GAMES OF DECEMBER 16TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
South Side 61 Great Neck North 59
GNN Has demonstrated their contender status with big wins over Farmingdale and St. John's Prep, but South Side reaffirmed their Elite Program status with a big road win, improving to 5-1 on the season. Josh Garelle had a big game with 20 points and Team long Island's Robert Pericolosi added 17. BOX SCORE
Mt. Sinai 77 Bayport-Blue Point 64
Mt. Sinal is expected to be a serious contender in Class A this season, but BBP's performance on the road in this game and their 3-1 record raises the possibility that they may contend as well.
Drew Feinstein led the way with 29 points and 9 rebounds, and BBP's Tully Campbell had 29 as well. BOX SCORE
St. John the Baptist 72 Hillhouse 63
The unbeaten Cougars picked up a nice win over one of Connecticut's top programs, rallying from an early hole. Jeremiah Carter led the way with 20 points. BOX SCORE
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Jack Shields hit the game-winning free throw with no time left to lead Long Beach over Great Neck South..... Team Long Island's Derek Reed had a team record 47 points, and added 11 assists, 9 rebounds, and 8 steals in Southampton's win over Riverhead..... Frankie Mangione had 25 points in New Hyde Park's win over Mepham.....
NYC NO LONGER THE MECCA?
Any regular reader of this website knows that Long Island boy's varsity teams have dominated the season series with New York City teams over the past decade, and by the way, have a lead once again this season. The City finally broke through one time - last year, when the PSAL did not play non-league games. The margin was 1 game. Yet when I tell people about our success, they don't attribute it to our rise as a basketball power, which is the real explanation, they say it's because New York City's status as basketball's Mecca is over. You even hear it from some Long Island people. Is it true? I'm a numbers guy, so let's look at the facts. First, historically, the City's reputation as basketball's Mecca is well deserved. All you have to do is look at a breakdown of the members of the Basketball Hall of Fame. To this day, New York maintains a big lead. No other region even comes close. The same holds for the total number of NBA players the City has produced over the years, and again, NYC is far ahead of anyone else. I don't think anybody really disputes any of that, but how are things now? This will surprise a lot of you. The NCAA did a study last year to find out where Division 1 players come from, examining every D1 men's roster, and the results? New York City produces more men's NCAA Division 1 basketball players than anywhere else! How about this: Players from Long Island were not tracked separately, but based on our count, Long Island stacks up very well too, with more D1 mens players coming from Long Island than from basketball hotbeds Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Miami! The truth is that yes, there may have been some lean years in the past, but things go in cycles, and the numbers now say that both Long Island and New York City are enjoying big rebounds, and just might be leading the way towards a second Golden Age of New York basketball! Stay tuned! We'll keep you posted!
MIRACLES DO HAPPEN!
Team Long Island's PJ Kellachan had a good fall season and was looking forward to contributing to one of Long Island's top teams his senior year - the Chaminade Flyers, but he and his teammates were practicing one day when disaster struck. PJ suddenly blacked out, fell to the ground unconscious, and his heart stopped beating. Keeping their heads, Coach Bob Paul and Team Trainer Robert Vargas sprang into action, and working together, incredibly brought him back to life! They are the definition of heros! We're thrilled to say he is back home now resting comfortably and talking about his return date! STORY 12/9
GAMES OF DECEMBER 19TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
Deer Park 56 Wyandanch 54
2-0 Wyandanch's schedule was pushed back due to a late coaching change, but they hung tough against a good Deer Park team until Team Long Island's Nate Gordon knocked down a go-ahead three pointer late. He finished with 28 points. STORY BOX SCORE
Pierson 51 Babylon 50
The defending Long Island Class C Champions graduated their entire starting line-up, but Dominick Mancino's three-pointer at the buzzer gave them the win and a 4-0 record in league play!
Wantagh 58 Jericho 48
If you're looking for Long Island's top under the radar team, look no further! Wantagh improves to 7-0 and they hold opponents to an average of 36 points per game. BOX SCORE
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Marcus Wynter from Harborfields is off to a great start. He had 27 in a win over John Glenn ans is averaging 29.8 on the season.....Team long Island's Frank Wilson led Hills West past East Islip with 29 points. His Team Long Island teammate, Brendan Kearney, had 11 points and 12 rebounds for EI...... Team Long Island's Colin Strohm had 28 points and 14 rebounds in a win over Westhampton. Teammate Hayden Morris Gray added 20 points and 10 assists..... Bridgehampton 9th grader Alex Davis had 25 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals in a win over Ross..... Kazmin Pensa Johnson from
Hampton Bays had 37 points, 10 rebounds and 5 steals in a win over Miller Place..... Mattituck's Mike Mowdy had 27 points and 7 steals in a win over Southold.
