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LONG ISLAND'S HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
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LONG ISLAND'S HOME COURT ADVANTAGE!
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WINTER HOOPS FESTIVAL
We want to thank everybody for making our First Annual Winter Hoops Festival a tremendous success. We also want to apologize to all the teams that we could not accommodate this year and promise to double our capacity next year. This years champions were:
JV: Metro Youth Warriors
8th Grade: LI Roughryderz
7th Gr: Middletown's Finest
5th Gr: Lightning Wagner
Kings Of The Court
Our Kings Of The Court Tournament, a new event at the fantastic new Yes We Can Community Center in Westbury, was a great success! Sixteen teams battled from morning till night, and the following champions emerged:
Deer Park HS
Spring League Champions
Most of the High School Spring Leagues have wrapped up, and results are coming in. In the West Babylon league, it was Deer Park taking the title, led by MVP Aaren Edmead. They beat Longwood in the final. In the Uniondale Spring League, Baldwin defeated Uniondale in the final.
Updated Colleges
Time to let us know if you will be playing basketball in college next year. Also let us know if you are transfering from one college to another: COLLEGE CHOICE
So far, we have:
Thomas Ahern/Chaminade/Stevens IT
Tawayne Anderson/LuHi/Merrimack
Nick Arnold/Commack/Vassar
Kewan Beebe/Glen Cove/New Paltz
Dashawn Benson/Uniondale/E. Wyoming JC
Ryan Boyd/LuHi/College Of St. Rose
Chris Brady/Harborfields/Monmouth
Marc Campbel/Elmont/Herkimer CC
Kyhiem Chaplin/Freeport/Queens College
Damon Coleman/Holy Trinity/Adelphi
Aaron Cust/Uniondale/St. Thomas Aquinas
Tyler Dechalus/Elmont/Herkimer CC
Brendan Devine/Wantagh/U. Sciences
Brian Ehrhardt/Chaminade/Dickinson
Kentan Facey/LuHi/UConn
Bryan Gellineau/Kellenberg/E Wyoming CC
Tyree Glascoe/West Hempstead/Cortland
Xavier Grier/Valley Stream Central/Wesley
Mike Guzzardi/Mt. Sinai/Dowling
Ryan Hickey/Smithtown West/Dowling
John Horowitz/Islip/Hawaii Pacific
Mat Hutchinson/Roosevelt/Cobleskill
Weldon Irvin/Hewlett/Farmingdale S.
Rome Jenkins/Deer Park/Concordia
Garrett Johnson/Jericho/Haverford
Carrel Joseph/Deer Park/Cortland
Charlie Joyner/SJB/Mt. St. Vincent
Thomas King/East Hampton/Hartwick
Dantre Langhorne/Greenport/Herkimer CC
Rokas Lapsys/LWA /Post U. Ct.
Andy Laurent/Amityville/Manhattanville
Jake Lundenberg/LWA/CCNY
Clifton Lyerly/Lawrence/ SUNY Brockport
Diego Maldonado/VSS/Queens
Brendan McDerby/So. Side/Maritime
Tim McKenzie/Central Islip/Lincoln U
Jerel McGary/Uniondale/Herkimer CC
Elijah McMillan/Baldwin/Tuskegee
Gerald Mitchell/South Side/Maritime
JJ Moore/Brentwood/Rutgers
Shaq Mosley/Uniondale/Mohawk Valley CC
Liam Murphy/Chaminade/Geneseo
Tighe Oberg/Islip/Lake Land JC
Stephon Odle/Longwood/SUNY OWB
Jordan Parks/Hempstead/NC Central
Jon Patron/Harborfields/Dowling
Luke Petrasek/Northport/Columbia
Tidell Pierre/Hempstead/Garden C. CC, KS
Isaiah Rowe/Holy Trinity/Farmingdale St
Hunter Sabety/Oceanside/Tufts
Eric Regenbogen/Wantagh/New Paltz
Joe Santarpia/Sachem East/New Paltz
Gregory Senate/Elmont/Wagner
Andrew Seniuk/MacArthur/New Paltz
Marcus Solomon/Hills West/Pace
Ryan Spadaford/South Side/Tufts
Dante Thompson/SJB/Lackawanna CC
Fernando Vazquez/Babylon/Hartwick
Andreas Vouliakis/Rocky Point/Herkimer
Khalil Wilson/Roosevelt/Cobleskill
Achraf Yacoubou/LuHi/Saint Louis
2013 ALL-LONG ISLAND
COLLEGIATE TEAMS
D1
Melsahn Basabe, Iowa
Tommy Brenton, Stony Brook
Taran Buie, Hofstra
Chavaughn Lewis, Marist
Stevie Mejia, Hofstra
JJ Moore, Pittsburgh
Chris Obekpa, St. John’s
Rod Odom, Vanderbilt
Tavon Sledge, Iona
Jameel Warney, Stony Brook
Lucas Woodhouse, Longwood
D2
Kirk Bailey, Mercy
Justin Brown, St. Thomas Aqu.
Tobin Carberry, LIU/CW Post
Darien Davis, Dowling
George Holmes, Queen College
Josh Malone, Dowling
John Petrucelli, Molloy
Kayvon Roberts, NYIT
Bradley Simpson, Adelphi
Malik Stith, Fairmont State
D3
Reed Buck, USMMA
Brett Cohen, Haverford
Donte Howell, Mt. St. Mary
AJ Matthews, Farmingdale St.
Rashawn McCarthy, OWB
Shamoy McIntosh, Plattsburgh
Kerel Mitchell, OWB
Tyrik Tucker, OWB
Hayden Ward, Cortland State
Jesse Winter, Cortland State
JC TO FOLLOW
College Highlights
Hills West’s Tavon Sledge scored 20 points for Iona in an NCAA Tournament game against Ohio State.......Lucas Woodhouse from Harborfields worked himself into the starting line-up at D1 Longwood University of the Big South Conference, averaging about 10 points and 10 assists per game over the final seven games for the Lancers...... Hempstead's Jordan Parks and his College of Central Florida teammates won the NJCAA Championship! Parks had 7 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in the championship game! ....... Herkimer Community College finished 32-4 and third at the NJCAA Nations led by Co-Captain Jonathan Feiler of Smithtown East, who was was named an All Region player and to the National All-Tournament Team, and by Jerome Floyd of Uniondale, who was named an All Region selection and Region 3 Tournament MVP. Other Long Island contributors to this terrific run were Anthony Lanieri of Port Jefferson and Caanan Campbell of Bridgehampton.......... Dowling College advanced to the ECC Championship Game behind 18 points and 7 rebounds from freshamn Evan Maxwell and 17 points from South Side's Leon Taylor........ Stony Brook capped off an outstanding 25-8 season with an invitation to the NIT, defeating UMass in their first round game before falling to Iowa...... LIU/CW Post's Tobin Carberry, the ECC Player of the Year, was named the Daktronics East Region Player of the Year.
LONG ISLAND'S
2013 CHAMPIONS
NY STATE CHAMPIONS
NYSAIS
Class AA: LuHi
NY STATE FINALISTS
FEDERATION
Class AA: LuHi
NYSPHSAA
Class B: Babylon
LONG ISLAND CHAMPS
NSCHSAA
Class A: Chaminade
NYSPHSAA
Class AA: Northport
Class A: Amityville
Class B: Babylon
Class C: Stony Brook
Class D: Bridgehampton
NYSAIS
Class AA: LuHi
Class C: LWA
NASSAU CHAMPIONS
Class AA: Baldwin
Class A: Jericho
Class B: Wheatley
Class C: Friends Academy
SUFFOLK CHAMPIONS
Overall: Amityville
Class AA: Northport
Class A: Amityville
Class B: Babylon
Class C: Stony Brook
Class D: Bridgehampton
2013 All Long Island
2013 Basketball Honor Roll
Long Island's best boys basketball players for the 2012-2013 season. HERE
2013 Spring Travel Team Championships
Team Long Island defeated Team F.O.E of Philadelphia, the NYC Vipers, and the Freeport Ballers to claim the Varsity A Division title at the Spring Championships, the first championship event of the 2013 travel season. In the Varsity/10 Division, Team Tsunami of Long Island took home the title, the Long Island Roughryderz were the 9th Grade Champions, Knulife from Brooklyn and Lightning/Campbell captured the two 8th crowns, Lightning/Busch prevailied in 7th Grade, the Long Island Storm in 6th, Bunky Read All-Stars in 5th, and the LI Roughryderz were 4th grade champions.
JV: The Long Island Roughryderz
8th Grade: Long Island Roughryderz
7th Grade: Hempstead Dons
6th Grade: Knulife
Congratulations to both the Roughryderz and the Bunky Reid All-Stars programs for strong showings in multiple divisions, and special thanks to Bunky Reid, who filled in at the last minute in the 6th grade division.
APRIL JAMFEST
The 5th Annual April Jamfest started off with a bang, with two of the top programs in the metro area facing off in the finals of two separate divisions, and Brooklyn's On Point Cyclones came out on top in both matchups, defeating Connecticut's East Coast Elite to capture Saturday's 6th and 7th grade championships. The Cyclones capped off their impressive performance by sweeping to the 4th grade title as well. Action resumes Sunday with titles decided in 6 more divisions!
APRIL JAMFEST DAY TWO
The out out town teams dominated day one of the 2013 April Jamfest, but Long Island reasserted itself on day two, led by a terrific showing from the Long Island Roughryderz program, who took home 9th and 8th grade championships, and by Team Elite and Game 7, who brought home the 6th and 5th grade crowns respectively. The out of town squads still had their moments, with NYC's rapidly emerging KnuLife program claiming 7th and 9th grade division titles. A full recap and photos coming soon!
Spadaford Will Transfer
Former South Side star Ryan Spadaford has decided to transfer from the Naval Academy to another school for his sophomore season.
Wizards EBA Champs!
The Wizards, Long Island's pro basketball team, won the 2012-2013 EBA Championship in thrilling fashion, first defeating the Westchester Dutchmen 101-92 behind behind 27 points and 7 assists from Hempstead's Aubin Scott and 20 points and 10 rebounds from Malverne's Anthony Cox, and then the next night taking a thriling 118-116 decision over the Harrisburg Horizon for the 2012-13 EBA Title. Scott and Cox once again led the way, with 29 and 25 points respectively. DETAILS
NBA Report
As the regular season draws to a close, we're happy to report that three LI players are in the starting line-ups of NBA teams, and another makes a significant contribution off the bench. We're very proud of all of them, but we might be most proud of Amityville's Mike James, who now starts for the Dallas Mavericks despite starting the season without a team. Initially signed to a 10 day contract, the 37 year old James moved into the starting lineup on March 6, and the Mavericks have gone 8-3 since then to get within two games of the Los Angeles Lakers for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. James had a season high 17 points in a big win over Utah, and has handed out an average of 6 assists in the last 8 games. Next on the list is North Babylon's Danny Green, who is averaging 10.6 ppg for the San Antonio Spurs and has started every game for them as they have compiled the best record in the NBA. Green does a little bit of everything for the San Antonio, and does it well, filling the stat sheet while knocking down threes at a 44% clip and free throws at an 83% clip. Another rising star is Hills West's Tobias Harris, who is starting and averaging 16.3 ppg since being traded to the Orlando Magic 23 games ago. Harris is just in his second year, and played just one year of college ball, so the best is yet to come. Don't forget AJ Price, who is also from Amityville and scores 7.2 points and dishes out 3.7 assists off the bench for Washington. Price has overcome injuries and illnesses to establish himself as a bonafide NBA player, and in just his fourth season, has a bright future too.
Varsity 10 Champion Team Tsunami
Varsity A Champion Team Long Island
9th Grade Champion LI Roughryderz
8th Grade/Sat Champ LIL Campbell
6th Grade Champion LI Storm
7th Grade Champion LIL Busch
4th Grade Champion LI Roughryderz
5th Grade Champion Bunky Reid
VARSITY CHAMPION TEAM LI
In a great finish to a great Long Island travel season, two excellent Long Island teams rose to the occasion and dominated strong fields to win titles at the 2013 Northeastern Summer Championships! Team Long Island captured the Varsity crown in impressive fashion, winning all three of their games by double digits, and Lightning/Express was equally impressive in taking the 10th Grade crown. The tournament featured many outstanding performances from the first rate talent assembled, none greater than the incredible outburst by Holy Trinity's Billy Sixsmith, who plays for Lightning/Express. Sixsmith knocked down an amazing 13 three pointers in one game! New York City teams dominated the younger divisions, with the NYC Jazz
coming away with the 9th Grade Championship, and KnuLife with the 7th Grade title.
4th Grade Champion On Point Cyclones
5th Grade Champion Game 7
6th Grade A Champ On Point Cyclones
7th Grade A Champ On Point Cyclones
7th Grade B Champion KnuLife
9th Grade A Champion KnuLife
8th Grade Champion LI Roughryderz
9th Grade B Champion LI Roughryderz
6th Grade B Champ Team Elite
2013 APRIL JAMFEST CHAMPIONS!
Lightning/Napolitano won the 11th grade division and the Long Island Panthers won both the 7th and 6th grade boys championships at the Think Pink Classic......... Congratulations to Tim McKenzie and Aaren Edmead for being listed among the top performers at the Providence Jamfest, one of the largest 7ournaments in the country. Both play for Team Long Island, who finished 4-1, losing to finalist Move Your Feet by 7 in the Sweet 16.
MAY MAYHEM CHAMPS!
LongIslandBasketball.com's fourth Annual May Mayhem Tournament, held at the terrific new Yes We Can Community Center in Westbury, was a great event filled with exciting games and dramatic finishes! Most of the championship games went right down to the wire, with the New York All-Stars 15U team taking the 10th grade division, Port North the 9th, the Staten Island Musketeers champions in the 8th grade division, and Lightning Granville prevailing in 7th grade!
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM SOON!
7th Gr Champion Lightning/Granville
8th Grade Champion SI Musketeers
9th Grade Champion Port North Falcons
10th Grade Champion NY Allstars
2013
SUMMER SLAM
CHAMPIONS
We went from early morning to late at night non-stop on four courts, and the following champions emerged at the 2013 LongIslandBasketball.com Summer Slam:
11th Gr/Varsity Champs: T&D
10th Grade A/B: LI Heat
10th Grade B: Hoops 92
9th Grade A/B: NBAC
9th Grade B: Nassau Hornets
7th Grade A/B: M5 Elite
7th Grade B: Lightning/Eisler
6th Grade: LI Storm
LI's ALL-GYM RAT PLAYERS
17U
Kevin Little/OSNA
Curtis Jenkins/Farmingdale
Aaren Edmead/Deer Park
16U
Javin Barton/St. Mary's
Justin Fackler/Hills East
Jimmy Golaszewski/Holy Trinity
Elija Baily/LuHi
Golaszewski was also named All-Tournament at The Hall Of Fame Spring Classic
NY Metro Showdown Champs
17u-Hudson River Hornets
16u-RENS
15u-NYC Lightning
14u-Lightning Rothman
Top Players At Gym Rat
Dylan Balducci (Massapequa HS) and James Curley (Seaford HS) were selected as Honorable Mention ALL-GymRat at the Gym Rat Challenge in Albany for Long Island Lightning-Femminella.
NBAC Tourney Champs
Champions from this year's
NBAC Tournament:
9th Grade: North Babylon Bulldogs
8th Grade: North Babylon Bulldogs
7th Grade: Open Season Youth Corp
6th Grade: Suffolks Finest
5th Grade: The Watchmen
4th Grade: Panthers
Stony Brook Team Camp
One again, Steve Pikiell and his staff put together a terrific team camp. Deer Park opened some eyes by defeating St. John The Baptist in the Camp Championship Game. The Falcons graduated three key players, including both of their big men, and are playing a pressing-trapping style that gave everybody at the camp fits. Also impressive were William Floyd and Connetquot, and Northport attracted some attention, putting a very competitive team out on the floor despite graduating all but one starter and one key reserve from their Long Island Championship Team. Bayport BP had their moments, and look like a bonafide Class A contender this season.
Green 12pts In Spurs Win
Long Island's Danny Green had 12 points, including a big three pointer down the stretch in San Antonio's 92-88 win over Miami in game one of the NBA Finals. He also pulled down 5 rebounds. The road win is huge for the Spurs, who host games 3, 4, and 5 and are unbeaten at home in the playoffs.
NBA D League Tryouts
The NBA Development League, the official minor league of the National Basketball Association, will hold its annual National Tryout in New York on June 15 at Basketball City in Manhattan. Players wishing to participate must be at least 18-years-old and meet NBA D-League eligibility requirements. The application for the camp and the player waiver form can be downloaded from the league’s official website at
JJ Moore To Transfer
Brentwood's JJ Moore has decided to transfer from Pitt to Rutgers. STORY
Casey/Smiles On The Move
Two of Long Island’s best coaches - LIU Post coach Chris Casey and Farmingdale State coach Eric Smiles - are moving up the coaching ladder and have accepted new head coaching positions. Coach Casey took the head coaching job at Niagara, while coach Smiles is the new head coach at LIU Post!
Asher Grad Asst. At NC St.
Ben Asher, who played for Oyster Bay High School and Team Underrated, and was the undergrad Team Manager at West Virginia, will be a Grad Assistant @ North Carolina State next season.
2013 Alzheimer's
All-Star Game
The 2013 Alzheimer's All-Star Classic will take place Sunday, October 20th at Half Hollow Hills West High School in Dix Hills, NY. Long Island's best public, private, and catholic school players will face off in a Nassau/Suffolk showdown! Girls game at 3PM and Boys at 5:30PM
NASSAU BOY'S ALL-STARS
The players selected to the 2013 Nassau County Boys All-Star Team:
Chris Atkinson, LuHi
Elijah Bailey, LuHi
Chris Burkley, LuHi
Dwayne Daniel, Lawrence
Adrian Denner, Carey
Devonte Green, St. Mary’s
Curtis Jenkins, Farmingdale
Stephen Milhaven, St. Mary’s
Robyn Missa, LuHi
Imran Richie, Uniondale
Brandon Thomson, Holy Trinity
Eriq Williams, VSC
NASSAU GIRL'S ALL-STARS
Jordan Agustus, St Marys
Mei Lyn Bautista, St Marys
Boogie Brozoski, LuHi
Skye Burris, St Dominic
Alex Cantwell, North Shore
Lames El Gammal, Baldwin
McKayla Hernandez, St Marys
Kayla Hilaire, Floral Park
Katie Lavelle, LuHi
Alex Parlato, Wantagh
Nani Redford, LuHi
Caroline Robertson, North Shore
Sakara Hester Torres, Uniondale
SUFFOLK BOY'S ALL-STARS
The players selected to the 2013 Suffolk County Boys All-Star Team:
Jamel Allen, Brentwood
Michael Alston, Amityville
Quinton Bush, Bay Shore
Nigel Carter, Brentwood
Jerell Cowell, Newfield
Djibril Diallo, OSNA
Travis Dickerson, Amityville
Aaren Edmead, Deer Park
Shaundell Fishburne, Southampton
Tavon Ginyard, SJB
Terry Harris, Hills West
Jordan McRae, Hills East
Michael Nzei, OSNA
Mike Smith, Amityville
Damon Wilson, OSNA
SUFFOLK GIRL'S ALL-STARS
Natasha Almonacy, Brentwood
Katie Doherty, Sachem East
Alexia Douglas, Brentwood
Kathleen Everson, Sachem East
Heather Forster, Huntington
Caroline Gehring, Southold
Ihnacinse Grady, Copiague
Arella Guirantes, Bellport
Jayla Jones-Pack, St. Anthony’s
Makeda Nicholas, North Babylon
Chastity Taylor, St. Anthony’s
Shawna Thorton, Amityville
Kierstan West, Longwood
All-Star Tryouts
Tryouts for BOTH of the biggest All-Star Games of the year - The October 20th Alzheimer's All-Star Basketball Classic at Hills West HS and the October 27th Metro Classic at Achb. Molloy HS - will be held September 13th - 15th in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. MAKE SURE YOU SAVE THE DATES! The heavily scouted All-Star Classic matches up the best public, private, and catholic school players on Long Island in a Nassau/Suffolk showdown, and starting this year, will also provide the players for the Long Island Metro Classic teams in the annual war between Long Island and New York City's best! If you are one of the best players on Long Island, and want to dramaticly increase your exposure, this is a can't miss event!!
TRYOUT SCHEDULES
Suffolk Boys & Girls Tryouts
469 Fort Salonga Rd, Northport
9/13- 5:30 pm REGISTRATION
then 6:30-8:30
9/14- 11-1pm
9/15- 9:30-11:30am
Nassau Boys & Girls Tryouts
575 Merrick Ave, Westbury
9/13- 6pm REGISTRATION
then 7-9pm
9/14- 4-6pm
9/15- 3:30-5-30pm
Around The Net
Edmead Commits To Lowel
Deer Park's Aaren Edmead has commited to UMass/Lowel, a new D1 program that will play in the America East Conference along with Stony Brook.
Will Brown Gets Extension
Miller Place’s Will Brown got a 5 year contract extension at U Albany STORY
Larry Brown/SMU Update
Long Beach grad, former ABA All-Star, and Halll Of Fame Coach Larry Brown is entering his second season at SMU. Here is an UPDATE
Harris Has Battle To Start
Hills West's Tobias Harris will have to fight for a starting position with the Magic, despite his impressive performance with the team last season. STORY
Babylon Honors Green
Atkinson Was 76ers Finalist
Northport's Kenny Atkinson, who starred at St. Antnony's and Richmond and was an assistant with the Knicks before moving to the Atlanta Hawks, was one of the finalists for the Philadelphia 76ers Head Coaching job.
AJ Price Waits
Amityville's AJ Price, coming off his best NBA season so far, is still a free agent. MORE
Danny Green INTERVIEW
Tobias Harris INTERVIEW
Summer Leagues
Summer League Playoffs are underway. In the featured 4-5 matchup of the Baldwin Summer League quarterfinals, Valley Stream Central rallied from a 13 point 4th quarter deficit to nip Hempstead 55-54. Kevin Blocker led the comeback with two aggressive coast to coast baskets, and then after a steal by Blocker, Justin Ritter got the game winner on a tip-in. In other action, top seeded Lawrence continues to surprise and impress, rolling over a solid Roosevelt team, and third seed Massapequa looked formidable, blitzing shorthanded Floral Park. Host and two seed Baldwin also impressed, hammering a determined MacArthur team and looking like one of the favorites in Nassau AA once again this season. The semifinals will be Friday and the finals Monday 8/12.
Girls Power Shift?
Ted Oberg, who turned the SJB Girls Basketball Program into a perennial powerhouse, has accepted an offer to build a national program at Upper Room Christian School in Dix Hills. He will be replaced at SJB by Bruce Haller, the Girls Varsity Coach at Commack High School for the last 5 years, who led the Cougars to a 16-3 record last season and a spot in the Suffolk Class AA Semifinals.
McKillop USA Coach
Chaminade's Bob McKillop, the head coach at Davidson, has been pegged to be the Team USA head coach at the World University Games. Like Rockville Centre's Billy Donovan, who has been called apon to reverse a string of disappointing peformances by team USA's 19U team (they are 4-0 so far at the World Championships), McKillop is being counted on to bring back gold in an event the USA has won only once since 1999.
L.I. At Nike Elite
Nike's Elite 100 Camp, for top freshmen and sophomores, was held in St. Louis this year and OSNA's Kassoum Yakwe and St. Mary's Devonte Green both attended. LuHi Coach John Buck was invited to coach as well.
OSNA's Diallo MVP
OSNA's Cheick Diallo, a 6'9 sophomore, catapulted himself towards the top of the national player rankings by coming away with the MVP award at the prestigious National Basketball Players Association Top 100 Camp. MORE
More College Decisions
Jon Patron, who was the leading scorer on the 2012 Harborfields State Championship team and an All-New York State and All-Long Island player, will be attending Dowling...... Uniondale star Aaron Cust, who was All-New York State, All-Long Island, and MVP at the Alzheimer's Game, has decided to play basketball at St. Thomas Aquinas....... Jake Lundenberg, who had an outstanding career at Lawrence Woodmere Academy and was one of Long island's top three point shooters year after year, will play for CCNY next fall.
Nelson NBA Looks
Former Lawrence star and Morehouse all conference player Andrae Nelson has recently drawn interest and worked out for the Houston Rockets. He will be working out for the Orlando Magic in the near future as well.
Green Leads Spurs.
North Babylon native and St. Mary's grad Danny Green continued his outstanding play in the NBA Finals, leading San Antonio to a 113-77 rout of Miami with 7 three pointers and 27 points. The Spurs now lead the series 2-1, and host the next two games.
Going To Prep School
Add Deer Park's Keith Williams and Northport's Mike Milligan to the list of top Long Island players that have decided to go the prep school route. Williams is off to Coastal Academy and Milligan to La Jolla Prep in San Diego. They join Dalique Mingo, who is headed for Putnam Science, and Jeremy Arthur, who will play at Trinity-Pawling.
Donovan Tall USA Task
By Team USA standards, the 19U team, composed mostly of college players, has struggled in recent history, winning only two world championships going back to 1987. No other country has won more than one in that time frame, but expectations are always high for Team USA. Why only the modest succes? Some of the top players in the age group, this year Kentucky's Nerlens Noel for example, leave school early for the NBA Draft, while others are just starting their college careers and are hesitant to miss workouts with their new teams. That makes it a difficult task to put together an elite squad capable of beating the world’s best. Rockville Centre’s Billy Donovan, who coached the Florida Gators to two National Championships and the USA 18U team to a FIBA Americas gold medal last summer, has been given that responsibility. His roster is now set, and his coaching staff in place, and the team will make final preparations for a June 27th first round match-up with the Ivory Coast. Games will take place in the Czec Republic. ROSTER
Green Sets NBA Record
North Babylon's Danny Green set an NBA Finals record, knocking down 25 three pointers through 5 games in only 38 attempts - a 66% clip! Ray Allen held the old record of 22 in 7 games for the Celtics in the 2008 final against the Lakers. San Antonio now leads the series 3-2, but the next two games are in Miami.
Coaches Clinic Sunday
3d Athletics will be hosting its 3rd Annual 3d Athletics Coaches Clinic Sunday, September 22. King Rice, standout at North Carolina and now Head Men's Basketball Coach at Monmouth University, will discuss TOUGH MAN TO MAN DEFENSE, Tobin Anderson, Head Men's Basketball Coach at St. Thomas Aquinas College, will be discussing HALF COURT MOTION SETS, and Pat Kennedy, former Head Men's Basketball Coach at Florida State University, DePaul University, Towson University, and Iona College and now recently hired to take on the helm at Pace University, will have an OPEN Q&A and answer questions on any topic.
