Leading off today: It's pretty much a given that it's almost impossible for anyone to make it through a Class AA boys basketball season undefeated. But we're not even into February yet and we're just about out of one-loss teams as well -- and a lot of very good teams have muliple "L's" on their ledger.

   New Rochelle (14-3), ranked eighth by the New York State Sportswriters Association but reeling from a mid-week loss to Scarsdale, highlighted a list of Friday upsets by knocking off No. 3 Mount Vernon (11-3), 82-75.

   New Rochelle closed the third quarter on a 10-2 run to lead by 58-51 and Mount Vernon never got closer than five points the rest of the way. Sophomore P.J. Torres scored 20 points, including 10 in the third quarter, and Antoine Mason had 17 points. Travis Wright added 18 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.

   The Trio combined for just 13 points in a mid-week loss to Scarsdale, a sub-.500 team.

   "You could play your butts off one night and, the next night, for no reason, it could be a completely different world," New Rochelle coach Bill Murphy told The Journal News. "I haven't been at it that long, but there's no rhyme or reason sometimes in basketball."

   More upsets: Harold McBride's free throw with :02 left lifted St. Raymond’s to a 46-45 shocker over No. 2 Rice (11-2) in a CHSAA game at Gauchos Gym in the Bronx. The teams meet again next Friday at St. Raymond.

   In Class A, No. 18 Pittsford Sutherland (11-2) edged No. 6 Newark (13-2) in overtime, 63-57, as senior guard Patrick O'Keefe popped for 23 points, including four of the final six to close out the game. Newark junior center Javon McCrea finished with 20 points and 19 rebounds.

   More boys results: Campbell-Savona, a 13-3 Class C team, gave up a nine-point lead in just over a minute down the stretch but got a Nate Smely free throw with 11.6 seconds left to edge Prattsburgh (13-4), No. 6 in Class D, 52-51.

   Red Hook beat Millbrook, 76-42, making Rod Chando the winningest coach in Section 9 history with a mark of 561-173. Spencer Dalzell scored 17 points as Chando eclipsed the mark of retired Highland Falls O'Neill coach Jerry Kaplan.

   Vernon-Verona-Sherrill coach Al Knapp recorded his 520th career win, tying the Section 3 record, with a 52-36 victory over New Hartford.

   Casey Sheehan scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as Greece Athena defeated Webster Thomas, 77-60, for Jim Johnson's 300th win.

   Girls roundup: Kristen Ryan scored eight of her 18 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 11 rebounds as Bishop Ludden knocked Class B No. 6 Westhill from the ranks of the unbeaten, 59-53.

   Nottingham edged Class AA No. 16 Cicero-North Syracuse, 57-56, on Iaellan Walters' free throw with seven seconds left. Nikki Works led the way with 23 points and 12 rebounds.

   Emily Trapani scored 27 points for Fayetteville-Manlius in a 69-58 victory over Rochester's Nazareth Academy,

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ranked second in Class C.

   Class D No. 3 Hamilton (16-0) remained perfect with a 48-28 win against No. 13 Richfield Springs. Kylie Martin piled up 23 points, nine rebounds and three assists.

   In Section 5 action, C.G. Finney junior Takiya Webb had 32 points, 30 rebounds and eight blocked shots to help dominate Franklin, 76-38.

   Shakeup at Pierson: Saying "we really had no choice," Pierson AD Bill Madsen confirmed to Newsday that he has dismissed fourth-year boys basketball coach Fred Marienfeld.

   "There were things that had to be dealt with right away," Madsen told the paper. "We have clear expectations for all our coaches. One of those expectations is to treat student-athletes with dignity and respect. Coach Marienfeld did not meet those expectations."

   Christian Johns, 35, a special education teacher in the district, will coach for the remainder of the season. JV coach Kevin Barron directed Pierson (5-8) in a home loss to Mercy last night.

   Marienfeld was reportedly suspended Jan. 6 for four days after using off-color language in a game, and senior Nick DePetris and junior Jake Federico quit the team soon afterward. Other players complained about Marienfeld's treatment of players, Madsen said.

   Principal Jeff Nichols said Marienfeld will remain as a physical education teacher in the district.

   RFA makes a hire: Ted Swavely, 35, a starting linemen on the school's undefeated 1991 team, has been named the football coach at Rome Free Academy. The Canisius College grad has been on the football staff since 2001 and replaces Mike Davis, who stepped down after eight years as head coach.

   "I know the tradition this school has. I know what this football program is all about,” Swavely told the Observer-Dispatch. "This has been my dream job for as long as I can remember, and I love working with kids. I think that's what I was born to do. I know there's a tremendous amount of pressure that goes with it, but the key is having a good coaching staff."

   RFA, the only Section 3 team to make sectionals every year since they began in 1979, finished 6-3 last fall.

   More coaching news: Carmon Audino, a long-time Albany CBA assistant, was named the head football coach at Catholic Central on Thursday. He is the brother of Union College coach John Audino and takes over for Sam Marro, whose contract was not renewed following a 1-8 season.

   Mary Louis' Joe Lewinger, who had been scaling back responsibilities since early in the season, took a leave of absence early this month after eight years as basketball coach to concentrate on his 3-year-old twins, Madison and Jack, who are facing cancer. He is hanging on to AD duties.

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