(Updated with podcast below)

I cannot believe that I’m about to sit down and write another story about a local team losing.

Peekskill got blown out in the morning. Mount Vernon squandered a fourth-quarter lead and lost at the buzzer in the afternoon.

It’s one of the most crushing days in Section 1 basketball this decade; definitely the worst that I’ve been a part of. I’ll come back later with more thoughts on these two games. Honestly, I can’t begin to fathom the fact that BOTH teams lost. I could understand one. But I never imagined both.

Well, as Mookie Jones said, and then Kevin Jones echoed to me a few minutes ago:

“Life goes on.”

Update, 8 p.m.: Listen to the podcast for my thoughts on both games:

Download:

3:55: It’s complete shock on the Mount Vernon bench right now. All the turnovers and missed lay-ups caught up with them. Maginn will face Niagara Falls in the state final tomorrow. Kevin Jones had 17 points and nine rebounds.

3:53: Three shots in the paint for Mount Vernon in the final four seconds all miss and Maginn wins 54-52.

3:52: Maginn wins

3:51: Timeout MV.

3:50: Missed jumper by Maginn. Near turnover by MV under its own basket. Jump ball. MV ball with 8.3 seconds left, trailing by two.

3:47: Lay-up by Allen makes it 54-52 Maginn. Timeout Maginn with 38.5 seconds left. There’s 20 on the shot clock.

3:45: MV is in trouble. Back to back baskets by Maginn puts it ahead 54-50 with 1:18 left. Timeout MV. The last basket was off yet another turnover. The Knights must have a dozen this quarter.

3:43: Turnaround jumper by Kev Jones. Tied up. 1:59 to go. Jones has 17 points and eight rebounds.

3:42: Taran Buie makes a fade away jumper for Maginn, which takes a 50-48 lead. There’s 2:05 left. Buie, a sophomore as 20.

3:41: Allen misses the front end of a one-and-one. Maginn ball with 2:41 to go, tie game.

3:40: Two huge blocks by Kevin Jones and Vaughn Allen have kept MV from losing the lead. Still tied with 2:48 to go.

3:38: Tied at 48-48. 3:45 left. Bad turnover just now by Ketema Brooks, the team’s fifth in a row.

3:35: Maginn just doesn’t go away. MV scored six straight points before Shimeek Johnson buried a 3 for the Griffins. It’s 48-44 with 5:38 left.

3:31: Sherrod Wright just picked up his third foul less than a minute into the fourth quarter. MV is up 42-38.

3:29: Through three quarters, MV leads 42-36.

3:25: MV leads 42-36. Kev Jones has 13 points. He just picked up his third foul with 1:14 left.

3:22: Six straight points has given MV back the lead at 40-34. Three minutes left.Foul situation is fine for MV.

3:19: MV leads 38-34 with 3:48 left in the third. By the way, it amazes me how nasty some of you guys can be when it comes to writing posts. The internet is shoddy and there’s no other way to get the updates online. Don’t act spoiled. Please, relax.

3:18: A 7-0 run by Maginn has tied the game at 34-34 with 4:26 left in the third. Timeout Mount Vernon.

3:15: Stupid internet here in Glens Falls keeps going out. Sorry for the inconvenience. Mount Vernon leads 34-30 with 5:37 left in the third.

2:49: Sherrod Wright was just fouled as he drained a long 3-pointer. He missed the free throw, losing a chance at a four-point play. It’s 26-19 Mount Vernon with 3:26 left.

2:46: Mount Vernon leads 20-19 with 4:50 left in the half.

2:43: Mount Vernon leads 18-17 with 5:54 left in the second quarter. Wild game so far. Sherrod missed a soaring dunk that would have brought the place down.

2:40: Sorry, some internet problems here. They’re resolved. Mount Vernon leads 16-11 after the first quarter. Kevin Jones has seven points.

2:36: Fast-paced game right off the bat. Mount Vernon leads 9-8 with 2:53 left in the first quarter. Sherrod Wright has had a tough start, missing six shots already.

