Someone (Clyde from Westchester actually) asked me on today’s show who I considered as the top 10 post players in Section 1. Because of time constraints I only listed five, so here’s the expanded list I came up with.

His point was that we spend a lot of time talking about guards here, and he wanted to know about the girls who toil on the low blocks.

Fair enough…so I went through the top 5 on the show today. Here is my complete top 10, in no particular order.

— Mary Abrams, North Rockland

— Shelby Coon, Briarcliff

— Gillian Felix, Mahopac

— Brittany Garrett, Ossining

— Taylor Jackson, Horace Greeley

— Tori Jarosz, Lakeland

— Kristin Schmidt, Suffern

— Shelby Sferra, Ursuline

— Brittany Shields, Haldane

— Shanyce Stewart, Mount Vernon

Note: There are a few borderline cases I didn’t include because they are more wing players who sometimes play in the post. Among them: Nadia Duncan, Mount Vernon; Tara Gabelman, Irvington; K.C. Jentzen,  Nanuet.

Jake here. Today I got a chance to see two teams I haven’t covered yet, Nyack and Ramapo. And boy did I pick a fun game to watch. This game — Ramapo won 66-55 — was end-to-end, lots of action and offense. Until the fourth quarter when Nyack went cold, both teams were making shots like crazy. And more importantly taking good shots, which isn’t always the case in high school basketball. Ramapo’s Edwina Stradford told me they’ve really been emphasizing the execution of offensive sets in practice. It showed. There was none of that “throw the ball at the basket and chase after the rebounds” brand of basketball that makes purists want to gouge their eyes out.

For the most part both clubs stayed hot until the fourth, when Nyack suddenly shot 2 of 16 and turned the ball over 13 times. Ramapo took a 50-49 lead on Allissa Basquiat’s floater with about five minutes left. It was the last of nine lead changes after halftime. Basquiat was awesome, scoring 21 points on 10 of 13 shooting and adding 11 rebounds and three blocks. Stradford quietly energized Ramapo with some steals and rebounds.

Nyack was led by Chantel Brooks, a forward off the bench. She put up 22 and 10 boards despite barely playing in the first quarter. Needless to say, she was in the rest of the way. Boardwork by her and Caroline Chesterman (10 rebounds) allowed Nyack to outrebound a much taller Ramapo team. In the end it wasn’t enough because they could neither stop Ramapo nor keep up with their blistering offensive pace.

The Indians (7-11) have only two games left — at Tappan Zee and Port Chester. They must win one to make the playoffs. League-leading TZ is a tall order, but Port Chester (4-10) is definitely do-able. Ramapo (9-8) has three left — North Rockland, Clarkstown North, Suffern. It’s already in the playoffs. But as coach Matt Sullivan told me, he doesn’t want to get in as a bottom seed only to travel to Mount Vernon or Ursuline. That means beating one of those league foes, all three of which have been a bugaboo the last few years. A 10-10 record might get them a date with New Ro, which Sullivan said he wouldn’t mind.

here would be the top four seeds in each class.

(Note: You can find the formula to determine seedings in this post, our sectionals cheat sheet. )

Class AA —
1. Mount Vernon, 12-0 record vs. Section 1, 4.0 index
2. Ursuline, 10-1, 3.64
3. Horace Greeley, 11-2, 3.38
4. Ossining, 11-3, 3.14

Class A —
1. Beacon, 14-2, 3.875
2. Tappan Zee, 10-4, 3.07
3. Byram Hills, 10-6, 2.9375
4. Spring Valley, 9-5, 2.9286

Class B —
1. Albertus Magnus, 14-0, 4.357
2. Briarcliff, 16-1, 4.176
3. Woodlands, 10-2, 3.917
4. Nanuet, 13-3, 3.75
(Also close: Irvington, 13-3, 3.625)

Class C —
1. Haldane, 16-0, 4.9375
2. Blind Brook, 11-5, 3.25
3. Tuckahoe, 9-7, 2.625
4. Valhalla, 9-8, 2.47

— Also, Kevin, Ben and your favorite sports writer are back on the air tonight from 6:30-7 on RNN. Please tune in, and you can call in with any question or comment on any team you want to talk about at 1-888-RNN-CHAT.