Fall Leagues
The Queens based Beacon Fall League was the first high profile league to get underway, and Long Island teams were 5-1 over the first week of action. On day one, Elmont rolled over Eagle Academy 63-41 behind the scoring and rebounding of Dominique Senat, the sharpshooting of Matthew Graham, and floor leadership of Tristian Brown, while Holy Trinity, Elmont's opponent in the Kennedy Park Summer League Championship Game, knocked off St. Edmund's Prep 58-40 behind a balanced attack led by Bill Sixsmith, Peter Aikens, and Jimmy Golasewski..... On day two, Deer Park rallied past Far Rockaway 46-36 behind 21 points from Aaren Edmead, and St. Mary's held off QHST 54-47 with Jesse Govan leading the way with 22 points and two North Babylon kids, Devonte Green and freshman transfer Chris Coalman adding 16 and 12 points respectively. Day three saw Valley Stream Central ..... The start of the IS8/Nike Fall League, scheduled for 9/14, has been pushed back a week.
MSG Varsity Pulls Plug
If you go to Cablevision Ch. 14, you will see MSG Varsity is gone. Fortunately, it will still continue as an online service, and 614, the on demand channel, will continue to operate. Sad to see, but it never really seemed economically viable without advertising or sponsorships.
New Coaches!
Time to start our list of new varsity coaches! If you are one or know of one, LET US KNOW! So far we have:
BOYS VARSITY
Ev Corwin, Greenport
Tom Femminella, Ward Melville
Bill McBrien, Longwood
Ryan McNeely, Mt. Sinai
Jason Mercurio, Cold Spring Harbor
Joel Sutherland, Comsewogue
GIRLS VARSITY
Ted Oberg, Upper Room
Adam Lievre, Shoreham WR
Hoops Trivia
When Paul Pierce was traded away by the Celtics, it got us wondering how many great players stayed with the same team their entire careers. It turns out, of the 50 players voted to the NBA's Best Players Of All-Time list, only 18 played for just one team! Interestingly though, 7 of the 18 played for the Celtics - more than any other team.
Coliseum Project News
The winning plans submitted by the developer of Brooklyn's Barclays Center for the renovation of the Nassau Coliseum are great news for the Long Island sports community if they end up getting the approval of the Nassau County Legislature and the Town Of Hempstead. MORE Not only will will Long Island have a new state of the art arena to host a long list of events, but the project also includes plans for an expanded Island Garden, doubling its current capacity and enabling it to host the kind of national events that haven't been held here in the past. To learn more, GO TO THEIR NEWS RELEASE
Warriors Waive Machado
The Golden State Warriors have waived St. Mary’s Scott Machado. Machado was originally signed as a free agent call-up from the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBDL on April 7, 2013, and appeared briefly in five playoff games. He also appeared in six games with the Houston Rockets last season and spent significant time in the D-League, averaging 8.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game in 28 contests combined between Santa Cruz and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
BCANY Hoops Festival
The BCANY Hoops Festival was started to fill the void created from the cancelation of the Empire Games. At the Empire Games, a combined Long Island team participated, but Nassau and Suffolk have elected to enter separate teams at the Hoops Festival, with Nassau sending only a girls team. RESULTS:
PLAYOFFS
GIRLS SEMIFINALS
Hudson Valley 63 Nassau 57
BOYS SEMIFINALS
Adirondack 88 Suffolk 49
ROUND 4 (Girls Only)
Nassau Girls 70 Central 60
Suffolk Girls 66 Adirondack 59
ROUND 3
Nassau Girls 87 Adirondack 78
Suffolk Boys 88 Rochester 50
Rochester 62 Suffolk Girls 59
ROUND 2
Nassau Girls 76 Southern Tier 64
Hudson Valley 76 Suffolk Boys 64
Hudson Valley 78 Suffolk Girls 74
ROUND 1
Suffolk Boys 91 Buffalo 71
Nassau Girls 60 Mid Hudson 27
Buffalo 57 Suffolk Girls 50
College Updates
Three more college choices to report:
Rokas Lapsys from LWA has commited to Post University in Conneticut, Liam Murphy from Chaminade to SUNY - Geneseo, and Marcus Solomon from Hills West is headed to Pace University.
Editors Inbox
Rockville Centre's Billy Donovan got the USA 19U Team back on track, guiding them to a World Championship MORE..... Lawrence's Andrae Nelson, who starred at Morehouse College, was invited to play for the Orlando Magic Summer League Team...... Roslyn's George Beamon, Manhattan's leading scorer in 2011-2012, missed all but four of the Jasper's games last season - his senior season - with an ankle injury. The good news is he will return to the team next seaon after receiving a medical redshirt. Manhattan advanced to the MAAC tournament championship game without him, and returns four starters from that team, so watch out for them this season!......... Look for three Long Islanders to contribute for St. Francis NY next season. Upper Room's Matt Milk, William Floyd's Anthony White, and Westbury's Sheldon Hagigal all played significant roles in the Terriers recent exibition trip to Canada, and all three are expected to see a lot of court time next season......... College conference realignment has exploded in the past few years. HERE is a good reference to help you keep track of all the changes...... South Side's Ryan Spadaford is transfering from Navy to Tufts MORE
All-Star Dunk Video
There is a nice video from this years first annual Alzheimers All-Star Dunk contest, won by Diego Maldonado. Maldonado's winning dunk brought the crowd to its feet, and fans lined up for his autograph afterwards!
Prosper Prospers
Former SUNY Old Westbury star Lester Prosper has been finding success is his professional career, and is hoping for more. After playing overseas, he attended the NBA D-League national tryout, and was one of the few players to get widespread attention from the assembled coaches, and now he's being considered for spots on NBA Summer League teams! MORE
Matthews Knicks Invite!
Farmingdale State star AJ Matthews will get the chance to prove he can play at the next level on the Knicks Summer League team. MORE
Nassau Top 40 All-Stars
Players from Nassau County’s top public school programs dominated the 2013 Nassau Top 40 All-Star Doubleheader. Elmont’s Tristan Brown and Uniondale’s Shomarie Redd dazzled the crowd in a high scoring but tight, back and forth Game One - Brown with his pinpoint passing and Redd with his ability to put the ball in the basket. Baldwin’s Marvin Chartelain, Elmont’s Greg Rhone, and Valley Stream South’s Wiliam Knight combined for 46 points to carry their team to a convincing victory in Game Two, while Valley Stream South’s Dana King and Elmont’s Keith Tompkins starred for the losing side. Redd, who just transferred to the Knights, led all scorers in the doubleheader, finishing with 30 points. He and Long Island All-Star Imran Richie give Uniondale a 1-2 punch as good as any on Long Island. Carey’s Adrian Denner, a talented under the radar player with both an inside and outside game, finished with 22 points, and three very good youngsters rounded out the leading scorers, VSS’s King with 17 and Lawrence’s Sam Robinson and South Side’s Alex Sorenson with 16 each. Next up, the Nassau Coaches will select ten players from the doubleheader to represent Nassau County in their annual battle with Suffolk County. That will take place in early November.
Nassau Top 40!
The players for the 2013 Nassau Top 40 All-Star Doubleheader have been chosen. GO TO ROSTERS. The doubleheader will be held Sunday, 10/6 at the Town Of Oyster Bay/PAL Athletic Center in Hicksville. Game times are 2 and 3:45 PM.
Around The Net
STORY on Florida Gators Coach Billy Donovan from Rockville Centre..... Amityville's AJ Price is still unsigned, but has recent interest from T-Wolves and considerable interest from overseas..... St. Mary's Scott Machado was added to the Utah Jazz training camp roster ..... Brentwood's JJ Moore received a waiver and will be able to play at Rutgers this season after transferring from Pitt......
Nassau Top 100!
Nassau County Top 100 Camp is being held at SUNY Old Westbury on Friday, 9/27 from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm and on Sunday 9/29 from 1:00 pm to 4:00pm. This camp is for Nassau County public school players only, and is being run by the NCBCA. The registration fee is $60. High school players should see their coach for further info. From this camp, top 40 All-Star game rosters will be selected and then a final roster of ten players will be chosen to take on the Suffolk top 10.
Leading Returning Scorers!
Caelen McCabe, Smithtown C. 22.6
Terry Harris, Hills West, 22.3
Jonathan Grimsley, VS Central 21.1
Dylan Balducci, Massapequa, 20.8
Jessie Govan, St. Mary's, 20.7
Fall Coaching Course
There will be a coaching fundamentals course held on consecutive Tuesdays and Wednesdays at Our Lady of Mercy Academy in Syosset. Dates are October 15-16 and October 22-23 from 7 pm to 9:30 pm. This outstanding program, put together by championship coach Gus Alfieri, will help coaches at all levels teach fundamentals more effectively. Coach Alfieri will be assisted by another legendary Long Island coach, Rich Wrase, and by other accomplished teachers of the game! MORE
Summer Leagues
Bunky Reid Summer League
The Bunky Reid All-Stars picked up a 71-70 win over the NYC Jazz to win the 17U chip at the Bunky Reid Summer League. Players of the game were Andre Walker with 22 points, Tim Quashie with 13 points, and Justin Wright with 10 points.
NorthSport Summer League
North Shore picked up their second summer league title of the season, beating Hauppauge in the semifinal and Full Court Press in the final.
Island Garden Summer League
Adrian Denner and Dylan DeMeo led a balanced attack in Carey's semifinal win over Lightning/Leighton. They will take on FE Hoops/Cohen, a come from behind winner over Salvation Army
Huntington Summer League
Hills East rolled past John Glenn for the Huntington Summer League Championship. Jordan McRae and Mike Simon were co-MVPs. East overpowered Huntington in their semifinal, while Glenn snuck by Walt Whitman.
Baldwin Summer League
Host Baldwin moved out to a double digit lead and held it most of the way, beating Lawrence in the Championship Game. Jared Bradford picked up MVP honors for the Bruins, who advanced to the final with a win over Massapequa, while Lawrence got by Valley Stream Central.
West Babylon Summer League
Amityville defeated Deer Park in the final of the West Babylon Summer League, led by Player Of The Game Mike Alston. They advanced to the final with a semifinal win over Lindenhurst, while Deer Park defeated Connetquot. Amityville also won the Westbury Spring League, where Mike Smith and Travis Dickerson were co-MVPs.
Kennedy Park Summer League
Holy Trinity defeated Elmont in the championship game of the Kennedy Park Summer League in Hempstead. Holy Trinity advanced to the final by rocking Hempstead in theirs semifinal, sparked by the aggressive play of Jimmy Golaszewski. Elmont held off Valley Stream Central in their semifinal behind the scoring and leadership of Tristan Brown
Hicksville PAL Summer League
North Shore won the championship of the 23 team Hicksville Summer League, out battling Garden City for the title. North Shore stopped Friends Academy and Garden City turned back Carle Place in the semifinals to advance to the championship game. North Shore also won the Spring League
LI National Champs
Three Long Island girls were part of USA Basketball's National 3 on 3 Championship team! They were Iesha Walker (Copiague HS, South Carolina) Kaitlin Oberg (St. John the Baptist, Baylor/Furman), and Gabby Gibson (Copiague, Assumption), and they took home the title along with Ashley Bruner (South Carolina). Walker was named tournament MVP.
Cutbacks At MSG Varsity
Hope it's not as bad as it sounds, but The New York State Sportswriters Association published a report
that Cablevision-owned MSG Varsity had a "major purge" of broadcast operations, selling off news trucks and laying off employees. Sounds like it will effect other regions most. MORE
Tim Casey 3 on 3
The champions at this year's
Tim Casey Memorial 3 on 3 Tournament were:
OPEN DIVISION
THE ROCKETS
Keith Anderson
Lawrence Combs
Ross Ragonesi
HIGH SCHOOL
WILLIAM FLOYD
Devonte Dixon
Tristan Deboe
Shane O'Donohue
Brian Samuelson
Heat JamFest Champions
HS - Brentwood HS
9th - Hoop Dreams
7th - NBAC
5th - NBAC
KMP Jamfest Champions
17U - Kendall Madison
15U - Kendall Madison
14U - NBAC
12U - LI Storm
10TH GR CHAMP LIL/EXPRESS
9TH GR CHAMP NYC JAZZ
7TH GR CHAMP KNULIFE
HIGH SCHOOL AAU TRYOUTS!
| ||||
2013 Suffolk BCANY Team
WB Summer and Bunky Reid Spring League Champion Amityville
LL Cool J Summer League JV Champion LI Ballerz
NorthSport 4th/5th Summer League Champion Team Green
Ira Levine Passes Away
It's always sad to report the passing of a member of the basketball community, but particularly difficult when that person is liked and respected by everyone, as Ira Levine was. He was a terrific official - in baseball and football too - and an even better person. We will all miss him. He died Monday at the age of 62 after a short battle with cancer.
Fall Lightning Tryouts!
The Lightning, the largest AAU program in the country with 245 teams throughout the Northeast, will now be holding FALL TRYOUTS at its Island Garden, NorthSport, and LI Sportsplex locations! DETAILS
Nassau All-Star Team
The following players have been selected to represent Nassau County at the 2013 Long Island Public School All-Star Game. There will be 12 roster players and one alternate. The alternate will be designated at a later date. The All-Star Team is:
Balducci, Dylan/Massapequa
Bodden, Carlos/Sewanhaka
Brown, Tristan/Elmont
Burke, Jack/Farmingdale
Chartelain, Marvin/Baldwin
Colson, Paul/Baldwin
Davy, Darren/West Hempstead
Denner, Adrian/Carey
Redd, Shomari/Uniondale
Rhone, Greg/Elmont
Richardson, Miking/Baldwin
Tompkins, Keith/Elmont
Zafron, Cody/East Meadow
Brentwood HS Tourney
Two of the top boys varsity teams on Long Island went 4-0 in pool play and met in the championship game of the Brentwood High School Preseason Tournament, with Deer Park defeating the hosts in a tight contest behind the play of Aaren Edmead.
Manhattan Over Pride
Hofstra held Roslyn's George Beamon to just 6 points, but the Jaspers rallied past the Pride for a 66-59 victory. STORY
Belmont Stops Hofstra
The truth is, we were all worried that Hofstra might not be competitive this year, but Coach Mihalich has done a great job and they've been in every game except Louisville so far. No sin in that. The problem now is holding onto leads, and the Pride gave up another one, falling to Belmont 85-75. STORY
Spiders Top Pride In OT
Hofstra gave up an 11 point second half lead and fell on the road at Richmond. STORY
Hofstra Adds Big Man
Hofstra added 6'10 forward/center Andre Walker from Clarksburg, Maryland to their 2014 recruiting class. STORY
Louisville Over Hofstra
Pride Hammer FDU
Hofstra evened their record at 1-1 with an 80-58 thrashing of FDU, rolling to 50 first half points. Jamall Robinson led a balanced attack with 15. LuHi's Jordan Allen had 6 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. STORY
Hofstra Drops Opener
The Pride gave up a 9 point halftime lead, falling 88-84 to Monmouth. Harborfields' Chris Brady had 4 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 block in his college debut for Monmouth, while LuHi's Jordan Allen had 5 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks for Hofstra. STORY
LI Hoops Trivia
At least one Long Island boys team has played for a State Championship every year since 1996.
LI Metro Sweep!
Both the Long Island Boys and Girls teams rallied to defeat their New York City counterparts at the 10th Annual Metro Classic All-Star Game, with the boys winning 119-118 and the girls 88-82. Devonte Green led all scorers in the boys game with 23 points, MVP Mike Nzei had 20, Kobie Eubanks had 18, and Aaren Edmead finished with 13. For the girls, MVP Arella Guirantes had 20 points, Boogie Brozoski had 19, and Chastity Taylor 16.
Stunning Transfers
We reported earlier that two star catholic league players - Jessie Govan from St. Mary's and Nigel Carter from St. Anthony's - had transferred to new schools in the last week, and we have subsequently learned that two more good players have left St. Anthony's - Anfernee Casimir, who joined Carter at Brentwood, and Leland Williams, who has enrolled at Amityville! Wow! The St. Mary's big man mysteriously left a team loaded with young talent that might have contended for state championships for years to come, while Carter and Casimir also left a team loaded with talent, but transferred to an even more highly regarded Brentwood program that will also add recuperating star forward Femi Olujobi to a line-up that has been dominant all summer and fall. Williams bolsters an excellent Amityville line-up that is expected to get little competition in Suffolk Class A this season and will be a strong contender to go upstate once again. Despite the blows, both St. Mary's and St. Anthony's remain NSCHSAA contenders, a tribute to their programs.
AROUND THE NET
College Report
Manhattan College senior George Beamon from Roslyn was named to the All-MAAC Preseason men's basketball First Team …… Junior Chavaughn Lewis from St. Mary’s and the Marist men’s basketball team has been named to the All-MAAC Preseason Second Team…. East Meadow’s All County forward Joe Campay has made the team at Molloy College as a walk-on.
Girls All-Star Recap
Missed free throws helped decide the exciting first game of the 2013 Alzheimer’s All-Star Basketball Classic, allowing the Suffolk Girls All-Star Team to dramatically come from behind in the final seconds to defeat Nassau 62-61. St. Mary’s Jordan Agustus gave Nassau the early lead, completing a three point play, but it remained close in the early going and it was a tie game after a fast break basket by Wantagh's Alex Parlato with 12:10 to play in the first half. Back to back jumpers by Alex Cantwell from North Shore put Nassau back on top, but Longwood's Kiersten West nailed a three pointer from the left wing to cut it to 15-14, and North Babylon's Makeda Nicholas drilled one from the right wing to give Suffolk a 17-15 lead at the 9:42 mark. It was 22-15 Suffolk after Chastity Taylor from St. Anthony's knocked down a three pointer from the right wing, 25-17 after another three by Nicholas, and then Huntington's Heather Forster banked one off the glass for a 9 point Suffolk lead, but Nassau reeled off 10 straight points to close out the half, 4 by LuHi's Katie Lavelle, and took a 1 point lead into the locker room on two free throws by St. Mary's Mei Lyn Bautista. LuHi's Boogie Brozoski stole the ball and scored to open the second half and give Nassau a three point lead, but Nicholas knocked down another three to tie it. Nassau answered right back on Lavelle’s three point play, but a three point play by Bellport's Arella Guirantes, and then her three pointer from left wing put Suffolk back on top. It was 45-39 Suffolk after Southold's Caroline Gehring cut to the basket from the weak side, got the pass and scored, and it became a 7 point game after Guirantes knocked down a three off and inbound play, but a jump hook by Agustus and a basket from underneath by Lavelle cut it to 50-47. Suffolk rebuilt their lead, going up 7 with 3:04 to play after a Guirantes foul line jumper, but a drive by Lavelle and a fast break basket by Bautista cut it to 59-56 with 1:52 showing. Cantwell’s jumper from the right wing made it a 1 point game with 1:22 to go, and after a Suffolk free throw, Augustus drove and tied it at 60 with 24 seconds on the game clock to set up the dramatic ending. Suffolk turned the ball over on the ensuing possession and drew a technical foul call with 13 seconds to play, giving Nassau the opportunity to ice the game, but dodged a bullet when Nassau went 1-4 from the line in the closing seconds to take a slim 1 point lead. That opened the door for Nicholas, who went hard to the basket and scored the game winner.
Lightning Expand East
After a very successful expansion into Suffolk County, the Lightning program is continuing to push eastward with its move into the Long Island Sportsplex in Sayville. The new program will be under the direction of Suffolk Lightning Director Rob Pavinelli. MORE
Boys All-Star Recap
After a great girl’s game set the stage, the Alzheimer’s All-Star Basketball Classic boys took the court and delivered another classic, with Suffolk County holding on for a dramatic 82-81 victory. It looked like it might not be a contest as the first half unfolded, with Our Savior New American players Damon Wilson and Michael Nzei leading Suffolk to a quick 8-2 advantage, but Nassau settled in, and Devonte Green’s three point play brought the western Long Islanders back within one. Green blocked a shot and raced down court for an emphatic dunk to give Nassau a 9-8 lead, but it was short-lived, with Suffolk moving back in front on two free throws by Hills West’s Terry Harris. Harris then added a three from the baseline and a coast to coast basket to put Suffolk up 18-11, and SJB’s Tavon Ginyard hit a short pull-up jumper from the baseline to make it 31-21 at the 3:01 mark of the half. It began to look like Eastern Long Island was taking control when Southampton’s Shaundell Fishburne knocked down a 3 pointer from the left wing and added a free throw moments later for a 16 point lead, but Valley Stream Central’s Eriq Williams sparked Nassau with a driving reverse layup in traffic, and then he drew a foul once again in traffic, going 1-2 from the line, and St. Mary’s Stephen Milhaven rebounded the miss and scored to make it a 38-27 game at halftime. Holy Trinity’s Brandon Thompson opened the second half scoring, cutting the Suffolk lead to single digits, but a turnaround jumper by Harris from just inside the foul line made it 42-29 Suffolk, and then his three pointer from the top made it 45-31. A putback by Hills East’s Jordan McCray pushed the lead to 17 with 16:53 to play, but a beautiful give and go basket by Green and then his incredible four point play on a fall away jumper from the baseline seemed to get Nassau back into it. Suffolk responded though, with Amityville’s Mike Smith scoring on a putback and Harris scoring on the break to make it a 16 point game. Dwayne Daniel’s teardrop from the lane began the Nassau comeback in earnest, and then LuHi’s Elijah Bailey knocked down a three and his LuHi teammate, Chris Atkinson, stole the ball and found another teammate, Chris Burkley, for a driving basket to cut the defict to 9 with 13:41 to play. Bailey scored again, turning a mad scramble for the ball into a three point play, and then a three pointer by Burkley and Nassau was within 4. It would be a dogfight the rest of the way. Farmingdale’s Curtis Jenkins tied it with a three pointer from the left baseline at the 10:52 mark, and then he drew a foul on a putback attempt and went 1 for 2 from the line to put Nassau on top, but neither team could take control and the teams traded baskets and free throws right down to the 6:15 mark, when Nzei’s big tip-in gave Suffolk a 5 point cushion, and then his second tip-in and a Harris free throw put Suffolk up 8 with 4:31 left. Nassau answered with a three pointer from the top by Atkinson, Daniel’s three from the baseline, and two free throws by Williams that made it a one point game as the clock dipped under the three minute mark. Daniel then drained a jumper from the left wing to give Nassau a 77-76 lead, but Smith recaptured it with a foul line jumper off an inbound play. Green’s two big free throws put Nassau back on top with 2:07 remaining, but the lead changed hands again on Wilson’s baseline drive. Green knocked down two more clutch free throws with 11 seconds left to make it 81-80 Nassau, but Harris drew a foul going hard to the basket with 6 seconds to play and calmly knocked down both free throws for the win. The two Long Island blue-bloods led all scorers: MVP Terry Harris, brother of the NBA’s Tobias Harris, had a game high 22, and Devonte Green, brother of the NBA’s Danny Green, had 21. Shaundell Fishburne was the only other double digit scorer with 12. Girls recap, box scores, and photos to follow.
EDITOR'S INBOX
KJ Lee, who is from Huntington, committed to Marist..... Northport's Matt Smith will be playing for D1 Binghampton this season....... Uniondale's Jamiu Oladimeji is currently attending the College of St. Joseph, an NAIA Division 1 school, on a basketball scholarship..... TJ Dunn and Nick Petrucelli from Hicksville will both be doing a post-grad year at Thomasville Prep, while OSNA's Kevin Little is at Each One Teach One...... Dalton Prendergast from Bayport has transferred to Westminster Prep and has reclassified as a junior.
SUMMER PHOTOS
All-Star Classics!
The 2013 Alzheimer’s All-Star Basketball Classic was just that - a classic! Both games were filled with talented players, played in front of big crowds, and came right down to the wire! You really couldn't ask for more! In the end, it was a Suffolk County sweep, with the boy’s winning 82-81 on two dramatic free throws by MVP Terry Harris from Hills West, while the girls gave up the lead with 13 seconds left before MVP Makeda Nicholas from North Babylon drove to the basket and scored for an exciting 62-61 victory.
FALL HOOPS FESTIVAL
VARSITY CHAMPION NJ PANTHERS
The objective of our tournament series has always been to bring out of town teams here to Long Island, but the success we've had doing it spelled trouble for our local teams in our most recent event, with the visitors sweeping all of the featured divisions at the 2013 Long Island Fall Hoops Festival. It was the first time that no Long Island team claimed a championship in our 5 years of running tournaments. Competition was fierce in the varsity division, with lots of very close and hard fought games, and the Panthers from New Jersey emerged as champions, coming from behind to defeat a good Bristol Ballers team from Connecticut in the final. Ward Melville, who continues to impress, took home third place with a win over Brentwood. The All City Panthers repeated as JV Champions, defeating the NYC Blue Devils in the final, while the Hilltopper Heat from New Jersey played a memorable double overtime game with NYC’s Knulife on their way to the 9th Grade Championship. A much improved Shooting Stars team took third. The 8th grade title went to the impressive Knulife program, who defeated the LI Saints in the final. A very good CYO team from the St. James program finished third.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS
VARSITY DIVISION
Michael Almonacy - Brentwood HS, NY
Rashaan Spencer - Mt. Olive HS, NJ
Frankie Rios - Newton HS, NJ
Gabe Brown- Ward Melville HS, NY
Jake Collins - Bristol Central HS, CT
JV DIVISION
Jordan Morgan - Nazareth HS, NY
Jaheam Cornwall-Francis Lewis, NY
Tahiyr Vines - Cardozo HS, NY
Justina Paura - Connetquot HS, NY
Dwayne Amos - Boys & Girls HS, NY
9TH GRADE DIVISION
Gabriel Johnson - St. Peter's HS, NJ
Yvens Monflury - Am. History HS, NJ
Amenra Reid - Valley Str. Mem. HS, NY
Marquiece Smith- Springfield G. HS NY
8TH GRADE DIVISION
Giovanni Cordero - IS 211, NY
Jalen David - Frost MS, NY
Dural Pinnock - IS 211, NY
Pierre Joseph - IS 68, NY
John Soren - IS 238, NY
Brendan Martin - Ward Melville MS
9TH GR. CHAMP HILLTOPPER HEAT
8th GR. CHAMPION KNULIFE
JV CHAMP ALL CITY PANTHERS
Nassau Defeats Suffolk!