2:29: We’re 33 seconds into the game and Sherrod Wright and Kevin Jones each have a foul. Not good. Maginn up 1-0.

2:25: The game will start in 5 minutes. Check back for updates, my friends.

FINAL STATS: Mookie Jones: 23 points (7-22 shooting) and 10 rebounds. Darien Thomas had nine points and eight rebounds. Ralph Watts had nine points; Daquan Brickhouse had eight points and seven rebounds. Elliot Watson had five points.

As a team, Peekskill shot 18 for 67. Jamesville was 28 for 58.

Jamesville stats: Nick Pascale 14 points, 17 rebounds; Brandon Triche 16 points, eight assists, seven rebounds; Alshawn Hymes 22 points on 10 of 19 shooting.

12:12: Jamesville wins 74-55. Be back later with more details.

12:10: Mookie just dunked and is out of the game with 40 seconds left. An era of Peekskill basketball is over.

12:07: Peekskill is waving the white flag. The subs are coming in but Mookie is still on the floor. Two minutes left and down 71-50. Jamesville just emptied its bench.

12:06: This is a miserable game. Jamesville leads 67-50 with 2:18 left.

11:58: Jamesville leads 65-45 with 4:15 left. Finally, J-D is starting to slow things down and use the clock.

11:51: It’s a blowout. Jamesville leads 57-35 with 6:31 to play. Peekskill has absolutely no sign of life.

11:47: There’s one quarter left in the Peekskill dynasty. Jamesville outscore the Red Devils 32-9 that quarter and leads 54-35 entering the fourth. The place is in total shock. A fitting end to the quarter: Hymes stole the ball with 5 seconds left and made a driving lay-up at the buzzer. He had 13 that quarter.

11:45: Alshwan Hymes is killing Peekskill right now. He has 11 points in the third quarter for Jamesville on 5 of 5 shooting. It’s 52-35 with 25 seconds left in the third.

11:42: Elliot Watson hits two free throws for Peekskill first basket in four minutes, ending a 16-0 J-D run. It’s 47-33.

11:40: It’s really beginning to unravel. Panzanaro was just given a technical foul on a Peekskill possession. Triche hit a free throw. J-D leads 43-31 with 2:21 left in the third.

11:38: Jamesville has 11 straight points and leads 40-31 with 2:54 left in the third. Mookie back in the game, Peekskill is desperate.

11:36: UH-OH. Mookie just got his fourth foul. He really shouldn’t have been on the floor. Peekskill trails 36-31 and is in serious trouble. J-D has all the momentum right now. Nick Pascale, its 6-10 center, is the catalyst. Not good.

11:34: Jamesville has score five straight points to take a 34-31 lead with 4:41 left in the third. It was only a matter of time before J-D starting hitting some shots.

11:32: Mookie just got his third foul with 6 minutes left in the third.

11:31: It’s 29-27 Peekskill with 6:16 left in the third.

11:18: HALFTIME. Peekskill is up 26-22. Not a good half of basketball for either team. Mookie Jones leads Peekskill with eight points but he looks completely out of sorts. I’m not sure if he’s flustered by having two fouls, the early morning start or it’s him just pressing. Perhaps it’s the No. 43 jersey.

J-D is giving Triche little support on offense. He’s been brilliant with the ball, recording three assists in the second quarter. Mickey Davis has six points for J-D.

11:14: Six straight misses for Mookie Jones, all on forced shots. Peekskill is ahead 26-20 with 44.5 seconds in the first half.

11:09: Brandon Triche is unreal. A few of the passes he’s made so far have been incredible. Peekskill leads 20-17 with 3:10 left in the half. Mookie still playing but he’s mysteriously forcing shots, something he hasn’t done at all this season since the Slam Dunk.

11:05: Peekskill leads 16-13 with 6:19 left in the first half. Mookie is back on the floor.

11:00: Peekskill leads 11-8 after one. Mookie is on the bench with two fouls. Sluggish start for both teams.

