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Mike Manley Makes Six 3-Pointersas Pleasantville Battles BriarcliffWith Sectionals Around the Corner

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February 9 - February 15, 2016 The ExaminerS-2

By Justin ThomasIt was a celebration from start to finish

for the Horace Greeley hockey team on Saturday evning. On Senior Night at the Brewster Ice Arena, the Quakers kept the festivities going, shutting out rival Fox Lane 2-0.

Between Greeley’s strong defense and Fox Lane’s top-notch goalie, Abbie Ives, a close, low-scoring game was all but guaranteed. With Ives recording 34 saves in net for the Foxes, and senior goalie Nicholas Bright pitching a 20-save shutout, the game turned out to be as advertised.

“We know she’s [Ives] gonna make the saves,” said Greeley assistant coach Dan Perito, speaking in place of head coach Zach Dargaty, whose voice became collateral damage from the game. “We know she’s gonna get the spectacular saves. We probably should’ve had four or five goals in the last game, and she robbed us of three or four goals. Same thing tonight. She stole two or three. That breakaway early in the game in the second period on Damon Klein? I mean, he roofed it on his backhand, and she snagged that with her glove.”

After an even start to the game, Greeley began to get more and more chances, but Ives was more on fire than she was under fire, as she was stopping everything that came her way. Greeley’s big opportunity came with just over five minutes left in the first period.

The Foxes had just killed a power play, but Quaker defender Sam Whitehouse didn’t seem to care that it was back to even strength, as he weaved through the Fox Lane defense to create a break. Whitehouse lost the handle, and Dillon Rusiecki’s shot was saved and knocked away by Ives to her left, but right onto the waiting stick of Damon Klein, who put the rebound shot into the open top shelf, near side corner.

That was the only opening Ives allowed all game, but it was all the Quakers needed. The Foxes struggled to get much going on the offensive end. Ives did her best, though, keeping her team in the game throughout.

“She’s our backbone,” Fox Lane coach Scott Miele said. “She’s the rock of the team. She keeps us in these games, and she’s an amazing competitor….But we woke up a little late, and we ran out of time, I guess you could say.”

“We know she’s gonna get hers as far as her saves and steals,” said the Quakers’ Perito. “We just had to make sure we took advantage of the opportunities we got. It might only be one or two, it was only one tonight, and we took advantage of it and were able to lock down on defense.”

Things got pretty ugly in this rivalry match in the second period, when Fox Lane’s Nolan Vernon took a swing at the back of the head of Greeley captain Ryan Katchis with his stick, resulting in a major

penalty and an immediate disqualification from the game.

“They were saying something to each other, the kid started skating away, and our guy hacked him,” Miele said. “Completely unacceptable, honestly. Whatever happens, nothing constitutes for someone doing that. It was bad.”

The ejection seemed to be the turning point in the game because, from that point on, Greeley was able to get more than double the amount of shots on goal as Fox Lane, outshooting the Foxes 26-12.

Even with the huge shot disparity, the Foxes were able to stay very much alive in a 1-0 game while Ives stayed strong in net. Unfortunately for the Foxes, the Quaker defense was fully locked in, providing their goalie with a much lighter workload.

“We’ve got a solid five, six set of defense,” Perito said. “And having the ability to roll them, especially from the start of the game, keeps them fresher for the second half of the game, especially in that third period when we need them to be out there a lot. And Nicky Bright back on the back end has been helping us tremendously. He’s really been playing solid the last couple of games, only giving up one or two goals a game. If we get enough on the offensive end, our defense and our goaltending is gonna help us.”

The third period was a complete stalemate that showcased the great goalkeeping of Ives, who handled everything being fired at her with elegant ease, and the stone-wall defense of Greeley, which wouldn’t let any good shots be fired on net. Desperation time finally hit for Fox Lane in the final minute as Ives was pulled for an extra skater. The Foxes took the faceoff, and Ryder Beitzel sent the puck toward the net, but,

moments later, Edward Girardi skated in accompanied only by a teammate to easily deposit an empty-net goal to lock up the 2-0 Senior Night victory.

