Pearl River Faces Round Three With Tappan Zee in Quarterfinals

Tappan Zee enters Tuesday's 7 p.m. home playoff game against Pearl River as the undefeated (19-0) top seed in the Class A boys basketball playoffs. 

The Dutchmen are big, talented, balanced and experienced, but the Pirates (14-6) are looking forward to taking a third shot at their rivals. 

"Definitely," Pearl River point guard Joe Clinton said. "We're looking forward to the opportunity to hopefully knock them off and hopefully continue our season." 

The Dutchmen played a key role in the Pirates' slow start to this season. Tappan Zee routed Pearl River in the teams' first meeting of the season Dec. 16, then won again in a closer contest four days later. 

"The first game, obviously, they played so well and I think our inexperience showed in certain spots," Pearl River Coach Jerry Houston, Jr. said. "Combined with their focus and skill level, they really put it on us pretty good. And the second game, we played a few days later and we were without Joey Clinton. We fared better and still lost.

"I think we are both very different teams. I think TZ is better than they were at that point, which is a little scary. I think we're better, especially of late."

Many of Tappan Zee's seniors were on the Dutchmen's section championship team two years ago and most of the squad that lost to Pearl River in the semifinals last year returned. Guards Pat Petersen, Joe Letizia and Brian McLaughlin, forward Billy O'Shea and center Brendan Donohue are all threats to score. All but Letizia are seniors. 

"They are incredibly balanced," Houston said. "Sometimes teams are balanced and the kids you are talking about are not capable of getting to 21-22 points. They are balanced and every one of those kids, I'm sure, has been to 20 points.

"They are so balanced and so well-coached. And they are also really experienced. There is not too much they have not seen. They are not a group that will get rattled. You can hit them with a run and they will right the ship."

Turning Point

That is exactly what Pearl River had to do after a loss at Suffern Jan. 23.

"We just played and coached so poorly," Houston said. "After that game, I talked to the kids about the Giants. I talked about how they were 7-7 at one point. They hadn't won the Super Bowl yet, but people were talking about them being the most complete team going into the playoffs. How do you go from 7-7 to Super Bowl favorites?"

Part of that was simply playing better defense. Houston said there was no big change in strategy. The Pirates are just playing more aggressively.

"It's attitude," Clinton said. "Coach Houston said if we continue to play the way we were playing, we were not going to go anywhere. He preached getting into people and pressuring. Pearl River is known for playing tough defense. Credit that to Coach Houston. He gets everyone to buy in and work hard. That's how we win. If we have a shot, it's going to be our defense. That's how we win."

Another key was getting better ball movement and balance on offense. Clinton and O'Toole came into the season expecting to carry the offensive load.

"Offensively, we are moving the ball more," Houston said. "We were struggling early in the year. We were dribbling the ball a lot. Austin and Joey were thinking they've got to do it on their own, so the ball has to be in their hands. They are unselfish, but a trust level has to be guilt. In the beginning of the year, there was not a lot of trust as a team."

"As the season went on, we gained more trust in each other," Clinton said. "On any given night, anybody can put up 20. That has definitely helped us. That and playing together."

The lineup also changed, with junior forward Tom Davis moving into the lineup.

"Everyone says the same thing," Houston said. "After the game, they say, 'I really like that kid.' He's not the biggest kid, but he plays well around the basket. He's a tough kid. A lot of times, he is guarding bigger people. But he's wiry. He's got very long arms. That contributes to his deceptiveness around the basket. He gets his hands on a lot of things."

Sophomore forward Kevin Degnan is not such a surprise at 6-foot-7, but he has also developed as the season progressed.

"We put a lot on his plate early in the year for a kid who had never started a game," Houston said. "We need you to be a presence in the middle and rebound. Offensively, we need points out of you. That has been a learning process for us, giving Kevin the ball where he is comfortable.

"It has taken some time, but I think we've gotten there for the most part. A lot of that is a tribute to Kevin. He is very mature. Right now, he is playing well."

Degnan is a tough matchup, with the ability to shoot from three-point range as well as scoring inside. He now averages 11 points per game, giving the Pirates a third player averaging double-digits along with Clinton and O'Toole, who both score 15 per contest.

"Any time you are talking about a team with three guys in double figures at the high school level, that's pretty good," Houston said. "You're going to win a good amount of games doing that. The good news for us is we can get that. The bad news is TZ has five guys."

Clinton's recent hot streak could also be a factor. He is averaging 18 points per game over the last seven contests. He has been a threat attacking the basket and shooting from 3-point range. He poured in 28 points in the Pirates' upset of Class AA No. 3 Mahopac in the final game of the regular season and 23 in a first-round victory over Riverside. 

Clinton started the season slowly, recovering from a long cross country season and overcoming an ankle injury.

"I think it is health," Houston said. "It is confidence. I think he is taking better shots."

The Pirates take their shot Wednesday, looking to show the struggles of two months ago are long gone.

Pearl River Girls Face John Jay

Top-seeded Pearl River (17-2) will play No. 9 John Jay-CR (14-5) in a quarterfinal game at home 5 p.m. Wednesday. 

John Jay made it this far by knocking off defending state champion Peekskill last Friday. They feature a gifted scorer in Reagen Knox. The Pirates have their own top scorer in Christa Scognamiglio, but as usual, everything keys from their 2-2-1 press.