10:56: Mookie just picked up his second foul with 1:53 left in the first quarter. He has six points on two 3-pointers. Peekskill lead 7-4. Tough break for the Red Devils.

10:52: J-D leads 4-3 with 4 minutes left in the first quarter. Ugly start so far for both teams. Peekskill is tight.

10:49: Mookie Jones hits a 3-pointer on his first shot and Peekskill is off and running. Mookie is inexplicably wearing No. 43 today instead of his usual No. 21. I’ll try to find out why.

10:40: We’re a few minutes from tip-off of today’s Class A state semifinal between Peekskill and Jamesville-DeWitt of Section 3.

Decent crowd trickling in for this one. East Hampton won the first A semifinal by three points, despite an incredible finish. A Buffalo East player flung a three-quarter-court shot at the buzzer bounced off the rim.

Following along here for updates.

Mount Vernon is the King of New York. Peekskill is the team everyone wants to be.

That’s how the people up here in Glens Falls view Section 1’s basketball powers. This is the sixth time I’ve come up to the state tournament. And clearly, these two teams are the main attractions.

Alex Myers and I just arrived a few minutes ago for what could be a record-breaking weekend for Mount Vernon and Peekskill. As you might have read in today’s Journal News, there’s so much at stake.

Tomorrow’s semifinals should be two of the best games of the weekend. Here’s a look at how Mount Vernon and Peekskill stack up:

Class A state semifinal
Peekskill (25-0) vs. Section 3’s Jamesville-DeWitt (22-2)
When/where: Tomorrow, 10:45 a.m. at Glens Falls Civic Center
How’d they get here: Peekskill beat Oneonta, 89-32. Jamesville-DeWitt defeated Bishop Gibbons, 74-34.
Previous meeting: Peekskill beat J-D 63-60 on Dec, 28 in semifinal of Slam Dunk tournament.
Matchup to watch: Brandon Triche of J-D vs. Mookie Jones of Peekskill. Jones is already committed to Syracuse. Triche, a junior, is expected to follow. They’re both exceptional players who can pretty much dominate a game at any moment. How they defend each other will be pivotal.
Who’ll decide the game: Elliot Watson, Peekskill. Expect Watson to draw most of the defensive responsibilities on J-D’s 6-10 center, Nick Pascale. Watson did a solid job on Pascale in December, specifically in boxing him out and keeping him off the glass.
How Peekskill can win: Extend the floor. When you’re as fast as Peekskill and can finish the way Mookie, Watson, and Daquan Brickhouse can, you’re going to win games by 44.2 points — which is the average margin of victory of Peekskill’s five playoff games. There aren’t many teams in the state that can contend with Peekskill’s transition offense. The more the Red Devils run, the more trouble J-D will be in.
How Jamesville-DeWitt can win: Keep Brickhouse off the dribble. Brickhouse has become an elite player in Section 1 because of fearlessness at attacking the basket and creating off penetration. He’s got the ideal complement for that style with quality shooters in Ralph Watts and Mookie Jones. J-D cannot allow Brickhouse to do what he does best and expect to win.
Who will win: Peekskill. The three-time state champs are on their way to a fourth. It’s destiny. J-D will give the Red Devils a fight here. But I think Peekskill pulls away in the second half. PREDICTION: PEEKSKILL 75, JAMESVILLE-DEWITT 67.
Up next: The winner faces the winner of the other semifinal between East Hampton and Buffalo East on Sunday.

