Elmont Overwhelms Herricks

6-1 Herricks did what the second place team has to do playing the first place team on the road -   they came out aggressively and confidently and took the lead. But 12th ranked Elmont rallied and pulled away from the Highlanders, improving to 11-1 overall with a convincing 82-63 victory. Junior Tim Lewis had a big game, finishing with  27 points and 11 rebounds for the Spartans. The Herricks lead lasted until the 2:47 mark of the first quarter, when Elmont drew even on a fast break basket by Michael Dugue, and then took the lead on Josh Previlon’s basket from underneath with 2:12 to go. The teams exchanged baskets until the quarter’s final seconds, when Dugue’s three pointer made it 25-22 Elmont at the buzzer. Brett Walker gave the Spartans a 6 point lead with a three pointer from the left wing to open the second quarter scoring, and then Tristian Brown scored a fast break basket and Daniel Alexander nailed a three pointer from the right baseline and Elmont was on a run. George Malonoukos stopped it with a fall-away jumper, cutting the lead to 33-24, and the lead stayed in the 8-9 point range until three straight baskets by Lewis made it 41-29 Spartans with 2:27 to go in the half. Herricks struck back with back to back baskets, the second a tough fall-away jumper in the lane by Kevin Villanueva, but a three point play by Calveti Nyabingi, a jumper by Lewis from the left elbow, and a fast break basket by Brown and it was 48-35 Spartans with 20 seconds to go in the half. Andrew Fellus knocked two points off the lead as time wound down, draining two free throws for the Highlanders to cut it to 48-37 at intermission. A three pointer by Christian Watson from the right wing made it 55-39 Elmont early in the third quarter, but Herricks continued to battle, rallying to cut the margin to 12 on a basket by Louis Nikolis with just under 4 minutes remaining.  Another Spartan surge pushed the lead to 17, capped off by Alexander’s baseline drive and underhand scoop shot, and Elmont led by 15 after three quarters. Shawn Matthew scored from the low post to kick off the fourth quarter, bringing the Highlanders within 13, and then two free throw by Fellus cut it 69-58, but Elmont responded with an 11-2 run, 5 of the points by Nyabingi, and led 80-60 with 3:43 remaining. Herricks got no closer than 17 down the stretch. 1/20

Kings Park Holds Off  West

Kings Park built a solid 32-20 halftime lead over Smithtown West behind 13 first half points from Craig Jeudy, and then held off the Bull's third quarter charge to take a 20 point lead with 5 minutes to go in the game, but Smithtown West went on a 17-0 run, capped off by back to back three pointers by Mike Baiardi, to close within 3 in the game's final minutes. They would get within 2, but sophomore Jonathan Li came to the rescue for the Kingsmen, knocking down four pressure packed free throws in the final seconds to preserve the Kings Park victory. The game had the look of a Kings Park blow-out most of the way. The Kingsmen were outplaying their Smithtown West counterparts on both sides of the ball, and to make matters worse, the Bulls could not hit a shot, nor find a way to stop Jeudy, who finished with 23 points and 22 rebounds. That changed briefly when the teams came out of the locker room for the second half, with West making a run to draw within 3 on a jumper by Ryan Hickey, but Jeudy's putback with 2:43 remaining in the quarter sparked a King Park run, and back to back baskets by Steven Wibben - a putback and a three pointer, and it was 45-32 Kingsmen. The Kings Park run continued into the 4th, with Jeudy scoring the first 5 points of the quarter, and then Wibben scored off an inbound play and Chris Savino off a drive, and Kings Park had a 20 point lead. Tom Whalen started the Smithtown run quietly, knocking down two free throws, and Matt Schultz's 3 point play made it a 15 point game. Behrens' fast break basket cut it to 55-46, and Baiardi's back to back threes from the right baseline and it was a 3 point game with 2:38 to go! Jeudy broke the run with a big basket off an inbound play, but Behrens answered with a fast break basket for Smithtown. Kevin Neglia's two free throws made it 60-54 Kings Park with 29 seconds remaining, but Hickey drained a three pointer with a defender draped all over him to pull his team back within 3, and then after Li's first two clutch free throws, drained another to make it 62-60 with 5.8 seconds to go. Li was sent back to the line however, and knocked down two more to ice it. 12/12

Hills West/EI Breeze

Both top ranked Hills West and host East Islip won their East Islip Holiday Tournament opening round games easily. The Colts hammered a good Longwood team 78-54 in a game not as close as the final score. Emile Blackman, who has taken his game to a whole new level, knocked down 5 three pointers to go with his 5 dunks and finished with 25 points in only 3 quarters of action. Mical Boyd and Neneyo Mate-Kole added 12 points each for the extremely athletic and well balanced defending Class AA Champions. In the nightcap, host East Islip blistered rival Islip 74-30 behind 17 points from Brian Johnson, 15 from Brian Bennett, and 22 points and 20 rebounds from star big man Evan Maxwell, also in about 3 quarters of action. The Redmen move the ball very well, shoot it well too, and play excellent defense. The two teams will face off Friday at 6 PM in East Islip for the tournament championship, while Longwood takes on Islip in the consolation game at 4 PM. 12/7

WB Nips Wagner

West Babylon and Wagner from the PSAL met in the final of the Islip Booster Club Tournament, with WB coming out on top 56-53 in a game that was close throughout.  Rashaad Cooper  led WB with 16 points and 10 rebounds and tournament MVP Mike Richardson  added 13 points and 5 assists. 12/3

EI Pounds NB

It was expected to be a tight match-up, but East Islip blew open a close game at the half, outscoring host North Babylon 44-17 after intermission for an impressive 67-35 victory. Evan Maxwell, one of Long Island's top big men, led the way with 27 points and 24 rebounds for the 5-2 Redmen. North Babylon was thought to be East Islip's strongest competition in League 3, and playing at home, they were looking for an upset of Long Island's 12th ranked team. They came out with confidence, and immediately took it to the favorites, with Fola Branco knocking down a three pointer to open the scoring, and after a basket by Maxwell, he added a short jumper from the baseline. Cortland Speight's drive down the right side of the lane made it 7-2 Bulldogs, but as the first quarter wound down, EI had erased the deficit and took an 11-9 lead on a three pointer by Josh Werner from the right baseline, and that was the score at the buzzer. Brian Johnson's three pointer from the top made it 14-9 Redmen as the second quarter got underway, but Kenny Daniels answered with a three for NB and Speight tied it with a drive down the left side of the lane. Maxwell responded with two free throws, but a three pointer by Daniels and North Babylon was on top with 5:15 to go in the half. East Islip regained the lead on two drives by Johnson, and a jumper by Mike Simonetti made it 23-18 with 50 seconds to go, and that was the score at halftime. The Redmen put North Babylon right on their heels as the second half got underway, with Maxwell's three point play capping off a 9-0 EI run, and then after a steal and basket by Daniels cut it 32-20, they went on an 8-2 run led by Johnson, who scored twice and assisted on the other two baskets. The lead was 44-26 after three quarters, and the Redman went on an 18-5 fourth quarter run for a 62-30 lead and never looked back. 1/5

College Update

Hempstead's Tu Holloway had 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists in Xavier's loss to LaSalle.... St. Mary's Scott Machado had 9 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists in Iona's win over Sienna... Bay Shore's Marcus Damas had 14 points and 5 rebounds in Towson's loss to Northeastern..... OSNA's Gerardo Suero had 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists in Albany's win over Hartford..... St. Mary's Chavaughn Lewis had 14 points in Marist's win over St. Peter's.... Roslyn's George Beamon had 13 points and 5 rebounds in Manhattan's loss to Rider..... 1/4

Deer Park/Hills Thriller

In a game hotly contested from wire to wire, Rome Jenkins put #11 Deer Park on top with a putback, and Kyle Bradford gave them a three point lead with two big free throws with 13 seconds remaining, but as the clock ticked down to zero, #6 Hills West's Terry Harris retrieved a loose ball and hit what the home crowd hoped would be the game tying three pointer at the buzzer. But after conferring at length, the officials ruled that it was a two pointer, giving Deer Park a dramatic 60-59 road victory and first place in League 4. There was great anticipation for this match-up. Hills West has been Suffolk County Class AA Champion three out of the last four years, and Deer Park is a young and talented team on the rise, so you could feel the

electricity in the gym as the teams matched up for the opening tap. Emile Blackman's jumper from the left wing got things started, and then Denzel Williams scored back to back baskets, the second a three pointer from the left wing, and Hills West was up 7-zip, the crowd was rocking, and Deer Park called time. A free throw got the Falcon's on the board, and then Jenkins rebounded the missed second attempt and scored, and Deer Park was in business. They tied the game on back to back fast break baskets by Sean Scott and Bradford, but another basket by Williams and a fast break basket by Blackman and the Colts had a 13-9 lead at the end of the first quarter. Deer Park's Carrel Joseph opened the second quarter scoring with a basket from underneath, but Hills West had an answer for it and every subsequent Deer Park basket, and started to build a lead on a three pointer by Mical Boyd and a three point play by Harris that put them on top 24-18 with 1:40 remaining in the half. Joseph responded for the Falcon's, cutting into the lead with another basket from underneath, and then Bradford followed a highlight film alley-oop dunk by Blackman with a three pointer from the top and the Hills West lead was down to 3 at halftime. Scott's two free throws opened the second half scoring and cut the lead to 1, but after trading baskets with the Falcons, the Colts moved out to a 46-38 lead on a three pointer by Boyd and two free throws by Jessean Banks with 1:21 to play in the third quarter. Joseph's putback cut it to 46-40 at the third quarter buzzer, and then Keith Williams hit Scott going to the basket to pull Deer Park within 4 as the 4th quarter got underway, one of his 7 assists. Harris answered with a three pointer from straight away to make it a 7 point game, but Deer Park fought back, pulling within 2 on a three point play by Williams with 4:29 left, and then a putback by Jenkins cut it to 53-52 with 2:49 on the clock. Two free throws by Bradford and Deer Park was on top 54-53 at the 2:21 mark, but Blackman scored from the baseline to give Hills West the lead. The back and forth action continued, with a putback by Jenkins putting the Falcons on top once again, and they were up 3 after two more clutch free throws by Bradford. The Colts missed a chance to make it a 1 point game, missing the front end of a 1 and 1 with 33 seconds remaining, but they got the ball back on a tie up, and worked it around to Harris. He was swarmed by defenders and lost the handle on it, but recovered the ball, spun and launched the fateful shot as the buzzer sounded.  1/10

Games Of 1/6

Great Neck South Stuns Elmont

Elmont got off well, and led by 5 at the half, but Josh Garfinkel led a third quarter run which saw Great Neck South outscore the 4th ranked Spartans 33-11 on their way to a 74-59 victory. Garfinkel finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds, Jay Lee had 13 points, and Brandon Brown and Mitchell Finkel 11 points each for GNS.

CI Rocks Lindy, Now 7-0

Lindenhurst took the early lead, but Central Islip rallied to go up 4 by halftime, and pulled away for a 71-50 victory and sole possession of first place in League 2. Jasean Percell led the way with 16 points and 7 assists, and Tim McKenzie had 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 steals

Glen Cove Back On Track

After suffering their first loss of the season, Glen Cove has reeled off two more wins and is now 8-1. They beat a solid West Hempstead team 64-48 led by 20 points from Kewan Beebe and 17 from Frankie Mickens.

Games Of 1/5

Pierre 46 Points vs Syosset

Hempstead's Tidell Pierre exploded for 46 points in the Tiger's 73-62 win over Syosset.

Blackman 1000th point!

This is Emile Blackman's year, and he reached a major career milestone, scoring his 1000th point in Hills West's 83-30 demolition of 1-6 Comsewogue.

Bay Shore Takes 2nd Straight

The Marauders, perennial contenders, have struggled mightily without Suffolk All-Star Bryson Lassiter, their point guard and leading scorer. They got off to an 0-5 start before picking up back to back wins, this one a 43-35 victory over West Islip. They are now 2-1 in conference, so there is still hope for the season.

