apiece. That said, Fallsburg’s shooting was off as well as they were only 9/30 from the floor in the first half and had accrued a trio of offensive fouls.
Sullivan West (1-3) had major shooting issues as the third quarter progressed as they managed only eight points in the third quarter to Fallsburg’s 13. The Comets led 33-17 after three quarters. Each team scored 12 in the final frame. Robinson ended up with 16 and was named the Tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Braiden DeGraw was quiet with seven points in this game but his prior game onslaught of 27 points enabled him to be selected to the All-Tournament team along with Sullivan West’s Sawyer Erlwein who had five points in this outing. Erlwein played well defensively and stood in to take a couple of charges.
The Bulldogs travel to Monticello on December 15 to take on the Monties in “The Pit.”
Fallsburg coach Pete Dworetsky felt his team played well defensively. “When we played up at Walton we made some bad decisions and mistakes but today to give up only nine points in a half is impressive. We didn’t give up a basket in the second quarter. We did miss a lot of shots. Shots that were falling the other night in close didn’t go in. Basketball is like that.”
Fallsburg is off for the next 11 days before they play Livingston Manor. “They’re a tough team and they’re well-coached. Fallsburg’s one-point loss to Chester in the last game of the regular season last year cost them a share of the Division V championship. They beat Seward at home but lost to them in Florida and again in the sectionals. The Comets bring their entire team back this year and look to make a serious run in Class C.
Sullivan West first-year coach Bruce Nober had this to say about his team’s subdued performance. “We just couldn’t put the ball in the basket today. We shot terribly from the foul line too (2/9=22%). Nober noted that Fallsburg outrebounded his team.
We’ve just got to compete. We competed the first quarter today and then we didn’t compete the rest o the game.” Nober noted that it’s been a few years since Sullivan West has won (last year they won just one game) and we’ve got to get over the hump.” Reflecting on this game, Nober noted “if you hold a team to 45 points you should be able to win.”
Lady Comets Garner Consolation Game Win Over Sullivan West In Hambletonian Classic
Scenes from Fallsburg's 40-23 consolation game win over Sullivan West in the Hambletonian Classic Tournament at Chester (clockwise) Sullivan West's Erika Stauch scores from the wing in the early going. She was named to the All-Tournament team. Fallsburg's Sheryl Pinder was also an All-Tournament Team honoree. Sullivan West's Marianne Durkin dribbles the ball up the floor. Fallsburg's Shanice Mack is guarded by Sullivan West's Stephanie Hauschild and Fallsburg freshman Diana Presti scores in her debut.
Sullivan West schemed to contain senior guard Sheryl Pinder and they did just that holding the fiery shooter to just two points in the first half and seven overall. But as it would turn out Pinder was the least of their problems as they were physically bested by the Lady Comets who out-rebounded and out-muscled the young Lady Bulldogs to the tune of 40-23 in the Consolation Game of the Chester Hambletonian Classic.
Fallsburg led 7-3 at the end of the first quarter and extended the lead to 20-13 by the half. Like it did in its prior loss to Eldred, Sullivan West struggled to score. With his entire starting team graduating in June, Sullivan West Coach Pat Donovan knew this team would be young and inexperienced. “We’re just not strong,” he noted following the loss to Fallsburg that put his team at 0-2.
While Pinder was relatively quiet, Kelsey Moody was anything ut. She had 11 points and nine rebounds in the win despite playing on a very sore ankle. Pinder had eight assists but for Coach Daniel Redmond, better news was the debut of freshman Diana Presti who scored eight points along with the performance of Paige Seletsky who was playing in only her fourth varsity outing. Seletsky and Shanice Mack each recorded nine rebounds. Mack scored nine points.
Pinder and Sullivan West’s Erika Stauch were chosen to the All-Tournament Team. Tournament MVP was Chester’s Mardelle Jean who scored 20 points in Chesters 48-20 Championship game victory over Eldred. Chester is now 2-0, while Eldred fell to 1-1.
“We got great rebounding today,” said Fallsburg Coach Daniel Redmond. “We really attacked the boards. Kelsey Moody has been hurt but she’s fighting through the pain. Even though Sheryl struggled when we have our two bigs (Mack and Moody) working down low we can make a lot of good things happen,” he added.
Fallsburg made it to the playoffs last year before losing to Eldred. The Lady Comets hope to go even further this time around.
For an album of photos visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