Class AA state semifinal
Mount Vernon (23-3) vs. Section 2’s Bishop Maginn (24-1)
When/where: Tomorrow, 2:15 p.m. at Glens Falls Civic Center
How’d they get here: Mount Vernon beat Binghamton, 83-72. Maginn beat Henninger, 56-50.
Previous meetings: Mount Vernon beat Maginn in last year’s final, 68-65.
Matchup to watch: Sherrod Wright of Mount Vernon vs. Taran Buie of Maginn. Buie and Wright are two of the state’s top underclassmen. Buie, a 6-2 sophomore, has really come on strong this season and averages a team-high 16.2 points per game. Wright, though, always plays his best against top competition, so expect a big game here.
Who’ll decide the game: Kevin Jones, Mount Vernon. Why? Because he decides every game. He has 22 double-doubles this season, after recording 21 last season. As long as he controls the boards and finishes around the rim — like he always does — the Knights will be in good shape.
How Mount Vernon can win: Don’t get caught napping. The only reason Binghamton was competitive with Mount Vernon last Saturday, and even held a third-quarter lead, was because it simply outhustled the Knights. That should never happen in the state tournament and it was somewhat disconcerting. Maginn is far more athletic and aggressive and will test Mount Vernon with quick outlet passes and trying to get out transition. The focus of this game for the Knights should be on the defensive end.
How Maginn can win: Be physical with Jones. Antonio Davis, a 6-5 forward, and 6-2 James Torres combined to do a great job defensively on Henninger’s 7-1 center, Ben Cronin, who’s headed for Michigan. Davis and Torres were physical with Cronin inside and are a rugged combo, serving as the ideal complement to 6-7 Shimeek Johnson. Jones has to be ready for the elbows surely on their way.
Who will win: Mount Vernon. All week I had a bad feeling that either Mount Vernon or Peekskill would get bounced in the semifinals. But when I examined the teams, I just couldn’t see it actually happening. The Knights realize they got away with a shoddy effort against Binghamton and will come out with something to prove. That’s bad news for Maginn. PREDICTION: MOUNT VERNON 64, MAGINN 60.
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I know you’re all waiting for the Class A and AA wrap-ups. I ask for your patience. I had a far busier week preparing for the weekend, writing lengthy stories every day and doing things for the show. My apologies. I didn’t forget about them. I’ll be posting them early next week.

We’re two days away from the state tournament in Glens Falls. As the clock ticks down, I wanted to throw a few things out there:

First, I’m not sure if anyone has realized this, but Holy Cross senior Sylven Landesberg is in a tough spot right now. The Virginia-bound superstar led Holy Cross to an incredible CHSAA championship, beating Rice in the semifinals and Christ the King in the title game, to advance to the Federation final (CHSAA has the bye). Landesberg was also selected to play in the McDonald’s All-American game, which is the highest honor for any high school player.

The McDonald’s game is March 26 in Milwaukee. Federations are March 28-29.

What should Landesberg do? According to state rules, you cannot play an exhibition games during the season. If he plays the McDonalds game, he’s done of the season. Even if he goes to Milwaukee and doesn’t play, he’ll miss a few days of practice, which is another issue.

The problem is the fact the Federation tournament exists at all. I’d wager that 99-percent of the kids in the NYC (PSAL and CHSAA) don’t care nearly as much about Glens Falls as they do the city titles. Now that there’s two weeks in between the state and Federations, they’re going to care even less.

I think this should be the year that state put the Federation tournament on a one-year hiatus. Let’s see if anyone really misses it.
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In today’s Journal News, I had a story on Mount Vernon junior Jordan Lessane, who has become one of the best defensive players in the area over the last month.

Lessane is probably the quietest, shyest kid I’ve ever covered. He’s extremely humble and is probably as important to winning a championship this weekend as any player on the Mount Vernon roster.
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In case anyone was wondering, the Tri-County Awards dinner (all-section) is Tuesday night. We’ll release all the award recipients over the next few days.

The Exceptional Senior All-Star games is March 29. I’m not totally sure where, but there will be two games.
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Finally, I should disclose some disappointing news: The Journal News was roughed up by RNN in last night’s first basketball game. RNN prevailed 62-52 behind an MVP performance from cameraman Chris Arnone.

Ben Sosenko, our esteemed host of Varsity Central Extra, shot lights out (4 for 16 was a good percentage in this debacle). The Journal Newsers couldn’t overcome the fact the court was 84 feet long. Justin Jones (24 points) and Alex Myers (16 points) saved us from complete disgrace.

Give RNN credit, they had guys who could actually run, dribble and rebound. I was tugging on my shorts after 5 minutes. I played point guard and only attempted two shots. As player-coach, I also did a bad job of making substitutions. I take full responsibility for the loss.