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Elmont Rips Lawrence

The 7th ranked and undefeated defending Nassau County Champion Elmont Spartans completely frustrated 16th ranked Lawrence, leading wire to wire for a 71-46 to victory in  the Hank Williams Tournament Championship Game played at Malverne High School.  Lawrence had overwhelmed host Malverne in the preliminary round, so there was great anticipation for the matchup with Elmont in the final, but the Spartans quickly dispelled it, moving right out in front and never giving up the lead. It was 17-5 Elmont after a great hustle play by Tristan Brown led to a basket by Michael Dugue, 23-13 after Josh Previlon’s basket from underneath, 30-18 after a fastbreak basket by Reggie Pierre, 33-19 after a three pointer by Marc Anthony Campbell, and 35-21 at the half.  Campbell scored from underneath to make it 43-23 at the 6:37 mark of the third quarter, and Tim Lewis hit a jumper from the left wing for a 22 point lead not long after, but Lawrence made a run, cutting the lead to 14 on back to back baskets by Kwadwo Agyapong and Clifton Lyerly as the third quarter clock ticked down. It looked like the Golden Tornadoes would have some momentum heading into the forth quarter, but Christian Watson answered dramatically for Elmont, nailing a halfcourt shot at the buzzer to make it 58-41 Spartans. His more conventional three pointer and a fast break basket by Pierre made it 66-41 with 5:18 remaining in the fourth quarter and Lawrence never seriously threatened after that. 12/29

Games Of 12/27

Roslyn Upsets Baldwin

Roslyn slipped by #8 Baldwin 61-60 AT BALDWIN! MORE LATER

Hempstead Upsets Deer Park

#6 Deer Park, playing without leading scorer Kyle Bradford, led by 4 with 40 seconds remaining and lost to Hempstead 67-66

Lawrence Hammers Malverne

#16 Lawrence is back to full strength and ready to show what they can do, rocking host Malverne 100 - 77 in the first round of the Hank Williams Tournament. Eddie Robinson led the way with 31 points, Dwayne Daniels had 27, and Clifton Lyerly 18. They face #7 Elmont in the title game 12/29

North Babylon Pulls Away

North Babylon led by 9 at the half and steadily pulled away from Copiague 78-57  DETAILS LATER

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SPECIAL HOLIDAY EDITION

More of the column that regularly gets questions from all over the USA!

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LuHi Snuffs Harborfields

#1 Harborfields led by 3 at the half, but #2 LuHi's defense clamped down in the second half, holding the Green Tornadoes to just 14 points as they pulled away for an impressive 55-41 victory. Whenever our top two teams meet during the regular season, it's a special event, and this matchup was no exception. The Harborfields gym was packed, even though the game was being played over the vacation, and both teams were coming off impressive wins. Top ranked Harborfields had been particularly impressive, losing only once on the road and in overtime to Mt. St. Michael, one of the top teams in the Metropolitan Area, and beating an impressive list of teams. The usually invincible Crusaders had two losses, and looked vulnerable at times even in victory. The game started out somewhat ominously for Harborfields, with LuHi big man Kentan Facey, who has been gradually rounding himself into shape after an early season injury, catching the ball at the high post and slicing through the defense for an impressive basket, but Lucas Woodhouse answered in equally impressive fashion, taking his man off the dribble from the right wing to tie it, instantly generating an excited buzz in the gym. Five straight points by Justin Ringen, on two free throws and a three pointer, and it was 7-2 Harborfields, and after a Facey baseline jumper, David Ba buried a three pointer to make it 10-4, but Anthony Pate and Ryan Denicola answered for LuHi, cutting it to 10-8, and the first half pattern was set. Every basket would be hard fought, and neither team would build a significant lead. Score after one quarter: 15-13 Harborfields. Pate's two free throws tied it with 5 minutes remaining in the second quarter, and then KJ Lee's first three pointer and two free throws by Facey put LuHi up 5, but Harborfields closed out the half on a 10-2 run, and Ba's fall away putback gave them a 27-24 lead at intermission. Facey's baseline drive cut it to 27-26 as the third quarter got underway, and Pate's drive put LuHi on top with 5:36 to go in the quarter. Back to back baskets by Denicola made it 32-27 LuHi, with Harborfields struggling to get good looks, and missing when they did. Lee's second three pointer gave the Crusaders an 8 point lead, but just when it started to look like LuHi would take command, Woodhouse kept the Tornadoes in the game, ending the Harborfields drought with a drive, and then answering another basket by Denicola with a three pointer from straight on to cut it to 37-32 with 2:50 to go in the quarter. Harborfields could not keep the momentum going however, and LuHi kept coming, with Brandon Alford's three pointer off the glass giving them a 10 point lead, and Facey's basket from the lane making it 44-32 with less than a minute to go in the third. The lead was 13 at the third quarter buzzer. Harborfields still couldn't find the basket to start the fourth quarter, and another three by Lee put the Tornados on the ropes. The Crusaders maintained their lead from that point, but with time running down, a fast break basket by John Patron and a LuHi turnover gave Harborfields a glimmer of hope. The Tornadoes couldn't get the momentum turning basket, however, and Lee's putback iced it, making it  52-38 with less than a minute to play. 12/23

Games Of 12/17

#2 Harborfields hammered Newark Tech, considered to be one of the top teams in New Jersey's Essex County, 76-41 at the New York - New Jersey Challenge. Lucas Woodhouse led the way with 19 points and 10 assists and John Patron had 18 points and 10 rebounds....It was a tight first half, but #3 LuHi took the Fred Williams Holiday Tournament title 72-54, pulling away from #14 Amityville.  Anthony Pate led LuHi with 23 points and was named tournament MVP. DeJuhan Gray led Amityville with 16..... #4 Uniondale closed the first half on an 8-0 run and went on to a 65-50 win over White Plains.....#13 Chaminade handed Xavier their first loss of the season 50-47. Patrick Farrell had 15 points and and Mike Walsh finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds..... Brentwood took the Butch Dellcave Tournament title with a convincing 65-46 win over Smithtown East. MVP Eric Predomo finished with 19 points and 6 assists and Femi Olujobi added 11 points and 12 rebounds. Jon Feiler led all scorers with 25 points for Smithtown East......#16 Holy Trinity handed #12 South Side their first loss. Mike Callaghan had 22 points and 7 rebounds and Jason Oder 21 points and 11 rebounds. Ryan Spadaford led South Side with 15....

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Games of 12/15

Both #6 St. Anthony's and #13 Chaminade looked like they were headed for back to back losses, but both rallied to win. St. Anthony's overtook Floral Park 59-54, with Daniel Pierrot leading the way with 19 points. Mark Re had 16 for Floral Park. Chaminade managed to slip by Roslyn 61-57, with Patrick Farrell high man with 18 points and 12 rebounds, Mike Walsh adding 14 points and 7 rebounds, and Brian Earhardt finishing with 12 points and 5 assists. Terrance Pierce led Roslyn with 15.... Lindenhurst picked up their second straight impressive win, overwhelming Copiague 74-55. Stew Warren led the Bulldogs with 29 points and 12 rebounds, while Vaughn Sessions had 17 for Copiague.....Oyster Bay blew open a tight game with a 20-4 fourth quarter, with Greg Nielsen scoring 8 of his 16 points during the quarter. Ben Jay led Cold Spring Harbor with 13.....

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Baldwin Stops MacArthur

The Baldwin Bruins are one of the favorites in Class AA, as they are almost every year, but have not shown the dominance expected from one of Long Island's top teams so far this season. They didn't play their best in an early season loss to a very good Mt. St. Michaels team, were upset by a good Roslyn team at their own holiday tournament, and then struggled to beat a solid Hicksville team at home. That's why a road game against Conference 2 contender MacArthur looked like it would be another challenge for the Bruins, and it was. The Generals battled them tooth and nail through a physical first half, with Kevin Roach leading the way. He scored from underneath in traffic to give MacArthur a 26-25 lead, then again to make it 28-27 MacArthur at the half, and again to give the Generals a 30-27 lead with 6:04 to go in the third quarter. Myles Ojeikere's bank shot off the glass and Kirk Staine's jumper from the top of the key put Baldwin out in front once again, but William Cheshire's three pointer from straight on and MacArthur was back on top 33-31. This time, Baldwin responded with an 8-0 run, four of the points by Brandon Williams, who knocked down a jumper and then stole the ball and scored. Williams then went on a run of his own, adding a three pointer, a free throw, and a weaving drive through traffic that gave the Bruins a 12 point lead. Roach's baseline drive made it a 10 point game as the third quarter came to an end, and Gerard Cunningham opened the fourth quarter with a three pointer to bring the Generals within 7, but a baseline drive and then a three point play by Kyle Richardson and the Bruin lead was back to 12. The run continued with Staine knocking down a jumper from the right wing, and then Rashid Lesane scored off a turnover and it was 56-40 Baldwin with 6:31 to go in the game. Cunningham finally ended the Bruin run with another three pointer from the right wing, a putback by Roach made it 56-45, and then another three pointer by Cheshire from straight away and the lead was down to single digits with 3:45 remaining. Staine scored from the lane to stall MacArthur's momentum, and then then his baseline jumper made it 65-53 Bruins with 1:35 to go, but Cheshire's three kept hopes alive for the Generals, making it a 9 point game with 1:25 on the clock. Roach followed Cheshire with a basket from underneath to make it 65-58 with 52 seconds remaining, but the Generals had to start fouling to have any chance, and Williams knocked down 3 out of 4 and Stain 2 out of 2 down the stretch to secure the win for the Bruins.  1/6

The Unbeatens!

Only 6 unbeaten teams remain on Long Island after the first month of the season. They are:

Brentwood 5-0

Central Islip 5-0

Elmont 6-0

Freeport 6-0

New Hyde Park 7-0

Uniondale 6-0

Another Long Island team off to a great start is Our Savior New American. OSNA is 9-0 so far with a very demanding schedule and may have their best team in years.

Games Of 1/3

Catholic League Balance

The common wisdom is that there is great balance in the Catholic League this season, and that seemed to be confirmed by the first league games:

#9 Kellenberg 63  St Anthony 59

#14 Chaminade 66 St. Dominic 64

#16 Holy Trinity 68 #11 St. Mary's 61

Floyd Rallies Past Longwood

#6 William Floyd trailed by 19 at the half and rallied past Longwood 66-64 for a big road win. Devonte Dixon stole the ball and scored with 22 seconds left for the win. He finished with 19 points.

Dalers Roll Over Syosset

#5 Farmingdale built a big lead and cruised to a 68-49 win over a good Syosset team. Junior Dalique Mingo led the Dalers with 24 points.

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Games of 12/28

Four Out Of Five Fall!

Four of the top 5 teams in the Sweet 16 fell on Wednesday, and the 5th, second ranked Uniondale, did not play!

Baldwin Defeats Deer Park

The 8th ranked Bruins snapped back from their loss to Roslyn to hand #4 Deer Park their second straight defeat

MSM Beats LuHi, 4-0 vs LI

After losing to St. Mary's in last seasons Catholic School Class A State Championship game, Mount St. Michael has extracted a bit of revenge this year, improving to 4-0 against Long Island teams with a 57-42 win over #1 LuHi.

Brentwood Wins Thriller

Brentwood defeated North Babylon 75-74 in overtime. North Bab got off to a good start in OT, taking a 5 point lead, but Brentwood rallied for the win.

New Hyde Park 7-0!

New Hyde Park improved to 7-0 with a 53-34 win over Seaford. Kevin Toweyled the way with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists.

