The LoHud Girls Basketball Blog

Here’s a look at Conference 2. Below I have listed the league alignments for the conference. For each league I will post my favorite and my challenger, and why. At the bottom are my preseason all-conference teams.

Preseason CONFERENCE 2 breakdown —

League A:
Gorton
Lincoln
Roosevelt
Saunders
Ursuline B
Yonkers
Favorite — Ursuline B: Yes, I know. These Koalas are not allowed to win league titles. But they are the beat team in the league. So let’s just say they are the favorite to win the most games.
Top challenger — Saunders: The most dangerous player in the league is Jessica Negron. She can score at will, and will help the Blue Devils compete for the crown of…team with most wins in the league.

League B:
Mamaroneck
Mount Vernon
New Rochelle
Scarsdale
Ursuline
White Plains
Favorite — Mount Vernon: Even though this beastly league was kept in place, the reigning Class AA champs remain a heavy favorite. The Knights return two of the top players in the section in Shanyce Stewart and Taylor Palmer, plus the Section 1 tournament MVP (Sade King), another all-section forward (Tatiana Lewin) and a 6-foot-4 freshman with two years of varsity experience (Lubirdia Gordon). They are loaded.
Top challenger — Scarsdale: White Plains should be improved and Ursuline may prove to have more talent, but last year’s semifinalist deserves second billing here. The Raiders must replace senior captains Allison Gage and Kerry Ryan, but they return their top player, Chelsea LoBue, their top ball-handler and shooter, Danielle Feigin, and a rising star in Hayley Kanner. Plus, they have Mount Vernon’s number.

League C:
Dobbs Ferry
Hastings
Irvington
Sleepy Hollow
Solomon Schechter
Woodlands
Favorite — Irvington: Not only are the Bulldogs a league favorite, they are right there with Nanuet as favorites to win the gold ball in Class B. The class of finally-seniors — Tara Gabelman, Riley Harrington and Lisa Bucci — will be bolstered by a more mature Marley Giddens, who starred at the County Center as a freshman.
Top challenger — Dobbs Ferry: The Eagles had a terrific season, in which they reached the County Center as a Class B neophyte. Jackie Giuliano is a commanding presence for them, but they must figure out a way to replace Kristin Ritch at the point. Expect their top athlete, Lisa Tessitore, to handle the ball more.

League D:
Ardsley
Bronxville
Eastchester
Edgemont
Pelham
Favorite — Edgemont: This is a familiar group of opponents, and Edgemont proved to be the best of them last year. Brittni Lai has already developed into a star and she’s just a freshman.
Top challenger — Pelham: No one past Edgemont returns the type of resume needed to earn second billing. I’ll lean toward the Pelicans because they have a good new coach (Tim Pitrulle) and plenty of experience earned the last couple seasons.

Preseason ALL-CONFERENCE 2 —

First-team:
Jackie Giuliano, Dobbs Ferry
Sade King, Mount Vernon
Chelsea LoBue, Scarsdale
Taylor Palmer, Mount Vernon
Shanyce Stewart, Mount Vernon

Second-team:
Tara Gabelman, Irvington
Riley Harrington, Irvington
Brittni Lai, Edgemont
Tatiana Lewin, Mount Vernon
Shannon Ray, Ursuline

Third-team:
Chrissy Conroy, New Rochelle
Danielle Feigin, Scarsdale
Shelby Fields, White Plains
Marley Giddens, Irvington
Jessica Negron, Saunders