It’s a pretty slow day here. Just watching Syracuse and Villanova provide me with more reasons why neither one really deserves to go to the NCAA tournament (give me UMass and VCU).

If you’re bored and are looking for something to read, here are a few things to kill time:

First, you should check out this article from yesterday’s Oneonta Daily Star, written by columnist Rob Centorani. He wrote a interesting column on how Peekskill is the best team he’s ever seen at the high school level.

Also check out today’s story in the Albany Times-Union on Bishop Maginn’s center combination of Antonio Davis and James Torres. Maginn plays Mount Vernon in Saturday’s AA semifinal in Glens Falls in a rematch of last year’s final.

Neither of Maginn’s centers are a star player but they recently did a great job defending Henninger 7-footer Ben Cronin. They’ll need a similar effort on Kevin Jones.

Times-Union reporter James Allen had a story two days ago on Maginn coach Rich Hurley, whose wife is pregnant and baby is expected in the next week. Congrats.

I also had a story today on Peekskill junior Darien Thomas, the “fifth” starter. Thomas has been the perfect complement this season to Peekskil’s fantastic four of Mookie, Elliot, Watts and Daquan. Thomas rarely gets any pub, so we threw him on the front page today to make up for it.

Also, Lincoln and Boys and Girls will be meeting at Madison Square Garden for the PSAL championship on Sunday at 1 p.m. Lincoln is looking for its third title in a row.

Of all the season wrap-ups, this one could spark the most interest.

I labored over these decisions, from the player of the year to the fourth and fifth spots on both first and second teams. I actually decided to add in a third team for the three largest classes because there were just so many players who deserve mention.

Player of the Year

Marc Miller, North Salem. Is he the most talented player in the conference? Probably not. But his value and leadership are unparalleled. Miller, the lone returning starter from a team that was upset in the semifinals last season in Class C, was a stable force in the middle. At 6-foot-6, he wasn’t just a big body, either. Miller refined his game and was arguably the section’s most improved player, averaging 18 points and 18 rebounds per game, and continually coming through the late-game situations in the postseason.

Coach of the Year
Henry Sassone, North Salem. Sassone reminded us all this season that he’s still one of the best there is in Section 1. In his 23rd season, Sassone took a team that graduated four starters and moved up from Class C and won 23 straight games, including the most unlikely championship of the decade. They beat a Briarcliff team that few even thought the Tigers could compete with for more than few minutes — and that was after he guided them to a 13-point comeback in the semifinals against Irvington. Sassone won his 300th career game along the way, beating four Class AA and two Class A schools despite being just three students over the C limit.

Rookie of the Year
Billy Kreinik, Edgemont. It was a strong rookie class in the conference. But Kreinik definitely deserves credit for stepping as a sophomore and leading the Panthers in scoring at 13.3 points per game. He’s a versatile 6-foot-2 forward who has plenty of room for growth and gives Edgemont promise for the future.

Class B All-Stars
First team
Marc Miller, Sr., North Salem
Joe Lombardi, Sr., Briarcliff
Brittain Purcelle, Sr., Irvington
Alex Gulotta, Sr., Briracliff
Josh O’Neill, Jr., North Salem

Second team
Nick Nedwick, Sr., Irvington
Karl Miras, Sr., North Salem
Kyle Beechum, Sr., Briarcliff
Sir Aaron Taylor, Jr., Lincoln Hall
Pat Fuchs, Sr., Albertus Magnus

Third team
Jamol Johnney, Jr., Lincoln Hall
Ryan Sawyer, Sr., Croton-Harmon
Danny Bramswig, Sr., Pleasantville
Taj Everly, Sr., Woodlands
Floyd Leroy, Jr., Albertus Magnus

All-Defense team
Greg Budetti, Sr., North Salem
Josh O’Neill, Jr., North Salem
James Dondero, Sr., Pleasantville
Sir Aaron Taylor, Jr., Lincoln Hall
Ryan Sawyer, Sr., Croton

Futures team
Josh O’Neill, Jr., North Salem
Floyd Leroy, Jr., Albertus Magnus
Najee Forte, So., Woodlands
Alby Skrelji, Jr., Hastings
Sir Aaron Taylor, Jr., Lincoln Hall

Note: The all-defense team was altered after posting due to an oversight.

