Phat Tuesday
Fallsburg Honors Its 11 Senior Hoopsters And Five Senior Cheerleaders Prior To Closing Out Regular Season With A League Bashing Of Tuxedo; Gym Has Mardi-Gras Celebratory Atmosphere On Brink Of Serious Postseason Quest For Glory
Fallsburg 89, Tuxedo 39
By RICHARD A. ROSS
Photos at: www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
Fat Tuesday Senior Recognition Night Scenes (clockwise) Senior cheerleaders Nina Hrechka and Tara Bellamy pose with Coach Kiffanie Rodgers-Sanchez, Bsketball senior Michael Robinson,Senior cheerleader Jennifer Merena, Senior cheerleader Nicolle Freeman, Corey McKeon, Daniel Justiniano, Charles Marsden, Sam Didinsky, Dustin Foertsch, Russell Corley, James Bertholf, Braiden DeGraw, Darius Dromazos, Suede Taylor, Senior Cheerleading Captain Morgan Vegliante, Coach Pete Dworetsky and his blazing Comets get set to take the floor to start the third quarter. Senior Russell Corley goes up for one of his patented athletic lay ups.
FALLSBURG, NY—Mardi Gras, which translated from French means Fat Tuesday, is that wild and abandoned revelry that precedes the penitent period of Lent. Popular practices include wearing masks and costumes, overturning social conventions, dancing, sports competitions, parades, etc.
Succinctly put, it’s a time for joyful indulgence that precedes a serious time of reflection.
How fitting that Fallsburg’s final regular game of the season and its Senior Recognition Night should fall out on Fat Tuesday as revelry and exuberance would be on display prior to the serious business of sectionals that looms just ahead.
Fallsburg senior Michael Robinson goes up strong for two of his 20 points in the dominant win over Tuxedo.
While the denizens of Fallsburg didn’t travel to New Orleans to partake in that world renowned joyous outpouring, their own Fat Tuesday Senior Recognition Night honored five senior cheerleaders and eleven senior basketball players as a prelude to watching the Comets thrash Tuxedo 89-39, thereby sounding the clarion call to rally the streaking Comets for their coming sectional campaign.
Athletic Director Timothy Bult introduced Cheerleading Coach Kiffanie Rodgers-Sanchez who called forth her elder stateswomen. They included junior varsity seniors Tara Bellamy and Nina Hrechka. Varsity senior captain Morgan Vegliante was lauded by her coach for her years of spirited participation. Other seniors included Nicolle Freeman and Jennifer Menera.
Varsity boys basketball coach Pete Dworetksy then summoned his 11 seniors one by one. This season marks the third consecutive trip to sectionals for his squad which endured an 0-20 season prior to this three year run.
Seniors included (listed here in order of their jersey numbers) #5 Darius Dromazos, #11 Sam Didinsky, #12 Charles Marsden, #13 Suede Taylor, #14 Dustin Foertsch, #15 Corey McKeon, #21 Daniel Justiniano, #22 Michael Robinson, #24 Russell Corley, #25 James Bertholf and #30 Braiden DeGraw.
Cheerleaders and their parents posed for a group shot, followed by the hoopsters and their parents. The enthusiastic crowd showed their love and adoration for the senior Comets. Their appreciation did not abate with the ensuing dismantling of 3-15 Tuxedo.
Games of this ilk don’t warrant a blow-by-blow narrative. Suffice it to say that Fallsburg put on a clinic of its superb defense, passing skills, rebounding and shooting acumen to marshal a 24-8 first quarter lead that burgeoned to 43-18 by halftime.
Senior Cheerleading captain Morgan Vegliante is going to miss these nights...and the Comets fans will miss her when she graduates.
During the halftime interlude, the cheerleaders performed a vibrant routine reminiscent of their recent uplifting display at the OCIAA Cheerleading Championships held on February 18 at the Kate Walton Field House at Kingston High School.
Though the Lady Comets did not place in the top three among the Division II schools, they showed lively spirit and great potential. It was a great learning experience for the team which will return most of its participants next year.
Fallsburg poured it on in the third quarter, opening with three steals and three transition buckets as they went on to amass a 69-26 lead after three quarters over a Tuxedo squad that saw much of its talent exit via graduation last June. Ironically, the number who graduated was 11, the same number Fallsburg will bid farewell to this June.
Given the looming departure of the 11 Fallsburg players, next year’s campaign is apt to be a rebuilding project similar to that currently being played out by the Tornadoes.
Michael Robinson led all scorers with 20 points that included a crowd-pleasing dunk. Unfortunately I was out of position to record that one in a photo. Braiden DeGraw posted 14 and Jim Bertholf had 13 in the onslaught. The Comets were 13-for-19 from the stripe for a viable 68%.
Tuxedo had no players in double figures but did get seven points apiece from Christian Ruiz, Michael Heslin and Joe Espel.
Coach Margo Margotta will have all of his players except one returning next season.
Coach Pete Dworetsky said his team is finishing on a high note. “We had a big win last week at Tri-Valley and then a good win here tonight. We did it tonight with a lot of different guys and a lot of different line ups,” he noted.
Fallsburg ended its regular season campaign at 13-5 (8-2). Those league losses were to Seward and Dworetsky would still love to have at least one of those back. Fallsburg is likely to miss Seward in the sectionals unless both teams come through their brackets to the finals. For the Comets that would require a home win over Tri-Valley (most likely as sectional seeds have yet to be finalized) and then a trip to defending champion #1 seed Pine Plains for a semifinal encounter.
Fallsburg’s other three losses this season came against Walton, Ellenville and Livingston Manor.
The Fallsburg seniors (left to right) Michael Robinson, Sam Didinsky, Darius Dromazos, Dustin Foertsch, Corey McKeon, James Bertholf, Braiden DeGraw, Daniel Justiniano, Charles Marsden, Suede Taylor and Russell Corley.
“We’ve established the idea throughout the season that it’s not who scores, it’s that we score,” noted Dworetsky. “They know that if they’re on the brink of shooting and they don’t give it up to the wide open guy, they come out.”
Dworetsky went on to say, “There are a lot of things we practice including making a requisite number of passes. I thought the team did a great job of sharing the ball tonight,” he added.
“We didn’t work this hard to go home early. The big thing was to get into the tournament and then go on from there,” he said in response to the challenge of trying to beat Tri-Valley for the third time this year. It’s one game at a time. There are guys who are talking about watching Pine Plains on tape but right now it’s all about Tri-Valley to worry about first or whoever it ends up being. We’re going to practice hard tomorrow, just like we have since the beginning of the season. We’ll work on some fundamental things. Hopefully we’ll get a scrimmage this week against somebody, said Dworetsky.
The large margin of victory in this game was not about trying to run the score up on Tuxedo. Back in the 0-20 miasma a few years back, Fallsburg led Tuxedo by 16 late only to lose the game. The cast of characters is markedly different on both squads but the memory lingers on. “I can’t tell my kids to practice hard and then take it easy in the game,” he said. Every player on the bench got into this one and shared minutes with the starters who got to sit down and watch their teammates in the game’s waning moments.
For an album of photos visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
Raise It To The Rafters
OCIAA Cheerleading Championships Feature Non-Stop Athleticism, Style and Verve; Pine Bush Wins Fifth Division I Title In A Row; Burke Captures Division II; Soaring Flyers, Flips, Pyramids And Other Routine Elements Debunk Nonsensical Notion That Cheerleading Is Not A Sport
Division I: 1) Pine Bush 86.635; 2) Newburgh Free Academy 80.175; 3) Minisink Valley 74.325
Division II: 1) John S. Burke Catholic 71.95; 2) James I. O’Neill 67.15; 3) Tri-Valley 66.525
By RICHARD A. ROSS
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
— Maya Angelou, African-American poet
Scenes From The OCIAA Cheerleading Chapionships. (This panel is not large enough to hold photos of all competing teams but the accompanying album has hundreds) Seen here (Clockwise) Fallsburg cheerleaders leap in synch, Pine Bush cheerleaders pose for their fifth Division I title win in the past five years. They've won seven of the past eight and were 13th at Nationals. A Monroe-Woodbury cheerleader caught in mid air. The S.S. Seward Lady Spartans perform. Minisink Valley took third in Division I. Here's their team pose. Tri-Valley took third in Division II. All hail the Red and Blue! T-V cheerleader Jessica Kinney enjoys her young partner's dancing as well as her own. Burke won Division II with a captivating performance. Here they are with the plaque. A couple of Monroe-Woodbury cheerleaders smile for the camera as the teams dance and await awards. Newburgh Free Academy in a pyramid array. The Goldbacks took second. Goshen Cheerleaders launch one of their own into mid-air. A Chester cheerleader shows her verve. Monticello cheerleaders leap in unified motion. A Cornwall cheerleader defies gravity.
KINGSTON, NY—“You’ve come a long way, baby,” the slogan used to market Virginia Slims cigarettes to a widening demographic of women smokers, had the right message for the wrong agenda. So it was that the phrase was soon co-opted to commemorate the progress women have made in their battle for gender equality.
James I. O'Neill took second place in Division II.
Hard as it is to imagine a time when women couldn’t vote, work in an astounding variety of careers or earn pay commensurate with their talent and experience.
But times have certainly changed for the better, though there are still battles to be waged, especially in other parts of the world where extreme fundamentalism bars women from the most basic rights including driving a car or even going to school.
But to accept the notion that there remains no tinge of inequality or double standards right here in the United States is naïve at best. Women still are not paid the same as men in many arenas of work and in athletics, though inordinate progress has been made, women’s sports are one rung lower on the triage when it comes to sports coverage.
But perhaps the most flagrant example of ignorant bias applies to cheerleading. Talk about coming a long way. Not that many years ago, cheerleaders were mere accents to basketball or football games. Their lovely presence featured school uniforms which consisted of sweaters and long skirts. They sported pom poms and were solely about the rah rah.
Nowadays cheerleaders are athletes in every sense of the word. Their routines which include sending teammates to dizzying heights and catching them, back flips, tumbling, synchronized jumps and movements and dance routines require rigorous practice.
All of this was on display at this year’s OCIAA Cheerleading Championships staged at the Kate Walton Field House at Kingston High School. A total of 16 teams brought their best to the floor as judges looked on evaluating them according to a rubric of complex standards. Division I schools included Valley Central, Monticello, Goshen, Newburgh Free Academy, Pine Bush, Minisink Valley, Kingston, Washingtonville, Monroe-Woodbury and Cornwall.
Division II participants included Fallsburg, Chester, John S. Burke Catholic, Tri-Valley, James I. O’Neill and S.S. Seward.
Washingtonville exudes style and spirit.
The stands were packed and the crowd exuded their enthusiasm as the teams took the floor to perform their routines. For this photographer the day would yield hundreds and hundreds of photos which are now on display at www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
Those pictures verify beyond doubt the degree of difficulty of much of what was performed as well as capturing the lively spirit evinced.
For the fifth year in a row and the seventh time in the past eight years, Pine Bush won the Division I crown. Not surprising given the back that the team just garnered 13th place at Nationals staged at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
Talented Newburgh Free Academy with its amazing high flying performers and its stunning choreography and synchronicity was second. Minisink Valley was third.
Fallsburg was the first Division II school to perform and the Lady Comets did admirably. It’s always hard to perform early in a competition. By the time John S. Burke Catholic took to the floor, four other school had already finished their routine, including Chester, thereby making them the third Division II school on display.
The spirited Lady Eagles duly impressed the judges who would go on to award them first place. Rival James I. O’Neill was awarded second place and Tri-Valley, which did not compete in the OCIAA Championships last year, turned in a vibrant performance and came away with third place. Coach Leighanne Walsh was delighted for her Lady Bears who had voiced their nervousness prior to their performance.
Though the other teams are not listed in the scoring array, it must be said that all of them had elements that were outstanding and impressive.
Great hosts and great competitors: The Kingston Lady Tigers
OCIAA Cheerleading Chairman Andy Buchsbaum of Liberty High School had this to say about the day’s proceedings: “I thought it was an exciting atmosphere here today. All the teams competed well and there was a lot of energy and great sportsmanship. I thought it was an overall great day,” he averred.
The smiles and laughter that were on display during the competition, the massive dance interlude prior to the awards ceremony and of course the joy evinced by the teams which were top finishers combined to produce a positive and uplifting day.
Again, for a full album of photos visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com. Coaches interested in CD’s that contain all of my shots of your teams, e-mail me at rross@sportsinsights.com
Indoor Intrepidity
Tri-Valley Girls Garner Third Consecutive Section Nine ‘B’ Indoor Track Crown; Ellenville Boys Come Through On Avowed Quest Of ‘Drive For Five’ Straight Titles; Meet Features A Slew Of Repeat Defenders And Milestone Times And Distances
Section Nine Indoor ‘B’ Championships
Boys Team scores: 1. Ellenville (Ell) 109 points; 2. Tri-Valley (TV) 66; 3. Marlboro (Marl) 64; 4. Eldred (Eld) 57; 5. Pine Plains (PP) 56; 6. Liberty (Lib) 42; 7. James I. O’Neill (JIO) 26; 8. Spackenkill (Spac) 21; 9. Sullivan West (SW) 14; 10. Onteora (Ont) 9.
Girls Team scores: 1. Tri-Valley (TV) 144 points; 2. Onteora (Ont) 68; 3. Eldred (Eld) 64; 4. Marlboro (Marl) 56; 5. Sullivan West (SW) 44; 6. Liberty (Lib) 42; 7. Ellenville (Ell) 23; 8. Millbrook (Mill) 18; 9. James I. O’Neill (JIO) 16; 10. Spackenkill (Spac) 15; 11. Pine Plains (PP) 5.
By RICHARD A. ROSS
Photos at: www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
Scenes From The Section Nine 'B' Indoor Track Championships (Clockwise) The Ellenville Blue Devils win their fifth consecutive boys title. Tri-Valley's Dominique Darby triumphs in the shot put and later in the weight throw. Liberty's Rebeccah Harman wins the triple jump. Ellenville senior Tyler O''Bryant prevails again in the 55. Eldred's Hunter Proscia wins the 3200 for the third year in a row. He also ran a leg in the victorious, school-record-breaking 1600 relay. Sullivan West's Rachel Deppa wins the 1500 racewalk for the third consecutive year. Eldred's Christine Donnelly triumphs in the 1,000 and 1500 and runs a leg in the victorious Eldred 1600 relay. Tri-Valley's girls team wins third consecutive Section Nine crown. T-V sophomore Katlynn Greffrath wins the high jump and the long jump. Eldred's Breanna Brucher triumphs in the pole vault.
WEST POINT, NY—Far from the maddening crowds of basketball arenas and the games therein with their banner headlines and epic stories, resides another heroic milieu with its own legion of noble warriors.
For the young men and women who work assiduously during the indoor track season, the greatest rewards are not measured in column inches of newspaper coverage, but rather in the satisfaction of having given their all to achieve vast improvement in their events.
Eldred's Alex Campanella wins the 1600. Here he leads teammate Hunter Proscia and Tri-Valley's Jimmy Bernstein.
To train relentlessly, to fight against all kinds of adversity and to marshal great progress forges character and a sense of personal power that has a lifelong shelf life. Choosing this winter sport requires a dedication and commitment second to none.
Rigorous practice regimens, long meets at West Point, endless bus rides and little sleep are just a few of the requirements.
But indoor track kids will tell you with few exceptions that what they gain is worth every bit of what they sacrifice, especially for those who are moving on into the glorious world of spring track. This season has strengthened body, mind and spirit and put them light years ahead of kids coming out for track who didn’t invest their energy in the arduous winter endeavor.
Aside from a sense of personal satisfaction derived from recording personal best times and distances, there are the added perks for those who emerge victorious and the pride felt in being honored as one of the elites. Track is also a team sport and so the collective joy of a Section Nine title rewards all of the team members and bestows a great honor on the winning schools and the communities they hail from.
