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LONG ISLAND'S HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
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LONG ISLAND'S HOME COURT ADVANTAGE!
TRAVEL TEAM TRYOUTS
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Presented by Hofstra University
Our good friend and Long Island legend Gus Alfieri has written a great new book that we enthusiastically recommend about his 1974 New York State Champion St. Anthony's team and what many consider to be Long Island's golden age of basketball. It is now available at Amazon.com, as is his first book - also terrific - about Hall Of Fame coach Joe Lapchick, who he played for at St. John's. REVIEW
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COMMUNITY PROGRAM
1. LuHi
2. Westbury
3. Hills East
4. Chaminade
5. Bay Shore
6. Holy Trinity
7. LWA
8. Baldwin
9. Smithtown W.
10. Uniondale
11. Southampton
12. St. Anthony's
13. Elmont
14. South Side
15. Brentwood
16. Syosset
FINAL 2016-17
SWEET 16
LONG ISLAND NETS
LONG ISLAND NETS
COACHES POLL
NYC vs Long Island
As you probably know, we track the season series between the two regions annually, recording the results of all boys high school varsity games. I have to admit, I was more than a little worried about Long Island continuing its winning streak this season, because we got off to such a bad start, going 2-4, and finished up December badly too, losing 4 of the last 6 games. Much to my relief, we won pretty much everything in between and take a convincing 24-12 lead into January. Highlights so far have been Hempstead’s win over CHSAA AA Holy Cross, which nobody saw coming, CHSAA Class A Holy Trinity’s wins over St. Francis Prep and Holy Cross, both Class AA CHSAA teams, South Side’s win over CHSAA A Xavier, Baldwin’s win over CHSAA Class AA Mt. St. Michael, who is 7-3 so far this season, Roosevelts win over PSAL Class A Eagle Academy II, EA2s second loss so far this season in 10 games, and LWA’s overwhelming win over Trinity School, the team that knocked them out of the NYSAIS Playoffs last season. 1/1/17
LI SWEPT AWAY
Both Southampton and Stony Brook went down on the last shot and all four Long Island teams lost in the semifinals of the NYSPHSAA Final Four. Three of the four teams lost to the team that went on to be State Champion. It's only the third time in the last 20 years that we haven't had at least one team play for a NYSPHSAA State Championship.
NYSPHSAA Final Four
CLASS C SEMIFINAL
Moravia 55 Stony Brook 53
In a heartbreaker, the Bears looked overmatched, but rallied impressively from 19 down and had a chance to tie or go ahead in the final seconds, but fell short. STORT LATER
CLASS B SEMIFINAL
Westhill 71 Center Moriches 58
The Red Devils faced a very disciplined team and had to be at their best to beat them, but never got rolling offensively. STORY LATER
LI Championship
NYSPHSAA AA REGIONAL FINAL
Westbury 61 Hills East 60
The Section 11 Champions built an early 15 point lead, but Westbury rallied to close out the half and then after an exciting back and forth second half, caught the Thunderbirds on Jalyn Dunlap's dramatic putback off a missed free throw in the final seconds for their first trip to a New York State Final Four since 2010!
CHSAA CLASS A
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
Msgr. Farrell 55 Chaminade 47
The Flyers suffered a heartbreaking loss, holding an 8 point lead mid way through the third quarter, they suddenly went cold, scoring only 10 points the rest of the way. STORY LATER
REGIONAL UPDATE
Many of us have our roots in New York City and try to keep up with results from their championship tournaments. In CHSAA action, Cardinal Hayes takes on Archbishop Molloy for the Class AA title 3 pm Sunday at Fordham. Monsignor Farrell from Staten Island plays against our own Chaminade Flyers for the Class A title at 1 pm Saturday, and the Class B final pits LaSalle against upstate champion St. Mary’s of Buffalo at 11 am. In PSAL action, it’s Lincoln vs Jefferson for the AA title at 12 noon on Saturday at Madison Square Garden. Jefferson has two Long Islanders on their roster! Go figure! The Class A and Class B PSAL tournaments are just at the quarterfinal stages. In private school action, Dwight School from Manhattan defeated Brooklyn’s Packer Collegiate to capture the NYSAIS Class B State Championship and will represent the private schools at the New York State Federation Tournament of Champions in Glens Falls later this month.
NASSAU COVERAGE
SECTION 8 CLASS AA FINAL
Westbury 70 Uniondale 50
Uniondale is one of Long Island's top basketball programs year after year, but it was a young 10th ranked Knights team that took on senior dominated and 7th ranked Westbury in the AA Championship Game, and the Green Dragons, led by returning All-New York State players Jonathan Dean and Darius Young, pulled away to advance to their first ever Long Island Class AA Championship Game. Sophomore Zion Styles opened the game with a left wing three-pointer and Junior Danny Ashley’s right wing three gave Uniondale a quick 6-0 lead, but Isiah Bien-Aise answered with a fast break basket and Dean did too, drawing a foul and converting the three-point play to bring his team back within 1. Westbury took the lead on a baseline floater by Young and Dean’s basket off a loose ball, and then a running hook shot by Khalid Ketchen, followed by a Ketchen a putback, put the Green Dragons up 13-8 with 3:50 to play in the opening quarter. Ashley responded with a drive through the heart of the defense, but a low post fade away by Young and Brandon Ottley’s right wing three-pointer and the Westbury lead was 8. Rolando Meyers-Turner countered with a jumper from just behind the left elbow and it remained a 6 point game with one quarter complete. Dean drained two free throws to open the second quarter, and then his back to back baskets bumped the lead to 12 still early in the quarter, but Ashley kept Uniondale within striking distance with an aggressive baseline drive. Jaylyn Dunlap’s putback and Ottley’s drive through traffic stretched the lead to 37-23 Westbury as the clock dipped under the one minute mark, but Craig Brown scored from underneath and Ashley’s big three-point play made it a 9 point game at the first half buzzer. A Bien-Aise fade away jumper from the right baseline gave the Green Dragons an early 40-28 third quarter lead, but Ashley answered again with a fast break basket and the teams went back and forth until Ketchen bullied his way to the basket and converted a three-point play to give Westbury a 13 point lead with three quarters complete. Dean made a nice basket cut and scored to open the fourth quarter, and he scored again on a give and go to make it 53-36 and the Knights were in trouble, but their was still plenty of time and their pressure defense started to generate the turnovers they needed to get back into the game. They also did a great job on the offensive boards, sometimes getting 2 and 3 chances in a possession, but they couldn’t hit a shot from any distance until a Meyers-Turner right wing three-pointer cut it to 58-45 at the 3:14 mark. Ottley’s two big free throws with 2:22 left and then two more by Young gave the Green Dragons an 18 point lead and it was game over. Westbury will now take on Suffolk County Champion and 4th ranked Half Hollow Hills East, with the winner advancing to the NYSPHSAA Class AA State Final Four in Binghampton. Dean finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead the newly crowned Nassau County Champions, Young had 17 and Ottley 11. Ashley ended up with 19, Brown 12 and Styles 10 for Uniondale. 3/4
SECTION 8 CLASS A FINAL
Elmont 58 South Side 56
One of the biggest controversies in recent playoff history erupted when Elmont star KC Ndefo rebounded and hit the game winning shot at the buzzer to give the Spartans their second straight Section 8 Class A title and a date with Section 11 Champion Southampton in the Long Island Class A Championship Game. I’ll give you my take on that last shot, but at the appropriate time - at the end of the story, because it was a very exciting game from start to finish. South Side took an early lead, but William Cook’s left wing three pointer put Elmont in front, and then Ndefo’s textbook low post move, spinning left and then back to his right and scoring, Ismael Asatasie’s floater from the lane and a Ndefo tip-in made it 15-8 Spartans with 55 seconds left in the opening quarter. The Cyclones answered quickly, with Dami Awosika scoring from the top, Brandon Grayson stealing the ball and scoring and they added a free throw to pull back within 2 at the first quarter buzzer. The teams went back and forth all the way down to the 2:50 mark of the second quarter, when Jevon Santos scored on the break to put Elmont up 26-21. Bad free throw shooting by both teams, particularly South Side, followed, but Ryan McCarthy’s short baseline drive and 3 point play cut it to 27-24 before Ndefo closed out the half with a three from behind the left elbow to give the Spartans a 6 point lead at intermission. Santos, who by the way is just a freshman, opened up the second half with another fastbreak basket, but Grayson answered with a beautiful move, weaving his way through defenders and scoring, and then McCarthy’s stutter step from the top cut it to 32-28. Vincent McDonald bumped the Elmont lead to 7, draining a right baseline three, but McCarthy scored again on a nice basket cut and Patrick Basile knocked down a right wing three and South Side trailed by 2 with 4:32 to play in the quarter. Ndefo held them off with a drive and dunk from the right wing, but Ryan Prendergast continued the rally, knocking down a three from the left wing and it was a 1 point game. The Spartans responded with a closing run, with Conrad Ihaza’s drive from the left baseline and another Ndefo dunk putting them up 45-38 with three quarters complete. South Side’s struggles from the foul line continued as the fourth quarter got underway, but an offensive rebound on a missed free throw and a cross court pass to Basile on the left wing and he drilled a three pointer to bring the Cyclones back within 3 and Awosika followed with a basket from the lane to cut it to 47-46 with 5:40 remaining. Astasie answered for the Spartans, but Prendergast drilled a big three from behind the left elbow and Grayson’s sweeping drive from the left wing put South Side in front, and then his pull-up jumper from the lane gave them a 53-49 lead with 2:50 to play. A charging call against Elmont on the next possession and everything was going South Side’s way, but the Spartans forced a turnover on the other end and Astasie made a nice basket cut, got the pass and hit a short turn-around jumper from the lane to bring Elmont back within 2 with 2:05 showing. Grayson answered with a drive and the lead was 4 again, and after a big rebound, it was South Side ball with only 36 seconds left and Elmont fouled. Once again, South Side came up short, missing the front end of a 1 and 1, and then the Cyclones committed a big foul on the other end, sending Ndefo to the line for three shots and he knocked down the first two, missing the third shot and incredibly, it went out of bounds off South Side, giving Elmont the ball trailing by 2 with 26 seconds left. Their inbound play worked to perfection and Astasie’s shot from the lane tied the score with 20 seconds remaining, and then a huge offensive foul call gave the ball back to the Spartans with 8 seconds to play, setting up the dramatic finish. The shot came from the top of the key and was off target, but Ndefo crashed the boards, caught the carom and put it back in the basket as the buzzer sounded, sending the Elmont faithful into a frenzy. But did it beat the buzzer? The officials said yes, and my first reaction was yes, the shot was good, but I wasn’t certain. The trail official, who is the one responsible for making the call, had pretty much the same angle I had and we agreed, but it was a very close and while the Elmont fans celebrated, everybody else went to their phones or looked over someone else’s shoulder to watch a replay. The FIOS and News 12 crews went to their monitors to do the same, and I must have looked at a dozen different angles of the shot from different sources, and also got feedback from a dozen other witnesses, and my conclusion was, if I were a replay official, I would have ruled that there was insufficient evidence to overturn the call. I never saw a replay that clearly showed the moment the ball left his hand. 3/4
SECTION 8 A SEMIFINALS
South Side 58 Hewlett 46
