Rockland Rivals Team Up on the Court

The 'College Sports Notebook' is published each Friday. Please send items of interest—including local athletes competing at out-of-town colleges—to marcmaturo@aol.com.

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There are many roads to friendships, as Taylor Wilson of Pearl River and Jen McSharar of Garnerville might tell you.

Rivals since their days as fourth-graders competing in CYO competition, and then in high school, Wilson and McSharar have formed a mutual admiration as key players on the women’s basketball team at Manhattanville College in Purchase.

Wilson, who won a Section 1 title as a member of the Pirates, is a 5-foot-9 junior guard for the Valiants, and is tied for the team lead in scoring at 18 points per game (senior guard Courtney Turner of Staten Island has the same norm).

McSharar, an alumna of North Rockland, is a small junior forward at 5-9 but still a leading force inside, and the team’s leading rebounder, averaging nine per contest.

Perhaps as a prelude to tonight’s major challenge against Division I Army, the Valiants won the Marymount Tip-Off Tournament in Arlington, VA, behind—you guessed it—the dynamic duo.

Wilson, who was named the tournament’s most outstanding player, scored 12 points and had three steals as the Valiants defeated Marymount, 65-54, to win the crown.

McSharar helped Manhattanville control the boards with a game-high 10 rebounds.

Manhattanville’s triumph marked the team’s third tournament title since the start of last season, as the Valiants took first place at both Salem State and Catholic last year.

Manhattanville, a Division III team, meets Army tonight at 7 at Christl Arena on the West Point campus, and Wilson and McSharar expect a hard-fought game despite the long odds.

“It’s going to be a tough game, for sure—D1 team, a lot bigger than us, training not only as basketball players but for the Army,” noted McSharar. “It will be a lot of fun, a good learning experience for us. But we have a lot of talent, and I’m hoping it will be a good game.”

McSharar added that the Valiants have won two straight since a season-opening 103-99 loss in double-overtime to No. 4-ranked William Paterson in Wayne, NJ.

Wilson also took note of Army’s size advantage. McSharar, at 5-10, is the Valiants’ tallest player while Army’s lineup features five players  six-foot or better, and five others are listed at 5-10.

“They’re a lot bigger than us, but we had a good practice today (Wednesday),” said Wilson. “I’m confident with my team. If we play with all our energy, and how we know how to play, I’m hoping to have a good game.”

Wilson, who said she feels she can always do better, even on defense, if you work hard, wants this season to end with a conference title, and a subsequent bid to the NCAA tournament.

“I’d love to win the (Freedom) conference championship,” she said. “As a freshman we lost in the title game, and last year, as a sophomore, we lost in the semifinals. I’m looking to do big things.”

Wilson, said McSharar, is a hard worker, and McSharar, said Wilson, works equally as hard.

“Jen is a really hard worker,” Wilson observes, taking full measure that her teammate’s rebounding totals are piled up most often against bigger players. “Especially down low, she does a lot; we work so well together. I’ll get the ball to her, and she’ll give it back out. I love playing with her, and she’s one of my best friends. She knows what she’s doing.”

For her part, McSharar delights in rebounding.

“It’s one of our bigger things, and I’ve always been more of a rebounder than a scorer,” McSharar said. “It’s a big thing for us, and I try to have a knack about it.”

Following tonight’s trip to West Point, the Valiants return home on Monday at 7 p.m., meeting Eastern Connecticut State of Willimantic at Kennedy Gym in Purchase. They are home again on Wednesday to welcome Eastern University of St. Davids, PA, at 6 p.m.

Chargers trump Spartans

The unbeaten Dominican College men’s basketball team defeated nearby rival St. Thomas Aquinas College, 71-54, in the finale of the Chargers’ annual Tip-Off Tournament on Coach Baxter Court at the Hennessy Center in Orangeburg.

In an earlier game, Molloy College upended Nyack College, 73-67.

Dominican took control with 3:40 left in the first half, breaking a 20-20 tie on back-to-back layups by Michael Calzonetti of Gloucester, NJ, and Leon Porter of Laurel, MD, and a pair of free throws by sophomore Khaleev Ginyard of Brentwood.

In the second half, Dominican led by as many as 21 points, leading 66-45 with 3:36 remaining.

Porter led four Chargers in double figures with 23 points, five assists, and four steals. Cory Quimby of Otisville turned in his fourth double-double of the season with 20 points, and a game-high 15 rebounds.

Ginyard, and DaVonne Dunlap of Kingston each added 20 points in the victory.