When it comes to the Section Nine Indoor Track Championships with its panoply of events and competitors engaged therein, winning a title is an achievement beyond the pale. So when a team does it repeatedly, as is the case with the Tri-Valley girls who walked away with their third consecutive title, and the Ellenville boys whose zany post-meet antics expressed their exultation at winning their fifth straight crown, words fall far short in describing how remarkable such feats are.
For the Lady Bears, it’s been another storied winter, another year of garnering the Tri-fecta of Division, County and Section Nine titles. Details of the Sullivan County Championships can be found towards the end of this story under the subheading of “County Fare.”
Boys Meet Highlights
Tri-Valley's Andrew Malone prevails in the 55 hurdles.
Every championship meet has its milestones and in the very first event of the night, Eldred’s Hunter Proscia set the tone with his state-qualifying, personal best time in the 3200 (9:37.02). It was Proscia’s third consecutive Section Nine title in the event.
On paper based on seed times and distances, Eldred looked like it might be in a position to challenge Ellenville this year, though Blue Devils Coach Phil Altschuler had tinkered with numbers and figured his team had the depth to prevail.
As it would turn out, Eldred was missing a couple of key entrants that would cost them valuable points and drop them to fourth overall. Notwithstanding, the Yellow Jackets turned in some great performances. Alex Campanella won the 1600 (4:27.93), took second in the 3200 (9:53.08) and ran a leg in the Eldred’s school record smashing 1600 relay (3:39.27) along with Proscia, Adrian Krzysztofowicz and Matt Watts.
Looking to build on its recent Sullivan County Championship title, Tri-Valley came into this meet to make a statement. Beating Ellenville would be “Mission Impossible,” but the Bears made some serious noise in places few could have anticipated it. Andrew Malone won the 55 hurdles (8.38). It was the first T-V win in the boys event since Sean Messenger did it five years prior.
T-V’s 3200 Relay comprised of Justin Weintraub, Jim Bernstein, Hauk Boyes, and Brandon Hasbrouck took first in the event in 8:55.63.
Omar Lopez took second in the 1000 (2:43.86). Bernstein turned in a pair of third place finishes behind the storied Eldred duo with a 4:33.38 in the 1600 and 9:57.75 in the 3200. Eugene Morton and Aidan Woolsey claimed fourth and fifth in the Pole vault with marks of 11-0 and 10-5 respectively. Brendan Tierney was fourth in the Shot put with a mark of 41-5.25.
Liberty’s Michael Hinton won the Shot put with a heave of 43-1.5; Sullivan West’s Todd Roeder was third in the event with a mark of 41-6.
Elllenville's Justin Farrenkoph wins the pole vault with a leap of 13-0.
Ellenville’s heroics were seemingly non-stop. They included Tyler O’Bryant’s successful defense of his title in the 55 (6.74). Fellow senior teammate Tashan Beaupierre kept O’Bryant from back-to-back titles in the 300. Beaupierre turned in a blistering 37.72 to edge O’Bryant. Pole vault phenom Justin Farrenkoph repeated as champ with a leap of 13-0. The timing of the events disrupted a bid for an even greater flying feat. Teams were already leaving when Farrenkoph was still making a last ditch try at 14-0.
The boys results are listed below. I’ll add a link soon for the complete results.
55-meter dash: 1. Tyler O’Bryant (Ell) 6.74; 2. Erick Cuellar (Lib) 6.99; 3. Kenny Jaycox (Lib) 7.03; 4. (tie) Julius Nunez (Ell) and Zach Warden (Marl) 7.09; 6. Brendan Tierney (TV) 7.11.
55 hurdles: 1. Andrew Malone (TV) 8.38; 2. Alejandro Ayala (PP) 8.45; 3. Adrian Krzysztofowicz (Eld) 8.46; 4. Rich Barley (Marl) 8.75; 5. Alphonso Cruz (Ell) 8.79; 6. Mitch Paciga (SW) 8.84.
300: 1. Tashan Beaupierre (Ell) 37.72; 2. Tyler O’Bryant (Ell) 37.98; 3. Erick Cuellar (Lib) 38.26; 4. Julius Nunez (Ell) 39.79; 5. Steve Mussachio (Marl) 40.36.
600: 1. Chris Lofaro (Marl) 1:26.43; 2. Tashan Beaupierre (Ell) 1:29.35; 3. Micah Yannatos (Ont) 1:29.88; 4. Matt Watts (Eld) 1:30.17; 5. Omar Lopez (TV) 1:31.07; 6. Jason Groat (Ell) 1:31.18.
1,000: 1. Devin DeJoode (PP) 2:37.33; 2. Omar Lopez (TV) 2:43.86; 3. Jeremy Santiago (Marl) 2:47.16; 4. Alexander Parfentsov (Ell) 2:51.22; 5. Justin Weintraub (TV) 2:53.08; 6. Taylor Armstrong (Ont) 2:57.52.
1,600: 1. Alex Campanella (Eld) 4:27.93; 2. Devin deJoode (PP) 4:29.29; 3. Jim Bernstein (TV) 4:33.38; 4. Hunter Proscia (Eld) 4:36.49; 5. Zech Snel (JIO) 4:36.77; 6. Ryan Jelinek (Spac) 4:44.04.
Tri-Valley's Aric Boyes takes second in the non-scoring weight throw.
3,200: 1. Hunter Proscia (Eld) 9:37.02; 2. Alex Campanella (Eld) 9:53.08; 3. Jim Bernstein (TV) 9:57.75; 4. Reed Scott (SW) 10:20.94; 5. Hauk Boyes (TV) 10:55.97; 6. Brandon Hasbrouck (TV) 11:37.20.
800 relay: 1. James I. O’Neill (Derrike Shrieve, Jeremy Key, Jerry Nasi, Jonathan Carpenter) 1:36.09; 2. Liberty (Erick Cuellar, Kane Sauchuk, Kenny Jaycox, Andrew Hazelnis) 1:38.69; 3. Ellenville (Tyler O’Bryant, Julius Nunez, Alphonso Cruz, Justin Farrenkopf) 1:39.23; 4. Spackenkill 1:40.63; 5. Tri-Valley 1:42.43; 6. Marlboro 1:43.12.
1,600 relay: 1. Eldred (Alex Campanella, Adrian Krzysztofowicz, Hunter Proscia, Matt Watts) 3:39.27; 2. Ellenville (Tashan Beaupierre, Jimmy Quiceno, Jason Groat, Alexander Parfentsov) 3:40.45; 3. Spackenkill (Chris Mastman, Tommy Fink, Wayne Bowden, Ryan Jelinek) 3:40.98; 4. Marlboro 3:45.11; 5. Onteora 3:46.29; 6. Tri-Valley 3:49.07.
3,200 relay: 1. Tri-Valley (Justin Weintraub, Jim Bernstein, Hauk Boyes, Brandon Hasbrouck) 8:55.63; 2. Marlboro (Logan Maneely, Nick Kozlik, Jeremy Santiago, Chris Lofaro) 9:02.40; 3. Pine Plains (Alejandro Ayala, Devin deJoode, Brendan Long, Michael Kirschenheiter) 9:17.56; 4. Liberty 9:25.23; 5. James I. O’Neill 9:30.94; 6. Ellenville 9:31.63.
High jump: 1. Jonathan Carpenter (JIO) 6-0; 2. Brendan Long (PP) 5-8; 3. Justin Farrenkopf (Ell) 5-8; 4. Rich Ackerman (Marl) 5-6; 5. Mitch Paciga (SW) 5-4; 6. John Njoga (JIO) 5-4.
Long jump: 1. Wayne Bowden (Spac) 19-6.25; 2. Jimmy Quiceno (Ell) 18-11.5; 3. Aric Canevari (PP) 18-4.75; 4. Steve Mussachio (Marl) 18-0.25; 5. Kyle Marquis (Marl) 17-11.25; 6. Jerry Nasi (JIO) 17-9.5.
Triple jump: 1. Jimmy Quiceno (Ell) 39-5.5; 2. Kyle Marquis (Marl) 38-1.75; 3. Adam Crick (PP) 36-5; 4. Brendan Long (PP) 36-3; 5. Adrian Krzysztofowicz (Eld) 35-10; 6. Mitch Paciga (SW) 34-10.5.
Shot put: 1. Michael Hinton (Lib) 43-1.5; 2. Jeff Nunez (Ell) 42-6; 3. Todd Roeder (SW) 41-6; 4. Brendan Tierney (TV) 41-5.25; 5. Rob Borriello (Ell) 40-7.5; 6. Aric Boyes (TV) 39-8.
Pole vault: 1. Justin Farrenkopf (Ell) 13-0; 2. Rich Barley (Marl) 11-5; 3. Eugene Morton (TV) 11-0; 4. Aidan Woolsey (TV) 10-5; 5. Julian Gottlieb (Eld) 10-0; 6. DennisMcCullough (Eld) 9-6.
Weight throw (non-scoring): 1. Jeff Nunez (Ell) 56-0.5; 2. Aric Boyes (TV) 52-11.5; 3. Todd Roeder (SW) 49-11; 4. Michael Hinton (Lib) 41-7; 5. Zachary Roberts (TV) 37-9; 6. Rob Borriello (Ell) 34-8.
Girls Meet Highlights
Taking photographs at track meets often means missing some shots while you're busy shooting others. I swung my camera around just in time to catch Tri-Valley's Katlynn Greffrath complete her winning long jump. She won the high jump too and finished a close second in the 55.
While much of the glory would fall to the Tri-Valley Lady Bears, there was plenty to go around for others too. That included Eldred senior Chistine Donnelly who handily won the 1000 (3:08.10) and the 1500 (5:08.37) and ran a leg in the winning 1600 relay along with Sarah Malzahn, Savannah Finck and Selena Hudak in 4:26.46. Breanna Brucher won the Pole vault with a leap of 10-6. Erika Bowring was second in the Long jump (15-0.75).
Another storied competitor in the meet was Tri-Valley’s Katlynn Greffrath. The talented sophomore who doubles up in winter playing for the Section Nine defending champion Lady Bears in basketball, won the Long jump with an impressive leap of 15-7. Greffrath also captured the High jump with a mark of 4-10 and took second in the 55 in 7.81.
Tri-Valley’s Brittany Rennison won the 600 in 1:44.87, while the Lady Bears’ 3200 Relay took gold in 11:05.23 with a team comprised of Autumn Bender, Alex Brooks, Brooke Gillette and Daniel Graham. Gillette was second in the 1500 Racewalk (8:46.12). That event was won by Sullivan West’s Rachel Deppa for the third straight time (8:03.21). History was also made in Shot put as T-V’s Dominique Darby won the event with a throw of 35-1, the best mark in the past seven years. Darby also won the non-scoring Weight throw (46-8).
Mareena DiMilia added valuable points to the T-V ledger with a second place in the 55 hurdles (9.07) and the Shot put (33-5). Bender took second in the 1000 and 1500 with times of 3:20.28 and 5:13.02 respectively.
Liberty’s Rebeccah Harman won the Triple jump (31-7). Teammate Amanda Bertholf was second in the Pole Vault (9-3), while Nikole Snyder took third in the Long jump (15-0.5).
Girls results were as follows (As I noted, I’ll add a link soon for the complete results).
55-meter dash: 1. Diamond Wiley (JIO) 7.78; 2. Katlynn Greffrath (TV) 7.81; 3. Katie Klercker (Ont) 7.82; 4. Courtney Warden (Marl) 7.87; 5. Amanda Rosenberger (SW) 7.89; 6. LaraJane Heslop (Lib) 7.92.
55 hurdles: 1. Courtney Warden (Marl) 8.84; 2. Mareena DiMilia (TV) 9.07; 3. Vickey Tingley (TV) 9.46; 4. Rebeccah Harman (Lib) 9.54; 5. Breanna Brucher (Eld) 9.82; 6. Hannah Feinman (SW) 9.93.
300: 1. Katie Klercker (Ont) 43.55; 2. Tess Howard (Ont) 44.25; 3. Shasche Allen (Spac) 44.60; 4. Brittany Rennison (TV) 46.13; 5. Nina Lofaro (Marl) 46.35; 6. Kristina Sumfleth (SW) 47.83.
Speed and timing are equally important in the 55 hurdles. Here you can see how close it can be as competitors go to clear the fourth hurdle about 40 percent through the race. Marlboro's Courtney Warren won the final with T-V's Mareena DiMilia taking second.
600: 1. Brittany Rennison (TV) 1:44.87; 2. Avery Maillet (Ont) 1:46.51; 3. Emily Koehler (Mill) 1:48.66; 4. Rosa Martinez (SW) 1:48.99; 5. Kendall Peabody (Ell) 1:50.07; 6. Melissa Donovan (Spac) 1:51.64.
1,000: 1. Christine Donnelly (Eld) 3:08.10; 2. Autumn Bender (TV) 3:20.28; 3. Marissa Galella (Marl) 3:24.36; 4. Danielle Graham (TV) 3:28.56; 5. Dani Myers (SW) 3:33.97; 6. Sara Jane Drewett (Eld) 3:38.43.
1,500: 1. Christine Donnelly (Eld) 5:08.37; 2. Autumn Bender (TV) 5:13.02; 3. Mary-Kate Bida (Mill) 5:14.41; 4. Olivia Rehm (TV) 5:35.19; 5. Danielle Graham (TV) 5:37.44; 6. Tania Gomez (PP) 5:39.29.
1,500 racewalk: 1. Rachel Deppa (SW) 8:03.21; 2. Brooke Gillette (TV) 8:46.12; 3. Emily Barbosa (Ell) 9:09.77; 4. Ali Reynolds (TV) 9:09.86; 5. Lauren Frey (Eld) 9:11.90; 6. Mary Alongi (TV) 9:47.75.
3,000: 1. Emily Waligurski (Ont) 11:04.68; 2. Julia Rubin-Armstrong (Ont) 11:07.72; 3. Mary-Kate Bida (Mill) 11:16.93; 4. Olivia Rehm (TV) 11:56.29; 5. Brooke Gillette (TV) 12:03.87; 6. Georgia Houghton (Marl) 12:09.47.
800 relay: 1. Onteora (Tess Howard, Katie Klercker, Avery Maillet, Emily Waligurski) 1:51.95; 2. Liberty (Amanda Bertholf, Nikole Snyder, Rebeccah Harman, LaraJane Heslop) 1:53.65; 3. O’Neill (Diamond Wiley, Maggie Borowicz, Maya Washington, Bayyinah Kareem) 1:58..01; 4. Marlboro 1:59.17; 5. Ellenville 2:01.72; 6. Eldred 2:03.45.
1,600 relay: 1. Eldred (Christine Donnelly, Sarah Malzahn, Savanna Finck, Selena Hudak) 4:26.46; 2. Sullivan West (Rosa Martinez, Amanda Rosenberger, Kristina Sumfleth, Kelsey Dutton) 4:28.34; 3. Spackenkill (Rachel Davis, Melissa Donovan, Jill Hennessey, Shasche Allen) 4:39.95; 4. Tri-Valley 4:45.37; 5. Pine Plains 4:46.25; 6. Ellenville 4:47.27.
3,200 relay: 1. Tri-Valley (Autumn Bender, Alex Brooks, Brooke Gillette, Danielle Graham) 11:05.23; 2. Marlboro (Marissa Galella, Melissa Gattuso, Sara Rood, Georgia Houghton) 11:27.83; 3. Liberty (Melissa Symanski, Jayco Krebs, Kristen Siegel, Sierra Thomas) 11:38.99; 4. Sullivan West 11:44.07; 5. Ellenville 14:40.30.
High jump: 1. Katlynn Greffrath (TV) 4-8; 2. Savannah Nobre (Marl) 4-6; 3. (tie) Erika Bowring (Eld) and Kristina Sumfleth (SW) 4-6; 5. Ali Reynolds (TV) 4-4; 6. Rosa Martinez (SW) 4-2.
Long jump: 1. Katlynn Greffrath (TV) 15-7; 2. Erika Bowring (Eld) 15-0.75; 3. Nikole Snyder (Lib) 15-0.5; 4. Mareena DiMilia (TV) 15-0.25; 5. Shasche Allen (Spac) 14-5.25; 6. Stephanie Walkowiak (Ont) 13-8.75.
