9:20 p.m.: Pearl River wins 57-44. Taylor Wilson had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Pirates. Jasmine Gibson had 14 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Tigers.

9:13 p.m.: Pearl River leads 53-41 with 1:15 remaining. Looks like Pearl River-Beacon for the third straight year at the County Center.

9:08 p.m.: Now it’s 49-37 with 2:16 left. The Pirates have had a comfortable lead the whole fourth quarter, but both teams are still going at it.

8:49 p.m.: The Pirates are up 43-28 after three. They capped the quarter on a 3-point play by Kristen McShane.

8:31 p.m.: The score is now 34-26. Ellen Woolgar hit a 3 right off the bat to push the Pirates to their biggest lead at 32-24.

8:19 p.m.: Pearl River leads 29-24 after a very fast-paced first half. Wilson has 12 points, while Gibson has eight. The Pirates were leading the whole quarter, but never by more than 28-21. The Tigers cut their turnovers from 15 to 5, but they still have 20 in the first half, though they are outrebounding the Pirates 28-13. Both teams are shooting 10 of 27 from the floor.

8:04 p.m.: Spring Valley just scored the first four points of the second quarter to cut the deficit to 14-13.

8:02 p.m.: Pearl River leads 14-9 after one quarter. Taylor Wilson has eight points for the Pirates, and Jasmine Gibson has six for the Tigers. Spring Valley has committed 15 turnovers.

The fourth and final game today will be tipping off around 7:45. I’ll be posting updates here so stay tuned.

I’m checking in here from the new seats on the stage-side of the County Center. As you can probably see, there’s a reason people like to sit courtside.

In fact, people simply love sitting at the press table even though they aren’t press…but that’s an argument for a different day.

Anyway, this post was brought to you by technology. Not only was it written on my BlackBerry, the picture was taken on it too. (I know, I know…you can tell by the quality. Shove it.)

Check back later. I’ll have a couple adjustments to the state playoff schedule.

I just spoke with Section 1 executive director Greg Ransom, who said the Albertus Magnus girls will be moved to Class A for the 2009 girls basketball playoffs.

The Falcons have a good chance to win their third championship in four years. Because of their success, Section 1 Athletics’ alignment committee decided recently to move Magnus up. (Note: It will just happen for the playoffs; Ransom said the Falcons will remain in the same league because League III-C has a combination of teams from Classes  A and B.)

Obviously, we can debate what this means for Class A and for Magnus. Does it make it easier for them to win a gold ball or harder? I’ll leave that to you. I will tell you, it looks a lot better next year for Briarcliff, Irvington, Nanuet and Woodlands. Those four are probably ecstatic right now.

Hi, this is Harold Gutmann making my County Center blogging debut. I’ll be checking in throughout the game between Beacon and Byram Hills, which should start right on time at 2 p.m.

3:20 p.m.: Brianna Melilli had 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists and Kara Tancredi had 16 points and seven rebounds for Beacon. Liza Falk led Byram Hills with 11 points. The Bobcats shot 26 percent (13 of 50) from the field and committed 19 turnovers. What a dominant effort by the top seed — Beacon scored 10 points to start the game and never looked back.

3:15 p.m.: Beacon wins 58-37. The Bulldogs had four players in double figures, but I’ll be back shortly with final stats.

2:57 p.m.: Both teams scored 10 points in the third quarter so Beacon leads 46-21 after three. The closest the Bobcats got was within 18 points at 39-21 before Beacon closed with seven straight.

2:47 p.m.: Samantha Wolff hit two field goals in the first two minutes of the third quarter to cut the lead to 37-15, causing a Bulldogs timeout.

2:32 p.m.: Beacon takes a 36-11 lead into the half. Kira Hogan has two of the Bobcats three field goals, including a 3-pointer early in the second quarter that made it 23-10, but Beacon ended on a 13-1 run. Brianna Melilli had eight points and five assists for the Bulldogs.

2:15 p.m.: Beacon leads 21-5 after one quarter. The Bobcats, who are 1-13 from the floor and 3-6 from the line, got a pair of free throws from Samantha Wolff in the final minute to get within 21-5.

2:10 p.m.: Beacon just went up 19-3, forcing another Byram Hills timeout. Update, 3:13 p.m.: I’m not sure what happened to the things I wrote before 2:10, you probably get the idea.