It was classic playoff basketball through three quarters, with the 16th ranked Bulldogs clinging to a 1 point lead after Brandon Grayson narrowed the gap with a three point play to close out the 3rd quarter, but the Cyclones took control in the fourth, with James Testa’s left baseline jumper giving them the lead while the defense completely shut out the Bulldogs for the first 6 minutes of the quarter. Dami Awosika had a big three point play early on off an aggressive baseline drive and Pat Basile’s left wing three pointer at the 6:15 mark put South Side in command, while Grayson and Ryan Prendergast both spent a lot of time at the free throw line and both delivered. Grayson led all scorers with 17 points, 12 in the second half, Awosika had a great all-around game, keeping South Side in it early on with 13 first half points and finishing with 16, but it was his defense, rebounding and shot blocking that really stood out. Basile played a big role too, knocking down clutch shots after a slow start and finishing with 13 points, and Prendergast was strong too with 11 points, going a perfect 6 for 6 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter. Zach Bromfeld led Hewlett with 14 points and Gianluca Preziosi had 11. 3/1
Elmont 67 VS North 50
It’s taken time for a new group of players to grow into their roles with the defending State Champions, but 11th ranked Elmont is playing its best basketball of the season right now, and took the lead in the second quarter and rolled past a very good Valley Stream North team. The teams played to a 12-12 tie in the opening quarter, with the action fast paced at first and Elmont taking a 7-4 lead on a three-pointer and then a floater by Wiliam Cook, but Taliq Abdul-Rahim’s three-point play tied it and the pace noticeably slowed. Ismael Astasie’s short turn-around jumper got Elmont rolling in the second quarter, and back to back fast break baskets by Conrad Ihaza and Astasie quickly followed and started to build the lead, but North’s Noah Shy kept it close with a basket and two free throws. A nice floater by KC Ndefo and an aggressive drive by Astasie from the top reestablished Elmont’s momentum, and then Astasie’s basket from underneath and Ndefo’s two free throws in the closing seconds put them up by 10 at the half. VSN closed the gap as the third quarter got underway, with Shy’s right wing three pointer cutting the lead to single digits, but Vincent McDonald’s basket from underneath and the lead was 10 again and Ndefo’s three-pointer from the top and then his turn-around jumper from the left wing made it 40-25 Elmont with 5 minutes to play in the quarter. The teams proceeded to trade baskets and free throws the remainder of the quarter, but Elmont started to add to their lead again when Ihza beat his defender from the top and hit a runner, and then McDonald drilled a three-pointer from the left baseline and Elmont was in complete command, leading by 22 with 6:16 left in the 4th. North never threatened after that. Ndefo led Elmont with 20 points, 11 of them from the free-throw line, and Asatsie and McDonald both finished with 12. Shy led all scorers with 23 and Abdul-Rahim finished with 11. A word of caution, though. Elmont’s preseason All-Star Victor Olawoye left the game early with an ankle injury, and although his teammates stepped up impressively in his absence, his scoring and leadership will be missed if he is unable to play going forward. 3/1
NSCHSAA CHAMPIONSHIP
Chaminade 85 Holy Trinity 65
The Flyer juggernaut is back on track, jumping out to an early lead and outbattling an excellent Holy Trinity team wire to wire to claim the NSCHSSAA title and a spot in the CHSAA Class A State Championship Tournament. Although he finished with only 8 points, Kyle Murphy played a key role in the early going of this highly anticipated rematch, attacking the basket with reckless abandon to open up things for the Chaminade shooters, and they cashed in, with both Bobby Connors and Brendan McGuire knocking down shots to the tune of 25 first quarter points and a 12 point first quarter lead. Holy Trinity responded, closing to within 5 just before the half and they were within striking distance throughout the third quarter, led by the dangerous trio of Thorton Scott, Cam Wynter, and Tyler Small, but the inspired Flyer defense held and Connors and McGuire continued to find the basket, with freshman Michael O'Connell joining the mix, and Chaminade ruthlessly put the Titans away in an impressive fourth quarter. Connors led all scorers with 20 points, McGuire had 18, and O’Connell 17 while Scott finished with 17 point for the Titans and Small and Wynter both had 14. 2/28
SECTION 8 AA SEMIFINALS
Westbury 48 Baldwin 45
7th ranked Westbury led wire to wire with excellent team defense and the scoring and rebounding of Jonathan Dean, who finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Darius Young, who had 11 points and 10 rebounds, but they could never break away and the 5th ranked Bruins made their run, pulling within a point on two big three-pointers by Matt Trepeta. Baldwin had several chances to take the lead down the stretch, but the shots wouldn’t fall and the Green Dragons advanced to their second straight Class AA title game. Jon Smith finished with 13 for Baldwin and Norman Wilson had 11. 2/28
Uniondale 69 Syosset 44
It was all Uniondale in the rubber match with their conference rival. The 10th ranked Knights, who led by 8 after one quarter, blew it open with a 19-7 second quarter and never looked back. Danny Ashley led the way with 11 second quarter points and finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists, Craig Brown had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Zion Styles 15 points and 8 rebounds. Griffin Halpern had 21 of 9th ranked Syosset’s 44 points. 2/28
NYSAIS PLAYOFFS
CLASS C CHAMPIONSHIP
#8 LWA 82 Trevor Day 47
Lawrence-Woodmere Academy, whose young team came along and came together faster than expected and who could have comfortably competed for a Class A title, hammered 19-4 Trevor Day for the C title. They will move up to a higher classification next season. STATS LATER 2/27
NSCHSAA SEMIFINALS
Chaminade 66 St. Anthony's 50
After reeling off 15 straight wins, the Flyers came crashing back to earth with back to back losses to league rivals Holy Trinity and St. Anthony's. They took their first big step towards redemption, quickly jumping out in front and convincingly beating the scrappy Friars to advance to the Championship game against Holy Trinity. 2/26 DETAILS SOON.
Holy Trinity 90 SJB 59
The Cougars showed great character, battling the heavily favored Titans almost basket for basket through halftime, but 4th ranked Holy Trinity showed why they are one of Long Island's top teams, exploding for 44 second half points and rolling into the finals. 2/26 DETAILS SOON
LUHI INVITATIONAL
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
LuHi 68 Albany Academy 57
The #1 ranked Crusaders jumped out to a big lead over New York State’s #3 ranked Class A team and held them off the rest of way to take the title. Their balanced attack was led by Chris Coalmon and Essam Mostafa, who both finished with 18 points, Brandon Jacobs had 15 points and 7 assists and Harrison Warnock added 10 points. LuHi is the only Class AA independent school in the Federation, so they have no post-season State Tournament to attend and will have to wait a month before they play their next game, which will be in the New York State Federation Tournament Of Champions. 2/25
NYSAIS STATE TOURNAMENT
CLASS C SEMIFINALS
#10 LWA 112 Columbia Prep 61
After a close and fast paced first quarter, LWA blew the doors off in the second and third quarters and rolled into the championship game. The Tigers featured two 30 point scorers, with Aidan Igiehon amassing 33 points and 21 and Jordan Dingle 31 points and 10 assists. Tyler St. Furcy added 17 points and 12 rebounds. They will face #2 seed Trevor Day (19-3) in the final. 2/25
DAY 2 NSCHSAA PLAYOFFS
QUARTERFINALS
SJB 71 Kellenberg 65
Kellenberg swept the season series, but it was a tight game throughout and Matt Lavin, who finished with a game high 29 points, and Kyle Locastro, who had 19, led the Cougars to the upset. 2/24
St. Anthony's 57 St. Dominic 50
The Bayhawks are in a rebuilding phase, but they’ve come a long way this season and gave the 3rd seeded Friars a real battle. Jon Harewood had another good game for St. Anthony’s, finishing with 16 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, Tony Lopez added 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Tyrone Lyons 10 points and 13 rebounds. Rob Rossiter led all scorers with 19 for St. Doms. 2/24
DAY 6 SECTION 8 PLAYOFFS
CLASS B CHAMPIONSHIP
Oyster Bay 51 Carle Place 31
Carle Place beat Oyster Bay by 7 back on February 4th, but it was all Oyster Bay in the rematch for the Nassau County Class B title after a blistering 19-3 first quarter. Anthony Reilly led the way with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists and Devon Marmorale added 13 points and 6 rebounds. 2/23
CLASS A QUARTERFINALS
#14 Elmont 76 Floral Park 55
The Floral Park shooters never got hot, in large part thanks to the Elmont defense, but Elmont did, led at first by Victor Olawoye and Vincent McDonald, who combined for 16 first half points to lead the Spartans to an 11 point halftime lead, and then by KC Ndefo, who controlled the boards the entire game and then exploded in the third quarter, knocking down threes and hammering home thunderous dunks on his way to 15 third quarter points and 26 overall. An impressive win over a very good Floral Park team. 2/23
VS North 66 Lynbrook 34
VSN held Lynbrook to 10 first half points while their balanced attack got on a roll in the second and third quarters and put the game away. Omar Baxter led the way with 14 points, John Alimo had 13, Noah Shy 12, and Shamari Griffith added 4 points, 14 rebounds and 6 blocks. 2/23
South Side 73 CS Harbor 53
Brandon Grayson was outstanding on both sides of the ball, sparking the Cyclones to the convincing win with at least half a dozen steals and uncontested fast break baskets. He finished with 27 points and 7 assists. Pat Basile played the role of sharpshooter, knocking down 4 threes on his way to 18 points, and Dami Awosika also came up big, rebounding and blocking shots and scoring 15 points of his own. 2/23
Hewlett 64 Roosevelt 63
A great back and forth game. Hewlett rallied to tie it on Gianluca Preziosi’s three pointer with 45 seconds remaining and took the lead on a Matthew Mannino free throw and then in the final seconds, Roosevelt went to the line with a chance to tie or go ahead and came up short. Alyjah Hill led the Bulldogs with 23 points, Preziosi finished with a triple-double - 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, Zach Bromfeld had 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Manniono added 5 points and 15 rebounds. 2/23
DAY 5 SECTION 8 PLAYOFFS
CLASS AA QUARTERFINALS
Baldwin 58 Massapequa 55
At first glance, Baldwin was a clear favorite, but a closer examination of Massapequa’s record revealed that they had played a very challenging non-league schedule, with 6 of their non-league opponents playoff teams, and that 6 of their 8 losses had been in single digits. The battle tested Chiefs showed they belonged, staying with the 5th ranked Bruins in what turned out to be an excellent Class AA Quarterfinal matchup. In the early going, it looked like defending Long Island Class AA champion Baldwin might take control, quickly recovering from a 6-0 deficit created by back to back three pointers from Kevin Voigt and Chris Wasson to start the game, they took the lead on a 14-0 run sparked by Derrick Ruffin’s putback, Elijah Bovell’s backdoor cut, and Norman Wilson’s back to back threes, and capped off by Bovell’s fade away jumper from just outside the left elbow. After a Massapequa free throw broke the run, Ruffin drilled a left wing three pointer just before the first quarter buzzer to make it 17-7 and it looked like the Bruins were well on their way. But they couldn’t break free and Massapequa started to whittle away at the lead at the 4 minute mark of the second quarter, with Wasson knocking down a three pointer from the top to bring them back within 7. He drilled another three from deep behind the right elbow that cut it to 25-21 with 2:01 to play in the half, and then Gary Rettig’s right wing three made it a 3 point game at intermission. Baldwin added a few points to their lead in a tight third quarter, with a Wilson three from behind the right elbow making it 34-28 Bruins. The teams traded baskets down to the 1:25 mark, when Nasim Cylin’s left wing three made it 39-32 and it was still a 7 point game with three quarters complete. It looked like Baldwin might put the Chiefs away after Jon Smith scored from underneath to make it 48-38 Bruins, but Rettig knocked down a baseline jumper and Bryce Paladino spun off his defender and scored to make it a 6 point game with 3:18 to play. Massapequa went 1 for 2 at the line with 2:11 remaining to pull within 5, but Cylin drained a big right baseline three to make it 51-43 Baldwin with 1:54 left. Wasson’s drive and three point play and the margin was 5 again, now with 1:39 showing, but Wilson held the line for the Bruins, stepping up with a pull up jumper from just inside the foul line. Paladino continuedthe back and forth action, scoring from underneath at the 1:03 mark, and the Bruins opened the door a crack, going 1 for 2 from the line to keep it a two possesion game. The Chiefs elected to go for the quick two and Wasson’s left wing drive made it a 4 point game as the clock dropped uder the 1 minute mark. They got the ball back after chasing down a loose ball with 36 seconds to play, and Voight drilled a huge right baseline three to make it a 1 point game, but there were only 18 seconds on the game clock. They sent Wilson to the line, and he was shooting 1 and 1. A miss on the front end and Massapequa would come down with a chance to win the game and plenty of time to do it, but with all that pressure, he came through big time, knocking down both shots. The best the Chiefs could do now was tie, but they still had plenty of time and called time-out in the front court with 15 seconds remaining to set up a play. Then the unthinkable happened. The shot they got was contested and off target, but Baldwin clearly fouled on the three point attempt and the door was now wide open. Massapequa could not capitalize, the second shot rimming out and Wilson added two more free throws on the other end and the Bruins escaped with the big win. He finished with 19 points and Nasim Cylin had 13, while Wasson led all scorers with 27 for Massapequa. 2/22
