The game of the year
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- January
- 30
Wow. What an incredible game tonight at Nanuet. There’s just no other way to term it.
Briarcliff won 74-64, but at no point I remember in the last five seasons has a score said so little about the game in question. It indicates the favorite won by a solid 10 points. What it fails to reveal, however, is this: 1) how Nanuet completely dominated the game for 22 minutes, and 2) that Briarcliff proved just how much a team learns by winning a state championship.
The evening was best summed up in this quick exchange with Maggie Blair. I said, “Well, that was fun, huh?” She said quickly: “No. Well, the end was, but not the beginning.”
Of course, Nanuet made it so, running past, around and through the defending Class B state champs. The scorching-hot Golden Knights looked like the faster, fitter and sharper team, torching Briarcliff for 43 first-half points en route to a 43-29 lead.
Lauren Kahn — her aggressiveness, athleticism and playmaking — were a major factor, but so was Christine Brezovsky, who converted the open looks. She scored 16 points for the game, and had 13 of them in the first half. Don Hamlin later told me that “we weren’t paying attention to our assignments,” and I have a feeling Brezovsky was the one he meant in particular.
Nanuet only extended its lead in the third quarter. The Golden Knights went up 48-33 on a 3-pointer by Nikki Saponaro early in the third. They were still up 51-37 after Brezovsky nailed a 3 with 3:40 to play in the quarter. Right then, Briarcliff began to show the mettle of a champion. But the Bears said their push started at halftime.
“Walking out of the gym at the half, we looked at the scoreboard and we knew that wasn’t us,” Brianna Reid said. “We had to step it up.”
They did, Reid in particular. Briarcliff first cut its deficit to 51-45 on Blair’s putback at the buzzer. The Bears then really became dangerous on the opening possessions of fourth. Reid hit back-to-back 3’s, then finally tied the score 53-all off a feed from Blair with 6:24 to play.
The teams traded points, Nanuet refusing to give up in the face of a once unfathomable run. Eventually, however, Briarcliff’s ability and willingness to take and make big shots won out. Reid. Her sister, Savina (both celebrating their 16th birthdays.) Taylor Pescetti. And Blair, of course, who did less of the scoring but seemed to be at either the start or finish of every big play in the fourth quarter. (The Bears also made four 3’s and shot 13 for 17 from the FT line in the fourth.)
Afterward, I asked Hamlin about Reid (Brianna), who has had similar moments of late-game grandeur. Earlier this season she scored all of her points in the fourth quarter to beat Ossining. And just last weekend she hit a basket with two seconds left to tie the game against Kennedy (Bronx).
“She has no conscience,” Hamlin said, “which is a good thing.”
Nanuet was obviously saddened by the loss but it can’t be disappointed with the effort. For almost three quarters, the Golden Knights were the better team.
Carlos Fidalgo said they’d move past the loss beginning with tomorrow morning’s 8 a.m. practice.
“We know that if everything works out for us this year that we’re going to see them again,” Fidalgo said. “That’s not us being cocky. We just know that if we want to win the section we’re going to have to go through them.”
This entry was posted
on Friday, January 30th, 2009 at 8:56 pm by Josh Thomson. 
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Josh Thomson has done some of everything since joining The Journal News in March 2003. He began working for the Gannett weeklies during the winter of 2002 as a freelance writer. He joined the daily staff soon after and has since covered various high school and pro sports. Away from sportswriting, Josh lives in Westchester and spends his free time either with his fiancee, Sarah, or expertly managing his various championship-winning fantasy sports teams. He's visited 21 major-league baseball stadiums and insists that Fenway Park and Wrigley Field are the best by far. Josh graduated from Carmel High School in 1998, then went to Boston University, where, in 2002, he received a degree in communications with a minor in history.
Watch out for Lakeland in Class A!!!!
Class A will have the best Tournament
AM, PR, Lakeland, TZ, Brewster, Nyack, Peekskill
I have to agree the Nanuet/Briarcliff game was such a fun game to watch. I know it’s always said, but I must, the refs did a horrible job. There’s been a lot of bashing of refs and now I see why. Only the second time seeing Nanuet play and I must agree about Kahn, what a fast, fun player. She moves around that court so fast it’s hard to keep track, definitely the quickest hands and feet in the section and just a real fun smart player to watch. And a quick shout out to Briarcliff for not giving up and depending on their stars, anyone can step up at any time.
When and where will the STATS be posted?
Briarcliff did not play one of their better games and still won by 10? Wow! looks like they are for real again this year. There are no moral victories at this level, just regroup and prepare for the next game. let’s not forget Irvington folks, they match up well against Nanuet and appear to have their number. Coach Fidalgo knows how to coach but, will he be able to make all the right moves come sectional time? Only time will tell. My money is on Hamlin, he’s a proven winner and still has the guns to make one more run at the state title.
We wouldn’t bash refs if they did their job properly and called fouls fairly. I was at this game and I think the fouls were lopsided in the second half. There was no calling the fouls both ways that’s for sure.
I was at the game as well and represent a non bias opinion (from another town). The fouls may have been lopsided the second half but no more than the first half. I have never seen a ref be so thin skinned as one of the two refs in the first half. Believe it or not, he asked the Nanuet AD to eject an elderly man. I heard the man, he said nothing harsh, did not use foul language or use any gestures. That being said, both teams had runs and both are athletic. It was the game of the year so far. Lets hope for more down the stretch.
I agree about the refs, but what can u do.all the good refs do the boys games and the girls get the left overs, who need to learn the game and get in shape. Good game and the best team won the game at the end.
Seems like a great game, sorry I missed it and congratulations to both teams. Looking at the Stats, great defense Nanuet at keeping Blair and Weiner points down.
Weiner was hurt, bad ankle suffered against Rye. Her playing time was limited somewhat, Kasey Heyda stepped up down low and made some big shots in the comeback.
Where are the stats for yesterdays games?
Here are some stats…
1st half Nanuet 12/15 FT line, Briarcliff 1/2
2nd half Nanuet 4/4 FT line, Briarcliff 15/17
That’s balanced. Does anyone truly think the game wasn’t called differently?
That’s a CYO effort by the officials.
Hey, Lets not forget the 10-12 free throws briarcliff had at the end of the game because of nanuet fouling so realisticly it be about equal in the second half
The stats were there last night, seems like the whole entire day was removed just 1/29/09.
We can ask Josh what happened to the stats for 1/30/09 games???