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County Center Bell Tolls for Haldane
Health of Brittany Shields could determine team's fate
by Ray Gallagher
 | | With the health of senior captain Brittany Shields in question, Haldane will rely heavily on Avery Zuvic to step up her low-post game in the upcoming Section 1 Class C tournament. |
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First-year Haldane girl's basketball Coach Kenny Haskins knows that his Blue Devils, the former 14-time defending Section 1 champions, will need every edge they can get as they attempt to reclaim the Class C crown on March 1st at the Westchester County Center, what with the health of their franchise player in question.
Never before has the well-being of one particular athlete meant so much to the Haldane hoops community, which will hold its collective breath each time All-NYS forward Brittany Shields shows any signs of buckling at the knee. Shields' recent knee injury, and her subsequent recovery from Baker's Cyst, will ultimately determine whether or not the state-ranked (No.15), top-seeded Blue Devils (16-4) will have a chance to extract some revenge upon reigning Class C champion Blind Brook (15-5), the No.2 seed in the 2008 tourney.
Both doctors and Shields have declared the school's all-time scoring and rebounding leader fit to play, though she'll be shackled by a knee brace and the threat of aggravating the knee. Shields is clearly not 100%, and she could hit a snag/setback in her recovery at any time, so figure on this likely playdate with the Trojans on March 1st as a 50-50 deal that could go either way, provided both get past their semifinal encounters.
First up, an encounter with the winner of the No.4 Valhalla/No.5 Hamilton early next week, neither of which is a walk in the park for the Lady Blue Devils. Blind Brook should see No.3 Tuckahoe (11-9). Slice it any way you like, folks, but so long as Shields is healthy it should be the Blue Devils and the Trojans lining up for what would be a whale of a grudge match.
If ever a team had revenge as its motive, Haldane would be that team. Let's call a spade a spade for a minute here: Blind Brook schooled Haldane in every facet of basketball last March. If I recall correctly, it wasn't much of a game after the second quarter, and it was something that sent the communities of Cold Spring, Nelsonville, Garrison and Philipstown into collective reality check.
Suddenly, folks began to realize that Class C basketball was a completely different beast than that of Class D. Commitment would need to come in the form of year-round dedication; not some flaunting three-month phase that peaks from December to March. The off-season was somewhat turbulent, as Haskins wasn't put in place until a couple of weeks before the season began after former Coach Rich Desiderio was let off the hook for not measuring up.
Haskins has had 20-something games under belt to set things right with the Haldane community, taking an offense previously built around Shields and diversifying it effectiveness with a more versatile up-tempo approach. But everyone knows that despite the solid growth from Avery Zuvic in the post, despite the quick development and maturation of freshman Liz Milner, this is Shieldsy's team. The point is simple: For Haldane to have a sliver of a chance at reclaiming its title, a healthy Shields will need to be effective in all phases of the game. If not, all bets are off. My guess: Shields plays, shines and snags a fifth gold ball…
More County Center poop:
For those of you traveling south next week, look for many of the favorites to prevail. On the ladies side, Mount Vernon should breeze through the Class AA field. In Class A, Beacon poses as the favorite and should find its way to a title. You know about Class C, which was detailed above.
As for the boys docket: Fox Lane High boy's basketball coach Chris Violante hit the nail on the head last Friday when he said, "Eventually, you're going to have to face one of the four juggernauts in Class AA; Poughkeepsie (18-3), New Rochelle (15-6), White Plains (15-6) or Mount Vernon (18-3). There's no way around it."
Unfortunately, for 10th-seeded Fox Lane, the Foxes (11-10) would see No.7 White Plains in the first round, what turned out to be a 68-47 loss to the host Tigers last Friday. Usually, one can expect to see at least three of the four juggernauts as part of the Class AA Final 4 at the Westchester County Center, but this year one or more could be missing as White Plains and second-seeded, state-ranked (No.21) Poughkeepsie square off in what could be one of the finest quarterfinal match-ups in Section 1 history. The winner will get to see either No.6 New Rochelle or No.3 Roosevelt in another quarterfinal thriller.
Man, this shakes out as one heck of a bracket, what with three of the 'Big 4' on the same side. Top-seeded Mt. Vernon has a virtual cakewalk to the sectional title tilt with only No.4 Scarsdale standing in the way on the other side of the Class AA bracket. Coach Bob Cimmino's Knights, though, crushed the 15- 5 Raiders by 36 on Feb. 6.
If state-ranked (No.5), two-time reining NYS champion Mt. Vernon isn't in the sectional finals, then we've got a story. The Knights' championship opponent, once that is determined, should be a pretty tuckered out squad considering they will have had two wars on their hands just to get there. Isn't it just a formality any way? Mount Vernon can't possibly be had, can they?
In Class A, most people have pretty much just penciled in three-time defending NYS champion Peekskill (21-0) all the way to Glens Falls. NYS Hall of Fame Coach Lou Panzanaro's undefeated Red Devils should have little or no trouble advancing beyond Section 1, but we thought the same thing last year until little old Lakeland pushed Mookie Inc. to the brink of elimination in what could only be called the Section 1 game of the year in 2007.
Could No.2 Port Chester be this year's Lakeland? Can the state-ranked (No.19) Rams actually do something they've failed to do in each of the past two seasons and give Peekskill a challenge? Without a doubt, this is Port Chester's best crack at a title, considering the 16-5 Rams haven't lost since the Slam Dunk tourney back in late December. But they've been a huge disappointment the past two years, and Peekskill has yet to scratch the surface of its ability. When the County Center bell rings in one week, Peekskill will gong said bell with the authority of a historical champion. The Red Devils will unleash the kind of fury that has wrought a nearly 100 wins and better than a 90% winning percentage the past four years, as they attempt to become just the second team in state history to win four consecutive state championships (Amityville 2000-'03). I can't see them being stopped by anybody in Section 1. Now, Section 3's state-ranked (No.3) Jamesville-DeWitt might be another story.
On paper, Class B looks like it could present the most competitive race for the gold ball that currently resides at Briarcliff. Seeded No.2 in the tournament, Coach Matt Evangalisti's state-ranked (No.11) Bears are still widely believed to be the team to beat. Problem is; the Bears have not chosen the path of least resistance. A quarterfinal match-up with No.10 Lincoln Hall could pose major problems for Briarcliff Tuesday; considering Coach Henry Taylor's United (10-10) have recently staged an upset of the defending Class B champs.
To put it mildly, nobody would be totally shocked if the Bears were pressured into defeat by the frenetic style of play Lincoln Hall likes to impose. If the Alex Gulotta/Joe Lombardi-led Bears can dictate tempo and keep the United to one-and- done on their end, Cliffy should advance to see the winner of No.6 Pleasantville/No.3 Magnus at the County Center. Beyond that, top-seeded, state-ranked (No.2) North Salem (19-1) should be there in the end unless Croton Coach Billy Thom, a frequent PCN&R reader and Cold Spring resident, has a quarterfinal upset of biblical proportions in store. This is the Kiss of Death, officially pulling for ya, Billy Boy.
See y'all at the County Center. Please visit www.yourdirectrays.com to view Section 1 sports photo galleries.
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