Setting the Scene: The early part of my last week of February has been dedicated to the Hudson Valley. Back-to-back days with drives south on the Taconic… hey, at least it isn’t four straight days on I-88 like last week? After Monday’s double dip in both Sections 1 & 9, I couldn’t resist turning around and coming back to Section I for what lined up as one of the best sectional quarterfinals statewide this year. Pearl River came in as a 6 seed that’s clearly better than their seeding. Hendrick Hudson came in as a 3 seed that’s been playing better than that seed over the last several weeks. Both teams are led by star seniors that turn the page after this season’s conclusion to become college teammates. Winner earned a trip to the County Center for Section I Class A semifinals, but it’s a matchup that felt well served for the County Center itself. No shortage of storylines. Had to make the trip into Westchester County.

Hendrick Hudson 52, Pearl River 50

75 Words or Less: What felt like the game of the night in my coverage region somehow surpassed expectation. March-level teams fighting for their playoff lives & the opportunity to get a March game, and it went the distance. Although there were only four lead changes, it played as a back & forth affair all game, and with the door left open, Kayla McCarthy hit the shot of Hen Hud’s season off a Kaitlyn Raguso kick to win it. Playoff basketball.

THE FULL STORY

Two observations ran my thoughts of the opening frame… and a couple more came into play later. It was clear pretty much from the opening tip that officials were going to let both teams rock, which helped set the stage for a physical, spirited 32 minutes. The other note? Pearl River half-court defense was no joke. Hen Hud had its issues creating off the dribble & getting in the paint against the stingy Pirates, something they rely on. With that, the visitors had the better of things early on. The frontcourt of Kelsey Miedreich (Pearl River 2025, Scranton commit) and Amelia Layden (Pearl River 2025) produced six straight while Hen Hud went over four minutes without a point, and they led by as much as 5 on two occasions late in the 1st before a Kaitlyn Raguso (Hendrick Hudson 2025, Scranton commit) steal & layup – her second defense-to-offense bucket of the quarter – made it 11-8 in favor of Pearl River after one.

Meanwhile, Hen Hud had its own way of being stingy. Their team speed & zone pressure had Pearl River slightly out of sorts in the opening minutes, but not enough to lose control. The turnovers generally weren’t live-ball turnovers, which allowed them to set up defensively. As the opening half progressed, that changed, and Pearl River was in greater need of the locker room as intermission drew closer. The visitors only mustered two field goals in the 2nd quarter, with Miedreich & Layden each scoring off baseline out-of-bounds action nearly four minutes apart, but it took a while for Hen Hud to capitalize on its defensive success. Pearl River held a 15-10 lead late in the half before the Sailors had their first real surge of the night. Raguso canned a three at the 2:20 mark, Kate Stratton (Hendrick Hudson 2026) tied it with a finish through contact, Raguso gave Hen Hud its first lead since 2-0 with a bucket off a turnover, and less than 90 seconds after Raguso’s initial trey, Maria Ribeiro (Hendrick Hudson 2027) hit one of her own to make it a 10-0 run and send the 3 seed into the locker room up 20-15.

The 3rd quarter – a very physical one at that – laid the groundwork for the finish. Pearl River made its run; Hen Hud responded. A bit of foreshadowing. The Sailors got back-to-back buckets from Raguso & Elyse Smith (Hendrick Hudson 2026) in the midst of another 4+ minute Pearl River drought to take a 24-16 lead, but in the matter of a minute, the 6 seed had it tied up. A Layden bucket sandwiched threes from backcourt partners Katie Duffy (Pearl River 2026) & Caitlin Dempsey (Pearl River 2028) to knot it at 24 with just over two minutes left in the stanza. The hosts wasted no time in its response, though, with four Sailor starters scoring in a 9-2 flurry to push the margin back to 7. Pearl River brought it back within a handful at 33-28 with two Layden free throws in the closing seconds, a conversion that felt big to stop the bleeding & stay within range on the road.

The first three quarters were kind of a grind. Competitive, entertaining, fun, but still a grind. Scoring production wasn’t the easiest to come by, understandable with the nerves & physicality of the game. But in the 4th… the flood gates opened.

A Raguso three to start the 4th had Hen Hud in business with a 36-28 lead. That, however, was short-lived. This time, Pearl River would get over the hump… at least momentarily. Two more 2-for-2 trips to the charity stripe for Layden were bookends of a 12-0 run that also included a difficult midrange jumper from Miedreich and a pull-up three from Dempsey to give the Pirates their first lead of the second half. Ribeiro stopped the bleeding with her third three of the night around the 4:35 mark, but Miedreich answered a couple possessions later with another high degree of difficulty midrange jumper, this one rising over traffic in transition, and a Duffy trey with just over three minutes to play gave Pearl River another two-possession lead at 45-41. The teams traded conversions on the ensuing possessions, with Pearl River eventually clinging to a 47-46 lead heading into a chaotic final sequence.

