The basketball season breaks nicely into four parts, one for each month of the season. Everyone gets to play the first three. Only the elite are still there for the fourth.

Looking back on December, there were plenty of highlights. Below are the Top 10 players of the month, which honorable mention, and a crowning of Mr. December (shouldn’t be a surprise).

Honorable mention: Antonio Williams, Poughkeepsie; Matt Grossbard, Pearl River; Chris Taylor, Hawthorne-CK; Robert Johnson, Tuckahoe; Jason Mendell, Byram Hills; Alex Gulotta, Briarcliff; Nick Nedwick, Irvington; Alby Skrelji, Hastings; Mickey Abbatiello, Eastchester; Ryan Sheridan, Tappan Zee; Mookie Jones, Peekskill; Jordan Henriquez, Port Chester.
10. Kevin Jones, Mount Vernon: Maybe I set the bar a little high, predicting the West Virginia-bound senior would be averaging 30 points per game. But Jones has quietly been superb. With Mount Vernon playing blowout games at home and road games 5,000 miles away, it’s easy to miss the fact Jones has averaged 22 points and 13 rebounds, highlighted by a spectacular 36-point effort in Mount Vernon’s loss to Mason County (Kent.) out in Hawaii. The Knights are 5-2 and will face New Rochelle, White Plains and Patterson Catholic (at MSG) over the next two weeks. So you’ll be hearing a lot more about Jones very soon.
9. David Zaitz, Scarsdale: Zaitz has learned to be a star within a balanced offense, something that’s much easier said than done. Headed to Amherst, he’s averaging 22.3 points per game, including 27 in a critical win over Roosevelt on Dec. 20 to get the Raiders to 9-0 at the break. He’s shooting over 40-percent from the floor and is averaging roughly 11 rebounds and four steals. Had the upstart Raiders not been blowing out the majority of the team’s its faced, his numbers would be higher.
8. Brittain Purcelle, Irvington: The ultra-talented senior guard picked up where he left off last season, averaging 25.1 points through the Bulldogs’ first seven games. Considered a legit Division I prospect, Purcelle has scored 27 points or more in five games, including 30 in a loss to Lincoln Hall. With all this newfound attention, Purcelle is poised to have a huge second half.
7. Joe Lombardi, Briarcliff: One of the best coaches in the state make an interesting comment at the Slam Dunk last week: “I understand Lombardi’s going to college on a baseball scholarship (to Le Moyne),” DeWitt coach Bob McKenney said. “He must be a hell of a baseball player if he’s going on a baseball scholarship and not basketball.” Lombardi has continued to develop this season and is a far more versatile and explosive player than anyone could have imagined last season. His added muscle has added another dimension to his game and he’s no longer a ‘finesse’ player. He averaged 21.1 points this month and led the Bears to a 6-2 record.
6. Jhared Hall, Blessed Sacrament: As pure scorers go, Hall is among the elite. The Mount Vernon native has put up ridiculous numbers on a consistent basis, including 38 points in a recent loss to Robeson, and 32 in a loss at the buzzer to Fordham Prep. Hall is one of the few veterans on a Blessed Sacrament team in a transition phase. Its won the last two Catholic state titles and twice reached the Federation championship in Class B. If they could get a little more consistency around Hall, he’ll give them a chance to get to Glens Falls for a third time.
5. Rashad James, White Plains: There are better players in the area. But James is quickly becoming everyone’s favorites. His alley-oop dunk in the Slam Dunk final is just one reason why. James is a highlight waiting to happen, and it’s almost overshadowed marked improvements in his all-around game, specifically his shooting ability. A role player last season, the 6-1 senior is averaging 19.3 points, highlighted by a 26-point effort in a comeback win over Spring Valley. He had a personal 9-0 run in the third quarter to ignite the comeback.
4. Daquan Brickhouse, Peekskill: The Red Devils have had several different players step up and win them games through this remarkable 9-0 start. But the one constant remains the play of Brickhouse, their sophomore point guard. Just 15-years old and playing with potential three future Division I players, it’s clear now this team belongs to Brickhouse. After averaging about 3 points per game last season, he’s currently at 12.6 with six assists and five rebounds. Brickhouse had 24 points in the season opener against Spring Valley, and was a deserving choice for tournament MVP at the Slam Dunk after scoring 12 of his 14 points after the third quarter in the title game.
3. Marc Miller, North Salem: Not a name you might have expected but definitely a deserving one. Miller, a 6-6 senior, has quietly dominanted the interior of just about every game the Tigers have played, averaging 18.7 points and over 15 rebounds per game for North Salem, which is 6-1. Five those wins are against larger schools — including three AAs and two As — and Miller has been stellar every night. His latest game, a 15-point, 30-rebound game against Mahopac, capped a month in which he had 15-plus rebounds four times (from my count, at least). If Miller continues this, North Salem will be a scary team in the second half.
2. Sean Kilpatrick, White Plains: There used to be some who believed he was underrated. Then people began to questioning how good he really was. Now, I think Kilpatrick is back to being under the radar. The senior was phenomenal, averaging 27.3 points and guiding a young Tigers team to a 7-1 record. He had a monstrous 31-point game against Newburgh to win White Plains’ tournament, and had 28 of his 30 points in the second half in the semifinal win over St. Peter’s at the Slam Dunk. His 27 point effort against Peekskill was all that kept the Tigers in the game.
And the Varsity Insider player of the month is…
1. Tony Taylor, Stepinac: No shock here. The George Washington-bound guard had one of the most memorable months of basketball in recent memory, averaging 33 points and carrying the Crusaders to a 6-3 record. Where do we begin in detailing it? He had 30 in the season-opener, scored 36 in a losing effort against Bishop Ford, and put up 34, including seven 3-pointers, in a win over St. Agnes. In the Slam Dunk, he broke his own scoring record with 34 points against St. Peter’s, a mark he shattered the following day with 54 in a triple-overtime loss to Briarcliff. His season-low in points is 21, which was in a game where he scored 18 points over the final 12 minutes as Stepinac held on for a win at Fordham Prep. Right now, nobody is playing better basketball than Taylor. Nobody.
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Happy New Year everyone. Have fun debating. I’ll be back tomorrow with a look at the top games of the week.

