Leading off today: Don't bet against Mount Vernon winning its fifth state Class AA championship in a decade. Not after coach Bob Cimino's Knights improved to 10-2 last night with a 70-54 victory over St. Raymond in the SNY Invitational at NYU.

   On Friday, Mount Vernon, ranked No. 3 in Class AA by the New York State Sportswriters Association, beat No. 6 Thomas Jefferson, 76-65.

   Senior forward Sherrod Wright led the Knights with 28 points in the final, and Odayne Clarke piled up 16 rebounds as Mount Vernon held a 27-15 advantage on the offensive boards.

   "This was a challenge on a national spotlight," Cimmino told The Daily News. "I think we got better this weekend. Time will tell if I'm right."

   No. 18 Boys & Girls won the consolation over Jefferson, 58-55, on a Mike Taylor three-pointer at the buzzer. Lamount Samuell finished with 20 points for the 'Roos.

   Saturday girls action: Amarrae Stevens had 13 points with 13 rebounds for No. 3 Pittsford Mendon in a 53-44 win over No. 9 Honeoye Falls-Lima in Class A action. Carly Napier (12 points) was 7-for-8 from the line down the stretch.

   St. Peter's, No. 6 in Class AA, picked up a quality win by a 43-34 margin over Philadelphia Central. Jackie Passalacqua (12 points, 12 rebounds), Catherine Lewis (seven and 11) and Victoria Jones (eight and 10) led the way against the two-time Phildadelphia Public School champion.

   New Balance Games highlights: A few of the more noteworthy performances from The Armory on Saturday:

   Charlene Lipsey of Hempstead clicked off a 4:55.82 win in the girls mile. Chris Carrington covered the bell lap in 58 seconds and won the boys mile in 4:19.83.

   Medger Evers's boys and girls 800-meter relays swept in 1:29.31 and 1:42.23, the latter in a four-team blanket finish.

   New York Mills pole vaulter Linda Hadfield clearing 12-4 to win.

   Waverly piles up points: Five Waverly wrestlers won finals en route to the Interscholastic Athletic Conference team championship at Watkins Glen. Waverly, ranked first in the state in Division 2, finished with 286½ points and placed 14 competitors in the top six to hold off Newark Valley (261) in the 16-team event.

   Waverly's champions were Trevor Nocchi (112 pounds), Brett Sewalt (135), Brian Sewalt (145), Logan Walker (152) and Dillion Fiske (285).

   Friday leftovers: Rochester East senior guard Jerrold Brooks came through with the monster game of the season -- a career-high 45 points 13 assists, 12 rebounds and 11 steals -- to spark an 89-79 win over Edison. Brooks, who is averaging 26.4 points per game and was featured in a Democrat and Chronicle story the morning of the game, made seven three-pointers in the first quarter.

   Lansing sophomore Jocelyn Ford scored 17 points to beat Newark Valley, 60-23, and give Bobcats girls basketball coach Stu Dean his 400th victory. Ford scored nine points in the first quarter to help build a 23-5 lead.

Also worth checking out Boys basketball page 2008 all-state football team

   The Cicero-North Syracuse (12-1) girls upset Class AA No. 14 Oswego (14-2), 51-43, as Marybeth Egan hit for 16 points and Breanna Stewart added 14.

   Saratoga, ranked eighth in Division 1, dropped consecutive hockey games, including by a 4-2 margin Friday against Shaker-Colonie. LaSalle beat Saratoga the previous night, 2-0.

   Police blotter: It wasn't a good week for adults involved in kids games.

   State police charged Gildo Lacourt, 41, of Wingdale with misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child after the father of a Dover player went onto the court during a scuffle between the teams and allegedly struck one or more Haldane players, The Daily Freeman reported. No one was seriously injured. Lacourt was released on an appearance ticket for Dover Town Court.

   State police in Bath charged Jordan Butler, 22, a volunteer assistant for the Jasper-Troupsburg boys basketball team and former star player there, with providing alcohol Monday for an underage drinking party. First-degree unlawful dealing with a child is a class A misdemeanor.

   Additionally, 16-year-old J-T player Joseph Lisi, was charged with sexual misconduct and endangering the welfare of a child after allegedly engaging in sexual conduct with another person under the age of 17, The Evening Tribune reported.

   Butler and Lisi were issued tickets to appear Feb. 3 in Jasper Town Court. Schools Superintendent Chad Groff said the district will be investigating the incident.

   Former boys and girls basketball coach John M. Puglisi, a social studies teacher at Newark Valley, was arrested Friday for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old student, The Press & Sun-Bulletin reported.

   State police said Puglisi, 29, was charged with third-degree rape, a felony, and endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor. He was sent to the Broome County Jail without bail. Puglisi coached the girls varsity team in the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons. In addition, he was the boys coach in 2003 and 2004, the paper reported.

   Ex-hoopster sentenced: Former East Hampton basketball star Michael Russell, 18, was sentenced Tuesday to one year in Suffolk County Jail for his role in two burglaries, according to reports.

   Russell, the point guard for the 2008 state finalists, pleaded guilty in Suffolk County Court to charges of attempted burglary in the second degree, a class C felony; felony possession of stolen property in the fourth degree; as well as petit larceny and two counts of fourth-degree criminal mischief. The last three charges are misdemeanors.

   Russell holds the school record with 267 three-pointers in his career.

   Later today: I'll be posting another blog later to catch up on more of what's been a very busy week in high school sports.

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