I hope to hear from you…

OK, I just returned from North Salem where Haldane won 60-50 in a thrilling game that was played at a very high level. I’ll get to the game in a bit, but let’s start with the record:

Brittany Shields, to absolutely no one’s surprise, was incredibly calm despite needing 13 points to break the school’s all-time scoring record. I say this was no surprise because she’s played in so many big games and in front of so many people…she’s exactly the type of player who wouldn’t be fazed.

Shields and her teammates overcame a hot start for the Tigers, who scored 15 points in the first six minutes. Like they always do — and it is remarkable how consistent they are after all these years — the Blue Devils and their star plugged along. Shields had six points in the first quarter to give her team an 18-17 lead at the break.

In the second quarter, Shields and Avery Zuvic led Haldane on a 16-2 run. The last basket was a layup by Shields, and it gave her team a 34-19 lead and left the senior one point shy of the record.

It didn’t take long for her to break it. With a little under a minute left, Shields stole the ball and dribbled the length of the court for a layup that broke the record.

Shields finished with 22 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in what was a terrific all-around performance. (She actually threw a halfcourt chest pass off the dribble for a basket that had the teenage guys from North Salem sitting near me in utter disbelief.)

“It was definitely exciting, but more importantly it was a relieving to get it over with now,” she said. “We can focus on our big games. We have Ossining and Greeley next week and then obviously sectionals, so now we can focus on that.”

Shields broke the record of Jenn Moran, a ‘94 graduate who had 1,776 points. Moran, who is 31 and now lives in Beacon, has known Shields since she was a little girl and she was emotional after the basket.

“I cried,” she said.

Moran wasn’t sad. She said she was happy someone broke the record, but especially Shields, who now must be considered one of the best — if not the best — player in school history. In fact, as I watched the game I thought about how there are a lot of Division I teams missing out. Shields may not be the fastest or the tallest, but the way she can play with both hands, the way she dribbles and the way she can finish are talents you can’t teach college players. They’re just there.

Anyway, on to more from the game…it moved quickly, especially in the first quarter. North Salem played very well to start, but fell behind during that second quarter run. The Tigers recovered behind Jill Olimpieri, who had 11 points, nine rebounds and six assists, and 6-foot-6 sophomore Danielle Fiacco, who, with all her inexperience, is someone to watch. She had 14 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks in a very disruptive performance.

After all that, Haldane led by just six, 47-41, but showed great poise by scoring nine straight points to bring the game back from the brink. Zuvic (14 points), a center, and PG Emily Marsh (eight points, three steals) were at the forefront of the fourth-quarter run, as was Shields.

I’ve now seen Shields play in the state final as an eighth grader, win Section 1 tournament MVPs as a freshman and sophomore, and blow past 1,000 points as a junior. Now she’s broken the record, although I think there’s still more to come.

The podcasts are coming fast and furiously lately thanks to Joe Lombardi, who must like the sound of his own voice or something.

Seriously though, Joe asked for my first public comments since I gave an incorrect prediction in the Mahopac tournament, the same tournament he correctly predicted Scarsdale to win. I’ll say this: Maybe I outsmarted Joe. Maybe I actually thought Scarsdale would win, but concocted the whole idea so he could think he won the bet all while me and the lady got to spend the rare Saturday night together. I wonder if he ever considered that?

(Even though I probably questioned Scarsdale’s consistency, but still…)

Anyway, enough of that. Here’s what Joe and I discuss in this week’s podcast:

— Haldane at North Salem tomorrow, including Brittany Shields’ nearing the program scoring record I predicted she’d break on Jan. 14, 2006, when she had 800 career points.

— Briarcliff at Kennedy, also tomorrow

— OLV at Maria Regina on Friday

— Next Monday, which features Ursuline at Mount Vernon and Nanuet at Woodlands

— We, again, offer a couple predictions, with Joe Lo hoping his will stick

Enjoy…

Download:

Just wanted to drop in with some results from tonight, the first of which is…

MOUNT VERNON 48, WHITE PLAINS 41: Close, close game, with White Plains leading after three quarters. The Tigers held a 41-40 lead with a little over a minute remaining when Angelei Aguirre, who had 29 points and eight boards, missed the front end of a one-on-one. The Knights then went on to hit 8 of 10 free throws in the final minute-plus to escape White Plains unbeaten in League I-A.

