I’ve been mulling this for a few days and, to me, no spot is tougher than No. 1. White Plains or Lakeland, which to choose?

First, you should know the teams scrimmaged Wednesday. Second, you should know I don’t know what happened. And the more I thought about it, the less I wanted to know who won which quarters or whose strength (White Plains’ guards or Lakeland’s depth and size) stood out most. In truth, I had a few items to attend to at the office yesterday and I spent some time covering Rangers practice in Greenburgh, so I didn’t have time to see the scrimmage. But that’s cool with me. How can you pick against a two-time Class AA state finalist? You can’t, not until another team proves it’s better and and scrimmages don’t necessarily do that.

Without further ado, here goes…the Tigers at the top:

1. White Plains: The Tigers return two all-section players and one all-section honorable mention. In a wide open Class AA field, they remain the favorite.

2. Lakeland: I was at their practice on Tuesday and the Hornets must be the biggest team in Section 1. They lost two starters, but may eventually be better than last season.

3. Our Lady of Lourdes: Could be listed anywhere from 1 through 5. Graduated one of Section 1’s best, but still return a handful of versatile, athletic players and will add size from JV.

4. Scarsdale: There’s more to the Raiders than Jackie Alemany. In fact, had point guard Christine Yankou not missed the semis with an injury, Scarsdale may’ve reached the title game and been even more well-respected heading into this season.

5. Pearl River: Another team that could’ve been anywhere in top 5. I think the graduation of Kaitlyn Page is a huge loss because she was so good, but the Pirates are right there with anyone.

6. North Rockland: Plenty of size, plenty of preseason hype from area coaches. Can earn respect very early with this schedule: Lourdes on Dec. 11, White Plains on Dec. 13, Scarsdale on Dec. 15.

7. Ursuline: This may be too much, but I expect a lot from the Koalas this season. They have so much back and too much history of success to not bounce back strong.

8. Horace Greeley: Quakers return a lot, but will need to show improvment off last season to keep this spot.

9. Haldane: Tried to resist mentioning Brittany Shields here, but how can I? She’s one of the best and most dominant players in Section 1.

10. Albertus Magnus: The preseason favorite in Class B has an early test, too: at Pleasantville next Wednesday.

On the bubble: New Rochelle, Ossining, Clarkstown North, Poughkeepsie, Briarcliff, Pleasantville.

Did I miss anyone???

First, at noon today, I will roll out the first-ever LoHud.com Top 10 for girls basketball. Please give me your thoughts, which I’m sure will come in spades.

Second, come back tomorrow for what will be a fun post. I’ll talk about our preview section, our new girls basketball only web page, and I’ll post the three pictures (we used one of them) for the cover of our Westchester/Putnam preview section. I’ll also tell you the behind the scenes situation of five tired girls, one tired photographer and one impossibly tired sportswriter (yeah, me), the last of which woke up early last week to hold a flash.

Lastly, please give a read to The Sixth Man’s previews for AA, A, B, and C/D and let me know what you think, who you like, etc.

Bye for now…

(County Center picks at bottom)

THE FAVORITE: Haldane — Here’s an interesting question for you high school sports fans: Can a team actually return MORE than it had the year before??? Impossible, right? Not if that team is Haldane, the 14-time Section 1 and defending Class C champ. Not only do the Blue Devils return all five starters, including mega-star Brittany Shields, but they also add Liz Skrelja, a 5-foot-10 senior forward who missed all of last season with a knee injury. Skrelja may be an impact addition to an already strong team.

In addition to Shields, 3-point ace Brittney Fleming and the tough and versatile Kylie McConville (right) have a great deal of experience, but so does every other player on the team. Think I’m kidding? They all played varsity last season. ‘Nuff said.