LONG ISLAND'S RETURNING ALL-NY STATE PLAYERS
Liam Buckley/Manhasset
Patrick Burke/Smithtown West
Liam Connor/Manhasset
David DeBusschere/Chaminade
Drew Feinstein/Mount Sinai
Anthony Follett/Portledge
Matthew Garside/Kings Park
Malachi Polson/Friends Academy
Derek Reed/Southampton
Jayden Reid/Long Island Lutheran
Jakkai Stith/Hempstead
GAMES OF JANUARY 6TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
#5 Chaminade 73 #6 SJB 64
SJB falls at home to a fellow NSCHSAA contender. Joe Knaus led the way with 20 points and 11 rebounds. The Cougars are coming off a 75-66 loss at the hands of Holy Trinity, and the tough road continues for them today with a game against defending Section 11 Class B Champion Southampton at the Garry Charles Classic. Chaminade, which is hosting the Gary Charles event, also has a tough opponent in the PSAL’s Thomas Jefferson!
#9 Northport 81 Central Islip 50
We were beginning to wonder about the Tigers, who have two one-sided losses this season, but they made a statement against the improving Musketeers. Andrew Miller, who has emerged as the leading scorer in a balanced attack, finished with 21 points. BOX SCORE
East Meadow 61 VS Central 49
That’s four wins in the last five games for East Meadow, but they are still looking for that first signature win. Big home match-up 1/10 against Port Washington.
Wheatley 51 Malverne 44
Wheatley is the team to beat in Section 8 Class B and is now 10-1 on the season. Michael Santarelli led the way once again with 17 points BOX SCORE
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Malachi Moore had a huge game with 42 points in Copiage's win over Walt Whitman..... Baldwin's Josh Petion has emerged as a double-double machine this season, and had 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 steals in a win over Westbury..... Bay Shore's Michael Samuda scored 24 points and had 6 assists in a win over Huntington
..... Christian Thomas had 21 points and 15 rebounds in St. Dom's win over St. Mary's..... Tim McCarthy got the game-winning layup with 7 seconds left in Centereach's win over Sachem North.....
GAMES OF DECEMBER 22ND
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
West Babylon 59 Wyandanch 53
Thats three big wins now for WB, with Deer Park and Hills West their other victims. Sean Ehrichs had 6 three-pointers and finished with 25 points and Bobby Schwarz continues to be a monster on the boards with 13 rebounds. BOX SCORE
Clarke 49 Kellenberg 46 OT
6-1 Clarke contiues to build their resume, and utilized a nice balanced attack to take this one at home in OT. Tammyson Emile and James DeSimone hit the big shots down the stretch. BOX SCORE
Calhoun 43 St. Dominic 40
Good road win for Calhoun over an improving St. Dominic’s. BOX SCORE
Kings Park 61 Harborfields 54
Kings Park continues to impress, with just one returning starter, but that returning starter is Team Long Island's Matt Garside, who had 33 in this one and is averaging 30.1 ppg. BOX SCORE
Deer Park 69 Hills West 62
Big road win for Deer Park. The two Team Long Island players led the way for their respective teams, with Nate Gordon finishing with 24 for the Falcons and Frank Wilson had 21 for West. BOX SCORE
Garden City 68 North Shore 66
Definitely a Team Long theme to today's results! TLI's Leo Vlogianitis hit the game-winner and finished with 26. Vasilis Triantafyllou had a big game for North with 28 points. As my grandmother would say, "Two nice Greek boys!" BOX SCORE
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Southampton's Derek Reed continues his tear, with 27 points, 8 assists and an incredible 12 steals! .... Bellport's Samir Bell had 28 points in their 2OT win over Centereach.....
