With Vanderbilt-bound Center Tori Jarosz fresh off a dominant, 34-point eruption in a squeaker over Albertus Magnus in the Section I/Class A semi-final, all Peekskill eyes were pasted on Lakeland's 6-foot-4 forward on the big Westchester County Center stage in the Section I championship.
Apparently, the Red Devils didn't get the scouting report on Vicky Kowalski, a streaky shooter who can blaze up the scoreboard when she's got the hot hand.
Kowalski dissected Peekskill's zone with net-piercing efficiency, draining 5-for-7 from outside-the-arc and finishing with 18 points-all in the first half.
Jarosz, who was saddled with foul trouble, did her damage in the thid.
In the fourth quarter, tournament MVP Kristin Pappalardo (Pappalardo plays as if she just downed three red bulls yet the hyper-energetic, high-octane guard is always a go-to in crunch time) had the cool, calm composure for the clutch.
Pappalardo buried the Red Devils and first-year head coach Rodney Headley Jr.--who starred on the 2002 and 2003 Peekskill boys team under Lou Panzanaro--under a barrage of crucial free throws.
Jarosz splashed a three-pointer with 1:42 remaining, allowing Lakeland to seize command of a comfortable 55-44 bulge. Pappalardo knocked down two free throws with 1:17 to play and Fallo's girls could suddenly taste the glistening gold, shiny souvenir.
And so Lakeland finally expunged the County Center demon that's haunted them the past two years (the same daunting demon continues to haunt the Pleasantville boys team), coasting to a convincing 61-47 Section I Championship.
After capitalizing on the original goal by grabbing the highly sought after gold ball, longtime Lakeland coach Steve Fallo has illustrated that Jarosz and Pappalardo (a vaunted inside-outside tandem that won a state championship as role players off the pine in 2007) are bent on steering the big Hornet boat deep into the New York State Championship waters.
For every other player on the Hornets, those waters are uncharted.
The Hornets (21-2) made journey's first stop at Poughkeepsie, where Lakeland
defeated Section 9's Cornwall Central 44-32 on the campus of Vassar College.
The Hornets smacked their opponent in the mouth from the get-go, coasting to a commanding 24-9 halftime lead. The same method worked against Peekskill in the title game.
In a battle of bursts, Peekskill started the game on an 8-2 run. Lakeland,
spurred by Kowalski's beyond the arc antics, reeled off a 20-2 spurt.
For CARMEL, the program appears to be moving in the right direction.
That was the belief coach Dan O'Gare maintained after the Rams' season ended with a loss to eventual champion Mount Vernon in the Section I semi-finals at the County Center.
The program returns a wealth of talent, beginning with Brittany Horne.
Horne's arsenal of post moves, rebounding, hyper-athleticism, defensive
presence and shooting has catapulted her into a new area code.
Now located in the high-rent district of Section I forwards, Horne's ability to finish at the tin (even with players smothering her, as we witnessed in the playoffs) has allowed college coaches to salivate like Pavlov's puppy.
I promise you, Horne will be sifting through garbage pail-loads of Division-I letters and scholarship offers before the 2010-11 campaign officially kicks off. Next season, if the steady progress continues, she will be what Tori Jarosz was this season: one of Section I's most highly sought after items on the recruiting agora.
Beyond Horne, Carmel returns Sabrina Diaz, a sophomore guard who plays with a savvy, can take it to defenders off the bounce and stroke it from beyond the perimeter. Nikki Oliver, who hit crucial baskets this season, also returns.