Even Skrelja played in the past. She also spent much of last sesaon on the bench. Ironically, the only true new face for Haldane is first-year coach Rich Desiderio, who led Kennedy to a surprise County Center appearance last season. Desiderio takes over for Andy Cameron, who won titles in 2005 and 2006 but has since been named a principal in the Brewster School District. Desiderio’s post is one of the most high-pressure in Section 1, but he also has the type of team capable of making a run to Troy.

THE CONTENDERS: Dobbs Ferry, Blind Brook.

Dobbs Ferry — Sure, my assessment of Haldane is nothing if not glowing. So the Eagles must be a distant second, right? No, not by any means. Dobbs won a double-overtime thriller to beat Blind Brook in the semis, then lost 46-43 in the championship to Haldane. During a recent phone conversation, coach Ed Feller made it clear his team has no interest in playing second fiddle. He has plenty of reason to think it, too.

Dobbs returns two of the best players in Class C beyond Shields in Lauren Emerson and Carey Hickey. Unfortunately for the Eagles, Emerson, an athletic 5-foot-9 forward who nearly lifted her team over Haldane, suffered an injury for the fourth straight basketball season, tearing the meniscus in her knee during the first week of practice. Feller said Emerson had surgery this week and may return by late December. As long as Dobbs can stay afloat until then, and Hickey (smiling on the left, in one of my all-time favorite cover photos) should be more than able to lead the way, it has a great chance to give Haldane a run.

The Eagles don’t have much size, but can run and should have better depth to do so as the season moves along. They graduated a glue player in Amy Larsen, so Susie DiLauria and a bunch of newcomers must make up for the loss in the paint.

Blind Brook — The Trojans return Karlyn Adler, one of the top scorers in Class C, after she missed their terrific Class C semi vs. Dobbs. The team will also have its third-leading scorer in Sabrina Stockel, who will combine with Adler to make Blind Brook dangerous on the perimeter. At 5-foot-8 and 5-9, respectively, Stockel and Adler are representative of just how much size the Trojans have. Size may be the team’s strong suit.

It’s funny, but Blind Brook is in a similar spot to Dobbs. The Eagles barely lost to the champ, but the Trojans barely lost to the team that barely lost to the champ. Make sense??? If Blind Brook stays healthy and gets even more from its frontcourt, it may fall much higher than third on the Class C list.

OTHERS TO WATCH: Hamilton, Leake & Watts.

Hamilton — The Red Raiders made excellent strides last season, advancing to the County Center. Their 5-foot-9 sophomore guard Shereen Lightbourne may be one of the best underclassmen in Section 1 regardless of class. She was their leading scorer and playmaker. First-year coach Ennio Escoto must continue to develop Hamilton’s supporting cast.

Leake & Watts — Like Hamilton, the defending Class D champ rely on the multiple talents of Makeba Reece, who led the area in scoring last season. Reece actually may be an even better rebounder and shot blocker than scorer, but she is asked to do a lot of everything for the Lions. Luckily for Reece, key role players Rosemary Miranda and Beatrice Lloyd both return.

THE REST OF THE PACK: Solomon Schechter nearly pulled off an upset over Leake & Watts in the Class D final. Schechter, which will be led by junior guard Charlotte Fabiani, and Hawthorne Cedar Knolls are the only teams in Class D after Leake & Watts moved to C.

COUNTY CENTER BOUND: Class C — Haldane, Dobbs Ferry, Blind Brook, Hamilton; Class D — Solomon Schechter, Hawthorne Cedar Knolls.

(County Center picks at bottom)

THE FAVORITE: Albertus Magnus — The Falcons return a number of their key players, including forwards Jenn Canale and Deshea Waring (right) and guard Emily Brauer, from a team that went 17-5 and lost to eventual champ Nanuet 50-44 in the Class B semis.

Logic tells us that, with Nanuet facing heavy losses to graduation and Pelham moving to Class A, Albetus is a pretty strong favorite. The biggest loss the Falcons will face came not in bounds but out of bounds. Their coach Bill Diener knew his stuff. His successor, Joe McGuiness, will face the challenge of following Diener, who won the title in 2005.