Westbury 61 Farmingdale 51
The 9th ranked Green Dragons took an early lead and held it, countering every Farmingdale rally. Their balanced attack was led by Jonathan Dean, who finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds, Jalyn Dunlap added 11 points, Khalid Ketchens 10 points and 10 rebounds, Darius Young 10 points and 8 rebounds, and Brandon Ottley 7 points and 8 assists. 2/22
Syosset 76 Calhoun 72 2OT
Two good teams that haven't advanced past this round of the playoffs in over 10 years faced off in a memorable Class AA Quarterfinal, and 12th ranked Syosset moved on after two contentious overtimes. Jalen Rosemond’s left baseline three pointer gave Calhoun the early lead, but Syosset drew even as the quarter progressed, many of their points coming at the free throw line. Robert Kula’s deep left wing three put them up 11-7 with 3:42 to play, but Patrick Gardner answered with an impressive drive from the right wing through traffic. Jacob Wiener’s running left hander and Griffin Halpern’s left wing drive and reverse layup pushed the Syosset lead to 6, but again the Colts kept pace, responding with two free throws by Gardner, Tom Casimano’s steal and fast break basket, and two more free throws by Gardner and it was tied at 15 all. The Braves had the final push of the quarter, closing it out with back to back threes: Halpern came off a screen and knocked one down from the top and then Dom Sciove drained one from the right baseline at the buzzer and it was 21-16 Syosset with one quarter complete. The second quarter started out a three point shooting contest. Gardner opened the quarter with a steal and right wing three pointer, Kula answered with a right baseline three for Syosset, and then Rosemond’s left wing three and Gardner’s deep left wing three put Calhoun on top 25-24. Halpern retook the lead with two more free throws and the Braves held it the rest of the half, but Calhoun rallied in the closing seconds on Gardner’s turn-around jumper from the foul line and a buzzer beating three pointer by Corey Jones to tie it at 33 as the teams headed for their locker rooms. Syosset started to build a lead, going up 43-37 on James Dionisio’s fall away jumper and a left wing three by Halpern, but Calhoun rallied late in the quarter again and took a 1 point lead on Casimano’s fast break basket, and they were up by 2 on Rosemond’s step-back jumper at the third quarter buzzer. Rosemond opened the fourth quarter with a left baseline three to put Calhoun up 52-47, and then Casimano wove his way through defenders and scored to make it 56-49 Colts, but Kula kept it close with a right wing three, and a drive and 3 point play by Halpern cut it to 56-55 with 4:13 remaining in regulation. Halpern then put the Braves on top with two free throws and Wiener hit a running hook shot for a 4 point Syosset lead with 1:14 left, but in the closing seconds, Rosemond hit a reverse layup on a nice give and go play and Gardner drove down the right baseline and scored to tie it at 62 and send the game into the first overtime. Halpern opened the first OT with an aggressive drive and basket, but Rosemond answered quickly with a spinning drive from the left wing and after the quick start, neither team would score again until the 48 second mark, when Wiener’s two free throws put Syosset up by 2. Rosemond’s basket from underneath tied it once again sent the game into a second OT. Jones rebounded and scored to give Calhoun the early lead in the second extra session, but Halpern tied it with 2 free throws and Michael Stanco scored from underneath to put the Braves in front. Gardner’s looping drive from the right wing tied it at 70, but Wiener answered with a scoop shot and a key turnover at the 35 second mark gave Syosset the ball with the lead. The Colts had to foul, and Halpern made both for a 4 point lead, but Kevin Hannon’s drive from the top and the Colts were still alive, trailing by 2 with 12 seconds left. They fouled again, sending 4 to the line with 9 seconds on the clock, and he knocked down both pressure packed free throws to send the Braves on to the semifinals. Halpern finished with 29 points, 13 of them from the free throw line, Kula had 22 points and 8 rebounds, and Wiener added 12 points. Gardner led all scorers with 30 for Calhoun and Rosemond had 22. 2/22
Uniondale 49 Port Wash 48
It was all Uniondale in the first half, building a 30-15 halftime lead, but Xavier Merriweather and Evan Goldstein led a Port Washington second half comeback and they had the ball trailing by 1 in the final seconds. Danny Ashley had another big game for the Knights, finishing with 22 points and 12 rebounds. 2/22
NSCHSAA PLAYOFFS
St. Dominic 77 St. Mary's 53
SJB memorably used this play-in game as a springboard and went on to win the NSCHSAA title a few years back, and the Bayhawks advanced this season, beating St. Mary’s for the third time. 2/22
DAY 4 SECTION 8 PLAYOFFS
CLASS B SEMIFINALS
Oyster Bay 50 Wheatley 45
Wheatley hadn't put up much of a fight in their two league matchups, and came into the contest having lost 9 of their last 10 games, but the Wildcats rose to the occasion and battled top seed Oyster Bay right to the end. Anthony Reilly and Devon Marmorale saved the day for the Baymen, combining for 40 of their 50 points. 2/19
Carle Place 58 Malverne 52
The Frogs built a 15 point halftime lead and fended off a second half rally by the Mules to advance to the Section 8 Class B Championship Game. Thomas Browne led the way with 19 points, Matthew Morrison had 15 and Nathaniel Armstrong 11. 2/19
DAY 3 SECTION 8 PLAYOFFS
Are we in Hoops Heaven? Six of the eight Nassau Class A playoff games played last night were decided by 5 points or less! There were two upsets, with Lynbrook rallying past Glen Cove 49-46 after falling to them twice in league play. Steve Hendrickson's layup put them on top with under a minute to play and Rob Sitonio's two free throws provided the final margin. Rylan Blondo, who took a big charge in the final seconds, led the Owls with 12 points, Hendrickson had 11 and Sitonio 10...... The other upset was more of a seeding upset. Cold Spring Harbor actually had the better record, and showed why, stopping Garden City on their home floor 47-45. Matt Licciardi led CSH with 13 points and 6 rebounds and Reese Grossman finished with 11 points and 4 assists and what proved to be the game winner...... Friends/Valley Stream North was another terrific game. Friends led by 6 at the half, VSN had a big third quarter to move in front, and the two teams battled the rest of the way, with North taking a 61-58 decision. Taliq Abdul-Rahim and Noah Shy led the way with 15 points each, Omar Baxter added 11 and John Alimo 10..... Hewlett and Locust Valley waged a classic game of runs, with Hewlett carrying their 4th quarter momentum into overtime for a 56-51 win. Gianluca Preziosi led the way with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists and Zach Bromfeld stuffed the stat sheet, finishing with 15 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists and 6 blocks..... #2 seed Roosevelt vs Manhasset was a possible upset special, but the Roughriders passed the test, rallying for a 52-48 win. Calvin Brown finished with 11 points for Roosevelt, Jaisyn Smith had 10 and 16 rebounds, and Isaiah Stone 9 points and 14 rebounds..... South Side advanced with a hard fought 41-37 win over Bellmore, jumping out in front and then fighting off the Cougars the rest of the way. Brandon Grayson led the Cyclones with 12 points and Dami Awosika and Ryan McCarthy both had 10..... The only game that played out pretty much as expected was top seeded Elmont defeating Valley Stream South 65-46, but there was plenty of drama through three quarters, with VSS jumping out to an early lead. The Spartans didn't take command until a 29-14 fourth quarter. K.C. Ndefo had another good game, leading the way with 24 points, and so did Victor Olawoye and Ismael Astasie, who both finished with 17. 2/17
DAY 2 SECTION 8 PLAYOFFS
The Class AA teams started up with four first round match-ups, and the road teams took two of them. Calhoun was the lone conference champion in action, and they made short work of conference rival Herricks, jumping out in front and rolling to a 78-51 victory. Tom Cummings led their balanced attack with 16 points, Patrick Gardner and Jalen Rosemond both finished with 15, and Corey Jones finished with 10..... Farmingdale exploded in the second half, racking up 40 points to pull away from host Freeport 63-48. Mike Lynch had a big game, scoring 13 points and handing out 12 assists, and David Ruiz did too, finishing with 17 points while Marvel Chambers added 16..... Port Washington was the other road warrior, utilizing a 26 point second quarter to build a lead over host Plainview on their way to an 83-69 victory. Xavier Merriweather, Long Island's 8th leading scorer, finished with 24 points for Port, Adam Mizrahi added 20 and Conor Shanahan 12..... Massapequa might have been the most impressive team of the day, taking a 60-42 decision from Hicksville. Chris Wasson led the Chiefs with 16 points and Thomas Ammendola had 13 points and five assists. 2/16
DAY 1 SECTION 8 PLAYOFFS
Day One of the 2017 Section 8 Class A playoffs is in the books, and everything pretty much held to form, with just two minor upsets. Conference A4 Champion Friends Academy, the only conference champion that did not get a first round bye, poured it on in the fourth quarter to dispose of Mepham 57-41 and improve to 17-3. Trayvon Alexander led the way with 15 points and 6 assists and Hutch Tyree added 10 points..... Another team with a lofty record and a low seed, Conference ABC’s 18-2 Cold Spring Harbor, got 30 points from Reese Grossman and 17 points and 7 assists from Matt Licciardi in a 64-49 win over West Hempstead..... The first minor upset was #17 Valley Stream South over #16 Wantagh 51-46. Wantagh closed out their regular season with a big upset win over third seeded South Side and had hopes for a nice playoff run, but so apparently did VSS. Daniel Sarpong led South with 17 points, Ozzy Traill had 12, and Isaiah Taylor 8 points and 11 rebounds..... Manhasset nipped Roslyn 60-56 in an excellent game between two teams capable of knocking off anybody. Will Theodoropoulos had the big game for Manhasset, finishing with 20 points and 7 rebounds and Danny Hedberg added 10 points..... The other upset was #19 Bellmore rallying from a 15 point halftime deficit on the road to beat #14 Great Neck South 46-44. Steven Carlson led all scorers with 25 points for Bellmore and Marco Travaglione added 14 points and 11 rebounds...... Lynbrook prevailed 43-38 over Island Trees after giving up an early lead. Rylan Blondo had a nice game for the Owls, finishing with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. 2/15
Holy Trinity 92 Chaminade 88
In a big Catholic League showdown, second ranked Chaminade went into 8th ranked Holy Trinity's gym and jumped out to to a quick lead, but the Titans dug in and would not let them pull away, rallying to win a great game in overtime. Cam Wynter had one of the best game's of his career, finishing with 37 points, and Tyler Small and Thorton Scott both finished with 14 points, while Brendan McGuire led the Flyers with 22 and freshman Michael O'Connell had 18. 2/14
Waldorf 59 Portledge 56
After playing two tightly contested regular season games, both won by Portledge, the two Long Island-based PSAA schools met in a first-round playoff game, and the same script played out, but this time with the Garden City-based school prevailing. Mike Reed led the way with 30 points and 10 rebounds, including two big free throws with 4 seconds to play, Isaac Stumme also stepped up, finishing with 12 points, 5 assists and 5 steals, and Will Clauss added 9 points and 7 rebounds. 2/13.
"THE TIME IS ALWAYS RIGHT TO DO WHAT'S RIGHT"
- Martin Luther King Jr.
