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500 For Weiss!
Lawrence Woodmere Academy Head Basketball Coach Jeff Weiss got his 500th career victory as his Tigers defeated Martin Luther 52-43 at the LWA gym. Coach Weiss has led LWA to five New York State Association of Independent School Championships and two New York Federation State Championships, and according to the school, is only the third coach in New York State history to amass 500 wins all at the same school. GAME RECAP SOON
11/23
Hofstra Rolls Past Wagner
93-71 to improve to 3-1 on the season GAME STORY Deer Park’s Aaren Edmead had 15 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals for Wagner and Elmont’s Greg Senat had 8 points and 6 rebounds….. St. Mary’s Chavaughn Lewis had 21 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals in Marist’s loss to Army….. Dix Hills’ Tyler Harris had 17 points in Providence’s win over Notre Dame….. Hills West’s Emile Blackman had 15 points and 5 rebounds in Niagara’s loss to Hartford….. LuHi’s Achraf Yacoubou had 13 points and 5 rebounds in Saint Louis’s loss to Texas A&M CC….. LuHi’s Kentan Facey had 10 points and 8 rebounds in UConn’s loss to West Virginia…..
Hofstra Nips Stony Brook
Dion Nesmith hit a jump shot with three seconds remaining to give Hofstra a thrilling 66-65 victory over Stony Brook in the unofficial Long Island D1 Champonship Game GAME STORY
D1 COLLEGE REPORT 11/18
Georgia Tops Stony Brook
Stony Brook hit the road, heading south into SEC county for a Preseason NIT game, but they came out on the short end, falling 80-70 to the Georgia Bulldogs. STORY
LuHi’s Achraf Yacoubou had 15 points and 7 rebounds in Saint Louis’s win over Indiana State….. Elmont’s Greg Senat had 6 points and 4 rebounds and Deer Park’s Aaren Edmead 6 points in Wagner’s loss to Columbia. Northport’s Luke Petrasek missed this game and the Columbia/Stony Brook game with an injury, but is expected back soon….. SJB’s Kyle Williams had 5 points and 4 rebounds in Grambling’s win over Lyon College…..
D1 COLLEGE REPORT 11/17
NC State Stops Hofstra
NC State scored 45 first half point en route to a 76-64 win over Hofstra, dropping the Pride to 1-1 on the season. GAME STORY..... Dix Hills native Tyler Harris had 11 points and 8 rebounds in Providence’s win over Binghampton ….. OSNA’s Chis Obeka had 8 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks in St. John’s win over Franklin Pierce…..
D1 COLLEGE REPORT 11/16
Tyler Harris from Dix Hills had 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in Providence's win over Albany..... LuHi's Achraf Yacoubou had 12 points and 7 rebounds in Saint Louis's win over Southern Illinois..... OSNA's Kevin Little had 9 points and 3 assists in Maine's loss to Butler.....
D1 COLLEGE REPORT 11/15
HOFSTRA won their season opener 94-61 over Jacksonville. The Pride had 5 players in double figures, led by Brian Bernardi with 22 points GAME STORY ..... STONY BROOK came from behind to nip Columbia 57-56 on a putback by Rayshaun McGrew with 7 seconds remaining. GAME STORY ….. Northport’s Mike Milligan had 18 points and 7 rebounds in Central Arkansas’s loss to Creighton….. St. Mary’s Chavaughn Lewis had 18 points in Marist’s loss to Bucknell….. Hill’s West’s Emile Blackman had 16 points in Niagara’s loss to Pittsburgh….. OSNA’s Chris Obekpa had 13 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks in a St. John’s win over NJIT….. LUHI’s Kentan Facey had 5 points and 11 rebounds in UConn’s win over Bryant….. SJB’s Kyle Williams had 4 points and 9 rebounds in Grambling’s loss to George Washington….. Elmont’s Greg Senat had 2 points and 8 rebounds in Wagner’s loss to Maryland…..
LuHi Nationally Ranked!
USA Today released their preseason rankings, and our LuHi Crusaders were ranked 10th in the country!
Nassau Top 20 Recap
The Nassau Basketball Coaches Association added a new step to their task of picking this year’s Nassau County Public School All-Star Team. Instead of picking the team after the Top 40 Doubleheader, the best players faced off in a new Top 20 Game, and the best from that game will represent Nassau in the 2014 Long Island Public School All-Star Game against Suffolk County. It was a good game, with the team in the Black Jerseys using a balanced attack to build leads in both halves, and then they held off closing rallies by the White Jerseys both times, in the second half for the win. The Black Jersey’s took an early 13-4 lead on the strenght of a three pointer from the top by Elmont’s Matthew Graham, a fast break basket by Baldwin’s Justin Caldwell, a driving scoop shot by Graham, and a basket from underneath by Syosset’s Dan Albernas. Lawrence’s Sam Robinson narrowed the gap with a three pointer from the behind the left elbow, Uniondale’s Kyle Harding cut it to 15-10 with a three from the baseline, and Robinson nailed another three to make it a two point game, but Lawrence’s Albert Egbuchulam held White off with a jumper from the left elbow, and then his two free throws at the 11:49 mark of the half and a fast break basket by Joe Santoro of Island Trees put Black up 25 -17. The teams traded baskets and free throws to the 6:29 mark, when Albernas knocked down a three from the left wing to give Black its biggest lead at 43-32, and then East Meadow’s Joe Forrler followed him up with a putback and Marcus St-Furcy from Lawrence with two free throws and a fast break basket to put the Black up by 17 with 5 minutes remaing in the half. Uniondale’s Tyreece Redd broke the run with an aggresive drive, Baldwin’s Daraso Rodwell drained a three from the top, and a steal and fast break basket by Paul Colson from Baldwin brought the deficit down to 10, but Santoro’s three from behind the left elbow made it 54-41 with 3:25 to play. Harding got the deficit into single digits with a three from the right wing, and then his coast to coast basket made it a 7 point game. Robinson scored from underneath to keep it going, and a Rodwell three pointer from the left wing brought the White Jerseys within 2 less than a minute before halftime, but two free throws by Egbuchulam made it 56-53 Black at the buzzer. The Black Jerseys reestablished their lead in the second haf, led by Baldwin’s Marvin Chartelain, but they couldn’t pull away and White drew back within 6 on a three pointer by Rodwell and two free throws by Lawrence’s Josh McElveen. The teams traded baskets and free throws from there, but the lead was back to 10 after East Meadow’s Brandon Callaghan burried a three pointer from the right wing with 4:16 to play. Robinson responded for White, nailing a three from the right wing, and then Malverne’s Kevin Young knocked down two free thows to make it a 5 point game with 3:24 showing. Mineola’s Steven Gessner answered with a nice basket cut, but a three by Rodwell from the deep left wing and it was 107-103 . Santoro took things into his own hands, going coast to coast to bump the lead to 6, but White kept coming, and Young made it a 3 point game with a putback and a free throw with 2:32 to play. That’s as close as they would get. Black put it away down the stretch with two free throws by Chartelain, a putback by Gessner, and a drive by Egbuchulam that gave them a 115-106 lead and White was done. Both teams had great balance, with Chartelain and Egbuchulam both finishing with 15 for Black, Albernas and Graham both with 14, Santoro and Callaghan with 13, and St-Furcy with 11. Robinson led all scorers with 25 points for White, Rodwell had 17, Redd 13, Young 12, and Harding 11.
Kearney 74 Harborfields 59
Bishop Kearney, ranked 4th in New York State coming into the weekend, got off a 6 hour bus ride and took a tough loss at St. Mary’s the night before, so after a good nights sleep, the Kings were ready to take on Harborfields in game two of their Long Island trip. Or were they? They got off to a good start, taking a 6-2 lead on a runner by Nahziah Carter and a driving hook shot by Quinton Rose, and they went up 12-6 on a baseline drive and free throw by Carter and a free throw by Aaron Pilgrim, but back to back three pointers by Robert Pecorelli, the second from the deep right wing, tied it 14, and then a three by Malcolm Wynter from the top gave Harborfields a 3 point lead with 1:10 remaing in the opening quarter. Pecorelli’s third three, also from the top, made it 20-14 Harborfields, and that’s the way the first quarter ended. Alex Bloom’s three from the right wing gave the Green Tornadoes a 23-15 lead early in the second quarter, and a baseline three by Bloom put them up by 11 with 6:38 still to play, but a tip in by Brandon Kellam and a fast break basket by Carter kept Kearney within striking distance. Bloom knocked down another three to make it a 10 point game, but Kearney was starting to click offensively and responded with an elbow jumper by Nathan Bradley and a fast break basket by Rian Carter that brought the visitors from Rochester within 6. Bloom answered with a three once again with 2:55 to go in the quarter, but as time wound down, Kellam’s jumper off a long rebound and his putback cut it to 34-31 at the half. Rose opened the second half with a three pointer that tied it at 34, and a putback by Kellam gave Bishop Kearney the lead. A pair of free throws by Nahziah Carter, a coast to coast basket by Rose, and a baseline three pointer by Bradley and the Kings were starting pull away. Rose added to it with an ally-oop dunk, and Kellam rebounded and scored to make it 48-37 Kearney with 2:01 left in the quarter, and the teams exchanged baskets until a three pointer by Rose just before the buzzer made it 57-44 Kings. Wynter opened the fourth quarter with a right wing three, but Nahziah Carter answered with a baseline jumper and the teams traded baskets until Carter scored from underneth to give Kearney a 65-52 lead with 5:30 remaining. Rose added two free throws and Bradley a fast break basket for a 17 point lead with 4:17 left, and then after skillfully taking time off the clock on each possession, Carter sealed it with a baseline three that made it 72-54 Bishop Kearney with 2:38 to play, spelling doom for Harborfields. Nahziah Carter led Bishop Kearney with 20 points, Rose had 19, and Kellam 17. Pecorelli had 18 for Harborfields, Wynter 17, and Bloom 15. 12/20
Editor's Inbox
Winston Jones of Valley Stream Central signed a letter of intent to play for D2 St. Michael's in Vermont.....
D2 COLLEGE REPORT 11/21
LIU Post Tops Bloomfield
The Pioneers rallied for a 90-87 win. GAME STORY St. Mary’s Charles McCann finished with 11 points and 8 rebounds.
Caldwell Over NYIT In OT
GAME STORY St. Mary’s Kahlif Chaplin finished with 13 points and 5 assisits for NYIT, and Smithtown East’s Jon Feiler had 8 points and 11 rebounds…..
Adelphi Falls in NE-10 Opener
The Panthers played the league favorites tough, drawing even at 78, but Southern Connecticut pulled away down the stretch for a 92-82 victory. GAME STORY LuHi’s Ryan DeNicola had 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists and Holy Trinity’s Damon Coleman had 9 points, 4 assists, and 5 steals in the loss…..
Caldwell Nips Molloy
The Golden Lions suffered their first loss of the season on the road. They had a 77-74 lead, but Caldwell scored the last 6 points of the game for the victory. GAME STORY Baldwin’s Brandon Williams had 22 points and 6 assists, Kellenberg’s Kevin Bowles 17 points and 6 rebounds, and Harborfields’ Matt McLeod 13 points, 6 assists, and 4 blocks.
D2 COLLEGE UPDATE 11/18
Valley Stream Central’s Jeremiah Mordi had 32 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals in Queen’s College’s loss to Goldey-Beacom. St. Mary’s Travis Whitfield added 26 points and 11 rebounds. Mordi also had 19 points and 9 rebounds in a loss to Georgian Court…..
D2 COLLEGE UPDATE 11/16
Molloy Improves To 2-0
A basket by Jaylen Morris with 1.8 seconds left gave Molloy a dramatic 79-77 win over Saint Michael's and a 2-0 start on the new season. GAME STORY. Baldwin’s Brandon Williams had 19 points and Matt McLeod from Harborfields 13.
Dowling 0-2 After Tests
Dowling took on two nationally ranked teams to open the season, and came away 0-2, losing to 21st ranked St. Anselm 96-93 after falling to #2 Southern Connecticut the day before. Despite the disappointing start, the Golden Lions showed they can play with the best in D2 this season, and with a new coach, many players taking on new expanded roles, and some promising new faces added to the mix, should have their best basketball ahead of them. GAME STORY Preseason ECC co-player of the year Darien Davis from Longwood was outstanding once again against St. Anselm, finishing with 26 points, Smithown West’s Ryan Hickey added 18, Amityville’s Donte Adams 15, Elmont’s Tristan Brown 14, and East Islip’s Evan Maxwell 10 points and 11 rebounds.
NYIT Falls To Franklin Pierce
NYIT fell to 0-2 after an 84-74 loss to Franklin Pierce in day two of the LIU Post Tip-Off Invitational. GAME STORY Smithtown East’s Jon Feiler just missed a double-double with 9 points and 11 rebounds.
American Intl Drops LIU Post
After a tight first half, American International pulled away in the second half for a 77-63 victory over LIU Post. GAME STORY St. Mary’s Charles McCann had 4 points 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
D2 COLLEGE REPORT 11/15
Dowlings Falls To #2
Longwood's Darien Davis led Dowling with 32, including his 1000th career point, East Islip's Evan Maxwell had 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Elmont's Tristan Brown 2 points and 7 assists. GAME STORY
Molloy Nips Pace
Baldwin's Brandon Williams had 12 points for Molloy, Matt McLeod from Harborfields 10, and BBP's Miles Prendergast 6 points and 6 rebounds.
Adelphi Falls In OT
Holy Trinity's Damon Coleman had 12 points, 4 assists, and 3 steals for Adelphi. GAME STORY
Franklin Pierce Over LIU Post
St. Mary's Charles McCann had 13 points and 4 rebounds for LIU Post GAME STORY
American Int. Stops NYIT
D3 COLLEGE REPORT 11/21
St. Josephs Drops Two
St. Joseph’s fell to 1-3 on the season after dropping a road game to CCNY 84-72 in OT GAME STORY and tough 79-77 home loss to Medgar Evers GAME STORY Amityville’s Billy Heenan finished with 16 points against Medgar Evers, and North Babylon’s Isaiah Moore had 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals. In the CCNY game, Kings Park’s Sean McCarthy led the way with 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists while Amityville’s Andy Laurent also had 16 points, and added 7 rebounds and 3 steals…..
Tough Losses For Farmindale
The Rams dropped a 75-54 decision to Cortland State GAME STORY, and a 76-47 decision to Stockton GAME STORY Amityville’s Leyland Williams had 12 points and 3 steals in the Stockton game, and St. Mary’s Justin Bailey 13 points and 7 rebounds, St. Anthony’s Trey Kinard 10 points, and Valley Stream Central’s Eriq Williams 9 points and 8 rebounds against Cortland. Westbury's Lamard Herron had 10 points, 4 assists and 3 steals for Cortland.
USMMA Starts 0-3
The US Merchant Marine Academy is off to an 0-3 start this season, dropped an 84-68 decision to SUNY Maritime GAME STORY
New Boys Varsity Coaches
Amityville - Billy Kretz*
Bayport/Blue Point - Charlie Peck
Bay Shore - Dave Mayo
Clarke - Dan Reece
Connetquot - Kyle Black
Divison - Brian Maini
Floral Park - Sean Boyle
Garden City - Jim Hegmann
Kings Park - Chris Rube
Lawrence - Lou Robinson
Lindenhurst - Doc Farrel
Long Beach - Larry Steiner
Lynbrook - Jamie Adams
Mepham - Patrick Fallon
Miller Place - Chris Savino
Mineola- Ezra Elliot
Oceanside - Allenby Lyson
Oyster Bay - Brian Boyle
Syosset - Greg Cardona 2013
* = interim coach
KNOW A COACH THAT BELONGS ON THIS LIST? LET US KNOW!
D3 COLLEGE REPORT 11/18
Oceanside’s Hunter Sabety had 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 block’s in Tufts’ loss to Regis…... Uniondale’s Roderick Epps had 23 points in Buffalo State’s win over Medaille…. Lawrence’s Clifton Lyerly had 21 points and Northport’s Matt Smith 8 points, 4 assists, and 2 steals in Brockport’s loss to Rhode Island College and Lyerly also had 17 points in a loss to Roanoke …..Miller Place’s Taylor Sowah had 13 points and 14 rebounds in New Paltz’s loss to Hamilton….. Baldwin’s Kyle Richardson had 12 points and 10 rebounds in Plattsburgh’s win over Lycoming….. LuHi’s Hart Gleidman had 12 points in Trinity’s win over UMass-Dartmouth….
D3 COLLEGE REPORT 11/16
Farmingdale St. Tops Elmira
A three point play by Farmingdale’s Ron Winkler and a three pointer by St. Anthony’s Trey Kinard broke a 51 all tie, and the Rams held off Elmira 70-66 to bring their record to 1-1. GAME STORY Kinard led Farmingdale St. with 14 points, and Winkler had 11 points and 6 rebounds.
John Jay Defeats Old Westbury
SUNY Old Westbury is off to an 0-2 start this season after dropping a decision to John Jay. GAME STORY Roslyn’s Mark Gjonlekaj led the Panthers with 12 points.
Rosemont Nips St. Joseph’s
Host Rosemont defeated the Golden Eagles 65-63 to drop St. Joseph’s to 1-1 on the season. GAME STORY Kings Park’s Sean McCarthy finished with 21 points and 6 rebounds, North Babylon’s Isaiah Moore 15 points and 7 rebounds, and Sachem North’s Nick Gallina 5 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.
