TRR photo by Richard A. Ross Monticello’s Brad Cooper sails above Burke’s Kyle Byrons to float two points into the Panthers’ scoring column. Cooper notched 34, including four threes to pace the Panthers to a home win against their long time rival on December 13.

Boys basketball

Cooper paces Panthers in The Pit over Burke

Eagles’ fast start nixed by great defense and Cooper’s 34

By RICHARD A. ROSS

MONTICELLO, NY—There are plenty of high school gyms to see great basketball in this winter, but if you want to immerse yourself in the genuine fervor of the hardwood, a trip to “The Pit” in Monticello is a must. That is especially true when long-time rival John S. Burke comes to play.

The history of the rivalry dates back decades, but is of no concern to the current roster of players, although they undoubtedly sense the heightened significance of their clashes. You could tell that, from the instant the teams burst onto the floor for their pre-game warm-ups on December 13.

The crowd sensed it too, even though many of the students are too young to know about the epic battles waged by these schools in years gone by.

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Boys basketball

Bears roar out with 4-0 start

By JAMES WALSH, TRI-VALLEY HS, and RICHARD A. ROSS

GRAHAMSVILLE, NY—Class C is abuzz with rumblings about the 2005-06 Tri-Valley Bears boys basketball team. Last year, coach Jason Semo’s squad lacked experience, depth and took their lumps. But as far as Semo was concerned, that was an essential part of the learning curve.

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Boys basketball

One that got away

By RICHARD A. ROSS

LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY—For all their savvy and expertise, even the most knowledgeable pundits can never predict the wily ways of the game of basketball.

Given the history between Sullivan West and Cornwall, which has usually manifested itself in the Dragons scorching the Bulldogs, Sullivan West coach Rick Ellison figured his team was likely in for a nearly insurmountable challenge.

Last year, Sullivan West lost only five games. Three of them were to Burke and the other two were to Cornwall. Still, this game did feature a match up between two teams that came in at 4-0.

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