Not much of a change in any of these.

Class AA
1. Mount Vernon
2. White Plains
3. New Rochelle

Class A
1. Peekskill
2. Port Chester
3. Stepinac

Class B
1. Briarcliff
2. North Salem
3. Dobbs Ferry

Class C/D
1. Tuckahoe
2. Blind Brook
3. Keio

People ask me all the time how I manage to keep accurate stats and still manage to keep the basket-by-basket, play-by-play accounts during a basketball game. It’s simple. I make it all up.

Not really. But some think I’m serious when they look at my stat sheet after games, which is basically every players’ points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and fouls, as well as a running score along the right side of the page.

The picture to the right might look like scribbling. Yet it’s actually the final four minutes of regulation and all three overtime periods of one of the most entertaining athletic events I’ve ever witnessed.

Yes, that’s how good yesterday’s Briarcliff-Stepinac game was in the, ahem, 7th-place showdown of the Slam Dunk tournament at the County Center. Actually, the final 16 minutes were incredible. The first three-and-half quarters, at times, was like watching a zombies brand of basketball. No tempo or flow, just one player (Tony Taylor) drilling shots from all over the floor against a team fighting on every possession.

If you weren’t there, and judging by the sea of blue seats not many of you were, here’s what you missed, as told through the scribbling mess on a stat sheet I just might keep forever.

FIRST QUARTER
7:54: Briarcliff wins the tip and Joe Lombardi immediately sinks a long jumper. It appeared he was behind the 3-point line but it was only counted as a two. Nobody realized it at the time, but that point would reek havoc on this game and the next five to be played during the day.
5:45: After missing his first shot, Tony Taylor scores on a put-back for Stepinac. He looks a lot like a guy who has played every single minute of two games in less than barely 36 hours. You don’t see it on the picture above, but I make a note: tired TT will struggle today.
:00: Taylor misses a 3-pointer at the buzzer but Stepinac leads 18-16 after one. (Note: White Plains led Peekskill 19-14 at HALFTIME of the championship game later in the night). Taylor has 8 points; Alex Gulotta has 6 on a pair of dead-aim 3-pointers. His jump shot, from a text-book form standpoint, is the best in Section 1. He’s a machine and he’s learning to do it off the dribble and through screens.

