Girls basketball: 2023 Section 1 tournament previews, predictions and players to watch
With the 2022-23 Section 1 girls basketball playoffs at hand, The Journal News/lohud takes a look at each class, notes some of the top players to watch and makes its prediction about which teams will hoist the championship gold ball on the court at Westchester County Center.
Class AA
Built to win it all: Albertus Magnus has height, poise and players who can flat out shoot. It finished the regular season 17-3 and all three losses came to high-caliber teams from outside the area.
Good enough to go deep: Ketcham, at 19-1, stands as the biggest obstacle between Magnus and the sectional title golden ball. Magnus ended Ketcham's undefeated season after building a huge first-quarter lead on Ketcham's court. If Ketcham can play with more urgency early on, it will have a chance to take the section title, especially if it can somehow once again keep tall, talented freshman Julia Scott scoreless. And add third-seeded White Plains, which has won 14 straight games since it fell to Ketcham by only four points back on Dec. 30. A semifinal match between these two teams seems likely.
Not going down without a fight: No. 4, 15-win John Jay-East Fishkill and No. 5, 14-win Ursuline should meet in the quarterfinals with the winner having the dubious honor of facing Magnus in the semifinals. Despite their seedings, give Ursuline the edge. But, while no doubt willing to fight, it's hard to see either of these two talented teams beating Magnus.
The game changers: Karli Fischer, Sr., F, Albertus Magnus; Desire George, Sr., F, East Ramapo; Gianna Grod, Sr., G, East Ramapo; Sarai Gurley, Jr., G, North Rockland; Zoey Jowers, Jr., G, Ossining; Aliya McIver, Sr., G, White Plains; Jenny Nardelli, Jr., G, Ketcham; Sophie Nascimento, So., G, Ursuline; Ineivi Plata, Jr., G, White Plains; Nia Rencher, Jr., C, Ketcham; Angelica Rios, Sr., F, Ossining; Sofia Santorelli, Sr., G, Ursuline; Julia Scott, Fr., C, Albertus Magnus; Alex Sullivan, Sr. F, North Rockland; Maya Watts, Sr., F/C, Arlington; Hannah Wasserman, So., F, Scarsdale
And the winner is: Albertus Magnus. The Falcons have too much height and balance for anyone else. And, don't count on someone with Scott's skills being kept off the scoreboard again.
Class A
Built to win it all: Both Harrison and Mahopac. If these two teams, seeded first and second, respectively, meet in the final, based on their games against the same opponents, it seems likely the outcome will be in doubt until the game's waning moments. Harrison is 16-4 and Mahopac is 15-4.
Good enough to go deep: No. 3 Pearl River and No. 4 Tappan Zee, which split their own two-game series during the regular season and shared their league' crown, both have a very good shot of getting to the county center for the semifinals, although TZ would likely have to beat No. 6 Panas to get there. Panas took down No. 5 Rye by 19 and, more impressive, No. 1 Harrison by 10 in the last 10 days.
Not going down without a fight: It would be a significant upset but the likelihood is No. 8 Pelham will face No. 1 Harrison in the quarterfinals. Harrison beat it twice, first by nine, then, just last week, by six points. If this game does come to be, 15-win Pelham shouldn't be casually dismissed. Also joining Pelham in this category is Panas for the reasons noted above.