The rivalry between Albertus and Nanuet is one of the best in Section 1 girls hoops. They seem to have an impact on this race every single year, so why should this one be any different???

THE CONTENDERS: Pleasantville, Briarcliff.
Pleasantville — I don’t know that I’ve heard more positives about any team this preseason than I’ve heard about Briarcliff. Big. Deep. Good frontcourt. Good backcourt. So why do I list the Bears’ biggest rival first??? Because last year the Panthers won both of these teams meetings and return their best player in Kristen DiCandido. Until proven otherwise, Pleasantville will be ranked ahead of Briarcliff in my book — although my book is subject to change, b/c I’m the man in charge.

But seriously, DiCandido is one of the most dominant post players in Class B. Pleasantville also returns a solid guard (and terrific all-around athlete) in Alex Dundee and another guard in Arielle Schneeweiss. The Panthers will be tested very early, first in this weekend’s Pelham tournament (vs. Maria Regina, then either Rye or Pelham), then in next Wednesday’s meeting with Albertus.

Briarcliff — I’ve seen the Bears play a few times over the last couple seasons and it’s like watching Groundhog Day: Their players never seem to age. New year, same story. Many of the same key cogs return this season, including the backcourt duo of sisters Angela and Taylor Pescetti and the precocious twin towers inside of Maggie Blair and Shelby Coon.

As I said, opposing coaches have raved to me about Briarcliff. We’ll soon see how much truth there is to it.

OTHERS TO WATCH: Nanuet, Rye, Hastings, Putnam Valley.
Nanuet — How are the Golden Knights this far down the list??? It’s tough, but they lost five key players, including our Rockland player of the year Kelly O’Connell, an inside force, and twin sisters Danielle and Samantha Gargano. Nanuet had so much chemistry last season because of those three and their fellow seniors, and it propelled them to an upset over Pelham and a trip to Troy for the state semifinals. I could not have been more impressed by their teamwork and the job Brian Metcalf did to foster it. Kelly Fanshawe (below), who was a County Center hero, Maria Younghans and Christine Bresovsky will have to try and redevelop what made their team so special last March.

Rye — Riddle me this: How should the Garnets be ranked??? They probably lost their three best players, Ashley McCauley, Theresa McCabe and Catherine Cypher, but coach Mary Henwood does a tremendous job building the bond of a winning team. Players get progressively better under her, so there’s no reason this year will be any different. Rye had won 10 league titles on her watch before missing out last season when it moved to Class A. Now that their back in B, the Garnets should be among the teams to watch. Caroline Feeley will be among their new leaders. Getting back Carly Miller, who tore an ACL and missed last season, can play an important part in Rye returning to the top of B.

Hastings — There are only eight Yellow Jackets this year and the biggest one (6-foot-1 Tara Flaherty) is gone, off to excel at Fairfield after setting the school’s all-time scoring record. But, you know what, Hastings may still be good. Allie Long can handle the ball and shoot the 3, while 6-foot-2 Nora Skrelji can dominate in the post. Both just need to play more consistent now that Flaherty is gone. If they can lead, the Yellow Jackets will be very competitive.

Putnam Valley — The Tigers return both their leading scorers, Kim Kastuk and Christine Kemp, from a 12-10 team. The team went on a tear to end the season and won their league before Albertus knocked PV from the playoffs. How good the Tigers can be will depend on how strong a supporting cast develops.

THE REST OF THE PACK: Kennedy, which joined Pelham, Albertus and Nanuet at the County Center, lost leading scorers Justine Gray and Michelle Smyth to graduation. New coach Michael Rama will replace Rich Desiderio, who is now the coach at Haldane. … Gina Maher, in her 30th year at Irvington, may have her best team in quite some time. Kaitlin Degnan and Gillian Morley were a good tandem last season, when the Bulldogs finished 13-9, and freshman Tara Gabelman has generated some buzz as an impact newcomer. … Croton-Harmon’s Steph Smith, a senior guard, is one of the more dangerous 3-point shooters in Class B.

