Leading off today: You can preach defense and teamwork until you're hoarse, but nothing drives the point home better than a humbling loss or two. It's why Shaun Ryan was more than happy to add some unconventional non-leaguers to his schedule this season.

   It has a lot to do with why his team is still playing this weekend in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association boys basketball tournament in Glens Falls.

   International Prep at Grover Cleveland was highly regarded from the first day of practice this season and has steadily clawed its way to a 19-3 record and the No. 1 ranking this week in Class C from the New York State Sportswriters Association.

   Had the first-year coach stuck with lining up Class B and C non-leaguers to supplement the Buffalo small-school league schedule, he'd be riding into Glens Falls unbeaten. But Ryan sought out variety, which helps explain the season-opening loss to Class AA Orchard Park and two games against Monsignor Martin Association members.

   "Early on, everyone tells you you're going to be good but you don't know that until you go through some tough games," Ryan said. "We played some tough non-league games, St. Joe's and Canisius. And we stumbled against those guys but those games actually helped us."

   The Canisius loss was a 72-52 blowout two months ago, the last time the Presidents would lose. Ryan, who was the JV coach the previous three seasons, said it helped drive home messages in a more effective fashion than bending ears with speeches.

   It made them come closer together and learn that if they played together could do great things," Ryan said, adding with a smile, "and if they go a little on their own it doesn't work out as well.    Those battles helped us out. Nothing teaches better than experience."

   It's half the reason I-Prep is where it is. The other half has to do with senior guard Chris Holland, highly impressive against East Rochester last weekend with 16 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.

   "To me he's the best player in Western New York by far," Ryan said. "I know there's guys who are great shooters and do other things, but Chris literally does everything from other positions. He can guard biggs, he can guard smalls. He runs the show. He can score when we need it. With nine assists, he gives it up. he's not a selfish star at all. He wants to win.

   Follow it all at PostStar.com: The Post-Star in Glens Falls will have its usual wall-to-wall coverage all weekend. Be sure to check there for more game notes as well as results and news throughout the tournament.

Final four previews

   Here's a look at the Class B, C and D final fours, which get under way Friday at the Glens Falls Civic Center.

Class B

   Friday's semifinal pairings: Charlotte (Sec. 5) vs. Potsdam (Sec. 10), 6:45 p.m., Burke Catholic (Sec. 9) vs. Westhill (Sec. 3), 8:30 p.m.

   Saturday's championship game: 9 p.m. tipoff.

   What's next: Winner faces Collegiate (AIS champion) March 25 in the Federation tournament semifinals in Albany.

   Charlotte (14-9): You won't find anything on the Lakesiders' regular-season schedule that makes you take up and notice (two respectable losses vs. Batavia merit a mention), but the last four playoff games starting with a 67-49 victory over Livonia have been a revelation.

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Charlotte pesters slower teams into mistakes (a combined 57 turnovers by Mynderse and Cassadaga Valley) without a genuinely smothering press. ... Guard Alexshay Pearse will fire from the perimeter as much as the defense (and coach Jeff Curtis) will tolerate, but a lot of the rest of Charlotte does with the ball (70.4 points per game) comes off the transition, particularly in instances like the quarterfinal in which 6-2 junior post player George Shoat was pinned to the bench with foul trouble. ... Charlotte hasn't been back to Glens Falls since the 1983 and '84 Class C championships with the likes of Chris Tuck and Devin "Press" Murphy. ... There's no height on the roster beyond Shoat and 6-4 Jalen Billingsley-Williams. ... Was a No. 6 seed in the Section 5 tournament and unranked in the state until this week.

   Potsdam (24-0): The average score of the Sandstoners' games has been 76.7-36.9 and they've won all but two by double-digit margins. ... Seniors Zach Adams (17.0 ppg this season), Scott Bartenstein (15.6) and John Coleman (17.0) are all over 1,000 points for their career under coach Steve Kmack. ... Bartensein (37 treys) and Konnor Bigwarfe (29) are the zone-busters, but look for Potsdam to go inside vs. Charlotte whenever possible in settled situations. Bartenstein averages 8 assists per game. ... Potsdam rallied from six down early in the fourth quarter to edge Northeastern Clinton 41-37 in the quarterfinals. ... Lost to Burke in the 2010 semifinals.

   Burke Catholic (20-2): Led by outside threat Zach Rufer, Dante Cowart and senior point guard Richie Douglas. ... 6-7 center Brendan Miller put up 16 points in Burke’s 75-59 quarterfinal victory vs. Mattituck last weekend. ... Douglas is described as a "nightmare" defender, but his 10 points vs. Mattituck was a career high. ... Coach Doug Janeczko's team averages 74.4 points a game. ... The Eagles' losses were to Somers JFK and Christ the King. ... Dropped a 60-51 decision to Westhill in last year’s state final in Glens Falls. ... Subs Stan Buczek (a Port Jervis transfer) and junior Billy Garneau, both 6-6, give Burke depth that would make even a Class A team envious. They combine for 15 points a game and combined for 25 in the first-rounder over Albertus Magnus last week in support of Cowart (22) and Rufer (21). ... Three-time defending Section 9 champions.

   Westhill (18-5): The Warriors' tallest players are 6-foot-1 Nathan Nigolian (15 ppg), who'll play everything from point guard to center in the course of some games and 6-2 Kevin McAvoy (14.4), the pitching ace of the state-championship baseball team. Justin Biles contributes 9.2 a game. ...Defeated Binghamton Seton Catholic 48-44 in the quarterfinals, eliminating the much Saints for the second straight year in no small part by outrebounding them. ... Coached by Kevin King. ... Graduated four starters from the 2010 state championship team. ... McAvoy is the player most likely to go off; he scored 34 vs. Skaneateles in the Section 3 final.

   The pick: It's got to be Burke. Size, depth, poise and experience is all you could ask for in a final four in which none of the others has an insurmountable strength.

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