The game changers: Lauren Beberman, Sr., G, Mahopac; Deanna Biancardi, So., G, Eastchester; Annabel Brennan, Sr., G, John Jay-Cross River; Carlie Brien, Sr., G, Eastchester; Maddie Broghammer Sr. G, Fox Lane; Aniya Celestin, 8th grade, F, Nyack; Abby Daly, Sr., G, Nanuet; Olivia Fernandez, Jr., G, Harrison; Cierra Fontaine, Sr., G, Roosevelt; Phoebe Greto, Fr. F, Rye; Blayse Jennings, Jr. F, Harrison; Darnavaiya Johnson. Jr., Roosevelt; Nichole Ljuljic, Jr., G, Lakeland; Gianna Longo, Jr., G, Nyack; Miranda Martin, Sr., G/F, John Jay-Cross River; Kelsey Miedreich, So., F , Pearl River; Riley New, Fr., G, Fox Lane; Cadence Nicholas, So., G, Panas; Katie Prisco, Sr., G, Pelham; Kaitlyn Raguso, So., F, Hen Hud; Emma Rose, Sr., Horace Greeley; Bella Schulman, Jr., G, Horace Greeley; Mia Strazza, So., G, Harrison; Sofia Tavarez, So., G, Panas; Paige Tepedino, Fr., G, Rye; Maddy Walsh, Jr., G, Rye
And the winner is: Flip a coin between Harrison and Mahopac, which didn't face each other during the regular season. Maybe Harrison on a buzzer-beater?
Class B
Built to win it all: Putnam Valley is 19-1 for a reason. It has a superstar (2,000-plus career varsity points) player in Eva DeChent , who's as dominant defensively as she is offensively, and a nice supporting cast that also plays very solid defense.
Good enough to go deep: Even in seasons when they're not the dominant team in their class, it's not wise to bet against Gina Maher's Irvington squad. The second-seeded Bulldogs probably needn't worry this year about where to to find space to put yet another golden ball. But it would be shocking if this team weren't in the final, playing for one. Irvington beat No. 3 Westlake by 23 points and No. 4 Yonkers Montessori by 15 during the regular season. That said, it also fell to top-dog Put Valley by 21.
Not going down without a fight: There are a bunch of good, if a bit inconsistent, teams in this class. Figure on multiple close games and No. 4 Yonkers Montessori and No. 5 Ardsley being a knock-down, dragged out fight if, as expected, both make the quarterfinals.
The game changers: Caroline Barbalato, Sr., G, Briarcliff; Madison Bortstein, Fr, G, Ardsley; Cat Carrafiello, Sr., G, Briarcliff; Allie Castellone, Sr., F, Westlake; Grace Corelli, Jr., G., Byram Hills; Eva DeChent of Putnam Valley; Katie Drozd, Jr., G, Hastngs; Grace Healy, Sr., C, Dobbs Ferry; Kendall Konigsberg, Fr., G/F, Blind Brook; Jacqueline O’Connor, Sr., G, Dobbs Ferry; Lucianna Parrotta, 8th grade, G, Byram Hills; Aly Raimondo, So., G, Irvington; Amanda Raimondo, Sr., F, Irvington; Claire Tierney, Jr., G, Ardsley; Nai Torres, Jr., G, Putnam Valley
And the winner is: Putnam Valley. The Tigers losing would be the biggest upset of the tournament in any class. As long as Division I-bound Eva DeChent is on the court, Putnam Valley, whose closest win over another Class B opponent was by 10 points, should easily win the section title.
#2 beats #1:Albertus Magnus beats Ketcham in battle of Section 1's best
D-I-bound DeChent's milestone:Putnam Valley's DeChent makes school history, joins dad in 2,000 club
Class C
Built to win it all: Tuckahoe, the top seed with 12 wins, has the edge on No. 2 Alexander Hamilton with 11. Two of its wins were by seven points against Hamilton.
Good enough to go deep: There's no going deep, since, with four teams, there are only semifinals and the championship game.
Not going down without a fight: Fast-forward to the championship game. Hamilton, which was hardly blown out in its two losses to Tuckahoe, will definitely battle.
The game changers: Sophia Colasacco, Sr., G, Tuckahoe; Jaya Oliva, Fr., G, Alexander Hamilton; Jasmine Robinson, Sr., G, Alexander Hamilton
And the winner is: Tuckahoe.
Nancy Haggerty covers cross-country, track & field, field hockey, skiing, ice hockey, basketball, girls lacrosse and other sporting events for The Journal News/lohud. Follow her on Twitter at @HaggertyNancy.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Girls basketball: Playoffs preview, predictions, game changers