Triple jump: 1. Rebeccah Harman (Lib) 31-7; 2. Aubrey Martin (Marl) 31-4.5; 3. Hannah Feinman (SW) 30-11; 4. Erika Bowring (Eld) 30-1.5; 5. Mary-Rose Kelly (PP) 29-7; 6. Brittany Rennison (TV) 29-4.
Shot put: 1. Dominique Darby (TV) 35-1; 2. Mareena DiMilia (TV) 33-5; 3. Danielle Borriello (Ell) 31-3.5; 4. Alyssa Brown (Marl) 30-2.5; 5. Heidi Furman (TV) 29-2; 6. Bianca Toscano (Marl) 27-7.5.
Pole vault: 1. Breanna Brucher (Eld) 10-6; 2. Amanda Bertholf (Lib) 9-0; 3. Julia Rubin-Armstrong (Ont) 9-0; 4. Amelia Jahrling (Ell) 7-6; 5. Vickey Tingley (TV) 7-0; 6. Lauren Frey (Eld) 7-0.
Weight throw (non-scoring): 1. Dominique Darby (TV) 46-8; 2. Danielle Borriello (Ell) 43-3; 3. Heidi Furman (TV) 37-6.5; 4. Shannon Smith (TV) 28-0.5.
County Fare
Tri-Valley’s girls won their third consecutive Sullivan County Indoor Track Championship by outpointing Liberty 137-71. Sullivan West was third with 66 points. Ellenville had 40, Eldred 34 and Monticello had 16.
Tri-Valley’s boys defeated Liberty 103-76, unseating defending champ Ellenville which held a number of its participants out to ready them for the coming sectionals. Monticello was third with 58 points, followed by Sullivan West in fourth with 52. Eldred had 41 and Ellenville posted 40.
Sullivan County Indoor Championships-Boys results
Sullivan County Indoor Championships-girls results
Event results are listed on the charts below.
League Lore
At the OCIAA League Championships Eldred’s boys finished fifth and its girls took ninth in the field of 16 and 13 schools respectively (some schools did not field full teams).
Girls notables: 55 hurdles DiMilia 5th (9.31); 55 Amanda Rosenberger (SW) 6th (7.85); 1500 Racewalk Deppa (SW) 2nd 7:44.34; 1000 Donnelly (E) 4th (3;02.22); 1500 Bender (T-V) 9th 5:08.90; Pole vault Brucher (E) 1st 10-00; Bertholf (L) 2nd 9-0; High jump Greffrath (T-V) 3rd 4-10; Kristina Sumfleth (SW) 7th 4-06; Triiple jump Harman (L) 7th 31-11-00; Hannah Feinman (SW) 8th 31-02.50; Shot put DiMilia (T-V) 4th 35-5.25; Weight throw Shannon Smith (T-V) 27-07.50.
Boys notables: 55 O’Bryant (E) 1st (6.65); Shane Jackson (M) 2nd (6.73); 300 Jackson (M) 5th (39.19). 3200 Campanella (E) 1st 9:30.85; Proscia 5th (9:51.28); 1600 Campanella (E) 1st (4:23.43); Proscia (E) 5th (4:30.74); 1600 unseeded Reed Scott (SW) 2nd 4:52.80; 3200 Relay T-V 6th (8:49.84); Shot put Aric Boyes (T-V) 2nd 43-08.25; Michael Hinton (L) 4th 42-08.25; Brendan Tierney (T-V) 7th 41-00.25; Weight throw Todd Roeder (SW) 4th (44-07); Tierney (T-V) 5th (44-06P; Boyes (T-V) 6th 39-11.50.
For albums of photos from the County and Section Nine meets, visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
Heaven’s Gate
Monticello Secures Sectional Berth With Dramatic League Win Over Goshen; Rob Riley’s Crucial Free Throws With The Game On The Line Saves The Day As Monties Save Their Best Effort For The Most Critical Game Of The Season; Anthony Gray Leads The Way With Game-High 15 Points
Monticello 49, Goshen 46
By RICHARD A. ROSS
Photos at; www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com Editor’s note; I’ll come back and add more photos but I’ve got to get a break in the action here. It’s been that kind of week.
A glorious night for Monticello as it clinches a berth in the sectionals with a dramatic 49-46 league win over Goshen (Clockwise) Rob Riley is embraced by teammate Ben Kapito and approached for a hug from assistant coach Ben Newberg following Riley's heroic fourth quarter wherein he iced the game with his free throw shooting acumen. Riley is pictured firing in one of his final three from the line that secured the victory. Anthony Gray grabs a loose ball on the floor with under 14 seconds remaining that would give the Monties another chance to add to the lead. Monticello senior cheerleaders line up before the game. They would be honored and present flowers to their parents. Monticello's Naquan Holman harries Goshen's Tyler Eisenbacher. Monticello's defense was incredible. Seniors Sean Reuss, Anthony Gray and Ros Djombalaj get set to present flowers to their parents as part of the Senior Night ceremony.
MONTICELLO, NY—Borrowing the iconic words from Winston Churchill, uttered by the late British Prime Minister under far more serious and ominous conditions, namely the stultifying defeat and retreat from Dunkirk, the Monticello Panthers recorded their “finest hour” of the season by withstanding a Goshen comeback that tied the game with 33 seconds to go behind a pair of made free throws by Gladiator Daquan Crandell.
Evincing even greater heroics and home drama, Monticello junior Rob Riley iced a pair of free throws for the lead the Monties would never relinquish.
The drama of the final minute of the game reminds this writer of the teetering, razor thin margin of victory so often on display in basketball games. The cathartic finish could not have been better timed for the Monties 7-10 (3-2 OCIAA) by dint of this win, saved their season and secured a berth in the upcoming Section Nine Class A playoffs. This year was stormy and trying at times, but ultimately satisfying to be sure.
The last time these two teams met, Goshen prevailed 57-43 erupting to blow apart a 27-all tie at the break.
But now, Goshen which fell to 10-7 (2-3 OCIAA), the urgency of this game had them looking for the sweep. As it would turn out, the outcome would affect their sectional seedings. Though they had already clinched a berth by dint of their overall record, the last thing the Gladiators wants is a first round encounter with the likes of Cornwall or Red Hook.
For a couple of tense moments it looked as if Coach Joe Guarneiri’s Gladiators were going to pull this one out and leave the Pit in the pendulum of despair. But in a key play following Riley’s go-ahead free throws with just 18 second left in the game, Ian Schupp’s missed shot which resulted in a loose ball on the floor was ably secured by Monticello senior Anthony Gray. Monticello owned the possession arrow so the ball was theirs.
Riley was fouled and hit the front end of the one-and one to mandate that Goshen score a trey to force the game into OT. Having left long range sniper Paul Flynn alone twice late to score from beyond the arc, Monticello was implored by Coach Chris Russo to make sure he was smothered with hands and bodies.
Goshen blanked on its final chance and the Monties held on for the 49-46 win.
It was a fitting end to Senior Night. Earlier in the evening Monticello took time to honor its elder stateswomen cheerleaders and its three senior basketball players. Called forth to pose with their parents and loved ones, each of the honorees was announced with a brief bio describing his or her contributions.
Cheerleaders included Jalitza Rodriguez, Shelby Jakaitis, Dayonarra Torres, Abigail Lewis, Jacky Weiss, Kimberly Moulton, Melody Mangual and Monique Taylor. The Montie cheerleaders recently won first place at Warwick and took second at Newburgh. They will be competing in this coming weekend’s OCIAA Cheerleading Championships at Kingston High School.
Monticello’s three senior hoopsters were then called front and center. Ros Djombalaj, Sean Reuss and Anthony Gray were extolled and the game was soon to get underway.
Goshen led 9-7 at the end of the first quarter as the team battled to establish tempo. Goshen with its height advantage looked to rule the glass but Monticello’s athletic leaping ability ensured the Monties a number of key rebounds. Steals by Anthony Gray and the powerful inside presence of Sean Reuss kept the Monties right in the thick of it.
Schupp and giant Manny Ukah had four points apiece for the Gladiators in the opening stanz. Crandell added a free throw. Djombalaj had four points for the Monties who also got three from Riley.
Monticello took a 20-19 lead into the half by outscoring Goshen 13-10 in the second period. Nine of those points came from Gray who orchestrated steals and turned them into transition buckets. Reuss was two-for-two from the stripe and Djobalaj added a bucket for good measure.
Goshen’s Paul Flynn hit the first of his trio of treys on the night. Another long range missile was fired in by Michael Beauge. Schupp drove one in and John Ferguson hit two from the line.
The Monties exploded in the third quarter with 16 points to Goshen’s 11 to take a 36-28 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Reuss got it started with a bucket. Steals and fouls were becoming more rampant. Reuss scored a big bucket as he scored over lengthy Ukoh. At the other end of the floor Goshen’ s Quinn Carpenter was flagged for an offensive foul.
The Monties led 28-20 after a great pass from Gray sliced across the lane to a scoring Joe Revell. Goshen closed with a bucket and a free throw from Ferguson. A pair of made free throws by Gray afforded a bi more breathing room.
Carpenter hit one on the base line but Ben Kapito scored to answer. Revell kissed one off the glass for the 34-25 lead with 1:22 remaining. Naquan Holman scored the Monties’ final bucket of the period. Flynn ended Goshen’s quarter with a trey.
Russo knew a Goshen run was coming. The question was would his kids stand tall and hold firm.
Carpenter picked up his fourth foul on the opening play. Reuss hit one of two from the line but the Monties lost track of Flynn who buried another trey to make it 37-31. The teams exchanged steals but Gray made his pay dividends with a lay up with 6:53 to go.
Crandell scored but Riley came up big with a tip in of a Gray miss at the other end. You could feel the tension rising.
Crandell was fouled by Holman. He hit the first and then followed his miss with a bucket for a three point play. It was now 41-36 with 6:06 left in the game. Ukoh picked up his second foul as Reuss was one-for-two again from the stripe. The Monties took a time out with their 42-36 lead in tow and 5:58 to go.
The Monties got a steal but an errant pass led to a turnover as Russo fumed. Schuck slashed the lane for two as the lead dropped to four. Gray got it with a lay up to make it 44-38 with 3:44 to go.
Ferguson scored on an inside cut and the lead narrowed to four again. The Glads cut it to two but Riley hit a huge bucket. Ukoh committed an offensive foul at the other end with 2:27 to go and the Monties up by four.
Riley was tied up and Goshen got two points right back. Revell fouled Crandell with 1:11 to go. He missed both and Riley rebounded the second. Reuss was whistled for an offensive foul. It was his fifth. Crandell went to the line and nailed both to tie the game at 46-all.
Ferguson was whistled for reaching in and that sent Riley to the line at the other end. Eugene O’Neill once penned an iconic play called, “The Iceman Cometh.” From here on Riley will be known as the Iceman. He hit both from the stripe with 33 seconds to go.
With 18 seconds to go Schutt missed and Gray got the ball up off the floor. Goshen turned it over, tied up Monticello which owned the possession arrow. Riley was fouled again and hit the first of two to make it 49-46 with 12 seconds to go. Each team still had a time out remaining.
Goshen got set for its final play but failed to convert.
Riley had this to say following the heroic finish when asked how he managed to tune out all of the distractions to hit the big free throws; “I work hard thinking about the team, trying every day in practice to knock down the big shots.”
“It feels great. We struggled all season and here we are heading to sectionals.”
Russo had this to day. “That was the best game we played all year by far at both ends of the floor. Our defensive effort was tremendous. That’s what I just told the team. We got stops when we needed them and withstood their run in the fourth quarter. They got a couple of big threes from Flynn. You know we held him the entire game and then two times we took chances, he floated out and we lost him.
But we responded well to those two big threes. In other times maybe we wouldn’t but tonight we did. Rob was huge. We call him “Big Shot.” Last year the same thing happened down here. The other team calls time out to try rattle him. You can’t rattle that kid. That was just huge those foul shots at the end.
Sean played with foul trouble all night but when he ‘s in there he’s such a presence for us. Our bench was life and into it and I’m really proud of our guys. Our seniors stepped up big and did a great job. We qualified which was an important goal for us. We’re 3-2 now and if we play defense like this next week against Cornwall we should be right in it. It will be their senior night and they’ll come out ready to play but if we can defend this way again and play team basketball we’ll look to handle their press and do very well.”
Gray had 15 for Monticello; Riley had 12. Schupp led Goshen with ten. Monticelllo shot 13-for-20 from the stripe (65%), while Goshen was eight-for17 (47%).
For an album of photos visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
Powder Power 2012
Monticello’s Ryan and Haley Heins Win Individual Section Nine Titles In Cousins’ Coup D’état; Monticello Girls Are Victorious As Are Cornwall Boys In Team Honors At Glorious Section Nine Alpine Ski Championships
By RICHARD A. ROSS
Photos at: www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
Section Nine Alpine Ski Championships Top Five Boys And Girls Finishes: Top Row : Individual Winners Ryan Heins and Haley Heins of Monticello; Second Row #2 Jacob Combe- Onteora, # 3 Christopher Mastropieti-Tuxedo,; #4 Connor Ginley-Warwick; Row 3: #2 Sabrina Easton-Warwick; #3 Isabelle LaMotte-Onteora; #4 Brianne Germaine- John S. Burke Catholic; Row 4: #5 Drew Billard-Sullivan West and #5 Haley Rip-Monticello.
HUNTER, NY—Stunning, glorious and yes…relatively balmy, this year’s Section Nine Alpine Ski Championships staged at Hunter Mountain were an eyeful to be sure. A year ago the wind was furiously ripping across the slopes and the weather was so frigid that skiers snapped the poles on the slalom course as they went by.
That day I recall saying I had never been so cold in my life. This year was more to my liking and so too apparently to the Heins cousins from Monticello, namely senior Ryan and junior Haley who won the individual titles.
The Monticello girls finished first to capture the team title with a combined time of 2:13.66. Warwick was second. In the boys team showdown it was Cornwall that took top honors with Onteora finishing second.
Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA) champions also were crowned. In the boys’ competition, Onteora won the Division I title and Cornwall the Division II title. Monticello (Division I) and Warwick (Division II) won the girls’ titles.
The state meet is Feb. 27-28 in Lake Placid.
Here are the results
Girls Team results: 1. Monticello (Mo) 213.66; 2. Warwick (War) 221.78; 3. Onteora (Ont) 234.49; 4. Goshen (Gosh) 241.10; 5. Cornwall (Corn) 242.19; 6. Monroe-Woodbury (MW) 261.37; 7. Newburgh Free Academy (NFA) 273.85.
Individual results: 1. Haley Heins (Mo) 66.45; 2. Sabrina Easton (War) 68.47; 3. Isabelle LaMotte (Ont) 68.91; 4. Brianne Germain (JSBC) 69.92; 5. Haley Ripa (Mo) 70.14; 6. Giovanna Fichera (Corn) 72.02; 7. Miranda Davenport (RV) 72.54; 8. Kendall Menges (SW) 72.83; 9. Kaitlyn Kelder (RV) 73.40; 10. Emily Burke (Gosh) 73.90; 11. Camille Huey (War) 75.90; 12. Sarah Coney (Falls/TV) 76.01; 13. Aja Finnocchiaro (MW) 76.49; 14. Tie – Francesca Huey (War) 75.90; 15. Rachel Klein (Mo) 77.07; 16. Christine McSweeney (War) 77.51; 17. Jackie Ford (Ont) 77.59; 18. Kassie Thelman (SW) 80.25; 19. Riley Lindholm (Mo) 78.72; 20. Danielle Diacova (King) 83.34.
State team: 1. Haley Heins; 2. Sabrina Easton; 3. Isabelle LaMotte; 4. Brianne Germain; 5. Haley Ripa; 6. Giovanna Fichera; 7. Miranda Davenport; 8. Kendall Menges; 9. Rachel Klein; Runnerup: Kaitlyn Kelder.
OCIAA Division I champion: Monticello 599.26 (342.14 slalom, 257.12 giant slalom).
