Memorable moments in the New York high school sports scene as playoffs start

Playoff action is getting started throughout the state and with the arrival of the postseason – and conclusion of the regular season – there have been some noteworthy performances.

Here's a look at some of the more memorable moments that have happened – and some that are ahead down the road:

No. 2 downs No. 1 in wrestling
With six wrestlers in the finals, Monroe-Woodbury (Central Valley) outdistanced the state's No. 1-ranked team, Minisink Valley (Slate Hill), 271.5-257, to take the team title at the Section 9 Division 1 championships. Monroe-Woodbury, which saw four of its finalists win their weight classes, is ranked second in the state. Minisink Valley had five finalists, with four taking titles. Ryan Ferro of Warwick was named most outstanding wrestler.

Irish springs 60 in double-OT thriller
Shea Irish, a senior for Warrensburg, became the first player in New York to score 60 points in a game since 2011 in an 80-78 double-overtime loss to Hartford Central. Hartford had a rare feat of its own, as Ethan Tyler hit a pair of contested buzzer-beaters from midcourt, including a spectacular heave just when regulation ended, tying the regular-season, nonleague game at 57-57. The state record for most points in a game is 98 by Peru's Chuck Kinney during the 1954-55 season.

Cicero-North Syracuse girls in a league of its own
Cicero-North Syracuse (Cicero) clinched the Section 3 CNYCL National division girls basketball title in a 71-48 win against Baldwinsville. Amani Free led the way with a game-high 24 points for C-NS (16-1, 8-0).

Baldwin girls have been dominant
The unbeaten Baldwin girls basketball team has been dominant on Long Island, with just one of its 16 regular-season games decided by less than 10 points – a 63-54 victory over St. Mary's on Dec. 29.

Baldwin's boys also atop standings
The Baldwin boys (16-1), meanwhile, have lost just once this season – 71-63 to Brentwood on Jan. 17. That was also one of two games decided by less than 10 points, with the other being a 51-46 victory over Holy Trinity on Dec. 29.



Suffern hockey saving the best for last?
State power Suffern has had its usual share of ups – and some uncharacteristic downs – during the regular season, but the Mounties (11-5-1) may be saving their best for last. Suffern dealt Scarsdale its first loss in one of the final games of the regular season, picking up a 4-2 win over the Raiders (15-1). The return of versatile forward Michael Redgate from an injury has sparked Suffern.

Manhasset wins Hardwood Classic
The annual Long Island lacrosse showdown between rivals Garden City and Manhasset is known as the Woodstick Classic. The two schools played a classic in boys basketball last week with Manhasset winning 60-59 on a free throw by Tramont Smith with 0.5 seconds left in overtime after John Sanseverino (20 points) tied it for Manhasset by nailing a jump shot with 35 seconds left in overtime.

Hudson Valley hoop-la
Section 1 (Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess and Rockland counties) has a strong group of No. 1 seeds in both its boys and girls tournaments, which move on to quarterfinal-round action this week. The boys top seeds are: Arlington (LaGrangeville) (Class AA), Spring Valley (A), Woodlands (Hartsdale) (B), Haldane (Cold Spring) (C) and Clark Academy (Greenburgh) (D). Top seeds for the girls are: Ossining (Class AA), Albertus Magnus (Bardonia) (A), Irvington (Irvington, N.Y.) (B) and Haldane (Cold Spring) (C). Championship week, with semifinals and finals at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, starts Monday Feb. 23.

Looking ahead to girls' March Madness
The NYSPHSAA girls semifinals and finals will be Friday, March 20 and Saturday, March 21 at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy.

Equal time for boys' March Madness
The NSPHSAA boys semifinals and finals will be Saturday, March 21 and Sunday, March 22 at the Glens Falls Civic Center.

Multimedia news and sports editor and producer Joe Lombardi is director of media initiatives and managing editor of the DailyVoice.com, as well as the primary author of the most recent edition of "Lacrosse for Dummies." Follow Joe on Twitter @Joe_Lombardi or e-mail jlombardi@dailyvoice.com.