It’s a little more than an hour until Mount Vernon-Lourdes. We’re sitting here watching the Scarsdale and Mount Vernon boys, who have almost reached halftime.

My suggestion: If you’re coming, leave now. There’s a ton of traffic outside…clearly, you can blame the good people of Scarsdale, who are here in droves. The crowd wasn’t too full at first because of the traffic, but the stands filled up steadily during the first quarter.

CLASS A SEMIFINALS —

No. 1 Beacon (19-2) vs. No. 4 Byram Hills (15-6), 8:45 p.m., Friday, at the County Center:

Jake says: It’s been a week since the quarterfinals, which is apparently enough time for me to forget who Beacon is playing. Yes I actually forgot. That’s how unbelievable Byram’s win over Lakeland was. Let’s hope Beacon doesn’t forget to show up. Normally this would be a perfect upset scenario: untested top seed ignores upstart interloper with a championship within sight. Except I’m not sure the Bobcats have the firepower to blast Beacon before it gets its legs under it. Byram beat Lakeland with defense and one double-digit scorer (Kira Hogan). It showed an amazing burst in coming back from 11 down; I don’t think it can sustain that all game. And the biggest knock against Beacon – it hadn’t beaten anyone with a winning record since Dec. 18 (this was before the playoff win over Brewster) – isn’t an advantage for Byram. Before the Lakeland win, the Bobcats hadn’t beaten a winning team all season. Beacon 54, Byram Hills 41

Josh says: If you want to compare Beacon to someone on Byram Hills’ schedule, look no further than Briarcliff, a team that soundly beat the Bobcats twice this season. The Bulldogs have both an inside and outside presence, play strong defense and are versatile. … The comparison makes this game appear virtually impossible for Byram Hills, particularly in its first-ever trip to the County Center. But there’s one factor we have to consider: Maybe the Bobcats have simply gotten better? … That’s definitely possible. In fact, it’s probably. The problem is, no matter how many gains they’ve made, I just don’t think they’re ready for a team as experienced as Beacon, which will make its third straight trip here. Beacon 52, Byram Hills 35

No. 2 Spring Valley (13-8) vs. No. 6 Pearl River (13-9), 7 p.m., Friday, at the County Center:

Jake says: See my latest blog posting on the Rockland matchups.

Josh says: Don’t let either the record or the uniforms (Spring Valley in white, Pearl River in blue) fool you, the lower seed is the significant favorite to win. I don’t want to oversimplify it, but just look at how the teams played Tappan Zee. Spring Valley split, while Pearl River beat the Dutchies by 11 and 27. The Pirates are also the hot team and the more experienced team. Truthfully, this could be a tough night for the Tigers. Pearl River 68, Spring Valley 49

CLASS AA SEMIFINALS —

No. 1 Mount Vernon (21-1) vs. No. 4 Lourdes (14-8), today, 6:15 p.m., at the County Center:

Jake says: It’s the old vs. the new. The best school in girls basketball sectional history vs. the best team now. Lourdes is back in the County Center after a one-year hiatus. I don’t think it’ll be a long stay. Mount Vernon has two of the best players in the section and hasn’t shown any slippage. I realize this isn’t breaking new ground. What else is there to say? Until they show a weakness you can’t pick against the Knights. Lourdes did a commendable job holding them to 55 points – one of their lowest totals—in a January game. Except Lourdes only scored 36, which was in fact its lowest total. Honestly, I don’t see Mount Vernon being scared in the final four minutes of either County Center game. Mount Vernon 63, Lourdes 40

Josh says: For a team so dominant in the win-loss column, Mount Vernon can be tough to judge. 1. The Knights have had a couple close calls the last month, but they still rolled through their schedule unbeaten vs. Section 1 opponents. 2. They don’t have a great history as favorites in final fours under coach Patrice Moore, leading to speculation they have a County Center jinx. Yet they’ve proven to be a dominant team in the Slam Dunk, so it’s not the building. … If a team is to beat Mount Vernon this time, it must have great guard play. Lourdes has that at full strength, but we won’t know until during the game how healthy Kim Dweck’s ankle is. If she can’t go, it will be a major factor in the game. Plus, Mount Vernon should control the glass and then some, so expect a huge night from Nadia Duncan regardless. Mount Vernon 66, Lourdes 50

No. 6 North Rockland (15-7) vs. No. 10 White Plains (12-10), tonight, 8 p.m., at the County Center:

Jake says: See my latest blog posting on the Rockland matchups.

