Thursday, Jan. 5, 2017: Mount Vernon holds off New Rochelle in basketball

   Leading off today: Jason Douglas-Stanley scored 14 of his 22 points in the second quarter as Mount Vernon built a cushion and went on to defeat New Rochelle 79-64 in a Section 1 boys basketball rivalry game Wednesday.

   Douglas-Stanley's 3-pointer from the top of the key made the score 38-27 and then he made a deep contested 3-pointer to give Mount Vernon a 41-30 lead at the half.

   Mount Vernon is ranked 17th and New Rochelle 24th this week in Class AA by the New York State Sportswriters Association.

   "It was a horrible to look at the schedule and see New Rochelle right after the Christmas break," Knights coach Bob Cimmino said. "But the crowd was great and really into the game and you don't need speeches to get players up for a game like this."

   Senior Greg Calixte added 19 points and 13 rebounds for the winners.

   Jarrett Haines scored 19 of his 31 points in the first half to keep New Rochelle within striking distance. He also finished with 11 rebounds and four assists.

   More boys basketball: Irondequoit sophomore forward Gerald Drumgoole drilled four 3-pointers and finished with 24 points as the Eagles defeated host Fairport 67-63 before a packed house.

   Fairport is ranked seventh in the state in Class AA and Irondequoit sixth in Class A this week.

   "This was my first time playing in an atmosphere that big," Drumgoole said. "I'm used to it in AAU, but it was a great experience. I was very excited."

   An 8-1 run by Irondequoit built a seven-point cushion for the Eagles and senior Alex Goldsberry stole an inbounds pass near midcourt and converted the layup after Fairport had closed within three. A 3-pointer by Fairport's Stephen Gabel cut Irondequoit's lead to 63-61, but Stenglein made all four of his attempts at the free throw-line in the final 30 seconds.

   A tie at the top: Olean boys basketball coach Jeff Anastasia earned his 544th career victory in 30 seasons as the Huskies routed Falconer 84-25. Anastasia tied Mel Palano of Bishop Timon-St. Jude for first on the all-time Western New York victory list.

   Following up: A recent blog mentioned that Eric Jantzi has stepped down as football coach at Springville after two seasons. In a follow-up with The Buffalo News, the former North Tonawanda coach said it was all about logistics.

   Jantzi is a biology teacher at North Tonawanda, which has later start and dismissal times than Springville. Throw in the hour-plus commute between the campuses and it was tough for Jantzi to get the most out of practice.

   "It's hard not being in the school and not being able to keep track of the kids," Jantzi said. "It's tough because I'm going to miss the kids. I forged relationships with them. ... It's my alma mater, but circumstances."

   He was 11-6 at Springville, raising his career record to 97-29.

   "I'm going to play it by ear and see what happens, discuss things with my family," he said. "I think I would go nuts if I didn't coach, or drive my family nuts if I didn't coach. I'll look for a good fit."

   Mark your calendar: The state's top two Division II boys hockey teams will face off Saturday when No. 1 Pelham comes to Skaneateles on Saturday.

   Remembering Maribel: One of the state's more accomplished distance runners of a generation ago is being remembered this week following her death on New Year's Eve.

   Maribel Sanchez Souther was 41.

   "She was by far the strongest runner I've ever had," Yorktown coach Keith Smith told The Journal News.

   The 1992 Yorktown grad was a multi-time Section 1 cross country champion and also highly accomplished in indoor and outdoor track.

   Sanchez Souther also won the 1994 U.S. Junior Cross Country Championship and helped Dartmouth to a fifth-place NCAA finish in cross country in 1996 en route to becoming the Ivy League school's first female All-American in the sport.

   She went on to coach at Dartmouth and kept in close contact with coaches and athletes there even after leaving in 2010.

   "She was one the most humble and kind people I have ever had the pleasure to know," said Lakeland/Panas coach Rosalind Gallino, who was a year behind Sanchez Souther at Yorktown. "She was also someone who inspired others to be better than they thought that they could be."

   Cross-country animosity: The California Interscholastic Federation meeting agenda for next week includes the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. in the aftermath of recent announcements of high-profile transfers.

   "We are aware of the situation, as it relates to student-athletes from member schools within our section being contacted by IMG Academy," Southern Section commissioner Rob Wigod told the Los Angeles Times. "Also, this is not just a CIF Southern Section issue, it is something we are experiencing state-wide."

   IMG belongs to the Florida High School Athletic Association but doesn't compete for state championships. The sports-centric academy is not allowed to recruit within Florida but is not bound by any such restriction elsewhere according to the FHSAA.

   It's not the first time IMG is feeling the wrath of out-of-state organizations. The head of the Texas High School Coaches Association urged his membership not to schedule IMG. The Georgia High School Association adopted a rule designed to prevent schools from playing IMG in football.