COUNTY CENTER BOUND: Albertus, Pleasantville, Briarcliff, Rye.

(County Center picks at bottom)

THE FAVORITE: Lakeland and Pearl River — I won’t do this in any other class, but the Lakeland-Pearl River debate will end just one place: the County Center. Without question, this matchup is already the story of the year in girls basketball, if only because it will build and build all season. They are not scheduled to play in the regular season.

Lakeland — The Hornets return three of their five starters, including Amy Voelkel (College of St. Rose) and Sarah Benischek (Merrimack), who have inked scholarships with Division II schools. Benischek (softball) and Voelkel (field hockey, lacrosse) are tremendous multi-sport athletes who desperately want to win a gold ball after losing to Lourdes in ‘05 and ‘06 (more on this on Friday).

Lakeland must overcome the graduations of Emily Cummings, its second-leading scorer, and Amanda Alicea, its point guard, which is a big feat. If the Hornets can do it — and from what I’ve seen (confidence) and what I’ve heard (two words: scrimmage domination) it seems likely — they will have some new hardware. Seniors Rose Fazio, Kelly Schneider and Rebecca DeSisto will join Voelkel and Benischek as starters, but the Hornets should be deeper this season. They have a handful of strong young post players off the bench. DeSisto (below, right), another field hockey player, excelled during the playoffs last season and will handle the bulk of the minutes at point guard.

Pearl River — Many fans focused on Lakeland’s shocking zero-point fourth-quarter against Lourdes in the Class A semis, and rightfully so, but the Pirates almost pulled off the upset for real. Lourdes won 54-49, but not after Pearl River fought for the gold ball until the final buzzer.

Like Jackie Alemany (the Scarsdale star), Brittany Shields (the Haldane star), Lourdes’ mystique (14 consecutive gold balls), Pirates coach Lorainne Moylan (below) can have serious impact on any given game. She’s one of the most well-respected coaches in the area.

Pearl River, of course, must overcome the loss of Kaitlin Page to graduation. She was not just a point guard, but an unquestioned leader. Kaitlyn O’Keefe, the Pirates leading scorer, and Kerri Confrey, a versatile guard who will shift to point, are a solid duo. Their supporting cast is impressive, too, including 5-foot-10 senior forward Nicole Cueva

THE CONTENDERS: Hen Hud, Beacon.

Hen Hud — The Sailors return one of the leading scorers in the area in Jessica Harris, a 5-foot-10 senior, point guard Jen Catano, to a 11-10 team. They’ll also welcome new coach Benny Martucci, who takes over for Jim Berkowitz. Hen Hud’s biggest loss to graduation was 6-foot-1 center Alysha Fanning. She could play some volleyball, but she rebounded and blocked shots well, which certainly took pressure off Harris and allowed her free reign to score at will, her specialty.

With what the Sailors return, they should be very competitive. Truthfully, behind Lakeland and Pearl River, there’s plenty of space in Class A to make a mark.

Beacon — The Bulldogs upset Ardsley in the quarterfinals last season before Pearl River ran them over at County Center. One of the Biordi sisters, Cathryn, graduated, but younger sister Allyson remains. Beacon has some talent, but will be hard pressed to jump into the top 2.

OTHERS TO WATCH: Somers, Pelham, Eastchester.

Somers — Senior center Jaki Goldner, who is 6-foot-2, has received interest from Division I schools. She alone can make the Tuskers tough on a given night. They are alos one of the bigger teams in Class A.

Pelham — The Pelicans are impossible to judge. They been so good lately, including 21-0 last season before losing in the Class B championship game, but lost their top six players from that team, including dynamo Kristina Freeman. They’re biggest struggle will be determining who to go to on big possessions; none of the current players have much varsity experience.