GAMES OF JANUARY 13TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
#4 Chaminade 64 St. Anth. 62 OT
Host Chaminade is the consensus favorite in the Catholic League this season, but it looks like SJB, Holy Trinity, and St. Anthony’s will all have their say. The Friars put a real scare into the Flyers, sending the game into overtime when Team Long Island’s Caleb Aurelien knocked down a dramatic three pointer from the right wing off an inbond play with 3 seconds left. Chaminade’s beautifully designed full court play for the win just rimmed out in regulation, but the Flyers survived a white knuckler of an overtime session, with four straight clutch free throws by Brad Wyckoff and Jack Connolly putting them ahead for good. They are now 13-2 overall. BOX SCORE
#5 Baldwin 59 East Meadow 51
Two years agao, a young East Meadow team finishing 3-1 during the peak of the COVID pandemic, and their future looked bright. They haven’t traveled a straight line to get to 6-2 in league play and a place among Section 8 Class AA contenders this season, but take out Baldwin’s big 17-6 second quarter and the Jets outscored the Bruins 45-42. Part of what makes both these teams so good is their balanced attacks, and Chase Timberlake led five Bruins with 8 or more points, scoring 15, and Muneer Ibrahem led three double digit scorers for the Jets with 12 points. The win clinched a playoff spot for Baldwin for the incredible 23rd straight year! BOX SCORE
#8 South Side 76 Garden City 66
Manhasset has shown they are vulnerable, and South Side continues to roll, overcoming a 31-point outburst by Leo Vlogianitis to pick up a big road win. If Friends Academy is healthy come playoff time, they will both challenge the defending State Champions. We’re not sold on Wantagh yet, but you can’t ignore a 10-2 record. Josh Garelle led four double digit scorers for the Cyclones in this one with 22 points. BOX SCORE
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Team long Island's Matt Garside scored 34 points to lead Kings Park over Deer Park….. Dylan McLennon had 32 points to lead Sewanhaka over Great Neck North….. Comsewogue’s Hayden Morris Gray had 15 points and 10 assists in a win over SWR….. Ryan Connolly had 12 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in Floral Park’s win over Mineola….. Dominic Pennzello had 33 points to lead Mt. Sinai over ESM.
GAMES OF DECEMBER 29TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
#4 Manhasset 58 Malverne 51
The bottom line is that Manhasset is now 8-0,but hats off to the Malverne program for once again demonstrating how good their system is and what a consistent source of talent their community is.
James Notias had his best game of the year and saved the defending New York State Champions. Joshua Croom and Kevin Estime were the offensive stars for the Mules, but is was their team defense that really shined, holding Manhasset well below their season average.
#5 Chaminade 86 Auburn 55
Auburn has a good team and the Flyers were dominant. BOX SCORE
Calhoun 59 #14 Port Washington 55
Calhoun started the season poorly, losing their first four games, some by lopsided scores, but the team came together with a big win over Plainview, and another big win over St. Doms, and were ready for the Vikings. The return of Sean DiPaola has certainly been a factor. BOX SCORE
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Team Long Island's Robert Pericolosi had a game-high 18 points in South Side's impressive win over Kellenberg..... CI's Tashawn Bumpers and Jaiden Butts both knocked down huge three-pointers, Bumpers to tie it in regulation and Butts to tie it in the first overtime in the Musketeer's big win over Sachem East.....
Vasilis Triantafyllou had 26 points in North Shore's win over Westhampton.....
GAMES OF JANUARY 7TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
#15 Portledge 46 #10 Bay Shore 40
Its tough to rank private school teams because the strength of their opponents is not always clear. Portledge has shown over and over that they play a tough non-league schedule and are up to the task. This game is a case in point. Once again, Anthony Follett led the way with 22 points and Brandon Torres added 13.
#5 Chaminade 77 Jefferson 65
It looked like the PSAL powerhouse was going to run the Flyers right out of their home gym, but the defense adjusted to the blistering pace, they stopped turning the ball over, and their shots started to fall. Very big win! Dave DeBusschere led the way with 30 points, and Antoni Vlogianitis added 22. BOX SCORE
Archbishop Molloy 73 Kings Park 58
This is not last season’s Section 11 Championship team, but the Kingsmen were not intimidated, played excellent defense, and represented Long Island well against one of the CHSAA's best Class AA teams. Ironicly, Molloy was led by Josh Powell, who is from Valley Stream! Kings Park’s Matt Garside, who is the focus of every defense they face, finished with 21 hard earned points. BOX SCORE
Clarke 57 North Shore 46
Now 10-1, the Rams have made it clear they are a team to be delt with. James DeSimone had anothe big game with 27 points, and so did Tammyson Emile, who finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds. BOX SCORE
Great Neck North 57 Garden City 54
Like we said, Section 8 A2 is going to be a dog fight, with five teams that have 2 losses or less, and these two teams are right in the thick of it. Jackson Southerland led North with 21 points and Luke Cronin added 15 points and 11 rebounds. Garden City’s Leo Vlogianitis, who knotched his 6th game of 20 points or more, led all scorers with 28.
