April 21, 2012 ,
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By JOSEPH STASZEWSKI
Benjamin Cardozo will be doing its part in the battle against cancer and is looking for help. The school in conjunction with The American Cancer Society will host a Coaches vs. Cancer Day featuring... Read on
March 10, 2012 ,
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By JOSEPH STASZEWSKI
Nazareth and Moore Catholic are the two teams left standing. The Lady Kingsmen were expected to get to Saturday’s CHSAA Class AA state final at Christ the King. They are the defending state... Read on
Nazareth and Moore Catholic are the two teams left standing.
The Lady Kingsmen were expected to get to Saturday’s CHSAA Class AA state final at Christ the King. They are the defending state Federation champion and a nationally ranked squad chockful of Division I talent looking to repeat and head back to Albany.
With McDonald’s All-American Brianna Butler back from a knee injury, Nazareth handled St. John the Baptist in the quarterfinals and edged out rival Christ the King on Friday night in the semis.
Most people wouldn’t have had the Mavericks in this position, but the city’s grittiest team upended Bishop Ford behind Division-I signees Christina Rubin and Jamie O’Hare in the quarters and held off Archbishop Molloy in the semifinals.
CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens rivals Mary Louis and Bishop Loughlin meet for the Class A crown at 5 p.m. The Lions have won two of the three meetings between the teams, including a win in the city final earlier this week. These squads usually make for tight, physical and aggressive contests.
Champions will be crowned and NYPost.com girls basketball beat writer Joseph Staszewski will take you through all the action with our world famous interactive live blog. We get underway at 4:50 p.m. Just click the box below to get started:
<iframe src="http://www.coveritlive.com/index2.php/option=com_altcaster/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=8e71e6b330/height=550/width=420" scrolling="no" height="550px" width="420px" frameBorder ="0" allowTransparency="true" ><a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=8e71e6b330" >CHSAA Class AA, A girls basketball state finals</a></iframe>
February 28, 2012 ,
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By JOSEPH STASZEWSKI
The CHSAA released its version of March Madness on Monday. League girls basketball coaches got their first look at this year’s Catholic Class AA, A and B state tournament brackets. There were some... Read on
The CHSAA released its version of March Madness on Monday. League girls basketball coaches got their first look at this year’s Catholic Class AA, A and B state tournament brackets.
There were some major changes in year three of this format. The 'AA' round will no longer be run over three consecutive days. The closing of St. Michael Academy and St. Peter’s has the Archdiocese down to just one 'AA' team this year and Buffalo has chosen to no longer send a team down at the highest classification. Brooklyn/Queens and Rockvillle Center seeds will not be finalized -- based on order of finish -- untilthe diocesan tournament this week.
The Monsignor Martin (Buffalo) winner now gets a bye into the Class A semifinals and its second-place team into the Class B semifinals. Both the Class A and Class B tournaments include a city playoff and championship game. Just one Rockville Centre team will be entered into the A draw.