OCIAA Division II champion: Warwick 626.38 (364.87 slalom, 261.51 giant slalom).
Boys Team results: 1. Cornwall (Corn) 213.27; 2. Onteora (Ont) 213.52; 3. Monticello (Mo) 215.13; 4. Warwick (War) 227.33; 5. Liberty (Lib) 232.53; 6. Kingston (King) 232.85; 7. Monroe-Woodbury (MW) 281.95.
Individual results: 1. Ryan Heins (Mo) 62.91; 2. Jacob Combe (Ont) 63.61; 3. Christopher Mastropietro (Tux); 4. Connor Ginley (War) 65.77; 5. Drew Billard (SW) 66.66; 6. Greg Merrill (King) 66.97; 7. Charles Manzari (Corn) 68.85; 8. Jack Graham (JIO) 69.83; 9. Ryan Erts (Falls/TV) 71.43; 10. Liam Foody (Corn) 71.44; 11. Kealey Viglielmo (Ont) 72.51; 12. Jimmy Patterson (Corn) 72.98; 13. Eric Buchanan (MW) 74.67; 14. Jack Pennington (War) 74.78; 15. Patrick Doyle (Lib) 74.38; 16. Patrick Ortland (NFA) 76.24; 17. Joseph Klein (Mo) 75.35; 18. Daniel Oldfield (Mo) 76.87; 19. Gene Doyle (Lib) 78.45; 20. Nick Barthel (Ont) 77.40.
OCIAA Division I champion: Onteora 595.62 (325.06 slalom, 260.56 giant slalom).
OCIAA Division II champion: Cornwall 607.43 (346.96 slalom, 260.47 giant slalom).
For an album of stunning photos visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
Survivors’ Manifesto IV
Fourth Annual Coaches Versus Cancer Classic Features An Expanded Docket Of Games To Raise Money For The Catskill Regional Oncology Unit; Livingston Manor And Tri-Valley Girls Prevail As Do Monticello Junior Varsity and Varsity Boys; Sullivan County Generals Record Mens and Womens Victories
Girls Varsity: Livingston Manor 48, Eldred 22
Boys Junior Varsity Monticello 61, Liberty 29
Varsity Boys: Monticello 65, Liberty 42
Girls Varsity Tri-Valley 64, Sullivan West 17
Womens College SCCC 59, Manhattan CC 54
Mens College SCCC 80, Manhattan CC 50
By RICHARD A. ROSS
Photos at: www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
The Fourth Annual Coaches Versus Cancer Classic Gets Bigger And More Pro-Active Each Year. Scenes from (some) of this year's moments along with the resulting donation from last year's event. (Clockwise) The Sullivan West Lady Bulldogs look pretty in Pink. Coach Pat Donovan joins his young team for the pre-game photo op. Monticello's Rob Riley goes aloft for two of his game-high 18 points as the Monties beat Liberty 65-42. The 13-1 Tri-Valley Lady Bears and Coach John Tenbus revel in the limelight prior to their 64-17 win over Sulivan West to defend the tourney title. The poster for the event helped draw large crowds to the Paul Gerry Fieldhouse for the day-long event. Tri-Valley senior Erin Smith looks daunting in this pre-game warmup drill. Sophomore teammate Katlynn Greffrath is about to unleash two of her 12 points in the game. Sullivan West sophomore Marianne Durkin rises up for a shot. She's just a sophomore and still learning but she, like the rest of her young teammates are going to make some serious noise in years to come. Liberty junior Ryan Henry goes aloft for two of his team-high 17 points. Last year's representatives from the four teams along with their coaches present a big check to the Catskill Regional Oncology Unit. We'll see a similar photo erelong as a new group carries on the noble tradition.
LOCH SHELDRAKE, NY—(The following introduction is taken verbatim from the piece I wrote two years ago and again for last year’s Third Annual Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.)
Reading it over, I decided that I still couldn’t frame this year’s story any better and so, rare as it is for me to repeat myself, let alone twice, I present this to my readers again knowing full well that many never read it, or for those who did, it is time to be afforded a reminder about the salient subject of cancer and the indomitable human spirit that continues to battle it, not to mention the place that sports has assumed in the ongoing universal endeavor to generate the resources needed to find a cure for this disease .
LOCH SHELDRAKE, NY—Nothing brings home the message of our mortality more than the dreaded diagnosis of cancer. Few people’s lives are left untouched by this modern day scourge that afflicts people young and old alike from every walk of life, striking family members and friends seemingly everywhere we turn.
And yet, even in the face of such a grim and daunting adversary, people find the will and the courage to battle back; to fight for their survival against the combined ravages of the illness and the bodily upheaval wrought by the chemotherapy and radiation most often used to combat it.
Those battles waged daily, yield countless uplifting stories of survivors who overcome the odds, as well as the heart-rending instances wherein noble souls eventually succumb.
But it is in those times when people are besieged by afflictions such as cancer, or ravaged by other disasters such as the 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami that beset Japan, that others will come forward to show their generosity to support one another in their time of greatest need.
In its unrelenting assault, cancer is a universal adversary against which the human spirit continues to apply its resolve to find a cure, and pending that, to deploy better tools for combating the disease and improving the survival rates of those beset by it. Such work is not only time-consuming. It is costly.
Since 1993, an alliance between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) has spawned a nationwide effort to marshal the resources provided by the popular sport as a fundraising tool to battle cancer.
Today, more than 2000 college and high school coaches are involved in the Coaches versus Cancer program which has raised nearly 50 million dollars to eliminate cancer as a life threatening disease.
The Local Effort
In 2010 two separate events were staged in Sullivan County to help raise money for the epic battle against this terrible affliction. In second of those initial CVC endeavors and the first one held at Sullivan County Community College, Liberty and Monticello’s boys teams went at it in the Second Annual Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic. Liberty prevailed 66-59 in that epic clash and a hefty sum of $1,060 dollars was raised by the event.
A month prior, in December 2009, Sullivan West girls basketball coach Patrick Donovan who had previously called Tri-Valley coach Andy Taggart, had made arrangements whereby the two decided that their upcoming game would be a fundraiser for the Catskill Regional Oncology Unit. Thus was born the “Pink Out” game and its mantra of “Battlin’ For A Cause.”
In that January 2011 clash at SCCC, Tri-Valley prevailed by the score of 37-20, but more importantly, the real winner was the fight against Cancer as a hearty sum was raised as the two rival communities forged a combined effort royale.
Donovan and Tri-Valley Coach John Tenbus who replaced the retiring Taggart had contacted then Liberty Athletic Director Jason Semo about adding their game and its community fundraising power to the Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic.
The result was inspiring. The 2011 event raised $3,205.41 for the Catskill Regional Oncology Unit as the throngs in the packed gym at Sullivan County Community College showed their remarkable generosity in these difficult economic times.
Fans were privy to some wonderful basketball and made aware of the promise that this year’s event would expand again.
In the 2011 CVC high school clashes, the Monticello boys held sway over Liberty by the score of 64-43, while the Tri-Valley Lady Bears dominated Sullivan West to the tune of 59-30. As it would turn out this year, the defending Tournament champions would repeat their feats of a year ago despite major changes in their casts.
On the docket this year was a junior varsity game between the Liberty and Monticello boys, won by the storming Monties 61-29, a varsity girls opener between Livingston Manor and Eldred girls in which the Lady Wildcats prevailed 48-22 behind the 18-point outpouring of Samantha Scott, and a pair of college game as the nightcap as the SCCC men’s and women’s teams took on the Borough of Manhattan Community College to add to the already thrilling girls and boys games that preceded it.
The Lady Generals prevailed 59-54 as Isis Alonso scored 17 points and pulled down 17 rebounds, while Luna Jefferson added 15 points and 13 rebounds. In the men’s nightcap, Pine Bush grad Cleanthony Early scored 21 points in the 80-50 Region XV win. Willie Williams added 18 points and 15 rebounds for the 23-2, 16-0 Region XV Generals who are ranked second in the nation.
Crowds were thinner than a year ago but the event still raised over $3,000 for the Catskill Regional Oncology Unit in the name of Cierra Boone, a young woman who lost herbrave battle against cancer last year. Her cousin Dante Agnew is a student at SCCC this year and the leading scorer on this year’s #1-ranked Generals team.
Monticello Uses A 20-2 First Quarter To Outlast Liberty
This year has seen its share of struggles for both Monticello and Liberty who came into this fray with just five and four wins respectively. Even so, both face crucial must-win league games on February 15 that could bring them sectional berths on their respective senior nights. Monticello hosts Goshen, while Liberty hosts O’Neill.
Both teams had played tough games the night prior to this year’s CVC clash and both had to use everything they had to survive for season-saving league victories. Monticello outlasted Port Jervis 47-45, while Liberty withstood a furious Sullivan West comeback bid to hold on for the 46-40 win. With Eddie Byrd’s ejection in that encounter via a pair of technical fouls, his absence would make things more trying for the Indians who dressed only eight players for the fray.
Monticello jumped out to a 20-2 lead in the first quarter getting six points apiece from Rob Riley and Sean Reuss and five from Anthony Gray that included a trey, to go along with a game-opening three from Ros Djonbalaj. A late bucket by Liberty’s D’angelo Burell avoided the shut out.
The Indians awoke with nine points in the second stanza four of which came from Joe Franke to go along with two apiece from Henry, Andrew Hersh and Taylor Vankeuren. The Monties countered with 12 of their own. A trey from Ben Kapito, four more points from Reuss, three from Riley and two from Naquan Holman gave the Panthers a 32-11 lead at the half.
Liberty continued to play hard and nearly matched the Monties’ effort in the third stanza as they scored 11 to Monticello’s 15. Henry led the way with five points in the quarter, Franke had three and Travis Beaupierre added two. Burrell provided one from the stripe.
Riley carried the load with nine after despite a scary moment wherein he went up for a dunk and got taken out by Vankeuren. The flagrant foul sent Riley to the line for extra attempts given the nature of the violation. “I thought my knee went out,” the stalwart senior would later declare. Gray had his second trey of the game.
Monticello now led 47-22 after three. Liberty erupted for 20 points in the final stanza as Henry poured in 11, Franke provided four and Marson Williams added a trey for the now 4-11 Indians. Henry had 17 points to lead the Indians, while Franke donated 11 to the cause.
Riley led the Monties with 18 with Reuss chipping in 16 including an impressive six-for-six from the stripe in the 65-42 win for the now 6-11 Monties.
Monticello Coach Chris Russo who had been shocked by his team’s poor, albeit winning effort against a diminished Port Jervis team the night before, came away from this game in a much better state of mind. “We shot the ball really well today which we haven’t done in awhile which was really good for us. We defended really well.
The game was different without Eddie in there but you’ve got to give those kids credit. They fought really hard. We had a great first quarter and it really set the tone for the rest of the game. Their kids battled. You know Mike (Salvia) does a great job with them and I’m proud that we were able to get a win. That’s two in a row as we get ready for Goshen on Wednesday. That’s a big one for us,” he noted.
Referencing the scary moment when Riley hit the deck, Russo agreed it was frightening. “Rob’s looking for a dunk and they don’t want to get dunked on. The kid just got a little bit much but fortunately Rob is all right and cooler head prevailed when all was said and done with it,” he averred.
“The event was great. It’s been great all day. The venue is awesome. Chris DePew and Kevin DeVantier and all the guys here at Sullivan do a great job and the event just gets bigger and bigger for us. Hopefully we’re raising a lot of money and I’m proud of my guys.
Salvia deflected any excuses for the loss including Byrd’s absence, fatigue etc. “We just came out flat in the first quarter. We just didn’t bring it and that was the difference in the game. They came out and made a lot of shots that we didn’t expect. They had some kids step up and hit some big time shots,” he noted.
“Our season is on the line on Wednesday versus O’Neill. Our kids understand that and if can bring the same effort we brought against Sullivan West and the latter part of this game we’ll be okay.”
Tenbus Sits His Sluggish Bears Early But Tri-Valley Goes On To Steamroll Young Sullivan West
It’s been a tempestuous week for Tri-Valley as the team suffered its first loss of the season in a home division clash to Tuxedo. The 52-46 defeat unveiled some chinks in the Lady Bears’ armor and had Tenbus looking forward to this game with Sullivan West as a place to put the machinery back in gear against the youngsters of Sullivan West.
It’s not a mystery that Coach Pat Donovan’s kids are learning the game on the fly. They have both talent and heart aplenty but they’ve got a lot to learn. Thus the 3-11 record coming in made the Lady Bulldogs a major underdog to the 12-1 Lady Bears.
Imagine the astonishment of both coaches and the throngs in the stands as Sullivan West battled the defending Class C champs nearly even in the first quarter and trailed by just two at 10-8 at the end of eight minutes.
Tenbus was fuming with his team’s clueless play as they seemed mystified by Sullivan West’s two-three zone, something they practice against constantly. Turnovers, poor execution and a spate of missed shots were part of the modus operandi, not to mention a pair of missed free throws from sophomore point guard Sabrena Smith, a less than scintillating reminder of T-V’s ongoing struggles from the stripe.
The only bright spot was junior Mareena DiMilia who scored eight of her team’s ten in the stanza. The other two points came from freshman Katlynn Greffrath. Sullivan West countered with a bucket apiece from juniors Katie Taylor and Erika Stauch to go along with ones provided by sophomores Jordan Parsons and Sydney Sipple.
Tenbus had seen enough and took his entire starting five out. “I told them they’d go back in when they were ready to play. I’d rather throw away a game than let that go on,” he would later say. His second team provided good energy and played tough defense. When Tenbus figured the message had registered he reinserted his starting quintet who came out and played like demons possessed.
The result was a 24-4 Tri-Valley second quarter barrage that limited the Dawg pups to two buckets by Taylor. With steals galore and easy transition buckets resulting from little or no pressure, T-V was in its element. DiMilia led the charge with eight more for her game-high total of 16. Sabrena Smith had seven and canned her one attempt from the line.
Greffrath, Caroline Martin, Erin Smith and Maria TerBush added a bucket apiece to the burgeoning lead as the Lady Bears took a 34-12 lead into the break.
The imbalance continued in the third quarter as Tri-Valley outscored Sullivan West 16-3 as Tenbus got his entire team into the act. Greffrath and Martin had four each and the Lady Bears got lone buckets from Sabrena Smith, Amanda TerBush, Keira McHugh and Nicole Bradley.
A bucket by Taylor and a lone free throw from Jordan Parsons were all the harried Ladies in white could manage.
The fourth quarter was more of the same as the SW learning curve continued. T-V outpaced SW 14-2. Krysten Herbert had the lone score for the now 3-12 Lady Bulldogs. To their credit, they never gave up as they wrestled in tie ups refusing to relent on yielding the rock. They dove for every loose ball and as Donovan would later note, “They play like that for 32 minutes.”
DiMilia led all scorers with 16, while Greffrath had 12 for 13-1 Tri-Valley. The Lady Bears face a tough week with a home and away pair of league games against Eldred and a visit to Fallsburg on February 16 for the Lady Comets senior night.
To preserve its current hold on the number two seed in the upcoming Class C Sectionals, the Lady Bears need to win all three games or else face the prospect of going on the road to start their title defense.
Taylor had eight of Sullivan West’s points in the 64-17 loss.
Tenbus talked about sitting his starters and how his second team came in and “gave us big minutes with a lot of energy which my first five weren’t doing to start. That’s great as far as the second group. I tried to explain to the girls that we havent’ won anything yet so this business of playing lackadaisically has to come to an end.”
Practicing non-stop against the two-three zone that Eldred will deploy, that Sullivan West uses and at times Fallsburg unveils, it was mystifying to see his starters struggle so. My pregame message tonight was to get back to playing basketball the way we play it, not the way anybody else does: run, pressure and look for the good shots. Once we got out of that funk in the beginning we were all right from then on,” he averred.
“We’re not good enough to take plays off for a whole quarter. If we that when sectionals come around that will kill us,” he concluded.
