Leading off today: I promise to start giving the benefit of the doubt for now on when someone tells me that anything can happen on any given night.

   Evidence from last night strongly suggests there's justification for such unbridled optimism:

   (1) Anthony Monescalchi scored 26 points, Kenny Fuqua added 21 and Jordan Skipper put together 18 points and 18 rebounds as previously winless Ravena beat Lansingburgh, the state's No. 23 Class A boys basketball team, 75-67.

   Host Ravena (1-15) outscored Lansingburgh (14-3) by 24-11 in the second quarter to take a 35-24 lead.

   (2) No. 3 Suffern walloped No. 4 Mamaroneck 10-0 as a pair of state-ranked Division I hockey teams battled at Sport-O-Rama four weeks after Suffern prevailed in OT in their first meeting.

   "I knew we were improving, but I don't think anybody predicted a 10-0 win," Mounties defenseman Kevin Norwin told The Journal News. "That one kind of came from nowhere."

   Steve Scholer and Justin Goetz scored 30 seconds apart midway through the first period to start the onslaught.

   Shell Strong: Williamsville South beat Sweet Home 65-61 in boys basketball, but the game played second fiddle to the event surrounding it: "Shell Strong," a fundraiser inspired by 9-year-old Jacob Shell's battle with neuroblastoma, a rare childhood cancer.

   Jacob Shell is the son of Matt Shell, football coach at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, the team that has dropped the last two NYSPHSAA finals to Sweet Home. Fans from both teams as well as coaches Al Monaco of WIlliamsville South and Paul Schintzius of Sweet Home wore "Shell Strong" T-shirts.

   "This Jacob Shell event was the classiest thing that I may have been a part of for the last 20 years," Monaco told The Buffalo News. "It was so great of the people of Sweet Home to put this on. I can't say enough about them."

   Junior Phil Stasiak had 19 points, Joe Licata scored his 18 on 3-pointers and Mark Coppola had 10 points and 15 assists in the victory.

   Special moment: There was a very special ceremony honoring girls basketball coach Dave Powers at Tuxedo

Road To Glens Falls boys hoops site

before a 60-18 triumph over Fallsburg.

   Tuxedo AD John Landro introduced the surprise special guest to present Powers with a ball honoring his recent 400th win: Madeline Napolitano, 86, wheelchair bound for more than three months while rehabbing from a fall. Napolitano had worked for 48 seasons as the team's scorekeeper before her mishap while waiting for the bus to a JV game.

   "It just blew me away," Powers told The Times Herald-Record. "I think tonight reinforces the whole idea that we are a community. We talk as a team about being an extended family. In many ways, we are one big family."

   More basketball: Chris Cardon won his 300th game as Irondequoit beat Rush-Henrietta 63-48. Josiah Heath finished with 10 points and nine rebounds for Irondequoit. R-H scoring leader Mandell Thomas did not play.

   Friday's 71-63 loss to Long Island Lutheran was the latest in a string of setbacks to highly regarded teams for the Albany Academy boys. Eight of Cadets' losses this year have been to state ranked teams: New Rochelle, Shenendehowa and Bishop Maginn in Class AA; Jamesville-DeWitt, Cornwall, Nichols and Lutheran in A; and Class B Collegiate.

   One more signing: Shenendehowa offensive tackle Austin Lane has accepted a partial scholarship to continue his football career at Syracuse, The Times Union reported. Lane had also received interest from several I-AA programs. . . . Greg Sheeler is expected to be approved as the new football coach at Shaker when the school board meets Feb. 22. The former Gloversville quarterback has been Shaker's offensive coordinator since 2007 under Dennis Bender, who stepped down following the 2009 season.