Check out this year’s bracket’s below:
CHSAA Class AA State Tournament
Wednesday, March 7
CHSAA Class AA quarterfinals @ St. Francis Prep
4 p.m. – Moore Catholic vs. Brooklyn/Queens 2
5:45 p.m. – Rockvillle Center 2 vs. Brooklyn/Queens 3
7:30 p.m. – Rockville Center 1 vs. Brooklyn/Queens 4
Friday, March 9
CHSAA Class AA state semifinals @ Archbishop Molloy
5 p.m. –Moore Catholic/BQ 2 vs. RC 1 /BQ 4
7 p.m. –BQ 1 vs. RC 2 /BQ 3
Saturday, March 10
CHSAA Class AA Final@ Christ the King
7 p.m. –Semifinal winners
CHSAA Class A State Tournament
Monday, March 5
CHSAA Class A City quarterfinals @ St. John Villa
4:30 p.m. – St. John Villa vs. BQ 3
6:15 p.m. –Maria Regina vs. BQ 2
Tuesday, March 6
CHSAA Class A City semifinals @ Cardinal Spellman
4:30 p.m. –St. John Villa/BQ3 vs. BQ 1
6:15 p.m. –Maria Regina/BQ 2 vs. NY 1
Wednesday, March 7
CHSAA Class A City Final @ TBD
6 p.m. – Semifinal winners
Friday, March 9
CHSAA Class A State semifinals @ Cardinal Spellman
5 p.m. –Buffalo 1 vs. City 2
7 p.m. –Rocville Center 1 vs. City 1
Saturday, March 10
CHSAA Class A State final @ Christ the King
5 p.m. –Semifinal winners
CHSAA Class B State Tournament
Monday, March 5
CHSAA Class B City Quarterfinals @ St. John’s Prep
4:30 p.m. – Good Counsel vs. BQ 2
6:15 p.m. –St. Catharine’s vs. BQ 1
@ Sacred Heart
4:30 p.m. –Aquinas vs. BQ 3
6:15 p.m. –Preston vs. BQ 4
Tuesday, March 6
CHSAA Class B City Semifinals @ Sacred Heart
4:30 p.m. –Preston/BQ 4 vs. Good Counsel/BQ 2
6:15 p.m. – Aquinas/BQ 3 vs. SCA/BQ 1
Friday, March 9
CHSAA Class B City Final @ TBD
5 p.m. –Semifinal winners
Saturday March 10
CHSAA Class B State Final
3 p.m. –Buffalo 1 vs. City 1
Analysis:Let me start by saying these are the fairest brackets the CHSAA has put out in three years.
In the 'AA' bracket, who could say why should Moore Catholic, after winning the Archdiocesan regular season, have to play the second-seeded team from Brooklyn/Queens? Right now that is Bishop Ford and it could be nationally ranked and regular-season champion Nazareth should the Lady Kingsmen fall in the diocesan final. Brooklyn/Queens’ seeds will not be finalized until after its diocesan tournament.
Putting the Mavericks against BQ 3 and RC 2 against BQ 2 in the opening round looks like it makes more sense, but either BQ 2 or possibly NY 1 would end up playing BQ 1 in the semifinals. That’s not fair to the tournament’s top seed.
Nationally ranked St. Anthony’s, as it stands not, currently owns the toughest road to Albany.
Some might say they deserved the bracket’s top seed based on a win over Riverdale-Baptist, which smoked Nazareth, and a blow out of Ford, which split with the Lady Kingsmen. If the playoffs started today, the Friars would likely have to face Christ the King, Bishop Ford and then Nazareth if chalk holds.
Currently the most intriguing 'AA' quarterfinal matchup is Archbishop Molloy against Holy Trinity. Former Stanners coach Tom Catalanotto, who was unceremoniously let go last year after winning the state Federation Class A title, is a Trinity assistant. Molloy already won the regular-season meeting, but its old coach could be helping to end his former team's year and vice versa.
Coach Joe Lewinger and Mary Louis are in an interesting position. Pulling an upset in the Brooklyn/Queens tournament over Molloy could earn them a better seed in the CHSAA Class A city playoffs. TMLA would not have to beat either Bishop Loughlin or Cardinal Spellman to get to the final and earn a berth in the Class A state tournament. But that path could be a date with a St. John the Baptist team playing very, very well right now for a spot in the state final instead of the Buffalo team. The Cougars did beat Holy Trinity in the second meeting and could bump up to the AA with a diocesan final. With forward Elisabeth Gully banged up, a first-round bye after an upset might sit just right.
None of this will be finalized until later this week, but a little bracketology is always fun. Let the Madness begin.
jstaszewski@nypost.com
February 14, 2012 ,
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By JOSEPH STASZEWSKI
The Armory ran a tremendous, world-class meet Saturday night. But was it really the Millrose Games?Dr. Norbert Sander the executive director of the Armory Foundation, has said the real stars of the... Read on
The Armory ran a tremendous, world-class meet Saturday night.
But was it really the Millrose Games?