Donovan was proud of his team’s effort. “We played one of the better teams in the state and were within one point of them. They’re really good. Our girls have a lot to learn but they never quit,” he said proudly. Look for the ascension of Donovan’s troops in the years to come. What they’re suffering through now by way of growing pains in their first year of varsity experience will build a powerful foundation for the future.
Two games were all this harried writer/photographer could manage but my associate Nick Piatek shot pictures from the junior varsity game that preceded the varsity double header.
For albums of photos from both the JV and varsity games from this year’s Coaches Versus Cancer Classic, visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
Deliverance: Revelry And Rivalry Redux
Liberty Withstands A Furious Sullivan West Charge To Hold On For A Humongous Division IV Victory; Byrd Ejected Behind A Pair Of Technicals But Indians Close Ranks; Westies Whittle Liberty’s Big Double-Digit Lead Down To Two But Indians Deliver From The Stripe To Ward Off The Upset Amidst Ongoing Spirit War Between The Rouge Et Le Noir (The Red And The Black)
Liberty 46, Sullivan West 40
By RICHARD A. ROSS
Photos at: www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
Revelry and Rivalry II (clockwise) Liberty fans show their pre-game verve with a sign nixing the Sullivan West Bulldogs. Moses, or at least his look-alike-parts the Red Sea to help deliver his people out of the bondage of a season-ending defeat into the deliverance of the Promised Land of continued hopes. Sullivan West fans led by their exalted General Charlie Ciccione answer the Liberty challenge with their own spirit. Sullivan West's Matt Cardona is closely guarded by Liberty's Eddie Byrd. Byrd's ejection following his second technical set the stage for the Westies' stunning comeback rally that nearly closed the door on Liberty. E.J. Franskevicz electrifies the crowd with a trio of treys in the third quarter that helped reduce a deficit that had soared to 19 down to seven by quarter's end. Sullivan West Coach Bruce Nober and Liberty Coach Mike Salvia discuss an incident with .1 of a second remaining wherein a near fracas erupted following a rebound. Technicals were issued on both sides but no free throws were assessed, It was Byrd's first technical. He got the other in the third quarter. Liberty's Taylor Vankeuren hits crucial free throws in the game's waning minute. In the fourth quarter he iced five of seven including the dramatic final four.
LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY—And so the saga continues with another compelling chapter in the Neverending Story known as Sullivan West versus Liberty.
If anything, this February 10 rematch of the two teams that took place exactly one month to the day after the initial clash, was even more cathartic than its forerunner given all that has transpired since.
The game was replete with a changing landscape that featured a first half Liberty onslaught manifested in leads of 12-2 after one quarter and a 26-9 at the break and for an accent it offered a physical exchange following a rebound that led to a pair of technical fouls that would set the stage for Liberty’s Eddie Byrd’s ejection following a second “T” that occurred in the third quarter.
A Trinity of Hope comprised of a beauty, a beast and a super hero gather their collective force and allure in Sullivan West's Dawg Pound to help will a win for their home team.
It went on to author a furious Dawg comeback bid defined by rabid third quarter and fourth quarter heroics and finally entered the spiritual realm with the appearance of a Moses look-alike to part the Liberty Red Sea as a foreshadowing of the deliverance to victory.
The season-saving Liberty win was cemented by Taylor Vankeuren’s crucial free throws as this game trumped the earlier one in its content value, while building on the tenor of the rivalry so definitively on display in the teams’ first meeting.
That night in an atmosphere second to none, fans from the two schools summoned their collective spirit and verve to create an electrifying atmosphere that surpassed any regular game milieu this writer has seen in a decade.
That inspired the title for the story of that game which, if you have not read it, you most certainly need to reference in order to better understand the subtext of what has been built up between these teams and the schools they represent. Here’s the link; http://74.220.215.54/~sportsi2/revelry-and-rivalry/
Liberty’s ease in hammering Sullivan West 60-38 that night seemed at the moment to have propelled the Indians forward in their avowed dual purpose. It not only provided some redemption for the stultifying October overtime football loss to the Dawgs which had barred Liberty from a gridiron playoff berth, but more importantly the league win was to be a crucial step forward on the warpath towards a hoped-for Section Nine tournament powwow.
But all of that was dashed to smithereens with the discovery that Liberty had somehow overlooked the ineligibility of Yovanni Fields. When the District uncovered the fact, they exemplified their sense of fair play and forfeited all of their four wins at that juncture.
By default, Sullivan West was declared the victor of that game. Since then, the Westies which entered this fray at 11-4 (2-1 OCIAA) have been on a tear and have already punched a ticket to the Big Dance.
Quarterback re-encounter: Sullivan West's E.J. Franskevicz and Liberty's Marshon Williams meet again in the heat of battle, this time on the hardwood in lieu of the gridiron.
Meanwhile, Liberty girded itself to play out the string and hoped to make a case for an appeal to Section Nine based on a résumé of wins, particularly of the league variety.
A stultifying loss to O’Neill and a thrashing by Burke didn’t help the cause. So that made this game versus Sullivan West and the coming home fray against O’Neill do-or-die ventures thereby setting the stage for the drama that was about to ensue.
Despite its record and confirmed playoff inclusion, Sullivan West wanted this game in the worst way too. Yes, the rivalry is bigger than big and pride is always the sixth man on the court. But sectional seeding looms large too.
The Westies could ill afford to lose this game and/or the rematch with O’Neill and find themselves with a first round game against the Burke juggernaut or the Ellenville Blue Devil shredding machine.
So there you have it by way of the preliminaries.
As expected the gym soon became a sea of opposing red and black hordes. The Dawg Pound with its General Charlie Ciccione on one side and the Red Out regiment of Tribal troops on the other.
The din mounted, though this time minus the Liberty band, as the warm ups ensued and the seconds ticked down towards the much-anticipated tip off.
Ciccione, who includes in his résumé of fame, an appearance on Varsity 845 as a predictor of football playoff outcomes, voiced his confidence during the pre-game. “Sullivan West is going to win big tonight. The crowd is going to go crazy,” he proffered. As it would turn out, he was right about the crowd.
A sonorous rendition of the National Anthem by Bulldog hoopster Shawn Bailey provided a moment for thoughtful reflection. At its conclusion the gym erupted with a mighty roar as Sullivan West’s Patrick Pierce and Liberty’s Travis Beaupierre prepared to leap skyward for the tip.
Liberty won that first battle and proceeded to try and scalp the Sullivan West cavalry with a terrifying first quarter onslaught. With a bevy of rebounds Liberty fueled its speedy transition game.
Following an opening bucket by Ryan Henry, they made their trips up the floor pay dividends as Byrd added four points and Henry had another bucket. Marshon Williams was two-for-two from the stripe and aside from a lone bucket from Patrick Pierce which had tied the game at two all, the Bulldogs got zilch in the stanza as Liberty tore off a 10-0 run to close the period. It wasn’t for lack of opportunities mind you, Sullivan West just blanked on shot after shot including missed lay ups and put back attempts.
Sophomric? Not in this case as Patrick Pierce nets one of two treys in the game as he led his team with ten points. The second one was electrifying as it threatened to trigger the final push in the Dawgs' bid for a late upset win.
Liberty had established the early tenor with its 12-2 first quarter lead which did not diminish the fervor in the Dawg Pound as nothing could totally silence that group which continued to cheer and jeer.
On the opposite side of the gym the Red Sea was cresting with enthusiastic vigor. The quarter ended dramatically as a fight nearly broke out on the floor.
Following a rebound secured by Sullivan West’s Andrew Parsons, he swung around to pass the ball with his elbows out which caught Byrd who shoved back.
Other players quickly rushed forward but officials quickly separated the teams and whistled a time out with .1 of a second remaining. They conferred with Liberty Coach Mike Salvia and Sullivan West Coach Bruce Nober.
Byrd was issued a foul on the play as well as a technical. E.J Franskevicz was awarded a technical too though his role in all of this was dubious at best. With the offsetting technical fouls no free throws were awarded.
Byrd would remain on the bench for the entire second quarter thoughLiberty didn’t appear to need him at that juncture anyway. Beaupierre effected a steal and put up the first two points of the second quarter. John Masten picked off an errant pass by VanKeuren and scored as the Dawg Pound issued for a collective howl.
Henry answered with an easy backdoor cut as Sullivan West went blank on its defensive assignments. Liberty continued to rule the glass as Beaupierre in particular was ripping down rebounds and Sullivan West was not boxing out effectively.
Sullivan West had shown some life in the second quarter as they had scored seven points but the Byrd-less Indians had doubled them up with 14 of their own to mount a seemingly implacable 26-9 lead heading into the break. In that second stanza the Bulldogs got four points from Sawyer Erlwein, two from Masten and a free throw from Matt Cardona.
Liberty had been propelled by a three from Joe Franke, four points from Williams who had slashed through the lane and kissed it off the glass, both times uncontested. The Indians profited from three points from Beaupierre and two from Henry. A balanced attack had masked the absence of Byrd.
Hero of the moment: Given the absence of Eddie Byrd, other players would have to step up in the maelstrom and hit big shots. Enter King Henry (Ryan that is) to register this huge three to staunch the bleeding during the run of the charge of the Sullivan West cavalry.
Byrd returned to action as the Westies inbounded to start the third quarter. Henry gave Liberty its largest lead of the night at 28-9 with the period’s first bucket. At that moment it seemed inconceivable that Sullivan West would proceed to outscore Liberty 16-4 for the remainder of the quarter.
Here’s how that unfolded:
With about five minutes remaining Byrd went up for a shot that was blocked by Franskevicz and Cardona. Contact was clearly made but no foul was whistled.
A frustrated Byrd claimed he was hacked and said something that resulted in his second technical and ejection. The Dawg Pound erupted with a hoot and a holler.
While Liberty had effectively replaced Byrd’s absence in the second quarter, they seemed taken aback by this occurrence. For their part, Sullivan West took this as a green light to really play their “A” game and to take the momentum back.
A trio of three-pointers by Franskevicz would lead the way, along with one from Pierce which provided ammunition for the counterstrike. A bucket off a steal by Masten and two free throws from Cardona stoked the cannon as well.
Lone buckets from Franke, Williams and Henry were all the Indians could muster against the swirling Western cavalry.
When the smoke cleared at the end of the quarter, Liberty was clinging to a much-diminished 32-25 lead with all of the momentum clearly in Sullivan West’s favor as Franskevicz’s third trey provided the quarter’s final barrage.
With revitalized energy Pierce and Cardona authored a pair of blocked shots on Liberty’s first two trips up the floor. The noise was deafening. Henry hit a big three to try and stanch the bleeding. Believe me, that shot was huge to make it 38-29 with just less than five minutes to go.
Both teams were blanking on much-needed shots. Pierce lost it out of bounds on the dribble but moments later Cardona hit a jumper along the baseline to reduce it to a seven point spread again. “Let’s get a little bit rowdy. R-O-W-D-Y, chanted the Liberty throng.” It couldn’t’ get much rowdier.
Liberty was trying to milk the clock and show patience. It paid off as Beaupierre drove the baseline and scored to make it 40-31 with 2:26 remaining. With 1:48 to go Pierce drained a three to make it 40-34 amidst an atmosphere that was approximating March Madness caliber.
Liberty looked like it might need some Divine Help.
Leading the wave: Dawg Pound General Charlie Ciccione leads his rabid revelers in the wave. We haven't seen the last of this to be sure.
Enter Moses replete with flowing white mane and rod in hand to run up the stairs and part the Red Sea.
It was just another iconic moment as the costumed crowd pleaser hoped his timely appearance would deliver his besieged people out of the desert and into the Promised Land.
Henry’s pass was picked off by Erlwein and then Franskevicz’s pass was picked off in traffic. Henry was fouled from behind. Masten fouled Wiliams who missed the front end of a one-and-one.
In an epic moment Pierce came down with the rebound but Beaupierre snatched the ball right out of the sophomore’s hands.
Williams was fouled but missed another front ender of a one-and-one . The Westies trailed by six at 56.6 seconds but Cardona missed a pair of crucial free throws. Beaupierre was fouled as the Westies needed to stop the clock and get the ball back. With 54.4 to go he missed and Pierce got the rebound now with 46.6 to go.
Erlwein hit a wide open three to make it 42-40 with 17.5 seconds remaining. Williams was fouled. He missed but Beaupierre pulled down a crucial board. Liberty looked to inbound with its season on the line with 14.2 seconds to go.
Sullivan West fouled Vankeuren with 12.8. He hit the first one and the Dawgs called a time out to ice him with 12.8 to go. They hoped to get the rebound to set up a game-tying strike and send this into OT.
See no evil or no news is good news, take your pick. Liberty fans eschew watching Sullivan West players being introduced. Later as the Bulldogs roared back a couple of these newspapers resurfaced as dreading Liberty fans tried not to watch the unfolding of a dreadful headline upset.
But Vankeuren delivered on the second free throw for the 44-40 lead. Cardona fired up a trey that rimmed out. With 2.2 seconds remaining Vankeuren iced his final two free throws.
The Westies didn’t attempt to do anything with the two seconds remaining as Liberty players rushed to embrace each other in a moment they won’t soon forget.
Games invariably have their heroes and by his cool free throw shooting, Vankeuren deserved that status as he had helped to preserve Liberty’s hopes and dreams.
With great humility, he quickly deferred the glory to his teammates. “We shoot a lot of free throws in practice but it wasn’t just me. It was a total team effort. I didn’t do half of what my other teammates did tonight,” he said.
Pierce led Sullivan West 11-5 (2-2 OCIAA) with ten points. Franskevicz had nine and Erlwein had seven. The Dawgs were a dismal four-for-11 from the stripe and that 36 percent cost them the game. The Dawgs netted six treys in the game with three from Franskevicz, two from Pierce and one each from Cardona and Erlwein.
Liberty 4-10 (1-3 OCIAA) was paced by Henry who scored 13 that included that fourth quarter trey. Williams had eight and Vankeuren had seven which included five of seven from the stripe. Liberty was eight-for-17 from the line (47%).
Seeing Red..The sight denotes Tribal Pride on the one side of the gym and hostile fury on the other.
Salvia said “In the second quarter a lot of kids stepped up including Ryan Henry, Marshon Williams and Travis Beaupierre just to name a couple.
When the third quarter came around and Eddie picked up his second technical, I think their crowd got into it and that fired their team up.
We gave them some open looks with mistakes on defense. We overplayed a couple of players and that’s not how we really want to play them.
A couple of their kids stepped up and hit some big shots for them. They hit four threes in the third quarter and they got hot. We saw them do the same thing against Monticello. One of our goals coming out in this game was to control the boards, take care of the basketball and control the tempo of the game,” he noted. Clearly Liberty had the best of play on the offensive and defensive glass.
“We rebounded as a team today. Even when we didn’t get the first rebound, when the ball was tipped around we made sure to get the second one. Our kids know very well what’s at stake. We talk about it every game at practice. We’ve just got to win a couple of games here and put a good résumé together.
We’ve got a quick turnaround to play Monticello tomorrow afternoon (The Fourth Annual Coaches Versus Cancer Classic) and Eddie can’t play because of the ejection. That was a brain freeze on his part but we’ll get past it and we’ll be okay tomorrow. We’ll play some defense. Every game matters. The more wins we can put together the better our case for an appeal for a sectional berth will be,” he noted.
“Every game from here on out is a playoff game for us.” Liberty will host O’Neil on February 15 for its senior night.
Franke didn’t feel like he was demoralized by Byrd’s ejection. “I think it was more about them. E.J. was killing it tonight,” he noted. By comparison Williams acknowledged the impact. “Eddie does score a lot of points for us and a lot of people on the team aren’t used to that pressure. Some of us are fine with it but it’s harder to get good looks because he’s a better ball handler. I know if we run the plays and we know what we’re capable of when we stay within what we can do,” he concluded.
Nober didn’t mask his response to the outcome. “It’s a huge disappointment. It’s a league game on our floor. We dug ourselves a big hole. I give them credit they played good defense and they outrebounded us significantly in the first half and then when it mattered at the end. We couldn’t get anything going offensively. We had a few decent looks but we weren’t working our offense very well,” he added.
