So originally I planned on posting some of my favorite pics from throughout the week today, but then I had an idea. Why not take a different look back at the whole week through images compiled by our photo staff, who plays a very important part in the biggest week of the high school sports season?

I didn’t have access to these photos from the County Center, so all you’ve had until now are my words. I know you probably need a break from that. A big thank you to Matt Brown, Dave Kennedy, Liz Orozco, Tom Nycz, and Stu Bayer, who took the photos.

Here goes…

The week began with perhaps its most memorable moment. Haldane’s Brittany Shields (seen right) missed much of the first half with a crippling ankle injury. She was in tears, and didn’t look capable of playing again as a few people carried her from the court to the trainers table. “But in a miraculous show of inner strength – and great work by the trainer – Shields returned to score 21 of her 25 points to lead the Blue Devils,”:http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070228/SPORTS02/702280385/1111/SPORTS who trailed by 11 at the half, past Dobbs Ferry in the Class C semifinals. Obviously, the loss was crushing for the Eagles, who had an opportuntiy to finally win a gold ball over its nemisis, Haldane.

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This one is pretty self explanatory. As I wrote in Wednesday’s paper, the Putnam Valley players piled up on one end of the bench and then sprinted to center court “after the Tigers upset Briarcliff in the Class B semifinals.”:http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070227/SPORTS02/702270446/1136 Here’s what it looked like.

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Blind Brook survived and eventually won the championship, but one of the best performances all week was turned in by Hamilton’s Shereen Lightbourne (dribbling, right).

The sophomore guard, by racing up and down the court with abandon, “led the Red Raiders to a near upset by scoring 30 points.”:http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070301/SPORTS02/703010378/1049 They lost, but Lightbourne earned herself a great many fans as her team hung close with a heavy favorite in this Class C semifinal.

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Just about everything went right on Thursday afternoon for Mount Vernon, “which proved the future is now when emerging stars led the Knights to victory in the Class AA semis.”:http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070302/SPORTS02/703020388/1049 This was a team that was way off the radar in December, and that lost three straight as recently as early February. But this week Nadia Duncan and Kwinnyata Mercer stamped themselves in a class with some of the very best players in Section 1. And just remember: You will see these two meet again next season.

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I told you in our preview last week that Scarsdale had surprisingly good fans, and they came to support the girls vs. White Plains, as you can see here (below). Pictured are four of the Raiders’ five starters *(left to right, Jackie Alemany, Emily Kenison, Ali Menna and Kerry Ryan).* Apologies to blog favorite Christine Yankou, who is probably standing to Kerry Ryan’s left but who our photog cropped out of the photo. I just thought this was a great photo.

“As you know, Scarsdale gave it its all, but fell to eventual Class AA champ White Plains in another terrific performance from Kim Adams.”:http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070303/SPORTS02/703030361/1049

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Saturday kicked off with the Class C championship games. On the girls side, Blind Brook pulled off the most improbable upset of the week when it defeated 14-time Section 1 champ Haldane in surprisingly easy fashion, much to the delight of its fans and its mascot (below). “Karlyn Adler was named MVP after a career-high 31 points.”:http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070304/SPORTS02/703040389/1049

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Saturday evening brought the Class B final, where the teams, as you can see, expierenced two very different sets of emotions.

Emily Brauer, (right) the Albertus Magnus senior point guard, raised the gold ball for the second time in three years. She hit a crucial 3-pointer midway through the fourth quarter to finally stop Putnam Valley’s comeback bid, “after the Tigers had cut the lead from 17 points to four.”:http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070304/SPORTS02/703040381/1049 Jen Canale, another senior, was named tournament MVP.

I thought this image of Nicole Scott and Tara Gleason (below) watching Magnus get its championship medals was particularly poignant. It goes to show that there are two sides to every championship game, and theirs is a side that’s not often seen.

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Then came Sunday, the day we’ve waited all season for. The crowd, as you can see here from the Mount Vernon perspective, as the Knights waited to take the court, was simply incredible. The anticipation for the doubleheader brought a lot of hype to the proceedings and the electricity was amazing.

Check out Liz Flooks (below) taking a peak at the stands as Lowes Moore, Mount Vernon coach Patrice Wallace-Moore’s son, sings the national anthem.

The game started slow for the two-time defending champion Tigers, but Kim Adams (dribbling, right) started to have fun in the second half as she scored 17 of her 21 points to earn MVP honors. Adams teamed with, who else, but Flooks (15 points) and Angelei Aguirre (17 points, 10 rebounds and four assists) to down an ambitious Mount Vernon team, after the Knights jumped out to a 21-15 lead. “This was the third consecutive Class AA championship for White Plains,”:http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070305/SPORTS02/703050356/1049/SPORTS which now has the longest active streak of state playoff appearances of any girls team in Section 1.

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The nightcap was probably the best of the four championship games, as unbeaten Lakeland survived 32 minutes of hell from Pearl River to win the Class A championship. “The Hornets finished the Section 1 season 23-0 and won their first gold ball since 1989.”:http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070305/SPORTS02/703050355/1049

For a while, the unsurpassed focus and competiveness of Kaitlyn O’Keefe (right, walking to the free throw line) and her teammates loomed large over this game. The speedy Pirates pressed and pressed and pressed, hoping to neutralize the Hornets size and ability to execute in the half court. It worked, as Pearl River forced 27 turnovers, but Lakeland’s resolve and urgency eventually won out. Seniors Amy Voelkel (holding trophy with teammates, below) and Sarah Benischek each scored a crucial basket in the fourth quarter, allowing the Hornets to finally have their moment with the gold ball.