Pearl River Pressure Overwhelms Byram Hills in Section 1 Girls Basketball Quarterfinal

Byram Hills coach Kim Smith told her team what to expect from Pearl River's defense.

That doesn't mean the Bobcats were ready for it.

"We were prepared for it mentally, but until you see it and experience it, it’s a different kind of pressure than we’ve seen this season," Byram Hills coach Kim Smith said. "They are just a good all-around team. Good shooting. They run the floor real well. We just couldn’t get back on defense to save our lives. We got beaten by a better team."

Pearl River started fast offensively and never took off the defensive pressure until the game was in hand on the way to a 71-40 Section 1 Class A quarterfinal victory over Byram Hills at home Tuesday.

"It was one of the better teams we played this season, but we had the pressure like always. We came out strong today," Pearl River junior guard Christa Scognamiglio said. "We knew this was our last game on this court this year. We wanted to really push it and show everyone that we are on a roll."

Pearl River (19-1) will try to continue that roll in the semifinals 6:30 p.m. March 3 at the Westchester County Center in White Plains against the one team it has lost to this season, No. 3 seeded Albertus Magnus (19-1). The Pirates and Falcons split their two meetings this season. Albertus Magnus defeated Tappan Zee, 60-40, in its quarterfinal game Tuesday.  

"I’m really excited," Pearl River junior Allison Cook said. "We won one and they won one. This time it’s who wants it more. Being at the County Center makes it 100 times better."

Cook helped make sure the Pirates got there by pouring in a game-high 21 points Tuesday, including 15 in the decisive first half, and led the team with nine deflections. She made two of the team's eight three-point shots. Scognamiglio scored 19 points, making three three-point shots. Senior Melissa Loughnane added 13.

"A lot of us can shoot," Cook said. "At the very beginning,  all of our shots were going in. It was shot after shot. That’s really important because we got in a really good rhythm."

Byram Hills standout forward Beatriz Williams finished with 18 points, but had only three in the first half.

"We didn't do a good job getting her the ball inside due to their pressure and that really hurt us," Smith said. "They were really on in the first quarter, which I was afraid of. If we didn’t come out and match their shooting percentage, we were in trouble, and that’s what happened."

Byram Hills scored to pull within eight with just under two minutes remaining in the first quarter, but Pearl River took over the game with a 9-0 run that continued to the midway point of the second period. The Bobcats tried to rally with consecutive baskets, but Scognamiglio responded with a three-point shot that sparked a 6-0 run to close out the half with a 34-13 lead. 

"They got really flustered," Cook said. "We just kept stealing and making shots."

"We did a great job defending tonight," Pearl River coach Lorraine Moylan said. "I think we also did a great job rebounding. I thought we did a good job boxing out."