AROUND THE NET
Farmingdale's Curtis Jenkins has committed to Molloy for next season STORY..... OSNA is ranked 13th in the country by USA Today. That gives Long Island two nationally ranked teams, with LuHi ranked 10th.... According to an NCAA report, nearly 40 percent of Division I men’s basketball players who were freshmen in 2010-11 left their original school prior to their third year of college.
Editor's Inbox
LuHi point guard Chris Atkinson has committed to Monmouth..... 6'10" sophomore Nicholas Richards has left St. Mary's......
AROUND THE NET
Westchester CC Cancels Season STORY
Do shoe contracts impact elite recruits? STORY
D3 COLLEGE REPORT 11/15
St. Joseph's Over Drew In OT
Kings Park's Sean McCarthy led the way with 24 points and 12 rebs, Amityville's Andy Laurent had 18 points and 5 rebounds, North Babylon's Isaiah Moore 12 points, and Babylon's Fernando Vazquez 10 points and 3 steals. GAME STORY
Hartwick Trips Up Farmingdale
Amityville's Leland Williams had 12 points and St. Mary's Justin Bailey 10 points and 8 rebounds for Farmingdale.
Old Westbury Falls To Union
Hicksville's Justin Mize finished with 4 points and 7 rebounds for OWB. STORY
Ginyard To Adelphi!
In a great coup for the Adelphi coaching staff, Brentwood's Tavon Ginyard, who earned All New York State honors last season as a junior, was MVP of the Alzheimer's All Star Classic, and is a leading contender for LongIslandBasketball.com Player Of The Year this season, has committed to the school.
Kellenberg Stops Uniondale
In the first matchup of the season between two ranked teams, and the the opener for both as well, #5 Kellenberg held off a late rally by #6 Uniondale and pulled away for an impressive 76-56 victory. Both squads got off to a slow start, with the first basket of the game coming at the 5:27 mark of the opening quarter on a steal and basket by Uniondale’s Kyle Harding. Kellenberg’s Kyle DeVerna got the Firebirds rolling, driving the lane and converting a three point play, and then at the 3:12 mark of the quarter, Stephon Bryan scored on a fast break basket and DeVerna converted another three point play to put the Kellenberg up 11-5. A three point play by Steve Torre and fast break baskets by Michael Torre and DeVerna made it 18-7 Firebirds, and that was the score with one quarter in the books. Uniondale’s Shomarie Redd found Taleek Butler underneath for a basket to open the second quarter, but Mike Torre answered with a turn-around jumper from the low post. A three pointer by Anthony DeGennaro from the left baseline made it 23-10 Kellenberg, and his two free made it 30-16 with three minutes to go in the half, but back to back fast break baskets by Tyler Parris and Redd, Redd’s a three point play, and the margin was back to single digits. Kellenberg responded, with Mike Torre’s basket from underneath off a nice dish from brother Steve giving them a 14 point lead once again, but Danny Ashley trimmed it to 38-26 with a three just before the buzzer and that was the score at the half. Back to back elbow jumpers by DeVerna and Derrick Okunpolor bumped the Kellenber lead to 42-27 early in the third quarter, but three straight fast break baskets, two of them by Harding and the other by Frantzy Georges and the lead was down to 9. Okunpolor broke the run with a basket from underneath, and a behind the back pass from Steve Torre to DeVerna on the break, a Mike Torre foul line jumper, and a putback by Bryan put the Firebirds up 55-39. Two free throws by Redd cut it to 55-41 at the quarter. Redd opened the fourth quarter with a pull-up jumper, and Harding’s three pointer and the Knights were back within striking distance. A steal and fast break basket by Harding made it an 8 point game with 4:41 to play, but Mike Torre knocked down two free throws and then scored on a drive from the left wing to retake the momentum. Uniondale missed back to back layups and back to back putbacks on the other end by Okunpolor put Kellenberg back in control, leading 67-51 with 3:20 left. Another putback by Okunpolor gave the Firebirds an 18 point lead with 2:15 remaining and Uniondale was done. Mike Torre led all scorers with 18 points and he also pulled down 8 rebounds, Okunpolor had 16 points and 12 rebounds, Steve Torre 14 points and 9 assists, and DeVerna 13 points and 7 assists. Harding led Uniondale with 15 points and Redd had 13. 12/2
Chaminade Trips VSS
In the second matchup of the season between two ranked teams, #10 Chaminade pulled away from #13 Valley Stream South for a convincing 57-45 victory. Matt Johnson opened the low scoring first half with a basket from underneath for Chaminade, and then Tom O’Connell added two free throws and Kevin McNoble scored from underneath to give the Flyers a 6-0 lead, but Jaremi Hernandez got Valley Stream South on the board with a fast break basket, Marilo Pereira made it a 1 point game with a three from the top, and the Falcons took a 7-6 lead on a putback by Dion Ogunada. Chaminade moved back in front on Charles Salter’s jumper off the glass, and Mike McGuire’s three pointer from the left wing put them up 11-7 at the first quarter buzzer. Pereira opened the second quarter with a basket from underneath for VSS, but McGuire answered with a three from the left wing. Dana King drove the baseline to bring South back within 3, and after Johnson scored from underneath for Chaminade, Hernandez nailed a baseline three off an inbound play to cut the Chaminade lead to 2 at the half. King found Hall Elisias under the basket for a dunk to open the second half and tie the game at 16, and then the 6’8 junior drove the baseline and scored to give VSS the lead. O’Connell’s two free throws tied it 18, a baseline three by South’s Ogunada off an inbound play tied it again, this time at 24 with 4:35 to play in the half, and then a nice hesitation move by King gave South the lead, but Chaminade closed out the half on a run, and O’Connell ‘s three point play at the 1:03 mark made it 32-28 Flyers. A spinning drive by King cut it to 2, but Owen Prendergast put back his own miss to make it 34-30 Chaminade after three quarters. Ryan Dean opened the fourth quarter with a three from right wing to give the Flyers a 7 point lead, and then he stole the ball and scored to make it 39-30. The pace quickened, and after Hernandez and O’Connell exchanged threes, Hernandez drained another three to bring Valley Stream within 6, but a big baseline jumper by Dean made it 48-40 as the clock dipped under the 3 minute mark. McNoble’s fast break basket put the Flyers up by 10 with 2:27 remaining, but the Falcon’s cut it to 51-44 when King tipped in his own miss with 1:20 showing. It was time to foul, and the Flyers rose to the occasion, with O’Connell knocking down two free throws, McNoble doing the same, and O’Connell knocking down two more and it was game over. O'Connell led Chaminade with 17 points and 6 assists and McGuire and Johnson both added 10 points. Hernandez led all scorers with 20 points and King added 10 for Valley Stream South. 12/4
Northport Over North Bab
In a battle between Suffolk County Class AA contenders, host #9 Northport jumped out to a quick lead and then held off North Babylon 55-47. It was all Northport at the start, with Long Island All-Star Lukas Jarrett soaring through the air and hammering home a fast break dunk and Phillip Volpe ringing up a 4 point play on their way to a 10-2 Tiger lead. Jarrett’s jump hook and Gerard Brady’s three from the left wing made it 17-5 with 2:39 to play in the opening quarter, but North Babylon started to get it in gear and responded with a coast to coast basket by Aaron Lee and two free throws by Zach Moore with 1:15 remaining. Northport resumed the assault, with Ryan Magnuson draining a three from behind the right elbow and Brennan Whelan scoring from underneath to reclaim the 12 point lead, but Brandon Sobotker’s runner made it 22-11 at the first quarter buzzer. Tyree Grimsley opened the second quarter scoring with two free throws to reduce the Northport lead to single digits, Taylor Huyghue scored from the lane to make it a 7 point game, and Tim Forbes scored from underneath off a nice dish from Moore and it was 22-18 with 5:51 to play in the half, but Whelan stalled the run with a drive from the right wing, and he scored again on a nice hesitation runner to make it 26-18 Tigers. The teams traded baskets and free throws the rest of the way and it was 30-22 Northport at the half. The back and forth action continued into the second half, with 5 starting things off with a basket from underneath to cut the Northport lead to 6, but Northport started to build a cushion at the 3:11 mark of the third quarter when ryan Magnuson knocked down another 3 and Jarrett hit a baseline jumper for a 40-30 Tiger lead. Moore responded for the Bulldogs with a looping drive down the lane that made it an 8 point game after three quarters of play. Jarrett opened the fourth quarter with a jump hook from the low post and Brady hit a jumper from the foul line to put Northport up 44-32, but the Tigers still could not break loose. Moore answered with two free throws and Jared Ziegler with a three pointer from the right wing to bring North Babylon back within 7. Northport responded with three straight baskets, going up 50-38 with 2:31 to play on Sean O’Shea’s baseline cut, James Magnuson’s drive through traffic, and a Jarrett baseline jumper, but Moore nailed a three from the left wing and it was still a game wit 2:12 left. Brady hit a big shot, answering with a three with 1:38 remaining, and after Tim Forbes hit a baseline jumper for the Bulldogs, Jarrett another big one, scoring on the press break at the 1:10 mark to make it 55-43 Tigers, but back to back baskets by Forbes off of turnovers and the Bulldogs still had life, drawing within 8 with 49 seconds to play. Northport did everything they could to let North Babylon back into the game, turning the ball over and missing free throws, but the Bulldog could not find the basket the rest of the way and the Tigers came away with their first big win of the season. Jarrett finished with 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists, Brady with 12 points, and Whelan with 10 for Northport. Moore and Forbes both had 10 for North Babylon. 12/9
Baldwin 77 St. Mary's 59
Whenever a public school team climbs towards the top of the Sweet 16 Rankings, everybody looks for games on their schedule that will test them and demonstrate that they belong among the elite teams. This was one of those games for #3 Baldwin, and they were very impressive, defeating perrenial power St. Mary’s 77-59. Don’t be fooled by the Gael’s 1-4 record. They have had injuries to key players and have had to play a very difficult schedule shorthanded. If they stay healthy, they will be among Long Island’s top teams once again this season. Marvin Chartelain kicked things off with a jumper from the right wing, and after 15 responded with a three - also from the right wing, Chartelain drove baseline to make it 4-3 Baldwin. Daraja Rodwell went back door and turned it into a three point play for a 7-3 Bruins lead, but a fast break basket and then a three from the top by Chris Kelly and the Gaels where up 13-11 with 2:12 to play in the opening quarter. A steal and fast break basket by Shane Gatling tied it, and the Bruins led by 4 at the buzzer after two free throws by Rodwell. Darius Chester opened the second quarter with a three from the top to make it a 1 point game, and after a Baldwin free throw, Javin Barton converted a three point play to put St. Mary’s up 19-18. Baldwin answered quickly with a three by Jared Rhoden to retake the lead, but Chester tied it with two free throws and Barton put the Gaels up 24-21 with a three from the top with 3:55 to play in the half. It was a 4 point St. Mary’s lead after a drive and scoop shot by Kelly with 1:54 on the game clock, but Rodwell scored on a fast break basket and Gatling curled from the left wing to the right elbow and pulled up for a jumper to tie it at 28. A putback by Zion Stephens made it 30-28 Bruins, and that was the score at the half. Gratling’s left wing three pointer early in the third quarter boosted the Baldwin lead to 5, but back to back drives by Barton and Kelly brought the Gael’s back within 1. Baldwin would not give up the lead this time, and it was at 6 at the 4:16 mark after Rodwell stepped to the left and drilled a three pointer, but tough back to back drives through traffic by Barton kept it close. Gatling kept the pressure on, nailing back to back threes, and then a steal and basket by Paul Colson made it 50-41 Baldwin, but St. Mary’s hung tough, with Barton’s fall-away jumper from the baseline and Kelly’s two free throws making it a 5 point game. Gatling knocked down two free throws to make it 52-45 Bruins with three quarters complete. Rodwell opened the final quarter with a three pointer from straight on and Justin Caldwell added two free throws to give Baldwin some breathing room and a 12 point lead, but Kelly got it back to single digits with a three from the left wing. That is as close as the Gaels would get the rest of the way. Back to back baskets by Caldwell and Baldwin started to pull away, leading 61-48, and it was 69-50 after Rodwell’s four straight free throws capped off the 12-2 run with 2:24 left. Game over. Rodwell was high man for the Bruins with 22 points, and he pulled down 10 rebounds and dished out five assists. Gatling added 18 points and 10 assists. Barton had a game high 25 points for St. Mary’s, Kelly finished with 19, and Chester had 13. 12/20
12/4 High School Report
#10 Chaminade pulled away from #13 Valley Stream South 57-45 in the opener for both teams FULL STORY LATER..... #12 St. Mary's lost 63-58 to St. Francis Prep. The Gael's are perhaps overated at this point of the season after losing Steve Milhaven to graduation and having Patrick Jackson and Nick Richards transfer from the school..... Oceanside tripped up #16 Lawrence 68-62. Lawrence was without all-stars Marcus St. Furcy and Josh McElveen..... Central Islip, who was missing injured starting point guard David McKenzie, still rocked Longwood 76-59 behind 46 points from Brandon Hodge .....
12/19 High School Report
#1 LuHi 90 Queens HST 72
Ranked 9th nationally and #1 in New York State, LuHi continues to thrive despite playing without D1 prospect Marvin Prochet, defeating well regarded Queens High School Of Teaching at home to improve to 4-0. Devonte Green led the Crusaders with 33 points, Chris Atkinson added 20, Elijah Bailey 12, and Chris Burkley 11.
Babylon 57 Center Moriches 39
Babylon continues to impress, improving to 5-0 with a convincing win over a good Center Moriches team. Brendan Laing had a game high 19 points, Nick Antolini 18, and Dillon Kelly 13 points and 14 rebounds.
Chaminade Stops Elmont
Unfortunately, both teams were missing key players in this big early season matchup, but it might not have changed the results, because the Chaminade shooters came out red hot, built a quick lead and rolled to a 62-49 win. Charles Salter’s two free throws opened the scoring, and then a three pointer from the deep right wing by Michael McGuire and it was quickly 5-0 Chaminade. Kevin McNoble scored off an inbound play and McGuire’s second three pointer made it 12-2 Flyers, and then McGuire’s third three and a nice basket cut by Salter and it was 15-4 Chaminade with 3:06 remaining in the opening quarter. Back to back baskets by Travis Robinson-Morgan and Matthew Graham narrowed the deficit, but Murphy’s basket off an inbound play and a three point play by McNoble made it 22-8. The Spartans were stunned, but Graham nailed a big three pointer for them just before the buzzer to cut the deficit to 11. Salter opened the second quarter as he had the first - with two free throws, but this time Victor Olawoye answered with a fast break basket for the Spartans. Ryan Dean drilled another Chaminade three and the lead was 14 once again, and a three by Sean Clark made it 33-16 with 2:01 to play in the half, but Graham answered with a three point play and Pauly Paulicap added two free throws to cut the Elmont deficit to 33-21. Dean snuck in underneath and scored and the Flyers had a 13 point lead at the break. Matthew Johnson opened the third quarter with a three pointer from the right wing and added a free throw on the next trip down for a 38-23 Chaminade lead, but neither team could take command and the team traded baskets and free throws until a runner and then two free throws by Robinson-Morgan brought the Spartans back within 10 with 2:50 to play in the quarter. Then with 2:23 left, he knocked down two more free throws to cut the deficit to 42-33, but Kyle Murphy knocked down a 3 to reclaim the double digit lead, putting the Flyers up 45-33 after three quarters of play. Graham opened the final quarter with a three from the deep left wing to bring Elmont within 9, but Salter countered with a drive from the right wing. The Spartans kept trying to close the gap, with KC Ndefo scoring from the baseline off a nice dish from Graham, but they couldn’t get stops, and Chaminade answered every score with one of their own. The momentum swung back to the Flyers, and a putback by Salter made it 57-45 Chaminade with 3:37 remaining, and after two free throw and a right elbow jumper by Johnson, it was 61-48 with under 2 minutes left. Game over. Johnson and Salter led the balanced Chaminade attack with 12 each, while Graham finished with 17 and Robinson-Morgan 13 for Elmont. 12/13
12/12 High School Report
Harborfields 49 Byram Hills 43
#11 Harborfields rallied to defeat the Section 1 Class A Quarterfinalist on the road. Robert Pecorelli led the Green Tornadoes with 17 points and 7 rebounds, Malcolm Wynter had 13 points, 7 assists and 8 steals, and Alex Bloom 10 points.
Holy Trinity 68 St. Joseph’s 49
The 6th ranked Titans took the long trip up to Buffalo, and got off to a great start against St. Joseph’s Collegiate, rolling to an impressive victory. Billy Sixsmith had 25 points and 4 assists, Jack Sixsmith 14 points and 5 steals., and Jimmy Golaszewski 11 points.
Central Islip 60 Northport 57
The 16th ranked Cougars built a 15 point first half lead and then held off #9 Northport. Brandon Hodge led CI with 15 points.
Roslyn 76 Jericho 73 OT
Keandre Augustine erupted again, this time for 35 points to lead 4-0 Roslyn to an OT road win over Jericho.
12/16 High School Report
Bayport-Blue Point 60 John Glenn 51
BBP is getting some attention, improving to 4-1 with a road win over Glenn. They also have a win over Amityville. Their only loss was by 4 points to 3-1 Class AA West Babylon.