SECOND QUARTER
5:30: Taylor converts a three-point play after getting hacked on his way to the basket, giving the Crusaders a 23-20 lead. It’s a lead they’d hang on to for a while.
4:02: Well, lookie here. Taylor is getting hot. He follows a 3-pointer with a steal and fast-break lay-up.
1:24: Another Taylor lay-up extends Stepinac’s lead before a Lombardi free throw in the closing minute makes it a 36-30 game at the half. It’s a game Stepinac really seems to be in control yet only leads by six. Taylor has 20 points and has a good shot at breaking his own tournament single-game scoring record, which he set the day before with 34. “Wow,” I think to myself. “Imagine he scores 30-plus in back to back games?”

THIRD QUARTER
4:45: My sense that Stepinac was going to put this game away early in the second half began to seem true. Aaron Pegues is fouled as he makes a lay-up and converts the free throw to give the Crusaders a 41-32 lead.
3:30: The rout is on. After Taylor knocks down a Jordan-style, fade-away 3-pointer, he buries a mid-range, fade-away jumper as Stepinac goes up 44-32. It’s the Crusaders’ biggest lead and one that I didn’t think they’d lose. Taylor has 25. The record might be out of reach.
:00: Hold up. Kyle Beechum, who had just two first-half points, makes a tough lay-up through traffic to cap a 9-1 run to close the period. Gulotta hit another big 3 during that stretch, coming off a screen, and Garth Muratori pulled down four huge rebounds.

FOURTH QUARTER
6:25: Taylor banks in a 3-pointer, giving him 30 points and extending the lead to 54-46. Good job by Stepinac to weather the storm.
2:45: Or so I thought. Beechum and Muratori finally realize how much of an impact their wide bodies can have in the paint. Briarcliff really begins to attack the basket and rides an 8-0 run to tie the game. Gulotta has that determined, Ralph Macchio-in-Karate Kid-look on his face as he follows a put-back with a driving lay-up to tie the game at 54-54.
:53: The pace turns frenetic. It’s clear that both teams are desperate not to leave the tournament 0-3. Taylor, who sank a pair of free throws 16 seconds earlier, hits two more to make it 58-54.
:35.1: Lombardi drives baseline for a lay-up. No panic on the Briarcliff sideline whatsoever.
:18.2: Following a free throw by Stepinac’s Eddie Byrne, Muratori makes a tough lay-in to cut it to 59-58. Briarcliff calls timeout and, essentially, Bears coach Matt Evangelista tells his team that, whatever they do, don’t let Taylor get the ball on the inbounds since they intend to foul. They even double-team Taylor to ensure he doesn’t get it.
:16.4: Taylor gets the ball. He’s fouled and hits both free throws to extend the lead to three. Taylor is 8-of-9 from the line in the fourth quarter and 13 of 14 for the game.
:04: Setting a high screen for Gulotta, Beechum is free behind the 3-point line as both defenders converge on Gulotta. Beechum hesitates for a moment but launches up the 3… which goes in. Tie game, 61-61. I was shocked the shot fell. Evangelista was shocked. The Briarcliff and Stepinac players were shocked. The fans were shocked. But know this: nobody looked more shocked that Beechum.
:02.1: Despite double-teamming Taylor again, he gets the ball near the sideline but steps out of bounds, giving the Bears the ball.
:00: Lombardi comes off a screen, has a decent look at the basket but has his long 3-pointer bounce off the back of the rim. Going to OT.

FIRST OVERTIME
1:21: Maurice Daniels makes a lay-up on a pretty feed from Taylor to give the Crusaders a 66-64 lead — a lead that would change hands three more times in the next 55 seconds.
1:06: Gulotta 3-pointer. Bears lead 67-66.
:53: Rashaad Slowley lay-up. Stepinac leads 68-67.
:26: Beechum put-back. Bears lead 69-68.
:01.4: After both teams commit turnovers, Taylor is fouled on his way to the basket. Two shots, one to tie one to win. He hits the first. Misses the second.
:00: Taylor almost gets the rebound off his miss and tips it toward the basket. Going to a second OT. Taylor has 39.

