Girls Basketball: Team Celebrates Historic State Championship Win with Supportive Community

At the beginning of the 2009-2010 Peekskill girls basketball season the team asked assistant coach Rodney Headley Sr. if he thought they were as tough as the boys team.

Headley Sr. did not know the answer then, but he certainly does now after the girls took the state championship with a sweeping 58-35 victory last night. View a photo gallery of the game .

The Red Devils (24-1) defeated defending state champ Averill Park (13-12) in the Class A state championship on March 19 at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy. The win gave Peekskill its first state championship in any girls team sport.

Returning home from the game last night the girls were met by the Peekskill City Fire Department at the Rock Cut and were escorted through town to the high school, where a pep rally celebrated the team’s hard work and treasured championship title.

Droves of faithful Red Devils fans celebrated the team’s historic win with the players until almost midnight. Peekskill DJ supreme Pete Peterson appropriately played the song "Ladies Night" as the team walked into the John Devins Gymnasium.

"This is the icing on the cake, to see the community come out, especially the fire department escorting us back," Headley Jr. said. "They really have made the girls feel like celebrities. They really are proud of our accomplishments."

The team was also appreciative of the large following of Red Devil fans that made it up to Troy to cheer on the squad in its triumph against Averill Park. The Averill Park Warriors are from the Albany area, which gave them a home-court advantage, but the numerous and loud Peekskill fans helped the team feel support in their opponents territory.

"Our community followed us the whole way," said Headley Jr., who made it to the state championship game as a junior in 2002 when he played for the Peekskill boys squad. Headly Jr. said the school publicized the game well on its website and elsewhere. “I am definitely proud to be part of Peekskill."

The coach is especially proud of his girls dedication and hard work, from the 6 a.m. workouts right through the final buzzer in Troy. The Red Devils essentially iced the game in the second quarter, when they went on a 14-0 run which turned a 17-10 lead into a 31-10 advantage.

From that point on, the Red Devils were never threatened. Peekskill guard Asia Jackson, who scored a game-high 24 points in the 41-34 semifinal win against Grand Island, turned 17 yesterday and was named the tournament MVP.

Peekskill fans chanted "Happy Birthday Asia,” as she received her MVP plaque.

"Winning a state title is the best birthday gift I have ever had," Jackson said. "It meant a lot to have the fans here too."

Peekskill was led against Averill Park by Sheridan Taylor, Jazmin Garcia and Tasia Nolan who had 20, 17, and 14 points respectively.  Taylor was named to the all-tournament team and Dottie Bradshaw earned the tourney's sportsmanship award.

CHAMPIONSHIP SQUAD

The below were members of this year's 2010-11 Peekskill Girls Class A State Championship team:

Players: Sheridan Taylor, Tasia Nolan, Kiana Letsinger, Jazmin Garcia, Asia Jackson, Dottie Bradshaw, Tanisha Crew, Shaina Iton, Shonae Draper, Aubrey Dabbs, Latisha Clark, Troi Nolan, Samantha Jackson, Adriane Jackson and Morgan Beechum.

Coaches/staff: Rodney Headley Jr., Rodney Headley Sr., James Smith, Kim Saxton, Sidney Taylor (scorekeeper), Porky Male (manager)

TELEVISION

For those who want to relive the glory of the Red Devils' state championship, the game will be replayed by the Peekskill Educational Channel, which is channel 77 on cablevision and channel 32 on Verizon Fios. Check local listings for days and times.

The coverage includes in-depth postgame interviews with Jackson and Rodney Headley Jr.

NEXT GAME

Peekskill has one more game left in its season as it receives a bye and will play in the federation tournament championship game at 12:15 p.m. Saturday, March 26 at the Times Union Center in Albany. The Red Devils will play the winner between the CHSAA champ Archbishop Molloy and the PSAL champ (TBD).