NYCHoops.net Top Ten Teams Wtchtr/Upstate

In the last Upstate/Westchester rankings before the New Year, there is a lot of change at the top as we have a new #1 to close out 2014.

Each of the 10 teams from last week remain, but the order looks pretty different as there were a good amount of upsets as teams continue to jockey for position and prove that they belong among the best in New York State. Many of these teams will get strongly tested over the Christmas break so it will be very interesting to see how things may change in two weeks' time. For now though, here is this week's NYCHoops.net Upstate/Westchester Top 10.

1) Westhill- The Warriors rise to #1 based off of a pair of dominant wins over local Syracuse area competition last week. They easily took down Syracuse Academy of Science behind the 21 points of Jordan Roland '15, while Jeff LoBello '15 added 16 points in the win. Westhill also hosted Hannibal and it turned into one of the more lopsided blowouts you will find with the Warriors winning 70-13. The one sided nature of the game allowed players who don't normally get to shine an opportunity to show what they can do and Steven Bailey '15 rose to the occasion with 22 points. The holidays will give Westhill a chance to play some incredibly tough games as they participate in the Stop DWI Holiday Classic where they open with tough Philadelphia power Roman Catholic.

2) Greece Athena- Up one spot from last week's rankings, the Trojans easily dispatched of their two Rochester area opponents last week when they easily took down Spencerport 88-32 before facing off with archrival Greece Arcadia and taking them down 72-46. Anthony Lamb '16 had another double-double against Arcadia when he had 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Zac DiSalvo '15 added 18 points in the win. Greece Athena will head downstate after Christmas to play in the Slam Dunk Tournament at the Westchester County Center where they will open it up with a tough Iona Prep team.

3) Canisius- It was quite the week for the Crusaders as they proved to be the class of Buffalo this season with a pair of very good wins. First it was a 76-72 win in overtime over Bishop Kearney that saw star forward Stafford Trueheart '16 put on one of the season's top performances to date as he had 24 points, 21 rebounds, and 6 blocks to help Canisius to the victory. They then were able to push past Jamestown over the weekend 55-46 in a game that saw LaTerrance Reed '15 lead the way with 22 points in the win. They have a pair of league games before Christmas, and then after the Crusaders will travel south to Washington D.C. for their yearly visit to the Jesuit Christmas Classic.

4) Iona Prep- The Gaels started the week strong with an 86-61 victory over Holy Cross with Tom Capuano '15 scoring 33 points, but it quickly went downhill as they lost on Friday night to Xaverian 64-60, costing them the #1 spot in the rankings. Ty Jerome '16 had 25 points, and they rallied back from a large deficit, but they couldn't overtake a determined Clippers squad. Iona Prep did rebound well with a 80-64 victory over Saunders at the White Plains Harry Jefferson Classic, but the one loss pushed them down to #4. They have a matchup with Mount St. Michael before Christmas, and then play in the Slam Dunk Tournament afterward where they square off with Greece Athena in their opening round matchup.

5) Scotia-Glenville- For one of the rare times over the past couple of years, the Tartans got tested in a game this week. They did easily take down Johnstown 92-65 on Tuesday with Joe Cremo '15 leading the way with 29 points and 10 rebounds, but a trip to Broadalbin-Perth proved to be a challenge as the game was tied going into the 4th quarter as the home team slowed the game down and almost pulled the upset, but it was Scotia who hung on for the 48-42 win. Cremo had 20 in the hard fought win, with big man Mike Palleschi '15 adding 15. A matchup with Cohoes is on tap for before Christmas, and then after they play both Schenectady and Columbia, a pair of Class "AA" opponents, in the Schenectady Holiday Shootout.

6) Albany Academy- A trip to Troy was the Cadets lone outing this last week. Highly touted before the season, the Flying Horse guard play was thought to be a real test for Albany Academy, but behind the 19 points of Sal Arena '16 and 14 points of Rory Flaherty '15, they were able to come out with the impressive 69-57 victory. Clearly one of the top teams in the Albany region, they will head on the road to play in a tournament at Cathedral H.S. in Massachusetts after Christmas where they will face off with a pair of that state's top teams in East Boston and Cambridge Rindge & Latin in hopes of staying unbeaten through the New Year.

7) Nichols School- Only one game last week for the Vikings, a 59-43 victory over Silver Creek in a game that saw Will Johnson '17 step up, scoring 20 points to help propel Nichols to the win. Before Christmas the Vikings will have a league matchup with Archbishop Walsh, as well as a non-league game with Bennett, and then after Christmas a trip to Binghamton for the Stop DWI Holiday Classic where they will get stiff competition in the opening round from one of Canada's top teams in St. Michael's.

8) Archbishop Stepinac- Playing without star forward Jordan Tucker '17 who was suspended for the game, St. Raymond were able to easily take down the Crusaders, giving the White Plains team their first loss of the season, 83-48. Kylan Guerra '15 continued his fine start to the season with 25 points in the loss. They did respond from the defeat well though as they went down to Staten Island to take on St. Peter's over the weekend and got a 57-50 overtime win. Guerra had 31 points, while Tucker returned to the lineup and had 17 points and 11 rebounds. Stepinac has to travel to Xaverian just before Christmas, and then after that it will be the Slam Dunk Tournament where they open up with another top Westchester team in Spring Valley.

9) Bishop Kearney- It was not a week to remember for Kearney as they traveled all across the state for three games, and only ended up going 1-2 to loss their first two of the season. It started the week with an overtime loss to Canisius 76-72 in Buffalo in a game that saw Quinton Rose '16 score 19 points, but it wasn't enough for the win. The Kings then went down to Long Island for the weekend for a pair of games and in game one, lost to St. Mary's 81-73. Rose led Kearney with 25 points, while Rian Carter '16 added 21. They did close out their week long journey on a positive note with a 74-59 victory over Harborfields as Rose closed out a strong week for himself personally by scoring 24 in the win. With so much travel already early in this season, the Kings are staying home during the holidays, instead playing a pair of teams on Hutch Tech and Nottingham at their gym after Christmas as Kearney looks to get back to their winning ways.

10) Catholic Central- After a tough loss to start the season against Albany Academy, the Crusaders have rebounded with 5 straight wins, including two this week against some of the toughest competition up in their area. They knocked off Schenectady to start the week 61-42 with Anthony Mack '16 dominating the competition and ending up with a game high 29 points and 14 rebounds. Catholic Central then went on the road for a game with LaSalle, and with Mack connecting on 6 threes to score 35 points, they were able to get a big 67-45 victory. Back on the right track for sure, the Crusaders had a makeup game with Albany before Christmas, and then hit the road afterward for a trip to the Shooting Touch Shootout in Massachusetts where they will draw local Massachusetts squad Franklin H.S. on day one before facing off with St. Anthony's of New Jersey in what will be a true test for them on the second and final day.

On The Bubble:

Henninger

Fairport

Jamestown

Mt. Vernon

McKinley