2016-2017
PLAYOFF BRACKETS
(STATEWIDE)
SUFFOLK COVERAGE
SECTION 11 AA FINAL
Hills East 64 Bay Shore 62
The game had everything you could ask for. Two good teams that play exciting styles of basketball, a big and enthusiastic crowd, and a dramatic finish that came down to the final possession, with #4 Hills East holding off #2 Bay Shore for the Section 11 Class AA title and a spot in the Long Island Championship Game. The Thunderbirds got off to a great start, with Julien Crittendon, who had 9 first quarter points, the catalyst. His looping drive from the top gave Hills an 8-2 lead, he knocked down a left-wing three-pointer to make it 16-5, and then Savion Lewis closed out the quarter with a fast break basket to give Hills East a surprising 22-9 lead at the first quarter buzzer. But this would be no blow-out. Bay Shore came roaring back in the second quarter, with Jose Rivera scoring on a nice give and go to get things started, and then at the 6 minute mark of the quarter, Angel Rivera knocked down a three-pointer from the top, drawing a foul and converting the 4 point play to cut it 22-16. Jose Rivera’s three from the right baseline and then his fast break basket cut it to 26-25 as halftime approached, but Lewis once again closed things out, slipping behind the zone defense and scoring from underneath to make it 30-27 Hills at intermission. Kioni Nedd got things started in the second half, penetrating and finding Kenny Mathurin underneath to put the T-Birds up by 5, and then Kendall Nero-Clark stepped through defenders from the right wing and scored and Mathurin added a reverse layup on a short baseline drive and the Hills lead was 6, but Jose Rivera’s three from the top cut it to 40-37 at the 2:17 mark of the quarter and the teams went back and forth from there, with two free throws by Lewis giving Hills a 5 point lead as the third quarter ended. Crittendon tipped in a missed shot and Nero-Clark drilled a left wing three-pointer to give Hills East their biggest lead, up by 10 as the fourth quarter got underway, but Darien Walcott pump-faked and knocked down a left wing three of his own, Anthony Simpson followed with a floater and Lavon Montgomery with two free throws and Bay Shore was back within 3 with 5:17 to play. Crittendon stepped up with another big shot as the clock hit the 5 minute mark, this one a left wing three, and he scored again with a circus shot, losing the handle, retrieving the ball and flipping it backwards over his head and into the basket to make it 55-49 Hills with 3:26 remaining. Mathurin added two big free throws for an 8 point lead and then Bay Shore turned the ball over and Crittendon ran it down and scored to make it 59-49 with 2:31 left, but the Marauders were not done. Jose Rivera pump faked at the top, blew by his defender and dunked, and after a Hills free throw, Montgomery converted a big three-point play to cut it to 60-54 with 1:42 remaining. Once again, Hills went 1 for 2 at the free throw line and Kyree Sawyer took advantage, knocking down two on the other end to make it a 5 point game, then in a big sequence, Bay Shore got another big steal, but couldn't cash in when the attempted fast break layup was blocked from behind and the ball ruled out of bounds off Bay Shore with just 55 seconds left. It still wasn’t over. Hills continued to struggle at the line, going 1 for 2 again to leave the door open, and then a bad Hills foul sent Montgomery to the line on the other end and he drained both shots to cut it to 62-58, taking only seconds off the clock. A big charging call on Hills and the gym was rocking, and Jose Rivera responded, drilling a right baseline three-pointer to make it a 1 point game with 25 seconds on the game clock and then Hills almost committed another turnover, but Nedd ended up at the line and came through, hitting both shots for a 3 point lead. Bay Shore still had 14 seconds left to draw even, but the potential game tying three-pointer was deflected. Bay Shore managed to chase down the ball and drew a foul in the scramble, but they would get only two free throws and trailed by 3 with 2.1 seconds remaining. They made the first shot and intentionally missed the second, hoping for an offensive rebound, but Hills came down with it. There was still a slight chance, because Hills called time instead of waiting for the inevitable foul call that would have sent everybody to the other end of the court. The Thunderbirds still had to inbound the ball, with the possibility that a steal from right under the basket might result in a tied game, and the Marauders defended it well and got a hand on it, but deflected it out of bounds and on their next attempt, now with a just fraction of a second left, the Thunderbirds got it in cleanly to mid court and time expired. A geat game. Lewis led Hills with 19 points, Crittendon had 18, and Nero-Clark 14, while Jose Rivera led all scorers with 27 points for Bay Shore and Walcott added 11. 3/2
SUFFOLK TOC SEMIFINALS
Southampton 74 C Moriches 71
These two old rivals, Southampton the newly crowned Class A Champion and Center Moriches the new Class B Champion, battled it out to advance to the Suffolk County Tournament Of Champions final against a yet to be determined Class AA champion. Go to the BOX SCORE for an excellent recap.
DAY 7 SECTION 11 PLAYOFFS
CLASS AA SEMIFINALS
Bay Shore 66 Smithtown W 59
It was classic Bay Shore basketball in the first half, frustrating the #2 ranked Smithtown West attack at every turn and building a 36-24 halftime lead, but the 3rd ranked Marauders’ Achilles heel - foul trouble, once again became a factor and they had to hold off the determined Bulls to advance to the championship game. Bay Shore started quickly, jumping out to a 7-2 lead on Jose Rivera’s three-pointer from behind the left elbow, but back to back three-pointers by Gordon Shouler cut it to 9-8. It was 14-8 Marauders after a left baseline three by Darien Walcott and Angel Rivera’s step back jumper from the left elbow, but neither team could sustain any momentum and they traded baskets and free throws the rest of the quarter, with Bay Shore up 20-10 at the buzzer. Michael Gannon’s three-point play and then his basket from underneath brought Smithtown back within 6 early in the second quarter, but it was 30-18 Bay Shore after Walcott’s right baseline three-pointer and they were up by 12 at the half. Anthony Simpson penetrated from the top and hit a floater to open the second half and Jose Rivera knocked down two free throws for a 40-24 Bay Shore lead, but Chris Crespo hit a big three-pointer for the Bulls to keep them within striking distance and later in the quarter, Greg Giordano’s right wing jumper cut it to 47-36 and Crespo’s right baseline three-pointer to 50-41 and Smithtown was back in it. Gannon’s putback in the closing moments made it a 7 point game at that’s the way the third quarter ended. Giordano’s two free throws cut it to 51-45 early in the 4th quarter, but Smithtown could not capitalize on back to back turnovers by the Marauders and Angel Rivera, back in the game after sitting most of the third quarter, scored back to back fast break baskets and the Bay Shore lead was 55-45 with 4:31 to play. Giordano answered with a left wing runner for Bulls and then Gannon’s fast break basket and another drive by Giordano from the top cut the margin to 4 with 1:49 left, but a huge three-pointer by Jose Rivera from behind the left elbow and then one out of two free throws made it 59-51. Another Bay Shore free throw made it 60-51 at 1:11 mark, but Crespo hit a tough right-wing three to make it a 6 point game and Smithtown still had some hope. It quickly ended on a three-point play by Jose Rivera off a half-court inbound play that gave the Marauders a 64-54 lead with 24 seconds left. Jose led all scorers with 21 points, brother Angel had 12 despite limited playing time, Walcot also had 12 and Sawyer 11 for Bay Shore while Crespo finished with 18 for Smithtown West, Gannon 15 and Giordano 12. 2/25
Hills East 75 Brentwood 59
With three freshmen in the starting line-up, 16th ranked Brentwood will be contending for county championships for years to come, and they battled 8th ranked Hills East head to head for three quarters before the Thunderbirds put them away late in the 4th. Julien Crittendon opened the game with a left wing three-pointer to give Hills the early lead, and Kendall Nero-Clark banked in another three to put them up 6 zip, but freshman Kenny Lazo went coast to coast in response for what turned out to be a three-point play, a good sign for Brentwood. Still, the Thunderbirds continued to build their lead on Kenny Mathurin’s basket off and inbound play and two free throws by Savion Lewis, but the Indians stayed with them and a foul line jumper by freshman Bryce Harris cut it to 18-13 Hills at the first quarter buzzer. Jamel Belnavis opened the second quarter with a left wing three-pointer and Brentwood was back within 2, but Hills started to pull away after a Lewis floater and Nero-Clark’s right wing three-pointer gave them a 25-18 advantage. Instead, a Harris foul line jumper and a fast break basket and free throw by Javon Williams and it was a 2 point game again and it remained tight to the half, with the T-Birds clinging to a slim 1 point lead after Lazo’s three-pointer from the top and Zed Key’s basket from underneath narrowed the gap. Mathurin, East’s active big man who had some early foul trouble, made his presence known right away as the second half got underway, rebounding and scoring, but Rahmel Allen’s left wing three-pointer tied it at 35 and then his free throws gave Brentwood their first lead. Hills took it back with another Mathurin putback and Kioni Nedd’s two free throws, and a steal and three-point play by Lewis put them up 46-39, but a Harris drive from the foul line broke the run and a Jason Feliz basket from the lane and Key’s basket from underneath and Brentwood was back within 1 with 2:18 to play in the quarter. Nero-Clark held the lead with a clutch right wing three, but Brentwood kept coming, and Key scored again from the lane and Feliz followed him with a fast break basket to tie it at 49 with 1:30 remaining. Mathurin came up with another big offensive rebound and scored in the final seconds of the quarter, but Harris matched him to tie it at 51 all with three quarters complete. Lewis opened the fourth quarter scoring, curling from the right wing and pulling up for a left elbow jumper to put the Thunderbirds back on top, buy Key answered with a fast break basket. Lewis put them ahead once again, this time with two free throws, and then he stole the ball and was intentionally fouled, hitting 1 of the 2 free throws, and on the resulting possession, Mathurin drilled a surprizing right baseline three-pointer to make it 59-53 Hills with 5:25 to play. Lewis added two more free throws for an 8 point lead and Brentwood needed stops to close the gap, but the teams began to trade baskets and free throws down the stretch until Crittendon’s big left wing three gave Hills a 66-57 lead at the 2:32 mark. Two more clutch free throws by Lewis and the T-Birds had an 11 point lead with 1:57 left and Brentwood was done, scoring only 2 more points the rest of the way. Lewis finished with 28 points and 8 assists, Nero-Clark added 16 points, Mathurin 14, and Crittendon 11. Key led Brentwood with 20 points and fellow freshman Harris had 10. 2/25
DAY 6 SECTION 11 PLAYOFFS
CLASS A CHAMPIONSHIP
Southampton 93 Wyandanch 80
Two talented rivals coming off impressive wins in the semifinals faced off in the champinship game, and after non-stop action in front of a big and boisterous crowd, Southampton pulled away down the stretch for their first Class A County Championship, and after winning three straight Class B crowns, it was their fourth consecutive County title. It was no surprise that the game began at a fast pace and that the lead changed hands with almost every basket, but Southampton started to build a lead at the 4 minute mark of the first quarter when Micah Snowden scored back to back and Timmy Alejo knocked down 2 free throws to put them up 18-13. Snowden’s left baseline three pointer made it 21-15 as the quarter wound down, but a deep right wing three from Kashawn Charles and it was a 3 point game at the first quarter buzzer. Dabien Walker opened the second quarter with two free throws and Deonte Jordan nailed a left baseline three pointer to put Wyandanch on top 23-21, but Elijah Wingfield answered with a right baseline 3 to retake the lead and the back and forth action resumed. The Warriors started to build some momentum as the quarter progressed, going up 5 on a fast break basket by Charles, and Walker followed it with a nice alley-oop dunk and Corey Stewart with a fast break basket with 5:20 still to play in the half. Charles kept it going with a three pointer and then a steal and fast break basket to make it 39-31 Wyandanch at the 2:19 mark and it remained an 8 point game at intermission. Aaron Krzyzewski’s putpack, Wingfield’s drive and two free throws by Alejo quickly cut the Wyandanch lead to 41-39 as the second half got underway, but Charles knocked down the first of his three third quarter three pointers to stop the run, the third three from the deep right wing giving the Warriors a 7 point lead with 4:22 remaining in the third quarter. Southampton answered with a basket by Snowden from underneath and a pull-up three pointer by Andre Franklin on the break to cut it to 52-51, and Jordan tried to hold them off with a runner from the right side, but the Mariners had seized the momentum and Snowden brought them back within 1 with a basket from underneath and Krzyzewski’s two free throws gave them the lead. Franklin kept it going, barreling down the lane through traffic to put Southampton up by 3, he followed it up with a right wing three pointer, and then Krzyzewski’s left elbow jumper made it 62-54 Mariners at the 1:02 mark of the quarter. Stewart’s putback cut it to 6 at the third quarter buzzer. Southampton was already shooting 1 and 1 as the fourth quarter began and Snowden padded their lead, going to the free throw line and hitting both ends, and it grew to 9 after Franklin’s three pointer from the left baseline, but Charles kept it close, knocking down a deep three with a defender all over him. Snowden added two more free throws to keep the pressure on, and the teams traded baskets and free throws down to the 5:32 mark, when Jordan’s fast break basket cut it to 71-66. Once again, Snowden found himself at the free throw line and he came through again, but Charles was fouled attempting a three pointer on the other end after chasing down a loose ball and knocked down all three free throws to make it a 4 point game with 5:08 remaining. The Wyandanch rally stalled, however, when the Warriors proceeded to miss four consecutive free throws and the Mariners made them pay, scoring on a putback by Alejo and Krzyzewski’s big three from the top to take a 79-69 lead with 3:15 to play. Snowden added his 7th and 8th consecutive free throws and Wingfield added two more to make it 85-74 with 1:10 left - game over. Snowden led the balanced Southampton attack with 26 points, Wingfield had 20, Krzyzewski 18 and Franklin 16. Charles led all scorers with 34 points, Stewart had 16 and Jordan 14 for Wyandanch. 2/24
SUFFOLK COUNTY TOC
CM 60 Bridgehampton 44
It was all Center Moriches, the Class B Champions pulling away from Long Island's legendary basketball program in the second quarter and rolling into the next round of the Tournament Of Champions, where they will have a very intriguing match-up against long-time rival Southampton, the newly crowned Class A Champs. 2/24
DAY 5 SECTION 11 PLAYOFFS
CLASS B CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
C. Moriches 71 Babylon 59
The Red Devils were a heavy favorite going into the game, and although Babylon put up a good fight, prevailed as expected. Nakia Durham led the way with 21 points and 10 rebounds, Sean Braithwaite had a triple-double with 20 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists, and Troy Goode finished with 12 points. 2/21
CLASS A SEMIFINALS
Two teams that were in Class B last season will play for the Section 11 Class A Championship this season!