Josh says: Of all the semifinals in all four classes, this is the toughest to call. I told someone last night I thought this would go all seven games were it a seven-game series. Problem is, it’s no seven-game series, just one night in the bright lights and done. … On any given night, either team could win. But I believe White Plains enters as the more consistent day-in, day-out, which is why I feel safer picking the three-time champ to make it another Mount Vernon-White Plains final. White Plains 54, North Rockland 50

NOTE: Folks, please posts your predictions at the bottom of this blog. Thank you…

Rockland is 1-0 at the County Center after Albertus advanced to the championship with a 63-46 win over Irvington in the Class B semifinals. Thursday we move on to the higher classes, where three more county teams take center stage.

Two—Pearl River and Spring Valley—face each other in a Class A semi. Like No. 3 Tappan Zee before it, No. 2 Spring Valley is a big underdog to No. 6 Pearl River. The Pirates dominated TZ and many people expect them to do the same to the inexperienced Tigers. Shakiera Dumas just evolved into Spring Valley’s feature player. Will she be able to withstand Pearl River’s heat? Will Jasmine Gibson? Will Brittney Edwards or Jena Ford or any of these girls? I worry about them being overwhelmed by the aura of the venue. Once Pearl River starts pressuring the ball and things unravel a little bit, it’s easy to let that get out of control in this arena. Looking foolish in front of 70 people is one thing. Doing it in front of 800 is another. And the Pirates are good at making people look foolish. They’ve been here before and won’t be surprised by anything. I think Edwards is the key here. She has to throw her body around under the hoop (presumably against Kristen McShane) for some easy baskets. Not twisting half-hooks. Layups. If McShane gets in foul trouble there’s no one with comparable strength to replace her. In the end I think this is Pearl River’s year and Spring Valley is just another team in the way. Pearl River 66, Spring Valley 39

In Class AA, No. 6 North Rockland takes on even-more-surprising White Plains, a No. 10 seed. Needless to say, neither one was supposed to make it this far. Everyone figured on Ursuline-Ossining. White Plains lost two Division I players. North Rockland lost 20-point scorer Bri Peterson and future 20-point scorer Alaina Walker. I didn’t see White Plains’s postgame ceremony, but I can tell you North Rockland’s was exuberant. You could see all the steam from last year’s disappointing end dissipate into the air. A big question mark was whether the guards could withstand Ossining’s frantic pace, and Shanekwa Kellman, Ashley Brown, and Kate Daly all answered the bell. White Plains provides a differnt kind of pressure. Angelei Aguirre is a big, powerful guard that physically dominates small defenders. I’ll bet a week’s salary (yes, all 31 dollars) Kellman gets the assignment. She’s the only one with enough strength and footspeed to handle her. Josh already told me he’s picking White Plains, so I’m glad to say we finally have different picks. North Rockland 47, White Plains 43

1. Jake and I will have the Class AA and A predictions up soon. Please tack yours to the bottom of ours…try to get them in before the MV game starts at 6:15 p.m. I know it’s short notice, but this has been the busiest week of the four Championship Weeks I’ve covered, so…

2. Varsity Central Extra will be broadcast from 6:30-7 as usual tonight, even though Kevin and I can’t be in the studio because of the Mount Vernon doubleheader.

I’ll have a preview package on the Class B and C finals, which will air in the second segment. I’m shooting in 10 hours at the County Center, and I need to get a little sleep before then…perhaps it will allow me to look like less of a dork.

Even though we won’t be there, I hope you can tune into the show if you’re not at the games. We’ll have highlights from Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday’s games and updated scores in addition to the championship game previews, plus local sports editor Joe Lombardi will be in the house to answer your questions. I’ll also be on the phone to give my thoughts live during the Mount Vernon game.

Reminder: Call the show at 1-888-RNN-CHAT.

3. Irvington-Magnus was a well-played game, but the Bulldogs just couldn’t keep up late. The loss of Lisa Bucci (first to fouls, then to an ankle/foot injury) really hurt them. Bucci had trouble getting out of the arena tonight, so I hope it’s nothing too serious.

I talked a lot about Magnus in the game post, but I definitely feel for Irvington.

A lot of you who weren’t at the game will look at the score and decide Magnus dominated. But the final score does not indicate how closely contested this one was. The Bulldogs were right there, but always just a bit behind. The Falcons must be ecstatic about how its role players played.

4. Two guards I want to mention. First, Magnus freshman Felicia DaCruz, whose among the Falcons who earned no respect this season from our readers. Well…not only did DaCruz play terrific tonight, no fewer than four people raved about how great she was. One coach said she was the best freshman in Section 1.