Clearly the barrage of threes got the Dawgs back in it. “We battled back and got a momentum swing in there when Byrd got his second technical. We climbed right back in it,” he added but it was clear that the Bulldogs had to expend a lot of energy to put themselves back in contention.
“We didn’t close the deal and we made a couple of key mistakes including not having our fourth guy in on that last rebound. We didn’t box out. We’re still somewhat of a young team and we’re not used to being in these kinds of adverse situations,” he added.
Asked if he felt the loss would impact his team’s seedings, Nober was quick to reply, “this was a big game for seeding. That makes the next two against Burke (senior night) and at O’Neill that much more crucial.
Nober believes that Liberty should make a case for inclusion in the sectional array. “It’s unfortunate for the whole team what happened. I hope the committee listens to them. It’s unfortunate to penalize the whole team,” he averred.
We played better during that comeback. We created some turnovers and that was fueling our transition which is always easier than trying to set up in the half court. We hit some key shots. At the end of the day you’ve got to put the ball in the basket. E.J. stepped up and hit three threes there in the third. Patrick and Sawyer did so too. They didn’t quit and I’m proud of them,” he concluded.
Revelry and rivalry are far from over when it comes to these teams and the schools they represent . I live for the next installment.
For an album of photos, visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
The Eye Of The Tigress
Tuxedo Pays Tri-Valley Back For Home Loss By Handing Lady Bears Their First Defeat Of The Season With A Victory In The Lady Bears’ Den; Hard-Fought Clash Could Well Be A Preview Of A Do-Or-Die Sectional Fray As Rivalry From Two Years Ago Is Ablaze Once Again
Tuxedo 52, Tri-Valley 46
By RICHARD A. ROSS
Photos at: www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
Seeing red (and white) Tri-Valley and Tuxedo battle in their rematch as Tuxedo pays the Lady Bears back for an earlier season home loss (Clockwise) Tuxedo Coach Dave Powers counsels his team. Tri-Valley junior Mareena DiMilia ties the score at 26 all at the end of the third quarter with this bucket and a free throw. Tri-Valley Coach John Tenbus and his team show the emotion late as they look to stage a comeback rally. Wrestlemania: Tri-Valley's Katlynn Greffratth and Tuxedo's Alexandriah Sabarese wrangle with each other for the control of the rock. T-V's Caroline Martin puts up a shot. Tri-Valley cheerleaders roll in the air in preparation for the OCIAA Cheerleading Championships. Tuxedo freshman Kayla Pinkney scores two of her game-high 18 points. Muscle men: Tri-Valley boys show off their retro warm ups on sale as part of the Coaches vs. Cancer Basketballl fundraiser.
GRAHAMSVILLE, NY– There are few things more frightening in nature than a bear roused to fury or a tornado destroying everything in its path.
It is therefore fitting that these icons of seemingly indomitable force should be the namesakes for two warring girls basketball teams vying against each other in the turbulent maelstrom of Section Nine Class C basketball.
Tri-Valley's Sabrena Smith races up the floor as she is shadowed by Tuxedo's Cori DiLisi.
To be more accurate, the ongoing battle between Tri-Valley and Tuxedo which has reignited the rivalry established in 2010 wherein the Lady Bears won both regular season games only to lose to the Lady Tornadoes in the finals, is much more suited to the metaphor of boxing.
“And in this corner, the challenger, wearing the red trunks, weighing in at 11-4 (7-1 OCIAA), the Tuxedo Lady Tornadoes.
And in this corner, the defending champion, wearing the white trunks, weighing in at 12-1 (6-1 OCIAA), the Tri-Valley Lady Bears.”
It’s enough to call forth images of Rocky running up the stairs of the Philadelphia Courthouse to the rising strains of the Survivor smash hit, “Eye of the Tiger.” (See accompanying lyrics to reinforce the relevance to the current situation).
Following Tuxedo’s impressive road 52-46 road win over previously undefeated Tri-Valley on February 9, the stage is set for a likely rematch in the Section Nine tournament, a game that would be played on the court of the team with the higher seed, not on the grand stage of the floor of Mt. St. Mary College. That arena is reserved for the final battle.
Given the punch-counterpunch history of the two teams, the loss sustained by each squad is apt to be a summoning call to greater intensity once they are battling for the right to survive and move on to the title bout against the heavyweight favorite, John A. Coleman Catholic.
But there are games yet to be played, and as such, there are no guarantees of anything at this juncture other than the fact that both of these warring factions will be in the tournament.
The lyrics from "Eye of the Tiger" speak strongly to the challenge facing these two teams in the battles that lie ahead.
Credit the Lady Tornadoes who could well adopt the name of “Road Warriors” following three wins on the road in four nights as they dispatched two league rivals in Fallsburg and Tri-Valley sandwiched around a non-league battering of rebuilding Sullivan West. Anyone who has ridden the bus to Tuxedo knows the lengthy trip is not easy. Try six rides between hither and yon in 96 hours and take that as a measure of the Lady Tornadoes’ fortitude since those sojourns were coupled with at least two high intensity games.
Coach Dave Powers felt confident that his team could deliver a roundhouse punch to Tri-Valley maintaining that the first loss followed a period of 13 days with no games. He expected his team to be better prepared this time out.
Given the sting of the 39-32 home loss to the Lady Bears and the urgency of trying to keep in the hunt for a better seed, Tuxedo marshaled its ‘A’ game and caught Tri-Valley with a powerful blow to the midsection.
They outplayed their rival in every facet of this game, but were the season to end today, Tri-Valley would enjoy the home game in a possible semifinal rematch.
All’s Not Quiet on the Western Front
Well-coached teams adapt, which is why playing them more than once can produce contrasting results. Powers is master of the X’s and O’s of the game. He knew his team had not handled the pressure of Tri-Valley’s man defense well in their first encounter so the agenda this time out was two-fold.
First, deploy a more effective defense to prevent Tri-Valley from doing what it wanted to do, namely run the floor and get easy transition buckets.
To do that, you’ve got to take care of the ball on offense, resist the pressure and get the ball into players who are in a position to make high percentage shots. On this night, that would be freshman standout Kayla Pinkney who would lead all scorers with 18 points.
Add in the foul factor. Tuxedo looked to get Tri-Valley’s biggest interior weapon Erin Smith in foul trouble early and remove her from the equation. That happened in short order forcing the senior to the bench. Nicole Bradley came in and did an admirable job in her stead but Smith’s absence was a big factor.
Secondly, given Tri-Valley’s struggles at the stripe, it would be better to put them on the line as opposed to letting them drive to the rim uncontested.
Tug of war: Tuxedo's Alex Gunderman and Alexandriah Sabarese try to wrest the ball away from Mareena DiMilia whose strength is the stuff of legend when it comes to holding the school record in the shot put. DiMilia doesn't relent and the Bears get the ball on the possession arrow.
That strategy paid off in spades as the Lady Bears shot a woeful 11-for-26 from the stripe for a dismal 42 percent. You cannot win big games with that kind of performance and T-V Coach John Tenbus knows it all too well. That issue has been an ongoing one despite the run of 12 straight wins. The Lady Bears know they’re in for relentless free throw practice in the coming days.
For Tri-Valley, it was clear that what worked down in Tuxedo was not translating well in the rematch. There were too many turnovers, too many ill-conceived shots and perhaps a bit of overconfidence. That said, they never quit and made the final few minutes enthralling as they threatened to steal this one right back out of the hands of their red-jerseyed nemesis.
Nothing is a greater tonic for a team’s gathering will and intensity than a loss and Tri-Valley had not experienced such…a few close calls yes, but always the victory at the end. For Tenbus’ young hoops mavens, this was only their third loss of their high school careers and it stung.
They’ll remember that much better than lectures.
They’re a tough group. Just watch how they hold onto the ball when opposing players try to wrest it from them. In one late sequence Mareena DiMilia fought tooth and nail to hold on as Tuxedo’s big Alexandra Gunderman and feisty Alexandriah Sabarese tried to divest her of the rock.
Can you say shot put?
DiMilia holds the school record for flinging it and she is as strong as an ox. She and her teammates will have to summon all of their physical, emotional and spiritual strength for the coming fray for Tuxedo fully intends to try and rip that Section Nine title right out of their possession.
Nobody likes losing. Tuxedo didn’t and neither did Tri-Valley. Now we’ll see which one has the Eye of the Tigress as they part ways to finish up their regular season call to arms and gird themselves for the battle to the death that appears to be looming between them.
Tuxedo's Kayla Pinkney controls the opening tip against Erin Smith.
Pinkney controlled the opening tip against Smith but it was the Lady Bears who struck first as Katlynn Greffrath converted an inbounds pass from DiMilia. Sabrena Smith got a steal from DeLisi but Caroline Martin was called for traveling. Erin Smith picked up her first foul as Pinkney drove. Tenbus felt it was an offensive foul, the officials didn’t see it that way.
Pinkney hit both from the stripe to tie it at two all. She’d net 13 of her 18 points on the night from the charity stripe.
A nifty pass from Erin Smith to Greffath gave the Lady B’s the 4-2 lead as the intensity began to rise even in this early juncture. The teams exchanged turnovers as the play was becoming more physical. The teams continued their stalemate amidst turnovers until Caroline Martin fired in a shot clock buzzer-beater to make it 6-2.
Pinkney answered with a drive into the paint. Alex Nouri hit one of two from the stripe for what would be tuxedo’s last points of the opening stanza. Allison Toscano fouled DiMilia who hit one of two from the stripe.
The Bears led 7-5 at the end of the first stanza. Both teams had five turnovers in the period. Tuxedo had its chances to tie before the period expired but couldn’t close the deal.
The Lady Bears inbounded to start the quarter but missed on its first four attempts within the first minute. Pinkney hit one of two from the stripe to close within one. Pinkney tied it up from the line at 6:06. Bradley and Allison Toscano exchanged baskets as the lead shifted to Tri-Valley and back to Tuxedo.
Soon the score hovered at 9-9 with battles ranging at both ends of the floor. Powers subbed players in and out exploiting his team’s greater depth. DiMilia broke the deadlock with a put back. With both teams over the bonus, they took turns marching to the free throw line. “Weave,” implored Powers. “Don’t try to drive the ball in traffic,” he admonished.
Pinkney was back at the line and with her two made free throws the Lady T’s took a 13-11 lead. DiMilia tied it up but a trey from Alexandriah Sabarese made it 16-13 with 1:06 remaining. Murphy hit two from the stripe. Sarah Schneyer blanked on a pair from the stripe and Tuxedo took the 18-13 lead into halftime.
Regaled in their throwback warm ups, Tri-Valley boys had been a great cheering presence during the first half. Now they mugged for a muscle shot just after the Lady Bears cheerleaders unveiled the routine they’ll deploy at the OCIAA Cheerleading Championships at Kingston High School on February 18.
My apologies to the Lady Bears for not taking the kind of shots I’m noted for. I had switched lens but not settings and blew it. I’ll make amends at Kingston..I promise.
Tuxedo's Erin Murphy scores two of her nine points as Keira McHugh closely defends her.
Tuxedo inbounded to start the second half and scored the first bucket for the 20-13 lead. From this juncture though, Tri-Valley would outscore Tuxedo 13-6 to knot the score at 26-all heading into the fourth quarter. It began with a bucket from Greffrath. DiMilia showed her aggression as she jumped in for a loose ball, put it in the cylinder and was fouled. By night’s end she’d lead the Lady Bears with 12 points.
Tri-Valley now trailed 22-19 but Murphy made it a five point game. Sabrena Smith put back a DiMilia miss with 4:59 to go. Erin Smith cut it to one as she scored off the inbounds pass and shortly thereafter Martin gave the Bears the lead at 25-24 with 2:56 to go. Tension rose as DiMilia got a steal, turned it over and Gunderman travelled.
Sabrena lurched to the floor for a steal but it rolled out of bounds. Tuxedo regained the lead with 1:15 to go. Two key T-V travelling calls stymied the chance to tie but DiMilia got the lay up on the left wing and tied it with a free throw with 29 seconds to go.
Tenbus and Powers huddled with their troops and counseled them for the final stanza.
Tri-Valley inbounded but began with another travel, this one by Sabrena Smith. Cori DeLisi converted a quick run out to a layup but missed the free throw. DiLisi went wire-to-wire again for the four point lead. Sabrena Smith hit one of two to make it 30-27. A trey from a wide-open Pinkney was not making Tenbus a happy camper as the lead swelled to 33-27.
Fans decried what they averred were moving picks and missed calls. T-V picked up two points from the line but Tuxedo scored again. DiMilia cut the lead down to 35-31 with 5:12 and a Tuxedo turnover had the Bears fan in a tizzy.
Martin hit one of two from the stripe to make it 35-32. Now it was Greffrath to the line via a foul from DeLisi but missed the front end of a one and one. Gunderman scored in the paint and was fouled with 3:38 and the Lady T’s led by six again.
Katlynn Greffrath fires up a three that would have cut the lead in half in the late going. It rimmed out instead.
Greffrath tried to halve that with a trey but missed. Erin Smith stood in an took the charge which turned out to be DeLisi’s fifth foul. Toscano came in for her with 3:10 to go. Erin Smith dove for a loose ball and Tenbus screamed for a time out which was not heard. The possession arrow was in Tuxedo’s favor.
A wide open Murphy scored at the other end of the floor after blanking on her initial lay up. The Lady Bears now trailed by eight with 2:42 remaining. The Bears needed the free throw line as an ally. DiMilia missed one but Erin Smith put it back to make it 40-35 with only two seconds coming off the clock in the sequence. She added a free throw and the lead was down to four.
Martin fouled Alex Nouri who made one of two. Sabrena Smith was fouled by Toscano but only made one of two again. Now it was 40-37 with 2:02. Tuxedo would go on to make four consecutive free throws and trailed by seven.
Pinkney hit two more from the stripe to make it 46-37. Pinkney was fouled intentionally and hit two more to make it 48-37. Sabrena Smith hit a trey. Gunderman hit one of two from the line to make it 49-40.
Martin hit two more from the stripe to make it 49-42 and the Lady Bears scored again. Caroline Martin scored off a set play as she positioned herself alone up the floor to make it 50-46 with 12.2 seconds. They let five seconds go off the clock before fouling Pinkney with 7.5 seconds to go. Murphy iced the deal with a pair of free throws as the Lady Tornadoes savored the 52-46 victory.
Powers agreed that this was exactly the kind of game both teams needed to tune up for the sectional tournament. “I thought we started to execute our game plan well defensively. We forced them into some things I don’t think they wanted to do. Offensively I thought we were running some stuff but struggling early. We just could not find the basket. Once we started to settle in I thought we did some good things,” he posited.
“Down the stretch I thought we made some key baskets. Alex Nouri hit a big one and Gunderman hit a big one, “ he noted adding props for DeLisi’s fire. Asked about the sectional seeding, Powers offered this: “The wild card in this is Fallsburg. They host Tri-Valley next Thursday and plays us at our place at the end of the year. If one of loses to Fallsburg it could make a difference. I’d rather be playing in my home gym than here,” he noted.
"Feeling strong now..won't be long now..I'm gonna fly..fly..fly!
“We have league games with Florida and Fallsburg and a good test in a non-league game with Burke Catholic,” Powers added. “We wanted that at the end of the year to get both of our teams ready for sectionals,” he concluded.
Tenbus said, “They were the better team tonight in every aspect. They beat us to loose balls. They were the first ones on the floor. They made rebounds and got second shots. It happens. Hats off to them.
They’re a good team and I anticipate seeing them again.” Tenbus realizes his team needs to win all three remaining league games to lock up the home court advantage that would come with the #2 seeding. That includes a game at Fallsburg and a home and away versus Eldred.
“That’s been our focus, to get that two seed and have home games here. We were out of synch tonight, definitely rattled,” he noted. As to Erin Smith’s foul troubles, Tenbus commended Bradley’s play. “She rebounded well and is not going to let them take it away from her, but Erin is my best big as far as looking to score. It takes away an option. Foul trouble will kill us. It’s hurt us all year.
