Red Devils Make History, Win Sectional Championship

Before the Peekskill girls varsity basketball team left the high school John Devins Gymnasium parking lot yesterday, coach Rodney Headley Jr. told his girls to imagine holding up the gold ball, which is given to the Section 1 champion in each of its classifications. A few hours later the girls were beaming with excitement, holding that golden ball in their hands. No.1 Peekskill (21-1) won 62-54 against No. 2 Pearl River (20-2), and earned the Section 1 Class A championship title for the first time in history at its March 6 game.

After falling behind 38-22 in the third quarter of the sectional championship game at the Westchester County Center, the Red Devils made an exciting comeback with 5:20 to go in that quarter. Trailing a tradition-rich squad like Pearl River by that many points that late in the game almost always means that a team is going to end up with a loss.

However, with a starting lineup that consisted of four highly talented seniors-Tasia Nolan, Jazmin Garcia, Sheridan Taylor and Kiana Letsinger, and junior Asia Jackson, who is one of the best guards in the state-the Red Devils' goal from the start was to win a sectional championship. They were determined not to let a discouraging deficit against a great squad derail their dreams.

"We told ourselves that we have been dreaming about this since we all played together since we were younger," said Garcia, who registered 15 points and seven steals. "We told ourselves we had to get past this and find a way to win."

Peekskill did just that. After trailing by 16, the Red Devils ended the game by outscoring the Pirates 40-16 to win the first girls sectional basketball championship in PHS history. It was the second sectional win in a row for the Red Devils against Pearl River, as Peekskill won in overtime in the semifinals against the Pirates last year.

The win also gave PHS its first sectional title in any girls team sport since the volleyball squad took home a sectional crown in 1978.

The win earns Peekskill a bye into the next round. They will play the winner of March 8's Section 4-Section 9 contest on Friday, March 11 at 5 p.m. in the regional championship game at Westchester Community College.

A win would put PHS in the girls state final four for the first time in school history.

"It's overwhelming to be where we are now," said Nolan, who was named tournament MVP while recording 14 points and 15 rebounds. "To be on the first team to win a sectional championship and now have the chance to be the first to win a state title is all I have ever dreamed about."

Peekskill started its comeback for the ages on a basket by Nolan. That started a run that saw the Red Devils outscore Pearl River 13-5 to end the third quarter, cutting the Pirates' lead to 43-35.

"We knew that after the first half, we had to try something new," Nolan said. "We started to try the inside-outside game to work the big girls down on the post. That was one of the things that helped us out. Me and Sheridan were able to get a lot of baskets."

Peekskill, which forced 32 turnovers, continued its rally by scoring 11 of the first 13 points in the fourth quarter which put it up 46-45 after a basket by Jackson. Peekskill never trailed after that.

"Winning this championshiop really means a lot," said Jackson, who was named to the all-tournament team. "We came out in the second half with a lot more intensity. This is something we wanted to win really bad."

Peekskill continued to build its lead and was up 56-49 after a free-throw by Jackson with 49 seconds left in the game.

Pearl River sharpshooter Christa Scognamiglio, who scored a game-high 19 points, kept the Pirates in the game by registering a field goal and a trey to trim Peekskill's lead to 56-54. However a hoop by Garcia with just 16 seconds left put the Red Devils up by four and the Pirates didn't score after that, sealing the title for the Red Devils.

"When I hit that shot, I felt it, I knew we were going to win it," Garcia said.

For Garcia's coach, this is the second sectional championship he has won. The first came as a player in 2002, when Headley played on the Peekskill boys squad that finished as a state finalist. One of his teammates was current NBA player Hilton Armstrong, who is now a member of the Atlanta Hawks.

"When you are playing, you don't have to go out there and motivate your team," Headley said. "But a coach's job is try and motivate the team when they need it."

POINT TOTALS

Pearl River-Christa Scognamiglio (19), Allison Cook (10), Melissa Loughnane (10), Nicole Grossbard (9), Christy Carty (6)

Peekskill-Sheridan Taylor (16), Jazmin Garcia (15), Tasia Nolan (14), Asia Jackson (13), Kiana Letsinger (4)

Last sectional champ

The 1978 Peekskill volleyball squad, which won the last sectional championship in any girls team sport at PHS, won both the Class A title and A-B Open championship.

That team consisted of Captain Dory DiMichele, Jody Apolinario, Marilyn English, Charlotte Godbee, Jeanette Krubichler, Tina Martin, Felicia Moseley, Gloria Torres and Patty Zubradt. The coach was Kathy Aloia Hanly.