Solid Win For CI

It seemes like Central Islip never gets recognized as one of Long Island’s top teams until late in the season. Long Island Class AA Champion Hills West had to rally to beat them in last year’s playoffs, and they are off to a 6-0 start this year, but they remain unranked. Why? With their success last year, it’s hard to say why they didn’t get preseason recognition, but a soft non-league schedule put an asterisk next to their undefeated start this year. Fortunately for the Musketeers, they play in one of Long Island’s toughest leagues, so they will have plenty of opportunities to prove themselves. They opened league play with an impressive 48-37 road win over Walt Whitman. The game was a typical League 2 slugfest, with Whitman clinging to a one point halftime lead and CI pulling away in the second half. Their next league game is against another of Long Island’s top basketball programs, the 5-1 Lindenhurst Bulldogs. It's one of our CAN’T MISS GAMES, and will be at 4:15 PM on 1/6 at Central Islip. The winner of that game will claim sole possesion of first place in League 2 and have a strong case for inclusion in the Sweet 16. In the Whitman game,  CI’s Ishiah Booker nailed a  three pointer to close out the first half scoring and pull the Musketeers within a point, and then Tim McKenzie’s putback put them on top as the third quarter got underway. Another three pointer by Booker and it looked like CI might be pulling away, but Kieran Elmore broke the run with a three for the Wildcats to keep it close. Booker scored again, this time looping one in from the baseline, and then Jasean Percell scored off a turnover and Sean Alexander from underneath for a 7 point CI lead. The lead was 9 after Booker’s steal and basket with 1:15 to go in the quarter, but a three pointer by Kevin Forland made it a 6 point game at the end of three quarters. Brandon Hornedo’s two free throws to open the fourth quarter made it 37-29 CI, and then he knocked down two more free throws and scored a fast break basket to make it 43-31with 4:59 remaining. Whitman tried to get back in it as time ran down, with a foul line jumper by Darrell Felder cutting it to 45-37 with 2:28 to go, but it was their last gasp. They couldn’t put the ball in the basket again down the stretch and fell by 11.  1/3

Games Of 12/30

MacArthur Rolls Over VSN

MacArthur rolled to its largest margin of victory in six seasons with a 78-39 thrashing of Valley Stream North. The Generals saw a 12 point lead shrink to 1 just before halftime, but a three pointer by William Cheshire at the buzzer opened a six-point halftime lead, and the General outscored the Spartans 25-4 in the third quarter. Cheshire finished with 16 points, Kevin Roach had 13, Kevin Olsen 12, and  Gerard Cunningham 11. MORE

Lawrence Rocks Oceanside

Lawrence began their quest for a Class A championship with an impressive 74-57 win over Oceanside. The Golden Tornadoes opened the game with a three point shooting barrage that Oceanside never recovered  from. Dwayne Daniel, who was good last year, has stepped up to a new level, both offensively and defensively. He finished with a game high 28 points, many off of steals. He and Eddie Robinson, who finished with 19, make a formidable backcourt duo - one of the best on Long Island, and Clifton Lyerly leads a solid front court. Oceanside is a work in progress, but with one of Long Island's best big men in Hunter Sabety, who had 14 points and 8 blocked shots, they have the potential to contend as well.  12/9

COACHES VS CANCER

Friday's Championship Game at the Coaches vs Cancer fundraising tournament features Valley Stream North, who beat Sewanhaka 48-46 behind Anthony Martelli's 18 points and C.J. Byron's 11 points and 10 rebounds, against New Hyde Park, a 61-53 winner over host Herricks. Kevin Towey and John Tomasini both had 18 points for New Hyde Park. The game will be at 7 PM at Herricks HS, with the consolation game at 5 PM. 12/7

12/6 Sweet 16 Recap

In Sweet 16 action, #2 LuHi rocked St. John The Baptist 77-39, #7 Holy Trinity fell to Holy Cross 60-49, #9 St. Anthony's nipped St. Francis Prep 63-60, 11th ranked Elmont overwhelmed Sewanhaka 80-51, #12 St. Mary's fell hard to Molloy 85-55, 14th ranked  Chaminade pounded Salesian 77-32, and #16 Farmingdale downed Great Neck North 64-49.

LI 6-1 At Challenge

Long Island dominated New York City on both days of the Long Island Challenge held at St. Dominic HS. On day one, #13 Chaminade nipped Beach Channel 52-51, then Kellenberg routed John Bowne 57-31, St. Doms stunned Queens HS of Teaching 71-56, and top ranked LuHi outlasted Pathways 74-60. On day two, SJB fell 71-35 to Campus Magnet, but St. Anthony's and Holy Trinity got things back on track, with the Friars hammering Richmond Hill 71-29, and the Titans rocking Queens HS of Construction 74-46. The final game of the night was by far the best, with St. Mary's holding off Forest Hills 71-65 (see story) 12/4

Kellenberg By Six

The Class A Kellenberg Firebirds passed an early season test with flying colors, defeating St. Francis Prep, projected to be competitive in the CHSAA AA Division this season, by a score of 65-59. Jeremy Arthur led the way with 27 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists, confirming his status as one of Long Island's top players. The Firebirds played with the confidence of a contender right from the opening tap, taking a 12 -9 lead at the end of the first quarter. Kevin Bowles' three pointer and a fast break basket by Arthur gave them an 8 point lead early in the second quarter, but a brief St. Francis run and it was a 3 point game with 3:53 to go in the half. Kellenberg closed out the second quarter on a run of their own however, and Rob Gomiela's putback and a fast break basket and a putback by Arthur and they had an 11 point lead heading into the locker room. St. Francis opened the second half pressing and trapping, and quickly cut the lead to 28-23, but Gomiela's three pointer temporarily stemmed the tide. Another St. Francis run brought them within 4 at the 2:40 mark, but a three point play and fast break basket by Kevin Liddy and a putback by Arthur and it was 42-31 with 1:19 to go in the third. St. Francis quickly answered with 5 straight points, and it looked like it would be a tight game heading into the fourth quarter, but Arthur banked in a long range three at the buzzer and Kellenberg had a 9 point lead and some breathing room as the final quarter got underway. John Romano opened the scoring in the 4th with a basket from underneath to make it 47-36 Firebirds, and two free throws by Conor Byrnes and a fast break basket by Arthur and it was 51-37 with 6:36 remaining, but the Terriers would not let Kellenberg break the game open, and back to back three pointers from the right wing made it a 1 point game with 2:12 to go. Liddy answered the call for Kellenberg, completing another three point play for a 58-54 lead with 2:05 on the clock. A short baseline drive brought St. Francis back within 2, but they turned the ball over on back to back possessions, and Richie Ragusa's two big free throws with 38 seconds left made it 61-56 Firebirds. A fast break basket by St. Francis and it was still a game with 22 seconds to go, but Gomiela knocked down four free throws in the final seconds to ice it. 12/2

Big Apple/Big Peach

LuHi went down to Georgia to represent Long Island at the Big Apple vs Big Peach Battle, and came home with a split, losing to Westlake, Ga. 77-68 in their first game before bouncing back to beat defending Georgia Class 5A State Champion Norcross 50-36. The Crusaders jumped out to a quick lead against Norcross on back to back three pointers by Victor Zambor, but Norcross chipped away and took a 13-12 lead at the end of the first quarter. LuHi quickly regained the lead on two free throws by Kentan Facey, and went up 9 after a driving hook shot by Darnell Gray and that was their lead at halftime. It was 31-18 LuHi after a putback by Facey and a jumper by Anthony Pate to start the third quarter, but Norcross kept within striking distance, cutting the lead to 7 as the quarter came to a close.  Zambor put the Crusaders back in control with two three pointers and a driving layup to make it 44-31, and a fastbreak layup by Gray made it 46-31 and Norcross never seriously threatened after that. Zambor led Luhi with 21 points. In the first game, KJ Lee had 16, Pate 14, and Zambor 11.  11/26

South Side Stops Chaminade

In the first match-up of two Sweet 16 teams this season, #12 South Side built a double digit second half lead and then held off #13 Chaminade down the stretch for a 71-64 victory. Ryan Spadaford was outstanding for the Cyclones, particularly in the first half, dominating the boards on both ends and scoring 15 points. The lead was back and forth early on, but Chaminade went up 15-12 in the closing moments of the first quarter on Thomas Ahern's three pointer. It was 17-12 when John Gallego knocked down a jumper from just behind the foul line early in the second quarter, but Spadaford responded for South Side with a three pointer and a putback to tie it at 17 all. A three pointer by Justin Rhodes made it 25-22 South Side with 2:35 to go in the half, and the teams traded baskets the rest of the way, with the Cyclones maintaining their 3 point advantage at intermission. Jack Carrigan's jump hook cut it to 30-29 early in the third quarter, but back to back three pointers by Spadaford made it 40-33 South Side. A three point play by Bob Akeson gave the Cyclones a 10 point lead, and Robert Pichioni's basket at the buzzer made it 49-38 South Side after three. Mike Walsh's three point play and it was an 8 point game as the fourth quarter got underway, and after two fee throws by Pichioni, his three pointer from straight on brought the Flyers within 7, but Pichioni answered with a three pointer from the left of the key and it was a 10 point game again. Patrick Farrell hit a three pointer of his own with 5:16 to go, bringing Chaminade back within 7, and Brian Earhardt pulled up and nailed a jumper from just inside the foul line to make it 56-51 at the 4:33 mark. Darren Nickelson responded with a drive, but Gallego came off a screen and hit a three pointer to make it a 4 point game with 3:38 to go. Farrell's two free throws pulled the Flyers within 2 with 2:56 on the clock, but that is as close as they would get. Pichioni knocked down a big three pointer from the right baseline to put South Side up 5,

Akeson's fast break basket made it 63-56, then his drive from the left wing made it 65-56, and two free throws by  Rhodes with 50 seconds to go iced it. Spadaford led all scorers with 24 points,  Pichioni had 18, and  Nickelson 11 for South Side. Farrell led the Flyers with 19 and Gallego had 15. 12/14

Games Of 12/8

#14 Chaminade fell to Regis 62-59 in OT.....LWA improved to 6-0 with a last second basket by Trent Parrish to beat Bay Ridge Prep from Brooklyn 73-72..... SJB picked up their first win of the season, beating Bay Shore, who once again played without Bryson Lassiter, by a score of 66-55. Vincent Abbondola had a game high 25 points, Tim Rowland added 13 points and 4 assists, and big man Kyle Williams had 9 points and 15 rebounds. KJ Hammond led Bay shore with 18.....Roslyn has been impressive early, rolling to their third straight win, a 75-41 drubbing of Roosevelt. Terrance Pierce had 17 points and Mark Gjonlekaj 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 blocks for the Bulldogs.....MacArthur will face Island Trees in the final of the Jeff Shaw Memorial Tournament at MacArthur. The Generals beat Plainedge 62- 41 behind 14 points from Kevin Roach and 12 from William Cheshire. Island Trees advanced by rallying past Division 49-45 behind  Vinny Vetrone, who finished with a game high 18 points.....

MORE RESULTS ON SCOREBOARD

Lawrence Over SJB

The Lawrence basketball program took a giant step forward, climbing out of an early hole to defeat St. John The Baptist 82-72 behind 41 points from Eddie Robinson. St John's took it right to the Golden Tornadoes at the start, racing out to a 14 point lead behind Tim Rowland, Vincent Abbondola, and Kyle Williams, but Lawrence quickly regrouped, with Robinson and Dwayne Daniel taking charge, and finished the quarter on a run of their own, drawing within 5 at the first quarter buzzer.  They made no headway in the second quarter however, trailing by 6 at halftime, and baskets by Charles Lloyd and Vincent Yancigay gave the Cougars an 8 point lead early in the third quarter. A long range three by Robinson and a basket from underneath by Randy Wallace brought Lawrence within 2 at the 5:52 mark of the quarter, and they drew even with 3:10 remaining when Robinson curled down the lane and scored to make it 42 all. The teams exchanged baskets and free throws the rest of the way, with SJB leading 50-49 as the quarter came to a close. Williams put back his own miss to start the fourth quarter, giving SJB a 3 point lead, but Robinson answered right back, and a spinning fall away jumper by Daniel gave Lawrence the lead.  Daniel went coast to coast and scored and then knocked down two free throws to make it 58-53 Lawrence with 5:44 remaining, and the lead was 8 after a fast break bucket by Robinson with 4:11 to go, but a three pointer by Yancigay and a drive by Kevin Jacobs and St. John's was back within 3.  Williams scored on a putback with 2:50 to go to make it a 2 point game, but two baskets by Robinson and a three pointer by Daniel made it 74-65 with 1:21 showing. A three point play by Rowland kept St. John's hopes alive,  and a steal and basket by Abbondola cut it to 74-70 with just over a minute to play, but Daniel and Robinson hit 8 of 10 free throws down the stretch to put the game away. Daniel finished with 28 points for Lawrence, and Rowland was high man for SJB with 16.  12/15

Mt. Sinai Over Comsewogue

Trailing by 12 with 3:39 to go in the 3rd quarter of the North Shore Classic Championship Game, host Comsewogue came roaring back to pull within 2, but Mt. Sinai big man Mike Guzzardi took over the game down the stretch, scoring 10 points, grabbing 3 rebounds, and blocking a shot in the last 3:05 to carry his team to a 58-46 victory. The Mustangs crushed Port Jefferson in the opening round of the tournament, and it looked like they were going to do the same to Comsewogue, breezing to a 26-11 halftime lead behind the scoring of Greg Kopcienski and the rebounding and shot blocking of Guzzardi, but Kenny Scotland got hot and sparked the Warrior's, and when he fouled out, Anthony Marone and Brandon Gray picked up where he left off and all of a sudden it was a 2 point game. Enter Guzzardi, who up to that point was having trouble finding the range on his shot. He got red hot, knocking down everything he touched, while continuing to dominate the boards and the paint. He finished 17 points, 16 rebounds, and 8 blocked shots and  Kopcienski had a game high 24 points. Marone finished with 17 for Comsewogue, and Scotland  13.  12/5

NEWS DESK

LONG ISLAND'S HOME COURT!