SECOND OVERTIME
:24: Gulotta his a free throw to put Briarcliff ahead, 76-72. Seems like the Bears will pull this one out.
:17.6: Taylor makes it a little interesting, firing a rocket 3-point attempt into the basket, a shot that had little arch.
:16.2: Beechum is fouled and knocks down a pair of clutch free throws. Back to a three point lead.
:05: After giving the ball up against a double team, Taylor gets it back, takes two steps behind the NBA 3-point line and lets a shot go.
:03.5: Holy crap, the shot went in. Stepinac ties the game at 78-78. The place is going crazy. Taylor has 46… FOURTY-FRIGGIN-SIX.
:00: As Briarcliff tries to throw the ball the length of the court on the ensuing inbounds, Slowley tips it to Taylor who has his half-court heave bounce off the back of the rim. Had it gone in, I might have fainted.

THIRD OVERTIME
1:57: Finally, it seems that the Bears have this one wrapped up. Beechum puts back a miss, putting them ahead 83-78.
1:02: The kid won’t miss. Taylor hits another 3-pointer, making it 83-81. Even the Briarcliff fans sitting in the upper deck section across from me are smiling. Nobody can quite believe what’s going on.
:25: Following a pair of Gulotta free throws, giving him 29 points for the game, Taylor hits another jumper to keep Stepinac’s hopes alive.
:24: Lombardi sinks two free throws. Clutch shooting at the line for the Bears, who hit 13 of their first 15 foul shots in the overtime periods.
:13.9: You have got to be kidding me. Taylor has hit ANOTHER 3-pointer. Bear in mind, he’s being defended tightly here. He might actually be getting fouled on every possession, too. He couldn’t try to miss. Stepinac has life, down 87-86. Taylor has 54 points.
:13.9: Lombardi is fouled (no time runs off) and goes to the line. He misses both. Stepinac has the rebound but is whistled for a travel. Bears ball.
:08.9: Lombardi is fouled again. He makes only one.
:00: Taylor dribbles up the length of the floor, zig-zags the defense and has a running lay-up from the left side roll off the rim.

FINAL SCORE: BRIARCLIFF 88, STEPINAC 86, 3 OTs.

POSTGAME
The announcer, Kevin Van Meter, is handed the stat sheet as the teams shake hands. I can see Van Meter shaking his head as he grabs the microphone. He makes the announcement: “TONY TAYLOR HAS JUST SCORED 54 POINTS” and the crowd erupts.

If you polled the fans, they’d probably guess he scored between 70-80 points. That’s what it felt like. Grown men in the stands are jumping and clapping, covering their heads in disbelief. Yet nobody looks more upset as they walk off than Taylor.

I meet the Stepinac team as they walk under the stands and towards the stairs for the locker room. Stepinac coach Tim Philp is shaking his head, trying to act like he didn’t enjoy the near-heart attack he just had coaching that game. Taylor walks up to him:

“I’m sorry coach,” Taylor says in a sincere tone.

Philp immediately puts his arm around Taylor and let’s him know there was nothing to apologize about.

The thing is, Taylor is still 17 years old. Philp knew the same thing that I knew, which is the same thing most people who’ve watched basketball for years know:

You don’t have to apologize when you play one of the greatest games in the history of the County.

Briarcliff was beside itself as it left the locker room. The players couldn’t leave fast enough. No matter who won the actual championship later that night, nobody was exiting the County Center happier than these guys.

Unless, of course, you were the reporter who had the best seat in the house for it.

I hope you enjoyed this rambling run down of the game. You might be one of those Section 1 folks who dislikes Briarcliff, or the growing anti-Stepinac people in the CHSAA. But you have to sit and marvel at this one.

After 14 hours, six games, five overtimes, two blowouts, a $1,000 halfcourt shot, one epic individual performance and an endless number of jokes about my picture on the back cover of the program, I’ve finally returned home from the Slam Dunk.

It was an eventful day, to say the least. It started with Briarcliff’s triple-overtime shocker over Stepinac and ended with a forgettable overtime Peekskill win over White Plains. In between, I was reminded one of thing that always brightens my New Years Eve:

The basketball season is really just getting started.

Well, the important parts are, at least. I always dread December basketball, which is why I usually skip the Slam Dunk and go on vacation. After today, I don’t think I’ll be doing that again next year.