Bridgehampton 53 Smithown Chr 28
The legendary Bridgehampton program has it's best team in years, and they showed just how good they are, rolling over a good Smithtown Christian team. Charles Manning Jr. led the Killer Bees with 19 points and 8 assists, Josh Lamison added 16 points and 13 rebounds, and Tylik Furman had 10 points. DETAILS LATER
12/13 High School Report
Holy Trinity Sweeps In Buffalo
In what has become a tradition, Holy Trinity either hosts and visits two CHSAA teams from Buffalo every year, and this year they went up to Buffalo and picked up two good wins, finishing up with a dramatic 58-55 victory over a big and strong Nichols squad. The Titans jumped out to a substantial early lead and had to hang on, retaking the lead on an Eddie Higgins jumper with 9 seconds to play. Thorton Scott was high man for Holy Trinity with 20 points and 7 rebounds and Jimmy Golaszewski finished with 11 points.
Copiague Wins Opener
Some teams have played as many as 6 games, but 9th ranked Copiague played just their first game of the season, soundly beating St. John The Baptist 81-59. Kevin Roberts led the way with 23 points, Prince Hickson had 22, and Myles Mills 11 points and 10 assists.
12/10 High School Report
#1 LuHi 74 #7 Chaminade 61
# 7 Chaminade gave #1 LuHi a battle before falling. Devonte Green led the Crusaders with 22 points , Chris Atkinson had 20, and Elijah Bailey 14. Mike McGuire led a balanced Chaminade attack with 12 points, Matt Johnson had 11, and Kevin McNoble 10.
Syosset 60 Wantagh 50
Syosset improved to 4-0 with a 60-50 win over Wantagh, who was fresh off a win over Valley Stream South. Nassau All-Star Dan Albernas had another big game with 30 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists .
VSS 46 East Meadow 34
Valley Stream South stumbled out of the gate 0-2, but got back to their winning ways against East Meadow. Dana King is closer to 100% after starting the season banged up and he finished with 20 points, and Hall Elisias asserted himself with 16 points and 16 rebounds.
12/5 High School Report
#4 Holy Trinity, the defending New York CHSAA Class A State Champion and Federation Finalist, was upset in their opener on a layup at the buzzer, taking a 65-63 overtime road loss to Holy Cross..... St. Dominic improved to 4-0 with a 58-55 win over North Babylon..... Westbury rolled to their second win of the season, beating a solid East Meadow team 67-44 behind 26 points from Jonathan Dean..... A good Great Neck South team had all they could handle with Defending long Island Class C Champion Friends Academy, holding off the Quakers for a 51-48 win.. Friends hs moved to Class B this season....
12/14 High School Report
St. Dom’s McClancy Champs
14th ranked St. Dominic improved to 7-0 on the season with a 55-47 win over host McClancy in the championship game of the Brother Arnold Tournament. Tournament MVP Isaiah Wilson finished with a triple double, scoring 11 points, pulling down 10 rebounds, and making 10 steals, while Dominic Cotumaccio finished with 11 points, including 8 big free throws in the 4th quarter, and Patrick Kiernan added 10 points and 10 rebounds.
12/11 High School Report
Hills West 47 #5 Deer Park 34
The tenatious defense of the Colts never allowed the Deer Park offense to get rolling. One team overrated and the other underrated? Rich Altenord led Hills West with 15 points and Kian Dalyrimple had 10.
Bayport BP 60 #8 Amityville 48
A good Bayport/Blue Point team rocked Amityville, who played without their leading scorer, Mike Smith. George Riefenstahl and Tim Darby both had 19 points for BBP, and Doug Niblock finished with 15.
12/9 High School Report
Roslyn 75 Sewanhaka 71
Roslyn Improved to 3-0 with a win over a good Sewanhaka team. Keandre Augustine, who helped lead John Glenn to the Long Island Class A Championship last season, finished with 29 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 steals. Noah Nardone added 22 points.
Babylon 69 Stony Brook 56
Babylon seems to have reloaded, picking up their second solid win of the season over defending Suffolk Class C Champion Stony Brook. Long Island All-Star Brendan Laing had 29 points and Dillon Kelly added 20 for the Panthers.
Wantagh 66 VSS 59
Ranked in the preseason, defending Nassau Class A Champion Valley Stream South fell to 0-2. Evan Goldberg led Wantagh with 24 points, Steven Becker had 13 and Patrick Kissane 11
Upstate/Downstate Recap
This year's Upstate/Downstate Challenge might have been the best ever! 5 great games played in front of a packed house, and Long Island teams won 4 of them! Results:
Elmont 79 Mt. St. Michael 76 OT
Middletown 48 South Side 46
Baldwin 46 Red Hook 36
LuHi 74 Burke Catholic 59
Uniondale 63 New Rochelle 54
12/3 High School Report
We're not sold on Northport being a top 10 team yet, but the 9th ranked Tigers sure looked like one in their opener, rolling over neighborhood rival and defending Long Island Class A Champion John Glenn 56-38. Long Island All-Star Lukas Jarrett led the way with 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 blocks..... Westbury fell a few votes short of the Preseason Sweet 16 and took it out on New Hyde Park in their opener at East Meadow's Coaches vs Cancer Tournament, hammering the Gladiators 76-40. The Green Dragons had 4 players in double figures, led by Rolgens Dextra with 15.
Editor's Inbox
Hills West's Terry Harris was named Atlete Of The Week after scoring 14 points in Houston Baptist's 88-44 win over Dallas Christian. Harris was 5 of 8 from the field and 3 of 5 from behind the arc.
12/2 High School Report
#5 Kellenberg held off a late rally by #6 Uniondale and pulled away for an impressive 76-56 victory. SEE STORY..... North Babylon got a lot of Sweet 16 votes in the preseason poll, and showed why, going on the road to defeat St. John The Baptist 66-57 in overtime behind 18 points from Zach Moore..... St. Dominic improved to 3-0 with a 53-49 win over Regis. Isaiah Wilson led the way with 15 points and 8 rebounds and Dominic Cotumaccio added 13 points and 4 steals..... Jordan Armstrong had 39 points to lead Roosevelt over Oceanside 73-61. Terrell Canty added 21 points and 10 rebounds..... Dan Albernas scored 35 points to lead Syosset over Port Washington 68-52..... MORE RESULTS ON SCOREBOARD!
Nov. High School Updates
Even though the high school season gets rolling in December, a few schools start their seasons in November. Here are some of the key results from November:
Nationally ranked OSNA beat national powerhouse Mt. Zion 81-71..... St. Dominic got off to 2-0 start, beating Salesian 65-46 and Eagle Academy BK 61-57..... SJB gave well regarded Bayside all they could handle before falling 62-58
Jr COLLEGE REPORT 11/23
Suffolk Picks Up First Win
Suffolk CC got off to a rough 0-4 start this season, but rolled over Dutchess CC 84-65 behind Brentwood's Jahmal Gardner, who scored 21 points off the bench and added 5 rebounds and 5 assists, and SJB's John Peloso and Vincent Abbondola, who both had 17 points.
Nassau Falls To Manhattan CC
Nassau CC dropped to 4-3 on the season with a 69-66 loss to Manhattan CC. Valley Stream's Elijah Chambers led Nassau with 17 points and 3 steals and Baldwin's Eric Mack added 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 blocks.
D1 COLLEGE REPORT 11/20
Westbury’s Andre Walker had 16 points and 4 steals in Loyola’s win over UMBC….. Dix Hills’ Tyler Harris had 11 points and 6 rebounds in Providence’s win over Navy….. Hills West’s Emile Blackman had 9 points in Niagara’s win over St. Peter’s….. SJB’s Kyle Williams had 6 points and 3 rebounds in Grambling’s loss to Purdue….. OSNA’s Chris Obekpa had 5 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 blocks in St. Johns’ win over LIU….. Brentwood’s Femi Olujobi had 5 points and 4 rebounds in Oakland’s loss to Western Michigan…..
What To Do At Tryouts
Players Return From Preps
The three star players who were expected to help lead their respective teams to possible trips upstate this season but instead elected to transfer to prep schools over the summer, have all returned home now after not liking their new schools. Prince Hickson is back at Copiague and Dana King is back at Valley Stream South, but Patrick Jackson is not expected to return to St. Mary's. We will let you know where he ends up.
Pro Report
Hills West's Tobias Harris had 24 points, 5 assists, and 5 steals in Orlando's win over the Pistons..... Amityville's AJ Price, who is on a 10 day contract with the Pacers, led Indiana in scoring in back to back games, scoring 14 in a loss to Denver and 21 in a win over Chicago. He also had a 22 point game in a win over Utah back on Nov 10th...... North Babylon's Danny Green had 11 points and 4 assists in San Antonio's win over the 76ers ..... Roslyn's George Beamon and Hicksville's
John Petrucelli were both taken in the NBA's D-League draft.
Fall League Results
Westbury beat Lawrence in the final of the Bunky Reid Fall League, led by Malachi Dean, Jerome Cuningham, Rolgens Destra and Johnathan JT Dean ..... North Shore defeated Seaford in the PAL/TOB Varsity Fall League Championsip Game..... Stony Brook defeated North Shore in the Sayville Fall League final..... Harborfields beat Brentwood in the finals of the West Babylon Fall League. ..... Mt. Sinai defeated Centereach 41-35 in the finals of the Varsity Fall League at St. Pat's in Smithtown. Nolan Kelly led the Mustangs with 11 points and 10 rebounds and Brandon Bonanno added 10 points in the win. Mt. Sinai defeated Sachem North and Centereach defeated Smithtown East in Semifinals.
NASSAU TOP 20
Participants in the Nassau Top 20 All-Star Game are competing to qualify for the 2014 Nassau Public School All-Star Game. They are:
White Jersey Team
Kieran Murchie - Carey
Kevin Young - Malverne
Alex Rosen - Syosset
Timmy Kelly - South Side
Shomari Redd - Uniondale
Paul Colson - Baldwin
Sammy Robinson - Lawrence
Josh McElveen - Lawrence
Kyle Harding - Uniondale
Darasa Rodwell - Baldwin
Black Jersey Team
Justin Caldwell - Baldwin
Joe Forrler - East Meadow
Steven Gessner - Mineola
Joe Santoro - Island Trees
Matthew Graham - Elmont Memorial
Dan Albernas - Syosset
Marvin Chartelain - Baldwin
Albert Egbuchulam - Lawrence
Marcus St-Furcy - Lawrence
Brandon Callaghan - East Meadow
NASSAU TOP 40
GAME 1
The black jerseys rolled in Game 1 of the Nassau Top 40 doubleheader, taking a 104-80 decision. It was close at halftime, but Lawrence's Marcus St. Furcy knocked down a three to put Black up 61-53 early in the second half, and a baseline drive and dunk by Lawrence's Albert Egbuchulam gave them their first double digit lead. Darasa Rodwell from Baldwin stole the ball and drained a pull-up jumper to put Black up 71-57, but Justin Caldwell and Cole Eiber answered for White and they were back into it, trailing 73-65. Black pushed to break it open again, with Uniondale's Shomari Redd draining a three from behind the right elbow and South Side's Matthew Kelly scoring a fast break basket. Redd scored again, this time on the break to make it 83-65, and when Lawrence's Josh McElveen and Rodwell knocked down back to back threes, it was 94-72 and it was all over. Redd led all scorers with 21 points, Rodwell and Egbuchulam both had 13, and Elmont's Matthew Graham and McElveen finished with 12. Sam Robinson from Lawrence led the white jerseys with 15 points, Eiber had 13, and Kelly finished with 11. PHOTOS COMING
NASSAU TOP 40
GAME 2
The white jerseys ran away with Game 2, going up 21-5 behind the balanced attack of their first unit, led by Mineola's Steven Gessner, who had 13 first half points, Malverne's Kevin Young, who had 9, and Uniondale's Kyle Harding, who had 8. The lead was 27-5 when the second unit entered the game and Elmont's Darius Celestin and Syosset's Dan Albernas proceeded to knock down back to back threes, and it jumped to 37-9 on back to back fast break baskets by East Meadow's Brandon Callaghan. Baldwin's Marvin Chartelain made it 47-16 with a three from the top and then a steal and fast break basket by Sewanhaka's Jessen Leesse made it 49-16 and it got worse from there. Leesse was very impressive, finishing with 18 points, Gessner and Young were too and both had 15, and Albernas, Harding and Callaghan all finished with 12. Baldwin's Paul Colson fought against the tide, leading all scorers with 25 points for Black, Alex Rosen from Syosset had 11, and Kamoy Silvero from Sewanhaka 10. PHOTOS COMING
METRO CLASSIC
BOYS GAME: CANCELLED
What looked like a serious head injury to South Shore HS’s Ryan Preston caused cancellation of the game in the third quarter with NYC leading 74-61. Preston seemed unconsious and was removed from the court on a stretcher. Thankfully, it appears he will be OK. The game, which has been a staple of the preseason for years, had virtually no advance publicity this year and was not well attended, and the game itself suffered because many of Long Island’s top players, who appeared on the roster initially, did not participate in the game. Those that did participate and performed well were North Babylon’s Zach Moore, Amityville’s Mike Smith, and Brentwood’s dynamic duo of Jamel Allen and Mike Almonacy.
GIRL'S GAME
In the girl's game, Long Island rolled over NYC 76-52. There was an injury scare in this game too, with superstar Lauren "Boogie" Brozoski sustaining a knee injury in the third quarter, but again thankfully it does not appear to be as serious as first feared. Brozoski helped get the Island off to a good start with 11 points before getting hurt, and fellow all-star Mei-Lyn Bautista from St. Mary's captured MVP honors with 14 points. Bellport's Ariella Guirantes and Brentwood's Alexia Douglas also finished with 11.
Editor's Inbox
LuHi point guard Chris Atkinson has committed to Monmouth..... 6'10" sophomore Nicholas Richards has left St. Mary's......
Returning
All-New York State
CLASS AA
Mike Almonacy, Brentwood
Chris Atkinson, LuHi
Devonte Green, LuHi
HONORABLE MENTION
Jamel Allen, Brentwood
Marvin Prochet, LuHi
CLASS A
Tavon Ginyard, SJB/ now Brentwood
Mike Smith, Amityville
HONORABLE MENTION
Dana King, Valley Stream South
Jimmy Golaszewski, Holy Trinity
CLASS B
Brendan Laing, Babylon
CLASS D
HONORABLE MENTION
Josh Lamison, Bridgehampton
12/15 High School Report
Farmingdale 53 Plainview 48
In a game between two Nassau Class AA contenders, Farmingdale came from behind on the road. Sal Nicosia led the Dalers with 13 points, Dan McKeon had 12, and Ryan Destine 10.
Huntington 78 Kings Park 46
Huntington improved to 3-0 with a thumping of Kings Park. Kenny McCarthy had 5 three pointers and finished with 23 points, Shyheim Brewster had 14 points, 12 rebounds and 6 blocks, and Kenny Charles had 12 points.
SJB SHOWCASE
Another strong showing for Long Island teams at the SJB Holiday Showcase, with local teams taking 4 out of 5 contests! More details will follow, but here are the rsults:
#3 Baldwin 77 St. Mary’s 59
#4 Kellenberg 81 Banneker 65
#5 Chaminade 62 Beach Channel 35
#6 Holy Trinity 74 Nazareth 54
#14 St. Dominic 73 Dwight Morris 49
Eagle Academy 47 SJB 45
12/18 High School Update
VS South 68 Beach Channel 38
Valley Stream South is finally putting it together, picking up their fouth straight win by beating PSAL Class AA Beach Channel 68-38. Dana King had 27 points and 8 assists and Hall Elisias 20 points and 16 rebounds.
#9 Copiague 69 Newfield 56
Copiague hit the road for a league game and pulled away from Newfield for an impressive win.
STORY TO FOLLOW
South Side 79 Port Wash. 46
South Side looks better every time out, dismantling a Port Washington team that was fresh off a win over Valley Stream Central. Long Island All-Star Alex Sorenson led the way with 23 points and 14 rebounds, Tim Kelly had 19 points, and John Cheslock 13.
Kellenberg 81 Banneker 65
We arrived at halftime to find #4 Kellenberg involved in a battle with defending PSAL Class A West Division Champion Benjamin Banneker, and trailing 33-32. Banneker extended their lead to 39-36 on back to back baskets as the third quarter got underway, but the Firebirds started to get it in gear after Michael Torre nailed a three pointer from the left wing to tie it, then knocked down two free throws and stole the ball and scored, converting the three point play to put Kellenberg up by 5. Two free throws and then a dunk off a turnover and Banneker was back within 1, but Kellenberg would not give up the lead, responding with a fast break basket by Anthony DeGennaro, a left wing drive by Steven Torre, and a putback by Mike Torre to go up by 7 with 2:23 left in the quarter. Steve Torre scored again on a fast break basket to keep the run going, a left elbow jumper by Mike made it 61-49, and a three point play by Kyle DeVerna just before the buzzer gave Kellenberg a 15 point lead with one quarter still to play. Steve Torre opened the fourth quarter with a fast break basket off a turnover, and DeVerna followed him with a drive down the heart of the defense to make it 68-49 Kellenberg. A fast break basket by Mike Torre and putback by Cleven Lans made it 72-51 with 4:31 to play, and after Derrick Okunpolor's two free throws and a basket by Lans from underneath, 77-53 with 2:49 remaining. Game over. Mike Torre led the way with 22 points and 8 rebounds, Steve Torre had 14 points and 9 assists, and tournament MVP Kyle DeVerna finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists. 12/20
St. Mary's Upsets #4
St. Mary's upset the 4th ranked Class AA team in New York State, defeating Bishop Kearney from Rochester 81-73 at home. St. Mary's always has a tough schedule, and came into the game 0-3, but now has Chris Kelly back from an injury, and he led the Gaels with 29 points and 11 rebounds! Next up for Bishop Kearney is a matchup with Harborfields today (Saturday) at noon at Harborfields, while St. Mary's will take on #3 Baldwin in a 5:15 PM game also today at the St. John The Baptist Showcase. 12/19
ASK THE REF!
