GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
Reilly Landisi scored 25 points on Tuesday, and 27 on Jan. 14 in a pair of wins for Beacon (Photos by S. Pearlman)
Reilly Landisi’s 25-point effort led Beacon to an easy, 70-30 victory over Port Jervis on Tuesday (Jan. 18) in a game played at Beacon High School.
Landisi, one of five freshmen on the roster (along with five sophomores), also dished out seven assists as the Bulldogs improved to 6-4. Every player on the squad scored, including sophomore Shadaya Fryar with 10 and freshman Rayana Taylor with eight.
“We started off slow defensively, and didn’t rebound well,” said Coach Christina Dahl. “In the second half we had better effort and intensity on defense and controlled the pace of the game.”
Dahl said she likes the progress she’s seen in her young team.
“Reilly has grown tremendously,” Dahl said. “We’re lucky to have her three more years. She’s tenacious and determined — two qualities that will continue to allow her to excel.
“Daveya [Rodriguez] has also been a presence on offense,” the coach said. “Rory LaDue and Devyn Riley help control the tempo on defense and Shadaya gave us great rebounding. We also got great minutes off the bench from Rayana, Shy’anne Kush [seven points] and Kiarra Rodriguez [four points].”
Lila Burke works in the paint in Tuesday’s home win over Port Jervis
On Jan. 14, Beacon won at Newburgh Free Academy, 48-44, behind a 27-point, 10-assist performance from Landisi. Rodriguez added 11 points and 12 rebounds, and Fryar had seven points and 11 rebounds.
“That was a huge road win,” Dahl said. “Winning on the road is never easy, especially at Newburgh. They’re an athletic team and well-coached.”
Beacon is scheduled to host Marlboro on Monday (Jan. 24) and travel to Haldane on Wednesday for a 4:30 p.m. game that will be livestreamed.
The Haldane girls picked up a 47-34 road victory over Rye Neck on Tuesday behind 24 points from Maddie Chiera. Camilla McDaniel added eight, Amanda Johanson had six and Mairead O’Hara scored five.
“Maddie hit some big three-pointers when we were down, which set off a 12-0 run to give us a lead in the first half,” said Coach Jessica Perrone. “The girls stepped up on the press, which helped keep us in the game when shots weren’t falling early. Maddie led on offense, but it was a well-balanced game, with multiple players picking up a few points.”
Haldane (5-6) is scheduled to travel to Croton-Harmon today (Jan. 21) and Valhalla on Monday before hosting Beacon on Wednesday and traveling to Pleasantville on Thursday.
BOYS’ BASKETBALL
This year’s Haldane team is one of the more balanced and talented units that Coach Joe Virgadamo has fielded.
The Blue Devils (10-1, 3-0 league) strutted their stuff on Wednesday (Jan. 19) at home, racing out to a quick lead against Pawling on the way to a lopsided, 95-31, league victory.
“We came out and did what we wanted to do,” Virgadamo said. “We had 10 three-pointers, which is a huge positive. We shot well. We played disciplined, got second shots and we got better. Hopefully, that helps us in some tough upcoming games.“
Ryan Irwin led the Blue Devils with 22 points and Ryan Eng-Wong came off the bench to score 17, followed by Matteo Cervone (14), Soren Holmbo (10), Rob Viggiano (10), Ben Bozsik (7), Tristen Reid (6) and Stefano Hammond (6).
“Eng-Wong has climbed the ladder this year,“ Virgadamo said of the junior. “To have 17 off the bench is a great night. Ben also played well at both ends and Irwin has been phenomenal for us — scoring and defense. Tristen has been great with the assists, steals and deflections, and Stefano played some of his best minutes.”
Haldane was scheduled to host Croton-Harmon today (Jan. 21) and Franklin D. Roosevelt on Monday before traveling to Beacon for the Battle of the Tunnel on Wednesday. Beacon won the inaugural game in 2020 in a 63-62 thriller at Haldane; last year, the teams played twice, with Haldane winning both and claiming the trophy. Check beaconk12.org/athletics for a livestream of the game, which begins at 6 p.m.
When Beacon hosted Port Jervis in December, the Bulldogs walked off with a two-point league win. The team wanted to send a different message on Wednesday at Port Jervis, and that message was defense.