Sayville 71 Bayport-Blue Point 65
Sayville joins the list of Section 11 Class A contenders with this big win. Ryan Cunningham led the way with 22 points, Richie Carmody had 16, and Jeremy Brett added 10 points and 10 rebounds.
NSCHSAA
LI Catholic League
GAMES OF JANUARY 4TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
Brentwood 70 #9 Northport 47
We hadn’t heard much from Brentwood this season, but we have now! The perennial contender served notice that they will be there once again come playoff time. Marquese Dennis had a big game with 17 points and 8 rebounds and he was one of their four double digit scorers. BOX SCORE
#12 Commack 55 #14 N. Babylon 47
A tough Sweet 16 matchup and Christopher McHugh led the Cougar’s balanced attack with 11 points and 14 rebounds BOX SCORE
Copiague 50 Central Islip 44
Another battle between two contenders, and CI had no answer for Team Long Island’s Malachi Moore, who finished with 29 points and 14 rebounds.
Friends Academy 64 Lawrence 48
The defending Long Island Champions and New York State Finalists took care of business, reaffirming that they are the team to beat in Nassau A5. Team Long Island's Malachi Polson expertly ran the show, racking up 12 assists, and he was one of four double digit scorers for the Quakers. BOX SCORE
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Bay Shore's Aiden Swinson had 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists in Bay Shore's win over Central Islip..... Jakai Lester had 22 points, 12 rebounds, and an amazing 7 blocks in Wantagh's win over Mineola..... Clarke's Jack Hollywood had 25 points in a win over Valley Stream South..... Tyler Diez's three-pointer with 1.4 seconds left gave Division the win over Carey..... Jesse Tricario had 30 points in Great Neck South's win over New Hyde Park.....
GAMES OF JANUARY 15TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
#5 Baldwin 56 #13 Brentwood 35
Another great defensive exhibition from the Bruins. Brentwood could never build any momentum and was never in it.
Deer Park 53 Bayport BP 52
Games between contenders in Section 11 Class A have been exciting and hard fought this season, and in this one, BBP trailed by 16 on the road in the fourth quarter but went on a dramatic 17-2 run and only a clutch steal by Jaivon Martin prevented them from rallying for the win. BOX SCORE
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
South Side's James Murphy had 31 points in a win over Wyandanch.....
Cassius Moore had 28 points in Elmont's win over Bellport.....
OVER 5 MILLION VISITORS!
GAMES OF JANUARY 20TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
#4 Baldwin 58 Port Washington 55
The Bruins have had a couple of close calls the second time through. They had a comfortable lead in this one, but the Vikings came roaring from behind thanks to a 3-point barrage by Trevor Amalfitano. Jaylen Brown, who has shown a nack for hitting big shots, knocked down some big threes of his own and his three free throws in the closing seconds were the difference. BOX SCORE
#5 SJB 50 St. Anthony's 48
Another dramatic come from behind story, but Carter Wilson spoiled it, going coast to coast for the game winner. BOX SCORE
#10 Syosset 63 Massapequa 47
The Brave’s have reasserted themselves, rolling over the team that knocked rival Hempstead out of first place. BOX SCORE
#16 West Babylon 59 John Glenn 40
This is what we expected from them. What the heck happened against Kings Park? BOX SCORE
Bayport-BP 74 Comsewogue 57
The Phantoms are tough at home and pulled away for an impressive win. Robby Maurer was fantastic, finishing with 27 points and 6 assists. BOX SCORE
Wheatley 64 Cold Spring Harbor 43
Class B Wheatley is now 15-1! Mike Santarelli leads the Wildcat offense, averaging 19.7 ppg. He has knocked down an incredible 67 three pointers this season, far and away the most on Long Island. Santarelli is joined by Bryan McCleary, who averages 16.9 ppg, and Nate Song, who averages 12.6 ppg. Not only is their offense one of the most potent on Long island, but they are also holding their opponents to just 47 points per game. BOX SCORE
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Just another day for Matt Garside: He had 27 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists to lead Kings Park past Wyandanch….. Southampton’s Derek Reed is another model of consistency. He had 25 points, 8 assists and 4 steals to lead the Mariners past Port Jeff….. Frank Wilson had 33 points in Hills West’s loss to Harborfields. It was his fourth 30+ game of the season…..