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LONG ISLAND'S HOME COURT!

HERE WE GO!

The Long Island high school basketball season finally gets into full swing this weekend. The biggest games feature highly regarded St Francis Prep @ NSCHSAA contender Kellenberg at 4:30 PM today (Friday), and 4th ranked Uniondale taking on an excellent Bay Shore team at 5 PM Saturday in the Nassau- Suffolk Challenge, which is being held at South Side High School this year. In more good match-ups at the Challenge, 5th ranked Amityville squares off with Jericho at 3 PM, and 14th ranked South Side battles Bellport at 7 PM. Click on the CAN'T MISS tab above to see all the top match-ups in December, and on the SCHEDULE PAGE for all the games.  12/2

St. Mary's Falls To Kingston STORY 12/2

St. Anthony's Stumbles

Tenth ranked St. Anthony's stumbled out of the gate, giving up a lead and falling 67-55 on the road to Archbishop Molloy in their season opener. Molloy is considered a contender in CHSAA Class AA this season.  12/2

Amityville Blows Doors Off

The 5th ranked Amityville Warriors played like they had something to prove, building a 20-2 first quarter lead and leading 36-4 at the half of their matchup with Jericho at the Nassau-Suffolk Challenge. Richie Hobson led Amityville with 20 points. 12/3

Roslyn Oyster Champs

Roslyn climbed out of a 12 point halftime hole to defeat host Oyster Bay 67-60 to become the first tournament champion of the 2011-12 season. Mark Gjonlekaj was a  monster in the middle, finishing with 11 points, 15 rebounds and 7 blocks, and top junior Terrance Pierce added 19 points. Joe Siringo hit 6 three pointers and finished with a game high 31 points for Oyster Bay 12/2

Sweet

1/22/2012

Sixteen

South Side Over Bellport #14 South Side rallied to take the lead and then held off repeated Bellport comeback attempts for a  67-58 victory over the Clippers at the Nassau - Suffolk Challenge. It was all South Side in the opening moments, with Darren Nickelson and Justin Rhodes carrying the Cyclones to a quick 8-2 lead, but it didn't last, and Bellport drew even and moved in front on back to back three pointers by Frank D'Amadeo. South Side went back on top on Ryan Spadaford's baseline jumper early in the second quarter, and pushed the lead to 5 on a three point play by Robert Pichioni,  but another three by D'Amadeo kept it close. Spadaford answered with a three of his own from the top of the key, and then drove right and spun back to his left and looped one in from the lane in to make it 26-19 with 3:50 to go in the half. Pichioni followed another basket by Spadaford with a drive to make it 32-21 South Side with 1:04 remaining, but Will Edwards banked one off the glass and David Kinard scored to cut the margin to 7 at intermission.  Spadaford opened the second half with a fast break basket, but Edwards countered with two free throws, and then after the teams traded baskets, D'Amadeo nailed another three at the 5:10 mark to bring Bellport back within 2. Kevin Coyle's runner and a putback by Pichioni made it 42-35 South Side with 3:23 to go in the third, but a power move by Stephen Moore and a fast break basket by Edwards and it was a 3 point game again. Nick Bruno made it a 5 point game with a drive and that's the way the third quarter ended. Nickelson scored off an inbound play to give South Side a 7 point lead as the fourth quarter got underway, and Gerald Mitchell's putback made it 50-41 and forced Bellport to call time. Kinard's three point play coming out of the time out got the Clippers back in it, but a  Spadaford basket from underneath and a reverse layup by Robert Akeson and it was 55-44 Cyclones. Edwards knocked down two big free throws for Bellport to keep the Clippers within striking distance, and then his three pointer at the 4 minute mark cut the lead to 8, but Nickelson responded with a drive and South Side had a 10 point lead with 3:01 remaining. Another big three pointer by D'Amadeo made it 59-52 with 2:42 to go, and two clutch free throws by Armand Correa on an intentional foul call and Bellport had the ball trailing by 5 with 2:25 remaining. Correa hit a short jumper to make it a 3 point game with 44 seconds left,  but it would be Bellport's last points and Spadaford and Pichioni iced it from the line in the closing seconds. Spadaford led South Side with 17 points, Pichioni had 15, and Nickelson added 12. Edwards led Bellport with 19 points and D'Amdeo had 17.  12/3

LWA Already 3-0 !

Lawrence Woodmere Academy, one of Long Island's most successful basketball programs, is off to a flying start once again, playing and winning their first three games of the young season before most teams have even played a single game! Last night, they defeated Berkeley Carroll 68 - 57 behind 24 points from Trent Parrish, 19 from Rokas Lapsys, and 18 by Jake Lundenberg. A big second quarter, which is quickly becoming their trademark, put them in command and they held off the team from Brooklyn the rest of the way. In their first game, they built a 35-26 halftime after a close first quarter, and then pulled away from Our Savior Lutheran of the Bronx in the second half for an 82-56 victory. Lapsys scored all 23 of LWA's points in the second quarter and finished with 38. Parish added 23 points, 14 rebounds, and 9 assists. In their second game, another big second quarter blew open a game they trailed 18-17 after one, and they rolled over Martin Luther from Queens 81-52. Parish was high scorer with 27 points to go with 12 rebounds and 8 assists, and Lapsys chipped in 19 points and 11 rebounds 12/1

St. Mary's Stops Forest Hills

Splitting two games up in Albany Friday and Saturday, St. Mary's returned home Sunday to face a tough Forest Hills team at the Long Island Challenge, and after falling behind early, rallied and held off the Rangers for a 71-65 victory behind 23 points from Wilson Molina and 22 from Travis Whitfield.

St. Mary's looked road weary early on, trailing 19-14, but back to back baskets by 6'9 freshman Jessie Govan made it a one point game as the first quarter wound down. Whitfield's three pointer early in the second quarter gave St. Mary's their first lead, and a fast break basket and three pointer by Molina and the Gaels were up 26-20 with 6:21 to go in the half. It was a 10 point lead after Govan banked one off the glass from the low post and Larry Paschal scored from underneath, and then two free throws by Omar Woods and a fast break dunk by Whitfield and St. Mary's was up 40-26. They led 43-29 at the half. Whitfield's three pointer made it 48-33 early in the third quarter, and the Gaels held the lead the rest of the quarter, but could make no progress and were up 13 as the fourth quarter got underway. Forest Hills scored the first 7 points of the final quarter to get right back into it, but they could get no closer than 6, and the lead was back to 10 with 3:30 to go when Govan spun out of the low post and scored for the Gaels. The Rangers stayed in the hunt with a three pointer at the 3:03 mark, and then made their final move with another three with just under 2 minutes to play and then a basket off a loose ball with just under a minute to play and the lead was down to 2. Molina saved the day however, stepping up with a big drive to make it 69-65 with 40 seconds to go, and then the senior iced the game with two free throws as the clock ticked down. 12/4

Mosley/Lassiter Sit Out

The two star players in the most anticipated matchup of the weekend, Shaq Mosley of Uniondale and Bryson Lassiter of Bay Shore, both did not play, but a deeper Uniondale squad picked up the slack for their missing floor leader, rolling to a 59-42 victory over the Marauders at the Nassau/Suffolk Challenge. Bay Shore clearly struggled at times without Lassiter, but took an early 9-5 lead, only to see it vanish behind a 12-2 Knight run sparked by Aaron Cust, Terrance Brown, and Kenny Woodard. The Knights closed out the second quarter in similar fashion, going on an 11-2 run behind Cust, Solomon Graham-Wright, Patrick Jackson, and Jamal Senat to lead 33-19 at intermission. The third quarter was a stand off, with the teams trading baskets the whole way and Uniondale still holding a 14 point lead as the 4th quarter got underway. Bay Shore cut the lead to 8 on a jumper and a runner by Jason Wright with 4:18 to go, and it was still an 8 point game after a putback by Furious Jackson with 2:53 remaining, but Uniondale responded with a jumper by Jerel McGary from just inside the foul line, a spinning hook shot by Woodard, and a baseline drive by Romario Williams to make it 54-40 Uniondale with less than a minute to play. Williams led Uniondale's balanced attack with 12 points and  Graham-Wright  had 10. 12/3

Upstate/Downstate

DAY TWO

Burke Catholic 66  #4 Amityville 51

The perennial Class B power stunned Amityville, jumping out on top and never letting the Warriors back into the game.

Harborfields 70 Stepinac 55

Harborfields was outstanding, beating a very good Stepinac team easily.  Lucas Woodhouse was at his best, scoring and distributing the ball with great skill, and Justin Ringen, who has eagerly assumed the role of primary scorer, was extremely aggressive on both sides of the ball, finishing with a game high 23 points. Woodhouse had 15 points and 11 assists.

Cardinal Hayes 70  #2 LuHi 52

The premier matchup of the Challenge was a dog fight most of the way, until Cardinal Hayes pulled away down the stretch.

#3 Uniondale 68  Cornwall 32

The Knights pummeled the visitors from near West Point, building a big lead behind Shaq Mosley and holding it wire to wire.

DAY ONE

#14 Chaminade 55 White Plains 45

Chaminade bounced back nicely after being upset by Regis on Thursday, beating a better team convincingly. John Gallego led the way with 18 points and 5 assists and Patrick Farrell finished with 13 points and 15 rebounds, his 4th straight double-double

#15 South Side 62 Kennedy Catholic 58

Missing starter Kevin Coyle, the Cyclones still had enough to defeat Kennedy Catholic. Ryan Spadaford led the way with 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Robert Pichioni and Darren Nickelson both had 12 points for South Side.

#12 St. Mary's 73  New Rochelle 57

It will take time to break in 5 new starters, but the defending State Champion Gaels put it all together against New Rochelle. Wilson Molina is comfortable and capable in the floor leader role, Travis Whitfield can put points on the board, and 6'9 freshman Jessie Govann is a force and will only get better. 

Mt. St. Michael 67 #6 Baldwin 46

This game was much closer than the final score would indicate. Mt. St. Michael led 30-27 at the half, and 47-38 after three quarters. What happened? The Bruins needed someone to step up when an excellent Mt. St. Michael team had them on the ropes, and it didn't happen.

#3 Uniondale 76  Middletown 56

Shaquille Mosley was back in the lineup for the Knights, and it was vintage Shaq - 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists. When he is on, they will be tough to beat. Kenny Woodard also had a big game, finishing with 13 points and 15 rebounds   12/11

Games Of 12/9

#13 Kellenberg continues to impress, rolling over St. John's Prep 84-53 behind Jeremy Arthur's 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists. Bryan Gellineau had a big game too, with 18 points and 14 rebounds, and Rob Gomiela added 14 points and 8 assists......North Babylon rallied past Lindenhurst 71-69, with Fola Branco hitting the game winner for the Bulldogs. Cortland Speight had a game high 23 points for NB and Branco finished with 15. Stew Warren led Lindenhurst with 20 points..... Host MacArthur rolled to the title at the Jeff Shaw Memorial Tournament with a 55-38 win over Island Trees. Kevin Roachled the way with 20 points and 15 rebounds.....Host East Islip gave #1 Hills West a good fight before falling to the defending Class AA champions 57-51. The Colts had a sizable lead at one point, but foul trouble opened the door for EI. Emile Blackman led Hills West with 13 points and 8 rebounds and Neneyo Mate-Kole contributed 7 blocks. EI's Evan Maxwell had a game high 17 points.....New Hyde Park rolled to their third straight win 62-47 over Valley Stream North. Adam Priest led the Gladiators with 26 points and Kevin Towey had 15. Marvin Eveillard led VSN with 15 points.