The Slam Dunk organizers, mainly Lou DeMello, configured a brilliant tournament. If you don’t think he envisioned games like the ones we had all week, you’re crazy. The tournament was layed out so Peekskill and White Plains would meet in the final and so almost every other game went down to the wire. Superb job.

I won’t speak too much about the championship game right now. You can feel free. I’ll be back tomorrow after I dissect my thoughts. Honestly, as Peekskill and White Plains went back and forth in the fourth quarter and overtime tonight and the County Center was roaring, I just kept thinking one thing:

Tony Taylor scored 54 points and Briarcliff beat Stepinac in triple overtime.

It’s what I’ll remember about today most. Maybe about this season.

I’ll have a second-by-second rundown of that game tomorrow.

Enjoy your Sunday. Against our better judgement, we’ve decided to host a New Years Eve party. Bad move, I know. But I’ve got to start planning. I’ll check back in by the afternoon.

Anyone know where I can get party poppers?

I cursed my editor, Joe Lombardi, when he asked me to cover today’s Briarcliff-Stepinac game at 11:15 a.m., the seventh place game in the Slam Dunk. After watching it, I should take Joe out for dinner.

Briarcliff and Stepinac engaged in what will prove to be the best game of the season in boys hoops. Briarcliff outlasted Stepinac 88-86 in triple overtime despite an unthinkable 54-point performance by Tony Taylor.

It was incredible, the type of game you never want to see end. It finally did when Taylor’s driving layup at the buzzer somehow rolled off the rim. He had scored 18 points in the three overtime periods — including a tying free throw with 1.4 second left in the first OT, two 3-pointers in the final 17 seconds of the second OT, and a 3-pointer with 13.9 seconds left in the third OT to bring Stepinac with a point after trailing by 5.

Unbelievable. Fortunately, the County Center wasn’t a complete ghost town and plenty got to witness the game.

Huge win for Briarcliff, which leaves the tournament right up there with the Peekskill-White Plains winner as the ‘team of the week’ in the Slam Dunk. The Bears proved they might not be quite as good as some of the elite teams in the area… but they’re damn close.

Stepinac goes 0-3 for the week, which only hard to believe because I actually thought the Crusaders had a chance to WIN the tournament. They need to do something quickly, whether it’s mix up the lineup (which they actually did today) or promote somebody from their heralded JV and freshmen teams. Like promoting Taylor as a sophomore two years ago, they need some sort of boost.

Wait, did I mention Taylor scored 54 points today. It’s still hard to imagine.

“It was like playing against Kobe,” said Briarcliff’s Kyle Beechum, who hit a 3-pointer in the closing seconds of regulation to tie the game. “It was more like playing with Kobe on NBA Live on the easiest level.”

Pretty good description. Taylor, by the way, nearly hit a halfcourt shot at the buzzer at the end of the first OT after stealing the ball at midcourt.

Amazing game. My first question to Briarcliff coach Matt Evangelista after the game was meant to be a joke:

“So coach, what was you game plan to stop Tony Taylor?”

Good answer: “No comment.”

I finally get a week away from the job; Christmas and then four days to kick back, go away on vacation and not have to worry about deadlines, the cell phone ringing or anything blog-related.

And I get sick.

A stomach virus turned what was supposed to be a quiet week away from work into an unbearable one. I wasn’t sick the entire time, but it sure felt like it. Fortunately, I’m better now — just in time for what I’m calling: “The Most Anticipated Game of the Season.”

Forget Mount Vernon-White Plains, New Rochelle-Mount Vernon, or anything else. White Plains vs. Peekskill, in my opinion is No. 2 on my list of games I’d pay anything to see (behind only Mount Vernon-Peekskill, which unfortunately will never happen).

I’ll be returning for the game tomorrow and I’m very excited about it. The game has tremendous potential. I envision one ridiculous dunk apiece from Rashad James and Mookie Jones, a frenetic fourth quarter and enough lead changes to keep your head spinning. Maybe I’m building this game up too much… but hey, that’s my job.