Dr. Norbert Sander the executive director of the Armory Foundation, has said the real stars of the Millrose Games are the athletes and not Madison Square Garden, the grandest stage of them all. For the first time since 1914 the meet was not held at The World's Most Famous Arena. Rising financial costs to have it there and low tickets sales sparked the move to mixed reaction from the track and field community. For those reasons a move unfortunately needed to be made.
Did it affect the quality of the meet? Absolutely not. But did it affect the experience?
In my mind, it did. There is nothing like Madison Square Garden. That was always the fun of the Millrose Games.
Most high school runners compete at the Armory every weekend. The athletesm whether they placed first or last, used to be able to tell their friends, family and eventual children and grandchildren they ran at Madison Square Garden.
That’s priceless. Imagine moving the Penn Relays to the local high school track and trying to convince people it’s a better experience than running at historic Franklin Field.
My other issue is the track and records. The Armory’s banked track, dubbed one of the fastest in the world, produces plenty of low times, including the American, collegiate and high school indoor records in the 5,000 meters Saturday. I’ve been told on numerous occasions by different levels of runners how slow and somewhat difficult it can be to compete on the Garden’s flat and slow track. There is no comparison.
So is a fast time at the Armory really a Millrose Games record? Technically, yes. But if you really think, it’s similar to dramatically shortening the walls and fences and letting A-Rod hit 80 homers, something that’s sort of happened in baseball already.
Also, due to a minor scheduling spat between the CHSAA and the Armory the long standing CHSAA boys and girls 4 x 800 relays were not run. Both were long standing favorites of the Millrose Games crowd. Sprint medley relays were held instead. The 4 x 800's were run at the U.S. Open at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 28.
One experience you can’t deny at the Millrose Games was that the Armory accentuated the athletes and fans’ access to the pros. There were some of the best professional runners in the word today there. A.P. Randolph’s own Natasha Hastings was in attendance, so was Sanya Richards-Ross, Jessie Williams, LaShawn Merritt and Bernard Lagat. Many of them took pictures and signed plenty of autographs. That’s something that rarely happened during my years at Madison Square Garden.
On a smaller note, with Lagat, who has won a record eight Wannamaker miles, running the 5,000 and defending champion Deresse Mekonnen not in the race, it just took away from what was supposed to be the main event. The sold-out crose rose to its feet as Lagat approached the finish line and he got a standing ovation after the win. Matthew Centrowitz, making his professional debut, won the mile Saturday in the best time ever at the Armory.
Over 100 years of history is hard to let die. There is no reason the Armory cannot run an elite meet in its place.
Call the meet anything you want, but it’s not the Millrose Games. That event is held on 34th Street and 7th Avenue.
jstaszewski@nypost.com
February 10, 2012 ,
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By JOSEPH STASZEWSKI
The Mecca Challenge was highly successful a year ago and is bigger and better this time around. The event, run by South Shore and the Gauchos, will be bringing some of the Eastern Region's top... Read on
The Mecca Challenge was highly successful a year ago and is bigger and better this time around.
The event, run by South Shore and the Gauchos, will be bringing some of the Eastern Region's top players on programs to Gauchos Gym in The Bronx this weekend. From New York City you have nationally ranked Nazareth, Christ the King, Murry Bergtraum, Bishop Loughlin, South Shore and Truman. Long Island's two top teams – St. Anthony’s and Long Island Lutheran will also be there. Toss in national powers Hillhouse (Conn.), Riverdale-Baptist (Md.), and Shabazz (N.J.) and the nation’s top recruit – Cicero-North Syracuse’s Breanna Stewart heading to UConn – and you have quite the two days of basketball this week.
Here is the schedule:
SATURDAY, FEB. 11
12 p.m. – Harry Truman vs. St. Dominic (L.I.)
1:45 p.m. –North Babylon vs. Hillhouse (Conn.)
3:30 p.m. –South Shore vs. Life Center Academy (N.J.)
5 p.m. –St. Anthony’s vs. Riverdale-Baptist (Md.)
6:30 p.m. –H.D. Woodson (D.C.) vs. Trenton Catholic (N.J.)