GAMES OF DECEMBER 28th
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
#2 Baldwin 61 #9 Elmont 49
A great defensive battle, and the very impressive Baldwin Bruins led wire to wire and looked like they were going to run away with it, but after raising their defensive intensity and finding the range on their shots to stay in the game, the Spartans dug in and cut the lead to 5 with 4:08 to play on a bank shot by Arlyn Brown and a drive by Joshua Phifer. Baldwin responded, forcing some rushed shots, and rebuilt the lead on Josh Petion’s coast to coast basket and Jalen Waters’ two free throws, but Elmont made another run, with Cassius Moore’s fast break basket and Awa Nwabudu’s putback bringing them back within 7 with 2:22 left. They had two chances to cut further into the lead and get back within striking distance, but they missed a key free throw and then a three point shot that would have made it a 3 point game and Team Long Island’s Jaylen Brown came down, spotted up and drained a big right baseline three, abruptly stalling the rally and putting the Bruins back in command for good. Petion led Baldwin’s balanced attack with 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals. As always, a great atmospher at Baldwin and a good game played with playoff-like intensity! BOX SCORE
#10 Hempstead 73 Holy Trinity 58
The Tigers picked up another quality win and are building towards a 1/11 showdown with 8th ranked Syosset. Team Long Island’s Jakkai Stith led the way with 23 points and 8 rebounds. BOX SCORE
St. Dominic 59 #13 Amityville 51
The St. Dominic program is showing signs of being a contender this season, and Aidan Kolb was the big gun this time with 5 three-pointers, finishing with 23 points.
The Warriors had a rough tournament, going 0-2, but played #2 Baldwin as well as anybody but Port Washington and Elmont have this season. BOX SCORE
#16 Friends 52 Chamberlain, Fl 38
The Quakers got off to a rough start on their Florida trip, forced to forfeit their first game because of travel delays, but once they got on the court, they representd us well. Team Long Island’s Malachi Polson led the way with 26 points. BOX SCORE
Hills West 70 Sachem North 60
The Colts built an early lead, and although North rallied repeatedly, cutting the lead to 5 late in the 3rd quarter on Connor Volz’s left baseline three and a free throw by Andrew Eaton, Hills closed out the quarter on a run, with Frank Wilson’s putback, a Jesse Brooks coast to coast basket, and a left wing three pointer by Mason Reisch giving them a 57-45 advantage at the third quarter buzzer. The lead was as big as 14 in the 4th on a Javelle Epps pull-up jumper from behind the left elbow, but Sachem made one last run, cutting it to 8 on Chris Lally’s fast beak basket 1:32 left. They would get no closer. West featured an impressive balanced attack, with four double digit scorers led by Team Long Island’s Wilson, who stuffed the stat sheet with 20 rebounds and 5 blocked shots to go with his 17 points. BOX SCORE
Bridgehampton 52 C. Moriches 50
A young, talented group, the Killer Bees are building momentum, picking up their 5th straight win. 9th grader Alex Davis led the way with 18 points and 5 rebounds, but it was senior Kris Vinski that hit the big game-winning three-pointer in the second OT. You have to wonder if this might be the beginning of another streak of New York State title runs over the next few years for the 9-time State Champions! We’ll keep you posted! BOX SCORE
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Team Long Island's Patrick Burke had 21 points and 15 rebounds in Smithtown West's win over Brentwood.....Marcus Wynter had 27 points and 9 assists in Harborfields' win over Centereach..... Team Long Island's Colin Strohm had 21 points and 13 rebounds for Comsewogue in a win over Lyndenhurst..... BBP's Robby Maurer had 22 points, 7 assists and 3 steals in their win over Roosevelt..... 4-2 Seaford's Frank Pyrt had 32 points in a win over Carey..... Kieran Kehoe had 25 points and 14 rebounds in Mepham's win over Island Trees..... Joey Mammolito had 20 Points and 8 assists in John Glenn's win over Rocky Point.....