Wyandanch 92 Harborfields 73
Kashawn Charles and Dionte Jordan combined for 5 first quarter three pointers, sparking Wyandanch to a 53 point first half and a 12 point halftime lead, and Harborfield never fully recovered. The lead grew to 20 on a soaring putback by Corey Stewart and a Charles three pointer from the top, but Harborfields did not roll over, answering with a 14-0 run that began with Mike McDermott's left baseline jumper and a coast to coast basket by Kyle Stolba, and was capped off by a right baseline drive and reverse layup by Shane Wagner that made it a 6 point game with 1:35 to play in the third quarter. That, however, turned out to be the Tornado's last gasp. Wyandanch scored 6 straight points as the clock ticked down in the quarter, with Charles knocking down two free throws, Stewart scoring from underneath, and Jordan pulling up for a nice jumper, and the momentum swing continued into the 4th quarter, with Jordan knocking down another 3 pointer, and after a steal and basket by Charles and three putbacks by Stewart, who was all over the offensive boards, the lead was back to 20 and time running out. Charles led all scorers with 34 points and added 8 assists, and Jordan and Stewart both finished with 20 points. Alex Merhige led Harborfields with 24. 2/21
Southampton 72 BBP 56
Southhampton is continuing their great winning tradition in Class A, and rolled over a very good Bayport-Blue Point team to advance to the finals. STORY 2/21
CLASS AA QUARTERFINALS
Smithtown W 50 Deer Park 47
This game was closer than some expected, but the Bulls did what good teams do - win. Deer Park had the lead most of the way, thanks to Brett Talbert and Darien Jenkins and good team defense, but couldn't pull away and Greg Giordano's 8 fourth quarter points rallied West to victory. Giordano finished with 22 points and Chris Crespo with 11 points and 7 assists. NEWS 12 HIGHLIGHTS 2/21
Central Islip beat Bay Shore by 7 just 10 days ago, so although the result wasn't a complete surprise, the margin of victory certainly was. Bay Shore utilized their trademark high energy defense to smother the Musketeers, while Angel Rivera led the offense with 22 points and 9 rebounds and Anthony Simpson added 10 points and 11 rebounds. 2/21
Hills East 75 Ward Melville 59
Hills East is primed for the playoffs, knocking off another good opponent to advance. The Thunderbirds jumped out to a lead and never let up, with Savion Lewis having a very big game, leading the offense with 33 points and 9 assists. 2/21
Brentwood 78 Hills West 74 OT
In a rematch of last seasons Section 11 Class AA Championship Game, Brentwood survived a dogfight in overtime. West rallied in the second half to draw even behind the inspied play of Cameron Jordan, Matthew Asenjo and Derek Brower JR, but Rahmel Allen and Jason Feliz both had big games and were the difference, Allen finishing with 24 points and 9 rebounds and Feliz with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Freshman Zed Key added 11 points and 13 rebounds. 2/21
SUFFOLK COUNTY TOC
Bridgehampton 47 Stony Brk 41
You have to give Bridgehampton credit. They might not be as strong as other recent Killer Bee teams in terms of overall talent, but they play with the same confidence and determinations all Bridgehampton teams seem to have, and advanced in the Tourmnament of Champions to face Class B Champ Center Moriches. Nykell Dean led the way with 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Elijah Harding added 11 points. 2/21
DAY 4 SECTION 11 PLAYOFFS
CLASS C CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Stony Brook 49 Greenport 35
The Stony Brook School, winners of 4 straight Section 11 Class C titles, looked to be having an off year, starting the season 3-5 and compiling a modest 5-5 record in league play, which included two losses to first place Greenport, but they closed out the season winning 3 of their last 4, upset Port Jefferson in the Semifinals, and completely shut down Greenport's high powered offense to earn their 5th straight Class C Championship. Mac Bohuny was terrific, finishing with 19 points and 10 rebounds, and so was Brandon Providence, who finished with 15 points and 7 assists, and Jyles Etienne anchored the outstanding defensive effort while scoring 8 points and pulling down 17 rebounds. No Porter scored in double figures. STORY 2/19
DAY 3 SECTION 11 PLAYOFFS
The Class AA teams took center stage and there were quite a few one-sided matchups, but the 8/9 game lived up to advanced billing with host Central Islip holding off Copiague 67-64 in overtime. The Eagles had rallied from a 14 point halftime deficit, but they could not sustain their momentum in the extra session and a three point play by Ryan Beckles, who finished with 34 points, put C.I. ahead for good. Darryan Fuentes added 14 points for the Musketeers and Michael Hennie hit two big free throws in the final seconds….. In another tight game, Deer Park led most of the way, but North Babylon staged a spirited fourth quarter rally and had the ball in the final seconds trailing by 2, only to fall short. Darien Jenkins led Deer Park with 13 points and Brett Talbert and Rayshion Bien Aise both finished with 10….. Sachem East beat Brentwood the last time theses two teams played, and the Flaming Arrows gave them another good scare with a hard fought back and forth game that was even through three quarters, but a big three pointer by Jah-Talie Davis sparked the Indians to a 13-5 fourth quarter and the 59-51 win. Jason Feliz had another good game with 15 points and 8 rebounds and Davis finished with 12. East’s Jon Hart led all scorers with 24 points…. Smithtown West raced out to a 22-3 first quarter lead over Lindenhurst on their way to a 68-48 victory. Gordon Shouler led the way with 16 points and Nick Ferolito had 13 points and 9 assists STORY ….. Bay Shore rolled over William Floyd 83-53 behind a huge game from Jose Rivera, who had 30 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals….. Hills East held Longwood to single digits in three of the four quarters on their way to a 50-38 victory. Julien Crittendon had 22 points and Savion Lewis had 20. STORY ….. Ward Melville matched Hills East’s feet, holding East Islip to single digits in three out of 4 quarters. They took a 66-34 decision. Matt Hudzik led with 21 points, Dom Pryor had 14 points and 14 rebounds, and Alex Sobel had 13 points..... Hills West beat Bellport handily for the 3rd time this season, 61-49, and Cam Jordan, back from injury now, dominated, finishing with 26 points, 17 rebounds and 8 assists. STORY 2/18 AA BRACKETS
DAY 2 SECTION 11 PLAYOFFS
Bayport-BP 88 Amityville 85
These two teams have had some classic playoff battles in recent years, and BBP took this quarterfinal match-up with a dramatic 4th quarter rally. Mike Darby, Long Island's third leading scorer this season, hit the game winning free throws with 20 seconds remaining. He finished with 26 points and 11 assists. Zach Walker also had a big game, finishing with 21 points and 7 steals. 2/17
Wyandanch 77 Sayville 58
Wyandanch, led by Long Island's leading scorer Kashawn Charles, is explosive offensively, with four 90 point games to their credit, and they exploded for 50 second half points in this one to pull away from a higher seeded Sayville team in a quarterfinal match-up. Deonte Jordan was high scorer with 25 and Charles did it all, finishing with 22 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals despite a slow start. 2/17
Southampton 85 John Glenn 64
Southampton teams always peak for the playoffs, and the Mariners rolled to their 7th straight win, defeating league rival John Glenn, who handed them one of their 2 losses earlier in the season. Chad Pike led the way with 25 points, Andre Franklin had 21, and Elijah Wingfield 12 points and 12 assists. 2/17
#5 Harborfields 86 Mt. Sinai 53
Harborfields is the team to beat once again in Suffolk Class A, and they rolled up a 35-9 first quarter lead in this one. They did it behind two 29 point scorers - Kyle Stolba and Alex Merhige, and Shane Wagner added 13. 2/17
DAY 1 SECTION 11 PLAYOFFS
Greenport 83 Pierson 60
Section 11 action kicked off with the Class C Semifinals, and top seed Greenport showed why they are the favorites, blowing open the game with 49 second half points after withstanding a hot shooting first half from Pierson. Ahkee Anderson didn't disappoint, finishing with 27 points and 11 rebounds, Jordan Fonseca also had a big game, finishing with 21 points, Julian Swann added 6 points and 16 rebounds. STORY
Stony Brook 50 Port Jeff 47
The 2-3 game was everything you'd expect, with the Bears rallying dramatically to nip the Royals. Mac Bohuny led Stony Brook with 18 points and Jyles Etienne finished with 13 points and 18 rebounds. 2/16
**********
In Class A Playoff action, Mt. Sinai and Comsewogue waged an epic battle for the right to face #1 seed Harborfields, and Mt. Sinai came out on top 70-63 in OT. Comsewogue rallied to take a fourth quarter lead, but Mt. Sinai's Nick Rose hit a big three pointer to send the game into OT and Nick Pintabona hit 5 free throws in OT, finishing with 20 points and 15 rebounds. Harrison Bak also had a big game, with 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Rose finished with 16 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. 2/16
OUR 2017 CHAMPIONS
LONG ISLAND
CLASS AA: Westbury
CLASS A: Southampton
CLASS B: Center Moriches
CLASS C: Stony Brook
CLASS D: Bridgehampton
NSCHSAA: Chaminade
Independant: LuHI
PSAA: LWA
NASSAU/Section 8
CLASS AA: Westbury
CLASS A: Elmont
CLASS B: Oyster Bay
CLASS C: East Rockaway
SUFFOLK/Section 11
OVERALL: Hills East
CLASS AA: Hills East
CLASS A: Southampton
CLASS B: Center Moriches
CLASS C: Stony Brook
CLASS D: Bridgehampton
Playoff Scoring
BEST SINGLE GAMES
Joey Harclerode 39
Kashawn Charles 34
Kashawn Charles 34
Savion Lewis 33
Aiden Igiehon 33
Jordan Dingle 32
Jordan Dingle 31
Patrick Gardner 30
Jose Rivera 30
Reese Grossman 30
2016 CHAMPIONS
NASSAU/Section 8
CLASS AA: Baldwin
CLASS A: Elmont
CLASS B: Oyster Bay
CLASS C: East Rockaway
SUFFOLK/Section 11
OVERALL: Hills West
CLASS AA: Hills West
CLASS A: Harborfields
CLASS B: Southampton
CLASS C: Stony Brook
CLASS D: Bridgehampton
NSCHSAA
St. Anthony’s
PSAA
LWA
Crusaders Fall In Final
Lincoln 80 LuHi 63
LuHi led after one quarter, but a devastating 22-1 run over the second and third quarters carried Lincoln to their first State Championship since 2008. STORY
LuHi Advances At Fed!