MORE RESULTS ON SCOREBOARD

Games of 12/16

#4 Uniondale led wire to wire, defeating Syosset 65-50. Shaq Mosley had 33 points and 10 assists and Kenny Woodard 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks to lead Uniondale. Mike Friedman was high man for Syosset with 13.....Central Islip is blowing everybody out! They beat Centereach 73-46 today, Hauppauge by 29 and Smithtown East by 19 in their previous games..... Eastport South Manor improved to 4-0 with a 55-54 win over Rocky Point. Dalton McCarthy led the way with 15 points and 10 rebounds.....New Hyde Park is 5-0 after beating Bethpage 58-50. Kevin Towey had 24 points and 10 rebounds and Adam Priest added 11 points and 6 assists. Mohid Farhadi led Bethpage with 15..... Freeport cruised past Hempstead 62-47 to improve to 5-0. Leondre Simmon had 21 points and 10 assists and Jovanni Moreno 12 points and 14 rebounds. Tidell Pierre finished with 20 for Hempstead..... Commack is now 4-0 after beating Hills East 69-45 behind 27 points from Nick Arnold..... Bayport Blue Point outscored Westhampton 20-3 in the fourth quarter for a come from behind 62-46 win. Conner Panzner led the Phantoms with 17 points and Dalton Prendergast added 12 points and 7 rebounds. Kenny Stevens had 17 for Westhampton.....

Games Of 12/13

NASSAU

New Hyde Park improved to 4-0 with a convincing 54-38 win over Bellmore. Kevin Towey led the way with 16 points and a career-high 13 rebounds and Adam Priest added 13 points and 6 assists. The Gladiators have spoiled the openers of three different teams..... Defending New York State Champion Friends Academy opened their season with a 49-44 win over Sewanhaka. Marc Godlis was high man with 21 points and 5 assists and Kellan Sehring added 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Quakers.....Glen Cove is 2-0 after beating Locust Valley 63-62. Kewan Beebe held off the Falcons by hitting 3 out of 4 free-throws down the stretch. He finished with a game high 27 points..... Mepham is off to a 3-0 start after beating Seaford 65-51. A balanced attack of JT Elsasser with 18 points and 5 assists, Kyle Wechsler with 16 points and 5 assists, and Matt Morrow with 16 points made the difference. James Curley had a game high 24 points for Seaford...... Freeport is 4-0 after a 58-34 win over Lynbrook. Their average margin of victory in their first 4 games is 17.75. Jere Brown led the way in this one with 13 points, Kyhiem Chaplin had 12 while Leondre Simmon dished out 11 assists.

MORE RESULTS ON SCOREBOARD

Games Of 12/10

Leading by 2 at the half, #2 LuHi pulled away from Bedford Academy in the second half for a 77-61 victory. Kenton Facey was high man for the Crusaders, finishing with 16 points and 8 rebounds, and KJ Lee had 13 points and 7 assists..... #11 Elmont outlasted Carey 68-47. Tristan Brown had 14 points and 12 assists to lead the Spartans while Danny Sadlowski had 14 for Carey.....

MORE RESULTS ON SCOREBOARD

Battle Of The Classes

Roslyn 61 Massapequa 43

Roslyn continues to impress, jumping out to a 25-5 lead against Massapequa and cruising to a 61-43 win. Everybody got playing time for the Bulldogs, who led by 25 at the half.

Lawrence 64  Westbury 47

Lawrence rocked their second straight Class AA opponent, with Eddie Robinson leading the way with 27 points.

Syosset 61 Jericho 42

Syosset steadily built their lead, improving to 3-1 on the season. Mike Friedman led the way, finishing with 13 points and 5 assists, and Mohammed Kassamali had 12 points and 9 rebounds. Garrett Johnson had a game high 20 points for Jericho (0-2)

Manhasset 64 Valley Stream Cent 57

Defending Nassau Class A Champion Manhasset opened the new season with an impressive 64-57 win over Valley Stream Central. Alessandro Troia led Manhasset with 27 points, and Danny Merola had 10 points and 7 assists. Jonathan Grimsley had a game high 33 points for VSC. 12/10

  1 Uniondale (11-0)

  2 LuHi (10-4)

  3 Harborfields (9-2)

  4 South Side (11-1)

  5 Deer Park (9-2)

  6 Baldwin (9-2)

  7 Farmingdale (8-2)

  8 Elmont (11-1)

  9 Kellenberg (13-2)

10 Holy Trinity (10-7)

11 Hills West (8-3)

12 Central Islip (11-0)

13 William Floyd (9-2)

14 Amityville (10-3)

15 St. Mary's (7-9)

16 Chaminade (9-5)

BUBBLE TEAMS

East Islip (8-3), Freeport (9-3),

Glen Cove (11-1), Lawrence (10-2)

LWA (14-1), Longwood (9-2),

St. Anthony's (8-6), St Dominic (8-7)

South Side Trips Kellenberg

In one of the more anticipated heavyweight match-ups of day, #13 South Side led most of the way in a hard fought game, beating #3 Kellenberg 64-59. Kellenberg had the early edge, going up 7-2 on a jumper and two free throws by Jeremy Arthur, but South Side scored the next 9 points in a row, with Darren Nickelson’s steal and basket giving the Cyclones an 11-7 lead with 1:30 to go in the first quarter. Kellenberg responded, with Robert Gomiela’s elbow jumper and a fast break basket and free throw by Kevin Bowles giving the Firebirds a 12-11 lead, but Kevin Coyle’s baseline jumper at the first quarter buzzer made it 15-14 South Side. Bowles spun out of the low post into the lane and scored to put Kellenberg on top as the second quarter began, but South Side retook the lead, and Robert Akeson’s back to back baskets made it 24-16 Cyclones with 5:05 to go in the half. Ryan Spadaford’s two free throws made it a 10 point game, but Kevin Liddy’s three point play and a short jumper by Bryan Gellineau and Kellenberg was back in it, trailing by 4 at the half. Arthur opened the third quarter with a three pointer to make it 30-29, but a putback by Spadaford and a baseline drive by Robert Picchioni and South Side was up by 5. The teams traded baskerts until Spadaford’s three pointer put South Side up by 6, and then Coyle followed it with a three from the right baseline to make it 48-39 Cyclones at the end of three quarters. Coyle went 2 for 3 from the foul line to start the fourth quarter, giving South Side an 11 point lead, but a three pointer and steal and basket by Gomiela and it was 59-54 with 2:40 remaining. Spadaford knocked down three out of four free throws to make it 62-54, but Arthur’s three pointer made it a 5 point game with 1:06 on the clock, and then his putback made it 62-59 with 31 seconds remaining. After two missed South Side free throws, it was Kellenberg ball with a chance to tie, but they couldn't convert and Picchioni’s free throw iced it in the final seconds. 12/28

Games Of 12/23

Chaminade Holds Off Lawrence

#15 Lawrence came roaring back from a 19 point halftime deficit, but #14 Chaminade held on for a 74-72 win. John Gallego led Chaminade with 18 points, including two clutch free throws with 5 seconds remaining, and Mike Walsh had 17. Dwayne Daniel led all scorers with 28 for Lawrence.

Deer Park Rocks North Bab

Trailing early, Deer Park took control

in the third quarter and pulled away for

a 72-56 victory over North Babylon. Deer Park big man Rome Jenkins had

his best game of the season, finishing

with 18 points and 13 rebounds in a

Falcon attack that featured 4 double

digit scorers. Melshawn McPherson led

North Babylon with 18.

MORE RESULTS ON SCOREBOARD

St. Doms Holds Off Ford

St. Dominic, off to a good start this season after struggling in recent years, picked up another win, holding off Bishop Ford 44-39 at home. The Bayhawks took control early, and looked like they would cruise to an easy victory, despite playing without Darren Chew, but Ford staged a last minute rally and pulled within 3 with 9 seconds remaining. Travis Dickerson came through at the free throw line however, knocking down two clutch shots to seal the victory. Tim Divietri led  St Doms with 13 points, and Tommy Smith had 10. 12/19

Christmas Challenge

Here are the results from the  Oceanside Christophers Christmas Challenge held at Chaminade:

#5 Kellenberg 66  Oceanside 37

6-0 Kellenberg continue to impress

#13 Chaminade 50  Xavier 47

Chaminade is still not at full strength, but they rallied to hand Xavier their first loss

#16 Holy Trinity 67 #12 South Side 54

Jekyll and Hyde Holy Trinity hands South Side their first loss  12/17

Lindy Stops Whitman

Two traditionally strong programs faced off, and as expected, played a hard fought game, with Lindenhurst holding off the host Wildcats 47-45 for the win. Lindenhurst grabbed the early lead, but Banyal Cheema cut to the basket and scored to put Whitman on top 11-9 as the first quarter ended. The scoring pace picked up in the second quarter, with the Bulldogs taking the lead on a short baseline jumper by Aaron Coughlin. Brandon Hauser's three pointer made it 16-11 Lindenhurst with 5:15 to go in the half, but neither team could put together a run, and when Cheema scored on a steal and basket at the 1:05 mark, Whitman trailed by only 2, and his three pointer from the right wing at the buzzer cut it to 27-26 at the half. Whitman took the lead as the second half got underway, with Cheema scoring a fast break basket off a turnover, but Hauser's three pointer from the top of the key gave Lindenhurst a 32-28 lead 4 minutes left in the quarter. Peter Wildman's jumper from the right wing cut it to 37-36 in the final minute, and that's how the 3rd quarter ended. Hauser opened the fourth quarter with a three pointer, and a free throw and basket from the low post by Stew Warren bumped the lead to 7 with 5:02 left. After a Whitman free throw, Hauser knocked down another three to make it 46-37 with 3:20 to go in the game, but eight straight points by Whitman, on back to back baskets by Wildman and a basket and two free throws by Kieran Elmore, and it was a 1 point game with a minute left to play. A free throw by Coughlin with 40 seconds left made it 47-45 Lindenhurst, but with two possessions in the final seconds, Whitman could not get the tying or winning basket. 12/20.

Brentwood Tops Centreville

Brentwood hosted a team from Centreville, Virginia in the first round of their holiday tournament, and defeated the visitors 55-42 behind 20 points from Eric Perdomo and 14 points, 7 rebounds and 5 steals by Lawrence Hall. The team from down south was a solid opponent, but Perdomo put them right back on their heals with a three pointer to open the scoring. Centreville’s Evan Fuller responded, completing a three point play to tie it, and Brendan Tait gave the visitors an 8-5 lead at the 4:15 mark with a three point play of his own, but Brentwood outscored them 11-2 the rest of the way, with Perdomo completing the run with another three for a 16-10 Brentwood lead at the end of the first quarter. Hall opened the second quarter with another three pointer to give Brentwood a 9 point lead, and Ruben Terrero’s steal and basket and a drive by Joshua Crooms made it 27-13 with 4:13 to go in the half. Fuller’s two free throws brought Centreville back within 10, but Brentwood closed out the half on an 8-2 run, 6 of the points by Perdomo, and led 35-19 at intermission. Fuller scored from underneath for Centreville to open the third quarter scoring, but the teams traded baskets for much of the quarter until Robert Coker knocked down a three pointer from the left baseline and then drained two foul shots to cut the Brentwood lead to single digits as the third quarter ended. Rahi Johnson scored on a putback to bring Centreville within 7 as the fourth quarter got underway, but Hall answered with a three pointer from left wing and it was 43-33 Brentwood. Perdomo answered another basket by Fuller with a three pointer to make it an 11 point game, and a steal and basket by Hall made it 48-35 with 4:13 remaining. A three pointer by Coker and Fuller’s free throw cut it to 50-41 with 2:34 left, but after turnovers by both teams, a steal and basket by Terrero with 27 seconds to go clinched it for the hosts. 12/27

Games Of 12/20

Glen Cove Over Manhasset

Glen Cove is off to a strong start, with wins over Floral Park, Locust Valley, and East Meadow already in the books, and after their latest win, it looks like they are for real. They passed their biggest test of the season so far with a dramatic 63-61 road win over defending Nassau Class A Champion Manhasset. Mauro Carignano's putback was the difference. He finished with 8 points and 10 rebounds, and Kewan Beebe had a game high 27 points and 6 assists. Danny Merola led Manhasset with 21.