“It’s really special,” Perito said. “But just to get a win on Senior Night with everything, it’s a nice way to send them out. We need a couple more wins to qualify for playoffs…take them one game at a time, one shift at a time. We’ve just got to establish our fore-check early, take care of our chances, and play solid defense on the back end. One of our biggest problems has been staying out of the box. But if we play five on five, we can play with a lot of teams out there.”

Even with the loss, Miele feels good about his Fox Lane team’s chances come playoff time as well.

“I think we’re doing great,” Miele said. “Two years ago, when I was on the team, that was really our big rebuilding year, and we’re having, honestly, a great year. Now we’re 9-7-1, and a couple of big games coming up, very winnable games that, if we play our game, I have confidence in us.”

Greeley Shuts Out the Foxes on Senior Night

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Damon Klein of Horace Greeley races up the ice with the puck in the Quakers’ 2-0 win at Brewster Ice Arena.

Greeley’s Scott Odland moves the puck up the right wing in the Quakers’ 2-0 win over Fox Lane on Senior Night at Brewster Ice Arena.

The Foxes’ Tyler Lunney gets set to pass the puck up the ice in Saturday’s game vs. host Greeley.

Fox Lane goalie Abbie Ives stops a shot on the side of the crease by Greeley’s Ryan Katchis during Saturday’s game.

Cade Alami of Fox Lane searches for an open teammate during the Foxes’ game at Brewster Ice Arena on Saturday night.

Fox Lane’s Jared Goldstein controls the puck in the third period vs. the Greeley Quakers.

February 9 - February 15, 2016www.TheExaminerNews.com S-3

Reish and Crowley Lead Briarcliff to a Win Over the PanthersBy Andy Jacobs

Maybe it wouldn’t have changed the outcome, but Pleasantville boys’ basketball coach Chris Welsh would have liked his team’s chances against mighty Briarcliff a lot more Saturday afternoon if a second-quarter blocking foul had been ruled a charge instead.

“Really, really, that was definitely a pivotal point of the game,” a frustrated Welsh would say later about the disputed call in the final minute of the first half that didn’t quite go the Panthers’ way. The host Bears, clinging to a two-point lead at the time, took advantage of their good fortune and quickly stretched their margin to eight points at halftime on the way to a 64-53 victory.

Briarcliff, now a gaudy 18-1 this season after the latest win over its nearest and fiercest rival, was ahead only 20-18 just 40 seconds before halftime. Forward Josiah Cobbs, playing with two fouls, went airborne in the lane to score, but also sent the Panthers’ Logan Schneeweiss crashing to the court. To Welsh’s dismay, the basket wasn’t waved off and his Panthers never really recovered.

“Yeah, the play was right in front of me,” he said. “It certainly seemed like Logan had position on the charge. It was a huge play because it would’ve been the third foul on Josiah in addition to a charge being the single most momentum play in all of basketball. It would’ve taken some points off the board and it would’ve put them in foul trouble. We would’ve had the opportunity to go into the half tied instead of a turnover and then down eight. That’s a pivotal point of the game, no doubt about it.”

Instead, the Bears, playing in front of a large Senior Day home crowd, managed to open up a 17-point lead late in the third quarter and never allowed Pleasantville to get closer than seven points the rest of the way. Junior guard Jack Reish scored 22 points and center Sean Crowley, one of the five seniors honored before the opening tip, added 15 to help offset the 32-point explosion by the Panthers’ Mike Manley.

“One of the things about blocks and charges,” said Briarcliff coach Cody Moffett, “they’re probably one of the most difficult things to call. Fortunately for us, it went the way we would’ve hoped on that drive.”

Besides Cobbs and Crowley, the occasion called for the Bears’ starting lineup against Pleasantville to include the three other seniors — Joe Canonaco, Sean Hansen and Nicholas Beninati. But a snow day on Friday prevented them from practicing together, so four minutes into the contest Pleasantville, with four early points from Patrick McPhee, led by a basket.