GAMES OF JANUARY 19TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
#8 Portledge 80 Knox 67
We keep searching for a team that might challenge the Panthers for supremacy in the PSAA, but only Stony Brook has come close so far. Unfortunately, Portledge is the only PSAA team in the habit of reporting scores and submitting stats, so it’s difficult to follow the other teams in the league, and makes it unlikely that any of their players will qualify for post-season honors, which is a shame because some no doubt are deserving. NO BOX
#12 Bay Shore 55 North Babylon 46
It's not too early to start thinking about playoff positioning, and if the Marauders want to avoid Smithtown West until the Section 11 Class AA Championship Game, they are probably going to have to get the #3 seed (I think the two league champions will get 1 and 2). This was a big win toward that end. Although they have some quality wins, North Bab is still searching for that signature win and it will have to come 2/6 at home against Northport. BOX SCORE
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Jack Melore had 25 points and Patrick Burke 24 points and 12 rebounds in Smithtown West's win over Lindenhurst....
Sachem North's Andrew Eaton had 26 points and 10 rebounds in their win over Ward Melville..... Sophomore Christian Thomas had 25 points and 16 rebounds in St. Dominic's win over Kellenberg.....
GAMES OF JANUARY 3RD
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
Holy Trinity 75 #6 SJB 66
Holy Trinity is always tough to guage early in the season. They play a tough non-league schedule, and sometimes they take their lumps, like this year, going 4-5 coming into this matchup. Yet somehow, it’s no surprise they knocked off the 9-0 Cougars, leading wire to wire. BOX SCORE
Garden City 62 #11 Elmont 48
The Trojans had slipped off the radar with a 5-4 record so far, but they’re back on it after this big win. Team Long Island's Leonidas Vlogiantis led the way with 25 points BOX SCORE
Amityville 51 Kings Park 48
It looks like there are a lot of contenders in Section 11 Class A this season, so this is a big road win for the Warriors.
Hampton Bays 68 Mt. Sinai 65
You can add the Baymen to that Class A contender list after this big win. A clutch game from Kazmin Pensa-Johnson, who finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, brings them to 8-2 on the season and 3-1 in league play.
St. Anthony's 53 St. Dominic 42
Both these teams will be NSCHSAA contenders this season and the Friars got their league season off to a good start, pulling away in the second half at home. BOX SCORE
Seaford 101 Plainedge 100 2OT
Wow! The Vikings improved to 5-2 after TJ Harrington’s three-pointer at the buzzer of the second OT ended this incredible offensive display. BOX SCORE
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Jayden Mosley's buzzer-beater gave East Islip the upset win over West Babylon..... Ryan Wolff had 13 of his 14 points in the second half to rally Plainview past VSC..... Sayville's Richie Carmody had 24 points in a win over Rocky Point..... Savion Ward had 20 points and 11 assists in Bridgehampton's win over Shelter Island.
GAMES OF JANUARY 8TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
Cardozo 68 #2 Baldwin 57
The big matchup of the day was a good one, and the Bruins stayed within striking distance and made several runs, but 8-4 Cardozo led almost wire to wire to hand Baldwin its first loss of the season. Team Long Island’s Josh Petion fought valiantly and finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 steals, and keeping with the theme of the rest of the day’s match-ups, 8th grader Peyton Howell and freshman Jalen Waters both played big roles in a final run for the Bruins, and both finished with 7 points. BOX SCORE
Holy Trinity 59 Uniondale 46
These are two rebuilding programs looking to show off their progress, and the Titans and the Knights did just that. Holy Trinity is the furthest along, just this past week handing then undefeated SJB their first loss of the season, and they controlled the game from the start, but Uniondale, who lookied over-matched in some of their earlier games, then picked up a big double-digit win over Massapequa, did not back down for a second. They are now 5-6 overall. Malachi Cooper had a big game for Holy Trinity with 21 points and Matt Defalco added 15 points while Zahni Duncan had 17 for the Knights and Ja'quan Morgan 14. BOX S
Bishop Loughlin 68 St Dominic 57
Both of these programs are also in the rebuilding mode, but both could still end the season as contenders in their respective leagues. St. Doms had the early advantage, and the game remained competitive throughout, but the Lions were up 3 at the first quarter buzzer and built on that the rest of the way. Jakai Sanders led Loughlin with 21 points and impressive sophomore big man Makhaya Moore had 15, while Junior Fabian Wheatley led the Bayhawks 22 points and sophomore Christian Thomas added 13.