Anyway, here’s a quick look back on the tournament thus far, team-by-team:

Briarcliff: One of the big winners of this tournament, even at 0-2… and probably soon to be 0-3. Playing Jamesville-DeWitt tough and having Joe Lombardi draw the adoration of J-D’s coach was a big deal. But nearly knocking off Cardinal Hayes — a team that almost beat Peekskill the night before — is major. This is the type of loss that builds confidence and character, which is just what the Bears intended by entering the field. I’ll give Briarcliff a fighting chance to beat Stepinac tomorrow, mainly because I think Stepinac is floundering a bit after losing two close games. The pressure is all on the Crusaders. A win for Briarcliff would put it right up there whoever wins the White Plains-Peekskill game.

Stepinac: Not a great week. Being a championship contender in the CHSAA A Division, the Crusaders are expected to beat a team like Port Chester. I figured that Stepinac would come in with momentum after beating Mount St. Michael last week. The St. Peter’s loss was excusable considering how well they’d been playing. Tony Taylor has been putting up stellar numbers but, from what I’ve been told by many in the last 48 hours, there’s little cohesion with this team when things aren’t going well. Stepinac desperately needs to pull together and get this win over Briarcliff to salvage the week.

Port Chester: Major win yesterday by beating Stepinac. Expectations are somewhat low, considering the level of talent, for Port Chester in big games like these. But this is a team we should take very seriously. Not many teams can compete with a 6-11 body in the paint like Jordan Henriquez (J-D can, however) and it makes PC a tough matchup. I’m a little discouraged when I read comments about the Rams “looking disinterested” against White Plains. But I attribute it to not playing well early and falling into a big hole. Tomorrow’s game is huge for the Rams. Even if they lose, as long as they play inspired and don’t get run off the floor by a talented Jamesville team, they’ll catapult into the second half.

Peekskill: Despite trailing big in the second half in both games, the Red Devils still find themselves in the title game. I’m not surprised by any of it, actually. This is just the makeup of this team. They’re almost too confident in their own ability and know they flip the switch whenever they need to. Yet, they’re 8-0 and on the brink of a victory that could finally cement itself for sure as the No. 2 team in the area. No Mount Vernon comparisons can begin until they’re hoisting the championship trophy at about 10 p.m. tomorrow night.

White Plains: If you remember nothing else about this week, Rashad James will be forever cemented in your brain. I wasn’t even there and I’m constantly hearing about two of the dunks he had last night and one he nearly pulled off tonight. Don’t forget about Sean Kilpatrick, either, who’s really played well. I’ve heard good things about the young role players, too, this has definitely been a productive week. The Tigers are expected to beat Peekskill, considering they’re undefeated and are a contender in Class AA. A loss here, though, wouldn’t be damaging.
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Championship
Peekskill (8-0) vs. White Plains (7-0), 8 p.m.
As I said above, this is the must-see game of the season. It has an interesting dynamic. White Plains, being an elite AA school, is expected to win. Peekskill, though, feels like it has so much to prove and almost has to win.

It’s such a tough call. I’ve been ranking Peekskill No. 2 and White Plains No. 3 in my poll all season, and have labored over it every time. If you go position by position, you figure Brickhouse gets the edge at PG and Eliot Watson the edge at C. Bobby Jones of White Plains and and Darien Thomas of Peekskill are very comparable role players at PF; Watts and Mookie vs. Kilpatrick and James are pretty much a wash at the shooting guard/wing spots, and Peekskill has proven to have a little bit of a deeper bench. Still, I don’t give the Red Devils a big advantage.

This game is all about pressure, mainly how White Plains handles it. The Tigers’ press will be rendered useless with Brickhouse. Peekskill will throw whatever pressure it can at White Plains and try to get its offense out of sync. As long as Peekskill isn’t playing from behind the way it has the last two nights, it’s going to win this elusive Slam Dunk title.

PREDICTION: PEEKSKILL 64, WHITE PLAINS 61

The 9th year of the Slam Dunk tournament potentially could be the best.

I’ve looked back at past years and can’t find a field as deep or wide-open as this one. All eight teams in the bracket pose their own threats. I only think four have a legitimate shot to win it but all have a chance to finish 2-1, which would be a solid week of work.

Unfortunately, I have a long-standing tradition of going on vacation this week, so I won’t be around the County Center for the first two rounds. I have arranged my schedule for a one-day return, on Saturday, before going back on vacation the following week.

