Boys Hoops Roundup: Cooper Helps in Irvington Sweep of Woodlands

All season, Irvington’s first-year coach Mike Auerbach has stressed the importance of a consistent third leg of scoring to supplement the offensive exploits of point guard Chris Brennan and wing Parris Purcelle.

Brennan (who poured in a game-high 23 points on the strength of eight field goals and forays to the basket) and Purcelle (14 points) continued to stuff the stat sheet on Monday, though it was RyanCooper’s 12 points that ultimately helped propel the Bulldogs to a 57-49 victory over league foe Woodlands on Feb.7.

Cooper, Irvington’s best on-the-ball defender, stepped up by scoring timely buckets. The paper-thin Cooper boasts a dependable jumper that he can extend beyond the arc.

 While the senior has buried some big shots this season, the kid they call “Coop” took some of the stress off the Bulldogs’ aforementioned go-to options during one of the last regular season games of his varsity career.

 Cooper, who has been trigger shy at times this season, may have additionally gotten a psychological lift from his breakout performance.

 “Ryan Cooper's a great ballplayer,” said Brennan, who torched Woodlands for 28 in the first meeting between the league foes back on Jan.14.

 “I think he is the best defender in Class B, but we’re always telling him to shoot more because he’s better offensively than his stat line shows. Today, they played some of those weird zones like a box-and-one on me and a triangle-and-two on Parris and I and Cooper stepped it up big time and forced them to have to switch out of those zones."

 Irvington’s interior defense gave an efficient account of itself. They held Woodlands’ Fred Bowers, one of the league’s best big men, to nine points. Bowers hung 27 on Hastings last month, though it should be noted the Jackets were without 6-foot-5 center Ali Marpet.

 The game had some extra juice for the Bulldogs. Irvington held a commanding 20-2 on Woodlands in last year’s Section 1/Class B semi-finals at the Westchester County Center.

As the No.4 seed in the tournament, the momentum began rolling as it seemed as if the Bulldogs could pull off a monumental upset of No.1 Woodlands.

 Mental lapses and a torrent of turnovers helped Irvington spit out the lead, as Woodlands (which went on to win the Section 1 crown with a dramatic victory over Pleasantville in the championship) staged a rally en route to a 57-51 victory.

Brennan said the sight of Woodlands swarming each other on the court, celebrating the wild come-from-behind win, was a major source of off-season motivation.

 "I mean I'd be lying if I said it was like every other win,” explained Brennan, who has exacted a bit of revenge before the post-season emerges.

 “They ended my season last year, and to be able to beat them twice is a great feeling. it also gave guys on the team including me more confidence in ourselves.”

 Dobbs Ferry halted a two-game slide, one which saw them shoot the rock at an uncharacteristically low percentage, with a 52-43 win over Ardsley (6-9). The Eagles erased a one-point halftime deficit, reeling off a 21-10 third quarter surge and retaining the lead in the fourth quarter.

Eddie Fanning dropped 12 points to lead the Eagles. Junior guard/forward Tom Fleming added 11. Matt Latainer, who has received a recent uptick in playing time, capitalized on the opportunity by scoring nine points off the bench. Jesse Schwartz dropped 17 points to pace the Panthers. Bruising behemoth Dikota Dinaso added 16.

 Hastings, which gutted out a pivotal 37-34 victory over traditional Rivertowns Rival Dobbs Ferry last week, eked out a 41-40 victory over Children’s Village. Hampered by a lackluster start, the Jackets were paced by Phil Goldfarb’s 12 points.

Goldfarb, who has been carving up defenses by way of baseline drives and mid-range jumpers as of late, has been a catalyst. Ali Marpet added eight points in the post for the Jackets, which improve to 9-6 with the win. DeShawn Blanton led CV (5-10) with 12. Aaron Rios chipped in with 11.