Pearl River Pursues Milestone Victory at County Center

Pearl River girls basketball head coach Lorraine Moylan may not want to talk about it, but the milestone is coming, perhaps even today.

Moylan enters Pearl River's game 2 p.m. today against Brewster in the first round of the Slam Dunk Tournament at the Westchester County Center with 499 career coaching victories. She simply has other things she wants to focus on.

"We're still a team finding our identity," Moylan said. "It’s a very nice thing. It's very humbling. But I haven't shot a shot. I'm not rebounding. These kids are the ones doing it. Former players. Current players. All my assistants. They are the ones who did the hard work and I'm getting the accolade. It's really about them."

"She won't talk about it, but we all talk about it," Pearl River senior guard Allison Cook said. "We have to win so we can get the 500th win at the County Center. I'm happy to be a part of it.

"It's a big deal. 500 wins is like crazy, and it's the County Center."

The County Center is home to the Section 1 semifinals and championship game. Pearl River's last game there was a 62-54 loss to Peekskill in the 2011 championship game in March, but the Pirates have designs on returning for another shot. Tests like this tournament are part of the journey.

"It's so fun playing at the County Center," Cook said. "I've never been in this tournament before. It's good to play in the County Center before March."

Arlington will play JFK 4 p.m. Monday in the other first-round game. The losers will play 2 p.m. Tuesday in the consolation, followed by the winners in the championship at 4 p.m.

"Brewster, I saw them play and they have a nice guard presence," Moylan said. "They have some really good shooters. They are a good team. Arlington is doing well. JFK is off to a decent start. It's always exciting to play in the County Center."

Pearl River is 3-0 after last week's 57-35 victory over Clarkstown South last week. The Pirates knew what they had in seniors Cook, Christa Scognamiglio, and Kerry Sullivan, but some other players are coming along.

Junior Marissa Scognamiglio has stepped in and played well at the point. Moylan said that senior forward Christy Carty, who has become a starter this year, is playing a key role defensively. She also mentioned the spark the team gets off the bench from junior point guard Amanda DeCourcey.

"The pieces are starting to fit," Moylan said. "We have to continue to keep working. In practice, we need to get better each time. The pies might fight today and sometimes in different games they might not. We're doing a good job. People are stepping up."

Cook's play is an example of the returning starters adapting their games. She has always been a threat as an outside shooter, but she is trying to go to the basket more.

"Some didn't fall for her today, but she's doing more and being more aggressive," Moylan said.