#5 Chaminade 79 LWA 51
The Flyers, fresh off a big win over Thomas Jefferson, were in command the whole way, but the young and scrappy Tigers have some talent and put up a fight. Their rebuilding process is well underway! David BeBusschere led Chaminade once again, scoring 15 points, while LWA’s impressive sophomore Isaiah Blunt had 18 points and blocked 5 shots and 8th grader Hank Williams 13 points. BOX SCORE
Malverne 43 Kellenberg 38
The Mules and the Firebirds had the honor of playing in the last of 10 games played at this year’s Gary Charles Hoop classic, and they too are both rebuilding. Malverne ran out to a nice lead, and Kellenberg chipped away at it but couldn't quite get over the top. Joshua Croom had a good game for the Mules, finishing with 10 points and 11 rebounds while Sean Cannon finished with 14 points for Kellenberg to lead all scorers. BOX SCORE
GAMES OF DECEMBER 20TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
#11 Northport 43 North Babylon 35
Northport seems to be at their best in low scoring games and they picked up a big win over a North Babylon team that will be heard from later. Northport's Andrew Miller led all scorers with 22 points
#12 Commack 72 Central Islip 66
You can never sleep on CI, but the Cougars had enough to hold them off. Team Long Island’s Mike Gitz led the way with 21 points. BOX SCORE
Sewanhaka 75 Garden City 66
Big road win for Sewanhaka. Conference A2 looks like it's going to be a dog fight, so every road win is big. Dylan McLennon had a great game for Sewanhaka, finishing with 30 points, 11 rebounds and 6 steals. Team Long Island’s Leo Vlogianitis led the Trojans with 28. BOX SCORE
Bellport 54 Ward Melville 48
Both of these programs are on the “always good” list, but Bellport was shorthanded to start the season. Expect them to be there at the end. BOX SCORE
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
#3 Smithtown West's Jack Melore had another big game, with 26 points in a win over West Islip. He and Patrick Burke are forming a dangerous duo.....
Terrell Adderley had 29 points and 8 rebounds for Bay Shore, the third player to lead the 6th ranked Marauders in scoring in 6 games..... Another big game for Smithtown East's Ben Haug, who had 27 in a win over Newfield.....
GAMES OF JANUARRY 27TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
#5 Commack 51 Brentwood 46
After a tough loss to Bay Shore, the Cougars are back doing what they do - proving over and over that they are one of Section 11’s best teams. Nobody can remember the last time they swept Brentwood, if ever. Their win and Smithtown West’s loss creates a three-way tie for first in Section 11 1AA. BOX SCORE
N. Babylon 57 #6 Smithtown W 52
The Bulls were running so high that any loss is a shocker, but they are now 14-2, and both of their losses have been to very good teams. We already know how tough North Babylon is. Nobody wants them in the playoffs. BOX SCORE
#14 Holy Trinity 68 St. Dominic 64
The bottom line is the Titans are now 5-1 in league play and without a doubt one of the favorites in the always tough NSCHSAA, but the Bayhawks are dangerous! Matt Defalco registered his 12th double digit game and his 3rd 20+ game for Holy Trinity, while Fabian Wheatley had his 3rd 20+ game for St. Doms. BOX SCORE
Northport 80 Hills East 62
Northport has had 4 different players lead them in scoring this season. That and their always excellent defense will serve them well in the playoffs. Drew Miller led the way in this one with 28 points. Hills East is rebuiding, but has shown the potential to upset someone. They are 7-8 in league play and have to make the playoffs first. BOX SCORE
Wantagh 47 Floral Park 45 OT
Your schedule is what it is. You can tweak you non-league opponents, but for the most park, the teams you play and the league you play in are set. 14-2 Wantagh has done as much as they can do, and anxiously await the opportunity to prove how good they are in the playoffs. Jakai Lester scored the winning basket at the buzzer on this one to give Wantagh the thrilling win in OT. BOX SCORE
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Sophomore Carter Wilson had 20 points and 10 assists in SJB's win over St. Mary's..... James Notias had 25 points in Manhasset's win over Division..... Sachem North's Matt Rintoul had 22 points and 10 rebounds and Chris Lally had 18 points and 7 assists in their win over Riverhaed..... Caleb Aurelien exploded for 37 points to lead St. Anthony's over Kellenberg..... Amityville pulled away from Harborfields behind 15 second half points from Christian Smiley..... Dylan McLennon had 27 points and 8 steals in Sewanhak's win over Garden City. The Trojan's Leo Vlogianitis also had 27 points..... Jericho's Issac Varghese had 27 points in their win over Long Beach..... Sonny D'Errico had 35 points to lead MacArthur over New Hyde Park..... Chris Colaciello had 26 points to lead Carle Place over Oyster Bay.....
