Hey everyone. I escaped the County Center at a more reasonable hour last night and arrived home in much better spirits than Tuesday. For example, I didn’t feel the urge to start chewing on my computer as I wrote this.

It’s funny: My Mom wrote me an e-mail yesterday morning. She told me I needed to eat or I’d get sick again this week. So apparently my Mom reads The Sixth Man now, too.

Anyway, since I’ve already talked about both of the night’s games at length, I won’t go into further detail, but here are a few leftover thoughts/questions:

1. Is the court really this much of a disaster when you play on it? I walked on the court before leaving the arena last night with Jets writer Andrew Gross. The wood plates on the floor have obvious gaps between them, at least one of which was so wide I could see the metal connectors beneath. Are there a lot of dead spots? Is it worse or better than an average court? I really want answers to these questions from players who’ve played on the court. Call me intrigued…

2. I’m officially excited for the Mount Vernon doubleheader. No more hiding it. Like any good basketball fan, I love watching the MV boys play. Not only are they good, but they play hard and above the rim, and it’s always fun to see random teams (like North Rockland, which never makes the County Center) try to knock the Knights off.

I talked last night with Kevin Devaney, who, contrary to the opinion of others DOES NOT look like my brother, and golfing buddy/columnist Rick Carpiniello about MV’s federation title last March. After the game was over and the Glens Falls Civic Center was practically empty, two players grabbed the mic and began singing: “M-O-U-N-T..V-E-R N-O-N…MOUNT VER-NON!…MOUNT VER-NON!” One of the coolest things I’ve seen since I began covering basketball, kind of like a cat marking its territory. Simply put, they are an incredible basketball program and deserving of all the love.

On the girls side, we have what I feel will be one of the two best games of the tournament (a Pearl River-Lakeland Class A championship would be the other). Several coaches, players and fans have asked me who I like and I don’t know what to say. There are reasons to pick both for and against Ursuline, and reasons to pick for and against Mount Vernon, and that’s what you need for a good game — uncertainity. I think we’ll have just that here.

Who do you like League I-A fans? You’ve seen these teams, too…

3. If you were impressed by Albertus Magnus tonight… wait until you see Pearl River tonight. The Pirates play the same all-for-one, one-for-all style, but may even do it better. And I predict at least three people I work with tell me Kerri Confrey is “nasty” after she throws a sweet pass.

4. Biggest story of the day will turn out to be Shields health. If she truly is healthy, then Brittany Shields will probably decide the Class C tournament. She’s done just that each of the last two seasons (and yes, I know her teammates have helped but you catch my drift) and can likely do it again if she’s on the floor.

5. We will hear more from Irvington and Hamilton in the future. This is not the last time these teams, with many of these players, will play in the County Center. Trust me. Irvington can ask Albertus Magnus about playing its worst game at the worst time. Two years ago, the Falcons won the Class B title then shot like the rim was a thimble in the state regional semifinals. Someday, the Bulldogs will be talking about how their first County Center trip like it’s a curse word, but they’ll be able to move above and beyond it. Lakeland, for example, hopes it can do just that come Sunday night.

6. Three words folks: Thirty-two and five. (Although Hamilton made me sweat…)

Star of the day: Shereen Lightbourne, Hamilton — This is not meant as disrespect to the winners, Blind Brook and Albertus Magnus, which each had an impressive performance from Sabrina Stockel and Jen Canale, respectively, but Lightbourne was the one who kept everyone talking throughout the evening on Wednesday. Lightbourne, the 5-foot-10 sophomore guard, had 30 points, six rebounds and seven steals to lead the Red Raiders to the brink of an upset of Blind Brook. To me, even though she had played great already, Lightbourne sealed this award when she hit two 3’s in the final two minutes despite having just banged her head against the floor. Gritty but brilliant stuff.