After Pearl River got a stop with Miedreich skying for the defensive rebound, they found her on a dive & she converted with a tough extended finish through contact to push their lead to three. After a timeout to advance the ball, Raguso got to her right hand & finished at the rim to make it 49-48 with :39.1 left. Forced to foul, Pearl River missed a pair at the line, secured the offensive rebound, and split a pair to inch ahead to 50-48. Hen Hud played it out without a timeout, running similar action with the ball in Raguso’s hands. This time, help came aggressively off the ball side corner on her right-hand drive and instead of forcing at the rim, she made the play. Kayla McCarthy (Hendrick Hudson 2025), without a point until this point, received the kickout & canned a massive corner three to give Hen Hud a 51-50 lead with :13.3 to go.

Pearl River had two more chances on advancements & sideline sets, but Hen Hud – whose biggest (only) defensive flaw was giving up a collection of good looks against set out-of-bounds action – stayed strong & didn’t allow a reasonable scoring opportunity. The latter resulted in a Raguso steal, who was fouled & split a pair with :03.6 left to double the margin to 52-50. Without a timeout remaining, Pearl River got off one last desperation attempt from half-court, which fell short to close out a championship-level quarterfinal showdown.

Kaitlyn Raguso led all scorers with 19 points in the win and made notable impact across the board, including the drive & assist on Kayla McCarthy’s game-winning three. Elyse Smith joined her in double digits with 13, primarily after intermission. Amelia Layden led Pearl River in the books with 17 points, 7 coming in the 4th quarter, and Kelsey Miedreich capped her exceptional high school career with 15 points & 22 rebounds.

Next Up: For Hendrick Hudson, it’s a date at a familiar site, the Mecca of Section I. They’ll head to the County Center on Saturday to take on 2 seed Pelham in the first of two Class A semifinals. For Pearl River, one of Rockland County’s finest, the season comes to a close.

#ThoughtsFromTheBaseline

• My last Upstate 20 ranking had both teams in the Top 7 in Class A (for those reading that haven’t tapped into the U-20 yet, it’s everything north of NYC). After seeing these teams in person, that pretty much tracks. I’ve seen pretty much all of the good ones now, and I can’t mention more than a handful that I could consider potentially better than what I just watched.
• A shoutout to Hen Hud standout Kaitlyn Raguso – a star with an approach to the game that’ll serve her well going forward. Pearl River didn’t do anything crazy defensively, just matched up, but she of course drew the top defender & dedicated attention. I don’t think she forced anything all game but was timely in her ability to make plays. She steadily had her prints on the game at both ends of the floor, took what the defense gave her, generated some offense from her own defense, and remained poised & collected in the tighter moments. When push came to shove and Hen Hud needed something, it was going through her. She made the right reads, the right plays, and her team got the payoff. There is something to be said about all of that. Talent to be a big-time player in a highly competitive college basketball setting and habits to have an easier-than-most transition.
• And an equal shoutout to Pearl River standout Kelsey Miedreich – a star that does it the right way. Ups & downs in this game, but I don’t think there’s anything more she could’ve given. Played around/over/through bodies for 32 minutes, competed at a high level in all facets of the game, made Hen Hud largely a one-and-done team as a big-time defensive rebounding presence, made some ‘big dog’ plays on the offensive end in the 4th quarter. And after a heartbreaking loss, if my eyes didn’t deceive me, the first thing I saw her do after the obligatory good-game lines (while still on the court) was be approached for an interview & take it. Tough position to be in. All class. Great high school career has come to a close, but there’s another chapter ahead for her. Even at one of the nation’s premier D3 programs, Kelsey has potential to be a star at the collegiate level.
• Speaking of that nationally regarded D3 program: call this the Ben O’Brien Invitational. The Scranton head coach wasn’t there – after all, the Royals start Landmark Conference playoffs at the John Long on Thursday and probably have dominance on their minds after taking their first loss of the season a few days ago – but if he was, he’d probably be doing the *rubs hands like Birdman* meme. Kaitlyn Raguso & Kelsey Miedreich are Section I standouts whose paths have been a little different – opposite ends of the river, different AAU clubs, etc. – but they’ll join forces in the Electric City in the fall. I’ve seen my share of Scranton this week between these two and Gabby Murphy on Monday… the Royals are in good hands. Coach O’Brien raided the Hudson Valley in the 2025 class and got the right kids. I’ll be loading up on my Zummo’s, Ale Mary’s, and every other NEPA favorite the next few years while watching them take the lead.
• This game was an ice bath special. One of the more physical & loosely officiated games I’ve attended this year, and the 3rd quarter in particular featured multiple bodies on the floor seemingly every possession. Everything was earned – maybe a little too much at times, but I think I speak for the majority in saying I’d at least take that over the opposite. Playoff basketball, playoff intensity.
• Even in a Section I Class A group that is relatively deep with competitive teams, this game was not fit to be played in the quarterfinals. I’m a fan of the thought of ‘common sense seeding’, which is uncommon outside of my Section 2 backyard (sorry, I’m sounding like a homer). Said ‘common sense seeding’ would have both of these teams in the top 4, along with Ardsley & Pelham, and make this *at least* a neutral site semifinal. On one hand, I’m selfishly down with it being a QF because I won’t be in this region during County Center week so I wouldn’t be able to see it. But for ‘reality’ purposes, too early for these two to see each other. A February game fit for March.