#1 Harborfields Gets It In Gear

Harborfields might have been a little overconfident after moving into the top spot in this week's Sweet 16 Poll, trailing Eastport-South Manor early, but the Green Tornadoes threw it into high gear and pulled away for a 63-45 victory. Justin Ringen led the way with 18 points, John Patron, who transferred in from Huntington, had 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Lucas Woodhouse 14 points and 15 assists. Dalton McCarthy was high man for ESM with 20. Next up for Harborfields is their much anticipated battle with #2 LuHi 5 PM this Friday at Harborfields.

Floyd Hands Commack First Loss

Commack had reeled off four straight wins to open the season, but 10th ranked William Floyd put an end to the streak with a 58-45 victory. Anthony White led Floyd with 19 points and 14 rebounds, and Malik Dennis added 13 points. Nick Arnold was high man for Commack with 12. He came into the game averaging 21.25 ppg.

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Games of 12/18

Molloy Rocks West

Hills West made their annual pilgrimage to Archbishop Molloy, losing to the Stanners 78-63. The Colts were never seriously in the game, shooting badly from the field and from the foul line.

East Islip In KSA Final

East Islip took a trip down to Florida to participate in the KSA Classic at the ESPN Sports Complex in Orlando, and represented Long Island very well. The Redmen won their opener 74-39 over Jacob Hespeler S.S. from Ontario, Canada, and then advanced to the championship game with a 43-32 win over Tottenville High School from Staten Island. Evan Maxwell had 16 points and Brian Johnson 10 in the semifinal. They take on Upper St. Clair, Pa. in today's final. 12/17

East Rolls Over Glenn

Shorthanded John Glenn was determined to hold their home court, but Smithtown East was too much for them, turning a 6 point second quarter deficit into a 74-59 victory. Smithtown East big man Jon Feiler had another huge game, finishing with 32 points and 11 rebounds for the 5-3 Bulls. Glenn came out strong in the early 11 am match-up, going up 8-4 on drive by Anton Swain, but Smithtown East went on a 9-0 run to take the lead, capped off by a three point play by Feiler. Glenn bounced back, with back to back three pointers by Chris Derard and Swain putting them on top 16-13, but Feiler’s basket at the first quarter buzzer cut it to 16-15. Wayne White opened the second quarter with a three pointer, and Swain scored from underneath to extend the Knight lead to 6. Smithtown answered with 6 straight points to tie it, but Glenn answered back with baskets by Kevin Dixon,  Marc Lucien and Swain to make it 27-21 Glenn with 4:15 remaining in the half. Just a minute later, it was 27 all after two free throws by Alex Spinelli and a dunk and two free throws by Feiler, and then a steal and dunk by Feiler gave the Bulls the lead with 2:51 to go in the half, all part of a 15-2 closing run that gave Smithtown a 36-29 lead at halftime. Jeff Park’s two free throws brought Glenn within 5 as the third quarter got underway, but Felier spun into the lane and scored and Brian Willetts scored from underneath and East was up by 10 with less than 6 minutes to play in the quarter. Another basket by Willetts, this time on the break, and it was 48-35 with 4:26 remaining, then Mike Modugno’s three pointer with 1:45 to go made it 54-36, and it was 58-40 after three quarters and East was in control. 12/27

Games Of 12/22

South Side Gets It Done

South Side has managed to maintain its spot in the Sweet 16, despite missing key players. Preseason All-Star Darren Nickelson missed last nights 63-53 win over Hewlett, but fellow All-Stars Ryan Spadaford and Kevin Coyle, and future All-Star Robert Pichion were able to pick up the slack. Coyle just returned to the line-up after missing much of the early schedule.

Sophomores Lead BBP

The quality of Long Island basketball has been on a steady upswing, and it's almost certain that will continue, with many Long Island teams featuring strong sophomores in their line-ups. Bayport-Blue Point is one of those fortunate teams, with 6'5 sophomore Dalton Prendergast, who had 18 points in BBP's 80-63 win over Miller Place, and guard Connor Panzner, who had 14 points, joining upper classmen Steve Longo, Lucas Jenks, and Alp Akdeniz in the Phantom's potent attack.

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LI vs NYC, HV, and NJ

Long time readers of LongIslandBasketball.com know that we've been tracking the season series between Long Island and New York City boys high school teams for years now, because we suspected that New York City did not have the big edge everybody assumed, and even to our surprise, discovered that Long Island actually wins the season series year after year, and by a significant margin. This year is no exception, with Long Island +9 over New York City so far - our biggest lead ever this early in the season. That got us to thinking, what about LI vs Westchester/Hudson Valley and LI vs New Jersey? Do they have an  edge over us like everybody assumes? Well, once again, the common perception is false. We are also up +9 over Westchester/ Hudson Valley so far, and we're even with New Jersey, although only two games have been played and it's 1-1. Watch for future updates!

College Update

St. Mary's Chavaughn Lewis had 16 points and 7 rebounds in Marist's win over Hartford..... St. Mary's Scott Machado had 6 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in Iona's win over William & Mary..... Brentwood's JJ Moore had 15 points and 6 rebounds in Pittsburgh's win over St. Francis Pa..... Roslyn's George Beamon had 21 points in Manhattan's win over Towson. Bay Shore's Marcus Damas had 7 points and 6 rebounds for Towson..... OSNA's Gerardo Suero had 25 points and 5 rebounds in Albany's win over St. Francis NY...... Glen Cove's Melsahn Basabe had 14 points and 9 rebounds in Iowa's win over Central Arkansas.... Hempstead's Tu Holloway was suspended for 1 home game for his involvement in a fight.....

Amityville Rips Mt. Sinai

Can anybody stay with Amityville in League 6? Mt. Sinai was considered a possible contender, but the Warriors quickly dispatched them 75-47. Richie Hobson led a first half blitz that put Amityville up 23-6 after the first quarter. Game over? Not yet. Mt. Sinai rallied behind big man Mike Guzzardi and Coles Williams, drawing within 6 with 4:08 to go in the half. That, however, would be as close as they would get. DeJuhan Gray's three pointer and Kavione Green's putback made it a 10 point game at the half, and then back to back fast break baskets and a three pointer, all by David Seymour, and Mt. Sinai was back on the ropes. It was 55-35 after three and got worse from there. 1/5

OSNA 20th In National Poll!

Our Savior New American is starting to get recognition for their 10-0 start, earning a #20 ranking in one national poll. GO TO POLL

Games Of 12/29

W. Hempstead Catches Mules

West Hempstead rallied past Malverne for 66-64 victory in the consolation game of the Hank Williams Tournament. Junior Tyree Glascoe was outstanding, with 33 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assiasts and sophomore Darren Davy added 11 points and 10 rebounds. MORE LATER

St. Dom's Gugliotta Champs

St. Dominic improved to 7-1 with a 48-43 OT win over host Walt Whitman. Kieran Ryan was named tournament MVP and Tommy Smith and Travis Dickerson were named all-tournament.

Glen Cove Improves To 6-0

Glen Cove is 6-0 after a 63-53 win over North Shore. Kewan Beebe was high man again with 21 points.

Harborfields Rocks Hills

#6 Harborfields grabbed an early lead on the road and held off several Hills West rally attemps before defeating the 5th ranked Colts 78-66. The Green Tornadoes got off to a great start, with Lucas Woodhouse’s 3 pointer giving them a 14-4 lead, but Mical Boyd’s putback and a 3 pointer by Marcus Solomon brought Hills West within 6 with less than a minute to go in the first quarter. David Ba nailed a three pointer for Harborfields with time winding down in the quarter, but Solomon answered for the Colts with a three point play and it was 21-15 at the end of one. Another Boyd putback made it a 4 point game as the second quarter got underway, but three straight Harborfields putbacks starting at the 6 minute mark, two by Chris Brady and one by John Patron, and the Green Tornadoes were up 9. Another putback by Boyd brought Hills West back within 5 two minutes before halftime, but Harborfields closed out the half on a 7-2 run, capped off by a three pointer by Ringen at the buzzer and led by 10 going into the locker room. Another three by Ringen put Harborfields up 46-34 with 6:05 to go in the third quarter, and Woodhouse’s three with 4:19 to go gave them a 15 point lead. They were up 16 after a putback by Jimmy Smith, but baskets by Denzel Williams and Solomon cut it to 57-45 late in the quarter. Woodhouse prevented a momentum swing, closing out the quarter with a fast break basket for a 14 point Harborfields lead. Back to back baskets by Smith and Brady gave the Tornadoes an 18 point lead as the fourth quarter got underway, and a Ringen three pointer made it 68-47 with 5:40 left. The Colts answered with their only serious run, outscoring Harborfields17-4 over the game’s final minutes to pull within 8 with 1:17 left on the clock, but it was too little too late. They had to foul to have any hope of closing the gap, and Woodhouse put the game away for good at the foul line. 12/28

LuHi Nips Farmingdale

The first classic game of the 2011-12 season has been played. 3rd ranked LuHi led the whole way, but could not shake #15 Farmingdale, and the determined Dalers took the lead with 1:45 remaining on a putback by Pierre St. Simon. They were up 3 with 1:38 to go after two big free throws by Kevin Petit-Ferer, but the Crusaders would not fold, despite the big momentum shift and the raucous Farmingdale crowd. Ryan Denicola caught the ball at the foul line, drove right and scored to make it a 1 point game, and after two missed Farmingdale free throws, KJ Lee walked through the open door and knocked down a short jumper from the right wing for the game winner. Denicola added a free throw in the final seconds to give LuHi the dramatic 59-57 victory at the Fred Williams Holiday Tournament in Amityville. As the game got underway, one tournament finalist had already been determined, with Amityville rolling over Wyandanch 89-69 in game 1, and most people assumed LuHi would be their opponent. Not Farmingdale. The Dalers had been very impressive during the preseason, and were ready to give LuHi a game. The Crusaders moved right into the lead as expected, building an 11 point advantage on a three pointer by Lee and a fast break basket by Anthony Pate, but back to back three pointers by Dalique Mingo and Curtis Jenkins and LuHi's lead was down to 4 at the first quarter buzzer. Mingo's two free throws made it a 3 point game early in the second quarter, and Jenkins' two free throws and Farmingdale was within 1, but Pate responded with back to back baskets with 3:49 to go in the half, and Brandon Alford pulled up and banked one off the glass at the 2:05 mark to make it 32-26 LuHi. A fast break basket by Farmingdale's Matt DiCarlo cut the lead to 4, and that was the margin at halftime. Lee opened the second half with a steal and layup, but Jenkins, who showed a remarkable ability to score over much taller opponents, answered with a basket from the low post. Back to back baskets by Pate, a dunk by Kentan Facey off a baseline drive, and a fast break basket by Denicola and LuHi was up 45-33 and on the verge of breaking it open, but the Dalers dug in and the lead got no larger, with two free throws by Mingo making it a 10 point game after three quarters. Farmingdale got right back into it as the fourth quarter got underway, with Petit-Ferer's three pointer and a baseline jumper by Jenkins cutting it to 49-46 and forcing a time-out by the Crusaders. When play resumed,  Mingo made a steal and fed Petit-Ferer, who knocked down another three to tie it and send the crowd into a frenzy. Pate responded with a basket from underneath, but St. Simon drove diagonally across the lane and scored to tie it again with 3:30 to go. Denicola won the fight for a rebound on the next possession and scored to put the Crusaders back into the lead, but St. Simon' s baseline jumper tied it, and after a LuHi free throw, his put back gave the Dalers the lead. Petit-Ferer's two free throws made it 57-54 Farmingdale, but Denicola's clutch drive brought LuHi back within 1, and after two crucial Farmingdale misses from the stripe, Lee hit the game winner. 12/16