The Long Island Lutheran Crusaders rallied past NYSPHSAA Champion Mount Vernon 67-57 to advance to the Class AA Final of the New York State Tournament Of Champions. They will take on NYC PSAL AA Champion Lincoln, a 56-47 winner over CHSAA AA State Champion Cardinal Hayes in the championship game. STORY 3/24
FEDERATION TOC!
The field is now set for the big finish to the New York State basketball season - The Federation Tournament Of Champions! Three of New York's legendary basketball programs are represented once again. LuHi is the all-time leader with 7 Federation titles, Mount Vernon has 5 and Lincoln 4. Here are the semifinal match-ups at
The Glens Falls Civic Center:
Friday, March 24th
CLASS AA BOYS
7 PM LuHi vs Mount Vernon
9 PM Lincoln vs Cardinal Hayes
CLASS AA GIRLS
The Baldwin Girls are having a dream season and will represent Long Island as the NYSPHSAA Class AA State Champions! LuHi is in the other bracket, so an All Long Island Champiomship Game is a real possibility, but CHSAA Champ Mary Louis handed Baldwin their only loss of the season. Matchups:
1 PM Baldwin vs Mary Louis
3 PM LuHi vs South Shore
NYSPHSAA Final Four
CLASS A SEMIFINAL
OLL 70 Southampton 67
The Mariners rallied to take a 3Q lead, but OLL caught them down the stretch and a last second three pointer to tie was off target. STORY LATER
CLASS AA SEMIFINAL
Mount Vernon 72 Westbury 38.
Mount Vernon gave up a big lead in their Regional Final victory over Scarsdale, but have had big leads and big wins in all of their playoff games, and after a contentious first quarter, added the Green Dragons to their list. STORY LATER
LI Championship
NYSPHSAA A REGIONAL FINAL
Southampton 60 Elmont 53
Andre Franklin came off the bench and knocked down 7 three pointers, finishing with a game high 29 points to lead the Mariners past the defending New York State Champions. It was their fourth straight Long Island Championship and their first trip to the New York State Final Four since 1999, when they went on to win the State Title. STORY SHORTLY STATE BRACKET
SUFFOLK COVERAGE
NYSPHSAA B REGIONAL FINAL
C. Moriches 72 Spackenkill 57
22-2 Spackenkill was the 18th ranked Class B team in New York State, but Center Moriches was very impressive, rolling into their first New York State Final Four since 1987. The Red Devils shot the lights out, finishing with 14 three-pointers. STORY LATER
NYSPHSAA C REGIONAL FINAL
Stony Brook 45 Millbrook 27
The Bears had never advanced past the Regional Finals, but the inspired play of Brandon Providence and Jyles Etiene carried them to a decisive victory and a spot in the New York State Final Four. STORY LATER
CLASS D REGIONAL SEMIFINAL
Seward 61 Bridgehampton 60
Bridgehampton battled heroically to get back into the game after Seward (19-4) had outscored them 20 to 12 in the third quarter, and when the Section 9 Champions missed the front end of back to back 1 and 1s, the door swung open, but the Killer Bees couldn’t walk through, unable to get the game-winning shot off before the buzzer sounded. Sadly, it was legendary Coach Carl Johnson’s final game as coach of one of New York's most storied basketball programs. Coach Johnson coached them to three New York State Championships and played in three others, the only person ever to do so. STORY 3/6
SUFFOLK COUNTY TOC
Hills East 87 Southampton 71
The big school/small school Hoosiers style matchups in the Suffolk County Tournament Of Champions still pack gyms year after year, and the series was tied 5-5 over the last 10 years coming into the game, but Small School Champion Southampton’s starting point guard turned an ankle the previous game and Hills East’s outstanding defense was unforgiving, generating turnover after turnover and overwhelming the Mariners to lead the Thunderbirds to their first ever Suffolk County Championship. After a devastating opening run by the Section 11 Class AA Champions, the Class A Champions managed to stay in it on a heroic performance by Andre Franklin, who finished with 19 points, with Timmy Alejo, Eddie Arnold, and Aaron Krzyzewski pitching in, but Julien Crittendon, who finished with a game-high 24 points and Kendall Nero-Clark, who had 23, both brought their A games and were knocking down shots, rebounding and defending with their usual zeal throughout, and Savion Lewis orchestrated beautifully, making steal after steal, handing out 14 assists and finishing with 19 points of his own. Chad Pike was a second half bright spot for Southampton, briefly slowing the Hills attack, and he finished with 16 points. 3/5
CHSAA STATE SEMIFINALS
Chaminade 59 Canisius 56
The Fylers made the long trip up to Buffalo and defeated the two time defending CHSAA Class A State Champions, building a 13 point second half lead and then holding off the Crusaders to advance to the State Championship Game against Staten Island's Monsignor Farrell. Farrell beat Fordham Prep from the Bronx to claim their spot in the final.
POST SEASON AWARDS
Playoff Season is immediately followed by Awards Season, and LongIslandBasketball recognizes excellence in the following categories:
The Basketball Honor Roll
All-Long Island Freshman
All-Long Island Sophomores
First Team All-Long Island
Player Of The Year
Coach Of The Year
Make sure you check back regularly as the season draws to its exciting conclusion and find out who the best of the best are this season!
NY STATE COVERAGE
STATE TOURNAMENT UPDATE
Our own 9 time State Champion Bridgehampton was unfortunately eliminated in the Regional Semifinals, but some of New York’s other legendary basketball programs are still alive in State Tornament action. 10 time State Champion Mount Vernon is the NYSPHSAA Section 1 Champion once again, and awaits the winner of Westbury/Hills East in the Class AA Final Four. The last time a Mount Vernon team faced a Long Island in the Final Four was a 2011 match-up with Hills West, which they won on their way to a Federation title. Six time State Champion Jamesville-DeWitt would not face a Long Island team until the Championship Game. Their last match-up with a Long Island team was also in 2011, when they beat Harborfields in the final before losing to LuHi in the Federation Semifinals. In Class B action, 4 time champion Westhill takes on Center Moriches in the Semifinals. They fell to Babylon in a 2013 semifinal match-up. In Federation play, our own 7 time champion Long Island Lutheran has already secured their spot, and will take on the NYSPHSAA Champion, possibly 5 time Federation Champion Mount Vernon, in one semifinal, and on the other side of the bracket, 4 time Federation Champion Lincoln has the the CHSAA Champion in the Federation Semifinals with a possible match-up with LuHi in the State Championship Game.
"B" REGIONAL SEMIFINALS
LONG ISLAND CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
C. Moriches 80 Oyster Bay 60
Suffolk Champion Center Moriches came into the game as the clear favorite, putting together a 19-4 record with a challenging schedule to earn a #9 ranking among all of New York State’s Class B teams, and they played their part to a T, racing out to an early 17 point lead while scoring 28 first quarter points. Nakia Durham and Tyiquon Nix provided the early spark, aggressively attacking the basket, hitting shots and playing tough defense, and so did Troy Goode, scoring and distributing the ball and doing some very effective ball-hawking of his own, but the Baymen are the Nassau County Champions and did not go down without a fight. They sliced what had become a 25 point deficit to 13 just before halftime on a Khalil Williams baseline jumper and Elia DeBlasio's basket off a turnover, and then after a back and forth third quarter, were back within 10 after DeBlasio knocked down a big left baseline three-pointer with 5:25 remaining. The Baymen had several chances to close the gap from there and get back into it, but missed some tough shots and the momentum swung back to the Red Devils, sparked by back to back baskets by Goode, and CM pulled away decisively to earn their first Long Island Championship since 2012 and a spot in the New York State Regional Finals. They will now face Section 9 Champion Spackenkill (20-2) for a chance to go to the NYSPHSAA State Final Four in Binghampton. Red Devil super sophomore Sean Braithwaite efficiently went about his business the whole game, contributing to every run and defensive stand and leading all scorers with 24 points while pulling down 12 rebounds and handing out 7 assists. Nix finished with 17 points, Goode with 16 and 10 assists, and Durham with 14 points. Elia DeBlasio had 17 points for Oyster Bay. 3/7
**************
THE BASKETBALL
HONOR ROLL
**************
Long Island's Best Basketball Players!
High School
All-Star Tournament
Long Island 107 Queens 60
Manhattan 95 Brooklyn 85
The Queens shooters came out red hot and the Long Island All-Star Team fell into an early hole, but quickly rallied behind the defense of Wyandanch star Kashawn Charles, who hounded ball handlers and made several steals, and Elmont star KC Endefo, who must have blocked half a dozen shots in the early going, and once they took the lead, they never looked back. It was 29-17 Long Island after one quarter and they utilized a potent balanced attack from there to overwhelm their next door rivals, going up 52-25 at intermission and cruising in the second half. Deer Park's Darien Jenkins and Uniondale's Danny Ashley did a terrific job running the point, consistently beating pressure and skillfully distributing the ball, Ndefo was at his best, blocking shots and throwing down dunks, and the rest of the impressive squad took turns knocking down jumpers, pulling down rebounds, and scoring on the break. 6 Long Islanders finished in double figures, led by Ashley with 15 points and Charles with 13, Jenkins and Amityville's Josh Serrano both had 12, Ndefo 11, and Upper Room's Lester Quinones finished with 10. The Long Island All-Stars now take on the Manhattan All-Stars in the Championship Game tonight at 7:45 pm again at Archbishop Molloy. Manhattan held off Brooklyn in their semifinal victory. 5/2/17
ALL-STAR TOURNAMENT
One of New York City's legendary basketball events, the Wheelchair All-Star Basketball Classic, begins this Wednesday, May 3rd when High School All-Star teams from Brooklyn, led by Lincoln's David Flores, Queens, led by Christ The King's Jose Alvarado, Manhattan, led by Nigel Marshall from St. Anthony's, and our own Long Island All-Stars face off at Archbishop Molloy High School. It's an important charity event that raises money to purchase wheelchairs for the disabled. An opening round doubleheader kicks off the event's 43rd year, with a 6:30 pm match-up between the defending champion Brooklyn All-Stars and Manhattan's best the first game, and in the second game at 8 pm, the host Queens All-Stars take on Long Island, with a possible match-up between two First Team All-New York State point guards in Alvarado and Long Island's Savion Lewis. THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME IS THURSDAY MAY 4TH AT 8 PM, and the consolation game is at 5:30 PM, with the Girls Championship Game in between at 6:45 PM. Hope you can join us for some first rate high school hoops!
Savion Lewis
Half Hollow Hills East
LONG ISLAND
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Peter Basel
Half Hollow Hills East
LONG ISLAND
COACH OF THE YEAR
AROUND THE NET
LI at NCJAA Nationals
Tyquan Scott from Long Beach and Justin Harley from Central Islip both helped lead Herkimer CC to a third place finish at the NJCAA Nationals. Scott had 29 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks in the 3rd place game and was named to the All-Tournament team He was also selected First Team All-Region and Conference Player Of The Year. Harley had an incredible 17 rebounds in the game and was also named All-Region and All-Conference. Two other Long Islanders contributed to the run. Uniondale’s Shomari Redd had 9 points and 4 assists in the third place game and Elmont’s Jalen Burgess had 13 points in a quarterfinal win over Nassau CC.
LI at NCAA D2 Tournament
Uniondale’s Aaron Cust is a starter for the St. Thomas Aquinas team that advanced to the the Elite 8 of the NCAA D2 Basketball Tournament, and Peter Alkins from Holy Trinity and Ross Greenfield from Harborfields come off the bench for the Spartans… Cust finished with 14 points in their 79-70 loss to Northwest Missouri State.