Nassau County gave up an early lead, but rallied to defeat Suffolk 113-104 at the 2013 Long Island Public School All-Star Game. Baldwin’s Miking Richardson drained a three pointer and Carey’s Adrian Denner knocked down a jump hook from the lane to get Nassau off to a good start, and then Elmont’s Tristan Brown sliced through the defense and scored to make it 14-7 Nassau with 4:25 gone in the first half. It was 22-12 Nassau after Baldwin’s Marvin Chartelain knocked down a three from the top, and a fast break basket by West Hempstead’s Darren Davy made it a 14 point game, but Suffolk responded with 6 straight points on free throws by Southampton’s Shaundell Fishburne and Westhampton’s Devonte Dixon and a putback by Sachem East’s Jesse Condon. Chris McCollough from Harborfields nailed a baseline three pointer to cut the Suffolk deficit to 32-27, but Nassau responded and Chartelain’s three from the left foul line extended put them up 40-30 with 4:35 to play in the half. Suffolk answered with a 10 point run, featuring a left elbow jumper by Floyd’s Brian Samuelson and a nice putback by Smithtown East’s Ryan Ingarozza, and it was 40 all with 2:34 showing. Another putback by Ingarozza gave Suffolk their first lead at 45-44 with 1:05 to play, and after an exchange of baskets, it remained a one point game at halftime.
Suffolk began to build a lead as the second half got underway, with a three by Fishburne putting them up 51-46, and then a putback by Scott Artis from Bellport and a fast break basket by Condon gave them a 9 point advantage in the early going. Back to back three pointers by Artis and Suffolk was up 67-54 and threatening to pull away, but Richardson kept Nassau within striking distance, draining a three from the right wing, and then a drive by Brown and a three pointer by Uniondale’s Shomari Redd and Nassau was back in it with 14:25 to play. Another three by Redd cut Nassau’s deficit to 4 at the 12:47 mark, a jumper by Davy from just outside the lane made it a 3 point game, and then Redd tied it with a three from the top. After a Suffolk free throw, Baldwin’s Paul Colson put Nassau back on top 85-83 with a three from the deep left wing, and Brown’s fast break basket and Chartelain’s three from the right wing made it 100-93 Nassau with 4:45 remaining. Suffolk closed the gap to 3 on a fast break basket by Terrence Thomas with 2:43 to play, but Redd drained another big three to make it 105-99 Nassau with 2:05 left. Suffolk began to foul, but three straight 1 out of 2s from the line went unanswered and Nassau was in good shape, and then Brown removed all doubt with a fast break basket with 40 seconds on the clock to make it 110-99. Miking Richardsen led Nassau with 23 points, Shomari Redd had 21, Marvin Chartelain finished with 19, Darren Davy 14 points, and Tristan Brown 9 points and 10 assists. Shaundell Fishburne led Suffolk with 22 points, Jesse Condon had 15, Devonte Dixon 14, and Ryan Ingarozza 11.
Dr. J In Town!
Roosevelt's Julius Erving, one of the greatest basketball players of all time, is back home on Long Island this week for some special events. He was signing copies of his new autobiography at the Book Revue bookstore in Huntington on Monday, where he warmly and patiently signed book after book for a legion of his fans, and Thursday, he will be back in Roosevelt, where they are renaming a street in his honor!
Editor's Inbox
Lightning Girls Tryouts Saturday! Lightning Boys 8th Grade tryouts Saturday! MORE ..... There will be a fundraising Boys Basketball Skills Clinic on Sunday, November 10th at Ward Melville HS in East Setauket DETAILS….. Long Island’s Ramel Anderson and his College of Saint Joseph Fighting Saints from Vermont will be making a rare appearance in the Metro Area, taking on Indiana University East Nov. 24th at the Brooklyn Skydome FLYER…
St. Francis Nips Wolves
St. Francis, NY has a very competitive team this season, and features three Long Islanders that get regular minutes. They showed once again they are a team to be reckoned with, breakng Stony Brook's home winning streak. GO TO STORY
Westbury's Sheldon Hagigal finished with 10 points for St. Francis, while Port Washington's Ahmad Walker had 8 for Stony Brook.
Stony Brook in 3 OT!
Emerging star Jameel Warney had a monster game, finishing with 32 points and 21 rebounds in Stony Brook's epic triple overtime 104-102 win over Detroit. STORY
Toledo Trips Seawolves
Stony Brook played in the 2K Sports Classic in Detroit, and fell to Toledo 103-99. Anthony Jackson led Stony Brook with 36 points and Port Washington’s Ahmad Walker had 9 points and 4 rebounds. STORY
Indiana Over SB
The day will soon come when Stony Brook will go on the road against an elite basketball program and come home with a win. That day is not here quite yet. The Seawolves went out to Hoosier Country to take on Indiana of the Big 10, and were competitive most of the way before falling 90-74. STORY
Stony Brook Stops NE
The Seawolves improved to 3-0 on the season with a 73-66 win over Bill Coen's defending regular season CAA Champion Northeastern team. Jameel Warney led a balanced attack with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Port Washington's Ahmad Walker had 6 points and 7 rebounds. STORY
Stony Brook Cruises
Stony Brook improved to 2-0 with an 81-65 win over Haverford. Anthony Jackson led the way with 24 points. South Side's Bret Cohen led Haverford with 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks. STORY
Seawolves Rock Marist
Stony Brook kicked off their much anticipated season with a convincing 71-55 win over Marist. Anthony Jackson led the Seawolves with 22 points and Jameel Varney added 16 points and 13 rebounds. St. Dom's Ahmad Walker chipped in 4 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists. Former St. Mary's star Chavaughn Lewis finished with 14 for Marist. STORY
Ask The Ref
You know the basketball season is here when we start posting new editions of this popular column! Time to kick off the 2013-14 season with ASK THE REF!
NBDL Draft
Four Long Island players were taken in the NBDL Draft. Stony Brook's Muhammad El-Amin was taken by the Los Angeles D-Fenders, SUNY Old Westbury's Lester Prosper by the Maine Red Claws, and both Hofstra's Mike Moore and Lawrence's Andrae Nelson by the Erie Bayhawks.
There was a great turnout for the ceremony to rename Nassau Rd. after Roosevelt HS great Julius Erving, despite the rain. Erving rewarded his loyal fans and the media throng with a moving speech. The Doctor acknowledged old friends, led the crowd in singing the Roosevelt school song, and promised to become more involved in building and rebuilding his former hometown before he unveiled the new sign at the corner of Nassau and Pleasant. It was a great day for all involved, from the politicians gathered to the little children that recited the Pledge of Allegiance, all there to express their affection for a beloved local hero and all-time great.
LuHi Crushes QHSC
The Queens High School of Teaching led 21-17 after one quarter, but Devonte Green, Losini Kamara, and Chris Burkley led a second quarter rally that put the Crusaders in front 48-30 at the half, and then Marvin Prochet and Robyn Missa led the charge that blew it open in the third quarter and carried them to a resounding 97-54 victory. Chris Atkinson did a great job running the offense and scoring when he had to, and picked up the MVP trophy as a result. The win gave Long Island teams a 3-1 victory over NYC at the showcase held in LuHi's gym. 12/8
St. Mary's Rocks Far Rock
St. Mary’s is another team everyone is wondering about. They were expected to be one of the best teams in the state this season, but during the off-season, their two highest profile players transferred out. Fortunately for Gaels fans, Steve Milhaven is still there and appears to be healthy, and Patrick Jackson is still there too, and the Gaels also have some talented freshmen in 6’6 Chris Coalman and 6’11 Nicholas Richards, both of whom look capable of stepping up into big roles. The bad news is they are freshmen, and will undoubtedly have some growing pains, and there also isn’t much depth. Against Far Rockaway, Milhaven made it clear that this is his team now, leading them to a convincing 69-48 win with 36 points and 11 rebounds, including a one man second half run that turned a close game into a comfortable win. Jackson added 13 points and 9 assists.
12/8
Amityville In OT!
In a classic December match-up, two teams that would normally not meet until deep into the playoffs faced off in a barn burner, with 3rd ranked Amityville coming from behind to defeat 2nd ranked Brentwood 81-78 in overtime. Brentwood got off to a great start once again, just as they had against St. John The Baptist in the first round, with back to back three pointers by sophomore sensation Mike Almonacy giving them a 20-8 lead, but Amityville was not about to be blow out in their own gym, with back to back putbacks by Elijah Rogers and Phil McCloud and a three pointer by Sean Walters from the left wing leading a 7-2 Amityville run to close out the first quarter. Brentwood began to rebuild their lead as the second quarter got underway, with Almonacy scoring back to back, but Amityville countered with a 3 by Walters and a baseline jumper by Mike Smith, part of a 12-3 run capped off by Travis Dickerson’s 3 point play that tied the game at 31. Ali Mableton's coast to coast basket put Brentwood back on top, and a putback by Kameron Works and Almonacy’s drive through the defense gave them a 38-33 lead, but Leland Williams’ basket from underneath just before the buzzer made it a 3 point game at halftime. Mableton opened the second half with a putback for a 40-35 Brentwood lead, but an off balance leaner by Dickerson and a right wing three pointer by Smith tied it. Again, Brentwood started to rebuild their lead, going up 54-44 on a three pointer by Allen from the top. Vincent Smythe’s drive and pull-up jumper made it 56-44 with 2:54 left in the quarter, but Amityville responded with another run, ignited by Dickerson’s drive and capped off by a three pointer by Smith that made it a 5 point game at the end of three quarters. Smythe opened the fourth with a three pointer from the right baseline, and Casimir stole the ball and scored to give Brentwood a 10 point lead, but back to back three pointers by Smith cut it to 66-63. Smythe dunked on a beautifully executed press break and Almonacy scored from underneath to bump the lead back to 7 with 3:30 remaining, but Smith kept it close with a fast break basket. Allen knocked down two free throws shooting 1 and 1 with 2:20 left and the lead was 7 again, but Amityville started to close in, scoring on a drive by Dickerson and a three pointer by Smith that sent the full house into a frenzy. The roar continued as McCloud went to the line with 1:32 remaining and knocked down both free throws to tie it, and then Dickerson’s three pointer from the right wing put the Warriors up by 3 with 23 seconds to play. Brentwood missed their first attempt at the basket in the final seconds, and a mad scramble ensued. The ball ended up in the hands of Almonacy, who dramatically drained a three pointer from the top to tie the game and send it into overtime. Amityville struck first in OT, with Smith scoring a fast break basket, and after a Brentwood free throw, his drive made it 79-76 Warriors. Almonacy cut it to 1 with a fast break basket off a turnover with a minute to play, but the Indians couldn’t find the basket down the stretch, and a free throw by Malcolm Mathis with 27 seconds left and another by Dickerson with 17 seconds left gave Amityville a 3 point win. 12/6
Titans Crush Holy Cross
Holy Trinity has struggled against teams from the city in recent years, but it looks like this years team might be different. The fourth ranked Titans jumped out in front right from the start and rolled to a 76-40 win over Holy Cross. Jimmy Golaszewski led the way with 28 points and Jack Sixsmith added 16. 12/4
Massapequa Over Danes
The Hjemly team from Denmark had some talented players and were well coached, but Massapequa would be a tough matchup for anybody, and the Chiefs rolled to a 74-56 victory. Massapequa used a balanced attack to build a 20-5 first quarter lead, and then Dylan Balducci errupted for 5 second quarter three pointers and they cruised home from there. 12/4
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ASK THE REF!
Interesting batch of questions in this edition! Do you have a question about a call or rule? All you have to do is
Editor's Inbox
Hills East defeated Brentwood in the NorthSport Fall League Championship Game..... Saint Agnes 7 won the CYO Fall High School Tyro League.....
PRESEASON
ALL LONG ISLAND
Chris Atkinson, LuHi
Tristan Brown, Elmont
Dwayne Daniel, Lawrence
Devonte Dixon, Westhmptn
Aaren Edmead, Deer Park
Tavon Ginyard, SJB
Devonte Green, LuHi
Terry Harris, Hills West
Femi Olujobi, Brentwood
Kyle Williams, SJB
Olujobi To Oakland
Brentwood star Femi Olujobi has committed to Oakland of the D1 Horizon League. The 6'6 Olojobi was an All-Long Island Second Team selection as a junior.
D1 Player Update #3
Roslyn’s George Beamon had 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals in Manhattan’s win over Illinois State….. CI’s Rod Odom had 17 points and 5 rebounds in Vanderbilt’s loss to Providence, while Dix Hills’ Tyler Harris had 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks for Providence in the win. Odom also had 9 points and 6 rebounds in Vandy's loss to Butler..... St. Mary’s Chavaughn Lewis had 13 points and 5 rebounds in Marist’s loss to Maryland….. LuHi’s Shaun Lawton had 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 8 assists in Maine’s loss to NJIT….. Bay Shore’s Malik Jackson had 11 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks in Bethune-Cookman’s loss to Florida international….. Floyd’s Anthony White had 10 points and 4 rebounds in St. Francis, NY’s loss to Syracuse….. Brentwood’s JJ Moore had 10 points and 5 rebounds in a Rutgers loss to Drexel and 8 points and 5 rebounds in a win over Canisius….. Northport’s Luke Petrasek had 10 points in Columbia’s loss to Portland and 7 points and 3 rebounds in their win over North Texas ….. OSNA’s Chris Obekpa had 6 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 blocks in a St. John’s win over Bucknell and 4 points, 5 rebounds, and 9 blocks in a win over Monmouth..... Harborfields’ Lucas Woodhouse had 5 points, 7 assists, and 2 steals in Longwood’s loss to Brown….
Recruiting Change
The NCAA has changed the 2014 men’s basketball recruiting calendar, eliminating one of the live periods this spring. At first, they were going to move one of the two April live periods to May because of Easter and standardized test date conflicts this year, but the Board of Directors decided to eliminate any May dates now and going forward. The calendar will return to normal next year and every year that Easter and standardized test conflicts don’t occur.
Around The Net
North Babylon’s Danny Green and teammate Tony Parker NBA’s best backcourt? STORY….. Hills West’s Tobias Harris has been out of Orlando’s lineup awhile now with a bad ankle sprain, but is back practicing with the team now and will hopefully be back soon….. OSNA’s Damon Wilson committed to Pitt……
Myles New Tiger Coach
Former Hempstead star, All-Long Island player, and honor role student Lateef Myles is the new Hempstead Boys Varsity Basketball Coach, replacing the legendary Ted Adams. Adams is Nassau County’s all-time winingest coach with 517 career victories, and guided Hempstead to three New York State Championships.
D1 Player Update #2
Roslyn’s George Beamon had 28 points and 6 rebounds in Manhattan’s win over Columbia. Northport’s Luke Petrasek had 6 points and 4 rebounds for Columbia….. St. Mary’s Chavaughn Lewis had 26 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists in Marist’s loss to St. Joseph’s….. LuHi’s Shaun Lawton had 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists in Maine’s loss to George Washington….. Dix Hill’s Tyler Harris had 21 points and 7 rebounds in Providence‘s win over Brown….. Central Islip’s Rod Odom had 20 points in Vanderbilt’s win over Lipscomb and 19 in their win over Georgia St…… Bay Shore’s Marcus Damas had 17 points in Towson’s win over Morgan state and 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 steals in their win over Temple….. Glen Cove’s Melsahn Basabe had 12 points and 7 rebounds in Iowa’s win over Maryland-Eastern Shore….. Brentwood’s JJ Moore had 10 points in a Rutgers win over Yale….. Harborfields’ Lucas Woodhouse had 7 points and 7 assists in Longwood’s win over TCU….. OSNA’s Chris Obekpa had 8 rebounds and 4 blocks in St. John’s win over Wagner….. LuHi’s Kentan Facey had 7 rebounds in UConn’s win over Detroit….. Harborfields’ Chris Brady had 4 points and 6 rebounds in Monmouth’s loss to Penn….. Anthony White of Floyd started, then quickly sprained his ankle in St. Francis huge upset at defending ACC champ Miami. Anthony
had 2 points and 2 assists in 10 minutes.
ASK THE REF
GOING OUT ON A LIMB!
D1 Player Update #1
Roslyn’s George Beamon had 24 points and 8 rebounds in Manhattan’s 2OT win over LaSalle….. Brentwood’s JJ Moore had 17 points and 11 rebounds in his debut for Rutgers, a win over Florida A&M….. St. Mary's Chavaughn Lewis had 13 points in Marist's loss to Elon..... LuHi's Shaun Lawton had 12 points, 8 assists, and 4 steals in Maine's win over Fisher..... Bay Shore’s Marcus Damas had 10 points in Towson’s win over Navy….. Lucas Woodhouse from Harborfields had 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists in Longwood’s loss to South Carolina….. Glen Cove’s Melsahn Basabe had 8 points and 6 rebounds in Iowa’s win over NC Wilmington and 7 points and 9 rebounds in their win over Nebraska-Omaha……. Bay Shore’s Malik Jackson had 8 points and 7 rebounds in Bethune-Cookman’s win over Trinity Baptist….. Northport’s Luke Petrasek had 7 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks in Columbia‘s win over Maryland-Eastern Shore….. Dix Hills’ Tyler Harris had 4 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals in his debut with Providence, a win over Boston College ……. Hempstead’s Jordan Parks had 4 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 block in North Carolina Central’s loss to Cincinnati…..
Battle Of Levittown!
The battle for bragging rights in Levittown went to MacArther once again this year, with the Generals registering a 59-41 win over Division. The games have been one sided recently, and although MacArther raced out to an 8-0 lead in this one behind a three pointer and a steal and basket by Tom McAndrew, Division stayed within striking distance most of the way. Kyle McLoughlin's three pointer from the left wing and a low post basket by Zack Cronin made it a 2 point game late in the first quarter, but McAndrew responded with a 3 from the top and Greg Baumstein converted a 3 point play and it was 16-8 Generals at the first quarter buzzer. A putback by Joe Tracey cut it to 18-11 as the clock dipped under the 6 minute mark in the second quarter, but MacArthur answered with 7 straight points on a hook shot by Baumstein, a three by Brian Perez from left wing, and a fast break basket by Greg Schachter and they led 27-13 with 2:56 to play in the half. Four straight free throws by Nick Spitalieare and the lead was down to 10, but Ryan Cunningham's three pointer just before the buzzer made it 32-19 at intermission. Varela's drive from the left wing cut it to 32-23 early in the third quarter, but MacArthur refused to let Division back into it and began to take control on a steal and basket by Tom Melendez and a steal a tough fall away jumper by McAndrew that gave them a 13 point lead with 4:50 to play in the quarter. A baseline three pointer by McAndrew, a fast break basket by Jared Wolfe off a turnover, and a basket by Paul DeMartino from underneath made it 44-25. Tracey and McLaughlin cut it to 44-29 with free throws just before the quarter ended. Jack Wall opened the fouth quarter with a fast break basket for MacArthur, and Division never seriously challenged the rest of the way. 12/4
Tu Holloway Update
After a great college career, Hempstead's Tu Holloway is playing overseas and waiting for an opportunity to play in the NBA. VIDEO
SJB Stumbles
St. John The Baptist came into the season ranked 6th in the Preseason Sweet 16, but lost their opener 81-73 to Class AA Thurgood Marshall of the PSAL. Preseason All-Long Island selection Tavon Ginyard had a career high 46 points, including a school record 23 made free throws, and led a second half rally that cut a 16 point deficit to 4, but the Cougars couldn't quite close the gap. SJB was missing starter Bryan Sinclair, and Preseason All-Long Island selection Kyle Williams spent much of the game on the bench in foul trouble. 11/30
Ward Melville Falls To QHST
Two Class AA programs on the rise met in an early season intersectional contest, with the Queens High School Of Teaching holding off Ward Melville 56-53 at Ward Melville. In typical New York City style, QHST applied the pressure early, and Ward Melville struggled with it, falling into a 29-16 hole mid way through the second quarter, but the Patriots began to settle in as the half wound down, and a three pointer by Brandon Hart from straight on cut the deficit to 6 with 2:20 to play. It was 32-27 QHST at the half. Michael O’Leary opened the second half with a three pointer from the right foul line extended, and Daniel Isaac’s three from the left wing made it 39-30 Queens with 5:42 to go in the third quarter, but Ward Melville reeled off three straight baskets - a jumper by Hart, a basket from underneath by Gabe Brown, and a fast break basket by Andre Audige off a loose ball, and it was a 3 point game at the 4:10 mark. Back to back baskets by Brown, the second on a well executed pick and roll play, cut it to 42-40, and a putback by Russell Winters with 1:54 left in the quarter made it a 1 point game, but O’Leary nailed a three with time running down and it was 46-42 QHST with three quarters in the books. Brandon Anderson opened the final quarter with a fast break basket off a turnover, and Supandeep Sing’s beautiful drive from the left wing made it 50-42 Tigers in the early going, but 4 straight points by Phil Carballeira, 2 on a nice running hook shot, and a three point play by Winters and the Patriots were back within 1 with 4:51 to play. Isaac answered with a three from the baseline to make it 53-49, and the Tigers had opportunities to pad their lead the next two times down the court, but missed four straight free throws to keep Ward Melville within striking distance with 3:05 on the clock. The Patriots took advantage, with Winters scoring back to back baskets to tie it at 53 as the clock dipped under one minute, but Sonny Okorie came through for QHST with what turned out to be game winning free throws at the 40 second mark. Ward Melville had two clean looks at the basket as the clock ran down, but neither shot would fall and QHST held on for a 56-53 victory. Sing finished with a game high 17 points for QHST, and Isaac added 12. Winters led Ward Melville with 16. 12/2
8th Grade/Sun Champion KnuLife
St. Anthony's Beats Carey
With the unexpected loss of two projected starters, there were a lot of questions about this year's St. Anthony's team, but it looks like the Friars will be contenders once again this season after they pulled away from a good Carey team for a 51- 40 victory in their opener. Carey is in Nassau Class A this season, and will also be a contender, returning a balanced squad led by Long Island All-Star Adrian Denner, and the two teams went toe to toe in the early going, with freshman Chris Kelly giving the Friars a 10-7 lead at the first quarter buzzer on a putback and a free throw. CJ Backman made it 14-8 St. Anthony’s with a basket from underneath, but Andrew Ris kept it close with a three pointer from the top. Mike Reinertsen was fouled on a three point attempt and knocked down all three free throws to bump the Friar lead back to 6, and a three pointer by Trey Kinard made it 22-13 with just under two minutes to play in the half, but Denner answered with a three from the top, Kieran Murchie looped to the basket and scored, and Denner knocked down another three from straight on and it was a 1 point game with 29 seconds remaining. Reinertsen knocked down two more free throws in the final seconds to make it 24-21 St. Anthony’s at the half. Denner opened the second half with an elbow jumper, and then his steal and three point play gave Carey a 26-24 lead, but Kinard responded with a three and the teams exchanged baskets and the lead until Bachman’s spinning hook shot put the Friars up 31-28 with less than 4 minutes left in the third quarter, and then Kelly knocked down a three from the left baseline to put them up by 6. A baseline drive by Kinnard made it 40-30 St. Anthony’s with 40 seconds left, but a Ris jumper from the right wing cut the margin to 8 as the quarter ended. The Friars started to take command as the fourth quarter got underway. Kinnard opened the quarter with a three pointer from the left baseline, and then Bachman put back a miss and knocked down a spinning hook shot from the lane to make it 47-32 St. Anthony’s. Denner tried to keep the Colts alive, following his missed three point attempt with a putback, but Kelly answered with a jumper from the top. A Denner three cut it to 49-40, but with only 1:15 remaining, Carey needed baskets and stops and got neither. Joe Licciardi’s fast break basket off a turnover made it 51-40 and that’s the way it ended. As for the questions about the backcourt, Licciardi ran the point for the Friars most of the way and did an excellent job, Kinard and Reinertsen played well too in starting roles, and Kelly is an emerging star off the bench. Depth might be a problem, but it looks like St. Anthony’s is in good shape. 12/3
St. Anthony's Nips Elmont
It was a hard fought, back and forth game, but St. Anthony's passed another test, beating 9th ranked Elmont 56-54 on their home court. Elmont jumped in front at the start, with preseason All-Long selection Tristan Brown scoring on a steal and fastbreak basket, and a Keven Chambers steal and dunk made it 6-3 Spartans, but whenever Elmont looked like they were going to build a lead, the Friars responded, and Chris Kelly’s three pointer finally put them on top 12-11. The Spartans then regained the lead on another drive by Brown, and were up 15-12 at the first quarter buzzer on a fastbreak basket by Brett Walker. Kelly tied it at 15 with a fall away jumper with 5:17 to go in the half, and 5 straight point by Jarred Marrow - a baseline three pointer and fast break basket, and it was 20-15 Friars with 4 minutes to play, but neither team could seize the momentum, and it was 25-21 St. Anthony’s at the half. Brown opened up the second half with a fast break basket after spending much of the second quarter on the bench in foul trouble, but the teams traded baskets until the 4:40 mark, when Brown tied it on another drive in heavy traffic. Kelly answered with a putback for the Friars, but a three pointer by Greg Rhone from the right wing gave Elmont a 33-32 lead with 2:36 left in the quarter, and a putback by Brown made it 38-35 Spartans with 1:19 remaining. Will Lantier scored from underneath to bring St. Anthony’s back within 1, and a putback by Kinnard gave them a 1 point lead as time ran down, but it was 39 all at the third quarter buzzer after a free throw by Brown finished the scoring. Matthew Graham scored on the break to give Elmont the lead as the fourth quarter got underway, and the back and forth action continued, with two free throws by Joe Licciardi and a jumper by Kelly putting the Friars in front, and a three by Graham from the deep left wing regaining the lead for the Spartans. Kinnard answered with a three from the baseline as the clock dipped under the 5 minute mark, but two free throws by Brown and a runner by Graham and it was 48-46 Elmont. Mike Reinertsen’s big three pointer from the top put St. Anthony’s up 52-50 with 2:18 to play, and then his rebound and driving basket proved to be the game winner, giving the Friars a 56-52 lead with 25 seconds on the clock. Brown put back a missed three point attempt to make it a 2 point game, but it was too little too late. 12/5 PHOTO AND STATS LATER
Brentwood Rocks SJB