Brentwood Rips WM

It was a special day at Brentwood High school, with prestigious basketball alumni, from current LA Laker GM Mitch Kupchack to former coach Marty  Riger, on hand to watch the Indians take on upstart Ward Melville. The Patriots entered the game 4-1 and were looking to make a name for themselves against the favored Indians. Brentwood threatened to take control right from the start, moving out to an 8-2 lead on a jumper by Olufemi Olujobi and a three pointer from the left wing by Eric Perdomo, but the Patriots were unfazed, drawing within a point on a fast break basket by Jesse Smith and then trading baskets with the favorites the rest of the quarter. But as time wound down, Ward Melville came up empty at the foul line and Brentwood began to ease away on Lawrence Hall's fast break basket and a putback by Ruben Terrero. Ryan Hart put a stop to it, answering emphatically with a three pointer at the first quarter buzzer to make it a 2 point game. Andrew Aicher tied it at 17 all with a drive from the foul line as the second quarter got underway, and Shane Dineen gave Ward Melville the lead with a fast break basket, but back to back three pointers by Perdomo and Hall and a steal and basket by Joshua Crooms forced Ward Melville to call time, trailing 25-19. Nick Morello got the Patriots on the board with a basket from underneath coming out of the time-out, but they couldn't make further progress, and as the seconds ticked down, Hall knocked down another three pointer and Perdomo stole the ball and scored and it was 36-26 Brentwood at the half. Dineen opened the second half scoring with a basket off an inbound play for Ward Melville, but Hall answered with another three pointer. Hart countered, bringing the lead down to single digits again with a drive through traffic, but back to back steals and baskets by Hall and Crooms made it 45-32 at the 4:02 mark of the third quarter, and then Olujobi added a basket from underneath and Hall stole the ball again and scored and the Patriots were in trouble. They continued to battle, with Jake Kepes scoring on a baseline drive, but Perdomo made sure the momentum stayed with the Indians, nailing back to back threes to make it 55-35 after three quarters. Aicher's short jumper from the post got things going in the fourth quarter, shaving two points off the lead, and then Kepes converted a three point play and the lead was down to 15. Brentwood turned the ball over, and Ward Melville had a chance to pull within 12 or 13, but it was now or never, and they didn't score. Two free throws by Olujobi and a putback by Crooms made it 59-40 with 5:45 to go, and the Patriots never really threatened after that. 1/7 

KnicksGear.com

Titans Catch Kellenberg

There is a lot of sorting out to be done in the NSCHSAA this season, but it was beginning to look like 8th ranked Kellenberg might be the team to beat. They came into their home game against Holy Trinity undefeated in league play, and with a 10-1 overall record, and were very impressive in the game's first half. Holy Trinity did have the early edge, with Jason Oder's 7 points giving the Titans a 9-3 lead, but Kellenberg reeled off 17 straight points in response, 8 by Rob Gomiela and 6 by Jeremy Arthur, and led 20-9 with 45 seconds to go in the first quarter. The Titans kept their composure, scoring the last 5 points of the quarter, and trailed by only 6 at the buzzer. Kellenberg immediately resumed their assault in the second quarter, with Kevin Bowles knocking down a three pointer and Kevin Liddy putting back his own miss in the early moments, and then Liddy's reverse layup made it 29-17 Firebirds at the 3:25 mark. It was a 12 point margin at halftime. Bowles opened up the the third quarter with a jumper from the left wing to give Kellenberg a 14 point lead, and after Damon Coleman answered with a jumper from the left elbow for the Titans, Gomiela nailed a three pointer from the right wing and the lead was 15. But Holy Trinity responded with 6 straight points, 4 of them by Coleman, and brought the lead down to single digits, and then a steal and basket by Mike Callaghan cut it to 41-35 with 3:19 to go in the quarter. Callaghan scored again, knocking down a three pointer to bring the Titans within 3, and then his two free throws made it 45-43 with 1:21 left. Calvin Ingram added two more free throws and Kellenberg was clinging to a 1 point lead with three quarters in the books. A nice backdoor cut by Bowles gave Kellenberg the first two points of the fourth quarter, but back to back baskets and three out of four free throws by Callaghan and Holy Trinity was up 54-51 with 5:17 remaining. The teams traded baskets and free throws down the stretch, but the Titans never relinquished the lead, despite some poor foul shooting in the final minutes. Kellenberg struggled to find the basket too, and had some costly turnovers, so another free throw with 1:15 remaining gave the Titans a formidable 59-52 lead. Coleman finally knocked down two in a row to make it a 63-52 final and a big road win for the Titans - good for 1st place in early league play. 1/13

Games Of 1/11

St. Mary's Holds Off St. Dom's

Leading by 10 at the half, St. Mary's held off arch-rival St. Dominic 66-61. Sophomore Stephen Milhaven led the way with 20 points and Travis Whitfield added 17. Travis Dickerson led the Bayhawks with 18

LWA Edges Blessed Sacrament

Lawrence Woodmere defeated perennial Class B powerhouse Blessed Sacrament 51-47 behind 20 points and 11 rebounds from Rokas Lapsys and 17 points and 12 rebounds from Trent Parrish

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James Signs With Bulls

Former Amityville star Mike James, who became the only undrafted player in NBA history to average 20 points per game in a season, signed a contract to play with the injury riddled Chicago Bulls. He is the second player from Amityville currently on an NBA roster, joining AJ Price, who plays for the Indiana Pacers.

Games 0f 1/10

Uniondale Rocks Freeport

In the first of many Conference AA1 showdowns to come,  #1 Uniondale pulled away from #15 Freeport in the second half for a convincing 66-47 victory. Shaq Mosley led the Knights with 25 points and 5 assists and Kenny Woodard had 17 points, 17 rebounds, and 5 blocks. Leondre Simmon led Freeport with 16.

Glen Cove Avenges Only Loss

Glen Cove took sole possession of first place in Conference A3 with a 61-53 win over Great Neck North, avenging a 10 point loss to North in December. Glen Cove was led by Kewan Beebe with 27 points and Mauro Carignano with 16 points and 16 rebounds. Alec Ludwig led Great Neck North with 20.

Bellmore Tops Mepham

Mepham’s Kyle Wechsler hit a driving lay-up with 37 seconds left to give the Pirates their first lead since early in the game, but the Cougars responded with a three point-play by Chris Racalbuto off a nice pass from Ethan Jones to go up 58-56 with 29 seconds to go, and Tyler Merron iced the game with two free-throws with 4 seconds on the clock. Chad Fuschillo led the Cougars with 20 points and Racalbuto had a career-high 18 points to go with 10 rebounds and 4 steals. Wechsler had a game-high 28 points for Mepham.

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CI Routs Bay Shore

In the battle for first place in League 2, 14th ranked Central Islip pulled away from surprising 5-1 Bay Shore for a dominating 78-51 victory. Junior forward Tim McKenzie led the Musketeers to the big win with a Dr. J style triple-double, finishing with 28 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 steals. Both teams were hot coming into the first place show-down, and Bay Shore got off first, taking a 7-0 lead behind Mike DeJesus, who had a three pointer and two free throws in the run. Central Islip responded with 8 straight points, moving ahead on a fast break basket by Dashawn Samuels off a steal by McKenzie, but after a time out, Bay Shore went on another run, scoring 6 straight on baskets by Jason Wright and KJ Hammond and two free throws by Devin Farmer and they were back on top. CI had the last word in a quarter of runs, with Tim's younger brother David McKenzie hitting a three pointer from the right wing, and then Tim stealing the ball and finding Jasean Percell for a basket at the buzzer to give CI a 14-13 lead. Joshua Branch's baseline drive and free throw gave Bay Shore a 20-18 second quarter lead, but it would turn out to be their last lead of the game. McKenzie scored from the low post at the 3 minute mark, and then after a three pointer by Samuels, he knocked down two free throws to put CI up by 6. Bay Shore cut it to 3 at the half on runners by Furious Jackson and Branch, and kept it close until the 4:50 mark of the third quarter, when McKenzie drove the baseline, spun away from defenders and nailed a 10 footer to give CI a 45-38 lead, igniting the crowd and a 12-2 closing run. The run made it 57-40 after three quarters, and after three straight baskets by Brandon Hornedo to open the fourth quarter, and a beautiful steal and dunk by McKenzie, the CI lead was 24. Two more free throws by McKenzie and a left wing jumper by Percell and it was 69-41 with 4:52 to go. Bay Shore never threatened after that. 1/19

Games Of 1/17

Brentwood Upsets Floyd

Eric Perdomo rallied Brentwood past #4 William Floyd with 14 fourth quarter points

Kellenberg Over St. Mary's

10th ranked Firebirds bounce back with a 75-65 win over #11 St. Mary's

Uniondale Improves To 10-0

The unbeaten #1 ranked Knights roll 81-50 over Hempstead.

Big Road Win For GNN

They beat Manhasset with a free throw with 3 seconds remaining

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UPDATED STANDINGS POSTED!

Accurate and up to date standings posted on the STANDINGS PAGE

College Update

Valley Stream Central's Jeremiah Mordi had 33 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals for Queens College in a conference game against Mercy College..... Bayport-Blue Point's Robby Ptacek had 28 points in Central Connecticut's loss to Wagner..... OSNA's Gerardo Suero had 26 points in Albany's win over Maine..... Roslyn's George Beamon had 24 points and 7 rebounds in Manhattan's win over Sienna..... St. Mary's Marcos Tamares had 22 points in Norfolk State's win over Morgan State..... St. Mary's Chavaughn Lewis had 15 points in Marist's loss to Niagara..... Bay Shore's Marcus Damas had 13 points in Towson's loss to Georgia State..... St. Mary's Scott Machado had 12 points and 9 assists in Iona's win over Loyola..... St. Mary's Rashad Green had 11 points and 7 rebounds in San Francisco's win over Pepperdine..... 1/15

Travel Team Tryouts

January is the beginning of the travel team tryout season. Check our Matchmaker Page often for tryout announcements.

Games Of 1/12

Smithtown East Upsets #10 EI

The Redmen dug themselves out of an early hole to take a third quarter lead, but Smithtown East outscored them 18-6 in the fourth quarter for the upset. Jon Feiler, the Smithtown East big man that is putting up big numbers this season, won the featured match-up with Evan Maxwell, outscoring him 18 to 11 while pulling down 19 rebounds.

Lawrence Tops Hewlett

Hewlett was thought to be Lawrence's most serious challenger in Conference A2, but the Golden Tornadoes took an early lead and steadily pulled away for a solid 72-50 home win. Soph Dwayne Daniel led Lawrence with 26 points and junior Eddie Robinson had 21. Weldon Irvine had 23 for Hewlett. We'll see what happens in the 2/3 rematch.

Bay Shore Wins 4th Straight

The Marauders really have turned their season around, winning their fourth straight game 51-45 over Connetquot. That sets up a 1/19 showdown with first place and 16th ranked Central Islip, a 60-55 winner over Hills East. Devin Farmer had a big game, finishing with 23 points and 11 rebounds, and Jason Wright added 11 points and 7 assists.

Player News

St. Mary's Danny Green scored 24 points to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 121-117 win over the Denver Nuggets MORE..... Bucks rookie forward Tobias Harris, who starred for Hills West, scored 15 points in 23 minutes off the bench against the Phoenix Suns, making 4-of-9 FGs and 7-of-10 FTs. Harris also had four rebounds and two assists..... Baldwin's talented point guard Brandon Williams verbally committed to Molloy College.....

Mitch Kupchak and some of the current Brentwood team prior to their game with Ward Melville

Uniondale Rocks Dalers

There was no need for a build-up for this game. Nassau Conference AA1 is one of the strongest leagues in the Metropolitan Area this season, and the top two teams in the conference, unbeaten and #1 ranked Uniondale and #4 ranked Farmingdale, were set to face off on the Daler's home court. Farmingdale's only loss this season was at the hands of #2 Long Island Lutheran, a game that went right down to the wire on a neutral court, so with a packed gym, the Dalers were confident they could knock off Long Island's top ranked team. Uniondale, of course, had other ideas. Knights star Shaq Mosley opened up the game with a three pointer from the left wing, followed it with a jumper from the left elbow, and after Dalique Mingo had scored for Farmingdale and Terrance Brown for Uniondale, he came off a screen and buried another three from the right wing and it was quickly 10-2 Knights.  He scored again on a fast break bucket for a 10 point Uniondale lead, and the Dalers and their fans were reeling. Mingo stepped up and got his team back into it with back to back baskets, but Romario Williams drove the left baseline and scored and then put back a missed free throw and it was 18-6 Uniondale at the first quarter buzzer. Solomon Graham-Wright knocked down two free throws to start the second quarter, giving the Knights a 14 point lead, and although they cooled off from their red hot start, nobody was hitting shots for the Dalers, so Uniondale continued to build the lead, and a three point play by Mosley put them up 25-8 with 4:52 to go in the half. Farmingdale managed to whittle away at it, and a fast break basket by Curtis Jenkins cut it to 33-21 at the break. The Dalers scored the first 4 points of the second half, bringing the lead down to single digits, and a putback by Matt DiCarlo made it 41-35 with 4:19 remaining, but it was back and forth from the foul line for the rest of the quarter, with both teams hitting a high percentage of their shots. Kevin Petit-Ferer interrupted the procession, banking in a three pointer to make it a 5 point game with 1:46 to go. Mosley answered with three in a row from the from the foul line as the seconds ticked down, and it was 50-42 Uniondale after three quarters of play. DiCarlo banked a shot off the glass from the low post to open the fourth quarter, making it a 6 point game, but Mosley answered again, this time with a three pointer from the right wing, sparking a Uniondale run. Brown's two free throws and Mosley's back to back three pointers made it 61-46 with 3:40 to go and Farmingdale was done. Final score 66-50, with Mosley finishing with a game high 36 points.  1/12

"Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.... We are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream".