Our first edition of the season, and it's a good one! ASK THE REF!
Copiague 69 Newfield 56
Copiague is one of Long Island’s top ranked teams, but hasn't been tested yet, so a league match up on the road against Newfield was the first step in that process, and the Eagles passed with flying colors, pulling away from the Trojans for an impressive 69-56 win that was not as close as the final score. Elijah Roberts opened the game with a three pointer from the left wing to give Copiague the lead, but Denzel Williams went coast to coast and Jarell Cowell drove the baseline to put host Newfield up 4-3. Roberts retook the lead with a runner, but Brandon Thomas answered with a fast break basket and the teams continued to trade baskets, with Copiague up 17-16 at the first quarter buzzer. Prince Hickson opened the second quarter with a free throw, and then he knocked down a nice fall away jumper from the lane to make it 20-16 Copiague, but Williams kept it tight with a basket from underneath off a nice dish from Cowell. Two free throws by Miles Mills and a baseline three pointer by Hickson and the Eagles were starting to build a lead, but back to back baskets by Williams and Cowell cut it to 25-22 with 3:12 to play in the half. Newfield had a chance to draw closer, but missed the front end of a 1 and 1, and Steve Szabo’s turnaround jumper from the low post, two more free throws by Mills, and then a three pointer by Mills from behind the left elbow and Copiague was up by 10 with 1:02 left. Cowell scored again, this time from under the basket, but a Roberts three pointer from the right baseline and a drive by Mills made it 37-24 Eagles at the half. After a Copiague free throw, Roberts stole the ball and scored for a 16 point Copiague lead as the third quarter got underway, and it was suddenly 46-25 Eagles after Quandell Butler hit a runner off the glass, Rogers scored on the break, and Hickson drove the baseline at the 3:37 mark of the third quarter. Andre Morgan’s putback and then his free throw continued the run, but Peter Ferchland broke it with a three pointer from the left wing, and Cowell followed him with four straight free throws to cut it to 49-32. Roberts retook the momentum with a baseline three pointer, and then a low post basket by Morgan and a fast break dunk by Hickson and Copiague was up 56-34 at the third quarter buzzer. Butler opened the fourth quarter with a putback and Rogers added two free throws for a 26 point Eagle lead and Newfield never seriously challenged after that. Hickson finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds and Roberts 18 points and 7 assists for Copiague. Cowell a game high 23 points for Newfield. 12/18
Kellenberg 83 So. Side 60
These two teams have made a habit of meeting in the championship game of the South Side Tournament, a good measuring stick for the two strong programs heading into their league seasons. This season, both are good once again, but #4 Kellenberg, off to a 7-0 start, seems to have all the prerequisites necessary for a special season. The game was held at Lynbrook High School because of a broken backboard at the South Side gym, and Kellenberg’s Kyle DeVerna opened the scoring with two free throws, and after an Alex Sorenson three pointer for South Side, Steve Torre looped down the baseline and scored, Mike Torre knocked down a three pointer from the left wing, and Steve stole the ball and scored to put the Firebirds up 9-3. The run continued with a three point play by Mike and two free throws by DeVerna, and Steve’s left wing three with 20 seconds to play in the first quarter gave Kellenberg an imposing 19-5 advantage, but Sorenson scored on a putback and added a free throw in the closing seconds to narrow the margin to 11 before DeVerna’s free throw made it 20-8 at the buzzer. Matt Boranian spun to basket and scored to open the second quarter and the Kellenberg lead was down to 10, but Steve Torre started to rebuild it, hitting a free throw and adding a fast break basket. Kevin Spadaford responded with a three pointer from the left wing, and Jon Cheslock drilled back to back threes and South Side was suddenly within 4 with 4:08 left in the half, but Derrick Okunpolor pulled down a long rebound, drove to the basket and scored off the glass to interrupt the run. Two free throws by Anthony DeGennaro and the Firebird lead was back to 8, but a three pointer by Garrett Gallego cut the margin to 5 with 2:08 remaining. DeVerna’s pull-up jumper from the top of the key gave Kellenberg a 39-32 lead at the half, and after Sorenson kicked off the second half with a drive for South Side, Steve Torre nailed a baseline three, Stefon Bryan scored a fastbreak basket, and Okunpolor scored on a spinning drive from the foul line off an inbound play to put the Firebirds up 46-34 with only two minutes gone in the third quarter. The run continued with a putback by Mike Torre and a DeVerna three pointer from the top, giving Kellenberg a 16 point lead with 4:30 remaining, but the Cyclones responded, and Sorenson’s two free throws cut it to 55-44 as the clock reached the 2 minute mark. Steve Torre went 3 for 4 from the line in the final minutes of the quarter for a 60-46 lead, and it was 60-47 Kellenberg as the fourth quarter got underway. Timmy Awosika got a dish underneath and scored for South Side as play resumed, but Okunpolor banked home a jumper from the lane and Mike Torre beat everyone down court and scored to make it 64-49 Firebirds. Six straight free throws , two each by Steve Torre , Bryan, and DeGennaro kept it going, putting Kellenberg up 69-51 and South Side would get no closer than 14 the rest of the way. Steve Torre finished with 28 points, DeVerna with 12 points and 8 assists, and Okunpolor with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks for Kellenberg. Sorenson had 20 points for South Side. 12/30
12/28 High School Report
Southampton 81 Bayport/BP 75
Southampton continued to make it's Sweet 16 case, defeating a good Bayport-Blue Point team in the Eastern Officials Tournament final.
Bridgehampton 55 East Islip 44
Class D Bridgehampton took on their first big test of the season and rolled over Class AA East Islip, who was 4-1 coming into the game.
12/27 High School Report
Lawrence 65 #5 Chaminade 62
In one of the big upsets of the season so far, Lawrence knocked off their second straight ranked team with a three pointer at the buzzer by Terrin Roy. Sam Robinson had a big game for Lawrence, finishing with 24 points and 11 rebounds.
Southampton 72 Longwood 56
Class B Southampton, defending Long Island Champions, continued to impress, knocking off Class AA Longwood 72-56.
Plainview 53 Great Neck So. 46
Both teams have been knocking on the door of the Sweet 16, so it was a big game for both and visiting Plainview prevailed, handing Great Neck South their first loss and improving to 6-1 in a hard fought, well played contest. David Kimmel kicked things off with a three pointer from the left wing, and Ben Lee curled into the lane and scored to make it 5-zip Great Neck South. Brendan Fitzpatrick got Plainview on the board with a drive from the left wing, but Jon Kestenbaum knocked down a three from the top and Shane Smith spun into the lane from the low post and scored to put the Rebels up 10-3 with 3 minutes to play in the first quarter. Bradley Weiss answered with a basket from underneath, and then he kicked out a rebound to Fitzpatrick, who buried a three from the left wing and the Hawks were within 3 at the first quarter buzzer. Kestenbaum got a dish underneath and scored to open the second quarter and pad South’s lead, but David Glass kept pace, stealing the ball and scoring for Plainview. Kestenbaum got open again underneath and scored, and Smith added a jumper from the high post to make it 19-12 Great Neck, but a three pointer by Nick Perlowski kept it close, and a fast break basket by Allen Durutovic cut it to 19-17 with 4:20 to play in the half. Fitzpatrick tied it at 19 with two free throws, and then his baseline three put the Hawks on top for the first time with 2:52 remaining. Two more Fitzpatrick free throws bumped the Plainview lead to 25-19, but Kestenbaum’s three point play made it a 3 point game at the break. A three pointer from the right wing by Kevin Hom tied it at 27 as the third quarter got underway, and after a Plainview free throw, Smith went 2 for 2 from the line to give the Rebels a 1 point lead. The Hawks retook the lead on a putback by Weiss, but the lead see-sawed again when Smith scored from underneath on an inbound play. The teams battled back and forth right through to the buzzer, with a putback by Weiss giving Plainview a 36-35 lead heading into the final quarter. Fitzpatrick pulled up for a jumper and banked it off the glass to open the fourth quarter and put the Hawks up by 3, but Kestenbaum’s putback tied it at 39 with 6 minutes to go. Fitzpatrick sliced through the heart of the defense and scored to put Plainview back on top, Glass added two free throws and Weiss a putback for a 6 point lead with 4:02 remaining, and then a big basket by Weiss from underneath gave the Hawks a 47-39 lead with 2:58 to play and South was in trouble. Smith’s fast break basket cut it to 48-41 with 2:35 left, but Fitzpatrick knocked down two free throws with just 1:25 on the game clock to give Plainview a 9 point lead. Kestenbaum kept hopes alive with another basket from underneath that made it 50-43 with 1:10 showing, but Thomas Flynn went 3 out of 4 from the line down the stretch to ice it. Fitzpatrick led Plainview with a game high 22 points, and Weiss added 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 blocks. Kestenbaum was high man for South with 14 points and Smith had 12. 12/30.
Holy Trinity 83 Hills West 74
A young Hills West team came ready to play, but they gave up a 13 point first quarter lead and fell to the senior dominated Titans in another classic December showdown. #15 Hills West struck quickly, with Justin Leonard scoring from underneath and Kian Dalyrimple on a putback, but #6 Holy Trinity responded, taking a brief lead on a Billy Sixsmith three and a basket from underneath by James Golaszewski. Dalyrimple’s three pointer put the Colts back in front, and a baseline drive by Richard Altenord, a three point play by Cameron Jordan, and a drive by Deven Williams through traffic put them up 16-7 with 4:37 remaining in the quarter. Golaszewski tried to end the run with a nice turnaround from the low post, but Altenord streaked down the court and scored, weaving through defenders, Dalyrimple drove baseline and scored, and a fast break basket by Leonard made it 23-10 Hills West with 1:48 left in the quarter. Mike Farella‘s second three from the top brought the Titans within 10 as the seconds ticked down, but Jordan scored quickly going the other way to make it 25-13 Colts at the quarter break. Thorton Scott opened the second quarter with a three pointer from the left wing, cutting the margin to single digits, and then his two free throws and his three pointer from the right wing brought the Titans within 4 with 5:17 to play in the half. The teams traded baskets and free thrown down to the 3:45 mark, when Dalyrimple’s three pointer from the right wing bumped the Hills West lead back to 33-26, but Holy Trinity bounced back quickly, and a Billy Sixsmith three pointer cut it to 35-34 with 2:29 remaining. Hills West fought to retain the lead, with Dalyrimple driving and scoring from the left wing and Altenord powering his way to the basket to put the Colts up by 5, but Scott’s three from behind the right elbow and Golaszewski’s fast break basket tied it at 39. Altenord ended the half with an athletic move to the basket to give Hills West a 2 point lead at intermission, but Golaszewski’s steal and fastbreak basket tied it as the second half got underway, and then he scored again off a turnover to give Holy Trinity their first lead. Jordan tied it at 43 with a jump hook, but Golaszewski scored another fast break basket, and then he cut down the baseline and scored for his fourth straight hoop and a 47-43 Titan advantage. The teams traded baskets until Holy Trinity reeled off 6 straight points on back to back baskets by Golaszewski and a drive by Scott to take a 57-49 lead with 2:11 to play in the third quarter, but Jonathan Faraci broke the run with a three pointer from the right wing and Altenord went coast to coast and Hills West was back within 4. An alley-oop pass and layup by Golaszewski just before the buzzer made it 61-56 Titans with three quarters in the books, and Farella opened the fourth quarter with a three from the top to put Holy Trinity up 64-56, but Altenord answered with a baseline three and Jordan scored from the low post to bring the Colts back within 3 with 6 minutes to play. Dalyrimple tied it with a baseline three at the 4:22 mark, but Golaszewski answered with a rare 4 point play. Hills was back within 2 after Dalyrimple looped one in from the lane on a drive from the right wing, but the lead was suddenly 7 after a very deep three by Billy Sixsmith and a drive by Golaszewski with 2:45 to play. Hills had a chance to cut the lead to 3 after Leonard knocked down two free throws, but came up empty on a return to the foul line with 1:52 showing. After a Titan free throw, Deven Williams came through for the Colts, keeping them alive with two free throws to make it 76-72 with 1:18 on the clock, but Jack Sixsmith was just as clutch, knocking down two on the other end with 56 seconds remaining. Altenord kept hopes alive with 37 seconds to go, cutting it to 78-74 with two free throws, but Jack Sixsmith was the wrong person to foul, and he iced it for the Titans with four straight free throws for a 82-74 lead with 13 seconds showing. Golaszewski had 31 points for Holy Trinity, including 16 in the pivotal third quarter, Scott had 21 points, and Jack Sixsmith 13. Altenord had 23 and Dalyrimple and Jordan 19 each for Hills West. 12/27
12/29 High School Report
Baldwin 51 Holy Trinity 46
It wasn't pretty, but the #3 Bruins grinded out a big win over the #5 Titans in a classic December matchup. FULL STORY LATER
Seton Hall Prep 55 #1 LuHi 48
LuHi had managed to stay unbeaten playing without star forward Marvin Prochet, but with their brutal schedule, it was only a matter of time before they played a team they would have to be at full strenght to beat. Seton Hall Prep, ranked 8th in New Jersey, was that team. Chris Atkinson had 19 points in the loss.
St. Dominic 61 Lawrence 49
St. Dominic proved they're not a paper tiger, defeating a Lawrence team fresh off a win over Chaminade.
SCHEDULE CHANGES!
There are significant schedule changes Monday and Tuesday.
Monday's South Side Tournament has been moved to the Island Garden for round one. Times 4:30 PM Kellenberg vs Valley Stream Central, and 6:30 PM South Side vs Lynbrook. The Bob Grant Tournament will now be played at 4:00 PM, with Commack taking on Deer Park, and 6:00 PM, with host Lindenhurst facing Copiague. The game between Lawrence and St. Dominic has been rescheduled for Monday 5 PM at St. Dominic. TUESDAY, day two of the South Side Tournament will be 10:30 AM and 12:15 PM at Lynbrook HS, and the Bob Grant Tournament 4 and 6pm at Lindenhurst HS. The game between Bayside and St. Mary's has been reschedule for 4 PM Tuesday.
Baldwin 51 Holy Trinity 46
This was the game everyone had been waiting for! Third ranked Baldwin against fifth ranked and defending CHSAA Class A State Champion Holy Trinity, and although neither offense was at its best, the defenses were and it was a terrific game played with great intensity in front of a packed house. Both teams started out with quick baskets, with Baldwin’s Paul Colson drilling a three from behind the left elbow, and Holy Trinity’s Jack Sixsmith going coast to coast, and then the Titan’s Mike Farella hit a three from the left wing and Jimmy Golaszewski a tip-in to make it 7-3 Holy Trinity. It seemed like we might be in for a fast paced, high scoring game, but the defenses clamped down, not allowing penetration, and the contested jumpers wouldn’t fall. The Bruins waited to the final seconds of the quarter to make their move, with a drive down the heart of the defense by Shane Gatling and a three pointer by Colson just before the buzzer giving them a 14-13 lead with one quarter complete. Gatling opened the second quarter with another nice drive through traffic, but there was little scoring until a Farella three pointer put Holy Trinity up 18-17 with 2:20 to play in the half. Golaszewski scored on back to back drives from the elbow to bump the lead to 22-18 with 1:29 to go, but Marvin Chartelain’s pull-up jumper from the baseline and a steal and fastbreak basket by Daraja Rodwell put Baldwin up 25-24 at the half. Billy Sixsmith opened the third quarter with one of his patented long range threes, this one a good 10 feet behind the arc, and it gave the Titans a 27-25 advantage, but Gatling caught a kick-out at the top, and he answered with a three of his own for a 1 point Bruin lead. Billy Sixsmith retook the lead with a baseline three, but Paul Nosworthy tied it with a basket from the lane off an inbound play, and Chartelain pulled up just inside the foul line and knocked down a jumper to make it 32-30 Baldwin with 3:38 remaining in the quarter. Jack Sixsmith answered with a three from the right baseline, and brother Billy added two free throws to put the Titans up by 3, but a Colson three tied it at 35 and started a short run. It was 43-36 Baldwin after Jared Rhoden’s drive from the right wing and an elbow jumper by Gatling, but Edward Higgins scored from underneath to make it a 5 point game at the third quarter buzzer. Higgins scored again from underneath to begin the fourth quarter, and Billy Sixsmith uncorked another long range bomb to tie it at 43, but Nosworthy reclaimed the lead with a hook shot from the low post and Gatling made it 48-44 Bruins with a jumper from just outside the left elbow. Billy Sixsmith kept it close, driving down the lane and scoring to make it a 2 point game with 2:45 to play, but a huge baseline three by Colson put Baldwin up by 5 at the 1:33 mark, and with only a few team fouls, Holy Trinity could not get the Bruins to the line to regain possession and time ran out on them. Gatling led Baldwin with 17 points, Colson had 12, and Nosworthy 9 points and 10 rebounds. Billy Sixsmith was high man for Holy Trinity with 13 and Jack finished with 11. 12/29
12/23 High School Report
Newfield 61 #7 Central Islip 54
The key to beating Newfield is to slow down Jarrel Cowell, but if you don’t, and Newfield contains your big scorer, you’re in trouble. Cowell finished with 30 points and 15 rebounds, while CI’s Brandon Hodge only had 5 points and nobody else picked up the slack.
