10TH ANNUAL
UPSTATE/DOWNSTATE
CHALLENGE
Saturday, December 2 , 2017
at Uniondale High School
GAME 1: Scarsdale 60 South Side 41
Scarsdale is considered to be one of Section 1s top Class AA teams, and Class A South Side had to be at full strength to stay with them but they were missing three key players, and although they led 13-10 after the first quarter thanks to 8 first quarter points from Eamon McGowan, they were outscored 24-3 in the second quarter and never recovered. Nash Goldman led Scarsdale with 19 points and Ryan O’Shea had 12 for South Side - the only two double-digit scorers. 12/2
GAME 2: Elmont 64 Mt. St. Michael 58
The Elmont program has had a lot of success in recent years and after a successful offseason, expectations were high approaching the new season, but as it approached, KC Ndefo, who along with Victor Olawoye was expected to lead the team, mysteriously left the program and many worried the Spartans would fall back to earth. Elmont answered the doubters by opening their 2017-18 season with an impressive win over Mt. St. Michael, the defending CHSAA New York Archdiosis Class AA Champions. Olawoye led the way with 30 points. It was a surprisingly well played early season game, with the Mountaineers ominously jumping out to a quick 6-1 lead on a fast break basket by Ibrahim Wattare and a hesitation drive from the left wing by Antonee Abraham, but Jevon Santos nailed a three pointer from the right wing to keep the Spartans in the hunt and then a drive by Conrad Ihaza from the left wing tied it at 6 all. It was back and forth untill the 2:33 mark of the quarter, when a three pointer and a steal and fast break basket by Olawoye put Elmont up 13-9 and then Wiliam Cook responded to a fast break basket by Truth Harris with a right wing three to make it a 5 point game. Jaylin Miller’s putback right before the buzzer made it 18-11 Spartans with one quarter complete, and then Olawoye opened the second quarter with a drving layup and a left wing three to give Elmont a 12 point lead, but Mike Krause kept it close with a step-back three from behind the left elbow and a Harris steal and fast break basket cut it to 23-16 with 6:04 to play in the half. Ihaza got it going again with a drive from the top and then back to back steals and fast break baskets by Olawoye and Ihaza put the Spartans up 31-19. Moments later, an Olawoye pull-up jumper from just inside the foul line made it 34-20 and Mount called time. Coming out of it, the Mountaineers reeled off 8 straight point to close out the half, capped off by a drive by Isiah Barnes, and it was a 6 point game at the break. It was boom-boom to kick off the second half, with Olawoye scoring on a steal and fast break basket and Krause quickly answereing seconds later with a right baseline three. David Moore looped one in from the baseline and Santos scored from underneath to bump the lead to 9, but it went back and forth from there until Krause scored from underneath, Harris scored on a fast break basket and Krause knocked down a left baseline 3 to cut it to 2 with 2:30 to play in the quarter. Ihaza broke the run with a drive from the top, but Krause drilled another 3 to bring the Mountaineers within 1. Olawoye held the lead with a beautiful drive from the left wing through traffic, drawing a foul and converting the three point play to make it 49-45 Elmont with three quarters complete, but Wattara scored back to back to start the fourth quarter, knotting the game at 49 on a baseline jumper. Santos drove baseline and looped one in to retake the lead, and a big three point play by Miller extended it to 5 with 5:28 to play. The lead was 9 after Olawoye’s left baseline three, but MSM had one last run. Krause’s left wing three cut it to 61-55 with 2:45 remaining and a free throw made it a 5 point game, but a big block by David Moore kept the lead at 5 with 31 seconds to play and Olawoya calmly put the game away with two free throws. As mentioned, Olawoye finished with 30 big points, and he had some help. Ihaza and Miller seemed to hit nothing but big baskets, and finished with 12 and 11 respectively, while Krause did the same for the Mountaineers and finished with 19. 12/2
GAME 3: St. Anthony's 49 New Rochelle 44