- Martin Luther King Jr.

Games Of 1/19

Sayville On The Rise

After years at the bottom of the standings, Sayville improved to 4-2 in League 5 with a 60-48 win over Islip. Rich Geiger led the Golden Flashes with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Brian Pitt had 13 for Islip

Wantagh Nips Roslyn

Wantagh made their presence known in Conference A1, catching Roslyn 58-57 on two free throws by Justice Perez with one second left. He finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Andrew Slutsky led Roslyn with 12

Hoops For Hope

A Hoops for Hope Charity Basketball Game will be held at Hewlett High School on January 20th at 7:30 PM.

It will benefit SIBS Place and the Long Island Cares Food Bank. The game will be a Conference A2 matchup between Hewlett and Division.

Beamon Player Of Week

Roslyn's George Beamon, a junior guard  at Manhattan, shot 50% from the field and 90% from the free throw line in a pair of  conference wins over Iona and Siena, earning MAAC Player of the Week honors. Beamon led Manhattan with 21 points and 7 rebounds in the upset win over Iona, and he had 24 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks in a rout of Siena.

Floyd Drills Commack

Commack is one of those teams you can’t overlook. They have quietly compiled an 8-3 record, with 2 of their 3 losses coming in very close games with league leaders Longwood and Brentwood. They hosted another league leader, and the stage seemed set for a possible upset, but the 13th ranked William Floyd Colonials would have nothing of it, leading wire to wire in a convincing 67-47 victory.  LaShon Washington led the way for Floyd with 25 points, and All-Star Anthony White finished with 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. Connor McQueeney had 20 for the Cougars. Both teams started slowly, but the Colonials were on top right from the start, with White and Devonte Dixon getting them on the board, and then a baseline three pointer by Devin Burney and a drive by White gave them a 9-2 lead with 3:37 to go in the opening quarter. McQueeney’s jumper shaved a bit off the lead, cutting it to 11-5, and the first quarter ended 12-6. The teams traded baskets until the 5:20 mark of the second quarter, when a steal and basket by Malik Dennis and two free throws by Washington put Floyd on top 22-10. White’s basket from underneath made it 14 point game as the clock dipped under the 1 minute mark, and his steal and basket in the final seconds made it 34-18 Colonials. A Pat Lynch free throw cut it to 34-19 at the half. White opened up the second half with a drive from the foul line, but McQueeney answered with a three pointer and Nick Arnold followed with a putback to bring the Cougars within 12. The lead was back to 16 on a coast to coast basket by Washington with 3:46 remaining in the quarter, but back to back baskets by McQueeney and a short  jumper by Arnold and it was 42-32 with 2:23 to go. Six straight points by Floyd, four of them by Washington, reestablished the lead, and it was a 14 point game at the third quarter buzzer. The Colonials were in complete control after that, building an 18 point lead on  Washington’s three point play and Burney’s baseline jumper with just over 5 minutes remaining. They never looked back.  1/24

Two Undefeateds Left

There are only two undefeated teams left on Long Island and five teams with just one loss. The unbeaten teams are #1 ranked Uniondale and 12th ranked Central Islip, and the teams with just one loss are #4 South Side, 8th ranked Elmont, bubble teams Glen Cove and LWA, and Brentwood. 1/22

Tobias Homecoming

Bucks Rookie Tobias Harris, who starred at Hills West and Long Island Lutheran, returned home for the first time as an NBA player, scoring 2 points in Milwaukee's 100-86 win over the Knicks. It was also his dad Torrel's birthday!  1/20

Games Of 1/20

Logjam in League 7

Southampton hammered Hampton Bays 74-49 to drop the Baymen into a three way tie for first place in League 7, along with Wyandanch and Center Moriches. The teams are all 5-2, with Southampton trailing at 4-2

St. Anthony's Rocks Mary's

St. Anthony's rolled to their third straight league win, a 90-73 victory over 11th ranked St. Mary's

Coaches Workshops

Legendary high school coach Gus Alfieri will be giving a series of four free workshops designed to help coaches become better coaches. The first one is at 9:30 am this Saturday, January 21st at Candlewood Elementary School in Dix Hills, NY. These are hands on workshops designed to help you do the most effective job you can teaching the skills you want to teach, so bring your pad and pencil and wear your sneakers too! The workshops are appropriate for coaches at all levels. Please RSVP: ditmars01@aol.com. Sponsored by the Schneider family and presented by the Dix Hills Basketball Association

ASK THE REF

The latest edition of our Q & A column that clears up controversies and helps fans gain a better understanding of the game we all love. ASK THE REF

Holy Trinity Nips Poly

Holy Trinity has been inconsistent this season, playing well against some very good teams and not so well against some mediocre teams, so it was hard to gauge how they would do against New York City private school power Poly Prep, especially without starting forward Tom Callahan and in front of a small home crowd at the rescheduled game. The 8th ranked Titans rose to the occasion, surviving some tense final moments to defeat the scrappy Blue Devils 52-51. Poly Prep is one of those hard nosed teams that comes at you the whole game, and they got off to a strong start,  jumping in front 8-2 on back to back three pointers by Charlie Marquard. But Holy Trinity rallied to take a one point lead on Jason Oder’s pull-up jumper, and they were in front 11-10 as the first quarter came to an end. Isiah Rowe’s basket from the low post gave the Titans a 13-10 lead as the second quarter got underway, and a three pointer by Ryan St. John put them up 16-12, but a deep three pointer by Marquard from the left side tied it at 17 all with 4:40 remaining, and then freshman Kyle Goldfarb’s three pointer from the left wing made it 20-18 Blue Devils with 4:16 to go in the half. The teams exchanged baskets and the lead right to the halftime buzzer, with St. John nailing a three pointer to put the Titans up two, and Myles Stephenson scoring for Prep off an inbound play to tie it at 27 all at intermission. Mike Callahan opened the third quarter with a three pointer for a 30-27 Holy Trinity lead, and after two Poly Prep Free throws by Stephenson, nailed another three to put them up by 4. They held the lead until the 2:16 mark, when Marquard knocked down another deep 3 to put the Blue Devils up by 2. Stephenson’s steal and basket and another three pointer by Marquard gave the Blue Devils a 7 point lead as the fourth quarter began, but Holy Trinity ran off 10 straight points down the stretch, capped off by Callahan’s three pointer from the right wing and a foul line jumper by Mike Williams, and led 50-47 with 2:18 remaining. Anthony Reyes’ jumper from the right side cut the margin to 50-49 with 1:25 to go, but a big low post basket by Calvin Ingram made it 52-49 with 1:02 remaining - the Titans last points of the game. Stephenson hit two free throws on the other end to cut the Holy Trinity lead to 1, but the Titans took the air out of the ball on their next possession, running the clock down to 23 seconds before drawing a foul and going to the line for a 1 and 1. They missed the front end, however, and it was Prep ball still trailing by one. They brought the ball down court and called time with 17 seconds remaining, but coming out of the time-out, the Titans got a big stop and had the ball back with the clock quickly ticking down toward zero. Prep had to foul again, and once again the Titans missed they front end, setting up a dramatic last possession for the Blue Devils with 3.1 seconds on the clock. The defense came through again and the Titans dodged the bullet, forcing a long range shot at the buzzer that was off target for a 52-51 victory. 1/22

Justin Bells Gets 1000

Nassau County All-Star Justin Bell of North Shore High School picked up his 1000th career point, scoring 39 points in a 79-66 loss to Mineola. He also had 12 rebounds and 10 assists for a triple-double.

LuHi Rolls Over EI

LuHi is always tough to beat, particularly at home, so if you're an underdog coming into their gym, you better hit your shots early and often, or it will be a long night. It was a long night for the East Islip Redmen, who kept it close through most of the first half, but ended up falling 67-38 to the #2 ranked Crusaders. East Islip struggled to get into their offense against LuHi's pressure defense, and when they got good looks, couldn't knock them down. They scored only 9 points in the first quarter, and it could have been a blow-out right from the opening tap, but the Redmen played good defense and held their own on the boards, and trailed by only 4 at the first quarter buzzer. The Crusaders began to ease away in the second quarter, with KJ Lee pulling up from the right elbow and Viktor Zambor putting back a miss to give them an 11 point lead. They started to break it open early in the third quarter, taking a 19 point lead on three straight three pointers, two by Lee and one by Brandon Alford, but Brian Johnson kept East Islip hopes alive, cutting the lead to 15 in the final seconds of the quarter with a three point play. They had a chance to pull within 13 after a LuHi turnover, but couldn't covert and Anthony Pate scored a fast break basket at the buzzer to give the Crusaders a 17 point advantage heading into the fourth quarter. Pate opened the fourth with a pull-up jumper, and then scored again on a basket cut to give the Crusaders a 51-30 lead. Zack Goodman followed with a three pointer from the left foul line extended, and Pate added another basket and it was LuHi by 26. Game over. Pate and Lee led the balanced LuHi attack with 13 and 12 points respectively. EI big man Evan Maxwell was their only effective offensive weapon, finishing with a game high 19 points. 1/23

Smithtown East Tames NB

Smithtown East pulled into a second place tie with North Babylon in League 3, easily defeating the Bulldogs 55-42 behind 25 points, 16 rebounds, and 7 blocks from senior center Jon Feiler.  North Babylon rallied to win the first matchup between the two teams 48-44 back in December. It was Smithtown East's 6th win in their last 7 games, a run that included a win over first place East Islip. The Bulls took control of game 2 right from the start, breaking a 4-4 tie with a 23-7 run that stretched into the second quarter. Feiler had 9 points in the run, and his basket from the low post made it 27-11 Smithtown with 3:07 to go in the half. North Babylon came alive in the final minutes, with back to back three pointers by Uriel Lucate and Kenny Daniels highlighting an 8-2 closing run that made it a 10 point game at halftime. Fola Branco hit a baseline jumper that cut the Bull's lead to 29-21 as the third quarter got underway, and a three point play by Melshawn McPherson at the 4:01 mark made it an 8 point game, but Brandon Kenah's three pointer restored Smithtown's double digit lead, and a three point play and a putback by Andrew Ward made it 43-29 Bulls with three quarters in the books. Feiler and Daniels exchanged three point plays to open the fourth quarter, but Feiler followed with a three pointer to make it 49-32 Smithtown. Cortland Speight's three pointer with 3:53 remaining made it 50-37 and the Bulldogs were still alive, and two  free throws by McPherson and it was an 11 point game, but a big fast break basket by Brian Willetts made it 53-39 with 2:12 to go. A Branco three pointer made 53-42, but with just 1:19 remaining it was too little too late and Tim McVeety's two free throws iced it for the Bulls.  1/26 

LuHi Holds Off Friars

LuHi was up 60-36 after 3 quarters, but Daniel Pierrot led a furious St. Anthony's fourth quarter comeback. The Crusaders held on for a dramatic 74-70 road victory. Brandon Alford had 12 points for the LuHi, Ryan Denicola 11 points and  16 rebounds, and KJ Lee 10. Pierrot finished with 35 for St. Anthony's. 1/25

LI's Leading Scorers

updated on STANDINGS PAGE

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Tom Crotty Classic

The 2012 Tom Crotty Classic is being held this Saturday January 28th at Kellenberg Memorial High School. Game 1 is at 12 NOON and features Chaminade vs St Francis Prep, and Game 2 is at 1:45 pm and features Kellenberg vs Xavier.

Great Selection.....Custom Designs.....Quick Turnaround

Manhasset Stops Glen Cove

Defending Nassau County Class A Champion Manhasset had fallen off the pace in Conference A3 with a 4-3 record, but went into 7-0 Glen Cove and came out with an impressive 65-55 win in a game not as close as the final score. DETAILS SOON