Irvington moves into top 10 in girls basketball rankings; one team out and some shuffle
One team is in and another is out and others have moved around in the latest Journal News/lohud girls basketball top-10 rankings that follow below.
Note: Records reflect games played through Jan. 27.
10. Irvington (14-2) — Strength of schedule is a large concern. But the door cracked open with previously-ranked John Jay-East Fishkill dropping three straight and this team — on the precipice of making history for its coach — is a natural fit. This is not one of Irvington's historic great teams, but this is a good team that would have been the favorite for this year's Section 1 Class B crown if not for a retooling of classes and corresponding enrollment changes that boosted it into Class A by a mere seven students. Previously: Not ranked
9. Ardsley (13-2) — Under the category "Didn’t see that coming" add the Panthers’ eight-point loss to Tappan Zee last week. But, to its credit, TZ bounced back with a 12-point win over 10-win Pelham. Previously: 7
8. Tappan Zee (7-7) — With its last game being a 27-point loss to Ketcham, it might seem surprising TZ gets a bump in the rankings. But last week it handed Ardsley only its second loss of the season. And in terms of strength of schedule, TZ has one of the toughest involving local opponents. Six of their seven losses have been to top-10 teams, Ketcham included. Previously: 10
7. White Plains (11-5) — After sitting for a week, the Tigers play three games. Odds are good they’ll all be wins. Previously: 8
6. Pearl River (11-3) — The fact the Pirates beat all three teams they played last week — all three with winning records — wasn’t a surprise. But the fact the wins were all by 19 or more points was. Pearl River has two games this week and should win both, although Wednesday’s vs. Tappan Zee could be close. Previously: 6
5. Harrison (10-4) — Coming off two wins last week, the Huskies will play four times this week. Albertus Magnus, hands down, the area’s top girls hoops team, will almost certainly give Harrison its fifth loss. But, despite an anticipated battle from Tappan Zee, the rest of Harrison's games should all be wins. Previously: 5
4. Panas (14-2) — The Panthers will play Hen Hud and Lakeland this week, two solid teams they’ve previously beaten. Panas may have a tough time rising to the success it enjoyed last year, but this is a very good team. Previously: 4
3. Ursuline (11-2) — The Koalas bounced back from a close loss to Section 9 Lourdes with two wins. They’ll be super busy this week with four games. Those should add up to four more wins. Previously: 3
2. Ketcham (13-1) — As expected, Ketcham won its two games last week. It has three this week and despite two opponents sporting 10 wins, it should finish the week 16-1. Previously: 2
1. Albertus Magnus (10-2) — The Falcons haven’t played much lately and over a two-week period their only two games were losses. But two things should be kept in mind: They lost to strong, non-Section 1 teams and those losses were by one point and four points. In other words, a rebound or shot here or there and Magnus could well be undefeated. The Falcons will play Harrison this week before playing the first of two New Jersey opponents as they fine-tune for upcoming playoffs. Previously: 1
Last week's top 10: Albertus Magnus drops a girls basketball game, but doesn't drop in the rankings
On the bubble: John Jay-East Fishkill (9-5), Mahopac (10-5), Ossining (8-6), Pelham (10-4)
Nancy Haggerty covers cross-country, track & field, field hockey, skiing, ice hockey, basketball, girls lacrosse and other sporting events for The Journal News/lohud. Follow her on Twitter at @HaggertyNancy.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: lohud girls basketball rankings: Irvington joins top 10, one team exits