THE REST OF THE PACK: Brewster lost seniors Jill Piacquadio and Lianna Fallon, who were one of the better tandems in Class A. … Spring Valley may be a team to watch. The Tigers have four of five starters back and added Bianca Johnson and Tiffany Williams, a pair of transfers from nearby Paterson Catholic. … Eastchester returns Emily Kehoe and Jaime Lorenzo, its top two leading scorers, from a 13-8 team. The Eagles may be a team to contend with provided they make the adjustment to A. … Ardsley lost superstar Jenna Franciosa, the program’s all-time leading scorer who landed at Manhattan. Her sister, Danielle (right), will need to fill some of Jenna’s shoes. Post players Sherry Jarons and Kyra Aloizos could make more of an impact.

COUNTY CENTER BOUND: Lakeland, Pearl River, Beacon, Hen Hud

(County Center picks at bottom)

THE FAVORITE: White Plains — The two-time defending champs return the best trio in Section 1 in Liz Flooks, Kim Adams and Angelei Aguirre. You’ll hear me say that a lot, but probably because it’s so true.

Ironically, they also probably lost the best group of three seniors, in Elise Bronzo (Colgate), Danica Covington (Central Conn. State), and Nina Johnson (Manhattanville), all of whom, as you can see, play college ball. The loss of Bronzo and Covington means White Plains has a different look, evolving from Section 1’s biggest team into something totally opposite. Aguirre, the Tigers point guard, is probably also their tallest player; she and Flooks are listed at 5-foot-11.

Three players, however, can’t win it all. Two players likely to help are senior Jenn Anasta and junior Paige Spreewell (you may recognize the last name). Anasta is quick and has decent range on her jumper. Spreewell is strong and will provide some presence in the post. Those two, and a few others, will need to emerge for White Plains to win its third gold ball.

THE CONTENDERS: Our Lady of Lourdes, Scarsdale, North Rockland.
Lourdes — You don’t win 14 straight gold balls with smoke and mirrors. Sure, the Warriors move to Class AA this season after a close call in A last season. And, sure, they lost a terrific point guard, Megan Barnum (Quinnipeac), and a 6-foot-3 shot-blocking force, Carolyn Miller (Penn), but are they ever REALLY hurt by losses to graduation??? Lourdes has plenty of talent still in the fold. Jasmine Schinella will probably be the go-to girl and local product, Kim Dweck of Cortlandt Manor, will make a significant jump as a sophomore. And you know the Warriors have plenty coming from the JV.

Scarsdale — The Raiders bring something to the court no other team can: Jackie Alemany. Many of those in the know around Section 1 say the versatile 6-footer is the best player around. Indeed, Alemany went on a tear to finish the season, as Scarsdale nearly reached the Class AA championship. The Raiders lost two starters from that team and will miss both dearly. Steffi Decker was their best rebounder and among the best, most vocal leaders I’ve seen. Anne Linker didn’t have the impact of a Decker, but she could catch-and-shoot like no other. Scarsdale will need big seasons from three players in the absence of Decker and Linker. Point guard Christine Yankou will be looked at to take care of the ball and shoot from deep. Precocious sophomore Kerry Ryan (below, right, guarding New Ro’s Sam Bock) will be asked to add some intangible-type plays every night.

And 6-foot-1 senior Ali Menna will be asked to rebound. Quite frankly, all three are capable of filling their roles.

North Rockland — For two seasons, the Red Raiders have lost in the Class AA semis to White Plains. If you saw their semi last season, the gap seemed wide. But with a wealth of talent returning, a lot of coaches I’ve spoken to say North Rockland is among the contenders to win the whole thing. One opposing coach, who will remain nameless, says North Rockland is the favorite on paper. We shall see. The Red Raiders have good size across the board, one of the best players in Brianna Peterson, and a terrific young point guard in Alaina Walker (below) — all ingredients that make them a County Center favorite.