Beacon (7-4, 4-1 league) held the Raiders to 13 points in the first half on the way to a 55-32 victory.
“Our defensive pressure was good,” said Coach Scott Timpano. “We created havoc. They’re a slow-it-down team, so we wanted to make them play faster. We forced a lot of turnovers that we scored from.”
Adrian Beato led the Beacon attack with 14 points, followed by Chase Green (9), Darien Gillins (9), Leo Gecaj (8) and Jack Philipbar (7).
“Chase and Adrian kept everything going for us,” the coach said. “They created a lot of pressure. Gavin LaDue also did a good job giving us a rebounding presence.”
Beacon is scheduled to host Minisink Valley on Tuesday (Jan. 25) for senior night and Haldane on Wednesday. “It’s too bad we can’t have a lot of fans [because of pandemic restrictions], because the first game [at Haldane] was an incredible night of high school basketball,” Timpano said. “Last year we had no fans, and unfortunately this year there will be very limited fans again.”
(On Thursday, Athletic Director John Giametta said restrictions on the number of spectators at home games will be lifted as of Monday [Jan. 24], but masks will be required.)
TRACK & FIELD
The Beacon 4×400 relay team — Henry Reinke, Evan LaBelle, Eddie Manente and Sal Migliore — won the event at the 46-team Suffern Invitational at Rockland Community College on Jan. 14, beating teams from Cornwall, Pine Bush, Irvington and Suffern.
Its winning time of 3:36.51 was the third best time recorded this season in Section IX, behind Newburgh Free Academy (3:25.94) and Washingtonville (3:28.34).
“We knew we could post a fast time in the 4×400 relay, but the chance hadn’t presented itself,” said Coach Jim Henry. “Now that we have a top-three, Section IX rank in both the 4×400 and 4×800, we have options heading into the championships next month.”
Other top finishers at the event were Kyla Richardson, who was sixth in the girls’ 55-meter dash in 8.07; Damani DeLoatch, who was fourth in the triple jump at 39-06.50; and Chase Green, who was seventh in the boys’ 55-meters in 7.28.
Haldane also competed in the invitational; its top finishers were Luke Parrella, who was 16th in the boys’ 1,000 meters in 2:54.52; Andriea Vasconcelos, who was 21st in the girls’ triple jump with 25-06; and Eloise Pearsall, who was 24th in the girls’ 1,000 meters in 3:45.93.
In the Section I league championships on Jan. 13 at The Armory in Manhattan, Haldane got top-10 finishes from Pearsall, who finished ninth in the 1,000 meters in 3:30.07; the girls’ 4×400 relay team (sixth in 5:14.61); Vasconcelos in the triple jump (seventh with 28-04); Parrella in the 3,200 meters (10th in 11:14.15); and the boys’ 4×800 relay team (ninth in 11:14.51).
BOWLING
The Beacon boys defeated both Washingtonville and Highland last week by scores of 7-0 to improve to 6-4, while the girls defeated Washingtonville, 7-0, but fell to Highland, 5-2. Their record is now 5-6. Both teams will face Marlboro on Thursday (Jan. 27).
WRESTLING
Beacon dropped a 58-12 decision to Middletown on Jan. 11 at Wallkill High School in a Section IX tournament.
The Bulldogs recorded a win from heavyweight Lou Del Bianco, who pinned his opponent at 215 pounds to improve his season record to 16-1. Isaac Hansen won by forfeit at 160 pounds.
Beacon fell to Cornwall on Jan. 13, 53-9, and was scheduled to host its own tournament on Jan. 15, but it was canceled due to concerns about COVID-19. Next up is a trip to Nyack on Tuesday (Jan. 25) and Red Hook at home on Thursday.
BOYS’ SWIMMING
Beacon (1-8-1) came back from the break against Red Hook on Jan. 10 but fell short, 98-66, with eight second-place finishes. The Bulldogs defeated Marlboro (which had only four swimmers), 97-30, on Jan. 12 before losing to Newburgh Free Academy, 86-69, and Monroe-Woodbury, 97-71.
In that most recent meet, on Jan. 19, Hunter Ingold was second in the 100 freestyle in 57.63 and second in the 50 freestyle in 24.69. The Bulldogs host Kingston today (Jan. 21) and Franklin D. Roosevelt on Jan. 28.