The second player is Riley Harrington. A few of you mistook Jake’s comments following the thriller over Nanuet and it created a brief firestorm on here. Let’s forget about all that for a second. All I’ll say after tonight is that it’s clear she’s one of the best underclassmen in Section 1. With Bucci out of the game, Harrington played much more aggressively on offense, draining three huge 3’s. She also threw a few passes 30 feet from the basket that led to layups. And on defense she spent a lot of time on Alaina Walker, who had to work for her 25 points.

All season, Gina Maher has raved to me about Harrington’s selflessness, how she sort of held everything together. Tonight she played a lot like Margaret Byrne, the former PG at Albertus Magnus who won our Rockland County player of the year and led the Falcons to the 2005 Class B title. For those of you who don’t remember Byrne, just know that the comparison is high praise.

5. Kim Dweck does have an ankle injury. The Westchester native and Lourdes junior guard sprained it during practice this week. Sounds like she’s going to try to play vs. Mount Vernon. That’s not a great sign, but so far both Brittany Shields and Gillian Morley both played pretty well through pain.

6. Again, I ask you to refrain from bashing individual players. This has to be the only blog whose main source of comments come from ripping players. PLEASE, let’s see some enthusiasm for the game. Who do you think will win? Who has the best fans? Who can win a state title, etc.

Thank you.

10:15 p.m.: Magnus wins 63-46 behind 25 points from Alaina Walker (9 for 21) and a season-high 15 points from Ashley Huber.

Wow, this one was blown wide open after the Bucci injury. Harrington hit a 3 on the next possession to make it 52-46. Since then the Falcons went on a 13-0 run.

More later…

10:12 p.m.: Big 3-point play by DaCruz just now may’ve put this one on ice. Walker followed it up with a steal and a layup, and Magnus is now up 59-46 with 1:20 left.

10:04 p.m.: The game has stopped here with Magnus ahead 52-43 with 3:43 left. Bucci just went down as she fought for a loose ball with Walker under the Irvington basket. The trainer is tending to her as we speak…

10:00 p.m.: Time’s running out for Irvington, which trails 50-43 with 4:14 left. The Bulldogs don’t have a lot of time to trade baskets, but they are having trouble forcing many turnovers. Magnus is very careful with the ball in the half court.

9:53 p.m.: Morley just scored two baskets and Jasmine Macias had another during a quick 6-2 burst for Irvington, which looks compelled to push the ball up and throw it inside (good move). The run prompted a quick timeout from Magnus, which still leads 47-41 with 6:31 to play.

9:47 p.m.: Looks like I spoke too soon. Morley came back on the floor and gave the Bulldogs a big lift, scoring five points, including an and-1. Harrington also hit another 3, and their contributions combined to cut the deficit to 40-35. Still, Magnus came back and Huber scored seven straight points.

It’s now 45-35 Magnus through three quarters. Irvington’s going to need to move the ball to score. The Falcons aren’t about to enter some prolonged drought.

9:40 p.m.: Magnus is up 35-27 with 3:45 left in the third quarter. Walker just hit one of two FTs.

The action has slowed down a little bit after what was a very entertaining first half. You’d have to say that plays into Magnus’ hands. Not that the Falcons can’t run, but that’s where Irvington thrives i

Today’s a HUGE day of blogging for me. I’m not writing any stories, giving me the time to focus on passing along everything I see or here at the County Center.

Here are a few leftover observations:

1. Irvington came out in style. The river-town faithful were here in large numbers last night, probably 1,500 or so, which must have been just about everyone. Gina Maher and her players all came out to support the boys. They were wearing green t-shirts and face paint. Some even sported green leggings.

2. After seeing Gillian Morley hobble through here, I don’t think she’ll play. If she does, I don’t know how effective she’ll be. … However, that’s just my opinion. I haven’t actually talked to anyone about the matter.

3. I totally forgot to pass along what Brittany Shields told me about her injury. So…in lieu of my thoughts on the matter, I pass along Brian Heyman’s story about yesterday’s Valhalla-Haldane game.

4. Also, here’s my gamer on Briarcliff-Woodlands with thoughts from a few participants. As I said yesterday, I couldn’t possibly mention everything. But coaches I speak to have raved about Savina Reid, who showed no fear in her matchup with Postell.

I’ll have more as the day goes on, then constant updates on the Irvington-Magnus game.

My stomach is growling, which means it was a long and fun day and night at the County Center. There’s a lot I want to get to, so I’m going to save you from the pleasantries.