SUNDAY, FEB. 12
11 a.m. –Moore Catholic vs. LaSalle Academy (R.I.)
12:30 p.m. –Bishop Loughlin (N.Y.) vs. Shippley (Pa.)
2 p.m. – Shabazz (N.J.) vs. H.D. Woodson (D.C.)
3:30 p.m. –Christ the King vs. Cicero-North Syracuse (N.Y.)
5 p.m. – Nazareth vs. Manasquan (N.J.)
6:30 p.m. – Long Island Lutheran vs. Murry Bergtraum
jstaszewski@nypost.com
January 27, 2012 ,
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By JOSEPH STASZEWSKI
It's hard to find a better reason to spend a day watching quality girls basketball.Bishop Ford and coach Mike Toro will be hosting their first annual Lady Falcons Coaches vs. Cancer High School... Read on
It's hard to find a better reason to spend a day watching quality girls basketball.
Bishop Ford and coach Mike Toro will be hosting their first annual Lady Falcons Coaches vs. Cancer High School Showcase on Feb. 11. Admission to the event is $7 and $2 will be donated to breast cancer research.
Admission also gets you five tickets for a $1,000 raffle. Additional tickets will also be solid. Pink long sleeve breast cancer awareness long sleeve t-shirts will be on sale and 50 percent of the proceeds will be donated to cancer research.
The day’s schedule is highlighted about a meeting between Fontbonne Hall and Lab Museum United meet. The game will certainly have a major impact on The Post’s NYC non-‘AA’ rankings with Lab at No. 6 and Fontbonne at No.7. Cardinal Spellman also gets a chance to make a major statement against Bishop Loughlin.
Here is the rest of the schedule:
10 a.m. –St. Mary’s vs. Notre Dame Academy
11:30 p.m. –Fontbonne Hall vs. Lab Museum
1 p.m. – Manhattan Center vs. McKee/Staten Island Tech
2:30 p.m. – Moore Catholic vs. Wings Academy
4 p.m. –Baruch College Campus vs. St. Francis Prep
5:30 p.m. – Cardinal Spellman vs. Bishop Loughlin
7 p.m. –Bishop Ford vs. Bishop Kearney
jstaszewski@nypost.com
January 07, 2012 ,
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By JOSEPH STASZEWSKI
Staten Island and New Jersey are neighbors and Coaches Choice USA pits them against each other this Sunday. CHSAA Staten Island’s best and Staten Island Academy face off against some quality teams... Read on
Staten Island and New Jersey are neighbors and Coaches Choice USA pits them against each other this Sunday. CHSAA Staten Island’s best and Staten Island Academy face off against some quality teams from the Garden State.
SUNDAY, Jan. 8
@ St. John Villa
10:30 a.m.— Staten Island Academy vs. East Brunswick
12:00 p.m.— Central Regional vs. St. Joseph Hill
1:30 p.m.— Notre Dame vs. Notre Dame Academy
3:00 p.m.— Jackson Memorial vs. St. John Villa Academy
4:30 p.m.— North Hunterdon vs. Moore Catholic
jstaszewski@nypost.com
January 06, 2012 ,
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By JOSEPH STASZEWSKI
Bishop Ford coach Mike Toro and Rose Classic director Anton Marchand changed the Rose Classic Super Jam schedule around to allow people to attend the wake and funeral of former Nazareth coach Apache... Read on
Bishop Ford coach Mike Toro and Rose Classic director Anton Marchand changed the Rose Classic Super Jam schedule around to allow people to attend the wake and funeral of former Nazareth coach Apache Paschall, who died last week of a heart attack. The Lady Kingsman will no longer be particpating in the event.
A boatload of the city’s top teams will test themselves against each other and some of the very best teams from the East are at Bishop Ford over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. Call it the super-sized Super Jam. Sunday features an amazing nine games. Toro and Marchand added a mega matchup that day, too, as PSAL favorite South Shore faces CHSAA power St. Anthony's (L.I.) at 4:30 p.m.
Pace yourself fans. There is a lot of quality hoops ahead.