The much anticipated match-up between #2 Brentwood and #6 St. John The Baptist in the first round of Amityville’s annual tournament had an unanticipated result. Brentwood dominated SJB from start to finish, rolling to a 66-50 victory that was not as close as the final score would indicate. It was Brentwood’s defense that was the real story, completely smothering the Cougars. Brentwood wasted no time, delivering a first round knock-out punch on a pull-up jumper by Mike Almonacy, two free throws by Vincent Smythe, a three by Almonacy from the right wing, a fast break basket by Jamel Allen, a pull-up jumper by Anfernee Casimir, and a fast break basket by Ali Mableton for a 13-0 lead. The stunned Cougars never really recovered. The lead was 26-9 after Allen’s three pointer from straight on, 33-13 after Almonacy’s three point play with 5:44 to play in the first half, and 40-18 after an alley-oop dunk by Allen with 2:25 left. There was a glimmer of hope for St. John’s after a three point play by Kyle Williams and a fast break basket by Tavon Ginyard brought the Cougars back within 16, but Brenwood scored the first three baskets of the third quarter on a putback by Allen, a fast break basket by Almonacy, and a tip in by Smythe and the lead was back to 22. Brentwood cruised home from there. They will take on the hosts, #3 ranked Amityville, in the championship game Friday at 7PM. 12/5
Holy Trinity At Buzzer
I was really looking forward to seeing #4 Holy Trinity for the first time this season, but I arrived late and when I walked in, they were tied with Wadleigh at 54 with just 1:27 to play. Scanning the book, it had been a tight, back and forth game throughout, and Brandon Thompson was now at the line shooting 1 and 1 looking to give the Titans the lead. He did, knocking down both pressure packed free throws, but Wadleigh countered with a drive from the right wing to knot it up at 56 with 40 seconds left. Holy Trinity regained possession with 5.7 seconds on the clock and called time, and coming out of the time out, they crisply worked the ball around to Peter Alkins on the right baseline, and he buried a three pointer at the buzzer for the dramatic 59-56 win. 12/8
Hills East Stops West
In a classic rivalry game, 12th ranked Hills East defeated 13th ranked Hills West 70-63 in front of a packed gym at Half Hollow Hills East High school. It was the first time East had won the match-up since the 2008 - 2009 season, when Tobias and Tyler Harris spent the year LuHi. West was determined to show they were still the better team, jumping out to a 9-3 lead on a three pointer and fast break basket by Ross Greenfield, but a tip in and then a three pointer by Jordan McRae and Hills East was up 11-9 with 3:14 to go in the opening quarter. Greenfield wouldn't relinquish the lead without a fight, drilling another three to put West up 12-11, but McRae dunked off an inbound play, Simon stole the ball and scored, and McRae tipped in a missed shot at the buzzer to make it 17-12 East after one. Mike Simon opened the second quarter with two free throws, and then he nailed a three pointer from the left baseline off an inbound play to make it 22-12 East, but the Thunderbirds could not add to the lead, and as the half wound down, Greenfield snuck in behind the defense and scored and Alex Benitez drained a three pointer from the wing to make it 30-25 at intermission. Justin Leonard opened the third quarter with two free throws, Greenfield scored on a putback, and Terry Harris added a free throw to tie the game at 30 all, and then Greenfield put the Colts on top with a fast break basket, but East responded with another run, with Justin Fackler knocking down a short jumper, Grant Rosenberg hitting two free throws and a jumper, and McRae converting a three point play to make it 39-32 Thunderbirds with 3:55 remaining in the quarter. D’Nathan Knox’s basket added to the lead, putting East up 52-41, but West edged back into it, drawing within 6 after two free throws by Jamal Starling. Simon hit a fall away three to push the lead to 59-50, and his steal and basket and then two free throws made it 66-54 East, but Erol Parker’s three pointer from the right baseline with one minute to play kept West’s hopes alive. Two free throws by Simon gave East an 11 point lead with 40 seconds left, and they held on from there despite some shaky free throw shooting down the stretch. 12/7
Amityville Falls
#3 Amityville led most of the way, but could never break loose, and South Shore, NYC's 4th ranked team according to NYC Basketball.com, rallied down the stretch for a 78-71 win. You have to give Coach Agostino credit for putting together a first rate non-league schedule for his Class A Warriors, facing their second straight Class AA heavyweight in as many days, and they came out unintimidated by the towering Vikings, going up 13-8 on Travis Dickerson’s elbow jumper, and then a drive by Mike Smith and Dickerson’s second elbow jumper made it 21-14 with 1:26 to play in the opening quarter. Back to back baskets by Doudmy St. Hilaire narrowed the margin, but Leland Williams knocked down two free throws to give the Warriors a 23-18 lead as the first quarter came to a close. Elijah Rogers opened the second quarter with a three pointer from the left baseline to give Amityville an 8 point lead, but once again they couldn’t build on it, and the Vikings whittled it down to 28-27 on a drive down the right side of the lane and then two free throws by Shakur Spencer. Phil McCloud kept the Warriors on top with a putback, and it was 30-27 Amityville at the half. Devyn Wilson drove from the right wing and looped one in from the lane to bring South Shore back within 1 as the third quarter got underway, and St. Hilaire got to a loose ball, scored, drew the foul, and knocked down the free throw to put the Vikings up 32-30, but Smith’s drive down the right baseline, a free throw by Dickerson, and a fast break basket by Williams and Amityville was back on top 35-32. South Shore retook the lead on a three by Wilson from the right baseline and a fast break basket by Tavid McIntosh, and went up 41-37 on a nice basket cut by Spencer, but a fast break basket by Williams and a three pointer by Sean Walters from the baseline made it 42-41 Warriors. The duel continued until Smith’s three pointer and Hubbard’s three point play put the Warriors up by 8 with 2:04 left in the quarter, but two free throws by Cori Johnson and a steal and basket by Wilson cut the margin to 56-52 with three quarters in the books. Ryan Preston scored off an inbound play to bring the Vikings within 2 as the fourth quarter got underway, but Malcolm Mathis answered with a short drive in heavy traffic. The teams traded baskets and free throws, but Amityville continued to hold onto the lead until McIntosh knocked down two free throws to tie it with 4:40 remaining, and then Tyrone Johnson’s coast to coast runner with 3:52 left put South Shore on top. The Amityville shooters had gone cold and South Shore was dominating the boards, with Preston scoring from underneath, and McIntosh putting back a missed shot to give the Vikings a 6 point lead with 2:40 left. Mathis made it a 4 point game with two free throws to keep the outcome in doubt, but after back to back turnovers, Johnson put the first nail in the coffin, burying a three from the right wing to make it 74-67 South Shore at the 1:52 mark. Dickersons two free throws cut the margin to 5, and it was Amityville ball with 1:39 to play after a charging call, with Mathis drawing a foul and cutting it to 74-71 with two more free throws, but the Warriors would not score the rest of the way, turning it over twice, and two free throws and Preston’s emphatic dunk iced it. 12/8
Westbury defeated East Meadow HS 57 to 51 in the finals of the Coaches vs Cancer tournament. The tournament was held in honor of coach Martin " Bunky " Reid, who passed away from cancer in 1993. The Green Dragons were led by Jonathan Dean, who scored 18 points, and Shakel Cafield, who scored 16. Both players were named to the all Tournament team. Westbury outscored East Meadow 22 to 14 in the fourth quarter to earn the comeback win. 12/6
Baldwin Outlasts SJB
The featured match-up of the 2013 SJB Holiday Festival was host St. John The Baptist taking on 6th ranked Baldwin, and the game was everything you could ask for, with Baldwin taking home the hardware after a hard fought 76-69 overtime victory. Baldwin got off first, taking a quick 4-0 lead on a runner by Myking Richardson and a basket from the lane by Paul Nosworthy, but the Cougars would not let them take control, and as the first quarter wound down, Brandon Earhart’s jumper from the top gave them a one point lead, and then a fast break basket by Bryan Sinclair made it 14-12 SJB as the first quarter came to a close. Kyle Williams opened the second quarter with a putback for a 4 point St. John’s lead, but back to back threes by Shane Gatling put the Bruins on top 18-16, and they held the lead until the 4:04 mark, when Ginyard’s three pointer from the top tied it 25 and sparked a Cougar run. He followed his three with a fast break basket, then Sinclair’s jumper from the right wing and another Ginyard drive made it 31-25 SJB with 2 minutes to go in the half. Richardson countered with a three pointer from the left baseline, Otha Ward’s basket from underneath made it a 1 point game, and after another Ginyard fast break basket, a D'Marco Barnes three from the deep left wing tied it at 33 and that was the score at halftime. Ginyard opened the second half with a three pointer from the right wing and Williams put back his own miss to make it 38-33 SJB in the early going, but the Cougars could not build on their lead and another Barnes three pointer from the top tied it at 42 at the 5 minute mark of the third quarter. Dan Nwalor scored from underneath to give the Bruins the lead, and the run continued with another three pointer by Barnes, a basket from underneath by Nosworthy, and a putback by Nwalor that made it 53-42 Baldwin with 2:06 left in the quarter. Back to back baseline jumpers by Eric Torrens and Barnes cut it to 53-46 as the quarter wound down and that was the score at the buzzer. Williams scored from underneath to opened the final quarter, bringing SJB within 5, and a Ginyard three pointer from straight on brought them within 3 with 5:34 to play in regulation, but is was back and forth until Marvin Chartlelain’s two free throws made it 62-57 Baldwin with just 35 seconds left to play. Sinclair spun off a defender, scored and drew the foul at the 28 second mark, and his free throw brought the Cougars back within 2, but Barnes was steady at the foul line and put the Bruins up 4 on two free throws with 27 seconds left. Ginyard nailed a huge three from the top to make it a 1 point game with 20 seconds to play, and then he stole the inbound pass and was fouled going up with 17 seconds left. He made the first free throw to tie it, but missed the second to set up the overtime. Ginyard opened the overtime with a drive down the right baseline to give SJB the lead, but Richardson’s three pointer from the top and Nosworthy’s three point play and the Bruins had the lead for good. Barnes added to it, getting fouled on a three point attempt and knocking down all three free throws for a 73-66 lead with 1:15 to play, and then Richardson’s two free throws with less than a minute left and Baldwin was in command. 12/21
12/17 Highlights
Ward Melville Shocks #4 Brentwood
The Patriots were up at the half against St. Mary’s, so it was no surprise they were giving Brentwood a battle, but this time they stayed out of second half foul trouble, and Russell Winters, Gabe Brown, and Brandon Hart led them to a big 77-72 victory.
#3 Holy Trinity Rolls Past Elmont
The Titians rang up 42 first half points against Elmont's normally stingy defense, and were in control the whole way, winning 72-58. DETAILS SOON
Uniondale Rips #16 Massapequa
Uniondale was the team everyone was expecting this time out, pulling away in the second quarter against a good Massapequa team for a 64-43 win. They featured a balanced attack that had four players in double figures, led by Alan McDonald's 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Westbury Pounds Jericho
Westbury is off to a good start this season, putting together a 3-0 record, but they made a statement against Jericho with a commanding 63-36 victory. The Dean brothers led the way with a combined 31 points, Shakel Kafield had 11 points, and Brian Newell 9 points and 13 rebounds.
St. Mary's Rallies Past WM
They trailed at the half, but Steve Milhaven scored 13 third quarter points to put St. Mary's in front, and then he, Patrick Jackson, and Chris Coalman combined for 21 fourth quarter points to put Ward Melville way 76-59. DETAILS LATER 12/15
Upstate/Downstate!
POSTPONED DUE TO FORECAST
The annual event at Uniondale HS has been postponed due to the bad weather forecast.
ASK THE REF!
Sweat on the ball? What do you do? ASK THE REF!
Around The Net
Tolliver Powers Riverhead
The Thanksgiving Rumble was held at the Island Garden this season, and once again turned out to be one of our top tournaments of the year! Championships were held in four age groups, including the featured 7th Grade Division, where the Watchmen defeated the New York Lightning in a terrific final. The New York Lightning bounced back to defeat KnuLife in the 8th Grade Championship Game, while LI Lightning/Rossi picked up a big win over the On Point Rens to capture the 5th Grade crown. In the nightcap, Dream Nation turned back the NYC Jazz to win the Varsity Championship.
Brentwood Sinks Nazareth
With injuries to key players and a tough early season schedule, it looked like Brentwood would struggle to maintain its spot near the top of the Sweet 16 rankings after suffering two early season losses. Instead, the Indians picked up a big 51-41 win over defending CHSAA Class A State Champion Nazareth at the 2013 SJB Holiday Festival, reaffirming their status as one of the top teams in New York State. There was great defensive intensity on both sides and the game got off to a slow start on the scoreboard, with the first basket coming at the 4:35 mark of the first quarter, but Mike Almonacy’s putback touched off a 7-0 Brentwood run, capped off by an Almonacy three pointer, and it was a 7-2 at the first quarter buzzer. Kameron Works opened the second quarter scoring with a putback for the Indians, but Nazareth settled in and the teams traded baskets until an alley-oop dunk by Samson Usilo, his second of the game, brought the Kingsmen within 3, and then his fast break basket off a turnover cut it to 15-14 with under 2 minutes to play in the half. Ammad Alkhulaidi followed him with a basket from underneath to give Nazareth their first lead, but Almonacy recaptured it with a runner, and he added a free throw to complete a three point play and make it 18-16 Brentwood at intermission. Usilo opened the second half with a one man run, dunking on the break, converting a three point play, and draining a three pointer from the left wing to give the Kingsmen a quick 24-18 lead, but Ali Mableton broke the run with an aggressive drive that resulted in two free throws, and a three pointer by Works at the 4:12 mark and Brentwood was back within 1. Works knocked down two free throws for a 1 point lead with 2:45 left in the quarter, but two free throws by Alkhulaidi and a steal and fastbreak basket by Usilo and Nazareth had it back again, leading 30-27. A three pointer from the right baseline by Jamel Allen as time wound down tied it at 30 with three quarters complete. Mableton opened the fourth quarter with a three pointer, and his putback made it 35-30 Brentwood with 5:10 to play. After a scramble for a loose ball, Allen found himself alone under the basket and dunked for a 7 point Brentwood lead, but Dante Pulido’s three point play brought Nazareth back within 4 with 4:01 on the clock, and a three point play by Tishsean Emmanuel and Brentwood was clinging to a 40-39 lead with 3:33 remaining. Nazareth had two chances to take the lead, but squandered back to back trips to the foul line, and Brentwood took advantage, with Mableton scoring off a well run press break to put the Indians up 42-39 with 1:47 showing. They added two free throws in four attempts for a 5 point lead with 1:06 to play, but a steal and basket by George Cristaff kept Nazareth alive, cutting the margin to 3 with 38 seconds left. Almonacy struck the big blow, catching a touchdown pass over the pressure defense and converting it into a three point play and a 6 point lead with 36 seconds remaining, and then Works and Mableton added baskets down the stretch to ice it. 12/21
12/18 Highlights
Babylon Contender Again
Last year's dream season carried Babylon all the way to the State Championship Game, and the Panthers return plenty of weapons this season. Brendan Laing is one of them, and the 6'8 big man scored 25 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in a 64-55 win over Center Moriches. Another, Jake Carlock, added 14 points and 8 assists.
LuHi Over Pa. Champs
LuHi picked up a huge 65-50 win over Imhotep Charter in Philadelphia. Imhotep has won three consecutive Pennsylvania State Championships, and four of the last five. Chris Atkinson was named MVP of the game and scored 18 points, Elijah Bailey finished with 13, and Robyn Missa had 7 points and 14 rebounds. 12/15
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College D1 Update
Westbury’s Sheldon Hagigal had 23 points and Floyd’s Anthony White 8 in St. Francis, NY’s loss to Monmouth….. Bay Shore’s Malik Jackson had 16 points and 7 rebounds in Bethune-Cookman’s loss to Norfolk State, coached by former St. Mary’s coach Robert Jones….. Glen Cove’s Melsahn Basabe had 15 points and 8 rebounds in Iowa’s win over Drake and 12 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Fairleigh Dickinson….. Bay Shore’s Marcus Damas had 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists in Towson’s win over Central Pennsylvania….. Roslyn’s George Beamon had 11 points and 6 rebounds in Manhattan’s win over Monmouth….. Northport’s Luke Petrasek had 9 points and 6 rebounds in Columbia’s loss to Bucknell….. LaSalle rallied past Stony Brook 65-57 at the Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden. Port Washington’s Ahmad Walker had 8 points and 7 rebounds in the loss….. Harborfields’ Lucas Woodhouse had 6 points and 9 assists in Longwood’s loss to Eastern Kentucky…..
12/11 Highlights
Between the regular schedule and all the rescheduled games from the snow storm, there were a lot of games played Wednesday. Here are a few highlights:
#13 Elmont Defeats #12 Chaminade
Two ranked teams faced off, and Elmont picked up their first big win of the season behind 21 points and 8 assists from Tristan Brown and 13 points and 11 rebounds from Chiazam Nwankno.
Newfield Trips Bay Shore
Two teams knocking on the door of the Sweet 16 faced off, and Newfield came out on top 47-45
#2 Amityville Pounds BBP
The search is still on for a challenger to Amityville in Suffolk Class A. They rolled over Bayport - Blue Point 85-53. Harborfields? Westhampton?
Friends Over Roslyn In OT
Looks like another strong Friends Academy team. Nassau's only Class C squad defeated Class A Roslyn 68-58 by dominating overtime. Tyrone Perkins led Friends with 22 points and 6 rebounds, while Cyrus Holder had a career high 17, incuding 8 for 8 from the line in OT.
12/21 Highlights
#3 Holy Trinity Falls To QHS Const.
The Titans lost their second straight, going cold in the second half again and dropping a 70-51 decision to Queens HS of Construction.
St. Dominic Grounds Beach Channel
St. Dominic isn't playing the brutal schedule they have in past years, so we took their strong start this season with a grain of salt, but we got our first look at them against Beach Channel, a middle of the pack PSAL AA team from Queens, and came away impressed. They have size, shooting, and solid ball-handlers and they dismantled the Dolphins 64-37.
Kellenberg Pounds Pathways
Kellenberg did exactly what everyone expected, drilling PSAL Class A Pathways Prep 79-39. The Thunderbirds displayed all of their strenghts, dominating from start to finish and putting five players in double figures
#12 Chaminade Rallies Past Bayside
Chaminade trailed PSAL Class AA Bayside at the half, but outscored the Commodores 22-6 in the 3rd quarter and pulled away 66-54.
#9 St. Anthony' s Nips Bowne
PSAL Class A John Bowne is off to a great start this season, and gave St. Anthony's everything they could handle, but the Friars held on for a 66-65 victory.
#2 Amityville Lights Up Edison
Amityville played like one of the top teams in the state, taking control from the start and ripping PSAL Class AA Thomas Edision 84-47
Burke Over St. Mary's At Buzzer
Steve Milhaven's jumper put #8 St. Mary's up by one with 9 seconds remaining, but Burke Catholic answered with a deep three from the top at the buzzer for a 76-74 victory.
Bayport BP Defeats Riverhead
Bayport-Blue Point improved to 7-1 with an impressive 69-60 win over Class AA Riverhead. Connor Panzner led the way with 28 points and 7 assists and Tyler Grosse added 16 points and 10 rebounds.
12/19 Highlights
Bellport Bests West
A Ronald Harris free throw with 1.3 seconds left gave Bellport a thrilling 52-51 win over #14 Hills West
Harborfields Defeats Westhampton
The Suffolk Class A picture is starting to come into focus, and once again Harborfields is emerging as one of the primary contenders, beating Westhampton 69-52
Carey Over Jericho
In contrast, the Class A picture in Nassau gets more clouded every day, with West Hempstead, Westbury, Sewanhaka, Valley Stream South, and Floral Park all throwing their hats in the ring. Established contender Carey's 3 point win over perrenial contender Jericho does little to clarify the situation.
12/12 Highlights
Syosset Stuns #7 Uniondale
Dan Albernas erupted for 31 points, including 6 three-pointers, to lead host Syosset to a 71-57 upset of 7th ranked Uniondale.
Deer Park Routs Hauppauge
#6 Deer Park opened their season with a 65-32 pounding of Hauppauge. Aaren Edmead had 19 points and Karon Blackwell 11 for Deer Park.
OSNA Improves To 5-0
Our Savior New American is breezing through its early schedule, winning its 5th straight game by a double digit margin with a 111-74 thrashing of Rise Academy of Philadelphia. Cheick Diallo had 31 points,10 rebounds, and 3 blocks, and Long Island All-Stars Damon Wilson 20 points and 19 assists, and Kobe Eubanks 22 points and 6 rebounds.
THANKSGIVING
RUMBLE
Varsity Champ Dream Nation
8th Gr Champ NY Lightning
7th Gr Champ Watchmen
5th Gr Champ LIL/Rossi
12/30 Highlights
CTK Catches LuHi
In a rematch of last season's New York State Federation Class AA Championship Game, Christ The King prevailed once again, rallying from a 16 point deficit to defeat Long Island Lutheran 56-53.
Calhoun Stuns Kellenberg
Calhoun has a good team this season, so we expected them to give Kellenberg a battle, but never expected them to roll over the T Birds. They did, building a 19 point halftime lead on their way to a 72-50 victory. Brian Downey and Kyle McGinley both knocked down 4 three pointers to help spur the win.
Uniondale Rolls Past Bayside
Uniondale continues to rebound from the unexpected loss to Syosset, racking up their fourth straight convincing win with a 58-43 win over Bayside of the PSAL.
12/29 Highlights
Farmingdale Blasts Port Washington
For the second day in a row, Farmingdale handed a team their first loss of the season in very convincing fashion, hammering Port Washington 73-43 after beating West Hempstead 65-48.
12/28 Highlights
LuHi Pulls Away In Second Half
LuHi rallied from a first half defict, pulling away from Kentucky's Holmes High for a 70-58 victory. STORY
Floral Park Over Chaminade
Floral Park earned serious Sweet 16 consideration, improving to 5-0 with a 45-42 road win over #12 Chaminade
Kellenberg Pulls Away From S. Side
It was a hotly contested game most of the way, but Kellenberg pulled away for a 78-64 win over South Side.
MORE LATER
12/27 Highlights
Holy Trinity Defeats Deer Park
Billy Sixsmith’s three pointer put #8 Holy Trinity ahead for good in a hard fought 55-48 victory over #3 Deer Park
Brentwood Holds Off North Bab
#5 Brentwood built a big lead and then held on for a 66-57 win over North Babylon
#7 St. Mary’s Nips Bishop Kearney
Patrick Jackson hit the game winner in a 68-66 win over Section 5 powerhouse Bishop Kearney, the defending NYSPHSAA Class AA State Champion
Kellenberg Pulls Away
#15 Kellenberg used a 24-10 3rd quarter to pull away from Massapequa 69-51.
Elmont Rallies Past Falcons
It was another top notch match-up at the Nassau/Suffolk challenge, and it didn't disappoint. Two of Long Island's best teams and two of it’s best point guards went at it, and although #8 Deer Park had the edge for most of the first three quarters, #10 Elmont rallied for an impressive 72-59 win. It was 5 - zip Deer Park after a three pointer from the left baseline by Karon Blackwell and 7-2 after Aaren Edmead’s drive in the opening minutes, but Elmont kept pace with press break baskets by Kevon Chambers and Andrew Codrington, and Tristan Brown’s fast break basket tied it at 9 at the 3:32 mark of the first quarter. Blackwell put the Falcons back on top with an athletic drive through traffic, and then after Chiazam Nwankwo scored for Elmont, Blackwell knocked down another three and Jashawn Thompson scored from underneath to put Deer Park up 16-11, but the Trojans scored the last 5 points of the quarter, including a fast break basket by Codrington and an elbow jumper by Nwanko, and it was tied at 16 all after one. Two Nwankwo free throws gave Elmont a two point lead as the second quarter got underway, but it was short lived. Edmead’s jumper tied it again, and he followed it with a nice hesitation runner to put the Falcons back on top, and then Blackwell's three pointer from the right baseline made it 25-20 Deer Park with 4:48 to play in the half. A beautiful spinning underhand shot by Blackwell and a looping drive by Edmead that turned into a three point play put the Falcons up 9, but Codrington scored from underneath for the Trojans, and a baseline jumper by Chambers at the buzzer made it a 5 point game at the half. Angelo Riley opened the third quarter with a fast break basket for Deer Park, but the teams exchanged baskets and free throws to the 3:25 mark, when a three by Keith Thompkins ignited an Elmont run, and back to back fast break basket by Codrington tied it at 33. Codrington’s free throw, Nwanko’s three pointer, and a Chambers basket from underneath carried Elmont to a 49-43 lead, and then two free throws at the buzzer by Brown made it an 8 point game with three quarters complete. The Trojan run continued into the fourth quarter, with Thompkins scoring a fast break basket off a nice dish by Brown for a 10 point lead, but Pierre out battled everyone around the basket and scored, Blackwell converted another athletic drive in traffic, and Kahwahn Nipper knocked down two free throws to bring Deer Park back within 4. Brown answered, plunging down the lane for a tough basket, but Deer Park edged back within 3 on Nipper’s three pointer with less than 5 minutes remaining, and then Edmead tied it at 55 with a clutch three from the right wing. Brown put Elmont back on top with two one and one free throws, and Nwanko added two more to make it 59-54 with 4:06 to play, but Pierre kept it close with a tough putback for Deer Park. A big three by Tompkins with 3:09 to play and then a beautiful fast break basket by Tompkins off a perfect pass by Brown made it 64-57 Trojans with 2:50 left, and then Brown found Nwanko underneath for another big hoop, putting Deer Park on the ropes, but Edmead kept the Falcons alive, finding Pierre underneath to cut the margin to 7 with 1:24 on the game clock. Brown answered with the knockout punch, racing down court and scoring for a 68-59 lead with 42 seconds left, and then Nwanko and Tompkins scored the last four points of the game to ice the big win. 1/19
1/17 Highlights
Long Beach Upsets #10 Elmont
Long Beach got off to a rough start this season, but improved to 4-1 in league play with an upset of 10th ranked Elmont
Northport Back In The Hunt
Northport graduated all but two significant contributers from last year's Long Island Class AA Championship team, but it looks like they reloaded and will be a contender again this year, defeating #16 Central Islip team 57-49
Under The Radar Players
FIRST TEAM
Gabe Brown, Ward Melville
Adrian Denner, Carey
Brian Dolce, St. Anthony’s
Ryan Ingarozza, Smithtown East
Dana King, Valley Stream South
Ryan Kriftcher, Port Washington
Stephen Milhaven, St. Mary’s
Mike Simon, Hills East
Terence Thomas, Connetquot
Russell Winters, Ward Melville
HONORABLE MENTION
COMING SOON
1/16 Highlights
Bayport BP Battles Amityville
Everybody was saying that BBP would give Amityville a game on their home court, and they did, playing them even for three quarters before the #2 Warriors pulled away 82-71.
West Hempstead 10-1
West Hempstead improved to 10-1 on the season, rolling past Clarke 79-32. Their only loss was to Farmingdale.
Commack Tough Out
Commack suffered a surprising loss to Class B Wheatley early in the season, and might have fallen off the radar screen as a result, but the Cougars have proven to be a formidable team, compiling an 8-4 record which includes a 72-68 loss to #4 Brentwood and last night's 46-39 loss to #13 Ward Melville.