W Hempstead 83 VS North 77
West Hempstead handed Valley Stream North their first loss, and in dramatic fashion, beating the Spartans in double overtime. Anthony Beaubrun had 30 points for West Hempstead, including 4 in OT
Roosevelt 80 Hempstead 64
Roosevelt led almost wire to wire for the convincing win. Jordan Armstrong led the way with 26 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals.
12/22 High School Report
Babylon 65 West Babylon 44
Class B Babylon continues to roll over opponent after opponent, this time over Class AA rival West Babylon. The Panthers are now 6-0 and are winning their games by an average of 25 points!
Floral Park 57 New Hyde Prk 41
Floral Park fell off the radar after losing by 23 to 0-2 St. Anthony’s, but they have reeled off four straight since. Kevin Cluess led them with 19 points and 8 rebounds, and Tim Kelly had 10 points.
Brentwood 65 Harborfields 58
It was #2 Brentwood’s first serious test of the season, and although they weren't the dominating force we’ve all been expecting, they picked up a big win against #13 Harborfields. It was 9-2 Brentwood as we arrived at the gym, and Tavon Ginyard’s three pointer from the right baseline and Mike Almonacy’s short jumper off the glass made it 15-5 Indians with 2:20 to play in the first quarter. Dan Morgan’s two free throws cut it to 18-10 Brentwood at the buzzer, and Malcolm Wynter looped down the lane and scored to bring Harborfields within 6 as the second quarter got underway, but Almonacy answered with a fall-away jumper and George Perdomo with a basket from underneath for a 10 point Brentwood lead. Alex Bloom’s three pointer from the deep left wing brought Harborfields back within 5 with 3:38 to play in the half, and a free throw by Robert Picorelli made it a 4 point game, but Almonacy responded with a three from the top to make it 27-20, and he knocked down another three from the top to put the Indians up by 8 with 2:07 remaining. Harborfields closed out the quarter with 7 unanswered points, starting with a three by Wynter from the top, and finishing with a free throw and three pointer by Pecorelli to cut the Brentwood lead to 1 at the half. Jamel Allen drove the baseline and scored to open the second half, but Pecorelli’s three to the right of center tied it at 32 and Wynter’s elbow jumper gave Harborfields the lead. Ginyard retook the lead with a left wing three, but a back door cut by Elias Berbari and it was the Green Tornadoes by 1. The teams traded baskets and the lead, one basket a beautiful alley-oop dunk by Allen off a half court pass by Ginyard, until Ginyard gave Brentwood some breathing room with a three from the deep left wing for a 47-41 lead with 2:52 left in the third quarter. Harborfields closed the gap on Dan Morgan’s putback and a three by Pecorelli from the right wing that brought them them back within 1, but Ali Mableton held them off with a drive from the right wing and then he went 1 out of 2 from the line to put Brentwood up 50-46 with three quarters complete. Allen drove right, pulled up and banked one off the glass to open the fourth quarter scoring, and then his steal and fastbreak basket made it 59-51 Brentwood with 4:34 left. A baseline three by Bloom kept Harborfields in the hunt, cutting the margin to 5 with 4:08 on the game clock, but Mableton answered with a spinning drive from the right wing and Ginyard found Perdomo on the beak to make it 63-54 at the 2:56 mark. Neither team could find the basket until just 33 seconds remained, when an Allen dunk added punctuation to Brentwood’s hard fought victory. Almonacy led a balanced Brentwood attack with 16 points and 6 assists, Allen had 15 points and 18 rebounds, and Ginyard 15 points and 6 assists. Pecorelli had 15 points for Harborfields and Wynter 14. 12/27
12/20 High School Report
Middletown 70 #7 Uniondale 62
Uniondale took to the road to take on Section 9 Class AA Middletown, 5-0 and ranked 18th in New York State, and came up short. Shomari Redd led the Knights with 29 points.
Lawrence 61 #15 Syosset 50
Lawrence is off to a slow start, but showed their potential by knocking off previously unbeaten Syosset with a balanced attack led by Josh McElveen, who finished with 13 points and 17 rebounds
VS North 65 Garden City 62
In a battle of unbeatens, Valley Stream North came from behind to edge Garden City. Mahlik McLeod led VSN with 20 points, Josh Dennisha had 15, and Noah Shy 13.
STANDINGS
Long Island's most accurate standings have been posted, AND WILL NOW BE UPDATED DAILY! STANDINGS
LEADING SCORERS
Long Island's most accurate list of leading scorers has been posted!
1/4 High School Report
#1 LuHi 61 Lincoln 53
The Crusaders held off a late rally by the Railsplitters. SEE STORY
#2 Brentwood 75 So. Shore 68
Brentwood had their first off of Long Island opponent of the season, and were impressive in beating South Shore of the PSAL. SEE STORY
Far Rock 48 Harborfields 44
It was an entertaining back and forth game the whole way betwen two good teams, and 6-1 Far Rockaway of the PSAL prevailed. SEE STORY
St. Raymond's 77 St. Mary's 65
St. Raymonds was 6-1 and rated 9th in New York State coming into the game, but 4-4 St. Mary’s, led by two talented sophomores, hung tough, climbing out of a hole to challenge before falling. SEE STORY
1/6 High School Report
Southampton 59 Babylon 52
Two of the best Class B teams in the state, both unbeaten, faced off for the first time this season, and host Southampton took round one.
St. Mary's 76 Chaminade 67
Despite their slow start, the Gaels gave notice that they still might be a contender this season
Elmont 66 Westbury 61
#8 Elmont built a 19 point third quarter lead on the road, but they had to hold off #9 Westbury to improve to 6-1. The Spartans got off to a quick start, with Chiazam Nwankwo knocking down a jumper and Matthew Graham and Travis Robinson-Morgan scoring fast break baskets, but Westbury got on the board on Rolgens Dextra’s three pointer from the top, and as the quarter wound down, Malachi Dean scored from underneath to cut it to 13-11 and that was the score with one quarter in the books. Jerome Cunningham tied it with two free throws as the second quarter got underway, and Malachi Dean put the Green Dragons on top with a baseline jumper, but Morgan hit a runner and Pauly Paulicap a putback to reclaim the lead for the Spartans, and they were up by 5 after two free throws by Graham with 5:26 remaining in the half. A three point play by Morgan made it 27-18 Elmont, Graham’s three pointer at the 3:51 mark put them up by 10, and then his three point play made it 37-23 with 18 seconds on the clock, but Jonathan Dean closed out the half with a three pointer to bring Westbury within 11 at intermission. The teams went back and forth until 3:08 remained in the third quarter, when back to back threes by Yasir Lawrence and Nwankwo and a putback by Paulicap gave Elmont a 55-36 lead with 1:13 remaining. Westbury scored the last 6 point of the quarter, the last two by Jonathan Dean, and trailed by 13 going into the fourth. Dean continued his one man comeback, stealing the ball and dunking it, and then his baseline three pointer cut it to 57-49 with 5:06 left. Cunningham joined in, scoring on a drive from the left wing to make it a 6 point game, but the Dragons couldn’t sustain the momentum, missing big shots at the free throw line down the stretch that would have helped close the gap. Elmont also struggled at the line, but Graham came through with two at the 2:40 mark and two more to make it 63-53 with 1:59 remaining, making a three pointer by Brandon Otley and a short jumper by Malachi Dean too little too late. Nwankwo and Morgan led Elmont with 17 points each and Graham had 16. Jonathan Dean had a game high 27 for Westbury, Malachi 12 and Cunningham 10 for Westbury. 1/8
St. Doms 48 St. Anthony's 46
Road wins are always big in league play, especially in the NSCHSAA, and the 10th ranked Bayhawks picked one up against the Friars, rallying to improve to 11-1 on the season. St Dom’s moved out to a 5-2 lead on a three pointer by Reese Khner from behind the right elbow and a coast to coast basket by Isaiah Wilson, but CJ Bachman knocked down two free throws, James Walsh a three pointer from the left wing, and Bachman two more free throws to put St. Anthony’s up 9-5. It was 12-5 after another three by Walsh, but back to back steals by Brendan Harkin and Wilson cut the margin to 3 with 1:10 to play in the quarter. The Friars closed out the quarter with a flourish, with Josh Nicholas knocking down back to back threes, and they had an 18-9 lead at the buzzer. Bachman caught a pass in front of the basket, turned and scored to put the Friars up 11 as the second quarter got underway, but the Bayhawks took over at that point, cutting it to 22-17 on a three pointer from the top by Dominic Cotamucchio, Patrick Kiernan’s short jumper from the lane, and another jumper by Kiernan from the top with 2:50 to play in the half. Wilson’s fast break basket and Joe Luciano’s basket off a turnover kept it going, bringing St. Doms within 1, Kiernan gave the Bayhawks the lead on a runner with 43 seconds remaining, and Wilson added to it with a fast break basket off a turnover, completing a 16 to 2 run and giving St. Doms a 25-22 lead at the half. Cotamucchio nailed a three from the top to start the second half, and Khner’s putback gave the Bayhawks a 32-25 lead with 4:14 remaining in the quarter. A drive by Walsh, a steal and basket by Nicholas, and a 3 point play by Bachman tied it at 34 with 2:03 left, but after a free throw, Wilson scooped up a loose ball and scored to give St. Dom’s a 37-34 lead with three quarters complete. Khner opened the fourth quarter with a drive from the right wing for a 5 point Bayhawk lead, and Kiernan knocked down a three from the top to make it 42-33. His left wing three made it 46-36 with 5 minutes remaining, but a putback by Bachman and a three by Nicholas and the Friars were within 4 with 1:36 to play. Joe Licciardi’s floater cut it to 48-46 with 51 seconds showing, but the Bayhawks ran down the clock, shot and rebounded the ball. The Friars got lucky and tied it up before any foul was committed, but they could not get off a shot in the last 10 seconds and St. Doms held on for the big win. Khner was high scorer for the Bayhawks with 14 points, Kiernan had 12, and Wilson 10. Nicholas led St. Anthony’s with 18 and Bachman had 16. 1/6
Hills West 82 Copiague 72
Copiague built an 18 point first half lead on 11th ranked Hills West, but their aggressiveness led to foul trouble, and with both starting forwards on the bench, they let Hills get back into it. Once they did, the Colts seized the momentum and never really gave it back, picking up a big road win over the previously unbeaten Eagles. It was back and forth in the early going, but Copiague’s Prince Hickson stepped back and hit a jumper and then scored again on a putback to give the Eagles some separation, and an Elijah Rogers three pointer with time running down gave them an 18-11 lead at the first quarter buzzer. Kevin Roberts knocked down a deep three to open the second quarter and put Copiague up by 10, and a baseline three pointer my Myles Mills and 7 straight points by Rogers made it 33-15 Eagles with 2:22 remaining in the half. Hickson and Andre Morgan, who were both playing very well, went to the bench with foul trouble, and Hills West took advantage, going on a 13-1 run in the final minutes of the half to pull with 6 as the break approached. Kian Dalyrimple ignited the run with a drive, cutting diagonally across the lane and scoring, Justin Leonard scored on a putback and Richard Altenord on a drive to keep the run going, and Leonard capped it off with a basket off an inbound play with 18 seconds remaining. Roberts had a fast break basket in the closing seconds to break the run and give the Eagles a 36-28 lead at the half, and then Morgan and Hickson both had putbacks to start the second half for a 13 point Copiague lead, but a right wing drive by Deven Williams, a basket by Cameron Jordan off a pick and roll, and then a drive by Jordan cut it to 47-40 with 3:27 left in the third quarter. Altenord continued to narrow the gap, converting a three point play, and then two free throws by Dalyrimple and a drive by Leonard cut it to 48-47, but Hickson fought the tide with a right wing jumper. Dalyrimple countered with a three pointer from behind the right elbow to tie it at 50 with 1:33 to go, and it was tied at 52 as the third quarter ended. Dalyrimple drilled a baseline three pointer to open the fourth quarter, giving West the lead, but Hickson answered with a three pointer from behind the right elbow, and then his tip-in and a runner by Quandell Butler put Copiague up 59-56. A free throw by Jordan, a drive down the lane by Altenord, and a short drive and bank-shot off the glass by Jordan gave Hills a 2 point lead with 5:21 remaining, but the back and forth continued, with Copiague’s Butler picking up a loose ball and knocking down an elbow jumper to make it 61 all. Hills took the lead for good when Jordan spun out of the low post and scored and Jon Faraci knocked down a three pointer with 4:07 to go, and then Altenord’s fast break basket gave the Colts a 68-62 lead with 3:26 to play. Copiague had opportunities to close the gap, and scored on almost every possession down the stretch, but struggled at the foul line and could not get stops when they needed to. Leonard knocked down two big free throws for a 70-63 Hills West lead with 2:45 left, and after Hickson answered with two free throws, Leonard’s big putback made it 72-65 Colts. Roberts hit a clutch three pointer to make it a 4 point game with 1:19 to go, but once again, Hills West responded, with Altenord scoring on the press beak to put them up 6 with less than a minute to play. A basket by Butler from underneath kept the Eagles alive, trailing by 4 with 48 seconds left, but Leonard answered with two free throws and Altenord with two more to ice it. Altenord led the balanced Hills West attack with 21 points, Leonard finished with 18, and Dalyrimple and Jordan with 13 each. Hickson had a game high 22 points for Copiague despite foul trouble, Rogers had 19 and Roberts 14. 1/6
Holy Trinity 78 Chaminade 75
Both teams were missing key players, but it was a terrific game, with #5 Holy Trinity rallying to take the lead and then holding off #9 Chaminade in a classic NSCHSAA barnburner. Owen Prendergast got things going, looping down the baseline from the elbow and scoring for Chaminade, and after Eddie Higgins caught the ball in the lane and scored for Holy Trinity, Kevin McNoble answered with a drive from the right wing and Charles Salter rebounded and scored to put the Flyers up 6-2. A three point play on a power move by Matt Johnson put Chaminade up by 5, but a putback by Mike Golaszewski and a drive down the lane by Jack Sixsmith made it a 1 point game with 2:32 to play in the opening quarter. Kyle Murphy kept Chaminade on top with a right wing three pointer, and then back to back threes by McNoble, the second a 4 point play, and the Flyers led 23-12, but Golaszewski, who had 8 first quarter points, closed out the quarter driving down the left side of the lane, spinning right and scoring to cut it to 25-16 at the buzzer. Salter opened the second quarter with a drive down the right side, hitting a nice runner for an 11 point Chaminade lead, but Cam Winter answered for the Titans with a drive of his own, and Jack Sixsmith followed him with a runner and Golaszewski with a drive from the elbow to cut the margin to 5. A three point play by Billy Sixsmith made it a 4 point game 5:04 to play in the half, but a baseline three pointer by Quinn Syudam, a right wing three by McNoble, and a putback by Salter and it was 41-29 Flyers with 2:55 remaining. Jack Sixsmith led a closing run for the Titans, shaving two points off the lead with two free throws, and then his back to back drives in the final seconds brought the Titans with 5 at intermission. Golaszewski made it a 3 point game as the third quarter got underway with a drive from the left wing and reverse lay-up, but Salter’s short jumper from the left side of the lane and a three pointer by Prendergast made it 49-40 Chaminade, and then another three by Prendergast put the Flyers up by 10. A fast break basket by Thorton Scott cut it to 54-49 with 3:28 remaining in the quarter, but Ryan Dean circled around from the left side to the right and scored on a drive for a 7 point Chaminade lead, and that was the margin with three quarters complete. Jack Sixsmith drove straight down the lane and scored, Cam Winter hit a floater, and Higgins a putback to quickly cut it to 60-59 as the fourth quarter got underway, and then Jack Sixsmith went coast to coast and hit a tough runner with a defender all over him, completing the 3 point play to give Holy Trinity a 62-60 lead with 5:31 to play. It was 71-64 Titans after 7 straight points by Golaszewski, who knocked down a three from behind the left elbow, rebounded and scored, and then got out on the fast break with 2:30 showing, but Kyle Murphy hit a huge three from the baseline for Chaminade, and then McNoble went to the line shooting 1 and 1 and knocked both down to bring the Flyers within 2. It was Chaminade ball again with 3 seconds on the shot clock and 30 seconds on the game clock, and they got the ball to Salter, who made a beautiful baseline drive and scored to tie it. Holy Trinity got a decent look, but could not convert on the other end, sending the game into OT. In OT, Jack Sixsmith got the Titans off first with a drive from the elbow, and Higgins followed him with a fast break dunk to give them a 75-71 lead with 3:12 remaining. Salter’s fade away brought the Flyers back within 2, but Jack Sixsmith, who the Flyers just couldn’t stop, answered with two free throws. Holy Trinity had the ball and a 4 point lead with 1:10 to play, but a big steal and basket by Salter made it a 2 point game with time running down. After a Titan Free throw made 78-75, the door was still open, but the Flyers could not find the basket after getting two looks at it, and Holy Trinity held on for the big win. Jack Sixsmith led the Titans with 25 points and 8 assists , Jimmy Golaszewski 23 points , and Eddie Higgins 11 points and 12 rebounds. Charles Salter led Chaminade with 22. 1/3
LuHi 61 Lincoln 53