There were a lot of big games at this year’s Upstate/Downstate Challege, but none bigger than the matchup between Section 1 Class AA Regional Semifinalist New Rochelle and 4th ranked St. Anthony’s, one of the clear favorities in the NSCHSAA this season. Baskets were hard to come by for both teams in a tight first half, with the score tied at 10 at the first quarter buzzer. Andre Snoody’s fast break basket put St. Anthony’s up 18-15 as the second quarter wound down, but Jared Zomback scored on a putback to make it a 1 point game at intermission and Zomback opened the second half with another putback to put the Hugenots on top. The scoring pace noticably quickened, with Tyrone Lyons weaving his way through traffic and scoring and Antonio Lopez scoring on a reverse layup to put St. Anthony’s up 22-19, but Zomback answered again with a basket from the low post and then another putback for a 23-22 New Rochelle lead with 4:19 left in the quarter. A Lopez three from the right wing ended the back and forth and ignited a 10-0 St. Anthony’s run, with Harewood going coast to coast, Lopez scoring again on a tip-in and again on a tough low post basket and free throw to give St. Anthony’s its biggest lead - 9 with 1:49 to play in the third quarter. Jason Rodopoulos broke the run with a baseline driive, but it was 9 again after Harewood exploded to the basket and scored in the final seconds of the quarter. McGhee’s back to back putbacks opened the fourth quarter scoring and took a bite out of the Friar lead, but Makhai Murphy got most of it back with a three pointer from the left baseline. McGhee drilled back to back threes in response and it was suddenly a 1 point game, but Corey Bernard’s three from the top and Murphy’s steal and fast break basket made it 42-36 with 4:01 to play. A Lyons three from behind the right elbow bumped the lead to 10 with 3:02 showing, but New Rochelle got right back into it, scoring on a basket cut by Rodopoulos and back to back baskets by Long to draw within 4 with 2:40 left. Harewood broke the momentum, countering with a determined drive through traffic and the Friars held on from there, surviving a number of missed free throws to take a 5 point decision. Harewood, Lopez and Lyons all finished with 13 points for the Friars, with Lyons adding 12 rebounds and Lopez 8 while Harewood dished out 5 assists. Sophomore Snoody chipped in 5 points and 12 rebounds. Zomback led all scorers with 14 for New Rochelle.
12/2
GAME 4: Byram Hills 62 Baldwin 45
A late run made it 15-6 Hills at the end of 1 quarter, but the Bruins rallied and cut the margin to 2 at halftime on Nasim Claudio-Cylin's floater and a turn around jumper by Marcus Jasmin from the low post. It was all Byram Hills in the scond half, wit the Bobcats building a 13 point third quarter lead and holding off Baldwin from there. 12/2
GAME 5: Uniondale 67 Middletown 59
Danny Ashley’s steal and fast-break basket put host Uniondale up 6-3 with only 2:57 to play in the opening quarter, but the pace quickened from there and Ashley’s coast to coast basket and Jahri Mosley’s pull-up jumper made it 13-7 and it ended 15-9 Knights at the first quarter buzzer. Craig Brown’s short jumper from just outside the lane put Uniondale up by 8 as the second quarter got underway, and Ashley’s right wing three pointer made it 23-11 Knights, but the teams began trading baskets from there until Marquis Gill’s runner cut it to 30-22 and it remained an 8 point game at intermission. Brown scored from the low post to open the third quarter, but the Middies worked hard to close the gap, generating a lot of turnovers, and Keon Gill’s fast-break basket and two free throws by Noriel Brown cut the margin to 42-39, and then another fast break basket off a turnover and a putback right before the buzzer gave Middletown a 45-44 lead as the third quarter came to a close. Middletown opened the fourth quarter with a free throw, but Ashley’s left elbow jumper tied it at 46 and his two free throws the next trip down put the Knights back in front. Keyshawn Kennedy answered with a fast break basket, but Ashley was determined, scoring 5 straight points on a jumper and a three pointer to put Uniondale up 53-48 with 6:10 remaining. Muyawe Adesina’s steal and fast-break basket and two free throws by Rolando Meyers-Turner made it 60-52 Knights, and Cody McLean added a left wing three pointer to make it 65-54, but Middletown had one last push in them, cutting it to 65-59 on two Marquis Gill free throws before Mosley’s fast-break basket closed out the scoring. Ashley led Uniondale with 23 points, Brown had 18 and Meyers-Turner 10.
