Wallkill's Hern is SCIL boy's basketball Player of the Week

Mike Hern hit the hoop with 14 of his game-high 26 points at crunch time as Wallkill Valley defeated Kittatinny 53-45 in a SCIL boys’ basketball game on Thursday in Hampton. It was the second impressive performance of the week for Hern who was named the sussexcountyinterscholasticleague.com/Richards and Summers Player of the Week. Hern launched three successful treys in the fourth quarter as the Rangers cooled off the Cougars who had bridged the second and third quarters with a 27-20 rally. Joe Byrne chipped in with 11 points while Steve Simmons netted eight points as the unbeaten Rangers won their third straight. Two days earlier, Hern tallied 20 points in a 64-59 victory over Jefferson after the Rangers opened up 15-10 lead by the end of the first quarter. Byrne popped 18 points into the basket and Paul Pallazzola tallied 11 points. Jami Gagg netted 23 points, dished off seven assists and picked off three steals to propel the Lady Rangers to a 54-37 romp over Kittatinny. Jackie Cuomo turned in a double-double effort in a supporting role as she pumped 11 points through the iron and pulled down 13 rebounds. Gagg had 20 points in a 46-42 loss to Jefferson on Tuesday.