I talked to both coaches on the phone and, ironically, it was about what you’d expect despite the score: Sue Adams was happy and Patrice Moore was not. … Adams told me her players competed for 32 minutes for the first time. She feels they can play this way all the time. … Moore said WP did a solid job of making her team play its game.

The Knights were limited, with Shanyce Stewart not starting because she’s been sick, but still had their three best players on the floor. … All in all, very interesting.

JJEF 53, CARMEL 26: To me, this is not a good sign for Lourdes. The Warriors are scheduled to meet JJEF on Thursday, but the Pats look like they’re a machine right now. Carmel barely lost to OLL but struggled mightily here vs. John Jay. Will that prove telling?
OSSINING 87, PEEKSKILL 77: I talked to Dan Ricci briefly after this game and he was breathing a sigh of relief. Roberta Sleigh was back on the court for the Red Devils, who ran with Ossining all game. Alex Venuto starred for the O. She poured in a career-high 33 points on the strength of 17-of-17 from the FT line.

YORKTOWN 60, BREWSTER 51: Here are two teams I can’t figure out. I may have to stop trying.

The Huskers had a tough, tough Saturday against Briarcliff, but they rebound here behind 20 from Maggie Natell to earn a quality win over Brewster??? The Bears, on the other hand, seem to trip up every time I think they’re on a roll. I just don’t know where they stand in the Class A picture come playoff time. Anyone want to venture a guess?

NORTH ROCKLAND 59, SUFFERN 40: The Red Raiders strike again in their league, and should have it wrapped up pretty soon now. … It’s nice to see that Mary Abrams scored 18 points. She’s an awfully talented player who has seen her senior season hampered by injuries to her knee and wrist. You never want to see that happen to anyone.
And a few more… Maria Regina returned to action tonight with a win over St. Edmund’s. Jennifer Nixon led a balanced effort with 11 points. … Dobbs Ferry, which would be a real live team were it still in the Class C field, defeated Tuckahoe 47-30 behind 22 and 11 from Jackie Giulliano. … Irvington beat Valhalla 61-33. It marked, I believe, the second straight game Gillian Morley led them in scoring, which is a good sign following her recovery from a leg injury. … Sophia Aleksandravicius had 24 points and 14 rebounds in Holy Child’s 60-44 win over Greens Farms. It probably doesn’t mean much to Section 1 fans, but if you want to know all the area’s best players watch her this summer at ESGs. … The restaurant Confused was certain I was hiding the name of is Buon Gusto. Credit the assist to Gina Maher…

Well, Ursuline struggled mightily against New Rochelle the first time around, winning by just three. But that was a distant memory today. The Koalas blitzed their crosstown rival 66-30.

Ursuline pushed the ball effectively, scoring 20 points in the first quarter. Shelby Sferra (23 points, 14 rebounds) and Shannon Ray (17 points) controlled the game from their positions, but the Koalas got contributions from pretty much every player on the team. Claire McEvily, who played JV ball at New Ro as an eighth grader, started for the first time (that I know of), and had seven boards.

New Rochelle is struggling right now in all phases. Leading scorer Chrissy Conroy is out with mono, but it wasn’t just her absence that hurt them today. The Huguenots caused a lot of trouble with their press last time but Ursuline picked it apart.

This was my first look at New Ro, which has some nice talent. Right now they’re definitely missing a No. 1 option on offense and they need to take better care of the ball. That’s probably not news to anyone who’s seen them, but it can’t be easy. League I-A is not where a team goes to earn some confidence.

It’s one thing to win at the buzzer. Today Tappan Zee won AFTER the buzzer.

Megan Curran, needing to hit a free throw to stave off a demoralizing OT period, sank a foul shot with no time left on the clock to beat Clarkstown North 46-45. It was sweet redemption for a Tappan Zee club that had crumbled over the last 1:16 without Theresa Pagnani. You never know what would have happened in overtime, but North would have had all the momentum.

It became a moot point as soon as Curran swished the second of two free throws. The game ended as soon as the ball passed through the rim. Even though she had missed the first — which also would have won the game — it was a clutch shot from a freshman with all the pressure in the world on her. As if the situation wasn’t hard enough, Curran was standing by herself on the court. The refs had waved everyone away because there was no time left. So there she stood, totally on an island, with everyone staring and the game in her hands.