1/14 Highlights
All Three Unbeatens Fall!
Hills East, Farmingdale, and Westbury all lost, leaving Long Island with no undefeated teams. #16 Central Islip beat #3 Hills East 68-64, Freeport beat #9 Farmingdale 49-44, and South Side beat #16 Westbury 65-44.
Nassau/Suffolk Challenge
The Annual Nassau/Suffolk Challenge, which got off to a great start last year, will be played Sunday, January 19th at The Town of Oyster Bay Athletic Facility, 167 Broadway, Rt. 107, Hicksville NY 11801. Once again, there are some terrific matchups:
10AM - Farmingdale vs Harborfields
12PM - Jericho vs Smithtown West
2PM - Elmont vs Deer Park
4PM - Uniondale vs Newfield
6PM - Baldwin vs Amityville
SEE YOU THERE!
8-0 Westbury Over Carey
In a conference A1 showdown, Westbury beat Carey 62 to 58 to remain one of only 3 unbeaten Long Island teams. Carey opened the game on a 8-0 run, but the Green Dragons came roaring back, outscoring Carey in the second quarter 15 to 8 to take a 31 to 27 lead at the half. Westbury extended the lead in the 4th quarter and held off a late game run by Carey for the win. Shakel Cafield led Westbury with 21 points, Christian Hamilton had 13 points and 5 assists, and Malachi Dean chipped in with 9 points and 10 rebounds. Westbury is now 8 and 0 ( 6 and 0 in conference ). On Tuesday at 6:15pm Westbury will battle Southside, who is also undefeated in league play, for the conference lead. The game is at Westbury. 1/11
1/9/Highlights
Bethpage Over VSS In OT
Bethpage’s Brett Tarnell scored just before the buzzer to send the game into overtime and then the Golden Eagles reeled off a 12-0 OT run to hand Valley Stream South their first loss of the season 81-68.
Westbury Remains Unbeaten
Westbury pulled away from New Hyde Park 65-49 to improve to 7-0. They join Lawrence, Farmingdale, and Hills East as the only unbeaten teams remaining on Long Island.
Ludwig 1000 Points!
Great Neck North’s Alec Ludwig scored his 1000th career point in the Blazer’s 59-51 win over Plainedge.
Newfield Over Smithtown East
Looks like Suffolk League 3 will be a dogfight this season, with Newfield, Smithtown East, and North Babylon battling it out for first place, and Copiague trying to push its way into the mix. Newfield kept pace with a 60-51 win over Smithtown East. East had defeated North Bab earlier in the week, while North Bab beat Newfield!Uniondale 57 Freeport 48
Uniondale continued its push towards redemption, beating a good Freeport team 57-48 for their 5th win in a row.
Their big test comes 1/11 at #11 Farmingdale
NYC vs LI
Time to update of the results of the season series between the two regions! Regular readers know that Long Island boys varsity teams have dominated the series with New York City for many years, but this year it looked like NYC might give us a run for our money, taking an early 6-3 lead in the intersectional rivalry. By the end of December though, Long Island started to take command once again, winning 5 of the last 7 games to take an 8 game lead into 2014.
Leterra Headed To Hall
Former Roslyn High School coach Joe Lettera has been elected to the New York State Basketball Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will be held on March 16th. Lettera, who began his career in 1958, coached varsity basketball at Roslyn for 30 years. He retired having won 405 games, ranking 9th all-time among LI coaches. His teams had 28 winning seasons, won 7 division titles, qualified for the post season 29 times and twice played for the Nassau County Championship, in 1973 and 1974. When contacted at home, Coach Lettera said “When I received the letter from the Basketball Coaches Association of New York State, my reaction was one of electricity and humbling. It is the apex of my life in basketball. It is incredible that I will join such names as Lou Carnesecca, Jim Boeheim, Larry Costello, Red Holzman, and Dolph Shayes to name few. I am overwhelmed. It is the highest honor for a coach or player.” Congratulations Joe!
Friars Catch St. Francis
#12 St. Anthony's rallied past St. Francis, one of NYC's top ranked teams, for a 62-55 victory. St. Francis came into the game with a 10-1 record, was ranked as high as 5th in the city in one poll, and beat Holy Trinity by 13 earlier in the season, but it was evident that St. Anthony’s was ready to play right from the opening tip, with Trey Kinard drilling a three pointer from the left wing to give them a quick lead. Connor Bacci answered with a three and Shane Herrity scored off a fast break basket to put St. Francis on top, and the Terriers held the lead most of the first half, going up by as many as 9 on another three pointer by Bacci and a steal and pull-up jumper by Herrity, but the Friars repeatedly took advantage of their decisive high advantage to stay within range, keeping the margin at 8 after one quarter, 6 at the half, and 6 with three quarters in the books. Kinard opened the fourth quarter with a fast break basket to bring St. Anthony’s within 4, but Jeriah Shambley responded with a baseline jumper, Herrity added a free throw, and Jordan Santiago scored from underneath to give St. Francis a 52-43 lead with 5:46 to play. It was all Friars after that, closing out the game on an impressive 19-3 run, with Brian Dolce knocking down two free throws to start it, Mike Reinertsen drilling two big threes, one deep from the top, Dolce scoring off an alley-oop dunk, and Chris Kelly knocking down two more free throws to tie it at 54 with 2:13 to play. Dolce’s free throw then gave the Friars their first lead since early in the game, Tom Dennis banked one off the glass from underneath, and Kelly stole the ball, scored and drew a foul, and his free throw made it 60-54 Friars with 1:33 remaining. A big block by Dolce on what looked like a breakaway basket iced the important 62-55 win. 1/6
CI Takes Down Hills East
For the the second year in a row, Central Islip picked up a signature win over an undefeated and highly ranked opponent in the month of January, beating third ranked Hills East 68-64 in a League 2 heavyweight matchup. Last January, they beat eventual Suffolk County and Long Island Champion Northport in another hard fought league contest. Hills East got off to a good start on their home court, going up 14-6 on a three point play by Justin Fackler and a three pointer by Matt Boyd, but CI responded with a putback by Malcolm Pridgeon and back to back baskets by David McKenzie to draw within 2 as the quarter wound down. A putback by Jordan McRae made it 16-12 East at the first quarter buzzer. Brandon Hodge opened the second quarter with a three pointer from the right wing that cut the lead to one, Pridgeon’s putback put Central Islip in front, and then Donovan Slater’s three pointer from the left wing made it 20-16 CI, but Fackler broke the run with three out of four free throws on consecutive trips to the line, and then McRae put the Thunderbirds back on top with a jumper from just behind the foul line with less than four minutes to play in the half. McKenzie stole the ball and scored and Armani McDaniel scored a fast break basket off a turnover for a 3 point CI lead at the 2:21 mark of the half, and then Hodge added a three pointer and McDaniel a running hook shot for a 29-21 advantage at halftime. Justyn Gilmore put back a missed shot to open the second half scoring, giving the Musketeers a 10 point lead, but a leaner by Mike Simon from the right baseline and back to back baskets off turnovers by Boyd and McRae kept East within striking distance. Hodge answered with a three from the top to bump the CI lead to 36-30, but Grant Rosenberg's elbow jumper and then his three pointer from the right baseline completed a Hills East rally that tied it 44 with 1:22 to play in the quarter. Trailing by 1 after a Simon three pointer, CI retook the lead on a three by Devon Solomon from the deep left wing just before the third quarter buzzer. Hills East moved in front once again on Boyd’s three pointer from behind the left elbow as the fourth quarter began, and Fackler followed him with a basket to make it 52-49 T-Birds, but the Musketeers rallied, moving on top on McKenzie’s three pointer with 4:37 left, and going up 63-55 on Pridgeon’s putback, Solomon’s basket from underneath, and a McKenzie drive. It looked like CI would put the game away, building a 10 point lead with 43 seconds left despite hitting only 4 out 8 free throws, but they continued to struggle from the line in the game's final seconds, while Hills East came alive and almost pulled off a miracle comeback. Rosenberg stole the ball and scored, Luke Perlowski scored from underneath off a turnover, and after a 5 second call, Simon drained a three from the top with 8 seconds left and it was a 3 point game. They fouled McKenzie with 7 seconds to play, and needed him to miss both shots for a chance to complete the comeback, but he went 1-2 to make it a two possession game and ice the win. 1/14
1/7 Highlights
Titans Rally past St. Anthony's
Trailing 45-41, #3 Holy Trinity closed out the game on a 13-3 run to pick up a big 54-48 league win over the Friars.
Amityville Holds Off John Glenn
Nobody thought anybody would challenge Amityville in league play, but John Glenn had other ideas, roaring from behind before falling 70-68.
Hills East Turns Back Northport
Hills East began to separate themselves from the pack in League 2 with a 61-51 win over defending champion Northport.
St. Mary's Holds Off Kellenberg
St. Mary's beat Kellenberg in overtime
Brentwood At Full Strenght
Preseason All-Long Island selection Femi Olujobi is back from injury and so is St. Anthony's transfer Anfernee Casmir, giving Brentwood a full lineup for the first time this season, and the Indians have responded with two convincing wins, this one 76-52 over Sachem East.
Valley Stream South Contender
Valley Stream South finds itself undefeated and alone in first place in Conference A3 after defeating Floral Park 68-60.
Westbury Remains Unbeaten
In a conference A1 match up Westbury defeated Garden City 67 to 44. The green dragons were led by Malachi Dean who scored 19 points and had 12 rebounds and Shakel Cafield who scored 19 points. Brian Newell chipped in with 9 points and 9 rebounds. Westbury is now 4 and 0 in conference and 6 and 0 overall.
Elmont Stops Floral Park
15th ranked Floral Park mounted a 4th quarter rally that cut the Trojan lead to 3, but #10 Elmont pulled away down the stretch behind 3 big steals by Tristan Brown for an impressive 60-50 road victory. It was 22-19 Floral Park at the half, but Elmont narrowed the gap and took a 30-28 lead on two free throws by Matthew Graham with 4:17 to go in the third quarter. That touched off a 17-5 Trojan run featuring a nice runner by Brett Walker, three free throws by Graham, two baskets by Chazam Nwankwa, and they capped it off with back to back baskets by Brown that put Elmont on top 47-33 at the third quarter buzzer. Kevin Cluess opened the fourth quarter with a drive down the right side of the lane and Jimmy Guerriero added a fast break basket to bring Floral Park back within 10, but the comeback didn’t begin in earnest until a three point play by Cleuss made it an 8 point game with 3:32 to play. Mitch Calandra’s three pointer off an inbound play and a coast to coast basket by Cleuss cut the Elmont lead to 3 with 2:12 remaining, but Brown responded with a runner, and after a Floral Park free throw, he stole the ball and scored to give the Trojans a 6 point lead with less than a minute on the game clock. Brown stole the ball again and scored on the next possession, and again on the next to give Elmont a 60-50 lead with 20 seconds left and it was all over. 1/2
Titans Survive Bruin Rally
In one of the Holiday Season’s most anticipated matchups, #4 Baldwin cut a 21 point third quarter defict to 1, but #8 Holy Trinity dug in and held on for a nail biting 65-63 victory. Holy Trinity grabbed an early 6-2 lead on two agressive drives by Jack Sixsmith, one off a steal, but Baldwin kept pace and eventually took the lead when Paul Nosworthy backed in and scored from the low post and Sidney Pigott knocked down a three from the left wing to make it 14-13 Bruins with 1:11 left in the opening quarter. The Titans retook the lead on a right elbow jumper by Bradley Eugene, giving them a one point advantage at the first quarter buzzer, and then Eugene opened the second quarter scoring with two free throws and Brandon Thompson added a putback and a coast to coast basket to make it 21-14 Holy Trinity with 6:44 to play in the half. Baldwin continued to answer, drawing within 3 on a baseline drive by D’Marco Barnes, but a steal and basket by Jack Sixsmith at the 1:25 mark gave the Titans an 8 point lead, and then Mike Farella zig-zagged through the defense and scored and Sixsmith went coast to coast to through traffic and scored to give Holy Trinity a 36-24 lead at intermission. Barnes opened the second half with a three pointer from the top to cut the Titan lead to 9, but Jimmy Golaszewski answered with a drive, and then he followed it with a three pointer from the left baseline and Farella with another three, his from the right wing, to make it 44-27 Holy Trinity with 5:04 remaining in the third quarter. Back to back baskets by Thompson gave the Titans their biggest lead - 21 points - with 1:03 to play in the quarter, and they were up 54-34 as the fourth quarter got underway. Shane Gatling opened the final quarter with a three pointer from right baseline, bringing Baldwin with 17, and two free throws by Gatling and back to back baskets by Paul Colson cut it to 57-46 with 5:03 left to play. Another three by Gatling and the home crowd was feeling it, their Bruins now within 8 with 4:29 showing, and then a big three point play by Nosworthy and a clutch three pointer by Colson and it was a 1 point game with 3:11 remaining. Holy Trinity continued to struggle offensively, with shot after shot rolling off the rim, but with the game on the line, Thompson stepped up for them, draining a huge three pointer from the top to give them a 60-56 lead. Baldwin kept coming, with Colson answering with a three to bring them back within 1 as the clock dipped below the two minute mark, but Peter Alkins was the next one to step up for Holy Trinity, bumping the lead back to 4 with an even bigger three from the right baseline. The Titan’s shooting woes spread to the free throw line however, leaving the door open, but the Bruins could not capitalize until Richardsen went coast to coast to make it a 2 point game with 21 seconds on the clock. Once again someone stepped up for Holy Trinty, this time Farella, who iced it with two pressure packed free throws and 12 seconds showing. 12/28
12/13 Highlights
Hills East Catches Connetquot
Connetquot started to get some Sweet 16 votes after winning convincingly in their first two games, and they showed they belonged in the discussion, giving #8 Hills East all they could handle before falling 60-54. Justin Fackler led East with 18 points and 9 rebounds, Mike Simon added 16 points, and Matt Boyd finished with 13 assists.
South Side Over Carey
You always have to include South Side in any discussion of Nassau's top Class A teams, and they proved it once again, going on the road to beat Carey 58-56 on a last second basket by Keith Phifer.
Holy Trinity Rolls Past Nichols
#3 Holy Trinity is hosting two traditionaly strong teams from the Buffalo area this weekend, and in their first game, rolled over Nichols 86-56. Peter Alkins led a balanced attack with 18 points.
Ward Melville Hammers Floyd
Which team is for real? Ward Melville jumped out to a big lead and never looked back, winning 53-35. Big man Gabe Brown had 20 points, 27 rebounds, and 6 blocks.
Deer Park Drills West
#7 Deer Park went into the Hills West gym and blew out the Colts 75-49. It looked like it was going to be a good match-up at the start, with Deer Park holding an 18-16 lead after one quarter, and it continued that way early in the second quarter, with a three pointer by Terry Harris bringing Hills West within 2, but two free throws by Karon Blackwell touched off a blistering 22-3 Deer Park run and the game was over by halftime. Highlights of the run included a nice baseline cut and basket by Kahwahn Nipper, a fast break basket by Blackwell, two baskets by Angelo Riley, and two by Aaren Edmead, who nailed an elbow jumper and then barreled through the defense and scored to make it 45-22. The game was never in doubt after that. 1/6
Holy Trinity Bounces Back
Fresh off a tough road loss at St. Mary’s, #3 Holy Trinity bounced back at home in impressive fashion, handing #9 Lawrence their first loss of the season 76-67. The Golden Tornadoes looked very tentative at the start, and the Titans took advantage, jumping out to a quick 5-0 lead on a three pointer by Brandon Thomson and a drive and reverse layup by Peter Alkins, but the Dalers finally settled in, cutting the lead to 8-6 on a drive by Hamed Shamseldin, and then his three point play cut it to 10-9 with 3:52 left in the first quarter. The Holy Trinity lead was back to 5 after a steal and reverse layup by Jack Sixsmith, but Dwayne Daniel’s breakaway basket made it a 3 point game at the first quarter buzzer. Thomson opened up the second quarter with a three pointer from the left wing, and he followed it with a three from the top for a 22-13 Titan lead, but a baseline drive by Shamseldin kept the margin in single digits, his second straight basket brought the Tornadoes back within 5, and then a putback by Daniel cut it to 22-19 and Holy Trinity called time. Coming out of the time-out, Bradley Eugene’s jump hook from the lane ended the run, but Lawrence kept coming, tieing the game on a basket by Jenkins from underneath and a three point play by Josh McElveen with 4:16 to play in the half. Billy Sixsmith responded, coming off a screen and nailing a three to retake the lead, and after McElveen answered with a basket, Sixsmith’s second three pointer made it 30-26 Titans and his third, from deep behind the arc, put them up by 7 as the clock dipped under the two minute mark. He continued his one man onslaught, stealing the ball and scoring, and then Jimmy Golaszewski put back a miss to make it 37-26 Holy Trinity as halftime approached. Lawrence needed a basket and Shamseldin answered with a big three from the right wing, cutting the Titan lead to 8 at intermission. Marcus Saint-Furcy’s runner cut it to 37-31 as the second half got underway, but a basket from underneath by Golaszewski and a rare 4 point play by Alkins made it 43-31 Holy Trinity. The Titans continued to build their lead, going up 16 on free throws by Jack Sixsmith and Thomson, but the Tornadoes would not let it get out of hand, and Jymeek Jenkins’ three from the left wing and Daniel’s steal and basket at the 4:21 mark of the quarter brought them back within 8. Shamseldin’s three point play cut it to 52-45, but Billy Sixsmith put Holy Trinity up by 10 with a three from the left baseline, and after a Lawrence basket, he hit another three for a 62-51 margin with three quarters in the books. Another deep three by Sixsmith had Lawrence on the ropes as the fourth quarter got underway, putting them in a 14 point hole, but the Tornadoes answered with a run, and Saint-Furcy's coast to coast basket and a pull-up jumper by Daniel cut it to 65-58 with just over four minutes to play. Lawrence could not sustain the momentum however, and free throws by Thomson and Jack Sixsmith gave the Titans a 72-61 lead with 1:45 remaining. The Tornadoes did make one last push, with Daniel nailing a jumper and then draining a three from the top to bring them within 6 with 1:18 to play, but they could not find the basket down the stretch and would get no closer. 1/11
1/11/Highlights
Three Unbeaten Teams Left!
Farmingdale rallied past Uniondale 41-39 to remain unbeaten (see story), and Westbury stayed perfect with a hard fought 62-58 win over Carey (see story), but Lawrence fell to Holy Trinity 76-67 (story soon), leaving only Farmingdale, Westbury, and Hills East without a loss this season.
LuHi Rocks Berkeley Carrol
LuHi faced the 8-1 private school and it was no contest, with the Crusaders taking a 47-14 halftime lead on their way to a 92-47 victory. It was LuHi coach John Buck's 100th career win. 1/8
ASK THE REF!
Watch That Elbow! In this editon, an in depth look at what you can and can't do with your elbows!
EDITORS INBOX
Free Throw Contest
The Knights of Columbus are proud to announce the start of their Annual Free Throw Contest. This year the event will begin on Saturday, January 11th at Ss. Cyril's & Methodius gym in Deer Park, NY. The contest is FREE and is open to boys and girls from ages 9 through 14. The event begins at 8:30am sharp so please arrive on time as registration will be taken the day of the event. All participants must bring a birth certificate for registration. Awards and prizes will be given to winners in each age division.
Hodgson Honored
William Floyd High School has renamed the East Gym in honor of their late coach. It will now be known as the Bob Hodgson Gym, and was dedicated at a 12/21 ceremony.
Coaches vs Cancer
John Glenn held a Coaches vs Cancer Tournament and raised over $700 at the event. Glenn won the Championship over Bellport 64-50, led by 25 points and 8 rebounds from Darryl Daniels and 16 points from Jeff Park. Cold Spring Harbor defeated Wyandanch in the consolation game. The All- Tournament Team is as follows: Darryl Daniels- John Glenn, Jeff Park- John Glenn, Scott Artist- Bellport, Andrew Trent- Bellport, Ben Jay- Cold Spring Harbor.
OSNA Beats USA #3
We've seen the talent OSNA has this season, so its no surprise to us, but the rest of the country knows now too after the Pioneers defeated Prime Prep from Dallas, the 3rd ranked team in the country, 69-58 at the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas. STORY
12/20 Highlights
St. Francis Tames #3 Titans
St. Francis is getting a lot of attention in the city, and now we see why! They pulled away for a convincing 56-43 win over Holy Trinity. Jimmy Golaszewski had 17 points for the Titans.
West Hempstead Rocks Roosevelt
West Hempstead looks better every time out, this time stopping a good Roosevelt team 76-57. Dimitri Jospeh led the way with 23 points and Darren Davy had 12 points and 11 rebounds
Molloy Routs Ward Melville
After a string of inspired performances, Ward Melville came out flat against a good team and payed for it, falling 95-48 to Ahchbishop Molloy. Russell Winters had 19 points in the loss.
Babylon Over Southampton
Two Class B heaveyweights squared off, and Babylon came out on top 80-74 behind 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocks from Brendan Laing and 16 points, 7 assists, and 3 blocks by Jake Carlock.
Amityville Rocks Baldwin
Amityville has been locked into the #2 slot of our Sweet 16 Coaches Poll all season, and they showed why at their Nassau/Suffolk Challenge matchup with #7 Baldwin, running up a big lead against a very good Bruins team before holding off a late rally for an impressive 73-64 win. People had been talking about this game for weeks, and it the was the last game of the day at the Nassau/Suffolk Challenge, so there was great anticipation before the tip-off. Amityville got off to a fast start, answering Dan Nwalor’s putback with a fade away runner by Mike Smith, and quickly building an 11-2 lead on a nice fake and spin move to the basket by Malcolm Mathis, a putback of a missed free throw by Leland Williams, and a well executed duck-under move by Smith. Travis Dickerson converted a three point play to make it 14-2 Warriors, but Shane Gatling broke the run for Baldwin with a much needed three pointer from the baseline to bring the lead back into single digits. Smith answered emphatically, draining back to back threes, and then Sean Walters scored a fast break basket to make it 20-5 Amityville with 2:24 still to play in the opening quarter, but just when it began to look like things were getting out of hand, Baldwin responded with a 7-2 run, getting a putback by Marvin Chartlelain, a short pull-up jumper by Myking Richardson, and a fast break basket by Chartlelain to bring them back within 10. Amityville retook the momentum, closing out the quarter on a run of their own to go up 27-12 off a Leyland William fast break basket, and that was the score as the first quarter came to a close. Richardson opened the second quarter with a basket from underneath for Baldwin, and a three pointer by D'Marco Barnes and two free throws by Richardson brought the Bruins within 9 mid way through the quarter, but Amityville rebuilt their lead as the quarter wound down, going up 44-25 at the halftime buzzer on back to back baskets by Dickerson. Dickerson opened the second half with an elbow jumper, and a three pointer by Walters from the top gave the Warriors a 24 point lead, but Gatling’s athletic drive touched off another Baldwin run, and the Bruins were back within 12 on a drive by Richardson and a three pointer by Daraja Rodwell. Dickerson ended the run with another elbow jumper, and it was 57-44 at the quarter on a press break basket by Smith. Richardson got things going in the fourth quarter with a runner for Baldwin, but Elijah Rogers answered with a three pointer from the right wing, Williams knocked down two free throws, and Mathis scored on a spinning drive, drawing a foul and knocking down the free throw to make it 65-48 Amityville with 4:52 to play. Baldwin made one last run, with a putback by Richardson and a three pointer by Barnes from the top cutting it to 70-60 with 2:06 left, but with an opportunity to cut the lead to single digits, they missed the front end of a one and one and Dickerson went coast to coast and converted a three point play for a 13 point Warrior lead with 1:08 on the game clock. The Bruins shaved a few more points off the lead, but never seriouly threatened the rest of the way. 1/19
Dalers Nip Knights
In a physical, testy game between two rivals, Farmingdale came from behind to top Uniondale, 41-39. Playing on its home court, the Dalers jumped ahead to a 4-1 lead behind strong inside scoring from Ronald Winkler. When Farmingdale went to its bench, the Knights took advantage as Justin Thomas scored 5 points to give Uniondale a 7-6 lead at the end of the first quarter. Uniondale turned up the defensive intensity to start the second quarter and went on a 10-0 run as Alan McDonald and Najee Peters dominated in the post and on the glass. Winkler reestablished himself at the end of the second to bring Farmingdale back into the game and the Dalers trailed 20-12 at the half. With his team trailing 23-15 and 4 and a half minutes left in the third quarter, Farmingdale’s Curtis Jenkins got tied up with Uniondale’s Imran Richie, fighting for a loose ball. Even though the referees called a jump ball, giving Farmindale possession, the two players continued to wrestle for the ball and the situation erupted into a near-brawl, with players leaving both benches. After a five-minute stoppage of play, the referees assessed technical fouls on both sides, the majority to Uniondale for having more players leave the bench, and the net result was ten additional free throws for Farmingdale. They hit 5 of 10 to pull within 3, 23-20. Within minutes, the referees called a technical on Shomari Redd after he disputed a foul call and Farmingdale’s Jack Burke hit both free throws to bring the score to 23-22. The teams traded baskets through the fourth quarter until Uniondale pulled ahead 39-33 with four minutes remaining, but after both McDonald and Peters fouled out, the Knights seemed to have no answer for Jenkins. He scored his team’s last six points, including a driving layup that tied the game at 39. After Jenkins missed the "and 1" free throw, Winkler grabbed the rebound and Farmingdale called time out. The Dalers drew up an isolation play for Jenkins, who hit a contested, running jump shot in the lane with three second remaining to give his team a two-point lead. Uniondale’s half-court attempt at the buzzer just missed, and the Dalers emerged with a hard-fought victory. Jenkins scored 10 of his game-high 15 points in the fourth quarter. Richie led Uniondale with 9. 1/11
“There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.”
