There are only eight games Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday combined but it’s a decent group. The action will pick up more over the weekend.
MONDAY —
Scarsdale at Carmel, 6 p.m.: This one will be interesting. Luke Vaccaro has told me in the past that his team “doesn’t handle bus rides,” and this isn’t exactly a short bus ride. The Raiders will try to slow down Carmel’s uptempo game. I bet they do enough of it to win. Scarsdale 54, Carmel 47
Yorktown at Lakeland, 4 p.m.: The expected return of Tori Jarosz comes against a dangerous Yorktown team. The Hornets will need to bring Jarosz back slowly so she can return to basketball shape, but the ‘Huskers are good enough to make them pay for too much tinkering. I like Lakeland, but it will be very close. Lakeland 57, Yorktown 53
TUESDAY —
Ardsley at Edgemont, 6 p.m.: Edgemont had been rolling but found itself tripped up recently by Rye and, later, by Ardsley, which has played well of late. This game could be Edgemont’s season. Obviously, it’s not like the Panthers aren’t playoff bound, but they need to regain some confidence. Ardsley 60, Edgemont 54
THURSDAY —
Mount Vernon at Ursuline, 4:15 p.m.: This had co-game-of-the-week status until Ursuline lost some of its steam last week. The Koalas thought they could’ve done better against Mount Vernon last time. Now’s their chance. I suspect they will. Mount Vernon 66, Ursuline 61
White Plains at Mamaroneck, 6 p.m.: Here are two younger, hungry teams. Mamaroneck has already qualified for the playoffs, but wouldn’t it love to sweep White Plains after enduring what it has had to endure in recent years? This is a close call that could go either way. Rest assured, it will be low scoring. White Plains 46, Mamaroneck 45 (OT)
North Rockland at Ramapo, 6 p.m.: The Red Raiders go for the season sweep and are aiming to continue their recent semi-surge. This will be a meaningful game for both teams. For North Rockland, the playoffs are not completely out of the question. North Rockland 49, Ramapo 42
FRIDAY —
Spring Valley at Nyack, 4:30 p.m.: I think Nyack has established itself as the team to beat in League 2-South but it still has a loooong way to go before locking it up. This first-of-two with Spring Valley could be wild. The Indians must corral the backcourt of Jasmine Gibson and Shakira Dumas. Nyack 57, Spring Valley 50
Briarcliff at Nanuet, 4:30 p.m.: The game of the week! A potential preview of the Class B final? It may be that, too. Briarcliff clearly secured its status as the section’s best team, but it won’t be a picnic going into to Nanuet and trying to win. One advantage I believe the Bears have that can’t be understated is that they play Rye (Tuesday) and Croton (Wednesday), and it should have them in good form. I’d worry just a little about Nanuet’s long layoff. Either way, chances are this will establish the storyline for the Class B playoffs. A) Briarcliff is the unquestioned favorite, or B) Briarcliff has work to do to retain its gold ball. Briarcliff 64, Nanuet 57
Brewster at Tappan Zee, 5 p.m.: I would like Brewster’s chance at full strength, but the Bears definitely enter the game as underdogs without Devon Quattrocchi. I expect TZee to win, but will it be close? I think me (and some of you) consider the Rockland teams the three or four best come playoff time in Class A. After this game we will know whether or not that’s true. If Brewster can win or keep it very competitive, that will make us think differently about the A contenders of the north (Brewster, Lakeland, Peekskill, etc.). Tappan Zee 61, Brewster 50
SATURDAY —
Our Lady of Lourdes at Mount Vernon, 12 p.m.: The Class AA final? Could be. Lourdes has played exceedingly well of late. Mount Vernon has stormed through the season, but the last couple weeks have been less kind. There are several questions to be answered here: A) Who has more depth? B) Does MV have an advantage inside? If so, how great? C) Are Sade King and Taylor Palmer able to handle Lourdes’ talented duo? Can they more than handle them? D) Is one of these teams significantly better than the other? I, for one, can’t answer any of the four yet. That makes this the game of the week, part 2. Lourdes 71, Mount Vernon 68
SUNDAY —
Pearl River at Albertus Magnus, 1:30 p.m.: The schedulers tagged this makeup game to Super Bowl Sunday. I could roll out the football cliches, but I’ll pass. Let’s just say they all apply. I’d imagine Magnus is out for revenge and out to reestablish itself as the queens of the Class A mix. If the Falcons want that mantle, they better do a better job crashing the boards and defending the 3. Pearl River scorched them in both areas last Friday night. I’m wavering here, but I’d take Magnus by hair. Albertus Magnus 54, Pearl River 52
Note: This post was written in advance. I will be out of the office on Jan. 26 and 27. If you have questions, concerns or corrections, please e-mail them to local sports editor Joe Lombardi at jlombard@lohud.com. I will return on Jan. 28.
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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.