Here is how I see things going down on Day 1:

Briarcliff vs. Jamesville-DeWitt, 2:45 p.m.: This is what the Bears wanted — a top-flight team on a big stage. Briarcliff should be careful what it wishes for. Jamesville and star guard Brandon Triche have been exceptional thus far and many believe they’re the team to beat this week. We’ll know a lot about this game in the first five minutes. Briarcliff, I think, will keep this tight through the first half before Jamesville imposes itself in the second and advances. PREDICTION: JAMESVILLE-DEWITT 71, BRIARCLIFF 59.
Peekskill vs. Cardinal Hayes, 4:30 p.m.: To think that these games will an hour and 45 minutes and that this will start on time is comical. Anyway, Peekskill is clearly the better team in this one. The Red Devils were last year in the Federation final and escaped on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Mookie Jones. Hayes is coached by a legend in Tom Murray and won’t let Peekskill get up-and-down the floor or let Mookie get many open looks. Still, I see Ralph Watts playing well in his return from a knee injury and Peekskill moving on. PREDICTION: PEEKSKILL 60, HAYES 51.
Stepinac vs. Port Chester, 6:15: The Crusaders really showed me a lot on Saturday by beating Mount St. Michael on the road. They’ve proven they can play in tough environments and beat a team with overwhelming size. But Port Chester poses a different level of problems with 6-foot-11 Jordan Henriquez. He seems so poised to have a big week as the eyes of college basketball descend on him. Rashaad Slowley will likely draw the task of defending Henriquez and should hold his own based on confidence alone. And don’t forget what Tony Taylor did at the County Center on the first night last year, carrying Stepinac to a win over Peekskill. Sit back and let TT impress you once again. PREDICTION: STEPINAC 65, PORT CHESTER 59.
White Plains vs. St. Peter’s, 8 p.m.: Don’t know much about St. Peter’s, other than it just lost to nationally-ranked St. Ray’s by eight points last week, and a pair of games in a tournament in Philadelphia by a combined three points. This is a true test for the Tigers and I’m very uneasy about it. White Plains has been good but not great thus far and I feel that the grand stage of the County Center might not be something this young group is prepared for. It’s going to take a huge efforts from Sean Kilpatrick and Rashad James to win. I’ll go with the Tigers here but won’t be shocked if they’re on the other side of the bracket on Friday. PREDICTION: WHITE PLAINS 67, ST. PETER’S 66.

Challenge game
Lakeland vs. Tuckahoe, 11:15 a.m.: I know, in the preseason I ‘boldly’ predicted Tuckahoe to win its Slam Dunk game. Not anymore. Lakeland has played extremely well thus far and I can’t get the image of Lou DeMello nearly carrying the Hornets to an upset over Peekskill at the County Center in the Class A final in March. PREDICTION: LAKELAND 54, TUCKAHOE 48.
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How the rest of the winner’s bracket will play out…

Friday
Peekskill over Jamesville-DeWitt
White Plains over Stepinac
Saturday
Peekskill over White Plains

Note: I got three of the four games wrong in last year’s first round, so the post-Day 1 predictions were pretty pointless.
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I’ll check in throughout the day on Thursday with thoughts. I’ll be anxiously following the games via text message with TJN reporters Alex Myers and Josh Thomson, who’ll be following the first two days.

Enjoy the week.

Merry Christmas. Like a lump of coal in your stockings, I wanted to drop the latest rankings.

Class AA
1. Mount Vernon
2. White Plains
3. New Rochelle

Class A
1. Peekskill
2. Stepinac
3. Port Chester

Class B
1. Briarcliff
2. North Salem
3. Dobbs Ferry

Class C/D
1. Tuckahoe
2. Blind Brook
3. Keio

Enjoy the holiday. And, for at least a day or two, let’s be kind to each other on the blog. Partially because it’s Christmas and it’s the right thing to do… and also because I won’t be around to monitor it and remove in appropriate posts.

