Slam Dunk preview
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- December
- 28
Here’s what I think today, and who I like, in the first round of the Slam Dunk and beyond…
GAME 1: URSULINE VS. MINISINK VALLEY, 2:45 P.M.
What you should know… Ursuline is 3-1 after a 6-14 season in which it did not make the playoffs. Minisink Valley is the defending Section 9 Class AA champs. Minisink lost to White Plains in the regional round of the state tournament last March and lost to Pearl River earlier this season.
Who you should watch… On Ursuline, it’s 6-foot senior Molly McGlynn. She averaged around 4.0 PPG last season but has upped her scoring average by 10 points so far. McGlynn’s turnaround has had a lot to do with the Koalas good start. She gives them a force in the paint and has proven she teams well with 6-foot sophomore Shelby Sferra. On Minisink, it’s 6-foot-4 ninth-grader Stefanie Dolson. Dolson is still very raw, but her sheer size is something you just don’t see on the high school level.
What to expect… With three legit 6-footers, Ursuline is well-equipped for this matchup. As long as the Koalas guards protect the ball, they should be OK. After losing to Pearl River, Minisink will be out to prove it is good enough to compete with Section 1’s elite.
Prediction…URSULINE 64, MINISINK 62
GAME 2: OUR LADY OF LOURDES VS. PEARL RIVER, 6:15 P.M.
What you should know… Lourdes is 1-2 after winning the Class A championship, its 14th straight Section 1 crown. The season is young, but the Warriors appear to be at their most vulnerable. Pearl River lost last week to St. Peter’s of Staten Island, but has started the season strong once again. The Pirates gave Lourdes a tough run in the Class A championship before falling in the final minute. Now they have a chance to exact a small measure of revenge.
Who you should watch… On Lourdes, it’s senior guard Jacinda Williams. The University of New Hampshire-bound point guard has a bundle of talent but has been misfiring from the perimeter early this season. If she can turn it around, teams will struggle to stop her, and probably struggle to stop Lourdes. On Pearl River, it’s also the point guard, senior Kerry Confrey. Confrey was relentless against Lourdes in the championship game last season. Now at point guard, she will need to break the Warriors press and keep her teammates calm in what is a very comfortable environment for the opponent.
What to expect… Pearl River has proven its capable of winning big games this season, whether those games present matchup problems or not. This game will not, and I think that actually favors Lourdes. The Warriors have struggled with post players so far, but won’t face anyone here it can’t handle. Still, at this point in the season Pearl River is better. If the Pirates make their shots, revenge should be theirs.
Prediction…PEARL RIVER 59, LOURDES 48
CONSOLATION prediction… LOURDES 52, MINISINK 49 (OT)
CHAMPIONSHIP prediction… PEARL RIVER 66, URSULINE 58
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Question: Let me know what your dream Slam Dunk matchups are. Two first round games between any teams you wish, followed by the championship game you’d most like to see…
I’ll return tonight with recaps of both games and tomorrow morning with a preview of the championship. That’s all for now…
This entry was posted
on Thursday, December 28th, 2006 at 10:31 am by Josh Thomson. 
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Josh Thomson has done some of everything since joining The Journal News in March 2003. He began working for the Gannett weeklies during the winter of 2002 as a freelance writer. He joined the daily staff soon after and has since covered various high school and pro sports. Away from sportswriting, Josh lives in Westchester and spends his free time either with his fiancee, Sarah, or expertly managing his various championship-winning fantasy sports teams. He's visited 21 major-league baseball stadiums and insists that Fenway Park and Wrigley Field are the best by far. Josh graduated from Carmel High School in 1998, then went to Boston University, where, in 2002, he received a degree in communications with a minor in history.
what are your predictions for the carmel and yorktown tourneys? as for the dream slam dunk…..lakeland beats scarsdale and white plains beats north rock in the first round games. lakeland beat WP for the championship.
My dream match up would be…
first round
briarcliff vs lakeland
scarsdale vs white plains
the finals being lakeland vs white plains
my dream matchup is
scarsdale vs lakeland—lakeland wins
briarcliff vs haldane—briarcliff wins
lakeland vs briarcliff—lakeland??
scarsdale vs haldane—haldane wins
and that involves class, AA,A,B and C it would attract a lot of people
Your invitation for dream matchups brings to the more elemental question of how this year’s pairings were arrived at in the first place.