BRIARCLIFF 58, WOODLANDS 53: 

— Braircliff-Woodlands was great, with moments in the first half and fourth quarter that will leave their supporters with sore throats. The Falcons played well obviously after losing by 32 in December, but for the Bears this win was significant, no matter how it came. They overcame what coach Don Hamlin had labeled their County Center jinx. That is no small matter.

— There were many big shots and big plays, a lot of which I couldn’t get to in the story for tomorrow’s paper. Kaite Weiner played an excellent fourth quarter off the bench for Briarcliff, including a couple of big free throws late. So did freshman Savina Reid, who, along with her sister, spent a lot of time guarding Porsha Postell in Briarcliff’s diamond-and-one. Reid also scored the first five points of the game, and hit a couple other important baskets.

— You may know by now, but Briarcliff’s defense held Postell to 20 points on 7-of-32 shooting. Postell played very hard and never gave up, but she was clearly bothered by the Bears’ defense, which collapse at every turn. After the game, I was told that Postell missed practice yesterday because her ankle had been swollen the last week. Then, when she had them taped before the game by a County Center trainer, the trainer told her she had tendonitis. Coach Siobhan McDermott wanted me to be sure to note that she wasn’t making excuses, but she thought the extra knowledge stuck in Postell’s head. As they say, ignorance is bliss.

— The Bears were devoted to stopping Postell, leaving her teammates free. Marshell Hooper played well inside (12 points, 10 boards), but the rest of the Falcons couldn’t quite account for Postell’s off night.

— Interesting: Postell told me she and her teammates weren’t really too upset they lost. They were happy to play the Bears much closer this time and happy knowing they made it here for the first time in program history.

— The biggest shot of the game belonged to Taylor Pescetti, who hit a 3 from NBA-range with 1:44 left in the game. She later missed another one from even deeper as Briarcliff tried to run out the clock. … Both Pescetti and Hamlin were able to laugh about it afterward, but Taylor knew she got away with one. The miss kept Woodlands in it, and led to Postell having the ball down three with under 20 seconds to play. Hamlin said that was a scary moment for him, naturally.

HALDANE 48, VALHALLA 39:

— This was no Willis Reed moment. I think everyone knew Brittany Shields would play tonight, especially after the last 24 hours. Still, you gotta hand it to her…yet another incredible game in the face of intense pressure. Her teammates definitely helped in the second half, but what more can you say about 30 points and 15 rebounds?

— Valhalla played solid defense in the first and second quarter, taking a 10-4 lead after one quarter. Shields, who was winded early (she told me she hadn’t run in three weeks, only just the exercise bike), had 13 of Haldane’s 17 points in a 17-15 halftime lead.

— Tori McGuinn shot the ball really well, making four 3’s. She kept the Vikings in the game because every 3 in a low-scoring game is like a home run.

— This may be Valhalla’s gold ball to win next season, when just about everyone returns. That’s something to look forward to…because it hasn’t been easy to win championships under the Shields reign.

— Blind Brook-Haldane II is on. Let’s get your thoughts on that one, which is now less than five days away…

8:18 p.m. – Okay, time to switch over to the Varsity Insider blog and let Josh, aka J-Smooth get back to doing his thing. I’ll be logged on with Kevin to keep you up to date on all the happenings in tonight’s Class B semifinal game between North Salem and Irvington. Time to switch sites… hopefully, this won’t be too much of a problem.

8:04 p.m. – It’s over. Briarcliff held off Woodlands, 58-53 and will now advance to Saturday’s final at 5 p.m. The Bears will take on the winner of the Albertus Magnus vs. Irvington semifinal.

Woodlands didn’t go down without a fight, however. Monique Tilford connected on a 3-pointer with 34 seconds left to cut the lead to two. The Falcons got the ball back down three, but Porsha Postell couldn’t connect on a driving layup or draw a foul when she collided with a couple Briarcliff players under the basket. Katie Weiner then made both free throws with 11.4 seconds left to seal the deal.
The outstanding defense played by freshman Savina Reid on both Postell and Monique Tilford also needs to be pointed out.

7:59 p.m. – Briarcliff is in front 55-50 with 43.2 seconds left. Katie Weiner just made a foul shot and still has one remaining. It looks like the Bears will come away with the win if they can just hit their free throws down the stretch.

7:53 p.m. – Nicole Brooks just made a jumper to bring Woodlands to within 50-48, but Briarcliff’s Taylor Pescetti answered with a long 3-pointer from the left wing with 1:50 to play. Briarcliff now has the ball with 1:39 left and is ahead 53-48.