OTHERS TO WATCH: Ursuline, Horace Greeley, Ossining.
Ursuline — OK, we all know how stunning Ursuline’s 6-14 season was. And this after earning a No. 10 seed the season before, another below-par year by the Koalas high standards. That said, I’ll make this quick: Don’t expect three in a row. Ursuline was incredibly young last season and played in a league that may’ve had the four best teams in Class AA. Ridiculously tough. With two 6-foot sophomores, Shelby Sferra and Lauren Thomas, the very athletic Rosie Crean and a solid point guard in Tricia Liller, I think the Koalas can easily slide into the top four.

Horace Greeley — Few people outside their league probably know it, but the Quakers were 15-6 last season and were one of two teams to beat Lakeland. Beyond that, they only graduated two seniors and return excellent depth, some athleticism, and Taylor Jackson, a very fast forward who scores in a hurry and will only get better. Plus, Liz Lops, the Quakers second-year coach, played professionally in Sweden; she knows her basketball.

Ossining — After years at the top and a dramatic run to the 2004 gold ball, the RiverHawks fell last year, although not as far as you may think. Ossining finished .500, even had a few big wins, and did that despite returning next to nothing from the previous season. Elyse Vallach, the RiverHawks leading scorer last season, graduated, but a strong group of juniors, led by Brittany Garrett, Kelsey Vallach and Kiki Shelton, should continue a rise back to the top. By February, Ossining may be very, very good, meaning Dan Ricci may be primed to steal a game or two (or three) in the playoffs.

THE REST OF THE PACK: Mount Vernon and New Rochelle have been good, but both lost their top two players. Danielle Browne, the former Mount Vernon point guard, is already a starter at Columbia, while New Ro’s April McBride had been getting major minutes at Maryland-Eastern Shore. Mount Vernon will rely heavily on junior Nadia Duncan, and may feature two eighth graders who are potential stars-of-the-future: Lynasia Frazier and Carece Moore, the daughter of former MV star Curtis Moore. New Ro’s core includes seniors Sam Bock and Casey Cappelli and juniors Alyse LaPadula and Aiasha McGlothen, all of whom had moments last season. … In Rockland, Clarkstown North and Suffern will nip at North Rockland’s heels. Clarkstown North has a star, Theresa Dowling, and Suffern has size — young size, but it will still be dangerous. … John Jay was terrific last season, but will miss Candice Sorbera. Much of Sorbera’s offense must be provided by Katarina Whalen, one of the better post players in Section 1. … Outside of Lourdes, Poughkeepsie is the best Class AA team in Dutchess or Putnam Counties. The Pioneers league MVP, Bianca Storts, is only now a senior. … Several teams not considered among the favorites to contend for a title still boast star players worth a look. Three of them are Carmel’s Meghan Murphy, Mamaroneck’s Sasha Eisenstein, and Gorton sophomore Victoria Wynn.

COUNTY CENTER BOUND: White Plains, Lourdes, Scarsdale, Ursuline

Today’s blog schedule brings us to my 2006-07 previews. I will roll out Class AA, A, B and C breakdowns. All four will include favorites, contenders and teams to watch and why I looped each team in that category.

I’ll also totally destroy my credibility by picking the 16 teams I think will make the County Center in those four classes. I say destroy my credibility because A) I’ll undoubtedly be wrong with some teams by the time February arrives, and B) I’m bound to make one major screwup, like listing Pelham in Class B (which would be wrong) or forgetting to include Haldane in C (which would be dumb).

Anyway, be sure to check back later. And feel free to let me know just how much I erred…

Jake Thomases, Mike Rose and I sat down and recorded the first podcast of
the girls basketball season. It will become a weekly feature at LoHud.com
and you can find it each week at The Sixth Man.

Jake and I gave our season previews for Classes AA, A, B and C, breaking
down the favorites and contenders. At the end of the podcast we identified
players who we expect to impact Section 1 this season.