John Glenn Clips BBP
Two teams fighting it out for second place in Suffolk League 6 and for higher playoff seeds faced off at John Glenn High School, and the host Knights prevailed, defeating Bayport/Blue Point 52-49 on a three pointer by KeAndre Augustine with 3.7 seconds remaining. Both teams battled first place Amityville down to the wire in recent games, so a tight, competitive game game was expected and that’s exactly how it played out. Paul Wesnofske opened the scoring with a nice cut down the baseline, but the Phantoms answered quickly on a fast break basket by Connor Panzner. Augustine made his presence known early on, drilling a three pointer from straight on, and after Panzer responded with a three from the top, he knocked down two more threes and Darryl Daniels followed with another three, a three point play and a putback for a 19-11 John Glenn lead. Panzner kept Bayport within range on a three point play of his own, scoring from the lane and converting the free throw, and then Mike Walker’s three pointer from the left wing brought the Phantom's back within 4 as the first quarter came to a close. A Bayport free throw opened the second quarter scoring, and Panzner added a three pointer from the right wing to tie it at 21, but Augustine answered with back to back drives for a 25-21 Knights lead with 3:21 to play in the half. Panzner tied it again with back to back fast break baskets, but an acrobatic three point play by Augustine gave Glenn a 30-28 lead at intermission. Tyler Grosse scored from underneath and then again on the break to put Bayport on top 32-30 as the third quarter got underway, but the Knights retook the lead on a three pointer by Wayne White from the left wing, and then his three from straight on made it 37-35 Glenn with 4:48 to play in the quarter. Panzner tied it at 37 with drive at the 3:39 mark, and again at 40 with a spinning drive and free throw, but 2 out of 4 Glenn free throws in the final seconds gave them the lead heading into the final quarter. Jeff Park tipped in his own miss to put Glenn up by 4 as the fourth quarter got underway, and Wesnofske’s three pointer from the left baseline made it 47-40 in the early going, but drives by Matt McKinnon and Panzner narrowed the gap, and then a steal and basket by Panzner with 2:27 to play brought Bayport back within 1. It was 49 all after a Bayport free throw with 1:22 remaining, but both teams came up empty as the clock ticked down, and with time out on the floor, it was Glenn ball with 10 seconds to play. Coming out of the time out, the Knights worked the ball around to Augustine, who drained the game winner from the right baseline. 1/24
ASK THE REF!
Kicked Ball! How come they didn't call it? ASK THE REF
1/20 Highlights
LuHi Defeats Linden, NJ
Long Island Lutheran finished the Big Apple Invitational 2-0, stopping NJ's 4th ranked team 64-58. STORY
Kellenberg Stops Long Beach
Long Beach has turned around their season, upsetting #10 Elmont and building a 4-1 league record, but 12th ranked Kellenberg was too much for them, pulling away down the stretch for a 56-45 victory
Kellenberg Falls To Kennedy
In what would have to be considered the second upset of the day, Kennedy Catholic rallied to defeat #12 Kellenberg 53-51 at the annual Tom Crotty Classic. Kennedy, a CHSAA Class A school from Somers, NY, got on the scoreboard quickly, with Sean Delaney knocking down two free throws and then scoring a fast break basket, and Dominick Cristiano scoring off an inbound play and adding two free throws for an 8-0 lead, but the Firebirds answered with 8 straight of their own, with Mike Torre scoring back to back from close range, Kyle Quinn draining a short twisting jumper, and Kyle De Verna driving the baseline to tie it. Cristiano’s foul line jumper put the Gaels back on top, but it was 11-10 Kellenberg at the first quarter buzzer on a three point play by De Verna. De Verna and Steve Torre scored back to back fast break baskets for Kellenberg to open the second quarter, but the Firebirds could not build on their lead, instead trading baskets and free throws with Kennedy right to the break and taking a 26-21 lead into the halftime locker room. Kevin Buron put back his own miss to open the third quarter, bringing the Gaels back within three, but a three point play and then an elbow jumper by Ryan Durney and two free throws by Quinn gave Kellenberg its biggest lead at 33-23. Delaney’s short jumper broke the run and ignited a 13-2 Kennedy run, with Delaney’s fast break runner cutting the lead to 3 with 2:16 remaining, Cristiano’s putback making it a 1 point game, and a pull-up jumper by Delaney tying it at 35. A free throw just before the buzzer capped off the run and gave the Gaels a 36-35 lead heading into the 4th. Alex Benson’s steal and fastbreak basket gave Kennedy a 3 point lead as the fourth quarter got underway, and Delaney’s drive, a three point play by Buron, and two free throws by Benson made it 45-37 with 5:24 to play. Poor free throw shooting was plaguing the Firebirds, but a much needed basket by Steve Torre kept it close, and two free throws by Quinn brought Kellenberg back within 5. After another 1 for 2 at the line brought Kellenberg within 4, Delaney answered with a baseline jumper for a 48-42 Kennedy lead with 2:11 left, but Quinn scored on back to back drives and the Firebirds were back within 2 with 1:35 to play. They had a chance to tie with 1:19 showing, but continued to struggle at the line, going 1 for 2 and still trailed by 1. Kennedy was also struggling at the stripe, and went 2-4 down the stretch to take a 3 point lead and leave the door open with 40 seconds left, but Quinn was fouled before he could get off a three pointer, and his two free throws cut the margin to 1. Cristiano was fouled on the other end and made both shots with 15 seconds left, and then Kellenberg came down with a chance to tie, but missed a three point attempt. Mike Torre rebounded the miss and was fouled with 3 seconds to play, and both his shot fell to bring the deficit back to 1. A quick foul followed and resulted in one more Kennedy free throw, and trailing by 2, a desperation Firebird shot at the buzzer was close but missed the mark. 1/25
D1 College Update
Stony Brook improved to 5-0 in the America East with an 82-61 win over UMBC STORY Port Washington's Ahmad Walker had 8 points and 7 rebounds….. Hofstra improved to 3-1 in the CAA with a 77-60 win over William & Mary STORY Bay Shore's Jordan Allen had 7 points and 5 rebounds…. Lucas Woodhouse from Harborfields had 27 points to lead Longwood over Liberty….. Bay Shore’s Marcus Damas had 21 points in Towson’s loss to Northeastern….. Central Islip’s Rod Odom had 18 points in Vanderbilt’s loss to Mississippi….... Glen Cove’s Melsahn Basabe had 17 points and 6 rebounds in Iowa’s loss to Michigan….. Dix Hills’ Tyler Harris had 12 points for Providence in a win over Butler….
Chaminade led almost wire to wire, holding on to defeat #11 Ward Melville 52-50 in the first game of the annual Tom Crotty Classic. The Patriots looked very tight at the start, air-balling many of their shots while Chaminade quickly built a lead. James McCullagh got things started for the Flyers with a nice hook shot from the lane, and then Tom O'Connell and Brendan Quinn nailed back to back three pointers and O’Connell knocked down his second three for an 11-2 advantage. The barrage continued with O’Connell’s third three putting Chaminade up by 10 with 3:30 remaining in the opening quarter, and Sean Clark looped one in from the lane to make it 16-4 at the buzzer. Andre Audige decided to take things into his own hands as the second quarter got underway, sparking Ward Melville with back to back baskets to cut the deficit to single digits, and then two free throws by Russell Winters and a three by Audige and it was suddenly a 3 point game. Audige’s runner from the right wing cut it to 18-17 before Anthony Gunther responded with back to back baskets from the lane, but as the seconds ticked down in the half, it was back to a 1 point game on a coast to coast basket by Winters that left Chaminade clinging to a 23-22 halftime lead. The third quarter was all Chaminade. O’Connell opened the scoring with a jumper from behind the right elbow for a 3 point Flyer lead, and after a free throw, McCullagh added a short drive to make it 28-22. It was 36-26 on a three pointer and fast break basket by Dan Gonyon, and Sal Fradella and O’Connell capped it off with back to back threes to make it 44-29 Flyers with three quarters in the books. Audige once again led the Ward Melville comeback, stealing the ball and scoring to open up the fourth quarter, and Gabe Brown added back to back putbacks and a free throw to bring the Patriots within 8. O’Connell broke the run with two free throws, but Brandon Hart came off a screen and knocked down a three and then followed it with another three to cut it to 46-42 with 3:15 to play. A Winters drive made it a 2 point game at the 2:35 mark, but O’Connell responded with a tough drive to make it 49-44 Chaminade with 1:05 to play, and then Gunther knocked down three out of four free throws to make it 52-44 with 20 seconds left. Ward Melville did not let up, but back to back threes by Hart and Audige in the final seconds were too little too late. 1/25
KINGS OF THE COURT!
Only in its second year, our Martin Luther King Jr tribute tournament, the Kings Of The Court, has quickly become a can’t miss event, with good competition, and many tight, well played games, especially when championships are on the line. The winners of our three featured divisions this year were:
9th Grade: New York Titans
8th Grade: Hilltopper Heat, NJ
7th Grade: Hempstead Dons
Our sincere thanks to everyone that participated.
1/24 Highlights
Amityville 42 First Quarter Points!
Amityville exploded for 42 first quarter points, a school record, riding a wave of 9 first quarter three pointers and finishing with 15, also a school record . All-Long Island candidate Mike Smith had 7 of the threes in the 94-68 win over Shoreham/WR
Lamison Goes For 50!
Another player from Long Island’s great sophomore class took his turn on center stage, with Bridgehampton’s Josh Lamison lighting up Smithtown Christian for 50 points in a an 84-72 win!
Roosevelt Stops West Hempstead
Roosevelt pulled within 1 game of first place West Hempstead , handing the Rams their first league loss 62-57.
John Glenn Clips BBP
In a key Suffolk Class A game, John Glenn defeated Bayport/Blue Point 52-49 on a three pointer by KeAndre Augustine just before the buzzer. DETAILS SHORTLY
Editors Inbox
1000 Points For Cohen
South Side's Brett Cohen scored his 1000th career point in college. STORY
Gjonlekaj Skyline Honors
Roslyn's Mark Gjonlekaj was named Skyline Conference Rookie Of The Week. STORY
Petrasek Twice Honored
Northport's Luke Petrasek has been named Ivy League Rookie of the Week twice this season. STORY
1/23/ Highlights
Brentwood Road Win
Their big first place showdown with 11th ranked Ward Melville was pushed back to February 1st by the snowstorm, so #3 Brentwood turned their attention to long time rival Longwood, building a lead and then holding off the Lions 71-61. Super sophomore Michael Almonacy continues to have an All-Long Island type season, finishing with 24 points and four assists .
Valley Stream South 10-1
Valley Stream South also picked up a big road win, defeating Valley Stream North 70-59 behind another super sophomore - Dana King, who finished with 20 points, 8 rebounds , 6 assists, and 5 steals. King was Long Island’s leading scorer coming into the game at 26.2 PPG.
Bellport Beats Hills West
Bellport is trying to sneak into the Suffolk League 4 race, pulling within a game of second place Hills West after beating the Colts 68-66 at Hills West.
1/19/Highlights
Harborfields Upsets Farmingdale
Once their league season starts, its tough for teams like Harborfields to move up in the rankings, but their very impressive 59-49 win over #9 Farmingdale at the Nassau/Suffolk Challenge shows they deserve serious Sweet 16 consideration.
Uniondale Dominates Newfield
I'm not sure what they had for breakfast, but I do know Coach Diana was back on the bench and Uniondale ripped a good Newfield team by a score of 64-36. Although they built their lead gradually, the game was never seriously in doubt, with Imran Richie’s three pointer giving the Knights a 6-4 lead that they would never relinquished. A Nick Danns putback of a missed free throw and Shomari Redd's drive made it 15-6 at the first quarter buzzer, Frantzy Georges's three pointer from the left wing 25-13, and they tacked on some free throws for a 15 point lead at halftime. Tahreek Hodge opened the second half with a three pointer from the right wing to make it an 18 point game, Richie drove right, stepped back and hit a nice foul line jumper to make it 40-19, and then back to back baskets by Alan McDonald, another three by Hodge from behind the right elbow, and Najee Peters's rebound and reverse layup made it 49-21 with three quarters in the books and the result was never in doubt after that.
1/18 Highlights
OSNA Over Pope John
Our Savior New American, the 9th best team in the USA according to USA Today, defeated Pope John, one of New Jersey's top teams,73-65 STORY
LuHi Back On Track
LuHi picked up their second straight solid win in a row after their unexpected loss to Albany Academy, defeating St. Raymond's 69-58 at the Big Apple Invitational. STORY They play New Jersey's fourth ranked team, Linden NJ, at Baruch College Monday at 1 PM
Boys & Girls Upsets St. Mary's
Its a down year for Boys and Girls HS so far, but they surprised St. Mary's 61-55 at the Big Apple Invitational. STORY
St. Anthony's Trips Holy Cross
It's been a tough year for Holy Cross on Long Island, where they are now 0-3 after losing to the Friars in OT. They had previously lost to both Holy Trinity and LuHi. Mike Reinertsen starred for St. Anthony's, hitting two free throws to send the game into overtime, and two more in OT to ice it.
OSNA Rocks Royals
When you're a heavy underdog to a Nationally ranked team, you can either be intimidated or inspired. Upper Room was inspired, battling Our Savior New American up to halftime, where they trailed 34-26, before the Pioneers threw it into high gear and pulled away for an impressive 81-54 victory. Upper Room took a 7-6 lead in the early going on a pull-up jumper by John Campbell, but Michael Nzei answered with a jumper from the top to retake the lead, and then after an exchange of baskets, John Oliver knocked down a three pointer from the left wing and then looped in a shot from the baseline to make it 15-10 OSNA with 40 seconds to play in opening quarter. Steven Tynes responded for the Royals, drawing a foul on a three point attempt and knocking down all three free throws to cut it to 15-13 at the first quarter buzzer. Kobe Eubanks put back a missed shot to give Our Savior a 4 point lead as the second quarter got underway, Cheick Diallo dunked a moment later, and then Eubanks drained a three pointer from the right wing to put them up by 9. It was 26-16 OSNA after an elbow jumper by Damon Wilson, but Tynes knocked down a baseline three pointer to keep it close, and then he pulled up for an elbow jumper on the break to cut it to 26-21 with 4:05 to play in the half. Two free throws by Djibril Diallo and a foul line jumper by Wilson and the lead was back to 9, but the Royals would not back down, responding with a foul line jumper by Makai Otley and Elijah Bush’s basket from underneath off a nice dish by Tynes. Nzei’s putback in the final moments gave Our Savior a 34-26 lead at intermission. The Pioneers started the third quarter with a vengeance, scoring on another putback by Nzei, and then Eubanks backed down his defender and scored and Wilson scored a fast break basket to make it 40-26 OSNA. The 11-0 run continued on Cheick Diallo’s three point play, and he scored again on the break to make 45-26 with 5:15 remaining in the quarter. Zamir Roland finally broke the run with a three pointer from the top, and Isaiah Giles followed him with a driving hook shot, but Oliver stopped the Royals with a three from the right wing, and then an alley-oop dunk by Cheick Diallo off an inbound play and the lead was back to 18 with 2:32 left in the quarter and it was an 18 point game as the third quarter ended. Wilson’s fade away jumper put the Pioneers up 20 as the fourth quarter got underway, Cheick Diallo scored from underneath, and after Giles responded with a drive, Oliver answered with another three from behind the right elbow to make it 60-36. Back to back dunks by Cheick Diallo and Wilson gave Our Savior a 28 point lead with 5:46 to play and the Royals never seriously challenged after that. 1/28
Baldwin Stops VSC
The two team played a close game at Baldwin, and then VSC reeled off 5 straight impressive league wins after the loss to the Bruins, but Baldwin had the upper hand in the rematch, holding off the Eagles 79-70 to remain unbeaten in Nassau conference AA2. VSC’s Eriq Williams opened the scoring with a jumper from the left elbow, but Baldwin’s Shane Gatling answered with a three pointer and Jared Bradford added two free throws for a 5-2 Bruin lead, a lead they would never relinquish. Gatling’s three pointer from the left wing made it 12-5 Baldwin at just over the 5 minute mark of the quarter, but a putback by Andre Garroway and a nice turnaround jumper by Williams from the right elbow brought the Eagles back within 3. Gatling’s third three pointer and a putback by Paul Nosworthy bumped the lead to 20-14, and a three by D'Marco Barnes from behind the elbow made it 25-16 Bruins as the first quarter came to a close. Gatling continued his red hot shooting, knocking down another three to open the second quarter, but Winston Jones answered with a three for Valley Stream. Gatling was fouled attempting a three and hit all three free throws and then Nosworthy powered up from underneath to make it 33-24 Baldwin with 4:22 to play in the half, but Williams answered with a nice drive from the foul line. Gatling knocked down yet another three for a 10 point Bruin lead and it was 39-30 Baldwin at the half. Garroway scored from underneath to open the second half and bring VSC within 7, but a deep three by Barnes and two free throws by Bradford made it 46-32 Bruins. Williams stopped the run with a spinning hook shot from the low post, but Barnes knocked down another three and Gatling drove the baseline and converted a three point play to make it 53-37 Baldwin with 2:08 left in the quarter. Back to back threes by Tyler Eckeles and Jones as time wound down narrowed the margin to 10 with three quarters complete. Myking Richardson’s two free throws, an athletic drive by Nosworthy, and a steal and basket by Richardson gave Baldwin a quick 62-46 lead as the fourth quarter got underway. Richardson scored again, weaving his way through the defense for an 18 point Bruin lead with under 6 minutes to play, but Brandon Richburg got the Eagles going with a steal and fastbreak basket, and Jones converted a four point play to make it a 10 point game with 4:16 remaining. A fast break basket and free throw by Richburg with 1:52 on the clock cut it to 71-63, and then a steal, basket, and free throw by Garroway made it a 5 point game, but the Eagles could not find the basket down the stretch, and Gatling went 8 out of 10 from the foul line to ice it. 1/31
LI vs NYC
There is a great can’t miss intersectional matchup you’ll want to catch on Wednesday, February 5th when NYC’s #1 ranked team, unbeaten Cardinal Hayes, takes on Long Island’s #1 team, Long Island Lutheran, at LuHi in Brookville. Come and catch this possible New York State Championship Game preview, and make some noise for Long Island!! Game time is 7PM. In the LI vs NYC season series, this is the closest the series has been this late in the season since we started tracking it, but Long Island still has a comfortable 13 game lead through January. St. Mary’s had a tough month, going 0-3, but the Gaels are doing remarkably well, considering they put together a very tough schedule with an eye towards challenging for the CHSAA and New York State Championships, only to lose their two best players right before the season started.
1/29 Highlights
Iona Prep Upsets St. Anthony's
St. Anthony's dropped their third straight game, getting upset by Iona Prep 47-39 at home. Iona came into the game on a three game losing streak of their own, and had lost to both Holy Cross and St. Francis Prep, teams the Friars beat earlier in the season.
1/28 Highlights
Westhampton Rocks Harborfields
11th ranked Harborfields had no answer for for Devonte Dixon, whose 28 points and 14 rebounds led Westhampton to the stunning 54-37 upset of the Tornadoes.
OSNA Overwhelms Upper Room
Upper Room stayed with nationally ranked Our Savior New American for a half, but the Pioneers put it into overdrive in the second half, pulling away for decisive a 81-54 victory. DETAILS SHORTLY
North Babylon Has Breathing Room
It's been a four team race in Suffolk League 3, but North Babylon is starting to ease away from the pack, taking a 2 game lead with a 52-46 win over Newfield with three games left.
1/25 Highlights
SJB Trips Up St. Anthony's
Tavon Ginyard’s 30 points carried St. John The Baptist to a 70-59 win over #8 St. Anthony’s
Friends Big Win Over GNS
Friends Academy has developed into a perennial Class C powerhouse, and might have one of their best teams in years, beating a good Class AA Great Neck South team 54-43.
Brentwood Gets Revenge
Brentwood's only league loss was to Ward Melville, and they avenged it, pulling away for a 68-54 win over the Patriots in the rematch at Brentwood. The game had been pushed back by a snowstorm, creating even more than the usual anticipation before a game between first and second place teams, so it was not surprising that the teams tipped off in front of a big crowd and the game was played with playoff intensity throughout. Brentwood star Femi Olujobi, back from the injury list and working his way into game shape, opened the scoring with a nice duck-under move, and then super soph Michael Almonacy stole the ball and scored for a quick 4-0 lead. Almonacy’s three from straight on and Olujobi’s turn-around jumper from the left elbow made it 11-4 Brentwood with just under 3 minutes to play in the opening quarter, and the teams traded baskets the rest of the way, with Brandon Hart’s three pointer for Ward Melville cutting it to 13-9 and Ali Mableton’s two free throws giving the Indians a 6 point lead at the first quarter buzzer. Vincent Smythe opened the second quarter with a putback to put Brentwood on top 17-9, but back to back baskets by Brian Winters and a steal and basket by Andre Audige cut it to 19-17, and then a three by Hart from the right wing made it a 1 point games with 2:26 to play in the half. Winters went coast to coast to tie it at 23 with 18 seconds left on the game clock, and that’s the way the half ended. Gabe Brown’s three point play gave the Patriots a 26-23 lead as the third quarter got underway, but a foul line jumper by Olujobi and a looping shot from the baseline by Mableton put Brentwood back on top, and after the teams took turns at the foul line, Olujobi nailed a three from the top and Allen went hard to the basket and scored to put Brentwood up 36-29 with 3:23 left in the third quarter. Audige ignited a Ward Melville rally in the closing minutes, scoring on a fast break basket, and then Winters knocked down two free throws and Hart went coast to coast to bring the Patriots within 2 with less than a minute remaining in the quarter, but they gave it all back in the finals seconds on a tough fall-away jumper by Almonacy from the right elbow, his drive down the lane, and a foul call right at the buzzer that sent Mableton to the line. His two free throws gave the Indians a 43-35 lead with three quarters complete. Almonacy opened the fourth quarter with back to back three pointers for a 14 point Brentwood lead, and his third three was the beginning of the end for Ward Melville, putting them in a 54-37 hole with 5:03 to play. The Patriots needed scores and stops down the stretch, but instead traded baskets and free throws and never got closer than 11 the rest of the way. 2/1
2/1 Highlights
Deer Park No Match For LuHi
#1 ranked Long Island Lutheran picked up an impressive road win, going into Deer Park, always a tough place to play, and rolling over the the 10th ranked Falcons 65-44
Westbury Holds Off Friends
A non-league game between two teams with only one loss, and it was a good one, with the Green Dragons holding off Friends Academy 64-61.
FULL STORY LATER
Sewanhaka Rips Valley Stream S.
Valley Stream South was heading for a what looked like a memorable season, but got an unexpected reality check, getting hammered by Sewanhaka 69-40.
Westbury Holds Off Friends
This was a non-league game between two teams with only one loss, and it was a good one, with the Westbury holding off Friends Academy 64-61. Westbury jumped out to a quick 10-2 lead on back to back baskets by Shakel Cafield, the first a three pointer from the left wing, and the second a runner from the lane, but Friends narrowed the gap as the quarter wound down, drawing within 1 at the first quarter buzzer on a jumper by Thomas Frey and an alley-oop basket by Cyrus Holder off an inbound play. Frey’s spinning baseline drive put the Quakers up 13-12 as the second quarter got underway, but the Green Dragons moved back in front on Christian Hamilton’s two free throws and a three pointer by Jonathan Dean from the right wing. Frey answered with a three from the top to cut the margin to 1, but a drive by Hamilton, a three by Cafield from the left baseline, and a steal and fastbreak basket by Hamilton and Westbury was up 24-16 with 5:25 to play in the half. Back to back threes by Jerome Cunningham pushed the lead to 32-20, and Jonathan Dean spun out of the low post and scored for a 14 point lead with 1:45 to play in the half, but a three by Tyrone Perkins from the right baseline kept things from getting out of hand and it was 36-25 Westbury at halftime. Friends opened the second half with a run, pulling within 1 on another three pointer by Perkins from the deep left wing, but Hamilton stopped it with a three from the deep right wing. The Quakers continued to close in, drawing even on Jon Nierenberg’s fast break basket at the 2 minute mark of the quarter, and they took a 50-48 lead on 2 free throws by Perkins at the third quarter buzzer. Westbury retook the lead on a putback by Dean early in the fourth quarter, and then his three pointer and putbacks by Brian Newell, Cafield, and Malachi Dean made it 63-52 Green Dragons with 1:49 to play. Friends needed a big basket to stay in it, and Perkins responded with a three from the right wing at the 1:31 mark, and then his putback cut it to 63-57 with just under a minute to play. A big steal and basket by Friends was nullified by a charging call, but Westbury turned it over again and Perkins scored a fast break basket to make it 63-59 with 23 seconds left. Another Green Dragon turnover and foul sent Nierenberg to the line for Friends, and he came up short, seemingly dooming the Quakers, but Holder rebounded his missed second free throw and scored to make it a 2 point game with 10.5 seconds showing on the game clock. A foul sent Cafield to the line for Westbury, shooting 1 and 1 with 7.9 seconds left, and he missed, but he chased down the rebound and was fouled again with 4 seconds remaining. This time, he went 1 for 2, still leaving the door open, but a desperation shot by Friends was off the mark at the buzzer. 2/1
1/31 Highlights
SJB Upsets Holy Trinity
St. John The Baptist played a brutal non-league schedule, and didn't fare well, but it looks like the Cougars came through it in one piece, pulling off their second NSCHSAA upset with a 69-64 win over fourth ranked Holy Trinity.