Junior guards Justin Brown of Uniondale, and Mike Woods of Baldwin powered STAC with 19 and 18 points, respectively.

Dominican (4-0) looks to extend its streak on Nov. 30, hosting Caldwell College in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) game at 8 p.m.

Nyack, still looking for its first win after five setbacks, visits NYIT in Old Westbury on Tuesday at 6 p.m., and hosts Molloy on Dec. 1 at 7:30 p.m.

St. Thomas Aquinas College (2-1) takes to road on Sunday to meet Philadelphia University at 2 p.m., and then visits Wilmington University in Delaware on Wednesday for a game at 8 p.m.

How sweep it is

Justin Daniels of Suffern added to his point total with an assist as the Northeastern University men’s hockey team posted its first four-point weekend after finishing off visiting Vermont 4-1 at Matthews Arena.

The Huskies had beaten Providence, 5-2, the previous night as Daniels, a junior forward, won 14 of 21 face-offs.

Daniels exploded offensively and pieced together a career-best and team-high five-game point streak from Oct. 14 to Nov. 4. Within that stretch, he scored three goals and two assists, and now has five goals and four assists for nine points, tied for second-best on the team.

Northeastern, which is on a break from its 12-game Hockey East gantlet, will take on No. 11 Michigan at Yost Ice Arena tonight at 7:30. The last time the Huskies and Wolverines met (Oct. 28, 2006), Northeastern came away with a 3-2 triumph on Michigan's ice. Northeastern, 2-4-0 overall against the University of Michigan, stays on the road for back-to-back games at Notre Dame on Dec. 2-3.

Rutgers ready to roll

Rutgers University (8-3, 4-2 Big East) will make a short bus trip to East Hartford, CT, on Saturday for a critical football game against UConn. ESPN2 will televise the action, with kickoff set for noon from Rentschler Field.

The Scarlet Knights, coming off a decisive 20-3 victory over Cincinnati, need to win to secure a share of the BIG EAST Championship, and stay in the running for a spot in the Bowl Championship Series as the BIG EAST representative.

Special-teams specialist Pat Kivlehan of West Nyack, a senior who has been receiving more playing time at linebacker, could figure prominently in the outcome.

“Rutgers-UConn always seems to come down to the very end, so those plays on special teams will be critical,” Scarlet Knights coach Greg Schiano foresaw on RVision, following Tuesday’s practice. “UConn’s special teams are always good. Their returners are fast; you better not make a mistake or they’re gone. You know, that worries me. It’s no flavor of the week—they’re sound, and do it well.”

Mortarboard musings

• Sophomore Amy Delva of Nanuet had eight points, and Albertus Magnus alumna Brittany Griffin added six as the College of Mount Saint Vincent women’s basketball team fell to host Oswego State, 65-59, in the championship game of the Max Ziel Tournament in Oswego. Junior Andree DeLeon of Flushing led the Dolphins with 13 points while Griffin, a senior forward, added two assists, and a blocked shot. Mount Saint Vincent (1-2) will look to rebound on Dec. 1 when it opens league play at St. Joseph’s-L.I. Tip-off with the Golden Eagles is slated for 7 p.m.

• Matt Bonomolo of Pearl River, a junior center on the Mount Ida College football team, received honorable-mention status by the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC). Teammate and senior running back Jehrome Bunch of Meriden, CN, the nation's second-leading rusher with 163 yards per game, was named the ECFC offensive player of the year. The Mustangs, who are 6-5 after losing at Endicott, 31-22, will make their second straight postseason appearance on Saturday in the North Atlantic Bowl against host Endicott College (9-1) in Beverly, MA. Game time is set for 1 p.m. 

• Tappan Zee alum Ryan Sheridan of Blauvelt, a senior guard and tri-captain, scored seven points as the Oswego State men’s basketball team defeated Wells, 58-55. The Lakers (2-1) are home this weekend with games tonight at 8 o’clock against Potsdam, and on Saturday against Plattsburgh, and sophomore John Perez of Haverstraw, at 4 p.m.

• Sophomore defensive specialist Alaina Walker, an alumna of Albertus Magnus, had another stellar game as the St. Bonaventure women’s basketball team upended host West Virginia, 56-48, in Morgantown. Walker, although 0 of 5 from the floor, guarded standout Taylor Palmer most of the night, holding her to just three points after she scored 33 in West Virginia’s season opener. Walker will have her hands full again on Sunday when Delaware comes to call at 1 p.m. The Blue Hens feature one of the best players in women’s college basketball in Elena Delle Donne, who already has scored 73 points in two games, including 40 in an upset of Penn State. The Bonnies are unbeaten at 4-0 going into the Delaware game after defeating Morgan State, 79-55. Walker had eight points in the victory.