…this time, of course, the roles will be reversed: Mount Vernon, seeded first at 22-1, is the favorite and White Plains, seeded 10th and just 13-10, is the underdog, as strange as that may sound. But who really expected this? If you say you did, you’d be such a dirty liar you may as well play major league baseball.

ON WHITE PLAINS — 

There was a point early this season where White Plains wasn’t even .500. Making it to the playoffs looked questionable, forget about reaching another championship game. That seemed impossible. The Tigers were busy trying to get players acclimated to varsity, let alone win another gold ball.

Consider this: Back in December, Sue Adams told me she envisioned a team much like Scarsdale in ‘07, with Angelei Aguirre playing the role of Jackie Alemany. The implication was it would be a team heavily dependent on one player, perhaps capable of beating anyone but the one or two best teams — and one that ultimately came up a wee bit short.

That they’ve made it a game further (Scarsdale lost to WP in last year’s semis and New Ro in the ‘06 semis) really is a remarkable story, so here’s my take on how it happened:

1. Angelei Aguirre grew up. Don’t take that statement the wrong way. What I mean is this: She realized that the past was the past, that this team need her to finish plays, not just make them. As you saw last night, the senior has developed into a fiercely competitive player. She no longer defers, lending the Tigers an identity with her as the No. 1 option on every single possession.

2. Defense became No. 1. White Plains has always been its best without the ball, but it also possessed the weapons to score the last three years, especially in the paint and off the dribble. Now with a six-player rotation, the Tigers can’t rely on their offense to win. They rarely have multiple scorers on the court. (Truthfully, Donika Rexhepi is the only other consistent scorer outside of Aguirre.) They have been forced to shut others down instead and have fared awfully well. In the last three games WP has held McIntyre (JJEF), Sferra (Ursuline) and Abrams (NR) well below their season averages, a surprising fact when you consider Aguirre is the team’s tallest player.

3. They’ve been coached to their strengths. Pressing and fastbreaking won’t be part of the game plan vs. Mount Vernon. The Tigers won’t look to speed up the game with the Knights’ superior depth and speed. Instead, expect Adams to slow it down and play basic man or zone defense, depending on MV’s early perimeter shooting. You can bet Simone Tharkur will be told: I want you to know Kwinnyata Mercer’s jersey size by the end of the game.

4. After slow starts, Valda Heyward has handled the ball and Shelby Fields has rebounded it. Heyward, who struggled early in the season with the aftereffects of a knee injury, has taken a lot of the pressure off Aguirre, who can set up in the post earlier in possessions now. Also, Fields was a bit player early this season. Now she’s one of the better rebounders in Class AA.

5. They’ve developed a swagger. This category isn’t one you can measure; it just happens to have played a significant factor. White Plains feels good about itself now, so good it will tip-off on Sunday believing a fourth straight gold ball is possible. Three weeks ago I don’t know if it believed (many of us didn’t), but a lot has happened since then. Winning playoff games goes a long way.

Those are my five reasons why White Plains has returned for Sunday’s matinee. After nearly knocking off Mount Vernon earlier this month, another championship seems real.

ON MOUNT VERNON — 

If you didn’t read my story in the paper about Mount Vernon, it focused on how this won’t be an easy final. The Knights find themselves burdened by a few ill-timed injuries and/or illnesses, including:

— Mercer was too sick to eat the pregame meal yesterday, then she left late in the game with leg cramps. She said she was fine.

— Taylor Palmer spent the night of the quarterfinal against Suffern in the hospital. She had shortness of breath stemming from excess air in her lungs. The condition subsides with rest, she said. Palmer definitely played well last night, scoring 10 points and dishing three assists. But she struggled breathing when she was drilled with a screen (it was clean).

— Desiree DePaula, a key reserve, collapsed on her way to the locker room. She has been sick and had a bit of an attack in the busy moments following the victory. There was a pack of people by the back door to the County Center tending to her (you may have seen it), but DePaula eventually recovered and hiked it to the locker room. It was scary, even if the story has a happy ending.

Patrice Wallace-Moore told me she expects her team at 100 percent on Sunday. Still, with everything I listed above you have to wonder.

I’ll say this: Since I’ve been around the last four or five years, there have been teams with better luck than Mount Vernon, that’s for sure.

Anyway, the clock is officially ticking to 2 p.m. on Sunday. The County Center appears to have a real game on its hands.