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CLASS AA SEMIFINALS —

No. 6 Ursuline (15-7) vs. No. 10 Mount Vernon (15-7)
Where: County Center
When: Today, 4:45 p.m.
Head2Head: Yes and it’s another regular-season split. Ursuline won at Mount Vernon, pulling away in the fourth quarter of a close game, and Mount Vernon won at Ursuline on a game-winning jumper from Kwinnyata Mercer with 3.8 seconds left.
Key players: MOUNT VERNON — Lynasia Frazier. The Knights should get solid games from Mercer and Nadia Duncan, their leading scorers and rebounders, but it’s Frazier, the eighth-grader, who must run the show. She dominated in wins over Clarkstown North and North Rockland and will need to control the game in front of the biggest crowd of her life. URSULINE — Rosie Crean. Mount Vernon is so athletic and fast, but can be caught sleeping for easy baskets. Crean, who is probably the Koalas best athlete, is the one who must score those points. Her team defense can take care of the rest.
Key matchup: Mount Vernon vs. itself. At this stage, it is pretty clear what Ursuline will bring to the court. Play hard, play defense, play smart. Beat you up inside. The Knights, however, are more of a wild card. They are tremendous at their best and frustrating at their worst. So which one shows up tomorrow?
What you need to know: As great as they were at their best the last few seasons, the Knights were 1-2 in semifinals and finals and didn’t even get that far last season. They since graduated all four of their Division I-caliber players — Shannon Blake, Danielle Browne, Andrea Ibezim and Shireyll Moore — and are a different team. With three middle schoolers in their top eight and two juniors as their top players, they have already exceeded expectations. Perhaps that can help them if they fall behind early on. Mount Vernon last played in a championship game in 2004 (you may remember the OT heartbreak and the halfcourt bellyflop) and last won a gold ball in 1983. Ursuline, on the other hand, has eight championships since then. The Koalas last played in a championship in ‘03 — a game they won, behind Cori Chambers — and have rebounded off a 6-14 ‘05-06.
Prediction: URSULINE 61, MOUNT VERNON 58 (OT). This shapes up to a game of runs and slumps. And we may see them meet again in next year’s championship, but it’s the Koalas who earn the right to play for the title this time.

CLASS A SEMIFINALS —

No. 2 Beacon (17-4) vs. No. 3 Pearl River (17-4)
Where: County Center
When: Tonight, 6:30 p.m.
Head2Head: No, but the Pirates won by 20 last year in this same spot on this same court.
Key players: BEACON — Kara Trancedi. The sophomore guard led the Bulldogs to a 56-27 rout of Tappan Zee in the quarterfinals. PEARL RIVER — Kerri Confrey. Kaitlyn O’Keefe is the star, but Confrey makes the Pirates go, go, go. And she’s fun to watch.
Key matchup: Beacon vs. Pearl River pressure. The Pirates want to press you until you say “uncle,” but the Bulldogs can’t afford to say uncle.
What you need to know: Beacon had looked great beating Ardsley in the quarterfinals last year, then was totally stifled from the moment it stepped on the court at the County Center. The question will be: Are the Bulldogs intimidated by that memory of what happend last time they met Pearl River or are they motivated by it? We should know very early. As for Pearl River, expect them to press and move the ball well. Other coaches treat Lorriane Moylan like the Dali Lama, so expect her team to be prepared, win or lose.
Prediction: PEARL RIVER 66, BEACON 54. I know Beacon fans, you’re not happy with me. But I can’t see the Pirates losing after such a sound victory last year in this same game. Plus, I think Pearl River is even better.

The Bulldogs weren’t bad in the second half, but this was long over by that time, as the Falcons led 16-2 after one and 26-7 at the half and never looked back.

My colleague Jake, who is covering the game tonight, told me before that all five Albertus Magnus starters scored in the first quarter. That was anything but a surprise. All five players are so solid, so fundamentally sound, and I think it’ll take some tremendous effort on Saturday for Putnam Valley to win.

No disrespect to the Tigers, but Magnus has been on a different plane all season from the rest of Class B. You saw it here tonight.

Jen Canale, the Falcons leading scorer, led the team with 14 points and eight rebounds and DeSheha Waring had 11.

Tara Gabelman had seven points and seven rebounds to lead Irvington.

If you’re the Bulldogs, and their coach Gina Maher, who was coaching her first game here in 30 seasons at Irvington, you have to look toward the future here. They have six freshmen and an eighth grader so, hey, someday they may be the experienced team impressing everyone. They just weren’t ready tonight.

Spoke with Rich Desiderio earlier today and he told me Brittany Shields should be fit for Saturday’s Class C championship game.

Ok, Ok…maybe fit isn’t the right word. The Tuesday night hero limped into the arena during the Blind Brook-Hamilton game and appeared to move gingerly every step. But Desiderio said she saw the doctor this morning and the diagnosis was a sprain.

The only way she’ll get better is by resting, icing it, and stretching the area, but there’s limited time between now and Saturday. But Shields is tough. Expect her to grit her teeth and play through pain.

As Karlyn Adler of Blind Brook told me before, “Oh no, I know she’ll play.”

And if Shields is on the floor then the Blue Devils have to be a strong favorite to win their 15th straight gold ball.