Moffett then summoned his usual starters, and by the end of the first quarter Briarcliff built a 9-6 lead. The Bears, with

two baskets from Crowley sandwiched around a 15-foot baseline jumper by Jackson Gonseth and a 3-pointer by Miles Jones, began the second period on a 9-2 run to open up a 10-point lead.

“When we first played them at their place, we went up 20 to 4 and then they clawed their way and got back into it,” recalled Moffett about the teams’ earlier meeting. “So we knew during the huddle while we were up 18 to 8, they were a team that wasn’t gonna go away and they were gonna keep playing. There were gonna keep fighting. If they were gonna make shots, they would be coming from their key guys and Manley stepped up in a major way.”

Manley, the Panthers’ sharpshooting junior guard, proceeded to score the game’s next eight points all by himself, capping it off with a 3-pointer from the right elbow that sliced the Briarcliff lead

to just two. Then with just over a minute left in the half, Manley made a steal and raced in for a layup to set the stage for the Cobbs-Schneeweiss collision that put an end to the Panthers’ momentum.

Briarcliff would open the second half on a 14-5 run, sparked by a pair of 3-pointers from sophomore guard Jack Ryan. Suddenly the Bears’ cushion had ballooned to 40-23, but Pleasantville got late 3-pointers from both Manley and McPhee that, according to Welsh, “kept up in striking distance at least” and went to the final quarter trailing 42-29.

The fourth quarter began with a put-back basket by Gonseth, and when Crowley spun in the lane for another bucket a minute later, the Panthers faced a 15-point deficit and seemed all but finished. But they responded with a 3-pointer by Manley, a right-corner trey from McPhee and then an 18-foot jumper by Manley from the top of the key.

Pleasantville, now down by just seven points, had a chance to move even closer, but McPhee was unable to convert on a reverse-layup attempt. The Bears’ Reish soon scored on a fast break while getting fouled. He added the free throw, enabling Briarcliff to build its lead back to 10 with 3:17 left. Manley, who had 15 points in the fourth quarter and wound up making six 3-pointers on the day, added two late shots from beyond the arc, but it was too little and too late as the Panthers dropped to 8-12 this year.

“When he gets going, I don’t know if there’s a shooter like him in Section One,” said Welsh about Manley. “In the fourth quarter, it was possessions where we needed a bucket and it was literally get the ball to Mike, set him a high ball screen and get out of the way. He hit a ton

of shots. That was the culmination of all his hard work to see him put up that kind of game.”

The Bears’ Moffett can now breathe a sigh of relief that his team managed to overcome the shooting exploits of Manley and also a near upset at Westlake just two days earlier. As the top-seeded team in the upcoming Class B sectional playoffs, the Bears have some lofty goals, but aren’t about to start looking too far ahead.

“We’ve got one home game guaranteed that we know of,” said Moffett of the upcoming playoffs. “So hopefully we can win that first-round game. If that works out, then we’ll get to the second round. But once the playoffs start, everybody’s 0 and 0. Everything you’ve done during the regular season is kind of tossed out the window.”

Briarcliff center Sean Crowley gets inside for a basket in Saturday’s win over Pleasantville.

Guard Jack Reish of Briarcliff scores on a fast break during the second half of Saturday’s home game vs. the Panthers.

Briarcliff forward Josiah Cobbs dribbles around Pleasantville’s Logan Schneeweiss in the Bears’ 64-53 victory. Pleasantville’s Jon Carlo Angiolillo drives to

the basket as Jack Ryan of Briarcliff defends in Saturday’s game.

Pleasantville guard Patrick McPhee tries to get to the rim from the left baseline during the Panthers’ road game vs. Briarcliff.

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February 9 - February 15, 2016 The ExaminerS-4

By Andy JacobsScoring droughts have been a recurring

problem throughout the season for the Byram Hills girls’ basketball team.