“They went one-three-one on us a lot tonight. Last time it was three two, two-three and even some box and one,” he noted referencing Tuxedo’s defensive array. We’ve seen it, but not in awhile. It caught us a little off guard but it will better prepare us for the games down the stretch,” he added.
“A lot of the girls were really upset. I told them, it’s good to care so much that you lost but there’s no reason to shed the tears at 12-1. Most teams would die to have that record. These girls have lost only three games during their high school careers. It’s a stumbling block. It hurts. But we’ve got to move on. We’ve got another game on Saturday (vs. Sullivan West in 4th Annual Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic) and three games next week.
We’ve got to play better and move on. We’re never going to stop playing. We’ll fight tooth and nail down to the end like we did tonight. We came up a few time outs a few points short but the way we battled back showed how much pride we have. Close games are always good because that’s what they’re going to be down the stretch.”
As I entered the darkness of the night after exiting the gym, I heard that reprise echoing in my head one last time, “It’s the eye of the tiger….”
For an album of photos, visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
The Winning Formula
Seward Brings Its ‘A’ Game To Thwart Fallsburg’s Bid For A Share Of The Division V Lead; Spartans Override Comets’ Determination, Wealth Of Talent And Home Crowd Fervor To Marshal Their Best Effort Of The Season; Performance Should Quiet Doubters Who’ve Claimed That The Best Of The Orange Crush Exited Last June
S.S. Seward 59, Fallsburg 53
By RICHARD A. ROSS
Photos at: www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
And so the battle is engaged again...Fallsburg vs. S.S. Seward for Division V dominance (clockwise) Seward players gather with Coach Rob Gravelle and his assistant Sal Mineo while Fallsburg players amass around Coach Pete Dworetsky during time outs as each team seeks to will its way to a key Division V win and improve its seeding in the coming sectionals. Fallsburg senior Russell Corley electrifies the crowd with this score. He netted 14 on the night including some amazingly athletic drives to the rim amidst a horde of defenders. Fallsburg senior Michael Robinson, a player that Seward Coach Rob Gravelle references as the best small school center in Section Nine, goes up and scores over Seward junior Kevin Smith. Seward senior Anthony Bailey rises over Fallsburg's Dustin Foertsch for two of his game-high 22 points that included a pair of treys. Speaking of treys, Seward had nine of them.
FALLSBURG, NY—You could feel the storm approaching on the high ‘C’s as Division V rivals Fallsburg and S.S. Seward got set to write the next chapter in what has become over the past two years, a riveting hardwood novella.
Indeed, this February 8 battle was to be fought not just for the division lead, but for the sake of the all-important seeding hierarchy in the coming Section Nine tournament. In addition, each team sought to make a statement to the other and to the Section Nine world at large about its viability.
Fallsburg was looking for redemption against its staunchest rival for three consecutive losses dating back to last year including a season-ending semifinal defeat and an OT loss this January; Seward had a chip on its shoulder to prove to the local hoops world that they pose a serious threat despite the graduation of its former All-Stars.
Falllsburg senior Braiden DeGraw fires in two of his 14 points on the night.
In the turbulent world of competitive basketball there is always a confluence of past, present and future when it comes to rival teams. While the only thing that matters is the here and now when such teams take to the floor in critical games, what went before and what may happen hence are also in the ethers.
A year ago Fallsburg staged an impressive 55-51 home win over Seward in December 2010, throwing down the gauntlet to challenge the Spartans for Division V come-uppance. Seward took that loss to heart and proceeded to demolish teams in its wake including Fallsburg in a 64-34 rematch on its way to a 16-2 regular season. They shared the Division V crown but that would be the Comets’ sole moral victory.
To punctuate its message, the number-one seeded Spartans beat the Comets 66-51 in the semifinals before losing a 46-45 heartbreaker to Pine Plains in the Class C final.
In June a bevy of Seward talent graduated including standouts Scott Glowaczewski and David Oliver, while Fallsburg licked its wounds and looked forward to returning its entire cast this season.
The two teams met in Florida on January 4 and battled to 52-all deadlock by the end of regulation. Seward dominated the OT and garnered the 59-52 win. Coming into this fray, that was Fallsburg’s sole Division V loss and they now looked to grab a share of the division lead with a home win.
Making Amends: Seward senior Shawn Howell had to sit in the first half after committing a pair of what his coach referred to as "silly fouls." Coach Gravelle told Howell at the half, "you owe your team," to which he replied, "yes I do." He answered the call in the second half. with six points in the third quarter. Here he goes over Michael Robinson for two of them.
Both teams were already sectional-bound before this encounter, but garnering a higher seed was part of the agenda. With coaches and players from the undefeated Pine Plains Bombers looking on, as well as those from rival Tri-Valley which plays the Comets next week in another crucial seeding battle, the Comets and Spartans began their warms ups amidst the fanfare of blasting music and zealous crowd noise in an atmosphere that felt like the playoffs had already arrived.
Seward’s only losses to date were to O’Neill, Warwick and Goshen. At 10-3 (5-0 OCIAA), they looked calm and confident. Fallsburg at 10-4 (6-1 OCIAA) looked to shake off a disconcerting recent loss to Class D Livingston Manor by squeezing Seward into orange juice for a delicious and thirst-quenching quaff of victory.
But by night’s end, in place of that, they ended their night with the bitter after taste of defeat as the Clockwork Orange put on a show of synchronicity and impeccable execution that authored a 59-53 Seward win.
All games matter in the abbreviated 18 game regular season. But the cathartic crucible of struggles like this dwarf others by virtue of their magnitude.
For the young men from both teams who took to the floor this was to be a test of mettle, will and skill, a measuring stick of where each one stands now as the Big Dance looms closer.
When talented teams clash, the one that executes more efficiently, keeps its cohesive composure, gets big efforts from players up and down the lineup and overcomes the other teams’ runs will be crowned the victor.
Seward fit that description and would show it from the outset.
Diminiutive Mekayla Pernesvi’s sonorous rendition of the National Anthem elicited the last piece of pre-game fervor as Fallsburg’s Michael Robinson and Seward’s Shawn Howell got set for the tip.
Fallsburg cheerleader Kali Seastrand goes aloft for an entrancing basket catch. Fallsburg finished sixth at Pine Bush in the cheerleading competition facing schools much larger than they were. They'll vie at the OCIAA championships at Kingston High School on February 18.
Seward controlled the tip but a quick travelling call put the ball in the Comets’ hands but they failed to convert. Howell missed but senior Anthony Bailey was fouled on the put back attempt. He canned both for the 2-0 lead, the opening salvo of his eventual game-high 22 points that would include two of Seward’s nine treys. Bailey would register 10-of-13 from the line for an impressive 77% by night’s end.
The hallmark of Seward’s December 2010 loss to Fallsburg had been its inability to take care of the basketball. On this night they sought to not provide the Comets’ quick guards like Rakkir Watson and Russell Corley with easy lay ups via thefts.
But Michael Robinson put an early crimp in that agenda with a steal and a bucket to tie it. Robinson missed the free throw and the Comets blanked on the put back but soon took the lead at 4-2. Seward junior point guard Kevin Smith showed his quick hands with a steal and was fouled by Watson. Corley got a steal and scored for the 6-2 lead with 4:57. The squads exchanged turnovers before Howell picked up his second foul. You could hear the report as Seward Coach Rob Gravelle slammed his diagram board down on the bleachers. Howell would have to come out and Gravelle wasn’t a happy camper.
Now going to its smaller lineup, Seward would get a lift as Jake Kinley marshaled a steal and dished it across the lane to Isaac Rodriguez. Kinley fractured his wrist in a soccer game in September and was in a cast for 16 weeks. He missed the first six games of the season and returned just in time to play in the first fray with the Comets on January 4.
His ascendance in the Seward constellation of rising stars was one of many things Gravelle would extol after the game. “His getting healthy has been huge. He really played like he can play tonight,” he would aver. He was referencing
Seward applied full court pressure and Fallsburg would soon make three errant trips beginning with a ball thrown away by senior Jimmy Bertholf. Fallsburg turned it over on its next possession too. A three by Bailey gave Seward its first lead as they now led 7-6 at 3:38. Another Fallsburg travel made for the erroneous trifecta.
Corley slid his way in and around Seward defenders to regain the lead at 8-6 before Kinley stood in an took the first of two charges against Robinson to the delight of Gravelle.
Seward sophomore Jake Kinley broke his wrist in soccer in September and was in a cast for 16 weeks. He missed the first six games of the season but returned on January 4 to fact the Comets. Here he fires in one of two treys. "His return is huge for us," says Coach Rob Gravelle.
“To see him and take charges from what I think is the best small school center in Section Nine says a lot. Michael Robinson’s got game,” declared Gravelle in his post game commentary. “I thought that was the turning point of the game,” he averred.
Fallsburg led 8-7 with 2:48 to go as Robinson authoritatively blocked a shot by Rodriguez. The teams were soon knotted at ten apiece as Watson put back a Robinson miss. Stunning as it may seem, that would be it for the talented guard in terms of his scoring in the game. Watson’s shots would just not find their way through the rim again.
Seward got a pair of threes from junior Tom Sanchez to cement the 16-10 lead by the end of the quarter. Gravelle wouldn’t leave him out in his post game honorarium, “He’s embraced his role in the last month and become a big piece for us,” he’d declare.
Robinson and Corley each had four points in the opening frame. Seward had marshaled twelve of its 16 points from beyond the arc. Bailey and Smith had a trey apiece to dovetail with the two from Sanchez.
Braiden DeGraw hit two free throws to start the second quarter. Watson rode the bench with two fouls as Fallsburg’s Jarrett Madison came in to run the point. Smith stole the ball from Madison and scored as Seward pulled out to a nine point lead at 21-12. DeGraw added two for the Comets. He’d net six of his eventual 14 points in the second stanza.
Seward junior John Sgonbick went baseline and scored two for the Spartans. Robinson incurred his second offensive foul as he looked clearly frustrated. Following a travelling call by Bertholf, he incurred a technical foul for disputing the call to an official.
Bailey hit both as the Spartans now led 25-17. Watson had returned and authored a great pass across the lane to DeGraw to cut the deficit to six. Bailey dished it to Smith for two. Fallsburg’s Sam Didinsky missed a shot and was whistled for slapping the arm of a defender from behind. Both teams were over the limit but Smith missed the front of a one-and-one.
Fallsburg’s Daniel Justiniano offset three straight Fallsburg put back attempts with a floater from the wing to make it 27-21. Seward slowed it down with under a minute to go. Bailey was fouled and hit both. Corley was next up at the line and hit two. Seward led 29-23 at the half. Both teams had scored 13 apiece in the period in which Kinley had knocked down a three pointer.
Smith had four points in the period as did Bailey.
Fallsburg inbounded to start the second half. Robinson posted up for two to cut the margin to four but sustained a cut that caused a brief hiatus in the game. DeGraw made it a two point game but Bailey answered with a trey. Corley put on a mind-bending move to score through the paint as Fallsburg trailed 32-29 with 5:33. Rodriguez dished to Howell in the paint as Seward continued to rebuff every Fallsburg run.
Three offensive rebounds finally netted a bucket for Howell who was making amends for what Gravelle referenced as “Two silly fouls. I told him at the half that he owed his team and he said yes I do Coach. That’s what I love about these guys, their accountability. No pouting..he just came out and played like a man,” he declared.
Seward’s 36-29 lead was diminished by a trey from DeGraw at 4:22. Howell put back a miss by Smith for his sixth point of the quarter to extend the lead to 38-32. Corley electrified the crowd with another dance in the lane.
Michael Robinson rejects a shot put up by Seward senior Isaac Rodriguez.
Smith nailed a trey for the Spartan’s eighth long range missile of the night. Fallsburg trailed by seven and needed a stop. They got it and Dustin Foertsch scored. But Seward responded with yet another trey as Kinley hit his second from downtown. Fallsburg looked frustrated as the Spartans now led 44-36.
Seward outscored Fallsburg 4-2 for the 48-38 lead at the end of the stanza. Seward outpaced Fallsburg 19-15 in the third quarter.
As the fourth quarter got underway it appeared that Seward was heading for a win by a big margin as they built a 15 point lead. The quarter began with a great block of a Howell shot by Robinson who then scored.
With a minute gone by, the Comets trailed by eight..then ten..then eight again before Sgonbick hit the Spartans’ final trey of the night to make it 53-42. Fallsburg was in desperate need of some stops and greater efficiency on the offensive end of the floor.
A turnover by Watson was not what they needed, nor was fouling Bailey who proceeded to can two. He’d make four of seven from the stripe in the stanza. The Spartans led by 13 at 5:04, their biggest lead of the night, a bulge that would widen to 15 as Rodriguez marshaled a steal and a lay up.
Corley scored in the paint but Seward worked the clock. Bailey picked up his first foul on an offensive incursion. Watson’s three rimmed out. Robinson rose up in the paint to make it 57-46 with 1:35. Foertsch cut it further at 57-48 with 58 seconds remaining.
DeGraw mugged Smith to stop the clock as Fallsburg had fouls to give. A trey by DeGraw made it 57-51. Bailey hit one of two from the stripe. Seward picked up another point from the charity stripe. A miss of a trey by Corley was a dagger for the Comets as that would have cut the Spartans’ lead to five.
Fallsburg had outscored Seward 15-11 in the final stanza but it wasn’t enough despite Robinson’s six in the quarter, Corley’s four, a DeGraw trey and two points from Foertsch.
The Comets fell to 10-5 (6-2 OCIAA), while Seward improved to 11-3 (6-0 OCIAA).
Bailey led all scorers with 22 points. Smith had ten. The Spartans were 12/17 from the stripe for 70.5%.
Robinson led the Comets with 15. Corley and DeGraw had 14 apiece.
Prowess at the point: Seward benefits from the steady leadership of junior Kevin Smith at the point guard position. Here he dribbles as Fallsburg's Sam Didinsky looks to keep tabs on him.
Bailey who remembers well last year’s encounters with Fallsburg as well as this year’s said, “This was huge. It gives us a better chance in the playoffs. We got a better seeding and it feels good to win against a division rival. We work very well together. We’re friends outside of basketball,” he noted.
Gravelle was elated by the victory and agreed with this writer’s assertion that this was a total team effort. “We said right before the game that it’s not about any one of us. It’s about all of us and that’s the way we played tonight. I had a lot of kids grow up tonight and really become great varsity basketball players,” he averred.
Gravelle eschewed the idea that last year’s loss on this floor had any residue with this year’s team. “We graduated all of those players. This year’s team has had a chip on its shoulder all year long to prove the section and everybody else wrong who said we graduated our best players. We still have players,” he declared.
“These kids were so calm in school today, on the ride and when we got here and I had big hopes.” Asked about the team’s chemistry which appeared seamless, Gravelle was quick to point out, “It hasn’t always been that way. We’ve had games where we played like we did tonight and others nothing like this. Every game is close. It doesn’t matter who we play. There’s nothing accomplished yet and we know that and that’s what I’m going to preach when I get in that locker room,” he vowed.
After all, with Pine Plains in the stands, the remainder of the challenge ahead was impossible to avoid. “We know where they stand and the air up there is mighty thin. They’re phenomenal and that’s not coach speak. It will take somebody’s man-size effort to beat them. They beat my team last year and I felt like my team was very good. They are legit,” he concluded.
Seward has remaining division games against Tuxedo, Tri-Valley, Eldred and Chester.
Fallsburg Coach Pete Dworetsky summed things up this way. “I thought our attitude and effort were right tonight. We worked hard but we had a couple of problems as far as assignments go. Anytime they got an open shot they hit it and that was the difference in the game,” he offered.
“They brought their ‘A’ game tonight and it seemed like every time we’d make a run they’d come down the floor and hit a three. It kind of killed our momentum. Sometimes we didn’t do a good enough job moving the ball at the offensive end for the best possible shot. At times we needed to make the extra pass. We’d kick it out and then have a better position inside but instead we’d try taking it in from the top ourselves.”