Happy Holidays. Before we all enjoy a few days away from hoops, here’s a quick look back on an eventful Saturday:

Rice 75, Mount Vernon 51: After listening to Mount Vernon lose to Mason County on Thursday night, I had a sense a loss like this was coming against Rice. The Raiders overwhelmed teams with their array of guards, even Mount Vernon. Most shocking about this game is this statistic — 0: Number of points Mount Vernon scored in the third quarter. Never imagined anything like that. The Knights have to learn from this loss and move on. Sherrod Wright scored 19 points and Kevin Jones had 14 points and six rebounds. Jones was named “Red Division Most Outstanding Player” and Wright was named all-tournament. According to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, there was a rumor that tournament officials were going to change this matchup and have Rice play LeFlor (Ala.) instead, but it never materialized.
Stepinac 77, Mount St. Michael 70, OT: An early candidate for the Game of the Year. It should finish in the Top 10, no doubt, considering the single-game effort by Tony Taylor. The Journal News coverboy scored 38 points in a fantastic effort. Maurice Daniels hit three 3-pointers. This team needs depth and Daniels just might be the guy to provide it. Stepinac, by the way, was down three at the half and rallied to go up eight entering the fourth. See-saw game. I’m anxious to see the rematch.
Peekskill 66, Wings Academy 55: Another good effort by the Red Devils without Ralph Watts, who is nursing a knee injury. He’s expected back for the Slam Dunk. Mookie Jones scored 27 and Elliot Watson added 18.
Dobbs Ferry 72, Croton-Harmon 68: Great job by Dobbs to hang on in this one. Kevin Dahill had 16 as four players scored in double figures and the Eagles won their third straight. What’s worse for Croton — the fact it’s 1-4 or that its next four games are against Pleasantville, Byram Hills, Irvington and Briarcliff?
Fordham Prep 49, St. Anthony’s (LI) 46: This is a very good win for the young Rams, who’ve had their share of learning-curve defeats. St. Anthony’s recently beat Mount and is facing Peekskill in two weeks. Ryan Meara scored 13 in the win.
Tappan Zee 65, Albertus Magnus 62, OT: This was a win that TZ needed and the Falcons, in some ways, could afford. Albertus isn’t going to face many teams in Class B as good as TZ and to take this game to overtime is impressive. Ryan Sheridan scored 23 points.
Suffern 58, Pearl River 56: This was one exciting tournament. In the championship game, Matt Grossbard had a chance to tie it in the final seconds but had a jumper bounce off the rim. Suffern is 6-2 and faces another promising AA team in Mamaroneck on Friday. Robbie Aviles had 13 points and nine rebounds for Suffern. Journal News reporter Justin Jones had a great stat in his article today: Suffern got 26 points and 13 rebounds from its bench, which is going to win you a lot of games.
Hastings 59, Haldane 48: Alby Skrelji scored 24 points as Hastings rebounded from its first loss and improved to 7-1. Irvington awaits on Jan. 4 for the Yellow Jackets.
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I’ll be posting conference rankings later today and my predictions on the Slam Dunk tomorrow. Sounds like a good way to escape the family for a little bit.

A lot of basketball coverage in today’s Journal News.

The cover story I wrote was on Tony Taylor of Stepinac, who just happened to have the game of the year (so far) against Mount St. Michael yesterday afternoon. He scored 38 points in a thrilling 77-70 overtime win.

If you read anything in today’s paper, it should be my notebook on Roosevelt and the introduction of Winston Graham, a prized prospect who transfered from Our Savior Lutheran when the school fired its head coach. Graham had 24 points in his debut against Scarsdale on Thursday and could be a special player in the next two months — and take Roosevelt to the County Center.

My Central Westchester notebook was on Rashad James of White Plains, a player we discuss frequently here but not so much in the newspaper.

I also have a story about Lakeland moving on without Ralph Watts, which you can read here.

In Rockland, Jeff Gold wrote about the promising future of Clarkstown South. He also has his version of the County’s rankings, which are going to be difficult to do all year, so give him time.

With my vacation beginning, Gold also covered the Peekskill-Wings game. He’s obviously part of a growing number of Mookie Jones fans. Read his story here. A great photo of Elliot Watson dunking to the right, by the way, from Dave Kennedy.

Justin Jones covered the Pearl River-Suffern game, which went down to the wire. Suffern won to improve to 6-2.

I’ll check back in later with some thoughts on last night’s games, including Mount Vernon’s 24-point loss to Rice late last night in Hawaii. That’s got to be a long flight back home for the Knights.