Championship teams tend to get cocky. Peekskill is no exception. Whether it’s throwing alley-oops through traffic and firing up fade-away 3s in the fourth quarter, the Red Devils like to flex their muscles and put on a show.

There are times, though, when Peekskill gives us a glimpse as to why it has been so great this season, why it is unbeaten and two wins away from its fourth straight state title. Today, I got one of those glimpses.

I got to see the Red Devils run.

As you can see in the photo above, that’s essentially all that it was. The entire team ran laps before practice started — that is, after they waited for the softball team to vacate the court a half hour later than expected (apparently word of the state championship hasn’t spread quite yet). The basketball players set up poles on the corners of the court and sprinted, and sometimes jogged, around before ever picking up a basketball.

And they did it for 35 minutes. Straight.

Yes, 35 minutes. The team used to run for only 25 minutes. But after Peekskill demolished Port Chester in the Section 1 championship, sprinting up and down the floor against the outmanned Rams, coach Lou Panzanaro gave them the practice schedule for the next week. When Panzanaro mentioned running for 25 minutes, he awaited for the grunts. Instead, he got a suggestions.

“Nah,” sophomore Daquan Brickhouse said. “Let’s do 35.”

Nobody objected. And for 35 minutes today, I got to see why Peekskill’s press has gone from occasionally effective to “completely overwhelming. I got to see why Brickhouse effortlessly speeds through presses, why Mookie barely looks like he broke a sweat after every game, why Elliot Watson and Darien Thomas can sky for rebounds, and why Ralph Watts’ jump shot looks as pretty in the fourth quarter as it does in the first minute.

“They used to hate it,” Panzanaro said. “But I think now they understanding the importance of it.”

It’s not just about conditioning or endurance. I realized there was a lot more to it than calisthenics.

Initially, I thought it was tedious. Then I saw that Brickhouse was sprinting the entire time. That Mookie was running up behind guys who were slowing down and encouraged them to push through it. I saw coach Headley was running with the team. I saw players huffing and puffing. But nobody was grimacing or complaining.

Then I started watching guys who don’t play many minutes. They were running the hardest. Sean Smythe is a sophomore brought up from the JV before the playoffs. He might not see a minute up in Glens Falls. But he was running as hard as anyone. Ronnie Simmons was close behind. Justin Silvestri, the hefty 6-foot-2 forward, wasn’t exactly making good time. But he never stopped and walked once.

“If I can do that,” Silvestri yelled out at one point. “all you can, too.”

Success has a way of feeding into itself. Today at Peekskill was a prime example.

Everyone on this team seems to be on the same page. No egos, no jealousy. If there were issues like that — and I know there were — they’ve been put aside. All that’s left is a basketball team focused on doing the only thing it has done all season — winning.

Amazingly, today wasn’t even the real “conditioning day” for the Red Devils, according to Panzanaro. That will be on Wednesday when they run for 35 more minutes and do more extensive sprints during practice. Two days later, they’ll leave for Glens Falls in search of history.

If there’s practice next Monday, expect the running segment of practice to be even longer.

Finally, my first season wrap-up has arrived.

I’m starting with Class C/D and working my way up. I think I created a lot of work for myself by releasing these one per day — while trying to prepare for the state tournament — so I might have to spread these out a little. We’ll see.

CLASS C/D
Player of the Year
Robert Johnson, Tuckahoe. The best player on the championship team. It’s as simple as that. Johnson, a 5-foot-11 senior guard, had an outstanding regular season. But it wasn’t until the playoffs that he truly proved his value. Despite constant attention from opposing defenses, he didn’t press. He got his teammates more involved and made shots when it mattered — guiding the Tigers to comeback wins over Blind Brook and Keio – for the Tigers’ second title in three seasons. Johnson finished the season averaging 21.3 points and led Tuckahoe to a 16-9 record.