I’ll be back with more on Irvington-Albertus Magnus later…

Here’s an audio interview with Blind Brook senior Sabrina Stockel, who scored 23 points in a 52-47 win over Hamilton.

I don’t want to pat myself on the back (OK, OK, I do), but you can’t imagine the similarities between this game and Putnam Valley-Woodlands from a couple weeks ago. Blind Brook ultimately won 52-47, but the No. 2 seed needed a huge finish to survive ultra-talented sophomore Shereen Lightbourne, who scored 30 of her team’s points. She played just like Porsha Postell did vs. PValley, but this was another case of the better team putting it together and coming back to win.

Lightbourne hit a bunch of tough shots, including two late 3’s to keep her team in the game after she banged her head against the hardwood.

Still, Blind Brook didn’t quit, not even after it looked listless for much of the game, including when it entered the fourth quarter behind 33-25. The Trojans then proceeded to score 27 points in the fourth quarter, including 14 of 17 from the free throw line.

Karlyn Adler, Blind Brook’s leading scorer, was relieved after the game and rightly so. She had as difficult a time as anyone getting into the game, as Hamilton’s Meagan Rivera was draped all over her in a box-and-one defense. The senior showed great resolve late, hitting four straight free throws to ice the game – and prevent Lightbourne from being an even greater hero.

Two others to mention: Michelle Caley, who hit two free throws with 3:02 left to put her team up for good. She also had a couple key baskets in the fourth quarter. The other is Sabrina Stockel, another senior, who was slotted into Adler’s slot on offense to give the team a spark. Clearly, the move worked well and led to the comeback: Stockel scored 14 of her team-high 23 points in the fourth quarter.

As you may’ve already read earlier today, both teams had their problems at the start. Hamilton went 0 for 10 from the field in the first quarter, and Blind Brook 1 for 12 in the second quarter. It was pretty anemic, but it set up an exciting finish.

OK, I’ll save the rest for my story tomorrow. I’ll be back periodically throughout the day, then give you a bunch of updates tonight during Albertus Magnus-Irvington. Play nice…

It’s late at night and I just got back to my apartment. Truthfully, the blog was not my first move — the refrigerator was — but I’ll tell you this: If any of you ever become a sportswriter, you’ll soon learn there’s never anything to eat when you get home. It’s late and you’re hungry so you’ll eat anything, but fun-sized containers of JellO are not very filling. I’m starving.

Anyway, since most of my readers go to bed at a normal hour (like before 1 a.m.) and I do not, it’s really not going to work if I recap things at night. You’ll probably all be in bed by the time I get home no matter what. Instead, I’ll post like this each late night/early morning, and give you a chance to check out what happened the previous day and night, then follow it with a look ahead to the upcoming action.

So here are a few leftover thoughts, as I rue not making a late-night trip to the Candlelight or City Lights Diner…

Star of the Day: Brittany Shields, Haldane — As you’ve either read, or as you will read in a bit, the junior missed the second quarter with a severe ankle injury but came back to score 21 of her 25 points in the second half of Haldane’s 43-38 win over Dobbs Ferry. She also had 10 boards, and left people shaking their heads in awe. This was an easy choice.

Here’s a recap…

PUTNAM VALLEY 43, BRIARCLIFF 29 — Both teams came out hot early, draining a few shots and playing with passion as they fed off what were great, great crowds. But the adrenaline quickly ran out and this turned into a defensive game for the final three quarters.

In my postgame interviews, as you’d expect, players and coaches from both sides had a different take on what happened to the Bears’ offense. Briarcliff felt like it had opportunties and just didn’t convert them, while Putnam Valley felt it turned up the defense. Honestly, as it is with almost all things sports, it was a little of both. But no matter what, the Tigers took advantage of the give-and-take.

When you read my game story, don’t forget the part about Katie Geyer. It was her fourth game since moving up from the JV and she played some of the biggest minutes of the game subbing for center Jylan Mayo, who had four fouls. Geyer grabbed a couple nice rebounds and made two big baskets to take her team from a deficit to a slim lead. Christine Kemp followed with a nifty double-clutch layup (plus a free throw) early in the fourth and the Putnam Valley crowd really took it to another level. The Tigers rode the emotion from then on, and, as we have already discussed, ended the game in a mob at center court.

Putnam Valley’s crowd, with its blue-and-white face paint and custom-made T-shirts, had a bunch of chants directed toward Briarcliff in the final couple minutes. One was “O-ver-ra-ted,” which we hear quite often at games. This time it wasn’t quite fair. The Bears had earned themselves the top seed — if not that, then at least a top-two seed — but they were outplayed by a team that was right there with them, regardless of what the record said.

