Basketball

Steady keels in choppy waters

Several county teams find ways to win big basketball games to stay on course

By RICHARD A. ROSS

SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — “These are the times that try men’s souls,” noted Thomas Paine in the winter in 1776. Though apropos to the ongoing human tragedy in Haiti, its context here doesn’t reference such life and death struggles, rather the aspirations of local basketball athletes that find themselves playing games that impact their basketball lives as the season advances toward February.

For the Eldred girls and boys, both undefeated at present in Division VI, those challenges came in the form of larger schools in non-league contests. The Lady Yellow Jackets defeated the state’s 12th ranked Class C Tuxedo Lady Tornadoes 45-39 behind Heather Ouelette’s tie-breaking jumper with just over two minutes left in overtime, and added four free throws down the stretch to ice the win. Sage Owens led Eldred (8-2) with 17 points and 14 rebounds. Tri-Valley had beaten Tuxedo on the road the night before by the score of 51-44 to claim sole possession of the Division V lead. Kathryn Schneyer had 18 points in the dramatic victory that propelled the Lady Bears to the 10-3 (4-0 OCIAA) mark. Tri-Valley had been ranked 20th in Class C prior to the win.

While the Lady ‘Jackets were busy trumping Tuxedo, the boys were visiting Class B Sullivan West. The two schools rarely play each other in basketball and this game went down to the wire. Sullivan West All-Star RJ Rosa did everything in his power to marshal the team’s second victory of the season but, in the end, it was to no avail. Rosa had 25 points of his team’s 49, including the go-ahead bucket and free throw with 1:11 remaining. Eldred’s Blair Flanagan tied it with a trey and Bryan Henry gave Eldred the lead as he twisted through the lane. Rosa tied it with an improbable shot but Sullivan West’s commission of a late foul led to free throws that would give Eldred the 52-49 win. Eldred improved to 5-3. It is also 3-0 in its division. Henry led Eldred with 20.

Both Liberty and Monticello needed wins as the week began. It was Liberty that prevailed over Monticello 66-59 in the Second Annual Coaches Versus Cancer Classic held at Sullivan County Community College that raised $1,060 dollars for the American Cancer Society. Liberty’s Eddie Byrd paced Liberty (4-7) with 14 points. Monticello bounced back with an impressive 56-38 league win over Goshen on January 21. The Panthers (5-8, 2-1 OCIAA) were paced by Kenny Sanders Jr.’s 18 points. With one more league win over Port Jervis, Goshen or Cornwall, the Panthers will make it to sectionals. They play Sullivan West in a non-league game in Lake Huntington on January 29.

Fallsburg (8-5) stopped a four-game losing streak by handily beating Roscoe 79-47. Junior varsity call up freshman Jakkir Watson gave the Comets the stability at point guard that has been missing since Russell Corley had a bone broken in his face in a game against Sullivan West in the Chester Tournament. With one more win, the Comets will qualify for sectionals.

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