Check out the schedule:
FRIDAY, Jan. 13
6 p.m – MSIT vs. Abraham Lincoln
7:30 p.m. – Norland (Fla.) vs. Bishop Ford
SATURDAY, Jan. 14
12 p.m. – Moore Catholic vs. Mary Louis
1:30 p.m. – Cardinal Spellman vs. Bedford Academy
3 p.m. – Wings Academy vs. East Orange (N.J.)
4:30 p.m. – Archbishop Williams (Mass.) vs. Molloy
6 p.m. – St. John the Baptist vs. John F. Kennedy
7:30 p.m – Norland (Fla.) vs. H.D. Woodson (D.C.)
9 p.m. – New Mission (Mass.) vs. Baruch College Campus
SUNDAY, Jan. 15
9 a.m. – Leon M. Goldstein vs. Notre Dame Academy
10:30 a.m. – H.D. Woodson (D.C.) v.s Moore Catholic
12 p.m. – Archbishop Williams (Mass.) vs. Lincoln
1:30 pm – Cardinal Spellman vs. Manhattan Center
3 p.m. – South Shore vs. St. Anthony's (L.I.)
4:30 p.m. – Harry Truman vs. New Mission (Mass.)
6 p.m. – Archbishop Wood (Pa.) vs. Bishop Ford
7:30 p.m. – Bishop Loughlin vs. Teaneck (N.J.)
9 p.m. – Brooklyn Collegiate vs. St. John Villa
MONDAY, Jan. 16
9 a.m. – Grand Street Campus vs. Lab Museum
10:30 a.m. – Leon Goldstein vs. Brooklyn Collegiate
12 p.m. – Norland (Fla.). vs. Bishop Loughlin
1:30 p.m. – Long Island Lutheran vs. Bishop Ford
3 p.m. – Moore Catholic vs. Manhattan Center
4:30 p.m. – St. John Villa vs. Midwood
6 p.m. – Baldwin vs. Banneker
7:30 p.m. – St. Mary's (L.I.) vs. Baruch College Campus
January 03, 2012 ,
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By JOSEPH STASZEWSKI
It's time to get back to business. Another holiday season is behind us and a New Year is about to begin. The girls basketball season ended in 2011quietly, with just a handful of teams taking the... Read on
It's time to get back to business.
Another holiday season is behind us and a New Year is about to begin. The girls basketball season ended in 2011quietly, with just a handful of teams taking the court after Christmas. That changes very quickly this week as we are graced with a number of marquee games that will have a major impact on 2012.
CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens will find out who the top team is in each of its divisions. Both games are big-time rivalries in Brooklyn.
Bishop Kearney and Fontbonne Hall have been rivals for decades, but the Tigers have been superior on the hardwoodt. That may not be the case this time around. With host Kearney now in Division II, they clash with first place on the line Tuesday afternoon.
The Bonnies have won the last two regular-season titles, but lost twice in the Diocesan final. Kearney will be looking to claim both crowns as it tries to get the program back on track, but Fontbonne wants to continue its winning ways in the league and score a big win over its rival.
Speaking of big games, the talk of New York City girls basketball is the contest scheduled to go on in Park Slope on Thursday. Bishop Ford will try to score one of the most significant wins in program history when defending State Federation Class AA champion Nazareth visits.
The Lady Kingsmen have played just three times, but are ranked No. 2 in the country by ESPN and No. 1 in the city by The Post. They get their biggest test yet. The second-ranked Falcons have been waiting for this game since they beat Molloy in late December. For Nazareth, which also plays rival Christ the King on Saturday, it’s a chance to reaffirm its dominance.
A Ford win would likely mean a national ranking of its own and would put them all alone in first place. Throw in the friendly rivalry between coaches Mike Toro and Apache Paschall, the scores of Division I talent on the floor and this game will be heated and one not to miss.