Coach of the Year
Al Visconti, Tuckahoe. It’s hard to argue with two sectional titles in three seasons as head coach. While the Tigers were considered favorites in the preseason, he rescued a team that was spiraling through middle of part of their schedule and went on a championship run, pulling off a dramatic comeback win over Blind Brook in the semifinals and over Keio in overtime of the finals.

Rookie of the Year
Dayvon Felder, Leake & Watts. The freshman guard is the next in a great line of Leake & Watts stars. He was so consistent from the start of the season and finished second on the team with 14.3 points per game. With Felder leading the way, the Lions might finally break through as sectional champs next season.

Class C/D All-Stars
First team
Robert Johnson, Sr., Tuckahoe
David Williams, Sr., Clark Academy
Takuhiro Hashiyama, Sr., Keio
Jeris Dupree, Sr., Leake & Watts
Brett Paterno, Sr., Blind Brook

Second team
Miles Fisher, Sr., Blind Brook
Chris Taylor, Sr., Hawthorne-CK
Yuji Ogawa, Sr., Keio
Jonathan Schofield, Jr., Hamilton
John Foster, Sr., Tuckahoe

All-Defense team
Keisuke Naruse, Jr., Keio
Miles Fisher, Sr., Blind Brook
Joey Melendez, Sr., Tuckahoe
Matthew Solomon, Sr., Leake & Watts
Alex Piperis, Sr., Blind Brook

Futures team (top underclassmen)
Aaron Prince, Jr., Solomon Schechter
Shaquille Griffiths, Jr., Tuckahoe
Oasiris Yates, Jr., Valhalla
George Johnson, So., Hawthorne-CK
Dayvon Felder, Fr., Leake & Watts

And then there were two…

Mount Vernon and Peekskill are the only two teams left standing after a disastrous weekend for local basketball teams. Iona Prep and Blessed Sacrament blew big leads and lost in Friday’s CHSAA championship games. Then on Saturday, Tuckahoe and North Salem lost heartbreakers at SUNY New Paltz in regional final games.

That leaves the only two two sure things in basketball, Mount Vernon and Peekskill going to the state final four. Here’s a look at their opponents. These are brief. I’ll be providing a more in-depth looks at the teams, as well as predictions, later in the week:

Class A state semifinal
Peekskill (25-0) vs. Section 3’s Jamesville-DeWitt (22-2)
When: Saturday, 10:45 a.m.
How did they get here: Peekskill romped Oneonta by 51. Jamesville-DeWitt beat Bishop Gibbons by 40.
What you need to know: This could be the game of the weekend. The buzz of it has already started up in Syracuse, as Neil Kerr noted in his column today.  J-D, obviously, competed in the Slam Dunk in late December, beating Briarcliff, losing to Peekskill and then romping Port Chester in the third-place game. For stats and schedules on Jamesville, check out the Syracuse Post Standard web site. J-D has a stud in junior Brandon Triche, whose stats have been off the charts all season.  Triche vs. Mookie will draw the biggest crowd of the weekend.

Class AA state semifinal
Mount Vernon (23-3) vs. Section 2’s Bishop Maginn (24-1)
When: Saturday, 2:15 p.m.
How did they get here: Mount Vernon outlasted Binghamton, 93-72. Maginn beat Henninger, 56-50.
What you need to know: The Albany Times-Union web site is great and has loads of stats and information on Maginn. Remember, Mount Vernon and Maginn met in last year’s state championship game, which the Knights won for their second straight title.
The Griffins have two excellent players in 6-foot-7 forward Shimeek Johnson and 6-2 guard Taran Buie. Note that Maginn’s only loss this season was a two-point defeat to Jamesville-DeWitt in early December. Maginn later beat White Plains by 21 points.
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I’m heading up to Peekskill’s practice today for a few stories that I’m working on, and plan to get to Mount Vernon tomorrow. I’ll check back in with news and notes.