I thought Kemp had the defining quote of the game when she said: “If we played 10 times, we’d win five and they’d win five. It depends on who’s night it was. I guess tonight was our night.â€?

HALDANE 43, DOBBS FERRY 38 — This story will forever be about the hobbled dominance of Brittany Shields, who was carried from the court like her ankle had snapped in two. She was in tears — and this is a girl, we learned later, that played in the Empire State Games with a torn labrum in her shoulder — and it didn’t look good.

So, yeah, her performance — 21 of her 25 points in the second half on a tightly-taped ankle to bring Haldane back from a 22-11 halftime deficit — was amazing. (Coach Rich Desiderio told me on his way out of the County Center that he didn’t know until she came out and tested it whether or not she’d play in the second half.) But let’s not forget two other key factors:

1. The trainer, a man Brittany’s dad, Pat, called “The MVP,” and
2. The rest of the Blue Devils, who kept the score somewhat close and made plays late to aid the comeback. Emily Marsh, Brittney Fleming and Averyann Zuvic played excellent D and scored a few buckets, but I want to focus on Kylie McConville. The senior had at least five assists in the fourth quarter, feeding Shields and Zuvic for baskets on rolls to the basket, including one big one with about 30 seconds left. It was classic Haldane — someone who had been here before being able to raise her game simply because she’d been here before.

As I said earlier tonight, I’m sorry to see the Dobbs seniors graduate. I think we all need a dose of Carey Hickey every Championship Week, and her smile will be missed. Now the Eagles move on to Class B.

Off the court: PREDICTIONS REALLY BRING OUT THE HATERS — I’ll let you in to a little of what happens off the court each night, and tonight was a doozy. (Yes, I just used that word. I’m officially old.)

Ossining coach Dan Ricci, who is still sour I picked his football team to lose to Fox Lane, was among the many “well-wishers” who stopped by to chastize me for my predictions. As you all know, I picked Briarcliff and was wrong, and Ricci was among those who reminded me of it in his rather loud way. Truth be told, he would’ve picked Briarcliff, too, but I’ve learned that coaches like to keep predictions to themselves until AFTER games are over.

But that wasn’t all. I also had to contend with about half the Scarsdale girls basketball team and the Haldane student section, which briefly chanted my name during the nightcap.

Perhaps my greatest undressing of the evening came when, as if she’d been paid off by my girlfriend, Christine Yankou, the same girl who wrongly presumed she could beat me in a 3-points shootout, asked when I was going to propose to my girlfriend. Weird, I thought: That’s exactly what she always says!

Still, you know what, it was all fun (except for the chanting…awkward). I just hope everyone knows I love them and that I’m just picking the games for fun.

And if you forget that, you should maybe know that I’m now 30-5 for the playoffs. So there.

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On to the previews…

CLASS C SEMIFINALS —

No. 2 Blind Brook (16-4) vs. No. 3 Hamilton (15-5)
Where: County Center
When: 3 p.m.
Head2Head: Nope.
Key players: BLIND BROOK — Keren Mikva, Sam Levine, Diana Triglia. The Trojans’ inside trio must chip in. Karlyn Adler and Shereen Lightbourne will probably match one another, so the others need to diversify Blind Brook’s attack. HAMILTON — Shereen Lightbourne. Much like Porsha Postell of Woodlands nearly did to Put Valley, Lightbourne is capable of leading her team to an upset.
Key matchup: Hamilton vs. Blind Brook’s pressure. Whether it’s in the half court or the full court, the Red Devils must be able to handle defensive pressure. The Trojans move the ball so well that they can score quickly and easily off turnovers. Hamilton can’t afford too many.
What you need to know: Check the box score. A very comparable Hamilton team played well vs. Haldane in its semifinal last year. The Trojans, however, thought they let a chance to play for a gold ball slip away, even though were without Adler, who was injured. I assume they’ve be ready – and very weary of the upset-minded Red Devils.
Prediction: BLIND BROOK 56, HAMILTON 44. The Trojans lead almost the whole way.