The latest one came last Wednesday evening and lasted more than seven minutes in the fourth quarter, enabling visiting Eastchester to pull away for a 53-32 victory. Gabriella Ricciardi scored a game-high 21 points and the Eagles finished the contest on a 13-0 run that brought a disappointing end to a promising start for the Bobcats.

“I think the fourth quarter pretty much showed what we’ve been going through all season where we’ve gone for these long periods of time without scoring,” said Byram Hills head coach Alyse La Padula shortly after the Bobcats had concluded their regular season with a 4-14 record. “It showed us what we’re definitely looking forward to working on in the offseason.”

On a night when seniors Olivia Carlucci, Ashley Polera, Alex Sapone and Samantha Sinon were honored before the opening tip, La Padula saw her team rise to the occasion by closing the first quarter on a 9-2 run to grab a 14-10 lead after the first eight minutes. The Bobcat spurt was started by a 3-pointer from Polera, the veteran guard who erupted for 12 of her team-high 14 points in the opening period.

But Eastchester, which finished its season at 12-8, scored the first five points of the second quarter and never trailed again the rest of the way. After the Bobcats’ Maggie Walsh made one of two free throws to tie the game at 15 apiece, Ricciardi connected on a toss in the lane with five minutes left in the half to give the Eagles the lead for good.

The Bobcats went scoreless for four minutes in the second quarter and fell behind by seven points before Michaela Milano made a short turnaround jumper from the right baseline to end the drought. With seven seconds remaining before intermission, Milano provided a layup, set up by a pass from the penetrating Polera, to move Bryam within 22-19. The half ended, though, with Ricciardi drilling a jump shot at the buzzer that stretched the Eagles’ advantage to five points.

“Basketball’s a game of runs,” said

La Padula. “We had a couple of runs in the beginning of the game and we took advantage of those. It’s about us moving forward as a program being able to have the other team go on runs and not have that kill us, working on staying in the game.”

When the teams returned to the court for the third quarter, the Bobcats continued to stay in the game. A drive by Polera for a basket 50 seconds into the second half, followed by a Milano put-back bucket nearly a minute later, sliced the Byram Hills deficit to just 25-23. Walsh’s old-fashioned three-point play with 3:02 left in the quarter then moved the Bobcats back within 30-26.

With a minute to go in the period, Polera set up Arielle Zaccagnino for a layup. But the Eagles got a late 3-pointer and began the final quarter with a 38-30 edge. Eastchester opened the fourth with a put-back by Ricciardi before Byram’s

Zaccagnino answered with an inside bucket with 7:34 left on the clock.

Unfortunately for the Bobcats, they never scored again and Eastchester’s precarious eight-point lead quickly began to swell, starting with two free throws by Ricciardi and followed by three straight baskets that led to a Bobcat timeout with just under five minutes to go. By then, Byram Hills was facing a 48-32 deficit and it was obvious the Eagles would be walking out of the gym victorious.

“It really was just a long period without scoring,” said La Padula of her team’s offensive woes down the stretch. “Overall, the fourth quarter really was something that we’ve seen before throughout the year and definitely something we’ve been working on and trying to develop. “I mean, we’re taking shots. Shots just have to fall. We’re working a lot with the kids on developing confidence — the confidence to shoot, the confidence to feel good about the shots they’re taking,

knowing shot selection and knowing when to shoot.”

With the loss to Eastchester, the Bobcats have now been forced to play a waiting game to see if there’s an out-bracket game in their future. Wrapping up her first season at Byram Hills, “no place I’d rather be,” La Padula admits she’ll be plenty disappointed if she doesn’t get a chance to step onto the court with the Bobcats again this winter.

“A couple of games got away from us and put us kind of in the position where we’re at everybody else’s mercy,” she said. “So we’re waiting for everybody else to finish up their season. I would be lying to you if we said we just wanted to play one more. We want to keep going as far as we can. I do think and believe, and they think and believe, that we can shake things up. We can definitely get in there and get scrappy with a team and maybe turn the tables a little bit for somebody.”