ON DWECK:

— Turned out my original information on Lourdes’ Kim Dweck was accurate. The Warriors’ leading scorer played a little more than a minute, took one shot and sat the rest of the game.

I talked to Dweck afterward. (She’s a blog fan, which may be the No. 1 way to win me over.) Sounds like she hasn’t done much since hurting the ankle last Saturday at practice but focus on returning to the court. She’d spent time rehabbing the muscles around the ankle and getting treatment. Obviously it wasn’t successful.

It’s easy to question her determination from afar, but she convinced me there was no choice. Dweck said she couldn’t keep up with the tempo of the game and feared she’d hurt the team. It’s a tough decision for a teenager to make, but she didn’t have much of a choice. Her game is based on her speed. Without it, she may’ve done more harm than good.

Coach Sarah Mesuch told me afterward that Dweck had really turned a corner the last couple weeks. She’s just a junior, but she has taken to leading practices. Plus, she’d raised her scoring average to around 20 PPG during the second half of the season.

Mesuch had a feeling Dweck wouldn’t play. She said the team didn’t alter it’s game plan because it prepared like Dweck was out.

10:05 p.m. – Here are some final stats from the game that just ended:

Angelei Aguirre had a game-high 18 points. Teammate Donika Rexhephi had 17 points.

Katie Daly led North Rockland with seven points. The Red Raiders shot just 12 of 52 from the field as a team.

So there it is. Another day at the County Center in the books. Hopefully, tomorrow’s games will provide a little more excitement. I will be at the state boys swimming championships in Nassau County (I’m very thankful it’s not in Buffalo like it has been the past two years) the next two days so unfortunately, I won’t be around. I will be back with you on Sunday to blog about all the championship games.

Until then, keep enjoying the basketball and remember to keep it tuned to lohud.com for all the latest. Thanks again to Kevin and Josh for letting me be a guest on their fabulous blogs. Goodnight!

10:00 p.m. – We have a final. White Plains has defeated North Rockland 41-29 to advance to Sunday’s Class AA girls championship game at 2 p.m. The Tigers will take on top-seeded Mount Vernon – a team it lost to both times during the regular season.

The final score really wasn’t a strong indication to how lopsided this game was. North Rockland scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to White Plains’ 3 to produce the final margin.

9:57 p.m. – Under 1 minute remains and White Plains leads 41-24. Angelei Aguirre just left the game to the roar of the Tigers’ fans in the crowd. White Plains didn’t make a substitution until late in the fourth quarter.

9:52 p.m. – Katie Daly just connected on another 3-pointer for North Rockland. It looks like it’s way too little, way too late for the Red Raiders, who still trail 41-22 with 3:15 to play in the game.

9:51 p.m. – Shenekwa Kellman just made a 3-pointer from the right wing with 4:29 left in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately for the Red Raiders, it was their first field goal of the second half.

9:47 p.m. – White Plains still leads 38-16 with 6:15 to play. On a side note, the Tigers still haven’t made a substitution the entire game. If there starting five is tired, then it certainly doesn’t sh

Tomorrow’s Byram Hills-Beacon Class A semifinal has been moved to 2 p.m.

Apparently, the forecast calls for snow, so they decided to move the game up. It was originally scheduled for 8:45 p.m.

Makes things a lot easier for me on deadline. I’m not so sure the Byram Hills fans will feel the same way about missing an opportunity for a prime-time game.

8:13 p.m. – Here are some final stats from Mount Vernon’s 64-52 win.
Kwinnyata Mercer had a game-high 23 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Teammate Nadia Duncan had 15 points to go along with 11 rebounds.

Teneka Whittaker led Lourdes with 19 points.

Okay, with the big day in Mount Vernon-land behind us, we concentrate now on who the Knights will play in the Class AA girls championship on Sunday. Don’t fear, I’m staying right here with all of you to keep everyone informed of what’s going on in this other semifinal game between No. 10 White Plains and No. 6 North Rockland.

I’ll be back in a few minutes with another post to set things up for that game.

8:08 p.m. – It’s a final. Mount Vernon has defeated Lourdes 64-52 to advance to Sunday’s Class AA final. The Knights will take on the winner of tonight’s game between No. 10 White Plains and No. 6 North Rockland.

8:06 p.m. – The Mount Vernon chant has finally been heard. The Knights lead by 12 with 25.8 seconds to play, but in all reality, this game was over midway through the third quarter. The final score is all that remains to be decided.