CLASS B SEMIFINALS —

No. 2 Albertus Magnus (17-4) vs. No. 6 Irvington (15-7)
Where: County Center
When: Tonight, around 8:15 p.m.
Head2Head: Oh yeah. Twice in the League III-C season, with both games going to the Falcons. 42-29 at home, 47-36 at Irvington. They led both by double digits at the half.
Key players: ALBERTUS MAGNUS — Emily Brauer. The senior point needs to keep control of the pace. The Falcons are at their best at their own speed. IRVINGTON — Kaitlin Degnan. As one of only two seniors on the Bulldogs, she’ll need to provide leadership for a young group getting its first County Center taste.
Key matchup: Albertus Magnus offense vs. Irvington D. The Falcons try to lull you to sleep with their execution and ball movement. They work the shot clock and test your will. Opponents can’t afford to fall prey to that tempo.
What you need to know: Irvington, playing three freshmen in key minutes, is here ahead of schedule and may be well-served playing like it. Why? Well, because the Albertus Magnus seniors have been to the semis or beyond every year and have won a championship. They will be prepared and hungry. And don’t forget the coaches. Gina Maher, in her 30th season at Irvington, is making her first appearance at the County Center. And Joe McGuinness, a longtime Rockland basketball coach, is in his first trip as coach of the Falcons’ girls program.
Prediction: ALBERTUS MAGNUS 44, IRVINGTON 33. By imposing their will on the game, the Falcons continue their unbeaten run through Class B and move on to face Putnam Valley.

Putnam Valley’s Christine Kemp, who scored 17 points, talks about her team’s upset over top-seeded Briarcliff.

Haldane’s Brittany Shields scored 21 of her 25 points in the second half as Haldane defeated Dobbs Ferry 43-38.

A few seconds after the game ended, a few players went up to Brittany Shields and started grabbing and hugging her. Honestly, she actually looked a little embarrassed. That’s how much shed turned this game on its head tonight, as she rallied from an ankle injury to score 21 of her 25 points in the second half to lead the Blue Devils to another Class C final.

You just had to see it to believe it. Shields went to the ground in the first quarter right in front of me. She was crying – crying hard – and she needed to be carried from the court. It didn’t look possible for her to get back in there in play, but that’s exactly what she did and now Haldane advanced to Saturday’s championship game, its 15th gold ball well within reach.

This has to be an absolute heartbreaker for Dobbs, which saw itself one decent half from knocking off the one team it never seems to beat, at least not in the playoffs. Now, with their enrollment expanding, the Eagles won’t have another chance next season when they move to Class B. Plus, this was the last game in the career of Carey Hickey, Lauren Emerson and Susie DiLauria, who were a large chunk of the core of this team for quite a while.

It’s a shame really, but you have to trust me: What a game by Shields.

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(UPDATE 10:58 P.M.)

Amazing. Not only has Haldane come back from down 11, and not only is Shields playing, but Shields looks no worse for the wear. She had four points at halftime, but has now scored 15 of the Blue Devils’ 23 second-half points.

If this holds up, it may be the performance of the year.

More later…

(UPDATE 10:30 PM)

Looks like Shields is going to try and play. She is warming up right now and looks pretty good. I’ll let you know how good in a few…

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But that’s not the big news. Brittany Shields just went down with either a foot or ankle injury. There’s no reason to think Haldane won’t win now, but it doesn’t look good for Shields, who is over on a training table by the stage. I’ll have more later…

UPDATED (9:12 P.M.)

We just had a great celebration, as Putnam Valley mobbed the court. Briarcliff just couldn’t score after the first quarter.

OK, back with more later…

UPDATED (8:56 P.M.)

This is such a low scoring game, it’s incredible. And Putnam Valley proceeds to run the shot clock down on every possession. They may as well bust out the four corners.

Anyway, I don’t see how Briarcliff can win, but we’ll see…

UPDATED (8:45 P.M.)

A late run by Putnam Valley has the Tigers ahead of Briarcliff after three quarters. Angela Pescetti is doing an excellent job defensively on Christine Kemp at the moment but other players have emerged for Put Valley. Katie Geyer, who didn’t play until teammate Jylan Mayo went out with three fouls, has now scored two big baskets.

I was just reminded by the Scarsdale girls that I picked Briarcliff to win. Perhaps me being wrong will bode well for them later in the week vs. White Plains…

OK, I’ll be back with a final…

UPDATED (8:22 P.M.)

It’s halftime and it’s tied. No surprise there. Both teams have their own advantages, Briarcliff inside (Shelby Coon has eight points and five boards; Jamie Heyda active, getting her hand on rebounds and passes), and Putnam Valley with its shooting (4 of 7 on 3’s). Christine Kemp has been the leading scorer so far with 10 points. She also has two assists.

Expect this one to be decided late. At this stage, I can’t really say either team has an edge.

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The first quarter just ended at the Class B semi between No. 1 Briarcliff and No. 5 Putnam Valley and the Bears are up 11-10.

Both teams came out with an incredible amount of energy, but Putnam Valley went on a scoreless 4:12 to end the quarter.

More later…