Bobcats Close the Regular Season With a Loss to Eastchester

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The Bobcats’ Ashley Polera gets set to take the ball to the basket in last Wednesday’s home game.

Arielle Zaccagnino dribbles toward the lane in the first half of last Wednesday’s game vs. Eastchester.

Jenna Trainor of Byram Hills finds some traffic in the lane as she goes to the hoop during last week’s game vs. the Eagles.

The Bobcats’ Dana DiCristofaro calls out a play after crossing midcourt last Wednesday night.

Bryam Hills’ Maggie Croke drives to the basket in the Bobcats’ final home game of the regular season last Wednesday evening.

Maggie Walsh of Byram Hills dribbles across the court against visiting Eastchester.

Byram Hills coach Alyse La Padula watches her team play against Eastchester in the regular-season finale last Wednesday.

February 9 - February 15, 2016www.TheExaminerNews.com S-5

By Justin ThomasThe Pleasantville-Briarcliff rivalry

holds a little more weight this season in girls’ basketball because, with all the exceptional talent in Class B this year, both squads have proven themselves to be two of the top teams in their league.

On Saturday afternoon at Pleasantville High School, it was the Briarcliff Bears who got the upper hand in this hard-fought matchup, downing the Panthers 58-52.

It was all Briarcliff early, as the Bears’ sharp shooting and ball movement were too much for the Panthers at the start. The Bears jumped out to a 24-11 lead early in the second quarter after a three that barely touched the net on the way through from Maddie Plank, who finished with a game-high 24 points. But it wasn’t just Plank. Every other starter for Briarcliff seemed to be shooting the lights out whenever there was enough space to launch a shot.

“We’re difficult to guard,” Briarcliff coach Don Hamlin said. “If you want to take somebody away, then you’re leaving somebody else that can shoot open. So that should help us immensely.”

“It’s probably the best game we’ve played all year, and teams are gonna need that to beat Briarcliff because they’re that good,” Pleasantville coach Myndi Hill said. “It’s a battle. It always is, Pleasantville-Briarcliff. But Briarcliff is an outstanding young group. They’re fun to watch.”

Pleasantville came to life late in the second quarter after getting a spark from the feisty play of Isabelle Minerva. The Panthers picked up the intensity and got some shots to fall from Kristi Guttridge and Paige Long on their way to an 11-2 run that cut the Briarcliff lead to just four points.

But just as all of the momentum was seemingly going the Panthers’ way, Plank stepped up and drained a straightaway 3-pointer to end the first half and give the Bears a 29-22 lead.

“Maddie Plank and KC Hamlin hit some big-time shots today, big-time shots,” Hill said. “We cut the score…Maddie [Plank] comes down and knocks down a three, and we’re not that far off of her. We weren’t sagging. So it was an outstanding game. I think both teams, a young Briarcliff team, a young Pleasantville team, played about as well of a game as they could’ve.”

Amanda Skopetos led the charge in the second half for the Panthers, who came roaring back behind four straight makes by Skopetos, including a three from the parking lot, to take a 32-29 lead before Plank drained a highly contested 3-pointer to tie the game at 32.

The electricity of the crowd was pretty quickly dispensed by the Briarcliff shooting, which got back on track after the Pleasantville run and never wavered again. Big shots and defensive plays from Plank, Hamlin and the rest of the Briarcliff lineup pushed the Bears back up to a seven-point lead that they would never relinquish.

“It’s nice to know you can make a comeback,” Hill said. “Because I’m not sure a month and a half ago we could have come back from down 13. It has a lot to do with scoring roles, and those have been developing throughout the year. So for us to be in a hole like that, I was happy for them to now know that they can do it. And that should give them confidence the next time they’re in that position. Hopefully, we’re not in that position a lot,

but when we are in that position, they can fight back and dig themselves out of a hole.”

The Panthers made their best effort to complete the comeback, but it just wasn’t enough as Briarcliff ’s shooting was able to stave off the upset bid. Both teams know that there are plenty of positive takeaways from this close rivalry game that make their playoff outlooks in this difficult and talented Class B look promising.