VSS Rocks Floral Park
Valley Stream South took command in Nassau Conference A3, getting a big road win over second place Floral Park 81-66. It was 21-10 Valley Stream South as I walked into the gym, just in time to see Taize Walker knock down a three and Kevin Cluess two free throws to bring Floral Park within 6. William Knight kept the pressure on, nailing a three for South from the right wing, but Cluess answered with a jumper and brother TJ Cluess went 3 for 4 from the line to cut it to 24-20 with 4:14 to play in the half. VSS answered with a run, starting with a putback by Dean Colbert and a fast break basket by Knight, and then after Jordan Butler tried to keep it close with a three pointer from the top, they added two free throws, a coast to coast basket, and a pull up jumper by Knight and then a three pointer by Jerami Hernandez to build a 37-23 lead and it was 39-25 at the half. The teams traded baskets and free throws until TJ Cluess knocked down a three for Floral Park to cut it to 42-33 with 5:28 remaining in the third quarter, and then he added two technical free throws to bring the Knights within 7. It was a 5 point game after Butler grabbed a loose ball and scored, Kevin Cluess’s three point play cut it to 46-42 with 3:33 left in the quarter, and TJ Cluess’s long range three pointer brought Floral Park within 2, but Dana King’s three pointer from the right wing and Colbert’s two free throws put VSS up by 7 and they led by 8 with three quarters complete. King stepped back and nailed a three for the Falcons from the right wing to open the fourth quarter, but Butler answered with a three from behind the left elbow. Knight gave South a 65-54 lead with a pull-up jumper from the elbow with 5:33 to play, and Colbert’s fast break basket made it 73-60 Falcons with 3:15 left. Kevin Cluess tried to ignite a rally, putting back his own miss with 3:02 to play, but Knight drained two free throws and Colbert rebounded and scored to make it 77-62 with 2:10 to go and Floral Park was done. 1/31
3/8 Playoff Report
CHSAA STATE SEMIFINALS
TITANS ADVANCE TO TITLE GAME
Upstate Champion Bishop Nichols was on a Cinderella run, pulling off two big upsets, and had a distinct height advantage, but Holy Trinity overcame both obstacles to earn a 66-55 win in their CHSAA Class A Semifnal. Brandon Thomson led the way, going 7 for 9 from behind the three point arc. They will now play NYC Champion Xavier Saturday 3:45 PM at Fordham for the CHSAA Class A State Championship. DETAILS LATER
NYSPHSAA REGIONAL FINALS
BRENTWOOD LI CLASS AA CHAMPS
In an exciting game filled with acrobatic dunks and drives, Brentwood pulled away with a 21-7 fourth quarter for a resounding 61-41 victory, capturing the Long Island Class AA Title and a spot in the New York State Final Four. They will face Green Tech from Section 2 in Glens Falls on 3/15 for a spot in the NYSPHSAA State Championship Game. DETAILS LATER
JOHN GLENN LI CLASS A CHAMPS
John Glenn took full advantage of their second life, rallying past Valley Stream South 68-58 for a spot in the Class A Final Four in Glens Falls. KeAndre Augustine got the Eagles going and finished with 25 points, and Jeff Park closed things out and finished with 30. They will take on Section 2s Scotia Glenville, New York State's #1 ranked Class A team, in a semifinal on 3/15. FULL RECAP LATER
SHELTER ISLAND ELIMINTATED
Shelter Island ran into perrenial Class D powerhouse Coleman Catholic, falling 73-46. STORY
ALL SECTIONAL TEAMS
3/1 Playoff Report
SECTION 8
CLASS AA FINAL
Every basket was a big one in the Section 8 Class AA Championship Game, but Farmingdale was in control most of the way and held off a late Uniondale charge for a 38-35 victory. DETAILS LATER
CLASS A FINAL
It looked like Hewlett was picking up where they left off in the semifinals, building a quick first quarter lead, but it was tied at 42 after three quarters, and Valley Stream South pulled away in the fourth quarter for their first Section 8 Class A Championship. MORE LATER
2/25 Playoff Report
SECTION 11
BRENTWOOD TAKES AA TITLE
It was the hard fought final eveyone expected, filled with great performances, and Femi Olujobi was the difference, finishing with 19 points and 13 rebounds to lead Brentwood to a 68-59 win over Deer Park. FULL RECAP LATER
NSCHSAA PLAYOFFS
CHAMINADE ADVANCES
A 3rd quarter rally put St. Dominic on top, but Chaminade pulled away in the 4th for a 55-44 victory . Tom O'Connell led the way with 22 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists.
2/21 Playoff Report
SECTION 8
WHEATLEY CLAIMS CLASS B TITLE
Wheatly had lost both regular season game to the Mules, but took the lead for good on a Josh Hyon three pointer late in the second quarter, and then pulled away from Malverne in the second half for a convincing 69-51 victory, their second straight Section 8 Class B title. Hyon finished with a game high 23 points and did a masterfull job at the point, and Kevin Martins and Andrew Tripi combined for 15 points in the decisive third quarter. They will now face Southampton, upset winner over defending champion Bablyon, in the Class B final at 7:30pm on March 5th at Farmingdale St. FULL STORY
SECTION 11
DEER PARK DOWNS HILLS EAST
Hills East led the Section 11 Class A Semifinal by 3 with three quarters in the books, but Deer Park rallied for a 63-56 win to advance to the Championship Game against #2 Brentwood. MORE LATER
BRENTWOOD ELIMINATES TIGERS
No more upsets for the defending champion Northport Tigers, who fell to top seeded and #2 ranked Brentwood 76-61. STORY
Elmont Rallies Past Chiefs
The Massapequa shooters were on target most of the game, but Elmont’s pressure defense got them back into it and the Spartans rallied for a 69-62 win in a Section 8 Class AA Quarterfinal. Massapequa had the upper hand at the start, taking a 15-8 lead as the seconds ticked down in the first quarter on a putback by Sean Nealis, but Tristan Brown kept it close with a three pointer from the top just before the buzzer. Andrew Codrington looped down the lane and scored early in the second quarter to bring Elmont within 2, and then Brown drained a three pointer from the right wing to put the Spartans into the lead, but the Chiefs responded with a run, and Alex Cosenza's back to back three pointers gave them a 28-20 advantage with 2:43 to play in the half and that was their lead at intermission. Elmont’s Kevon Chambers scored on a putback to open the second half, and then a steal and basket by Brett Walker and another three pointer by Brown made it a 1 point game still early in the third quarter. Massapequa regrouped, and a three pointer by Dylan Balducci bumped their lead to 39-33, but the Spartans closed in again on a three by Matthew Graham from the baseline, and then a fast break basket by Walker and a putback by Chambers gave Elmont a 42-41 lead with 1:45 to play in the quarter. Balducci responded with a very deep three to retake the lead, and then two free throws by Cosenza made it 46-42 Massapequa, but two free throws by Chiazam Nwankwo and a three pointer by Keith Tompkins gave Elmont a 47-46 lead at the third quarter buzzer. Balducci’s baseline jumper made it 48-47 Chiefs as the fourth quarter got underway, but Tompkins answered with his own baseline drive, and two free throws by Nwankwo put the Spartans up 51-48 with 6:38 to play. A Tompkins three pointer from the right wing and a fast break basket by Graham made it a 6 point game at the 6 minute mark, and a three point play by Nwankwo on a nice twisting drive made it 63-56 with 3:08 remaining. Elmont extended their lead to 68-58 on two technical free throws by Nwankwo and a steal and fastbreak by Walker with 1:32 remaining, but Cosenza looped one in from the lane and Dylan Nealis scored on a fast break to keep the Massapequa alive and cut the deficit to 7 with 1:06 left. The Spartans turned over the ball on the next possession, giving the Chiefs another opportunity to cut the lead, but they could not sustain the momentum, and did not score again down the stretch. 2/19
Carey Upsets Lawrence
For the third year in a row, Lawrence was one of the top seeds in Class A, and for the third year in a row, they were upset in an early round. This year, they came roaring from behind to send the game into overtime, but an underrated Carey team regrouped and came from in behind in OT for a 64-63 victory. Carey came ready to play right from the start and moved out to an 18-12 lead on a baseline jumper by Kieran Murchie. Hamed Shamseldin responded, scoring from underneath off a turnover, but Adrian Denner knocked down a three from behind the right elbow to make it 21-14 Seahawks with 4:50 to play in the half. Shamseldin was determined to keep it close, stealing the ball and scoring, and after Denner knocked down another three, this time from behind the left elbow, he answered again with a three from the right wing to make it a 5 point game with 3:22 left. Adrian Daniel’s jumper from just outside the right elbow brought the Golden Tornadoes within 3, but Denner continued to score at will, converting a three point play. Daniel answered this time, knocking down a left wing three, but Carey finished off the half with a free throw and then a jumper by Dylan DeMeo at the buzzer and led 31-24 heading into the locker room. Denner opened the second half scoring with a pump-fake, drive and pull-up jumper to make it 33-24 Carey, and Tommy Gallant’s jumper from the lane gave the Seahawks an 11 point lead, but three out of four free throws by Jymeek Jenkins and a fast break basket by Marcus St. Furcy cut it to 35-29 at the 4:17 mark of the quarter. Daniel’s putback and Shamseldin’s three pointer brought the Tornadoes within 1 with 2:43 to play in the 3rd quarter, but Carey closed out the quarter on a run, with a three point play by Mike Catanese and fast break baskets by by Denner and Anthony Millan giving them a 44-36 lead with three quarters complete. Gallant opened the fourth quarter with a reverse layup to give the Seahawks a 10 point lead, but Sam Robinson responded with a drive, Daniel hit a runner off an inbound play, Shamseldin drove baseline and scored, and Robinson went coast to coast to bring Lawrence within 2 with 5:13 to play. Shamseldin tied it at 46 with 2 free throws at the 4:28 mark, but Murchie broke the run with a fast break basket. DeMeo’s five straight free throws and a fast break basket by Denner made it 55-48 Seahawks with 2:20 left, but a free throw by Jenkins and a putback by Shamseldin and it was a 4 point game 1:43 to play. Daniel went coast to coast to cut it to 56-54 with 38 seconds on the game clock, and Jenkins did the same and it was all tied up with 21 seconds left, but the Seahawks could not get on the board in the final seconds and the game went into overtime. Lawrence took the lead in OT on a fast break basket by Jenkins, but a tip-in by Gallant and a baseline runner by DeMeo put Carey on top 60-58 with 1:20 left in OT. Lawrence took the lead on a pull-up jumper and free throw by Daniel with 13 seconds left, but DeMeo drew a foul with 8 seconds to play, knocking down both shots to put Carey on top 64-63. Lawrence did get off a shot in the final seconds, but the potential game winner was off target. 2/18
2/15 Playoff Report
SECTION 8
SEAFORD UPSETS WESTBURY
Seaford defeated # 5 seed Westbury 69-62 in a Class A first round game. Keith McHugh's red hot three point shooting gave the Vikings a first half lead, and a balanced attack held off the Green Dragons the rest of the way. Seaford will now visit Valley Stream South at 1pm on Tuesday
CAREY ROCKS ROOSEVELT
It looked like a good matchup on paper, but Carey rolled over Roosevelt 50-34. Carey took an early lead, held off a third quarter Roosevelt rally, and pulled away in the fourth. Dylan DeMeo led the way with 18 points and 6 assists and Adrian Denner finished with 9 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks. Carey will now take on top seed Lawrence Tuesday 6:30pm at Lawrence.
2/14 Playoff Report
SECTION 8
MASSAPEQUA NIPS PORT WASH
Griffin Sullivan hit the game winner in hard fought 57-54 first round Class AA playoff win for Massapequa over Port Washington. They will take on Elmont Wednesday 1pm at Elmont
CALHOUN POUNDS VSC
Calhoun used a balanced attack and stingy defense to defeat Valley Stream Central 59-37 in a Class AA First Round game. Eric Ohlendorf and Kyle McGinley led the Colts with 15 points each. They now take on Farmingdale 5pm Wednesday at Farmingdale.....
GNS PULLS AWAY FROM E. MEADOW
Great Neck South pulled away in the second half for a 72-49 win over East Meadow. Ben Lee led the way with 25 points and Gil Weiss had 19. GNS will travel to Uniondale for a 1pm game Wednesday...
FREEPORT STOPS LONG BEACH
Freeport held off a late rally from Long Beach for a 57-52 win. The Red Devils featured a balanced attack led by Te'Kory Smith with 15 points and Nino Rodriguez with 14. Next up Baldwin, 7pm Wednesday at Baldwin.
2/12 Playoff Report
SECTION 8
NORTH SHORE ROLLS OVER LV
Adam Bell had 9 points in a 23-8 third quarter to help spark North Shore to a 60-49 win over Locust Valley in their Class A outbracket game. North Shore will now take on #2 seed South Side Thursday, 6pm at South Side
CALHOUN READY FOR PLAYOFFS
Calhoun hammered Herricks 83-48 in their Class AA outbracket game, with Kyle McGinley leading the way with 30 points. The two teams played a 2 point game back on January 24th - won by Herricks! Calhoun will now take on Valley Stream Central Friday 6:30pm at Valley Stream
ROSLYN COMES FROM BEHIND
Roslyn rallied from a 12 point halftime deficit to defeat Cold Spring Harbor 72-61 in their Class A outbracket game. Noah Nardone had 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists for Roslyn, and Sam Gubernikoff added 21 points, 7 assists, and 4 steals. Roslyn will face top seed Lawrence Thrusday 6pm at Lawrence.
LuHi Falls to St. A NJ
The Crusaders led at the half, and it was tied after three quarters, but host St. Anthony's of Jersey City, New Jersey's 6th ranked team, came from behind for a 50-46 win over LuHi.
South Side Falls To MSM
There are a few teams in the Sweet 16 with impressive records but no real signature wins, and South Side is one of them, but the Cyclones showed they could play with the big boys, leading at the half before falling to CHSAA Class AA Mt. St. Michael 65-57 at the Upstate/Downstate Challenge. The two teams swapped the lead back and forth for most of the first quarter, with South Side’s Alex Sorensen and Mount’s Karrell Henry trading threes to tie the game at 12 at the 3:30 mark of the quarter, but the Cyclones reeled off 6 straight points on a basket by Garret Gallego and two by Keith Phifer to take an 18-12 lead as the quarter began to wind down. Henry answered with a jumper from the left wing to cut the South Side lead to 4, but Keith Ruiz drained a jumper from the top to put the Cyclones up 21-15 at the first quarter break. Nukoy Singleton opened the second quarter scoring with a free throw, a drive, and then another free throw to bring MSM back within 2, but Erik Shirland nailed a three from the right wing to make it 24-19 South Side with 4:43 to play in the half. Singleton continued to attack the basket for Mount, drawing another foul and hitting both free throws, and he followed them up with a fast break runner to make it a 1 point game, but the lead went back and forth the rest of the way, and five straight points by Pace Shaw, who knocked down a three and scored a fast break basket, gave South Side a 31-29 lead at intermission. The teams continued to trade baskets and the lead deep into the third quarter, but MSM got some breathing room when Singleton knocked down a three and Kelvin Riley converted a three point play to give the Mountaineers a 46-40 lead at the 1:39 mark of the quarter. Sorensen and Riley exchanged three pointers, and then Singleton drew a foul on a three point attempt with just 1 second left, going 2 for 3 from the line to put Mount up 51-43 with three quarters in the books. Back to back baskets by Riley gave MSM a 10 point lead early in the fourth quarter, but neither team could generate any real momentum the rest of the way. South Side started to inch back into it, drawing within 7 with 3:22 to left on two free throws by Paul Pandolphi, and a Ruiz three pointer cut it to 63-57 with 1:42 remaining, but the Cyclones could get no closer and Riley added two free throws for the final 8 point margin. 2/8
Uniondale At The Buzzer!
The much anticipated rematch between Uniondale and Farmingdale was everything that was hoped for - a great game that came down to the final seconds, and Uniondale’s Nick Danns hit the dramatic game winner, knocking down a short jumper from just outside the lane for a 47-46 victory. The Knights were pumped up on their home court, scoring the game’s first 12 points, with Alan McDonald opening the scoring with a fast break basket and Imran Ritchie scoring back to back, but Farmingdale weathered the storm, drawing back within 6 on three straight baskets by Curtis Jenkins, his third an emphatic steal and dunk. McDonald answered from underneath as the seconds ticked down in the opening quarter, giving Uniondale an 8 point lead at the buzzer. The Knights scored first as the second quarter got underway, adding a free throw, but the Dalers went on a run, with Jenkins knocking down a jumper from the right wing and two free throws, and then back to back threes by Rah-Quell Rogers and Danny McKeon and a runner by Rogers put Farmingdale on top 18-17 with 3:15 to play in the half. A basket by Dallas Creamer from underneath gave Farmingdale a 3 point lead with 44 seconds remaining, and then Ritchie and Rogers traded baskets to make it 22-19 Dalers at intermission. Both teams struggled at the foul line for much of the third quarter, and there were a lot of fouls called, but neither team could take advantage and it remained a tight game. Farmingdale started to build some momentum after a jump hook by Ron Winkler and a baseline jumper by Malik Seelal gave them a 6 point lead, and then back to back threes by McKeon and Seelal made it 37-27 Dalers with less than 2 minutes to play in the quarter, but McDonald would not let Farmingdale pull away, attacking the basket with great determination, drawing a foul and knocking down two free throws. After a potentially devastating three pointer by Creamer from the left baseline gave the Dalers a 40-29 lead, McDonald scored again on a putback to keep Uniondale within striking distance, and Malik Howard’s steal and basket brought the Knights within 7 as the third quarter came to a close. Winkler opened the fourth quarter with a jump hook from just outside the post to give Farmingdale a 9 point lead, but the teams exchanged baskets to the 1:58 mark, when two free throws by Tahreek Hodge brought the Knights within 5. McDonald scored again, this time from underneath with 1:14 remaining to cut it to 46-43, and then after a Farmingdale turnover, his drive accross the lane made it a one point game with 22 seconds left. After a timeout, Farmingdale inbounded the ball, but it was knocked loose in the backcourt, and although the Dalers regained possession, they could not get across the halfcourt line in time, and a 10 second violation was called with 11 seconds remaining. That set up the dramatic shot by Danns, a short jumper from just to the left of the lane with about 2 seconds on the clock. Farmingdale’s desperation shot at the buzzer was off target. 2/7
2/4 Highlights
Kellenberg Pops St. Mary’s
The NSCHSAA race is turning into the dogfight everyone expected this season, with Kellenberg bringing St. Mary’s back to the pack with a 94-81 victory.
Uniondale Slams Freeport
Uniondale might be peaking at just the right time, rolling over a solid Freeport team 74-46 at Freeport.
North Babylon Clinches
North Babylon emerged from the pack to clinch Suffolk League 3 with a 61-56 win over Copiague.
Sweet 16 Bloodbath!
#2 Amityville, # 6 Baldwin, #11 South Side, and #12 Uniondale all fell at the Upstate/Downstate Challenge, while #1 LuHi prevented a sweep with a convicing win over New Rochelle. In other action, St. Anthony's beat All Hallows. Results on SCOREBOARD and FULL COVERAGE LATER 2/8
OSNA PREP CHAMPS
Our Savior New American won the
USA National Prep Basketball Championships for the second year in a row with a 75-66 victory over Word of God Christian Academey of North Carolina. DETAILS LATER
3/4 Playoff Report
NSCHSAA
HOLY TRINITY WINS TITLE
Patrick Jackson's drive tied it at 53 with 1:49 to play, but free throws by Peter Alkins and Brandon Thomson down the stretch gave Holy Trinity a 57-55 victory and the NSCHSAA title. DETAILS LATER
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
SOUTHAMPTON LI B CHAMPION
The two teams combined for 22 three pointers, with Southampton winning the shootout with Wheatley 61-58 to claim the Long Island Class B Championship. MORE LATER
FRIENDS ACADEMY LI C CHAMPION
Friends built a 20 point lead and then held off Stony Brook 55-48 for the Long Island Class C Title.
RECAP LATER
SHELTER ISLAND ADVANCES
Shelter Island rolled to an impressive 63-35 win over Clark Academy in the Class D Regional Semifinal. STORY
2/28 Playoff Report
NSCHSAA QUARTERFINALS
SJB ELIMINATES ST. ANTHONY'S
It would have been a close game if the Friars had hit their free throws, but they went 3 for 18 from the line over the last three quarters of the game and St. John The Baptist took advantage, pulling away for a convincing 66-52 road win.
DETAILS LATER
HOLY TRINITY BOUNCES CHAMINADE
The Titans snapped out of their late season funk, rocking Chaminade 84-66 in a NSCHSAA Quarterfinal game behind 24 points and 12 rebounds by Jimmy Golaszewski and 19 points by Mike Farella. Ranked #3 on Long Island and looking to lock up the NSCHSSA regular season title, Holy Trinty lost their last two regular season games, including a bad 69-45 loss to the Flyers in the finale.
Amityville Disqualified!
Amityville has been disqualified for using an inelligible 8th grader in their playoff game against John Glenn. The violation was reported by Glenn, and even though the player played for only seconds, the New York State rule is clear cut and calls for disqualification. Tuesday's county playoff game againt Southampton has been postponed, and Glenn will now replace Amityville in the rescheduled game to be played Wednesday at 5pm at Ward Melville and also in the Long Island Class A Championship game. 2/25
2/19 Playoff Report
SECTION 8
ELMONT RALLIES PAST MASSAPEQUA
The Massapequa shooters were on target most of the game, but Elmont’s pressure got them back into it and they rallied for the win. The Spartans now take on Uniondale in the 5pm Class AA Semifinal next Wednesday, February 26th at SUNY Old Westbury. SEE FULL RECAP
FARMINGDALE CATCHES CALHOUN
Calhoun jumped out in front with a big first quarter, but it was all Farmingdale the rest of way in a 47-38 victory. Curtis Jenkins led the Dalers with 17 points and 8 rebounds. Farmingdale will face top seed Baldwin in the 7:30pm Class AA Semifinal next Wednesday, February 26th at SUNY Old Westbury.
UNIONDALE ROCKS GREAT NECK SO.
Uniondale pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 62-47 win over Great Neck South. Shomari Redd led the Knights with 21 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals and Nick Danns added 14 points and 15 rebounds. Uniondale now takes on Elmont in the 5pm Class AA Semifinal next Wednesday, February 26th at SUNY Old Westbury.
BALDWIN OUTLASTS FREEPORT
Freeport raced out to a 21-7 first quarter lead, but Baldwin steadily closed the gap and then pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 58-49 victory. Shane Gatlin had 18 second half points to lead the way. The #1 seeded Bruins will face Farmingdale in the 7:30pm Class AA Semifinal next Wednesday, February 26th at SUNY Old Westbury.
2/18 Playoff Report
SECTION 11
NORTHPORT WONT GIVE UP CROWN
Defending Long Island Champion Northport is not about to give up their crown, pulling off their second straight playoff upset with a 54-44 win over Ward Melville. Gerard Brady knocked down a career high 6 three pointers to spark the Tigers, who face top seeded Brentwood Friday in the 7:30pm semifinal at Farmingdale State.
BRENTWOOD PULLS AWAY
The young Copiague team led by 3 at the half, but Brentwood scored 47 second half points to pull away 76-57. Brentwood’s Ali Mableton had 14 third quarter points, and Femi Olujobi 13 second half points to fuel the outburst. Brentwood takes on defending Long Island Champion Northport in the semifinals Friday 7:30pm at Farmingdale State.
DEER PARK ROCKS HILLS WEST
We would have enjoyed seeing Hills East vs Hills West and Deer Park vs CI in this round just for variety’s sake, but you know Deer Park has enjoyed playing Hills West this season, overwhelming them for the third time, this time by a 78-48 score. Karon Blackwell had a game high 22 points for the Falcons, and Aaren Edmead added 17. Deer Park will now face Hills East at 5:30pm on Friday at Farmingdale State
GLENN SURPISES HARBORFIELDS
A good team, but not the dominant force they have been in recent years, Harborfields dropped a 48-45 decision to neighborhood rival John Glenn in a Class A Semifinal. Jeff Park had 10 of Glenn’s 22 point fourth quarter points after the Knights had scored only 2 points in the third quarter. They now take on Amityville on Saturday at 3:30pm for the championship. The game will be held at Farmingdale State.
AMITYVILLE STILL TEAM TO BEAT
Amityville improved to 17-2 with a solid 72-54 Class A Semifinal victory over Westhampton. Travis Dickerson led the Warriors with 19 points and Mike Smith added 18. They will take on John Glenn in the Championship Game at 3:30pm on Saturday at Farmingdale State. STORY
2/15 Playoff Report
SECTION 11
STONY BROOK TAKES C TITLE
The teams split during the regular season, but Stony Brook hammered Pierson 62-36 to take the Section 11 Class C Championship. Asaiah Wilson knocked down 5 three pointers and finished with 18 points for Stony Brook.