Enjoy…and check back for more soon.

Download :: Listen now

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I need your help. We’re trying to compile a list of girls from the LoHud that play Division I basketball. Here’s what I have so far:

Danielle Browne, Mount Vernon, Columbia
Elise Bronzo, White Plains, Colgate
Danica Covington, White Plains, Central Conn.
April McBride, New Rochelle, Maryland-Eastern Shore
Shiryell Moore, Mount Vernon, Fairfield
Tara Flaherty, Hastings, Fairfield
Jhanay Harris, Ursuline, Central Conn.
Cori Chambers, Ursuline, Georgia
Whitney McDonald, Ossining, UMass
Danielle Hood, Panas, Hartford
Jen Ritz, Lakeland, Iona
Jenna Franciosa, Ardsley, Manhattan
Kristi Dini, Putnam Valley, BU
Fantasia Goodwin, Martin Luther King Jr., Syracuse
Meaghan Wood, Carmel, Loyola
Shannon Minter, Ossining, Marist

I know there are likely some omissions. Please let me know who they are by dropping a comment, or sending an e-mail to jthomson@lohud.com

Thanks and I’ll check back in later…

On Day 1 of my venture into blogging, circumstances landed me at nearby White Plains High School.

I was there to lock down something that will eventually be part of our high school basketball preview on LoHud.com. While I waited to speak to Sean Kilpatrick of the boys team, which practiced in a nearby gym, I checked out two quarters of the White Plains girls’ scrimmage against NYC-power JFK of the Bronx. By pure chance, the last team I covered last season — the two-time defending Class AA champion Tigers — was the first team I covered this season (although, admittedly, there was no notebook or tape recorder present).

Admittedly, my first impression wasn’t of White Plains, but of Kennedy: If that team isn’t the 2007 PSAL champ, I don’t know anything about basketball.

Kennedy has lived in the shadow of Murry Burgtraum, but with no Epiphanay Prince, Miss 113, Kennedy has to be a favorite, with size, speed and athleticism aplenty. One of Kennedy’s guards is headed to Marquette and its center must be 6-2 or 6-3, but she’s very athletic.

I tell you this not because I want to bore you with details on a team from the Bronx, but because it helps explain why White Plains lost the first quarter of the scrimmage 20-2. Angelei Aguirre actually scored at the buzzer or it would’ve been a shutout.

White Plains hasn’t been handed its lunch like that in a while, especially not in that gym and especially not since its current group of players joined the varsity. Have times changed??? I seriously had to consider it for a while. But in the second period the Tigers hit some easy shots they’d missed to start the game, made a few deep 3’s (two from Liz Flooks, one from Kim Adams), and began to settle down and make plays on defense. The teams played even in that second quarter and (more importantly) looked much more even. Perhaps White Plains is a favorite to win again after all, which I firmly believed before tonight.

Here’s why I still believe it as I sit here: No team has a trio at the level of Flooks, Adams and Aguirre. Once again, Flooks showed today, even in a scrimmage, that she is as tough as they come and a great, great teammate. Adams, who just started playing basketball last Monday after two top 10 finished at the state swim meet, is extremely athletic at 5-10. And Aguirre, well…you’ll hear me talk a lot about her this season, I can guarantee. No player I’ve seen the last three seasons has dominated games without scoring like she has.

Every coach I’ve spoken with so far admits she’s one of the best around, regardless of stats. And of the girls I saw who didn’t play much last year, a few looked capable of adding something as role players. To me, the most noteworthy was Jenn Anasta, a senior guard/forward who showed some good range during the scrimmage.

OK, that’s all for now. I’ll plan to post previews for Classes AA, A, B, and C as the week continues. Also, check out some extra features later in the week, like my LoHud.com Top 10 list, which will debut Thursday, and our girls basketball preview, which runs in the paper on Friday, Dec. 1st.

Thanks for the comments so far and let me know if you have any questions…