2017 NASSAU
SENIOR ALL-STAR DOUBLEHEADER
Nassau County's best seniors were on the court one last time before they head off to college, squaring off for a doubleheader that is held annually at the Hickville PAL Complex.
Game 1: Gold 96 Navy 86
You never know how All-Star Games are going to turn out, but this was a good one. Navy had the lead at the half, with Valley Stream North's Noah Shy, Plainview's Jack Stafford, and Syosset's Griffin Halpern all having big first halfs, but Freeport's Raja Mayo and Reggie Nash and Baldwin's Elijah Bovell kept Gold within striking distance and then Baldwin's Norman Wilson and Roosevelt's Latrell Hollister carried them to the win in the second half. Wilson had 13 second half points and finished with 16 while Hollister had 12 in the half and 15 for the game. Shy led all scorers with 20 for Navy, Stafford finished with 14 and so did his Plainview teammate Andrew Cardello.
Game 2: Red 89 Blue 65
Blue was in a hole right from the start after big first half's from Red's Darius Young of Westbury, Brandon Grayson of South Side, and Patrick Gardner of Calhoun. The All-Long Islander Young had 14 points by intermission, while Locust Valley's Danny Wilson, Carle Place's Chris Ruscillo, and Hewlett's Zach Bromfeld valiently tried to keep pace for Blue. New Hyde Park's Joseph Langan added to Blue's troubles with 8 second half points and Kevin Dixon from Island Trees chipped in with 6 point as the Red squad won going away. Young finished with a game high 20 points, Grayson and Langan with 13 each and Gardner with 12. Ruscillo added 11 second half points and finished with 17 for Blue and Bromfeld had 10.
2017 NASSAU
SENIOR ALL-STARS
Alimo, John - VS North
Ammendola, Thomas - Massapequa
Armstrong, Nate - Carle Place
Barron, Saybien - Hempstead
Bell, Rollin - Freeport
Bovell, Elijah - Baldwin
Bromfeld, Zach - Hewlett HS
Brown, Calvin - Roosevelt HS
Cardello, Andrew - Plainview JFK
Cummings, Thomas - Calhoun
Dean, Jonathon - Westbury
Dixon, Kevin - Island Trees
Eisner, Josh - Bellmore JFK
Gardner, Patrick - Calhoun
Grayson, Brandon - South Side
Grossman, Reese - CS Harbor
Gutfleisch, Sean - Wantagh
Halpern, Griffin - Syosset
Hollister, Latrell - Roosevelt
Katz, Jason - Jericho HS
Langan, Joseph - New Hyde Park
L'Epplattenier, Connor - Wantagh
Martinez, Christian - West Hempstead
Mayo, Rajah - Freeport
McPartland, Connor - Hicksville
Merriweather, Xavier - Pt Washington
Muscarella, Matt - Bellmore JFK
Nash, Reggie - Freeport
Pendergrast, Ryan - South Side
Polley, Jajuan - Hempstead
Rieger, Ian - Baldwin
Ruscillo, Chris - Carle Place
Santana, Timothy - Roosevelt HS
Sarpong, Daniel - VS South
Shy, Noah - VS North
Singh, Amrinder - Hicksville
Sitonio, Robert - Lynbrook
Stafford, Jack - Plainview JFK
Tamburello, Mike - Division
Traill, Osbourne - VSS
Wilson, Danny - Locust Valley
Wilson, Norman - Baldwin
Young, Darius - Westbury
2017 CYO CHAMPIONS!
CLICK TO SEE FULL BRACKET
CHAMPIONS, SEND US YOUR TEAM PHOTO!
2017 ISLAND GARDEN SUPER LEAGUE
PLAYOFFS
BRACKETS
We played an incredible 50 games in one day at the 9th Annual Long Island Basketball.com Spring Basketball Championships, with outstanding teams from all over the region competing and more good close games than I can remember in any tournament we’ve ever had! My thanks to everyone that was part of it and helped make it a truly great event! Special thanks to our good friends at
SNEAKER TERMINAL
for providing new sneakers to all of the very deserving championship teams! Here are our 2017 Champions:
LONG ISLAND
ALL-STAR TEAM !!
After three days of tryouts, the Long Island High School All-Star Team that will represent us in the 44th Annual Wheelchair Classic All-Star Tournament on May 3rd and 4th at Archbishop Molloy High School in Queens has been selected.
Our All-Stars will take on All-Star teams representing New York City's 5 boroughs in this important charity event that raises money to buy wheelchairs for the disabled. Almost all of the Metro Area's all-time greats have played in this event over the years, and an all Long Island team will participate for the first time. If you're a high school basketball fan, it's a can't miss event!
ROSTER
Danny Ashley, Uniondale
Elijah Bovell, Baldwin
Kashawn Charles, Wyandanch
Darien Jenkins, Deer Park
Muhammed Jannedi, Knox
Donatas Kupsas, LuHi
Savion Lewis, Hills East
Alejandro Minota, Knox
KC Ndefo, Elmont
Lester Quinones, Upper Room
Josh Serrano, Amityville
Darius Young, Westbury
LONG ISLAND
ALL-STAR TEAM !!
5th Grade/11U Champions
DREAM NYC
Queens, NY
RUNNERS-UP
On Point Cyclones, Brooklyn
6th Grade/12U Champions
TEAM GREEN
Long Island, NY
RUNNERS-UP
Marksmen, Queens, NY
8th Grade/14U Champion
THE CREW
Brooklyn, NY
RUNNERS-UP
LIL Helguero, Long Island, NY
7th Grade/13U Champions
TEAM GREEN
Long Island, NY
RUNNERS-UP
On Point Cyclones, Brooklyn, NY
9th Gr/15U Champion
MARKSMEN/ZULLO
Queens, NY
RUNNERS-UP
Game 7, Long Island, NY
ALL-NEW YORK STATE
BASKETBALL PLAYERS
The New York State Sportswriters Association has announced their selections for All-New York State basketball players in classes A and AA. Highlighting the list is Long Island Basketball.com Player Of The Year Savion Lewis from Hills East, who was selected First Team All-New York State in Class AA, and First Team All-Long Island selection Kashawn Charles, who was selected First Team All-New York State in Class A. There are many more Long Islanders that earned All-New York State honers. Go to the COMPLETE LIST! Their previously announced list of All-New York State Basketball Players for Classes B, C, and D includes First Teamer Jordan Dingle from Lawrence Woodmere Academy and Second Teamers Aiden Igiehon, also from LWA, and Ahkee Anderson from Greenport, and third-teamer Sean Braithwaite from Center Moriches. Go to the full small school list HERE, which includes additional Long Islanders as well.
4th Gr./10U B Champions
MARKSMEN
Queens, NY
4th Gr./10U A Champions
MIDDLETOWN'S FINEST
Middletown, NY
RUNNERS-UP
LIL Pavinelli, Long Island NY
ALL-LONG ISLAND COLLEGIATE TEAMS
Division 1
FIRST TEAM
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
*Lucas Woodhouse*
Harborfields/Stony Brook
Emile Blackman/Hills West/Duquesne
Justin Wright-Foreman/Hofstra
Luke Petrasek/Northport/Columbia
Andre Walker/Westbury/Loyola
HONORABLE MENTION
Chris Brady/Harborfields/Monmouth
Kentan Facey/LuHi/UConn
Rokas Gustys/Hofstra
Tidell Pierre/Hempstead/Central Ct.
Marvin Prochet/LuHi/Niagara
Deron Powers/Hofstra
Division 2
FIRST TEAM
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
*Jon Feiler*
Smithtown East/NYIT
Michael Coffey/Adelphi
Jared Hall/LIU Post
Charlie Marquardt/Molloy
Jaylen Morris/Molloy
HONORABLE MENTION
Greg Dotson/LIU Post
Gerrel Irvin/Bay Shore/Dominican
Jack Laffey/Adelphi
Diego Maldonado/VS South/Queens
Stephen Milhaven/St. M’s/Corcordia
Manny Suarez/Adelphi
Division 3
FIRST TEAM
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
*Jamail Stanley*
Old Westbury
Andy Laurent/Amityville/St. Joseph's
Jonathan Patron/Harb/Plattsburgh
Justin Ringen/Harborfields/Geneseo
George Riefenstahl/BBP/Farm. St
Hunter Schenkel, Sayville, New Roch.
HONORABLE MENTION
Hamed Shamseldin/Lawr/Brockport
Weldon Irvine/Hewlett/Farm. State
Clifton Lyerly/Lawrence/Brockport
Ali Mableton/Brentwood/Farm. State
Matt Miller/USMMA
Fernando Vazquez/Bab/St. Joseph’s
Junior College
FIRST TEAM
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Tyquan Scott
Long Beach/Herkimer
Jarell Cowell/Newfield/Mohawk Valley
Devonte Dixon/William Floyd/Monroe
Justin Harley/Central Islip/Herkimer
Terrell Williams/Nassau
HONORABLE MENTION
Elijah Bush/Upper Room/Essex
Kalif Jackson/Bay Shore/Sullivan
Dana King/VS South/Nassau
Pauly Paulicap/Elmont/Harcum
Nysir Williams/Longwood/Sullivan
Charles Wingate/Nassau
High School
All-Star Tournament
Career Milestones
Players, did you get the 1000th point in your high school varsity career this season, or become one of your school's all-time leading scorers? Coaches, did you earn your 100th career win? 200th? More? Become the all-time winningest coach? Did your team surpass any previous all-time records or win a title for the first time? LET US KNOW!
Showdown Results
It was a great tournament that featured programs from all over the region and some dominant teams preparing for national events. Teams from Long Island, New York City, Connecticut, and New Jersey converged at two of Long Island's top facilities and the following champions were crowned:
LONG ISLAND TEAM
MAKES HISTORY!