8:02 p.m. – Lourdes is rallying right now with a 14-3 run. It’s a case of too little, too late, though. Mount Vernon still leads 63-51 with 1:15 to play.

7:55 p.m. - Mount Vernon holds a 60-39 lead with 3:42 left. It remains to be seen when the famous M-O-UNT, VER-NON, Mount Vernon, Mount Vernon chant starts to be heard. The Knights’ crowd always seems to know when the game is in hand and it certainly appears that it is now.

7:51 p.m. – With 5:08 left in the game, Mount Vernon holds a 58-37 lead. Kimberly Dweck still has not entered the game in the second half for Lourdes and it appears very, very doubtful that she will.

7:46 p.m. – The scoring has stopped here in the fourth quarter. Fortunately for the Knights, that’s fine with them as the team still holds a 55-35 lead with 6:17 remaining in the contest.

7:41 p.m. – Through three quarters Mount Vernon is comfortably ahead, 55-25. The Knights ended the period on a 5-0 run despite Nadia Duncan and Kwinnyata Mercer sitting on the bench. Mercer did have a huge quarter with 12 points.
The biggest applause seemed to come when 7th-grader Lubirdia Gordon connected on a free throw attempt for her first (of many?) career points at The County Center. She’s back on the bench to start the fourth quarter, though.

7:39 p.m. – Mount Vernon has extended its lead to 51-35 with 20.4 seconds left in the third. In other news, 7th-grader Lubirdia Gordon has entered the game and grabbed her first rebound.

7:33 p.m. – With 1:54 left in the third quarter, Mount Vernon still leads 46-33. It doesn’t appear to be getting any better for Lourdes as Kim Dweck hasn’t entered the game in the second half and is sitting on the bench wearing her warmups.

7:29 p.m. – With Nadia Duncan on the bench, fellow senior Kwinnyata Mercer has stepped up with back-to-back makes from downtown. The Knights now lead 46-33 with 3:24 left in the third quarter.

7:26 p.m. – Nadia Duncan just picked up two quick fouls giving her four already with still over 5 minutes left in the third quarter. We’ll see how the Knights respond with the senior standout on the bench.

7:22 p.m. – Taylor Palmer just converted on a layup to give Mount Vernon a 40-25 lead, with 6:05 left.
For those of you wondering, 7th-grader Lubirdia Gordon has not entered the game yet for the Knights. 8th-grader Sade King has.

7:00 p.m. – Mount Vernon will take a 36-25 lead into halftime. Nadia Duncan has 14 points and 8 rebounds, and Kwinnyata Mercer has 9 points and 4 assists.

For Lourdes, star guard Kimberly Dweck (Cortlandt Manor) has been ineffective with an ankle injury. The junior started, but sat out the entire second quarter. Teneka Whittaker leads the Warriors with 11 points and 2 assists.

6:05 p.m. – Lourdes just called a timeout with 2:31 left in the second quarter. The Warriors seem to be finding their stride on offense, but still have not found an answer for the Knights’ potent offensive attack. Let’s see if they can make any adjustments coming out of this timeout.

6:03 p.m. - Kwinnyata Mercer just added another basket to put Mount Vernon in front 32-21, with 3:30 left in the second quarter.

6:57 p.m. – A driving layup by Kwinnyata Mercer has put Mount Vernon in front, 28-13 with 5:56 left in the second quarter.

6:51 p.m. – After one quarter, Mount Vernon leads 24-13 in a high-scoring affair. Lourdes is going to have to slow the pace down if it has any chance of pulling off this upset.

6:44 p.m. – Mount Vernon is up 18-9 with 3:05 left in the first. The Knights have already connected on three 3-pointers, two more than the boys team did in its entire game.

6:35 p.m. – We’re underway and Mount Vernon has grabbed a 6-0 lead with 6:20 left in the first. Nadia Duncan just knocked down a rare 3-pointer from the right wing. Not a good sign if you’re a Lourdes’ fan.

Hey everyone, Alex Myers here. I’ll be keeping you up to date on all the latest from this game as it progresses.

Right now, both teams are going through their final warmups. Mount Vernon will be trying to match the boys team, which just posted an impressive 78-49 win over Suffern in its semifinal. The Knights will be playing a Lourdes team that I saw them handle pretty easily back in January.

Back in a few when the game tips off.

That’s what I’ve heard so far. Obviously, it’ll make for a much more competitive game between Lourdes and MV.

More later…