Question 1: 30 years after the passage of Title IX, why are there 8 men’s teams and only 4 women’s teams in this tournament? Even the original listing on the County’s website—probably before some teams dropped out—had 10 men’s and 6 women’s teams. Certainly in the past 10 years, the number of quality women’s basketball programs in this area has grown tremendously, fan support has increased and the number of local athletes who pursue collegiate opportunities and/or scholarships is on the rise as well. At the very least, expanding the women’s draw to equal the men’s side of the tournament would undoubtedly eliminate the need for the next question, which is largely lodged on a geographical basis.
Question 2: Why was White Plains not invited on the women’s side of the competition? They are unbeaten at the Section 1 level for the past 2 years, were the Section 1 favorite to repeat this year, are a local team with a decent fan following and have 3 returning starters on a team that has gone to the State Finals for the past two years?
Slam Dunk is, after all, not supposed to be a high school basketball event that just happens to be in White Plains, the County seat of Westchester. To the contrary, this has been touted as a County tournament that features the best local teams against some special out of town opponents. Indeed, it has been advertised as a County event, co-promoted by the Westchester County Parks Department and hawked by local radio ads featuring the delightfully raspy voice of the Westchester County Executive.
Sizing up the invitees this year on the women’s side does not jive with the County tournament billing, as three out of four teams playing are not County teams.
Orange County’s Minisink Valley—last year’s Section 9 champion featuring 6’3” frosh Stephanie Dolson which returns with only the loss of one starter —is an excellent choice as an out of County guest. Going cross river to tap either Rockland’s Pearl River (expected to contend for Section 1’s Class A crown) or North Rockland’s Class AA team of titans is a toss up and since either team would have been a good choice, giving the nod to Pearl River as another special out of County guest is fine.
As to the last two selections—Ursuline and Dutchess County’s Our Lady of Lourdes – one team or the other should have been invited, but not both. Ursuline has been a local powerhouse that was expected to rebound from last year’s disappointing 6-14 record, so that selection on either a sentimental or local angle makes some sense, if another local team with a better record was included as well. Our Lady of Lourdes has also been a perennial force at the Class A level but their ability to contend at the Class AA level this year – currently they have a losing record and are mired in average league position – makes them a questionable selection as a third non-Westchester County team. The safer and better bet, from the perspective of a Westchester County tournament, would have been for tournament organizers to tap a second local contending team such as White Plains or even Scarsdale.
End of complaints. Now to dream matchups: White Plains against Minisink, whom White Plains struggled to beat in the preliminary rounds of last year’s State Tournament. Minisink against North Rockland: a battle of teams with lots of height. Pearl River against Lakeland: two favored teams who won’t meet in the regular season battle for the gold! Scarsdale against anyone, with Jackie Alemany coming back from an injury to show the crowd that she can really play all 5 positions on the Court.
I am also wondering why the White Plains girls were not invited back to the tournament this year. Any info on this Josh? After watching both of todays girls semis, the level of girls basketball displayed was not particularly good. It seems logical that the two-time defending Section and Regional champions, who also happen to be the hometown team and have a very good following for a girls program, would not only bring some solid, exciting girls basketball, yet also some energy into the county center! A double header featuring the White Plains girls and boys may have been a good idea to bring some excitement and showcase some of the area’s best talent. I can’t even imagine how packed the house will be for tomorrow’s girls championship game between out of town Pearl River and out of town Minisink Valley. Although the Slam Dunk tournament was originally founded to showcase the nation’s premier high school basketball players and teams, maybe tournament directors should consider setting up more local heated rivalries which are more fan-favored (such as last night’s electrifying showdown between Stepinac and Peekskill.)
Josh, Your prediction on Lourdes game was right on! Kodos to Pearl River. As long as Lourdes plays individual ball they are on the road to a very long season.
Josh-After seeing the 2 games tonight it was disappointing to see the diiference in the caliber of play as compared to last year. According to the program there were 8 girls listed who played in the Slam Dunk last year who were moving or will be moving on to play Division 1 hoops.(Wilson, Oberg, Adams, Flooks, Covington, Bronzo, Miller and Barnum) I don’t believe there were any players in this years Slam Dunk who will be moving on to play D1. It seems as if the boys draw strives to showcase the top players/teams in our area combined with other top teams outside of our immediate area. It doesn’t seem as if the girls side of the tournament is being held to the same , high standards that the boys side is and that is an insult to our local teams.
I’m not sure how teams get selected to compete in the tournament-would be interested to know the process. Any info??
Guys and girls, for more info on the Slam Dunk please check out my most recent post. Many of you asked good questions and can hopefully shed some light on things.
On vacation, I can’t predict all games (that would open me to potential ridicule, right???) and I simply do not know enough about some of the teams to offer a fair assessment. That said, I’d be surprised if Lakeland and Greeley don’t play in the final and if Lakeland doesn’t win it all.
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