NYSSWA: New York State Sportswriters Association

Leading off today: Junior James Torres scored 10 of his 12 points in the first half to start Albany's Bishop Maginn on its way to a 68-37 rout of Niagara Falls yesterday in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class AA boys basketball final at the Glens Falls Civic Center.

Maginn (26-1) will return to the Civic Center on March 29 against PSAL champion Abraham Lincoln in the Federation Tournament.

Maginn's pressure forced seven turnovers in the opening quarter to take command and then put away the Wolverines away (25-2) with a 15-2 run in the third quarter. Niagara Falls shot just 14-for-52 (26.9 percent) and committed 17 turnovers.

The Class A final was another lopsided affair as Jamesville-DeWitt blasted East Hampton, 78-54, by rattling off 21 of the game's 25 points. J-D senior Mickey Davis led the way with 19 points, and MVP Brandon Triche added 17 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.

Girls finals: Haldame limited Madrid-Waddington to five field goals over the final three quarters and earned a 46-36 victory in the NYSPHSAA Class C final at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy.

Brittany Shields led the way with 23 points and four steals. Haldane forced 28 turnovers and held Madrid-Waddington to 3-for-25 second-half shooting.

In Class D, Hammond topped Coleman Catholic, 47-38, by racing to a 10-1 lead and then staying comfortably ahead the rest of the way. Tournament MVP Brittany Kenyon scored 17 points in the triumph.

Lincoln boys win: Junior Lance Stephenson scored 27 points and had eight rebounds in 25 minutes at Madison Square Garden as Abraham Lincoln beat Boys & Girls for the PSAL championship, 88-57.

"It gave me chills," Railspitters coach Dwayne Morton said. "It was like watching the second coming of Sebastian (Telfair). It's too bad he can't go straight from high school" to the NBA.

Darwin Ellis added 13 points, Justin Green 12 and James Padgett 11 for the Railsplitters.

In the girls PSAL final, Murry Bergtraum coasted to its

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NYSPHSAA boys basketball

NYSPHSAA girls basketball

NYSPHSAA boys ice hockey

10th consecutive championship by pounding Manhattan Center, 85-47. Krystal Parnell posted 19 points and 10 assists for Bergtraum, which is riding a 51-game winning streak. Syracuse recruit Shakeya Leary added nine points and 12 rebounds.

CHSAA action: Manhattan's St. Agnes topped Buffalo Bishop Timon, 54-40, at Fordham University for a spot in the boys' Federation Class B tournament.

St. Agnes (21-8) held a 41-19 advantage in rebounding. Matt Wafala scored 18 points and Brandon Whitaker added 14, including four 3-pointers in the first half.

In Class A, Brooklyn's Bishop Ford defeated Chaminade, 72-62, as Chaz Williams put up 32 points and 12 assists.

"Chaz is a complete athlete," said Ford coach John Infortunio. "He's great physically and when it gets late, you can tell he's tired, but he's got that fire and just kicks it up a notch."

Indoor track: Senior Kyle Merber of Half Hollow Hills West won the boys mile at the 10th Nike Indoor Nationals in Landover, Md., with a time of 4:16.47.

As expected, the 25th National Scholastic Indoor Championships in the The New Balance Track and Field Center had more of a New York flavor at the top of the podium. Boys & Girls senior Nadonnia Rodriques led the way by claiming the girls' 400 meters in :52.85.

In relay action, girls quartets from Cardozo (3,200) and Boys & Girls (800) took firsts in 9:05.60 and 1:40.51, respectively. And Clarkstown South's Mary Dutkoski claimed the girls racewalk in 7:41.06.

Extra points: NYCHoops.net columnist Adam Zagoria reports that Ashton Pankey, a 6-foot-8 sophomore forward, has left Archbishop Molloy following an incident in which he was found in possession of a stolen cell phone, according to media reports. Pankey averaged 15.1 points per game this season and has attracted the attention of numerous Division I colleges.

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