“Hopefully, it boosts our confidence,” Hamlin said. “And, hopefully, it lets us know that we’ve got to work on the little things that kind of get us in trouble sometimes.”

“It was an outstanding ballgame on both ends,” Hill said. “I’m really proud of the way our players fought and hustled. They left it all out on the floor...Even though we may not have a lot of experienced players, we’re at the end of the season, so players have a season under their belt, and I think it’s taken this long for them to become successful in new roles.

Now Hill is looking forward to watching her players compete in the

sectional playoffs. “They should be confident moving into

the postseason,” she said. “People really stepped up in their roles, and hopefully down the stretch we can continue to do that.”

Bears’ Sharp Shooting Sinks Panthers’ Comeback

Skylar Schneeweiss of Pleasantville scores on a fast break in Saturday’s home game vs. Briarcliff.

Pleasantville’s Paige Long and Briarcliff’s KC Hamlin battle for a rebound.

Pleasantville’s Amanda Skopetos sends up a shot in the lane in Saturday afternoon’s home game vs. the rival Bears.

Briarcliff freshman Maddie Plank rises for a shot in the lane in Saturday’s win over Pleasantville.

Briarcliff guard KC Hamlin gets set to pass the ball during the Bears’ road win over Pleasantville.

Bears’ eighth-grader Alana Lombardi eyes the basket as she holds the ball just beyond the 3-point arc vs. Pleasantville.

Pleasantville coach Myndi Hill directs her team in the second half on Saturday.

Briarcliff coach Don Hamlin cringes as he watches a fourth-quarter free throw roll around the rim vs. the Panthers.

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February 9 - February 15, 2016 The ExaminerS-6

The Wildcats’ Will Snyder rises in the lane for a shot in last Thursday’s near-upset of Briarcliff. Above: Westlake forward Ryan Power tries

to get to the basket along the left baseline last Thursday evening.

Right: Guard Jesse Boyce drives past Briarcliff’s Josiah Cobbs on his way to two of his 22 points.

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Westlake’s Nick Sirena, who had nine baskets vs. the Bears, pulls down a rebound in the Wildcats’ 54-51 near upset of Class B’s top team.

The Wildcats’ Joseph Ferri fires a fourth-quarter jumper vs. visiting Briarcliff.

February 9 - February 15, 2016www.TheExaminerNews.com S-7

Fox Lane’s Joshua Rauch cruised to a victory at 138 pounds. WRESTLING

Fox Lane vs. GreeleyThursday, January 28

Jonathan Clune of Fox Lane won by major decision at 220 pounds over Greeley’s Stephen Nadler.

Above: Andre Nesbitt of Greeley has the upper hand in a win over Amos Rivera at 126 pounds.

Below: Johnny Santos of Fox Lane and Josh McMillan of Greeley battle for a takedown in the match at 182 pounds.

Matt Grippi of Fox Lane won by major decision at 152 pounds.

Greeley’s Joe Sasso checks the clock as he wrestles Fox Lane’s Gonzallo Castillo at 132 pounds.

Above: The Foxes’ Jimmy Tapia was victorious in his match at 285 pounds.

Below: Quincy Downes of Fox Lane was a winner at 113 pounds.

Greeley’s Matthew Schreiber competes in the match at 106 pounds.

Fox Lane’s Sergio Castillo earned a victory at 120 pounds.

Fox Lane’s Mark Caracciolo tries to get the upper hand vs. Greeley’s Matt Vertucci at 195 pounds.

Above: Jacob Ferreira of Greeley is on his way to a win over Fox Lane’s Matt Witz in the 170-pound match.

Right: Horace Greeley’s Paul Seham triumphed at 160 pounds in the dual meet vs. rival Fox Lane.

February 9 - February 15, 2016 The ExaminerS-8

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SSNatalie Alfieri’s Big Fourth QuarterLifts Westlake to a Surprising WinOver the Red-Hot Briarcliff Bears

C AT S ’ M E O W