SHELTER ISLAND D CHAMPIONS
Billy Doeklen, a sophomore JV player called up for the playoffs, scored 21 points to help lead Shelter Island to a 73-61 win over Greenport in the Section 11 Class D Championship Game. Matt BeltCappellino led Shelter Island with 25 points. STORY
2/14 Playoff Report
SECTION 11
CLASS B CHAMPIONSHIP REMATCH
Babylon and Southampton will meet again this year for the Class B Championship. The Panthers rolled over Wyandanch 66-36, led by Brendan Laing's 22 points and 17 points and 7 assists by Jake Carlock. Southampton pulled away from Center Moriches 77-60, with Shaundell Fishburne erupting for 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists. The Championship game is 3:30pm Wednesday at Northport HS
NORTPORT UPSETS NORTH BABYLON
Northport rallied to upset North Babylon 50-48 in Class AA First Round action. Austin Marchese knocked down two free throws with 3 seconds left for the win. The Tigers will take on Ward Melville at Ward Melville Tuesday
HILLS EAST RALLIES PAST BULLS
Hills East rallied from a 7 point halftime deficit to defeat Smithtown West 56-54. Matt Boyd led the way with 20 points. They will host Central Islip on Tuesday
2/12 Playoff Report
SECTION 11
CLASS D CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHUP
Greenport and Shelter Island advanced to the Section 11 Class D Championship Game. The Porters held off Bridgehampton 55-52 behind Gavin Dibble's 21 points and 11 assists, while Selter Island rallied past Smithtown Christian 53-48 led by Riley Willumsen's 11 fourth quarter points. Smithtown Christian's Caelan McCabe scored his 1000th career point in the loss
KINGS PARK CATCHES CONNETQUOT
Kings Park's Jonathan Li scored 8 points in the final 1:30 to rally the Kingsmen to a 60-58 win over Connetquot in a Class AA outbracket game. They will face #1 seed Brentwood on Friday at 6pm in Brentwood
WESTHAMPTON ELIMINATES BBP
Westhampton picked up their first playoff win in 14 years, defeating Bayport BP 59-52 in a Class A first round game. Mike Frangeskos led the way with 26 points and 7 rebounds and Devonte Dixon added 18 points and 9 rebounds. They face #1 seed Amityville next Tuesday at 4pm in Amityville
SMITHTOWN EAST DEFEATS ESM
Patrick Riccio had 9 fourth quarter points to lead Smithtown East to a 49-43 win over Eastport-South Manor in a Class AA Outbracket game. They will take on second seeded Deer Park Friday at 5pm in Deer Park
HARBORFIELDS BIG SECOND HALF
East Hampton led at the half, but Harborfield exploded for 51 second half points for an 82-61 victory in a Class A first round game. Chris McCullough had 20 points in the second half and finished with 10 assists. They will play the winer of John Glenn and Sayville next Tuesday 6pm at Harborfields
Middletown Nips Bruins
Baldwin had the ball trailing by 1 with 36 seconds to play, but could not score, falling 55-54 to Middletown at the Upstate /Downstate Challenge. A Section 9 Class AA Semifinalist last season, Middletown came into the Challenge having won 5 of their last 6 games, and quickly showed they were a team to be reckoned with, taking a 17-7 lead over Long Island’s 6th ranked team on a late first quarter run. The Bears continued to build their lead in the second quarter, with a three pointer and then a putback by Aaron Ray giving them a 26-11 advantage, but D’Marco Barnes stalled the rally with a three pointer from behind the left elbow, and two free throws by Shane Gatling brought Baldwin back within 11. Paul Nosworthy’s basket from underneath and a pull-up jumper from the left wing by Miking Richardson made it a 6 point game with 2:06 to play in the half, but Ray answered with a fast break basket to give Middletown a 34-26 lead at the break. Ray opened the second half with a fast break runner and Jonathan Holder looped one in from the baseline for a 12 point Middletown lead early in the third quarter, but Jared Bradford answered with a fast break basket, and after a Bears free throw, Gatling rattled in a three from the left baseline and the margin was 8 once again. Shandy Casimir responded with a fast break basket to push Middletown’s lead back into double digits, but Gatling drilled a deep three from the top, and Barnes followed him with a three from the left baseline to cut it to 41-37 with 3:07 to play in the quarter. A Marlon Adams reverse layup made it a 6 point game, but Gatling nailed another three from long range at the 2:20 mark, and Richardson closed out quarter with two free throws to bring Baldwin within 2 with one quarter to play. Nosworthy’s basket from the low post tied it at 46 early in the fourth quarter, and Daraja Rodwell’s jumper from the foul line put Baldwin on top with 5:08 to play, but as the clock dipped under three minutes, Middletown was back in front on a tip-in by Adams. Baldwin retook the lead on a drive by Paul Colson, but Malcolm Jackson responded with a putback of his own miss, and Burton scored to make it 55-52 Middletown with 1:30 left. Gatling hit two big free throw to bring Baldwin within 1 with 1:08 remaining, and after a turnover, it was Bruin ball trailing by 1 with 36 seconds on the game clock, but they did not score and had to foul. The 1 and 1 free throw was missed, but with only 2.3 seconds showing, the Bruins could not get a good look and lost the heartbreaker. 2/8
Titans Rip Gaels
It was 75-69 St. Mary’s the first time through, but Holy Trinity dominated the rematch, building a big lead and cruising to an 80-61 victory. Steve Milhaven’s three point play cut it to 6-5 early in the first quarter, but Bradley Eugene and Jack Sixsmith ignited the Titans with back to back drives, Billy Sixsmith’s three pointer from behind the left elbow made it 15-5, Jimmy Golaszewski went hard to the basket and scored for a 12 point lead, and after a Milhaven three pointer, Eugene’s jumper from straight on, four straight free throws by Jack Sixsmith, and a reverse layup by Golaszewski made it 25-8 Holy Trinity at the first quarter buzzer. The run continued as the second quarter got underway, with Brandon Thomson draining a three from the right wing and Jack Sixsmith adding a free throw, but Nick Richards got St. Mary’s on the board with a putback and Milhaven scored from underneath to cut it to 29-12. The teams exchanged baskets and free throws the rest of the quarter, with Holy Trinity answering every rally attempt by the Gaels, and the lead was 22 after a three pointer by Thomson with 2:40 to play in the half, but Chris Coalman answered with a fast break basket and Milhaven knocked down two free throws to narrow it to 47-29 at intermission. Richards rebounded and scored to open the second half, cutting the margin to 16, but Golaszewski looped one in from the lane and Mike Farella nailed a three from the right baseline to make it 52-31 at the 5:28 mark of the quarter. It was a 23 point game after a goaltending call on a shot by Golaszewski, but St. Mary’s started to whittle away at the lead, cutting it to 54-36 on a basket by Coalman from underneath. The Titans continued to answer, this time with a trademark deep three by Billy Sixsmith from way behind the left elbow that made it 57-36 with 2:55 remaining in the quarter, and it was 62-42 with three quarters complete. Damani Myers knocked down two technical free throws to open the fourth quarter, cutting the margin to 18, and a deep three and two free throws by Milhaven brought the Gaels within 12 at 62-50. A steal and fastbreak basket by Patrick Jackson and St. Mary’s was within striking distance, trailing by 10 with 3:57 to play, but Golaszewski drove the baseline for a reverse layup and Thomson scored on the press break to make it 69-54 with 2:31 showing. Milhaven kept St. Mary’s alive with a three from the left wing, but Golaszewski answered with two free throws, Thomson added two more, and Jack Sixsmith’s two free throws made it 76-59 with 1:25 left. Game over. 2/7
2/6 Highlights
Playoff Update
Kings Park clinched a playoff spot and eliminated West Babylon 50-33..... Carey clinched a spot with a 52-45 win over Bellmore. Bellmore now has to win their last 2 games to qualify….. Bethpage clinched a spot with a big 77-62 win over first place Valley Stream South….. Lindenhurst eliminated Connetquot 66-63….. Smithtown Christian stayed alive with a 64-56 win over Shelter Island. They must beat Greenport in their last game to qualify. SEE STORY ….. The teams that have already qualified for the playoffs appear in green on the STANDINGS page, while those that must win their remaining games in order to qualify appear in orange, and those that can still qualify, but need other teams to lose in order to do so, are in red.
Smithtown Ch. Over S.I.
This is the time of year when teams are battling for playoff spots and seeds, and Smithtown Christian is one of those teams. The Knights kept their playoff hopes alive with a big 64-56 win over Shelter Island, leaving them a win away from a spot in this year’s playoffs. Corey Collins opened the scoring for Smithtown with a three pointer from the right wing on the game’s first possession, but Shelter Island quickly answered with a 7-0 run, with Matt Belt-Cappellino knocking down a baseline jumper, Riley Willumsen a three pointer from the left wing, and Matt Dunning a reverse lay-up. Calen McCabe’s tip-in cut it to 9-5 with 5:42 still to play in the opening quarter, and then a three pointer by Charles Bellini from the top and a fast break basket by Kyle Straker brought the Knights within 1 with 2:58 to play. A foul and technical foul call against Smithtown led to four straight free throws by Tristen Wissemann and a 17-12 Shelter Island lead, but Collins drained another three in response and Straker converted a three point play to put SC on top 18-17. The Indian’s retook the lead on Weismann's basket off an inbound play, but a Collins baseline three gave Smithtown a 21-19 lead at the first quarter buzzer. Collins opened the second quarter with a fast break layup and a putback for a 6 point Knights lead, and McCabe’s two free throws made it 27-19 Smithtown, but back to back baskets by Belt-Cappellino, including a three from the left wing, made it a two point game with 3:43 to play in the half. Wissemann tied it at 28 with a nice pump fake and basket from the lane, but Smithtown closed out the half on a run, regaining the lead on a three pointer by Ron Linsalato, McCabe’s three point play off a missed free throw, and a Collins three just before the buzzer that gave them a 37-28 advantage heading into the locker room. McCabe opened the second half with a three pointer from the right wing, and Bellini followed him with a drive for a 42-28 SC lead. Two free throws and another three by McCabe and the Knights had their 19th straight point and were threatening to break it open, but after a timeout, Wissemann ended the run with a three pointer, igniting a 14-2 Shelter Island run that got them back into the game. Belt-Cappellino kept it going with a three from behind the right elbow, Dunning’s basket from underneath cut it to 49-40 at the 2:26 mark, and Willumsen’s three from behind the right elbow made it a 6 point game with less than a minute to play in the 3rd, but another big three by Collins broke the run and gave Smithtown a 52-43 lead with three quarters complete. Willumsen opened the fourth quarter scoring with a basket from underneath, and Wissemann‘s three from behind the right elbow and fast break basket cut the SC lead to 2, but after a McCabe free throw, Zach DiBlanda’s basket from underneath, and another big Collins three from the left wing, it was Smithtown by 8 with 4:48 to play. Connor McCabe’s baseline drive and reverse layup made it 60-50 Knights, but Willumsen’s runner and Belt-Cappellino’s three from the top brought Shelter Island back within 5 with 1:54 remaining. That’s as close as the Indians would get, however. Bellini’s big drive made it a 7 point game, and Connor McCabe’s fast break basket gave Smithtown a 64-55 lead with under a minute to play and it was a 64-56 final. 2/6
PLAYOFF BRACKETS
SECTION 8
SECTION 11
To see every playoff bracket from every region of New York state, CLICK HERE
ASK THE REF!
Good batch of questions answered in this editon of
Smithtown West Advances
After going 0-18 last season, Comsewogue dramaticly turned it around this season, finishing their Suffolk League 5 schedule 7-5 to qualify for the playoffs, but they drew a tough match-up in their outbracket game, and their season came to an end with a 71-57 loss to Smithtown West. West took the lead right from the start, going up 4-0 on a left wing jumper by Billy Behrens and a short baseline drive by Tyler Weigl, and it was 11-5 Bulls on Nick Paquette’s three point play and a coast to coast drive by Behrens with 1:45 to play in the opening quarter. Behrens added two free to make it 15-8 Smithtown at the first quarter buzzer. Jack Campo drove down the right side of the lane and hit a running hook shot to bring Comsewogue within 5 as the second quarter got underway, and a goaltending call on a shot by Jake LaPasota cut it to 15-12. After a Smithtown free throw, Campo knocked down two freebies to make it a 2 point game, but the Bulls answered with a 10-3 run, capped off by an elbow jumper by Behrens and a fast break basket by Weigl that made it 25-17 Smithtown with 2:56 remaining in the half. A three pointer by Peter Torres bumped the lead to 30-19 with 1:17 to go and it was 33-23 at intermission. Andrew Steck opened the second half with a three pointer for Comsewogue from the left baseline, and his basket from underneath cut it to 34-28, but Paquette’s three pointer from the right wing and 3 free throws by Weigl gave the Bulls a 12 point lead. Paquette’s three from behind the right elbow and a steal and fastbreak basket by Behrens made it 48-31 Smithtown, and they led 50-33 with three quarters complete. Nick Grande opened the final quarter with two free throws for Smithtown, but Anthony Colao answered with a foul line jumper for the Warriors and the teams continued to exchange baskets in the early going. Campo’s two free throws cut it to 54-39 with 6:40 to play, but the Bulls answered, and Weigl’s basket from underneath put them up 63-42 with 5:09 left. Campo’s pull-up jumper and free throw and a putback by LaPasota cut it to 63-47 with 4:05 left, and Steck and Campo both went 1 for 2 from the line to make it a 14 point game. A coast to coast basket by Campo and a putback by Sean MacGregor cut it to 65-55 with just under 2 minutes left, but Paquette’s back to back fast break baskets ended the threat and sent Smithtown West on to the next round. 2/12
Burke Upsets Amityville
It was a rematch of last season’s NYSPHSAA Class A State Semifinals, and this time Amityville was the favorite. The Warriors came out like the team that has dominated opponents all season, confidently building a quick lead, but Burke Catholic, struggling a bit this year after moving up to Class AA, would not fold, catching the Warriors at the buzzer for a stunning 74-72 victory. It's been Amityville's pattern over and over this season - Mike Smith and Travis Dickerson led a balanced attack to get the Warriors off to an intimidating 12-0 start, but Burke settled in and would not let them pull away, trailing by a manageable 11 points at halftime. Still, Amityville maintained their lead throughout the third quarter, although the Eagles did cut the margin to 53-48 on a jumper by Mike Coffey with 1:38 to play in the quarter. Mike Smith answered with a three pointer from the right wing and it was 56-48 Warriors at the third quarter buzzer. Anthony Salmon knocked down two free throws and Trevon Walker spun to the basket and scored to bring Burke within 4 early in the fourth quarter, but Leland Williams answered with a basket from underneath and Malcolm Mathis cut across the lane and scored and it was 60-52 Amityville with 6:25 to play. A fast break basket by Williams gave the Warriors a 10 point lead with 5:27 remaining, but Burke reeled off three straight, with Matt McHale scoring on the break, Salmon on the press break, and Coffey nailing a three from the left wing to cut it to 64-61 at the 4:35 mark. Coffey’s tip in made it a 1 point game with 3:58 left, but Williams responded with a basket from underneath, Dickerson knocked down two free throws, and Williams scored on the break for a 7 point Amityville lead with 1:40 to play. Coffey drove left and hit a runner to cut it to 70-65 with 1:30 showing, and after a turnover, he drained a three from the left baseline to make it a 2 point game. Another Amityville turnover and Coffey’s basket from underneath tied it at 70 with 50 seconds to go, but Williams put the Warriors back in front on a fast break basket with 38 seconds to play. Burke tied it again with a baseline jumper by Coffey with 9 seconds on the game clock, plenty of time for Amityville to get the game winner, but the Warriors turned it over again and fouled, and Javin Williams knocked down the game winners from the free throw line. 2/8
3/7 Playoff Report
NYSPHSAA REGIONAL FINALS
SOUTHAMPTON FALLS
Southampton had 15 first half turnovers and never got back into it, falling to Woodlands 73-47 in the Class B Regional Final in Beacon, NY. STORY
FRIENDS ADVANCES TO FINAL FOUR
Friends Academy rolled over Haldane 71-49 to advance to the New York State Class C Final Four! STORY
3/2 Playoff Report
NSCHSAA SEMIFINALS
St. MARY'S OVER SJB 64-62 IN OT
After sending the game into overtime with a three pointer at the buzzer, Edwin Pizzaro came through again for SJB, hitting two free throws with 14 seconds left to tie it at 64, but Patrick Jackson drove to the basket and looped in the game winner at the buzzer to send St. Mary's on to the NSCHSAA Championhip game. DETAILS LATER
HOLY TRINITY DEFEATS KELLENBERG
The Titans came from behind with a big fourth quarter to beat Kellenberg 48-41 and advance to the final. Peter Aikins let the way with 17 points.
2/26 Playoff Report
SECTION 8
THE UPSETS CONTINUE
The incredible run of upsets continued into the Class AA Semifinals, with #3 seed Uniondale defeating #2 seed Elmont 58-48 and #4 seed Farmingdale stopping #1 seed Baldwin 45-37. The underdogs have won 10 times so far in the Section 8 Class AA and A playoffs. DETAILS LATER
SUFFOLK COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS
John Glenn, playing because Class A Champion Amityville was disqualified, filled in admirably, defeating Class B Champion Southampton 61-52 in the semifinals to advance to the championship game against Class AA Champion Brentwood.
2/22 Playoff Report
SECTION 11
AMITYVILLE WINS EPIC BATTLE IN OT
In what many are describing as the best game of the year, Amityville defeated John Glenn 74-73 in overtime to win the Class A title for the second straight season.
DETAILS LATER
LuHi Avenges Loss
Albany Academy upset Long Island Lutheran earlier this season, but the Crusaders convincingly defeated the Cadets in the rematch, taking a 79-59 decision to capture the First Annual LuHi Winter Invitational. Tournament MVP Devonte Green finished with 19 points, 5 assists, and 6 steals and Elijah Bailey added 14 points. 2/22
Hills East Catches CI
The two teams split during the regular season, both winning on the road, but host Hills East won the rubber match, rallying from a 31-19 first half deficit to tie it on a Mathew Boyd pull-up jumper at the buzzer, and then the Thunderbirds pulled away for a 60-52 overtime victory in their Section 11 Class AA Quarterfinal. Brandon Hodge opened up the game with a three pointer from the wing and a quick transition layup by David McKenzie gave C.I. an early 5-0 lead. An impressive drive through 3 defenders by Hodge extended the CI lead 12-6, and the Musketeers led 16-12 at the end of the first quarter. The two teams traded baskets until the 4 min mark of the 2nd quarter, when C.I. went on a impressive run, with Devon Solomon hitting two free throws, Hodge getting two quick transition layups, and then an offensive rebound and putback by Malcolm Pridgeon put the Musketeers up 29-18. After a Hills East timeout, C.I. continued to attack with a jumper by Hodge giving them a 31-18 lead, but a Hills East free throw cut it to 31-19 at the half. (Hodge had 13 points and Pridgeon 6 for CI at the half and Jordan McRae led Hills East with 8 ). The third quarter was hard fought by both teams defensively. Hills East opened the quarter with back-to-back baskets by Mike Simon and Justin Fackler, cutting the lead to 8, but David McKenzie’s aggressive layup made it 33-23. Both teams continued to battle, but the C.I. lead was never in question. With 45 seconds left, a Pridgeon put back dunk was called off due to basket interference, but Hills East was not able to capitalize, missing a three point shot at the buzzer. The Musketeers entered the 4th quarter with a comfortable 39-28 lead, but Mike Simon opened the quarter with a three pointer to cut the margin to 8, and after two free throws by Pridgeon, McRae hit a 3 in the corner to make it a 7 point game. Simon ‘s steal and layup and then his layup off another turnover cut it to 41-38 , but C.I. stopped the bleeding with a McKenzie layup and a Hodge free throw for a 6 point lead. At the 1 minute mark, a Hills East steal led to a Justin Flacker layup, and then an offensive foul gave the Thunderbirds the ball with 35 seconds left. Simon brought the ball up and pulled up for a deep three pointer - so deep the defense wasn't even guarding him - that cut the lead to 1 with 27 seconds left. A Hills East foul sent Hodge to the line with 21 seconds to play, but he missed the front end of a 1 and 1. The T-Birds had the chance to take the lead but were called for a travel, giving C.I. the ball up by 1 with 8.6 seconds remaining. Another Hills East foul sent Devon Solomon to the line , and he went 1 for 2 to make it 47- 45 C.I. Boyd had a good look at a 3 for the win with 6.1 seconds to go, but instead decided to attack the lane and pull up for a mid range jumper that went in at the buzzer and sent the game into overtime. Simon started off OT with another deep three to give Hills East its first lead of the game, and a foul on an offensive rebound by Boyd sent him to the line and he went 2 for 2 to put the Thunderbirds up 52-47. CI answered with a three pointer by Solomon to cut it to 52-50, but that’s as close as they would get. The Musketeers could not convert as the clock ticked down and started to foul, and Boyd was perfect, going 6 for 6 down the stretch to ice it. Boyd contributed 10 assist, 7 rebounds, 4 steals, McRae contributed 14 rebounds and 6 blocks, and Hodge led CI with 16 points, Pridgeon had 12, and McKenzie and Solomon 9 points each. 2/18 - BY DAN SKARITKA
Copiague Impressive
They might very well have something to say this year, but make sure you watch out for Copiague next year! The junior dominated Eagles defeated a good Commack team, leading the Cougars wire to wire for an 80-62 Class AA first round playoff victory. Andre Morgan got Copiague going on their first possession, scoring off a nice low post move, and Kevin Roberts followed him with a three pointer from the top to give the Eagles a quick 5-0 lead. A runner by Prince Charles-Hickson made it 9-2 Copiague, and back to back baskets by Quandell Butler, the second a three point play, gave them an 18-6 lead with 2:30 to play in the first quarter. A baseline three pointer by Roberts made it 23-8, and Hickson’s right wing jumper put Copiague up by 17 with one quarter complete. Brandon Kenney’s three pointer from behind the right elbow cut it to 25-11 as the second quarter got underway, but it was back and forth to the 4:02 mark, when Brian Lewis scored back to back to cut the margin to 13. Hickson answered with a fast break basket, Joe Branch followed him with a three pointer from the left wing, and then Branch nailed another three from behind the right elbow to give the Eagles a 40-21 lead with 15 seconds remaining in the half. Just before the buzzer, Ryan Steffens broke the run with a three point play to make it a 16 point game at the break. Lewis curled to the basket and scored for Commack as the second half got underway, but Morgan answered with a runner to make it 42-26 Copiague. Lewis seemed determined to get a rally going, attacking again and drawing a foul, this time going 1 for 2 from the line, and then Cougar pressure led to back to back baskets by Kenney off turnovers and it was an 11 point game still early in the quarter. Morgan retook the momentum with a fast break dunk, and then Butler’s foul line jumper, a three point play by Hickson, and two Butler free throws put Copiague on top 51-31. It was 57-36 Eagles after Roberts scored from underneath on a nice basket cut with 2:12 remaining in the quarter, but three straight baskets by Matthew Glubiak, the third a three pointer, gave Commack hope with 40 seconds left. Butler answered, draining a three from the left wing and the Copiague lead was back to 17, but Glubiak quickly responded, scoring and converting a three point play to make it a 14 point game with three quarters in the books. A left elbow jumper by Lewis cut it to 60-48 as the fourth quarter got underway, but a running hook shot and a baseline drive and reverse layup by Hickson gave Copiague a 16 point lead with 6:46 to play. Billy Holscher’s drive and Glubiak’s fast break basket cut to 66-55 with 4:18 remaining, but Branch rattled in a three pointer from the right wing to put Copiague up 14 with less than 4 minutes left. Glubiak kept the Cougars alive with a 3 from the top at the 3:33 mark, and then his fast break basket off a turnover cut it to 69-60 with 3:18 showing. Another Copiague turnover gave Commack the ball back, but they could not convert, and Hickson scored a big basket, weaving his way through the defense to put the Eagles up by 11 with 2:52 to play. He missed a chance at a three point play, but Copiague rebounded the miss and Morgan was fouled on a putback attempt. He made both free throws to give the Eagles a 73-60 lead with 2:32 remaining, and Commack never seriously challenged after that. 2/14
Bachman Wins 400th
Jericho head coach Wally Bachman earned his 400th career victory in Jericho's last game of the season, a 57-48 win over Wantagh. He is only the 10th boys basketball coach in Long Island history to win 400 or more games!
Ginyard LI's Top Scorer
SJB's Tavon Ginyard is Long Island's leading scorer in games through February 11th, averaging 25.6 points per game. Tyquan Scott from Long Beach is close behind at 25.2, and Hills West's Terry Harris is in the mix at 24.9. The full list, and a list of the top single game scorers, can be found along with up to date standing on the STANDINGS PAGE
2/11 Playoff Report
SECTION 11
Wyandanch pulled away from Mattituck for a 77-68 win in a Section 11 Class B outbracket game. Kamar Harris led a fourth quarter surge with 7 points and finished with 15. Justice Broughton led Wyandanch with 17, and Will Gildersleeve had a game high 23 for Mattitck. Wyandanch will now face top ranked Babylon Thursday at Babylon. The Warriors handed the Panthers their only league loss this season.
PRIVATE SCHOOLS
LWA advanced to the PSAA Championship game once again with a 51-34 win over The United Nations School. Chris Pierre-Louis had 19 points and 8 assists and Alex Kompogiorgas 12 points and 10 rebounds for LWA...... Portledge returned to the IPPSAL Championship game with a 56-50 win over Kew Forest. David Lustberg led the way with 12 fourth quarter points and scored or assisted on every one of Portledge's 20 fourth quarter points. They advance to play Martin de Porres at 7:30pm on Wednesday in the IPPSAL championship game at Portledge .
LuHi Rocks New Rochelle
LuHi prevented an Upstate sweep at the Upstate/Downstate Challenge, rolling over New Rochelle 69-44. Elijah Bailey came off the bench to score a team-high 18 points, Devonte Green had 14 points and 5 steals, Robyn Missa 10 points and 10 rebounds., and Chris Atkinson 5 points and 7 assists. LuHi has a big week coming up, going to New Jersey twice to face St. Anthony’s and the Patrick School, and then possibly ending the week with a rescheduled matchup against Cardinal Hayes. 2/8
2/19 Playoff Report
SECTION 11
SOUTHAMPTON TAKES B TITLE
After a year of frustration and three straight losses to the Panthers, Southampton finally got over the top, defeating top seed Babylon 64-59 to capture the Section 11 Class B Championship. FULL RECAP LATER
SUFFOLK COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Class C Champion Stony Brook 71 CLASS D Champion Shelter Island 47
Every year, in this unique and separate event, Suffolk County crowns an overall County Champion from all of their individual Class Champions. The Class Champions still move on in the State Tournament, taking on Nassau’s champions next to determine our Long Island Champions and then continuing their march towards Glens Falls.
2/18 Playoff Report
SECTION 8
FLORAL PARK UPSETS SOUTH SIDE
Whenever Floral Park has beaten South Side in recent years, there is a good chance someone named Butler had something to do with it. Jordan Butler, the youngest of Floral Park’s famed Butler brothers, had a game high 24 points, and Kevin Cluess added 22 points to propel the Knights to a convincing 74-62 upset over #2 seed South Side in the Section 8 Class A playoffs. They will now face Hewlett, another upset winner, in the semifinals at 5pm this Monday at SUNY Old Westbury. FULL STORY
HEWLETT UPSETS WEST HEMPSTEAD
The seedings say this was an upset, but we had it as more of a 4-5 game, and that’s the way it played out, with Hewlett coming from behind to edge West Hempstead 71-69. Trailing 52-46 after three quarters, Avery Feldman and Messiah Ajayi-Clark led a fourth quarter charge for the Bulldogs. They will now play Floral Park on Monday 5pm at SUNY Old Westbury.
VSS ROLLS PAST SEAFORD
Valley Stream South was the only favorite to prevail in the Class A Quarterfinals, rolling over Seaford 70-50. Super Sophomore Dana King led the way with 20 points and 7 assists, Hall Elisias had 16 points, and Dimitri Badette 14 points and 18 rebounds for South. They take on Carey, who upset #1 seed Lawrence, at 7pm on Monday at SUNY Old Westbury.
Suffolk Championship
Suffolk County holds a separate tournament each year, apart from the class based NYSPHSAA State Playoffs, that determines one overall Suffolk County Champion, and Class AA Champion Brentwood was this season's winner, defeating Class A Champion John Glenn 75-69 in the title game. Michael Almonacy led the Indians with 19 points and 6 assists, Femi Olujobi had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Jamel Allen 16 points and 12 rebounds. Playoff sensation KeAndre Augustine had 22 points for Glenn, as did Jeff Park. Both teams remain alive in the State Tournament in their respective classes. 2/28
2/24 Playoff Report
SECTION 8
HEWLETT CRUSHES FLORAL PARK
Avery Feldman had 18 first half points to lead Hewlett to a dominating 82-47 victory in a Section 8 Class A Semifinal
DETAILS LATER
VSS ROCKS CAREY
Valley Stream South's Hall Elisias and Dimitri Badette dominated the paint, leading Carey to a 55-40 win in the other semifinal. DETAILS LATER
STATEWIDE BRACKETS
Check out the playoff brackets from every region of New York State HERE
2013 CYO CHAMPS!
8TH GRADE
A: St. Patrick, Smithtown
B: Holy Family
C: St. William
7TH GRADE
A: St. Joseph, Garden City
B: St. Dominic
C: St. Joseph, Hewlett
6TH GRADE
A: St. Aidan
B: St. Peter
C: St. Catherine
5TH GRADE
A: St. Peter
B: St. Dominic
C: St. Gerard
SWEET 16
COACHES POLL
3/9/2014
1 LuHi (20-4)
2 Brentwood (22-2)
3 Holy Trinity (22-6)
4 Deer Park (18-4)
5 Amityville (17-3)
6 St. Mary's (15-9)
7 Farmingdale (17-4)
8 Uniondale (16-4)
9 Hills East (19-2)
10 Baldwin (15-3)
11 Kellenberg (17-7)
12 Elmont (14-4)
13 John Glenn (18-4)
14 SJB (10-15)
15 St. Anthony's (14-10)
16 Valley Str. So. (17-5)