#1 LuHi, playing again without star forward Marvin Prochet, showed off their depth once again, with junior forward Jose Martinez stepping up and hitting big shots and pulling down big rebounds to help the Crusaders hold off a late run by PSAL powerhouse Abraham Lincoln. Martinez made his presence known early in the contest, wiping out a 4-2 Lincoln lead with a three pointer from the left wing, and after Elijah Bailey followed him with a drive from the right wing, he scored again on and inbound play, Chris Atkinson drilled a three pointer, and Losini Kamdra knocked down an elbow jumper to put the hosts up 14-4. It was 16-7 at the first quarter buzzer. Jaleel Tripp’s fast break basket cut LuHi’s lead to 7 as the second quarter got underway, but a short baseline jumper by Devonte Green, a three point play by Rojaye Campbell, and a fast break basket by Atkinson and the Crusaders were up by 14. The Railsplitters reeled off 6 straight points of their own on 4 free throws by Tripp and putback by Gregory Poleon, pulling within 8, but Campbell ended the run with two free throws and when Green found Chris Burkley underneath for a basket, it was 31-18 LuHi with 2:31 left in the half. Bailey added two free throws to increase the lead to 15 and that was the margin at the halftime buzzer. The third quarter was almost all Lincoln. Martinez opened the quarter with a running hook shot for a 38-21 LuHi lead, but Tripp answered with a thunderous dunk on the other end to ignite a run, and Paul Person followed him with a tough drive through traffic to cut the margin to 13. Tripp’s fast break basket and a jumper by Donald Flores from the left wing and Lincoln was within 8, and then at the 1 minute mark, Tyler Bourne’s right wing three pointer cut it to 44-40. An additional free throw and Lincoln had outscored LuHi 20-8 in the third quarter, making it a 3 point game, and Tripp’s three point play tied it 44 as the fourth quarter got underway, but Martinez hit a big baseline jumper to slow the momentum and retake the lead for the Crusaders. Person tied it again with a right wing drive, and Lincoln went up 50-48 on two free throws by Bourne from a technical foul call with 3:52 left, but Burkley scored on a fast break basket and Green knocked down an elbow jumper to put Lutheran up 53-50 with just under 2 minutes to play. A huge putback by Green in heavy traffic, which turned into a three point play, made it a 6 point game at the 1:17 mark, but Flores knocked down a big left wing three to cut it to 56-53 with 1:07 remaining and it was still a game. Two cluth free throws by Green and LuHi had a 58-53 lead with 42 seconds on the game clock, and when Lincoln could not score on the other end, Atkinson added two more with 28 seconds left to ice it. Atkinson led LuHi with 15 points, Martinez had 11 and Campbell 10. Tripp led all scorers with 22 points for Lincoln. 1/4
St. Raymond's 77 St. Mary's 65
Class AA St. Raymonds was 6-2 and rated 9th in New York State coming into the game, but unranked Class A St. Mary’s hung tough most of the way and made a late run before falling to the favored Ravens. It was 9-2 St. Raymonds after a putback by Brown, and already starting to look like a mismatch, but a nice turnaround jumper from just inside the foul line by Chris Coalmon signaled the Gaels had come to play. Ross answered with a baseline three pointer and Washington stole the ball and scored to make it 14-4 Ravens with 4:13 left in the opening quarter, but two free throws by Chris Kelly and a nice basket cut by Coalmon and the Gaels were back within 6. The Ravens were dominating the boards, and both Wilson and Geffard scored on putbacks for them, and then Christian added a basket from underneath for a 20-11 lead, but Coalmon came through again with a drive from the top, Darius Chester knocked down a three pointer from the left wing, and Coalmon went coast to coast to make it a 2 point game at the first quarter buzzer. Kelly’s fast break dunk tied it at 20 as the second quarter got underway, but St. Ray’s retook the lead on fast break baskets by Silverio and Wilson and then a three pointer by Ross at the 4:08 mark put them up by 9. Kelly’s baseline three brought the Gaels back within 6, but they couldn't close the gap and another three pointer by Ross from straight on made it 38-28 St. Rays with 2:17 left in the quarter. Wilson closed out the half with a baseline drive and dunk, and it was 42-30 St. Raymonds at intermission. Washington hit a baseline runner to open the second half and put the Ravens up 14, and then he knocked down a three from behind the right elbow to make it 47-32, but the Gaels rallied, with Coalmon spinning out of the low post and scoring, Barton rebounding and scoring, and then Coalmon scoring again, this time with a pull-up jumper from the right wing to bring St. Mary’s within 9 with 3:20 remaining in the third quarter. St. Rays rebuilt their lead in the closing minutes, going up 57-42 on an acrobatic layup by Washington and a fast break basket by Brown, and took their biggest lead on a dunk by Wilson that put them up by 17 with three quarters complete. The Gaels would not let the lead get any higher. Kelly opened the fourth quarter with a three pointer from the right wing off an inbound play, and the lead was down to 10 after back to back steals by Kelly and Coalmon with 3:16 to play, but back to back putbacks by Wilson stopped the run and gave the Ravens a commanding 69-55 lead with 2:08 remaining. Kelly kept St. Mary’s alive with a coast to coast three point play to make it an 11 point game with 2:05 showing, and after a turnover, Coalman scored on an inbound play, drawing a foul and converting the three point play to cut it to 8, but Brown’s baseline cut and basket was the backbreaker, giving St. Rays a 10 point lead with just 1:28 left, and Wilson's two free throws with 1:13 to play iced it. 1/4
Brentwood 75 South Shore 68
Long Island Class AA Public School teams have not had much success in the State Tournament in recent years. In fact, the last time one of our big public schools won a state title was back in 1993, when Norris Bell’s tip-in at the buzzer gave Hempstead a 55-54 win over Mt. Vernon. So now, whenever one of our public school teams starts to show the potential to challenge for the large school title, a long line of skeptics forms. This year’s Brentwood team, ranked 3rd in New York State and featuring three returning All-New York State players, is in that spot now, but they are starting to convert some of the non-believers after improving to 7-0 with a solid win over a big and strong South Shore team from the PSAL. Their big tests are still ahead of them, with New York State’s 8th ranked Baldwin and 6th ranked Wings Academy on the schedule, along with some tough league games, but so far so good. In this much anticipated matchup, Brentwood got off to a good start, with Mike Almonacy open the scoring with a three pointer from the left wing, and it was 6-2 Indians after Ali Mableton scored from underneath. A three point play by Cori Johnson brought South Side back within 1, but Mableton countered with a three point play of his own, and Jamel Allen and Tavon Ginyard knocked down back to back three pointers to make it 15-5 Brentwood. Another three point play by Johnson brought the lead back down into single digits, but Mableton’s fast break basket and Vincent Smythe's foul line jumper and it was 21-10 Brentwood with 44 seconds to play in the quarter. Evans scored a fast break basket in the closing seconds to cut the lead to 9 at the first quarter buzzer, and a steal and fastbreak basket by Greg Battle cut it to 22-14 early in the second quarter, but Mableton responded with a fast break basket and Ginyard with a foul line jumper to put Brentwood up 26-14. The teams went back and forth, with Allen hammering home a beautiful alley-oop dunk to make it 33-20 Indians with 4:18 remaining in the first half, but a runner by Nettletan from the left side and a tip-in by Garcia and South Side was back within 9. Allen answered with a baseline three pointer, but Johnson's tip-in at the buzzer made it a 10 point game at the half. Allen’s left wing jumper made it 42-29 Brentwood early in the third quarter, and a Ginyard three pointer from behind the right elbow gave them a 47-31 lead at the 5:08 mark. A fast break dunk by Allen bumped the lead to 18, and his baseline three made it 52-33 with 4:11 remaining, but South Shore reeled off 8 straight points to get back into it, capped off by a nice duck-under move by White that cut the margin to 52-41 with 1:25 left in the quarter. Nettleton's three pointer and Battle's putback made it an 8 point game, but Mableton scored just before the buzzer and it was 56-46 Brentwood after three quarters. Johnson scored against a double team with a tough move from the low post, bringing South Shore within 8 as the fourth quarter got underway, but Ginyard retaliated with a three from the right wing, and then he penetrated and set up Allen for another vicious dunk, making it 63-50 Brentwood with 5:14 to play. South Shore got back into it, scoring the next 7 points, the last four two free throws and a putback by Johnson that cut the lead to 63-57 with 3:39 left, but Allen stopped the run with a putback dunk, and Mableton caught a pass curling to the basket and scored to put Brentwood up 10 with 2:40 showing. Allen added a fast break basket, and then a baseline 3 by Ginyard iced it, making it 72-59 Indians with 1:22 remaining. Allen had a monster game, finishing with 26 points, 13 rebounds, 5 blocks and an assortment rim rocking dunks, and Mableton also had a terrific game with 24 points and 5 assists. 1/4
Far Rock 48 Harborfields 44
It was an entertaining back and forth game the whole way between two good teams, and 6-1 Far Rockaway of the PSAL prevailed to give New York City a 1-0 lead at the Shooting Stars Showcase held at Long Island Lutheran high School. We arrived right before halftime, just in time to see Robert Pecorelli knock down a three to put Harborfields up, and then a drive by Malcolm Wynter, who got stripped but recovered the loose ball and hit a fade away, made it 22-17 Harborfields at the half. Far Rockaway opened the second half with a run, with David Bastien scoring from the lane, then a left wing three by Williams Overo tied it, and after a free throw, a fast break dunk by Michael Yates made it 25-22 Seahorses. Overo kept it going with a right wing jumper, and the Far Rock lead got as high as 7, but a putback by Danny Morgan, a baseline drive by Pecorelli, and then a free throw by Pecorelli cut it to 29-27 with 2:08 to go in the quarter. Two free throws by Overo and the lead was 4, but back to back baskets by Wynter, the second off a steal, and it was all tied at 31 at the third quarter buzzer. Yates scored from underneath to put the Seahorses on top as the fourth quarter got underway, but Pecorelli answered with two free throws on the other end and the teams went back and forth, with Overo’s fast break basket putting Far Rock up by 3, and Pecorelli’s right wing three tieing it at 37 with 4:53 to play. A coast to coast basket by Overo, and then his 3 free throws at the 3:02 mark and the Seahorses had a little breathing room with a 42-37 lead, but back to back steals and baskets by Wynter and Morgan and it was a 1 point game with 2:02 showing. Wynter tied it, going 1 for 2 from the foul line with 1:34 remaining, and after a turnover, it was Harborfields ball again and a drive from the right wing by Pecorelli put the Green Tornadoes up 44-42 with 1:05 left, but Nathaniel Jenkins scored from underneath on the press break, and then Elijah Lee on a putback to put Far Rock up 2 with 22 seconds on the clock. Harborfields missed an attempt on their end in the final seconds, and Lee’s fast break basket iced it for the Seahorses. Overo had a game high 23 ponits for Far Rockaway, Pecorelli led Harborfields with 19 points and Wynter had 13. 1/4
12/30 High School Report
Chaminade 68 Westbury 64
#9 Chaminade bounced back nicely after their surprising loss to Lawrence, handing #8 Westbury their first loss, but the Green Dragons proved they can play with the big boys in their first real test of the season.
Wheatley 42 Long Beach 41
Long Beach missed four consequtive free throws in the final seconds and a tip-in at the buzzer.
Kellenberg 75 St. Dominic 62
In a battle of unbeatens, St. Dominic gave # 4 Kellenberg a scare, building a 14 point first quarter lead, but the Firebirds came roaring back in the second quarter to go up 35-32 at the half, and the second half was all Kellenberg, with the Firebirds pulling away in the fourth quarter to improve to 8-0 and hand St. Dom’s their first loss of the season. Unfortunately, we arrived just as the second half was getting underway and didn’t get a chance to see St. Dom’s impressive start, but with almost 2 minutes already gone in the third quarter, Steve Torre opened up the scoring with two free throws to give Kellenberg a 5 point lead. Patrick Kiernan got the Bayhawks on the board with a baseline three pointer, but Torre found Stefon Bryan underneath for a quick score, and after a St. Doms free throw, Kyle DiVerna knocked two free throws, Anthony DeGennaro two more, and DeVerna stole the ball and scored and the Firebirds had some breathing room and a 45-36 lead. Collins Onyeke’s drive from the right elbow kept the lead in single digits, and neither team could make any headway from there until the final minutes of the quarter, when DeVerna knocked down a left elbow jumper and two free throws to make it 55-42 Kellenberg. Brendan Harkin answered for the Bayhawks, racing down the court and scoring just before the buzzer to cut the margin to 11, but Gennaro’s three point play early in the fourth quarter gave the Firebirds a 58-45 lead, and a fast break basket by Torre off a turnover put them up by 15 with 4:40 to play and touched off what turned out to be Kellenberg’s game winning run. DeGennaro looped one in from the lane, Deverna added two free throws, and DeGennaro pump faked and scored from underneath to give Kellenberg a commanding 68-51 advantage with 3:08 remaining and St. Doms would get no closer than the final score the rest of the way. DeVerna led the Firebirds with 26 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists , Steve Torre had 19 points and 6 assists., and DeGennaro 11 points. Onyeke and Kiernan both finished with 11 for the Bayhawks. 1/3
Northport 80 C. Islip 64
#11 Northport unleashed a three point barrage to overwhelm first place and 10th ranked Central Islip in another big game between the Suffolk League 2 rivals. The Tigers knocked down 14 from behind the arc. Central Islip got on the board first, with Raliek Leonard spinning out of the low post for a reverse layup, but Sean O’Shea hit Northport’s first three pointer of the night to answer. Brandon Hodge kept pace, knocking down a three to put the Musketeers up 5-3, and the teams continued to go the back and forth the rest of the quarter, until back to back threes by Brady made it 20-13 Northport at the first quarter buzzer. O’Shea opened the second quarter with a three from the left wing, and then back to back baskets by Lukas Jarrett, the first a beautiful alley-oop dunk and the second a baseline jumper, made it 27-15 Tigers. It was 36-23 Northport after a putback dunk by Jarrett, O’Shea’s three from the top, and Brennan Whelan’s two free thows, but C.I. closed the gap as halftime approached, with Hodge’s three from the top and Justin Gilmore’s two free throws part of a closing run that brought the Musketeers back within 7 at the buzzer. Brady opened the second half with a three pointer from the left baseline to give the Tigers a 10 point lead, but C.I. was back within 6 after a putback by Hodge and a foul line jumper by David McKenzie, and pulled within 4 on Justin Headley’s three pointer from the left wing with under 4 minutes to play in the quarter. Brady held them off with a three pointer from the top, and O’Shea’s back to back drives made it 52-42, but Headley kept it close with a three from the left wing, and Hodge’s runner off the glass and his coast to cost basket cut it to 54-49 with just under a minute left in the third quarter. Rory Schynder looped one in from lane to put Northport up by 7, but a McKenzie free throw made it 56-50 at the buzzer. My’Quel Matthews scored from under the basket to cut it to 56-52 as the fourth quarter got underway, but a right wing three by Brady and a nice basket cut and score by Cole Quortrup extended the Northport lead to 9. A loose ball found its way out to Brady at the three point line, and he drilled another three to make it 66-54 Tigers with 5 minutes to play, and after a C.I. free throw, he buried another one for a 14 point advantage with 4:15 to go. A strong baseline drive and dunk by Jarrett made it 74-56 Northport, but it was not game over. Back to back threes by Matthews and McKenzie made it a 12 point game with 1:52 to play, but the rally stalled from there and that’s as close as the Musketeers would get. O’Shea knocked down 2 free throws, and after a McKenzie basket, Phil Volpe knocked down two more and Northport wrapped up the big win. Brady led all scorers with 26 points, including 8 threes, and O’Shea had 5 threes and 25 points. McKenzie had 16 for Central Islip. 1/24
NY State Rankings
Bridgehampton is now the #1 ranked Class D team in New York State! They join LuHi, who has been ranked #1 in Class AA since early in the season. Southampton is ranked #2 in Class B. COMPLETE STATE RANKINGS
1/17 High School Recap
East Hampton 58 SWR 48
Five straight, including big back to big wins over SWR and BBP
Roosevelt 68 Syosset 60
Six straight, including wins over Syosset, Valley Stream North and Hempstead
Huntington 56 Bellport 53
A Class AA team knocking on the door of the Sweet 16 with a 10-1 record!
Commack 63 Longwood 54
Five out of their last six to move into third place in Suffolk League 1.
1/15 High School Recap
Lindenhurst 69 Smithtown East 56
The once formidable program started the season 0-10, but picked up a big conference win at home. Emmanuel Oyakhilome led the way with 24 pts.
Huntington 72 Hauppauge 61
9-1 now and on a roll, with only a puzzling 24 point loss to Hempstead back on 12/22
Amityville 82 Miller Place 56
Don’t count out Amityville! They have won 6 of their last 7, losing only to Kellenberg in that span, and have Mike Smith, one of Long Island’s best players, to lead them.
Bridgehampton 86 Southold 72
Passed another test, beating a good Class C team to go 11-0.
Big Weekend For LuHi!
#1 LuHi had a great weekend, traveling upstate to hand Albany Academy their first loss of the season, and then stopping off in Queens on the way home to defeat Thomas Jefferson, ranked #1 in NYC and #2 in New York State. 1/11
2/3 High School Recap
Amityville 72 Mt. Sinai 62
We have confirmed that Amityville has made the playoffs every year since 1982 - that’s 32 consecutive years! We have yet to determine how they did in 1980 and 1981, but we know they missed them in 1976, so the earliest the streak could have started is 1977. That would be 37 straight! The Warriors kept hopes alive for another appearance with their win over Mt. Sinai. Mike Smith took things into his own hands, scoring 41 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. They must win one more game to qualify for this season’s playoffs, and face John Glenn and Miller Place on the road in their final two regular season games
Bayport BP 80 Shoreham WR 64
BBP wrapped up at least a share of the Suffolk League A6 title with a big come from behind road win.