• Tappan Zee graduate Chris Fusco, and Richard Meany of Stony Point are members of the men’s swim team at Manhattan College, which is rolling along at 8-3. The Jaspers challenge Saint Peter’s and Montclair State in Jersey City on Dec. 9, and host the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Riverdale at 2 p.m. on Dec. 10.

• Senior diver Lauren Corrente of Nyack won the one-meter competition as Montclair State defeated Adelphi, 115-118. The Montclair State men’s and women’s swimming teams host Seton Hall University on Dec. 15 at 5 p.m.

• Sophomore forward KC Jentzen of Pearl River led all scorers with 20 points, shooting 9 of 12 from the floor, but the Dominican College women’s basketball team lost to host Saint Michael’s College, 61-44, on the final day of the DoubleTree Tip-Off Classic in Colchester, VT. The Lady Chargers (0-3) return to action on Nov. 28 when they host New York Institute of Technology in a non-conference game. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. on Coach Baxter Court at the Hennessy Center.

• St. Thomas Aquinas College soccer standouts Dan Davren of Pearl River and Remington Lee of Hopewell Junction were named to the Daktronics all-Region second-team.  This is the second time Davren, an alum of Nanuet High, has made the all-Region team.  Davren led the Spartans in points with eight goals and eight assists while Lee was their leading goal scorer with 10. Under veteran coach Graham Brown, the Spartans finished the season 11-4-4, and made their first NCAA tournament appearance in the school history.  STAC beat NYIT 4-1 in the opening round of the NCAA tournament before falling 5-0 to top-seeded, undefeated Franklin Pierce in the sweet 16. 

• Coming off a 79-66 victory against Northern Essex CC, the Rockland Community College men’s basketball team meets Orange CC on Tuesday at 5 p.m. in Middletown. The men return home on Dec. 1, hosting Queensborough at 8 p.m. to cap a doubleheader that features the women counterparts at 6 p.m. The Lady Hawks, who defeated Word of Life Bible, 66-47, at the Saints Classic at Saranac Lake, are led by Melissa Loughhane of Pearl River who is averaging 13 points a game. Nanuet grad Nikki Saponaro has a seven-point norm while Christine Brezovsky, another Nanuet grad, and Lana Gjonbalaj of Congers are each averaging four points.

• Matt Williams of Congers is breaking into the lineup as a freshman forward on the University of New Hampshire men’s hockey team. Williams, who was graduated from Clarkstown North in 2009, was recruited by the Wildcats after playing two seasons with the New Jersey Hitmen in the Eastern Junior Hockey League. Williams has appeared in one game, with two shots on goal, for the Wildcats, who are 5-5-2. UNH hosts Alabama-Huntsville on Saturday night at 7, and then visits Massachusetts-Lowell on Dec. 2, also at 7 p.m.

• The women’s hockey team at Cortland State (2-3-1), including junior forward Jordan Baum of Suffern, hopes to reach .500 at home Saturday night at 7 o’clock against Utica.

• Nanuet High alumna Meghan Richards, a freshman forward, and the Nyack College women’s basketball team visits St. Anselm in New Hampshire on Saturday, and will be in Bronxville on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. to meet Concordia. The Warriors are home against Felician College on Dec. 8 at 6 p.m.

• Fresh off  a 5-3 victory at Stonehill College, the Wentworth College men’s hockey team takes a 3-2-1 record into tomorrow’s 4 o’clock game at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT. Adam Kaiser of Stony Point is a junior forward at Wesleyan. Wentworth, whose defense includes sophomore Andrew Moscardelli of Pearl River, stays on the road on Sunday with a game at Trinity College in Hartford, CT, at 4:30 p.m.

• The Oswego State men’s basketball team (3-2) rolled to a 107-53 win over SUNY Cobleskill at Laker Hall in a non-conference game. One-time Tappan Zee standout Ryan Sheridan of Blauvelt contributed seven points, and two assists in the victory. The Lakers have an extended holiday break before hosting Potsdam (3-1) on Dec. 2 in the SUNYAC opener at 8 p.m.

• Freshman guard Luke Houston, a former Pearl River standout, played 17 minutes, going 1 of 2 from the floor, as the Southern Connecticut State men’s basketball team fell to 2-2 with a 92-78 setback to Assumption in a Northeast-10 contest. The Owls welcome College of Saint Rose to New Haven, CT, on Sunday at 3:30 p.m., and then host Pace University on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.