Sandwiched in between is a meeting between Archbishop Molloy and Mary Louis in Briarwood Wednesday The Hilltoppers are playing better, but have not won a league game and a loss to the Stanners could put them well on the road to a Class A state playoff berth. A victory against winless Notre Dame Academy last week doesn’t quite right the ship for Molloy following consecutive lopsided losses. A league win versus TMLA would certainly cure any ills.
The PSAL’s best game will take play in none other than Brooklyn. Krystal Pearson, Lynda Fields and Truman make the trip to South Shore. The Vikings are coming off a championship at the Diamond State Classic and a victory clearly makes them the favorite to start the year. The game is a matchup of speed and size, but ironically it’s the Mustangs with 7-foot coach John Burke.
While the ultimate questions will be answered in March, this opening week of 2012 will give us a much clearer picture of what teams will likely look like when we get there.
The stage is set this week.
jstaszewski@nypost.com
December 23, 2011 ,
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By JOSEPH STASZEWSKI
The Curtis-McKee/Staten Island Tech rivalry ushered in a new chapter – possibly it’s most interesting and fierce.Wednesday night marked the first time legendary St. Peter’s coach Bob Daggett stood on... Read on
The Curtis-McKee/Staten Island Tech rivalry ushered in a new chapter – possibly it’s most interesting and fierce.
Wednesday night marked the first time legendary St. Peter’s coach Bob Daggett stood on the Curtis sideline in his signature sweater – this time maroon with an embroidered C – and signature towel draped over his shoulder faced the Seagulls. A few of Daggett’s former St. Peter’s players followed him to Curtis and it immediately revved up expectations that the Warriors would unseat the Seagulls as the dominant team in PSAL Staten Island A. MSIT has won six of the last seven titles with Curtis finishing first in 2009.
Daggett is no stranger to division crowns – winning 16 straight in CHSAA Staten Island with the Eagles until the school closed last year – and rivalries. His last year with St. Peter’s saw his team and Moore Catholic play in front of packed gyms four times, splitting the meetings.
This time his role is different.
St. Peter’s was the established power with superior talent that Island opponents wanted to knock from their perch. A win against them was a memorable event for most players. There was an aura of invincibility and much of that had to do with Daggett, considered one of the best coaches in the city.
Now he is trying to rebuild a Curtis program that lost a bunch of seniors that fell in the PSAL Class A title game. His team is still growing comfortable with his system. He is chasing MSIT, not the other way around.
Curtis wants to take the division title and the lone spot in the PSAL Class AA playoffs. (The fact that both can’t make it is still a travesty as far as I’m concerned.) Many predicted Curtis will be making a trip to the Madison Square Garden and the ‘AA’ title game in the coming years.
His addition to the Warriors staff also came somewhat unceremoniously in some people's minds. Former Curtis assistant coach John Curatolo left and is now an assistant at MSIT. Many of his family, friends and formers players were in attendance rooting for a Seagulls win. I don’t believe Daggett can ever be considered a villain, but he is certainly the antagonist here.
Despite a large crowd to watch host MSIT rally for a 47-42 win, this rivalry is not at that level of St. Peter’s-Moore just yet. There was a special allure to St. Peter’s which dominated for nearly three decades and rarely lost to Island opponents. MSIT’s surge has been more recent. Daggett’s move to Curtis doesn’t bring the Eagles history along with him, though it did put many of the school’s former players in the stands Wednesday
This budding rivalry couldn’t have gotten off to a better start. There needs to be a dominant team in any good rivalry and MSIT reaffirmed that by rallying from a 14-point third-quarter deficit to defeat the Warriors in gut-wrenching fashion. It has the best player on the floor in Kaitlyn Astel and a coach in Peter LaMarca, who proved he could win the strategy game with Daggett. A Curtis win would have just made this look too easy.
Curtis proved it is capable of beating MSIT. Now it will try to even the score and possibly earn a share of the crown when it meets Tech on Feb. 6 at Curtis. If there is a tie atop the division, both teams go 'AA.'
The Seagulls have a chance there to squash all the Warriors preseason hype and attention that bugged them until next season.
But the next chapter of this rivalry is just getting started.
jstaszewski@nypost.com