For the first time in the 44 year history of the Wheelchair All-Star Basketball Classic, a Long Island High School All-Star team has won the championship, and they did so in spectacular fashion, rolling over the Manhattan/Bronx All-Stars 104-53 in the final. First Team All-New York State guard Kashawn Charles from Wyandanch was named MVP. HERE IS THE HISTORIC ROSTER
Danny Ashley, Uniondale
Elijah Bovell, Baldwin
Kashawn Charles, Wyandanch
Darien Jenkins, Deer Park
Muhammed Jannedi, Knox
Donatas Kupsas, LuHi
Alejandro Minota, Knox
KC Ndefo, Elmont
Lester Quinones, Upper Room
Josh Serrano, Amityville
Darius Young, Westbury
HEAD COACH
Gary Charles
ASSISTANT COACH
Darius Burton
CHAMPIONSHIP
GAME RECAP
MVP Charles, Long Island's leading scorer this season at 30.3 ppg, opened the game with a right wing three pointer, and then his steal led to a beautiful drive through traffic by Deer Park's Darien Jenkins and a quick 5-0 Long Island lead, but the Manhattan/Bronx All-stars responded, with Marlon Moreta from WHEELS driving baseline and scoring on a reverse lay-up to put the City up 6-5. Long Island retook the lead on another three by Charles, this one from behind the left elbow, Jenkins added a jumper, and then another steal by Charles led to a fast break basket by Jenkins and a block by Elmont's KC Ndefo to a fast break basket by Westbury's Darius Young and Long Island began to take control. A steal and fast break basket by Uniondale's Danny Ashley and back to back baskets by Upper Room's Lester Quinones, the first a right wing three pointer and the second a beautiful hesitaion drive and dunk, made it 23-9 Long Island, and then back to back baskets by Ashley and a fast break dunk by Ndefo 29-11 and the Manhattan-Bronx team was in serious trouble at the first quarter buzzer. It looked like more of the same as the second quarter got underway, with Charles scoring back to back on a putback and then a left wing three pointer and Amityville's Josh Serano knocking down two free throws for an imposing 25 point Long Island lead, but to M/B's credit, they mounted a serious rally in response. Deondre Bourne from Lehman kicked it off with two free throws, Malik Bourne from Bergtraum stole the ball twice and scored both times, Jessy Jiminez from WHEELS stole the ball and scored on a nice hesitation drive, and then Taylor added a fast break dunk to cut the margin to 36-21 with 5:58 still to play in the half. The rally continued with Bourne's runner high off the glass and then James Bouknight from LaSalle scored from underneath to make it an 11 point game, but a left baseline drive by Alejandro Minota from Knox and it was 42-29 Long Island at the half. M/B continued to close the gap as the second half got underway with Leonard Luton from Bronx Regional collecting a long rebound and scoring, and then Cliff St Juste from St. Anthony's cut across the lane and hit a fade-away and the lead was alarmingly down to just 7 points, but the defense held and a fast break basket by Young and a putback by Knox's Muhammed Jannedi bumped the lead back to 14. A left baseline three by Charles and a fast break basket by Jenkins made it 58-41, and then three straight baskets by LuHi's Donatas Kupsas, including a nice running hook shot, and Long Island was comfortably ahead once again. When Ashley found Baldwin's Elijah Bovell underneath and followed it with a nice pull up jumper on the break it was 70-45 and game over. M/B never seriously threatened after that. Charles led all scorers with 25 points and added 4 steals, Quinones finished with 20 including 5 threes, Jenkins had 14 points and 3 assists, and Ashley finished with 11 points, 5 assists and 4 steals. Ndefo had an incredible 17 rebounds, 8 blocked shots and 3 steals and Kupsas was dominant on the boards too, adding 12 rebounds. 5/4
High School
All-Star Tournament
High School
All-Star Tournament
COLLEGE CHOICES
AND TRANSFERS
Thomas Ammendola/Massapequa/Hartwick
Dominick Arcodia/VS South/Mt. St. Mary
Ryan Beckles/Central Islip/Monroe CC
Elijah Bovell/Baldwin/Queens
Zach Bromfeld/Hewlett/Vassar
Chris Coalmon/LuHi/Robert Morris
Boubacar Diakite/OSNA/St. John’s
Steve Doerler/Comsewogue/Clarks Summit
Mamadou Doucore/OSNA/Rutgers
Andre Edwards/Deer Park/Erie CC
Omar El-Sheikh/Knox/Fairfield
Gaetham Fils-Aime/Hills West/John Jay
Joe Harclerode/Sayville/Geneseo
Jon Hart/Sachem East/Suffol CC
Justin Harley/Central Islip/Graceland
Matthew Hudzik/Ward Melville/John Jay
Brandon Jacobs/LuHi/Pace
Darien Jenkins/Deer Park/LIU Post
Kyle LaGuardia/Smithtown W/John Jay
Kyle LoCastro/SJB/New Paltz
Charles Manning/LuHi/Florida SW CC
Connor McPartland/Hicksville/Brockport
Myles Mills/Copiague/John Jay
Lavon Montgomery/Bay Shore/Colby Sawyer
Brandon Ottley/Westbury/Baruch
Pauly Paulicap/Elmont/Manhattan
Mike Pavinelli/St. Anthony’s/Brockport
Angel Rivera/Bay Shore/LIU CW Post
Elijah Robinson/VS Central/New Rochelle
Drew Scally/Sachem North/John Jay
Tyquan Scott/Long Beach/NYIT
Gordon Shouler/Smithtowm W/Lebanon V.
Jaisym Smith/Roosevelt/Tompkins Cortland
Jack Stafford/Plainview/Scranton
Steve Torre/Kellenberg/Molloy
Darien Walcott/Bay Shore/Assumption
Danny Wilson/Locust Valley/Catholic
2017 DISTRICT
CHAMPIONSHIPS
It was a great day of basketball at the 2017 AAU Metropolitan District Championships, with 11 championship games decided by 5 points or less. Long Island captured 10 District Championships on the day, including the prestigious 17U, 16U, and 15U D1 crowns, and it was a big day for the Rising Stars program with 5 titles.
RESULTS
17U
D1: SCHOLAR ATHLETES OF LI - 57
RISING STARS - 53
D2: RISING STARS - 73
LI ELITE - 61
D3: RUCKER AMBASSADORS - 71
LI LIGHTNING PHALEN - 70
16U
D1: RISING STARS PERRY - 66
RISING STARS CALLENDAR - 40
D2: NYC VIPERS - 84
LI LIGHTNING HABER - 83
D3: BRONX HAWKS - 48
LI LIGHTNING PACI - 44
15U
D1: SCHOLAR ATHLETES OF LI - 81
TEAM NYC - 60
D2: LI LIGHTNING FOTI - 75
LI LIGHTNING HABER - 54
D3: NORTH SHORE MUSTANGS - 66
LI LIGHTNING GABRIEL - 50
14U
D1: GAUCHOS - 56
RIVERSIDE HAWKS - 54
D2: RISING STARS BY FORFEIT OVER
STATEN ISLAND STINGRAYS
D3: GAME 7 JACKLIN - 64
FREEPORT RED RAVENS - 59
13U
D1: NY LIGHTNING - 67
RIVERSIDE HAWKS - 64
D2: RISING STARS - 73
PRIME TIME BASKETBALL - 71
12U
D1: RIVERSIDE HAWKS BY FORFEIT
OVER NEW HEIGHTS
D2: RISING STARS - 64
CP EVOLUTION - 46
D3: BALLHOGS - 59
LI ELITE - 46
11U
D1: GAUCHOS - 59
RIVERSIDE HAWKS - 51
D2: LI LIGHTNING ROSENOFF - 47
GAUCHOS - 42
D3: BROOKLYN BRIDGE - 51
EPIC BUCKS - 50
10U
D1: RENS - 54
GAUCHOS - 34
D2: RUNNING ROYALS - 44
BALLHOGS - 41
D3: EPIC BUCKS - 52
RUNNING ROYALS - 28
9U
D1: RENS - 54
RIVERSIDE HAWKS - 40
D2: RIVERSIDE HAWKS - 34
LI LIGHTNING ROTHMAN - 19
8U
D1: RENS - 46
RIVERSIDE HAWKS - 31
Join us for the exciting climax to our 2016-17 travel basketball season, the 2017 Summer Championships! You will play all three of your games in one day at the same air conditioned gym and against good competition from all over the region! Champions will be crowned in every age group, all-tournament teams selected, and coverage provided by Long Island Basketball.com, one of the most widely read basketball websites in the country. This event regularly attracts teams from the city, Westchester, New Jersey, Connecticut and throughout the region and there is no back and forth driving or hotels to worry about, no racing from gym to gym, and best of all, the rest of your weekend is free! Parents, players, and coaches all love it! WARNING: It sells out quickly, so REGISTER EARLY to be sure of a spot!
13 AND UNDER CHAMPIONS
Game 7
12 AND UNDER CHAMPIONS
Long Island Focus
Our thanks again to the good people at SNEAKER TERMINAL for providing free sneakers to all of the deserving champions!
14 AND UNDER CHAMPIONS
The New England Playaz
JUNIOR VARSITY CHAMPIONS
South Shore Sharks
VARSITY B CHAMPIONS
Scholar Athletes Of Long Island
VARSITY A CHAMPION
Scholar Athletes of Long Island
The Mandy's Mark Memorial Classic
It was a terrific day of basketball at the 1st Annual Mandy's Mark Memorial Basketball Classic, held in the memory of 5 year old Amanda Kuck, who died from an incurable form of brain cancer. A talented group of players from all over the Metropolitan Area donated their time to help raise funds for research to find a cure, and Long Island was well represented, with KC Ndefo, Savion Lewis, Elijah Bovell, Chris Coalman, and Essam Mostafa all donating their time and playing well, but the day belonged to former Long Islander Jordan Walker, who finished his high school career at the Patrick School in New Jersey, and Alejandro Vasquez from John Bowne HS, who both wowed the crowd with their scoring prowess. MVP Walker played to the Long Island crowd, showing them what they missed when he left the Island, and Vasquez, only a sophomore, was unstoppable. Both the boys and girls games were very competitive and fun to watch, and another Long Islander - Kadaja Bailey from St. Mary’s, was very impressive and took home the girl’s MVP trophy. FULL ROSTERS 6/3/17
MORE ABOUT THE EVENT
A devastating form of pediatric cancer recently claimed the life of 5 year old Long Islander Amanda Kuck. There is no current cure for the disease and less than 1% of the children diagnosed with this cancer, known as DIPG, survive for 5 years.
Please help with a donation.
These kids desperately need our help.
Northport Coach To Hall
38 Years At The Helm
Over 600 Victories
Northport girls varsity basketball coach Rich Castellano will be inducted into the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame this July in Clayton, New York. FULL STORY
THE JUNE JAMFEST!
The Queens based Marksmen were very impressive, taking home championships in four of the 8 divisions contested. In the featured 16U Division, the AAU District Champion NYC Vipers came away with the D1 title and the East Hampton based Bonac team prevailed in D2. The perennial powerhouse On Point Cyclones from Brooklyn were the 14U Champions, while the Marksmen captured the 13U crown. An impressive Heat Elite squad rolled through the 12U D1 field, and it was all Marksmen in the younger divisions, with titles in the 12U D2, 11U and 10U age groups. OUR CHAMPIONS:
Varsity Champions
THE CREW
Brooklyn, NY
RUNNERS-UP
LI Elite, Long Island, NY
13U Champions
The Marksmen
14U Champions
On Point Cyclones
NO PHOTO AVAILABLE
16U D1 Champions
New York City Vipers
12U D1 Champions
Heat Elite
12U D2 Champions
The Marksmen
11U Champions
The Marksmen
10U Champions
The Marksmen
16U D2 Champions
Bonac
TRAVEL SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
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TEAMS
JULY
Two Long Island teams did very well at the AAU National Championships this season, with the Seaford Heat taking third place in 13U D2 and the defending National Champion Lightning Wagner finishing 6th in 15U D2 despite losing key players from last years championship team. Lightning Wagner had a big month, winning the 15U Riverside Hawks Invitational earlier after coming from 13 down to defeat the Milbank Flyers in OT. The Lightning Wagner team roster: Max Caspi, CJ Paris, Bora Soybas, Kieran Durney, Josh Chun, Robert Acevedo, John Malinka, Brandon Weiss, Jonathan Hahami. Brandon Weiss was named Tournament MVP.
JUNE
The Long Island Select 17U team captured their 4th straight tournament of the season, with wins in Springfield MA, Newtown CT, SUSA on Long Island and NIT-Charm City in Baltimore MD. The team is led by Norman Wilson and Tyson LeGare from Baldwin HS, Bellamy Marcus from Holy Trinity, Cori Stone from Hempstead HS and Justin Miller from Townsend Harris HS.
MAY
AAU DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIPS
The following Long Island teams were New York Metropolitan District Champions in 2017
17U D1: SCHOLAR ATHLETES OF LI
17U D2: RISING STARS
16U D1: RISING STARS
15U D1: SCHOLAR ATHLETES OF LI
15U D3: NORTH SHORE MUSTANGS
14U D2: RISING STARS
14U D3: GAME 7 JACKLIN
For the first time in the 44 year history of the Wheelchair All-Star Basketball Classic, a Long Island High School All-Star team has won the championship, and they did so in spectacular fashion, rolling over a Manhattan/Bronx All-Star team 104-53 in the final. First Team All-New York State guard Kashawn Charles from Wyandanch was named MVP.
The Game 7/Jacklin 8th Grade Boys Team preceded their AAU District Championship by winning the Zero Gravity NY Championship. They beat the LI Surf in the final.
PLAYERS
OSNA's Cheick Diallo had 23 Points, 10 Rebounds, and 3 Blocks in a NBA Summer League game..... LuHi's Donatas Kupsas was named to the Lithuanian National Team U19 roster and teammate Essam Mostafa to the Egyptian National Team U19 roster..... Lightning Wagner's Brandon Weiss from Jericho HS and Carlton Paris from Valley Stream North HS were both named one of the top 12 players in the 15U age group at this year's Rumble In The Bronx.....