He reiterated that he was happy with the effort and the fact that the team stayed together. “We still have the sectional tournament,” he noted but turned his immediate concerns to a road game at Tri-Valley. “It’s tough on the road,” he noted recalling his team’s recent defeat against Livingston Manor. “They’re a quality team and they’ll do well in Class D but we didn’t execute well enough.
He concluded by noting, “We were down by 15 in the fourth quarter tonight and we battled back to within six. If Russell made that three we’ve got ourselves a ball game,” he noted.
The gym was quiet by the time this writer left but the real noise and the hoopla of Class C boys basketball is coming and both of these teams will be integral parts of that tableau.
For an album of photos, visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
In Search Of Oz
Tuxedo Overcomes Fallsburg’s Fiery Start To Down Lady Comets In A Division V Clash As Both Teams Look To Travel Far Down The Yellow Brick Road TowardsThe Coming Section Nine Class C Tournament; Lady Tornadoes’ Pressure And Depth Take Their Heavy Toll In Second And Third Quarters
Tuxedo 65, Fallsburg 54
By RICHARD A. ROSS
Photos at: www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com
Scenes from the clash between Fallsburg and Tuxedo (clockwise) Fallsburg's Kelsey Moody scores two of her 17 points. Tuxedo forward Alex Gunderman dwarves Fallsburg's Celia Garcia. Twice during the night she simply wrested the ball away from an unwitting Lady Comet. Tuxedo's Alex Nouri scores over Fallsburg's Kelsey Moody. Celia Garcia navigates her way through traffic. Tuxedo's Kayla Pinkey looks to pass as Shanice Mack guards her. Pinkney had 11 points in the game. Fallsburg's Samantha Rivera cans a shot in the early going. Fallsburg's Sheryl Pinder looks to drive on Tuxedo's Allison Toscano. Pinder had a game-high 19 points.
FALLSBURG, NY—There they were, the Lady Comets of Fallsburg skipping merrily along in the first quarter, prancing down The Yellow Brick Road on their way to the wonderful Land of Oz, happily pondering a wizard of a win over daunting Tuxedo, when all of a sudden they encountered a severe change of weather.
One moment Fallsburg was up 17-8 and then, in what seemed like a mere instant, they were upended, turning the ball over with startling regularity, failing to get the ball inbounds and missing lay ups and taking low percentage shots.
In the eye of the storm: Tuxedo Coach Dave Powers implores his team to swirl into action after a first quarter miasma. Powers is also at the center of the maelstrom about the question of whether private schools should be included in public school tournaments. His recent narrative calls for a balanced array of teams in the section. That balance as he sees it is currently tilted heavily in favor of private schools with their ability to draw players from a wider geographic area.
Swirled into action by the stormy words of their Coach Dave Powers, the Lady Tornadoes Twister Sisters had descended on Fallsburg with devastating force and pressure and with that updraft they succeeded in cutting a swath through Fallsburg’s previously calm territory.
Shaking off a lethargic start that Powers attributed to perhaps taking talented Fallsburg a bit too lightly, Tuxedo used an aggressive attack on offense and great pressure and quick reflexes on defense, thereby showing why the red storm is a serious threat in the coming Class C tournament.
The details of the climate change that unfolded on the Fallsburg floor are intriguing not just in terms of understanding the dynamics of this game, but also as a means to better fathom what may lie ahead for both squads as they seek to find a way over the rainbow towards a hoped-for Section Nine happy ending.
Truth be told, that journey is a virtual minefield, far more treacherous than the witches, talking trees and flying monkeys of the iconic story from which this piece is freely borrowing its metaphoric color.
It’s going to take more than a wave of Glinda’s magic wand and a pair of red slippers to carry a local team home to victory this season. Much more than it took Tuxedo to win in 2010 or Tri-Valley to sail aloft to glory a year ago.
Face it, considering the likes of John A. Coleman Catholic waiting at the end of the Class C yellow brick road, teams like Tuxedo, Tri-Valley, Fallsburg and Millbrook have to look at the geography and mutter, “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.” They’re right. For it will surely take more than a splash of basketball prowess to cause Coleman to melt away.
"You don't tug on Superman's cape; You don't spit into the wind.. You don't pull the mask off the old Lone Ranger and you don't mess around with Pin." Sheryl Pinder that is by leaving her this open for three pointers. Lines borrowed fro the Jim Croce Song "You Don't Mess Around With Jim."
The subject of whether private schools like John A. Coleman Catholic, John S. Burke Catholic, Chapel Field and Family School belong in public school tournaments like the Section Nine championships or the NYSPHSAA quests for glory is an ongoing conundrum.
Powers recently penned a plea for balance on the Basketball Coaches Association of NY website arguing convincingly that the privates enjoy an unfair advantage and calling for a re-examination of the issue. Powers references the way it’s handled in places like Section Six which has barred privates from its tourney, or the State of New Jersey which offers an alternative track for privates in tournament play.
Hailing from NYC where schools like Burke and Coleman play in the CHSAA (Catholic High School Athletic Association) or non-religious privates play in the IASAA (Independent Schools Athletic Association) both of which propel their winners to the Federation Championships and not the NYSPHSAA games, I have my own take on the matter.
Those sentiments have been made stronger yet by my annual attendance at the NYSPHSA Boys Basketball Championships at Glens Falls. Nowadays, privates and Charter Schools are prevalent there and often successful, calling into question the tournament’s very name itself..New York State PUBLIC High School Athletic Association Championships.
I could hold forth on this in greater detail and I will at some point in the future, understanding full well that I’m taking myself out of the safety zone of journalistic neutrality into the fire zone of controversy. Let the chips fall where they may. I make my livelihood as a photographer, not as a writer and unlike newspapers who have to safeguard their readership, I am free from such concerns or constraints.
Tornadoes' driving force: Alex Gunderman. She scored a team-high 16 points and marshaled four steals.
No doubt, the looming presence of Coleman is very much on the mind of Powers this year, now that his team is back in Class C from its one-year hiatus up in Class B and Coleman has been moved up to Class C by Section Nine.
Powers hopes to avoid the Lady Statesmen in the opening round by securing a high enough seed that will put his tean on the opposite side of the bracket. Undefeated Tri-Valley has the same idea in mind and when the two teams meet for their rematch slated for Grahamsville on February 9, they may well be still jockeying for the number two seed though T-V holds the edge with a better overall record and a win in hand over Tuxedo.
Two or three, it probably doesn’t matter. They’re apt to play each other first and only the winner will have to try and legislate a win over the Lady Statesmen. Fallsburg may not have that luxury.
Our story now returns to the present. Tuxedo came in with an 8-4 record and 5-1 in league play. Add another to both win columns with this victory. The Tornadoes already had a sectional berth clinched by dint of its league mark. Its losses were to Class AA Warwick and Middletown, a home league defeat to Tri-Valley and a surprising shortfall against Livingston Manor. A big win over Chester kept their league loss total to one and assured an early avoidance of Coleman.
At 9-5 prior to this loss, the Lady Comets also had already punched their ticket to the dance though. This loss made them 9-6 (3-5 OCIAA). As a likely #4 or #5 seed in the coming tourney, they could be up against Millbrook perhaps. Time will tell.
Fallsburg’s Shanice Mack controlled the opening tip versus Tuxedo’s Kayla Pinkney but the Comets proceeded to turn the ball over. Pinkney drew first blood with a shot from the wing but Pinder answered with two treys to author a 6-2 lead. Tuxedo countered with a basket by Alex Nouri. The Tornadoes began with a three-two zone defense which morphed to a box and one to better shield against Pinder on the perimenter.
Shanice Mack rises up for two of her ten points in the game.
A bucket by Fallsburg’s Samantha Rivera made it 8-4. The Comets would evince some of their best basketball as they put good pressure on the ball to run off a 9-4 run to close out the quarter. A dicey pass from Pinder to Mack across the lane would make it 16-6 enroute to the 17-8 Comets’ lead at the end of the frame.
Pinder accounted for eight of those points in the opening period. Mack had four, Rivera had two and Celia Garcia had three. Tuxedo got lone baskets from Alex Gunderman, Alex Nouri, Gabbe Nouri and Kayla Pinkney.
Late in the first quarter Powers platooned his team by pulling all five starters and sending in a second unit. He was looking for a spark and a chance to provide some rest for his squad which would have to make three long trips in four days including a next-night’s jaunt to Sullivan West and a trip to Tri-Valley two days after.
Fallsburg with its thin bench mostly populated with vastly inexperienced players had no such luxury. The disparity in depth would manifest itself strongly in the third quarter.
Tuxedo amassed four fouls in the quarter, while Fallsburg committed none. That was part of Powers’ time-out concerns as he implored his team to take a much more aggressive stance for the coming second quarter.
Coming out in full court pressure exposed Fallsburg’s Achille’s heal. Having turned the ball over only thre times in the opening quarter to Tuxedo’s five, the polarity was about to shift radically. In the second quarter, Tuxedo outscored Fallsburg 18-8 to marshal a 26-all tie at the break.
Tuxedo inbounded to start the second quarter as Pinder fouled Gunderman who canned the first two Tuxedo free throws. Allison Toscano scored and drew a foul from Moody as she hit one from the stripe. Fallsburg’s lead was melting quickly.
Two early Fallsburg turnovers were made worse by a failure to execute offensive sets. Trying to drive through traffic and forcing up shots doesn’t get it done. Fallsburg couldn’t get the inbounds pass, a preview of a repetitive fault line that Tuxedo proceeded to exploit as the Comets committed three consecutive turnovers sandwiched around a missed lay up.
Pinder picked up her second foul trying to navigate yet another nearly muffed inbounds pass. With 5:30 to go Pinkney gave Tuxedo its first lead but Pinder got it right back as the Lady Comets led 19-18. Fallsburg was deploying a full court press against Tuxedo but Powers’ well-schooled team passed easily over the top affording them numbers at the other end. Only rarely did the press succeed in disrupting Tuxedo’s flow.
Tuxedo's Kayla Pinkey fires in the first two points of the game. She ended up with 11 on the night.
Pinder made it through traffic to score for the 21-18 lead but Tuxedo would close the quarter with an 8-5 advantage to knot the game at 26-apiece by halftime. An unnecessary foul by Mack with five seconds left allowed Gunderman to score the tying points. In that second quarter Fallsburg committed11 turnovers to Tuxedo’s four.
The Comets’ nine points in the stanza came via four from Pinder, two from Kelsey Moody and three of four free throws from Garcia. Ten of Tuxedo’s 18 in the frame came Gunderman. That included six-of-eight from the line. Allison Toscano scored three points in the quarter, while Pinkney and Erin Murphy had two points apiece. Alex Nouri added one from the stripe.
The tie was short lived as the third quarter got underway. Tuxedo morphed again into a one-three-one defense constantly giving Fallsburg different looks.
Gunderman gave Tuxedo the lead. Tuxedo continued to press Fallsburg from the inbounds line which forced yet another turnover. Mack hit one from the corner to help the Comets pull within one and a give and go from Garcia to Moody put Fallsburg briefly back on top 30-29 at the early juncture. But from here on out havoc was the word as Tuxedo authored a 19-3 run to close the quarter up 48-33. Tuxedo had outscored Fallsburg 22-7 in the lethal third stanza. Fallsburg had committed another six turnovers to Tuxedo’s two.
In that third quarter, five of Fallsburg’s seven points came from Moody and two came from Mack. Tuxedo got six from Pinkney, five from Alexandria Sabarese, three from Murphy, two from Alex Nouri, Gunderman, and Cori DiLisi.
Part of Tuxedo’s scoring landslide featured back door cutters who slashed to easy buckets with no weak side help. Missed passes led to steals and layups including one from Murphy. A trey from Pinkney widened the gap to eight at 38-30. Fatique caused Fallsburg to close late and commit fouls sending Tuxedo to the line for eight attempts in the quarter, of which they only made four. Pinkney, to her credit canned three-of-four. By night’s end Tuxedo was 13-for-23, a rather lackluster 56% from the stripe.
Fallsburg would net 14-of-22 for a better showing at 63.6% by night’s end.
Fallsburg regained its initiative in the fourth quarter as it scored 22 though it was Toscano who got the first bucket. Moody answered back as the Comets trailed 50-35. That lead would soon diminish and get as narrow as seven when Fallsburg committed a backcourt violation off an inbounds pass that would provide the final dagger. The unfortunate play was a product of inexperience with the wrong player taking the ball of the inbounds pass.
Dorothy dreams of traveling "Over the Rainbow." No doubt, Tuxedo and Fallsburg dream of doing the same by reaching the nirvana of a Section Nine title. Though many believe that is impossible with the likes of Coleman waiting, the mantra is in the song, "If birds fly over the rainbow, why then oh why can't I?"
Technical fouls were assessed against both teams causing a momentary lull in the action while players went to the line. Fallsburg ended the sequence by inbounding the ball trailing 59-44 with 3:14 to go. A Garcia steal and bucket, and a Pinder to Moody assist made it 59-50 with 2:25 to go. Fallsburg needed a stop but Sabarese got an easy lay up to make it 61-50. Moody made two from the stripe to make it 61-52.
After a Tuxedo miss Pinder hit two from the stripe to make it 61-54. Gunderman committed a foul that gave the Comets the ball but freshman Diana Presti dribbled it into the backcourt. Tuxedo scored the final four points for the 65-54 victory.
To their credit, Fallsburg had committed only three turnovers in the final quarter, bringing their nightly total to 21. Tuxedo had three in the stanza for a total of 14 on the night.
Gunderman led Tuxedo with 16 points. Toscano had 13 and Pinkney scored 11.
Pinder had 19 for Fallsburg and Moody had 17.
Alex Nouri led Tuxedo (9-4, 6-1 OCIAA) with four rebounds, seven steals and four assists. Gunderman had four rebounds and three steals. Toscano had four steals. Pinkney had seven assists.
Moody had 14 rebounds for Fallsburg 9-6 (3-5 OCIAA); Mack had 11. Garcia had eight steals and Pinder had seven.
Powers shared is observations thusly: “We sometimes start slow. I don’t know if we didn’t take Fallsburg seriously because in the past they haven’t been as good as they are now. They’re a nice team. This is the first time we’ve played them this year. I don’t know if it’s the fact that it’s the Monday after the Super Bowl but I went to my bench early and they gave us a spark,” he noted.
“We knew we had to press and to keep Sheryl Pinder in front of us. I thought Allison Toscano and Cori DiLisi did a great job in that respect,” he averred. Powers talked about the need to platoon his players to get valuable minutes for his kids off the bench. “We’re pretty athletic and I think we wear down teams like this,” he observed.
“I think they only played seven and in that third quarter that’s when it really took its toll. Powers commended the play of his entire team, citing Gunderman, Pinkney, Alex Nouri and Toscano specifically.
Using his bench players was an attempt to keep what he called, “a semblance of fresh legs,” for the key match up with Tri-Valley on February 10.
“We’ll look to take care of business in league games. We’ll see Fallsburg at home and also play Florida he noted, in addition to the coming clash with the Lady Bears. It was Tri-Valley that Tuxedo vanquished in the 2010 Section Nine finals at Mount St. Mary College. Last year, T-V beat Millbrook for the honors.
Fallsburg Coach Daniel Redmond knew what the trouble was in this one. “We couldn’t handle the press. We fell apart at times with the press..terrible turnovers. But if you take away those turnovers we’re right in the game. Depth wore us down tonight. I keep my same four out there and sub in a different fifth person,” he offered. Fallsburg just acquired a big weapon in Nyasia Blakney who transferred in from Monticello. “I’m hoping with Nyasia in there we’ll have more experience out there. We had a nice run going in the fourth quarter with a solid man defense,” he said.
Referencing that final miscue, Redmond said, “I wanted the ball in Sheryl’s hands then. Usually when she has it she can make good things happen. She’s the leader of our team. I’m happy given the fact that when I started coaching four years ago, Tuxedo beat us 62-7.”
Times have changed. Fallsburg is no longer a group of Munchkins. Both teams are looking to sing “Ding Dong, the witch is dead,” in the coming Sectionals, but which witch is which? That we’ll have to wait to find out?
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