Albertus Magnus, Irvington Bring Battle-Tested Teams to County Center

Four solid, obviously-confident teams are still standing in the Section 1 Class B boys basketball championship bracket, but veteran Albertus Magnus head coach Pat McFadden feels the Falcons have as good a chance as any at going all the way.

Second seed Albertus Magnus (16-4) meets the sixth-seeded Bulldogs of Irvington (14-6) 4:45 p.m. Wednesday at the Westchester County Center in White Plains.

Albertus Magnus, perennially well-coached, is battle tested against big schools in Rockland while Irvington appears to be peaking at the right time. In their last four regular-season games, Irvington faced tough challenges in Pearl River, which is playing in the Class A semifinals; Class B Woodlands; Class A Walter Panas on the road; and Briarcliff. Irvington lost that last game, but beat Briarcliff when it mattered most -- last week's section quarterfinal matchup.

“The kids seem loose and excited,” Irvington coach Mike Auerbach said. “They (Albertus) played a tough schedule. We’ve seen them live and on tape, and feel confident. We played a tough schedule at the end that helped us get ready for the playoffs.

"(Albertus's guards) can all shoot from the outside. They're a challenge to defend."

Albertus Magnus, which sometimes uses an extra guard or two on offense, has just the four losses and is currently on the most important streak of all.

“Obviously we’ve won two (in the playoffs) or we wouldn’t be playing at the County Center. We’re very excited about that,” said McFadden, a seasoned mentor with 11 years behind him on the Falcons bench.

After some research, McFadden discovered that the last Section 1 boys basketball crown won by the Falcons came some 18 years ago.

“I was assistant coach to Joe McGuinness (the current athletic director),” McFadden said. “Is there a lot of pressure (to win)? There’s a lot of pressure all the time, so we want to win.”

McFadden expects a tough game, and rightly so.

“We’ve seen them live two times, and watched a lot of film. They’re a confident group,” McFadden said. “They made it to the semifinals last year, so it’s familiar territory to them. It’ll be a tough game, but we’ll go right after them. I’m confident, the team is confident, but we’ll have to bring our ‘A’ game.”

The Bulldogs have two big threats in seniors Parris Purcelle and Chris Brennan.

“But you don’t get to the County Center with just two players,” warned McFadden.

Auerbach, also noting that the Falcons have several key players, pointed to Tyler Sayre, a junior forward who had highs of 35 points against Spring Valley, 28 against Ramapo, and 27 against Fieldstone.

“Tyler’s a big guy inside, and he can play outside, too. He could be the best forward we’ve gone up against this year,” said Auerbach.

This will be Tyler Sayre’s second trip to the big floor of the County Center.

“I was there as a freshman, but didn’t get in," Sayre said after a practice session at Nyack College. "I joined the team late in the season."

Sayre remembers Albertus losing to Lincoln Hall in a close game, and also well remembers the intense atmosphere.

“I just remember in the warm-ups it was crazy, totally different than playing in our high school gym,” he said. “I’m real excited; we’re all anxious already to get out and go.”

Sayre said the Falcons’ primary focus will be Irvington’s guards.

“We can’t let them take the game away from us,” Sayre said.

In addition to Sayre, who was all-county last year as a sophomore, Albertus Magnus is powered by guard Jack Sullivan, guard Pat McGuinness, and senior captain Kyle Sullivan, who is Jack’s brother.

“In some ways Kyle is the heart and soul of our team," McFadden said, addng that this is Kyle Sullivan's first year on the varsity. "He’s been a leader all year — gritty, determined. He has taken care of business. He played JV as a sophomore, and last year was injured all year; he did not play. So he’s making the most of it (his final season).”

Sayre, his coach said, has been drawing a lot of attention because of his reputation.

“He’s a marked man, and yet he’s played well all year. He’s an inside and outside threat,” McFadden said.

Young Sullivan, only a sophomore, also drew plaudits from McFadden.

“He’s been consistent all  year, he’s a good shooter," McFadden said. "He has made a lot of big shots for us.”

Then there is McGuinness, a junior.

“He rarely comes out of a game,” said McFadden. “We ask him to do a lot. He’s carried us in so many different ways; a tremendous asset. He’s our point guard, a leader on the court.”

Auerbach said he can counter with Purcelle, Brennan, and senior center Alex Fenyn.

“Alex brings a ton of energy; he’s very athletic. He’s averaging nine rebounds a game, and usually guards the best forwards,” Auerbach said.

Brennan, another senior, was voted league MVP.

“He’s 6-foot-4, kind of a guard/forward, and has a solid perimeter game," Auerbach said. "He’s a good shooter and ball-handler, and also averages nine rebounds a game.”

Purcelle, averaging 19 points, has 11 games in which he scored 20 or more points.

“He doesn’t have a lot of experience from what I heard,” Auerbach said. “Over the summer he grew a couple of inches. He’s kind of a bigger guard … made 30 3-pointers for us.”

Free throws

Jim Sayre, Tyler’s dad and an assistant men’s basketball coach to Joe Clinton at Dominican College, will be in attendance at Wednesday’s game. “For sure I’m going,” said the elder Sayre, who previously coached basketball for 15 years at Suffern High. “He’s grown up with me,” Sayre said of his son. “He was a ball boy as a third-grader.”

Young Sayre said he has absorbed one critical lesson from his dad. “He always told me to stay in every game; never let myself get out of the game in any way.” Asked if he has done so, Tyler said simply “I hope so.”