To understand how she came to be there, I have to explain the final minutes. TZ led 45-40 when Pagnani picked up her fifth foul with 1:16 to go. Pagnani was playing great at that point, pulling down offensive rebounds galore. The battle down low between her and Danielle DeStaso was fun to watch. Without her, North came back to tie. Megan Weaver hit a 15-footer with 16 seconds left to tie it at 45-45. TZ ball. Meaghan Carley was bumped as she put up a floater with 7.5 seconds to go. She missed both free throws, the second one just barely. North’s Ilyse Schwartz got the rebound and tried to dribble free but was trapped in the corner. Seeing the clock winding down she tossed the ball toward a teammate at midcourt. Curran stepped in front, grabbed the pass, and took a couple dribbles. She banged into a Ram player while attempting a floater, earning the fateful trip to the line. The whistle came a split second before the final horn sounded.

Great game. Well played by both teams after halftime after an ugly first half. Tappan Zee earned its second big win in a row and rose to 11-4. Because North is in Class AA, this win will count extra when they do sectional seedings. Expect TZ to get a very high seed unless it completely falls apart from here.

North has to be disappointed. It went on a big run to start the second half and looked on the verge of blowing the game open. The Dutchies got a couple 3-point plays and were right back in it. TZ was pressing North during the fourth quarter, leading to several press break opportunities. But the Rams blew a few open layups and, toward the end, threw a bad pass when they had two girls standing alone at their end of the court. The biggest bright spot was DeStaso, a freshman who rebounded well against Pagnani.

I’m off tonight so I enjoyed a nice meal at a new Italian restaurant in Irvington with the lady. A little penne with broccoli rabe and sausage for the gentleman, and a little zuppa di pesce for the lady. (Not sure if I spelled that right…but I’m not looking it up.)

I just returned  home but I logged on to check the scores. Here’s what I noticed:

HALDANE 60, DOVER 54: Close game for the Blue Devils, who actually trailed by a point at the half. Brittany Shields scored 27 points, putting her just 26 shy of snapping Jen Moran’s all-time school scoring record. … Dover flies under our radar a bit here, but it has had a good season. Don’t let the Dragons’ 7-7 record fool you because they’ve played a pretty tough schedule for a small school. … I’ll be on hand as Shields goes for the record on Wednesday at North Salem.

OUR LADY OF VICTORY 45, HACKLEY 42: Unfortunately, I don’t have any specifics outside of the box score, but this was obviously a nail biter late. OLV came from behind in the second half to win. The Jags received five 3’s from Nicole Detko, who had 18 points. … Detko is the leading 3-point shooter in the area with 42 on the season. … I’ll see OLV vs. Maria Regina on Friday night.

ALBERTUS MAGNUS 72, NANUET 54: The Falcons moved to 3-0 on the season vs. Nanuet. They were up by 16 at the half and kept the lead all game. Alaina Walker led the way with 29, but what really jumped out at me was that Felicia DaCruz had 19. She’s just a freshman, and it was her career high. … I’d have to do the math, but this pretty much seals the top seed in Class B for Magnus, unless it slips against either Irvington or Pearl River.

There were a few other scores of note. Jake saw Tappan Zee 45, Clarkstown North 45, and I imagine he’ll comment on that later. … Apparently, North wants in the first annual Sixth Man Section 1 Challenge, but the Dutchies were intent on holding their spot in the field, pretend though it may be.

If you see Hen Hud coach Ben Martucci or a counterpart wearing sneakers with their suit this week, don’t call the fashion police. Martucci sent me an e-mail last night to say he is among those down for the cause of Coaches vs. Cancer — Suits and Sneakers week.

The suit-and-sneaker ensamble is meant to raise awareness in fans, who will notice the sneakers for obvious reasons. (Note: I covered a game last year where Putnam Valley coach Kelly Thompson did it, and you definitely notice when a person’s dressed up…and wearing sneakers.)

The event is promoted by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the American Cancer Society, but the Basketball Coaches Association of New York (BCANY) participated last year. The organization raised $34,000, as you can see on its website. The website also provides other suggestions for schools who hope to raise money.

If you’ve ever had a loved one affected, you know this is a good cause. Hopefully, this post leads at least one coach to wear sneakers this week or one school to hold a raffle. Many of us would appreciate it…