Sports

Pearl River, Red Hook Ready to Run

Pearl River will play Red Hook 5:30 p.m. Friday at Mount St. Mary College in Newburgh in the NYSPHSAA state Class A girls basketball regional finals.

Pearl River Girls Basketball Head Coach Lorraine Moylan noticed one major difference between Red Hook and Owego; the team the Pirates beat Tuesday in the first round of the NYSPHSAA state tournament

Red Hook likes to run.

"They push the ball up the floor," Moylan said, anticipating what could be an up-tempo game. "That would be fun. I'd like that."

Find out what's happening in Pearl Riverwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The fun is set to begin when Pearl River (21-2) tips off against Red Hook (15-6) 5:30 p.m. Friday in the Class A girls regional finals at Mount St. Mary College in Newburgh. 

Red Hook won its first Section 9 championship under fourth-year Head Coach Pam White, who took over for John Kuhn, state’s all-time leader with 619 victories.

Find out what's happening in Pearl Riverwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Moylan has a significant victory total of her own, 514, but this would be the her first trip to the state final four as coach of the Pirates if Pearl River can beat Red Hook. Moylan does have two state championships on her resume, but both were with Albertus Magnus. 

White's Raiders rely on 5-foot-7 sophomore guard Julianne Wilkinson to lead the way offensively. A sharpshooter with the ability to get to the foul line and make her free throws, Wilkinson leads Red Hook with 17.9 points per game.

The only other scorer averaging double figures is senior forward Sienna O'Han, an aggressive, multi-sport athlete who had a big game in the Section 9 championship game victory over Cornwall. Red Hook has some size inside, particularly junior center Emily Avis. Junior point guard Kyla Gabriel averages eight points per game. 

"They have three really good guards," Moylan said. "Wilkinson can score. She shoots threes and she gets to the basket. O'Han, she's about 5-8 and very, very athletic. She's a mid-range shooter who gets to the basket. They are an aggressive team."

That aggressive lineup will face a Pearl River defense that has been even sharper of late, giving up only 33 points in each of the last two games, including the Section 1 championship game victory over Tappan Zee.

"I think we keep getting better and better on defense," Moylan said. "We are communicating better and trusting each other more. Being aggressive. They realize they are so good together. When everybody does their job, we are really good."

For Christa Scognamiglio, that means a little of everything from playing a key role defensively to helping handle the ball against pressure to leading the team with nearly 18 points per game. She and three-point shooting threat Allison Cook are the only Pirates averaging double-digit scoring, though junior point guard Marissa Scognamiglio, senior forwards Kerry Sullivan and Christy Carty and reserve junior guard Amanda DeCourcey have all had their moments offensively this season.

NYSPHSAA Girls Class A Basketball Regional Final

Pearl River (19-2) vs. Red Hook (15-6)

Projected Starting lineups

Pearl River 

  • 24 Christa Scognamiglio, Sr. G/F
  • 33 Christy Carty, Sr., F
  • 21 Kerry Sullivan, Sr., F
  • 12 Allison Cook, Sr., G
  • 13 Marissa Scognamiglio, Sr., PG

Red Hook

  • 45 Emily Avis, Jr., C
  • 33 Becky Fildes, Sr, F
  • 4 Sienna O'Han, Sr, F
  • 24 Kyla Gabriel, Jr., PG
  • 11 Julianne Wilkinson, So, G

Editor's Note: Information on Red Hook courtesy the Poughkeepsie Journal.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here