FULL STORY LATER
William Floyd 73 Sachem N. 66
Sachem North’s playoff hopes took a big hit when Long Island’s leading scorer, Devonte Dixon, led William Floyd back from a 17 point deficit with 34 second half points. Sachem North now has to beat Long Island’s #2 ranked team - Brentwood - in their final regular season game to qualify. Floyd clinched second place in Suffolk League AA1 with the win and Ward Melville’s loss to Commack.
1/24 High School Recap
Northport 80 Central Islip 64
#11 Northport unleashed a three point barrage to overwhelm first place and 10th ranked Central Islip. SEE STORY
South Side 63 Chaminade 58
A good back and forth game between two strong teams at the Crotty Classic. Alex Sorenson had another big game, finishing with 26 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists. John Cheslock had a big one too with 21 points. Thomas O'Connell led Chaminade with 22.
Kellenberg 76 Regis 68
Kellenberg has been amazing, keeping their head above water despite missing two starters. They took the nightcap at the Crotty Classic behind 28 points from Steve Torre and 22 from Kyle DeVerna.
1/23 High School Recap
Holy Trinity 66 St. Mary's 55
Who is number one in NSCHSAA? #4 Holy Trinity for now! The defending champs held their home court with an impressive win. Billy Sixsmith led the way with 26 points and Thornton Scott had 15 points and 10 rebounds.
VS South 71 Roosevelt 69 OT
Roosevelt came into the game with 7 straight wins, and VSS with 9 straight, and sole possession of first place in Nassau A4 was on the line! SEE STORY
Huntington 68 East Islip 61
Huntington looked dominant early on, but had to hold off a late rally by the Redmen to improve to 11-1. SEE STORY
1/22 High School Recap
East Hampton 61 Amityville 59
The Bonackers have now won 6 in a row, beating all of the top contenders in Suffolk League 6 during the streak. That puts them in a 2nd place tie with SWR, a game and a half behind BBP.
Brandon Kennedy-Gay knocked down four straight free throws in the final seconds for the win and Kyle McKee finished with 22 points and 9 boards.
Bay Shore 60 Lindenhurst 57
Not much was expected from the Mauraders this season, but new coach Dave Mayo has them just behind the leaders in Suffolk AA2 at (9-5,6-4). Kalif Jackson led the way in the road win with 23 points. The Bulldogs suffered their 13th loss in 14 games.
Sayville 70 Islip 52
Sayville has won 5 of their last 6 to improve to (10-4,5-1), a game behind Harborfields in Suffolk A5. Connor Gaffney had a big game with 25 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks.
Eastport-SM 56 Hauppauge 47
Eastport-South Manor overcame a first quarter deficit to pick up their first league win, led by Tristan Lucarri, who finished with 18 points, Dylan DeMasi, who pulled down 10 rebounds, and Mike McCormick, who handed out 5 assists.
Nassau/Suffolk Challenge
Brentwood 73 Baldwin 61
#2 vs #3 in the big game of the season so far, and after a back and forth battle most of the way, Brentwood pulled away down the stretch.
#7 Elmont 78 #9 C. Islip 72
Elmont had a big third quarter and held on for the win. Chiazam Nwankwo led the way, finishing with 29 points, Travis Robinson-Morgan had 23, and Pauly Paulicap 15 rebounds.
Uniondale 77 Copiague 74
A classic matchup between two ranked teams, and host Uniondale got the win. Shomari Redd led the way with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists.
South Side 64 Harborfields 54
Once again, South Side is emerging as one of the top Class A public school teams on LI, and they picked up a big win over perennial Class A powerhouse Harborfields. Alex Sorenson had a strong all-around game with 23 points and 9 assists and so did Tim Awosika, who finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Smithtown West 54 Jericho 42
Two good programs not as strong as usual faced off, and West prevailed, led by Nick Paquette, who had 21 points and 8 rebounds 1/17
1/13 High School Recap
Chaminade 64 Kellenberg 48
How do you figure this one! Chaminade lost to winless SJB, and then beat undefeated Kellenberg two days later! It’s going to be a wild season in the NSCHSAA!
Bridgehampton 73 Stony Brook 54
The Killer Bees continue their march upstate, defeating defending Suffolk Class C Champion Stony Brook to go 10-0.
Floral Park 59 Roslyn 56
The Knights picked up their fourth strait win to improve to 8-2 and take sole possession of first place in Nassau A2.
Freeport 49 Farmingdale 45
Freeport picked up their fifth straight, beating the #14 Dalers, good for first place in Nassau AA1 and an 8-1 record.
1/8-1/11 HS Recap
Floral Park 71 Hewlett 49
Floral Park ended Hewlett’s unbeaten streak with authority, improving to 7-2 on the season behind 28 points and 15 rebounds from Kevin Cleuss and 16 points from Matt Kelly.
St. Mary's 59 Burke Catholic 40
The Gaels have reeled off three straight good wins, beating St. Doms and Chaminade prior to stopping Burke. Chris Kelly led the way with 19 points and Demani Myers finished with 11 assists.
SJB 64 #7 Chaminade 61
It’s been a tough season for SJB, but this is a huge win. Brendan McGovern led the way with 20 points, and Brendan Ehrhardt, who iced it at the line, finished with 17. It was Chaminade’s third straight loss.
Farmingdale 46 Uniondale 45
Another installment in what has become one of Long Island’s best rivalries. Vincent Rice was the hero, hitting the game winner 6 seconds left. Sal Nicosia had a game high 22 points for Farmingdale
Top 50 Scorers!
Long Island's Top 50 Scorers through Jan 18th! HAVE BEEN POSTED
ASK THE REF!
LOTS OF GOOD STUFF IN THIS EDITION. LETS NOT WASTE ANY TIME! ASK THE REF!
NYC vs LI
Results are in through December 31st, and once again, Long Island boys varsity teams have a solid 11 game lead over New York City teams in the season series between the two regions. If trends continue, it will be the 9th straight year that Long Island has won the season series convincingly.
STILL UNBEATEN
Only 3 Long Island teams remain unbeaten. They are:
Brentwood (Class AA) 8-0
Bridgehampton (Class D) 9-0
Southampton (Class B) 9-0
VS South 71 Roosevelt 69
Roosevelt came into the game with 7 straight wins and Valley Stream South with 9 straight, and sole possession of first place in Nassau A4 was on the line, so it was a big game, and it didn’t disappoint, going right down to last possession in overtime. We didn’t get to the game until late in the first half, but you could feel the electricity as soon as you walked into the gym. It was a full house, and Roosevelt led 26-24 with 4:25 to play in the half. Jordan Armstrong’s three pointer added to the Roosevelt lead, but Dana King answered with a short bank shot off the glass, and then his baseline jumper cut it to 30-28 with 2:17 remaining. Yusuf Young hit a turnaround jumper from the lane to preserve the Roughrider lead, but back to back 3 pointers by King put the Falcons in front. Armstrong retook the lead with a three from the right wing, but Tahj Wilson’s three just before the buzzer put VSS up 37-35 at the half. Hall Elisias opened the second half with a runner, but Young answered again, this time with a jump hook from the low post. The teams continued to trade baskets and free throws to the 3:05 mark, when back to back baskets by Elisias put the Falcons up 49-42, and then his putback made it 53-44 South with 1:49 to play in the quarter. It was 55-46 with three quarters complete. Quran Simmons opened the fourth quarter with a fast break basket for Roosevelt, and then back to back putbacks by Terrell Canty and Cole Grant brought the Roughriders back within 6. King interrupted the run with a right wing three pointer, but Simmons answered with a three, and then his runner from the left wing tied it at 57. Roosevelt took the lead at the 3:18 mark on a nice low post move by Young, but Murilo Pereira’s runner from the top tied it again with 2:27 to play. Young’s short jumper and Roosevelt moved back in front, but a reverse layup by Elisias and a fall-away jumper off the glass by King and it was VSS by 2 with 1:15 left. Armstrong tied it again with 1:01 remaining on a drive from the left wing, and then both teams had opportunities to retake the lead, but both came up empty at the foul line. Then in the final seconds, both returned to the line, and both went 1 for 2 to tie it at 64 at the end of regulation. King struck first in overtime, hitting a runner from the top, and after Grant hit two free throws to tie it at 66, he answered with two of his own and then stole the ball and scored to give Valley Stream a 70-66 lead with 28 seconds to play. Armstrong hit a big three from the right wing to make it a 1 point game and keep Roosevelt alive with 5 seconds left, and the Falcons went 1 for 2 from the line on the other end to leave the door open, but a good looking three point attempt bounded off the rim at the buzzer to give VSS the big win. King led all scorers with 31 points and Elisias had 17 for Valley Stream South, while Simmons had 23 points for Roosevelt and Armstrong 17. 1/23
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"A FOUL IS A FOUL!! YOU GOTTA CALL IT!!" True? ASK THE REF!
1/20 High School Recap
Thirteen of the Sweet 16 teams were in action, with only Kellenberg, who has been without leading scorer Mike Torre for all three of their losses, and St. Dominic falling, both to league foes. See SCOREBOARD FOR DETAILS
Glen Cove 81 Floral Park 54
Floral Park played without Matt Kelly and TJ Cluess and got hammered. Under the radar Glen Cove also has big wins over Hewlett, Hempstead, and Manhasset and moved into a first place tie with Floral Park in Nassau A3. They had four double digit scorers, led by Corey Dinkins with 23 points and 4 assists and Ralik Jackson with 15 points and 6 rebounds.
Hills West 55 North Babylon 53
North Babylon was expected to be one of the top teams in Suffolk preseason, but got off to slow start. They have turned things around, winning 5 straight coming into this one, but gave up a big lead before falling to the fifth ranked Colts, who outscored the Bulldogs 17-6 in the final quarter. Kian Dalyrimple was the hero for Hills West, scoring with 20 seconds to play for the win.
Seaford 55 W.Hempstead 53
Seaford has won 8 of their last 9, good for second place in Nassau A5. John Quigley hit the game winner in OT and Keith McHugh led the Vikings with 17.
Huntington 68 East Islip 61
Huntington looked dominant early on, but had to hold off a late rally by East Islip to improve to 11-1 on the season. Kenny Charles kicked off the host Blue Devil's early run with a three pointer from behind the right elbow, Scott Gulizio followed him with a putback, and Kenny McCarthy kept it going with a basket from underneath to make it 7-0 Huntington. Charles added a fast break dunk, and then his three point play and a drive from the right wing by Andrew Hampton made it 18-4 Blue Devils with 1:11 left to play in the opening quarter. A foul line jumper by Brian Philbin cut it to 18-6 and that was the score at the first quarter buzzer. Philbin scored again as the second quarter got underway on a drive from the right elbow, and his short drive from the left baseline cut it to 19-10, but Charles answered with a three from the right wing. EI drew closer on Sean Glennon’s three pointer at the 5:10 mark, pulling within 7, but the teams went back and forth from there until 1:25 remained in the half, when back to back threes by Shyheim Brewster and McCarthy ignited a Huntington run, and a short jumper by Hampton, a fast break dunk by Charles, and a drive by Gulizio gave them a 41-21 lead at the half. A Charles three pointer from behind the right elbow made it 44-22 Blue Devils early in the third quarter, and McCarthy’s putback and free throw gave them a 23 point lead with 5:30 remaining in the quarter, but Huntington started settling for jumpers, and Philbin got the Redmen rolling with a basket off an inbound play. Harley Spinks followed with a three pointer, a free throw, and a pull-up jumper from the elbow and it was suddenly a 15 point game, and that was the difference with three quarters complete. A nice baseline drive by Spinks turned into a three point play, cutting the East Islip deficit to 54-42 as the fourth quarter began, and Philbin’s drive from the foul line made it 59-49 with 3:45 remaining. A big three pointer by Glennon from the left wing brought the Redmen within 7, and then two technical foul free throws by Philbin made it a 5 point game and East Islip had the ball ball with 3:11 to play, but the Redmen came up empty, and McCarthy was fouled on a drive and went to the line shooting 1 and 1 with 2:27 on the clock. He knocked down both shots for a 61-54 Blue Devil lead, but E.I. has one last surge, cutting it to 64-60 on Zac Acocella’s drive from the right wing with 31 seconds left, but Gulizio’s two free throws with 15 seconds to play iced it. Charles and McCarty both finished with 19 points for Huntington and Hampton had 14. Philbin had a game high 21 for East Islip. 1/23
KINGS OF THE COURT!
Our annual Martin Luther King Jr. tribute tournament finished up in grand fashion, with thrilling championship games in almost every division! We want to thank all the teams from all over the Metro Area that participated, and St. Dominic HS for hosting it.
OUR 2015 CHAMPIONS!
9TH GR. CHAMPION: NWK, NJ
8TH GR. CHAMPION: Brooklyn Kings
7TH GR. CHAMPION: Hempstead Dons
6TH GR. CHAMPION: Shockers, LI
5TH GR. CHAMPION: Team Gaffney, NJ
2/13 Playoff Report
SECTION VIII CLASS A
Floral Park 79 South Side 77
Floral Park was the classic first round match-up that nobody wanted. A good team that was held back by injuries, they were capable of knocking off anyone and pulled off the ultimate upset, defeating top seeded and 13th ranked South Side in the first round behind 41 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks from Kevin Cluess.
North Shore 70 Glen Cove 61
It is the time of the season when you need all your weapons, and Glen Cove played without Ralik Jackson, one of their leading scorers, and couldn't overcome a good North Shore team without him. Anthony Falcone led the balanced North Shore attack with 15 points and 13 rebounds.
Roslyn 54 Friends Academy 52
Friends Academy is in its first year as a Class A school, having been bumped up after dominating Class C for years. They did well, earrning a home game and the 6th seed in the playoffs despite playing without Tyrone Perkins, one of last year’s stars who sat out the season after committing to Syracuse for football. But they ran into a perrenial Class A contender in the first round, and the battle tested Bulldogs rallied past them to advance. FULL STORY LATER
2/6 High School Recap
Uniondale 56 #13 Freeport 46
#11 Uniondale took the Nassau AA1 regular season title with a big 4th quarter, sweeping the season series from second place Freeport behind 20 points and 9 rebounds from Shomarie Redd.
Plainview 54 Pt Washington 39
Plainview broke into the Sweet 16 after handing Great Neck South their only loss of the season, but went through a mid season slump. It looks like they’re coming out of it, winning they’re third of their last four and clinching a playoff spot behind league leader Baldwin.
Glen Cove 66 Hewlett 57
With Floral Park, Roslyn, and Hewlett in their division, who would have guessed Glen Cove would be in first place? They picked up their 7th win in their last 8 games behind 22 points and 8 rebounds from Corey Dinkins and 18 points from Ralik Jackson.
Amazing Race!
Three of the four playoff spots in Nassau AA2 are still up for grabs in the final days of the regular season, and everyone in the league still has a chance to qualify! Plainview, Port Washington, and Valley Stream Central just need to win one more game to lock up spots, while everyone else needs those in front of them to lose.
1/31 High School Recap
Wings Acad 82 Brentwood 73
A great game, but #1 Brentwood’s shots weren't falling at the same rate in the second half. DETAILS LATER
LuHi 67 Patrick School, NJ 56
The Crusaders looked determined to snap their losing streak, and had this one all the way. DETAILS LATER
N. Babylon 63 Holy Trinity 54
North Babylon was coming off a win over #12 Copiague, and #5 Holy Trinity off two surprising losses, so not the big upset it seems.
Babylon 63 Southampton 60
Terrific game between two terrific teams, and the home team came out on top. DETAILS LATER
AROUND THE NET
Hills West Retires Tobias's #
Hills West High School retired the number of graduate Tobias Harris.
Chavaughn Lewis Update
The St. Mary's grad's inside story. STORY
1000 Pts for Candemeres
Sachem East's Dan Candemeres scored a career-high 27 points, including the 1,000th point of his collegiate career for Keystone College. The senior guard becomes the 17th player in program history to reach the milestone.
Albernas To Scranton
Syosset High School Point Guard Dan Albernas has committed to the University of Scranton.
2/12 PLAYOFF REPORT
SECTION 11 CLASS C
Pierson 60 Southold 46
Pierson claimed a spot in the Class C Championship game, posting their 9th win in their last 10 games! STORY
SECTION 11 CLASS AA
Smithtown West 58 Ward Melville 52
Smithtown West stumbled to the finish line this season, hobbled by injuries, but picked up their second big win in a row in a Class AA Outbracket Game. Nick Grande led the balanced attack with 16 points, Nick Paquette had 12, and Matt Sisser 11.