7:47 p.m. – A 6-0 run by Briarcliff has put the Bears back in front 48-43 with 4:36 to play. Timeout Woodlands. We’ll see if the Falcons can respond.

7:39 p.m. – Two free throws by Porsha Postell have given Woodlands its first lead since midway through the first quarter. The Falcons are now ahead 43-42 with 6:12 remaining in the game.

7:36 p.m. – Taylor Pescetti just nailed an NBA-range 3-pointer in the closing seconds to put Briarcliff ahead, 42-38 after three quarters. Woodlands, meanwhile, seems to be relying to much on the 3-point shot. Porsha Postell has 15 points.

7:14 p.m. – The teams have retaken the court and are warming up. If I were Woodlands, I wouldn’t waste time breaking up into layup lines … the short misses have cost the Falcons so far. Three minutes til the action resumes…

7:10 p.m. – Sir Mix A Lot’s classic, “Baby got back” is blaring over the loudspeakers. Not exactly a song for the whole family, but the crowd seems to be enjoying it.

7:06 p.m. – Maggie Blair hit two free throws with 3.1 seconds left to give Briarcliff a 30-24 lead at halftime. Woodlands made two costly turnovers in the final 15 seconds to go from being down two, to down six. Shelby Coon leads Briarcliff with nine points.
Porsha Postell has nine points for Woodlands, but is just 4-of-15 shooting.

6:49 p.m. – We’re about half way through the second quarter and the score is Briarcliff 22, Woodlands 19. Porsha Postell is still stuck on seven points, but teammate Monique Tilford has stepped up with a banked 3-pointer and a deep two.

6:40 p.m. – It may be early, but the intensity is already at a high level. After an unbelievable scramble for a loose ball that saw multiple bodies hit the floor, Porsha Postell ended up drawing a foul at the other end. Briarcliff called timeout and a building crowd went into a frenzy. After one quarter, it’s 14-14. Postell has seven points.

6:28 p.m. – After more technical difficulties with my computer that may have been the first laptop every created, I am back. We’re just over three minutes into this one and we’re already looking at the highest scoring game of the season. Briarcliff scored five points in the first 15 seconds, but Postell just made a spinning three-point play to tie the game at nine.

6:04 p.m. – Okay, we have one game down and two to go. Now let’s shift our focus over to the Class B semifinal matchup between No. 3 Woodlands and No. 2 Briarcliff. The Bears are heavy favorites, but this contest will feature arguably the section’s top player in Porsha Postell.

The junior leads all of Section 1 with a scoring average of 27.9 ppg! I have heard a lot about her, but haven’t had the chance to actually see her play in person so I’m very excited. I’m hearing rumors that s

5:55 p.m. – Haldane and Valhalla have now made their way off the court. Here are some final stats from the game:
Brittany Shields scored 30 points to lead everyone. She had 13 in the first half and 17 in the second half. She also added 15 rebounds.
Tori McGuinn led the Vikings with 13 points, including knocking down four 3-pointers.
The Vikings were undone by a scoreless stretch over the final 4:35 however, after they had cut the Haldane lead to 41-39.

5:51 p.m. – It’s a final. Haldane has defeated Valhalla 48-39. The top-seeded Blue Devils will play No. 2 Blind Brook for the Class C Championship, Saturday at 2 p.m. It will be a rematch of last year’s final in which the Trojans upset the Blue Devils.

5:42 p.m. – The Vikings are trying to rally, but Shields’ work on the offensive boards has helped Haldane maintain its 5-point lead. 5:05 remains on the clock.

5:32 p.m. – We’re through three quarters here and it’s a very competitive game. Haldane holds a 34-29 lead thanks in large part to its presence in the paint, most notably Brittany Shields and Avery Zuvic.

5:25 p.m. – Brittany Shields just converted a 3-point play at the 3:27 mark of the third quarter to give Haldane its biggest lead of the game thus far. The Blue Devils now hold a 29-20 lead.

5:16 p.m. – We’re back underway with action in the second half. By the way, the man behind the mask of the aforementioned Viking is Myron Avant, a junior at Valhalla High School. Once again, kudos for the school spirit.

5:05 p.m. – I failed to mention that Valhalla has a Viking mascot here. Dressed in a robe with the school’s colors and wearing a face mask with a helmet, the effort must be applauded even if it does look more like the King from a recent series of Burger King commercials.

5:01 p.m. – We’ve reached halftime and Haldane has retaken the lead at 17-15. The Blue Devils had a 5-point lead, but Valhalla’s Tori McGuinn knocked down a 3-pointer with under 30 seconds for the final basket of the half. Brittany Shields leads all scorers with 13 points.