Longwood 68 West Babylon 61
Longwood and West Babylon, two programs rich in basketball tradition, kicked off the 2015 playoffs with a close, hard fought outbracket contest, and Longwood emerged victorious, pulling away down the stretch for a 67-61 victory. Shalek Rodriguez, who was a force all game long, got things started for the Lions with a short pull-up jumper from the lane, Devante Penn got a nice dish underneath and scored to counter, CJ Owens sliced through the defense on a give and go and scored on the other end, and Tim Kranz answered with a three from the left baseline and eveyone in the gym knew we were in for a good one. It was 7-5 WB after Kranz’s fall away jumper, 11-7 after his three from the top, and 16-11 after Nick Gilley’s three point play, but Longwood reeled off 8 straight points, taking a 19-16 lead on back to back steals by Lamar Pinto-Cochran and Rodriquez and that’s the way the first quarter ended. Wesley Marcado rebounded and scored for West Bab to start the second quarter, but Rahiem Williams answered with a baseline drive and thunderous dunk that had the whole gym buzzing, and Rodriguez followed him up with back to back baskets to make it 25-18 Longwood. Matt Daulton’s three from the top cut it to 27-25 at the 4:08 mark of the quarter, but a steal and basket by Latrell Horton, his putback, and then his spinning drive and pull-up jumper gave the Lions a 37-27 lead with 2:16 to play in the half. The Eagles didn’t let it get out of hand, cutting it to 37-31 at intermission on Penn’s two free throws, and the teams traded baskets for most of the third quarter, but Longwood started to build a lead on a looping shot by Owens from the lane and Nasheed Dixon’s right wing jumper, giving them a 47-38 advantage with 2:32 to play in the quarter. Kranz would not let them break away, knocking down back to back threes as the clock ticked down to make it a 3 point game with three quarters in the books. Kranz opened the fourth quarter with a drive from the left wing, cutting it to 47-46 and whipping the home crowd into a frenzy, but a big 3 by Rodriguez from the right wing quieted the gym, and then another big three, this one by Williams, made it 53-49 with 6:02 to play. The teams again traded baskets until a spinning pull-up jumper by Horton with 2:51 remaining and a big three by Williams bumped the lead to 61-55, and then two free throws by Rodriguez with 52 seconds left gave Longwood an 8 point lead, but it was not over yet. Back to back threes by Kranz and it was suddenly 64-61, and then the door swung open when Longwood came up short at the foul line with 13 seconds to play, but the missed second shot went out of bounds off West Babylon and they had to send Rodriguez to the line, who knocked down both shots to ice it and Owens added two more for the final margin. Rodriguez and Owens both led the Lions with 17 points each and Kranz had a game high 28 for the Eagles.
2/7 High School Recap
North Babylon 53 Newfield 50
Facing elimination, Newfield valiantly fought for their playoff lives, but Tyree Grimsley’s three point play gave #15 North Babylon a one point lead with 50 seconds to play, and Aaron Lee’s pressure packed free throws with 13 seconds left provided the final margin. FULL STORY LATER
Huntington 68 Bellport 65
After two tough road losses, Huntington reeled off three straight wins to close out the season and take the Suffolk AA4 title. They had to hold off a good Bellport team, who is also playoff bound. Kenny Charles led Huntington with 23 points, Kenny McCarthy had 14, and Shyheim Brewster 11 points and 14 rebounds.
2/4 High School Recap
Christ The King 69 #1 LuHi 66
In a rematch of last years Class AA New York State Championship Game, it was another good game, but CTK defeated LuHi once again.
St. Mary's 68 Chaminade 63
#9 St. Mary’s picked up a big road win over #16 Chaminade behind 22 points and 10 assists from Demani Myers.
Upper Room 55 OSNA 43
In a bit of a stunner, Upper Room pulled away in the 4th quarter for the win. Nigel Carter and Ramel Powers led the way with 12 points each.
300 For Tom Diana!
Uniondale boys' varsity basketball coach Thomas Diana III picked up his 300th career victory in a 48 - 40 win over Massapequa Tuesday night! Congratulations from all of us Tom!
NYC vs Long Island
New York City actually closed the gap in January, but Long Island still has a commanding 10 game lead in the season series between the two regions. Highlighting the month were wins by LuHi over Lincoln, Class B Wyandanch over Class A Grady, and Class A St. Mary's over Class AA Thurgood Marshall.
1/30 High School Recap
Hills West 63 Smithtown W. 56
Smithtown rallied to take the lead, but #4 Hills West responded for the win. DETAILS LATER
Islip 64 Harborfields 56
We had high hopes for Islip after seeing them in one of our preseason tournaments, but they got off to a slow start this season, losing 4 of their first 5 games. They've gone 8-3 since, but none bigger than this one, rallying from a halftime deficit. Frankie Basile, one of Long Island’s leading scorers, finished with 23 points and 8 assists, Raphael Alomar had 17 points, and Anil John 12 points and 15 rebounds.
ASK THE REF
A special blizzard edition!
NY State Rankings
In the latest New York State Sportswriters Association Rankings, Brentwood is ranked 6th in Class AA, Baylon ranked 2nd in Class B and Southampton 3rd, and Bridgehampton 1st in Class D. Many other Long Island teams are also ranked. SEE FULL STATE RANKINGS
2/14 Playoff Report
SECTION VIII CLASS AA
Plainview 59 Long Beach 49
Plainview got off to a good start and led most of the way, but it was a close, grind it out kind of game, with Plainview pulling away down the stretch. FULL STORY LATER
#9 Westbury 77 Hicksville 40
We would have seeded Westbury higher, but it didn’t slow them down, jumping out to a 17-2 first quarter lead and never looking back.
Massapequa 68 Hempstead 36
Massapequa had beaten Hempstead twice already this season, so the result was not surprising, but the margin of victory was.
MacArthur 58 P Washington 56
A classic 8/9 game decided on two free throws by Ryan Cunningham with 2 seconds left in OT. It was MacArthur's first playoff win since 2005. STORY
AROUND THE NET
We don’t resume full coverage of the college basketball season until after the high school season winds down, but we enjoyed seeing and wanted you to know about a D1 game played Friday between Niagara and Marist that featured two current Long Island D1 college basketball players. Marist won a very exciting game 63-61 behind 24 points and 9 rebounds from St. Mary’s Chavaughn Lewis, while Hills West’s Emile Blackman led Niagara with 19 points and 4 steals, just missing the potential game winner from half court at the buzzer!
2/5 High School Recap
Amityville 54 John Glenn 45
Amityville kept their 30+ year streak of qualifying for the playoffs alive with a come from behind win over nemesis John Glenn. FULL STORY LATER
Newfield 65 Hills West 59
Jarrell Cowell, Denzel Williams and their Newfield teammates are very determined to make the playoffs, keeping their hopes alive with a big upset of #4 Hills West, who had won 10 straight coming into the game. Cowell had another big night, becoming Newfield’s all-time leading scorer with 27 points, and Williams held off the Colts down the stretch, going 4-for-4 from the line and adding a big basket as the clock ticked down. He finished with 17. The task doesn’t get any easier. The Wolverines must now take on another ranked team to qualify, ending their regular season against #15 North Babylon.
Bayport-BP 58 E. Hampton 38
A statement win for BBP, snapping East Hampton’s 8 game winning streak in impressive fashion after trailing by 5 at the end of the first quarter. George Riefenstahl had a huge game with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 7 blocks.
West Islip 56 North Babylon 52
They lost by 21 in their first meeting, but West Islip ended their home schedule with a bang, utilizing a balanced attack and good defense to upset #15 North Babylon. Dan Cunningham and Bryan Woodburn both finished with 12 points, and Frank Fiorino had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
HOT DOWN THE STRETCH!
Here are the longest active winning streaks as we approach playoff time:
Elmont 12 in a row
Babylon 10 in a row
Great Neck South 9 in a row
Seaford 9 in a row
Unbeaten All Fall!
Three Long Island teams came into the weekend undefeated, and all three fell to strong opponents. Class AA Brentwood dropped their big matchup with Wings Academy 82-73, Class B Southampton fell to archrival Babylon 63-60 on the road, and Class D Bridgehampton went upstate to take on Class B Syracuse Academy and dropped a 63-55 decision.
1/29 High School Recap
North Babylon 67 Copiague 66
After a slow start, North Babylon has been steadily improving, but was still looking for a signature win. They got it, upsetting 12th ranked Copiague 67-66 on the road.
Harborfields 72 Sayville 48
It was a tight back and forth game till halftime, but Harborfields pulled away in the second half. MORE LATER
W. Babylon 60 Huntington 42
Huntington led at the half, but host West Babylon exploded in the second half to upset the Blue Devils.
Southampton @ Babylon
The much anticipated rematch between two of New York State's best Class B teams was postponed again. It is now scheduled for 1/31 at 4pm.
HOT DOWN THE STRETCH!
The longest active winning streaks:
Elmont 13 in a row
Great Neck South 11 in a row
Babylon 10 in a row
Northport 10 in a row
MILESTONES!
Time to start collecting all of the career milestones that have occurred this season. Here are two more to add to the list: Shoreham - Wading River Head Coach Kevin Culhane picked up his 200th career victory while leading his Wildcats to a 14-4 regular season and a spot in the playoffs. Congratulations on both Kevin! Also, Holy Trinity’s Jimmy Golaszewski scored his 1000th career point. Another highlight to a great career! Congratulations Jimmy!
Scoring Leaders Posted
Long Island's leading scorers and best single games UPDATED through 2/11
ASK THE REF!
MORE READER QUESTIONS!
STATEWIDE BRACKETS
Check out the playoff brackets from every region of New York State HERE
2/24 Playoff Report
NSCHSAA OUTBRACKET GAME
St. Dominic 65 SJB 46
St. Dom's built a first half lead and then put it away in the fourth quarter. Reese Khner had 21 points and Isaiah Wilson 12 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists for the Bayhawks. They advance to a 4:30 PM quarterfinal matchup at Chaminade Friday.
SECTION XI CLASS A FINAL
#15 BBP 50 Harborfields 49
George Riefenstahl's putback with 23 seconds remaining gave Bayport-Blue Point the dramatic victory.
DETAILS SHORTLY
SUFFOLK OVERALL
CHAMPIONSHIPS
Southampton 59 Bridgehampton 34
The Class B Champion Mariners blew open a tight game in the second half, holding the Class D Champion Killer Bees to just 12 second half points in the Suffolk County Overall Quarterfinals. They advance to a semifinal meeting with Class A Champion Bayport-Blue Point. DETAILS SHORTLY
FINAL SCORING LEADERS
2/19 Playoff Report
SECTION VIII CLASS B FINAL
Malverne 69 Carle Place 46
After an up and down season, Malverne has come together in the playoffs, winning the Nassau Class B championship in convincing fashion. Kevin Young led the balanced attack with 19 points and 11 rebounds. STORY
SECTION VII CLASS AA
#2 Baldwin 66 MacArthur 30
Baldwin continued its march, throttling MacArthur to advance to a semifinal matchup with Freeport. Shane Gatling and Daraja Rodwell led a balanced attack with 15 points apiece. Up by 19, the Bruins closed out the game with a 24-7 fourth quarter.
#4 Elmont 54 Massapequa 40
The Spartans pulled away in the second half, with Travis Robinson-Morgan leading the way with 20 points. They are headed for a semifinal matchup with Uniondale.
Freeport 68 Westbury 59 OT
After a hard fought back and forth game ended up tied in regulation, #13 Freeport outscored #7 Westbury 8-0 in overtime to advance to a semifinal matchup with Baldwin.
#12 Uniondale 51 Plainview 42
Uniondale advanced to a semifinal matchup with #4 Elmont by beating a tough Plainview squad in their quarterfinal matchup. Najee Peters led the way with 13 points and 18 rebounds
2/16 Playoff Report
SECTION XI CLASS C FINAL
Stony Brook 44 Pierson 39
Stony Brook captured its third straight Section 11 Class C title, rallying past Pierson for the win. It was the third tight game the teams had played this season, with the Bears winning all three times. Robbie Colarusso led the way with 17 points. STORY
SECTION XI CLASS C FINAL
Bridgehampton 77 Smith. C. 34
Bridgehampton has its best team in years, and dominated a good Smithtown Christian team in the Class D final. STORY
2/15 Playoff Report
SECTION VIII CLASS B SEMIS
Carle Place 56 Oyster Bay 36
Carle Place had lost to Oyster Bay twice this season - by 17 points just 5 days ago, but they played with great confidence and pulled away from the top seeded Baymen. DETAILS LATER
Malverne 48 CS Harbor 44
Malverne also bounced back from two regular season losses to defeat CSH in a terrific game. DETAILS LATER
2/13 Other Games
St. Anthony's NJ 71 LuHI 46
Nothing went right for the #1 Crusaders and it could have been worse!
#5 Kellenberg 70 St. Mary's 50
Kellenberg is starting to regain their chemistry after getting everyone back from injury, and St. Mary's will be without Chris Kelly going forward.
2/25 Playoff Report
SECTION XI CLASS AA SEMIS
#1 Brentwood 73 Northport 52
Brentwood brushed aside another good opponent, this time the #5 Tigers. MORE LATER
#5 Hills West 64 Copiague 57
For the third time this season, Hills West rallied past #11 Copiague.
MORE LATER
2/20 Playoff Report
SECTION XI CLASS A SEMIS
Bayport-BP 63 Sayville 62
In front of 2,000 fans at St. Joseph's college, BBP held off a late rally by neighborhood rival Sayville, with Mike Darby's three pointer proving to be the game winner.
Harborfields 73 E. Hampton 58
East Hampton cut a 20 point deficit to 3, but Malcolm Wynter led a closing run for Harborfields. STORY
SECTION VIII CLASS A Quarters
VS South 40 Great Neck S 39
In what probably should have been a semifinal matchup, Valley Stream South advanced on a dramatic three pointer by Dana King with three seconds left.
Floral Park 79 Manhasset 68
16th seeded Floral Park continued their cinderella run, utilizing a balanced attack led by Kevin Cluess, who finished with 20 points.
Carey 51 North Shore 36
Where did Carey come from? The 12th seed rolled into semifinals behind 21 points and 6 assists from Nick Spillane and 13 points and 19 rebounds by Tom Gallant. They take on fellow cinderella Floral Park in the semifinals
Roslyn 62 Roosevelt 61
Another cinderella team advanced, with 11th seeded Roslyn upsetting #3 Roosevelt on two big free throws by KeAndre Augustine with 9 seconds left. Augustine, who helped lead John Glenn to the Section XI Class A Championship last season, finished with 22 points to lead all scorers, and Noah Nardone added 17 points and 9 rebounds.
2/26 Playoff Report
NSCHSAA QUARTERFINALS
Kellenberg 64 St. Anthony's 55
The 13th ranked Firebirds rallied past St. Anthony's, overcoming a 9 point deficit with 4:40 to play. Mike Torre led the way with 21 points, Steve Torre had 19 and Kyle Deverna 17. They will meet Holy Trinity in the semifinals. Chaminade hosts St. Dominic today at 4:30pm in another quarterfinal, with the winner taking on St. Mary's in the semifinals.
2/21 Playoff Report
SECTION XI CLASS B FINAL
Southampton 80 Babylon 76
In what has become one of Long Island’s great rivalries, Southampton and Babylon met in the Section XI Class B Championship Game for the third year in a row, and Southampton came out on top for the second straight year, this time in double overtime. Babylon won the first meeting. Zach Cummings led the Mariners with 24 points, and Israel Johnson had 21, 16 of them in the 4th quarter and OT.
SECTION XI CLASS AA
Northport 96 Huntington 89
In one of Long Island’s all time epic playoff battles, Lucas Jarrett led #5 Northport over Huntington with 41 points and 16 rebounds in 6, yes that’s right 6 overtimes. To our knowledge, that is the most OTs in Long Island basketball history. The Tigers will take on top seeded Brentwood in the semifinals. STORY
Copiague 60 Central Islip 57
It was classic playoff basketball. Two very good teams slugging it out, and #14 Copiague emerged victorious on a Kevin Roberts layup with 35 seconds left. Prince Hickson led the Eagles with 25 points and 20 rebounds. Next up is a semifinal matchup with Hills West.
#6 Hills West 50 Deer Park 42
Two good young teams who bring just about everyone back next year faced off, and Hills West advanced to the semifinals with a hard fought win. Kian Dalyrimple led the Colts with 14 points and 8 rebounds.
Brentwood 77 N. Babylon 54
Much like Baldwin in Section VIII, #1 Brentwood continued its anticipated march toward the Long Island Championship Game by rolling over a good North Babylon team. Mike Almonacy finished with 20 points and 6 assists and Jamel Allen with 19 points and 13 rebounds in the balanced Brentwood attack. Next up, #14 Copiague in the semifinals.
FEBRUARY 22nd, 2015
Sweet Sixteen
Coaches Poll
Brentwood (19-1)
Baldwin (17-1)
LuHi (19-6)
Elmont (17-1)
Northport (18-2)
Hills West (18-2)
Holy Trinity (17-7)
Chaminade (17-7)
Uniondale (13-5)
Freeport (16-2)
Copiague (16-4)
Westbury (15-4)
Kellenberg (16-5)
Central Islip (16-4)
Bayport - BP (16-3)
Southampton (19-1)
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2/10/High School Recap
Chaminade 79 Kellenberg 77
We've all been waiting for #5 Kellenberg to get healthy, but #14 Chaminade won’t let us forget that they are healthy now too! Kevin McNoble led a balanced attack with 21 points.
St. Anthony's 62 St. Mary's 52
St. Mary’s star Chis Kelly sat this one out, but this was still a big win for St. Anthony’s. A 19-2 second quarter was the difference. Josh Nicholas led a balanced attack with 14 points and 4 assists.
Hills West 65 Copiague 55
#8 Hills West has a talent for coming from behind, rallying against #16 Copiague to take the Suffolk AA 3 title. DETAILS LATER
Who's In? Who's Out?
An incredible 12 teams will have their playoff status determined Tuesday, the last day of the public school regular season. See who's in, who's out, and find out whose fate is yet to be determined on the STANDINGS PAGE.