GAMES OF DECEMBER 17TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
Manhasset 62 Hempstead 53
In a heavyweight match-up, defending Class A State Champion Manhasset led almost wire to wire in a tight, hard fought win over Class AA contender Hempstead. Returning All-New York State player Liam Connor led the way with 22 points.
Bay Shore 66 Brentwood 55
Clearly Bay Shore is for real, with wins over Plainview, Commack, and now Brentwood to improve to 4-0, but when was the last time Brentwood started a season 2-3? Aiden Swenson led the Marauders with 20 points and 12 rebounds. BOX SCORE
Locust Valley 64 Wheatley 60
Locust Valley halted Wheatley's unbeaten streak at 6. Preston Rothkrug led the way with 20 points. BOX SCORE
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Team Long Island's Derick Reed had 39 points and 7 assists in Southampton's win over rival East Hampton..... Jack Melore had 26 points for Smithtown West in a big win over Northport.....Baldwin's and Team Long Island's Josh Petion had 13 points and 14 rebounds in a win over Port Washington.....
GAMES OF JANUARY 10TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
#8 South Side 69 Elmont 54
I think just about everybody thought South Side would be good this season, but not this good! Earlier in the season, the Class A Cyclones handed Class AA Syosset their only loss, and they picked up a convincing win over rival Elmont in this one, led by Team Long Island’s Robert Pericolosi, who finished with 26 points. They are now 11-1 and alone in first place in Section 8 A2. BOX SCORE
#15 Friends Academy 60 Clarke 44
We might have underestimated how good Friends would be coming into this season, partly because they were New York State Class B finalists last season and are playing in Class A this season, and partly because they lost two key players to prep schools during the off-season. They did lose an early season game to Amityville, a good team for sure, but they played without 3 key players and have been nothing but impressive since. This 16-point win over red-hot Clarke, accomplished without Malachi Polson, their outstanding point guard, put them alone in first place in A-5 and in the thick of things in Section 8 Class A. Polson may be out until playoff time. Jackson O'Brien, a 6’6 junior forward, had a big game, finishing with 27 points, and he is one of several players that have stepped up for the Quakers this season. BOX SCORE
East Meadow 65 Port Wash. 61 OT
This makes 5 of their last 6, and this was a big one over a perennial contender. Muneer Ibrahem, who transferred back home after leaving for prep school, has been the catalyst since he returned, and he hit the big three pointer that put them on top in OT. He finished with 17 points to lead East Meadow's balanced attack, but his biggest contribution so far is that he brings out the best in his teammates, getting everybody involved and spacing the floor with his three-point shooting. The Jets have responded well and are now tied for second place in Section 8 AA2. Frank Destefano, Manjot Singh, and Izaiah Richards all reached double digits in this one. Next big test is Friday, at Baldwin! BOX SCORE
West Babylon 51 Amityville 49
WB confirmed their Class A contender status with another big win. They already have impressive wins over Deer Park, Hills West, and Wyandanch on the books. Bobby Schwartz, one of Long Island’s top rebounding forwards, blocked a shot with 6 seconds left to secure the win and finished with 13 points and 23 rebounds. BOX SCORE
Comsewogue 91 Hampton Bays 77
This game was a sorting out game between two Section 11 Class A contenders, and this is the Comsewogue team we were expecting before Hayden Morris-Gray, their terrific point guard, missed several games with an injury. Kazmin Pensa-Johnson did everything he could for the Baymen, finishing with 36 points, but three 20 point scorers, led by Morris-Gray with 29 points and 10 assists, Team Long Island’s Colin Strohm, with 26 points and 11 rebounds, and Austin Nesbitt, who finished with 22 points and 7 assists, were too much to overcome.
GAME 1 -12/23
#10 Hempstead 62 Lincoln 54
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Jakkai Stith
The inaugural game of the 2022 New York Holiday Invitational went off as scheduled, and the revitalized Hempstead program took center stage, with the 10th ranked Tigers impressively leading the PSAL's Abraham Lincoln almost wire to wire.
GAME 2 - 12/31
#9 Elmont 67 Southampton 65
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Girell Frias-Walsh
A great game played at a frantic pace, and the Spartans rallied from 10 down to win at the buzzer.
GAME 3 - 12/31
#3 Smithtown West 56 Kingston 40
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Patrick Burke
Nobody has been able to play with the Bulls so far this season, and that trend continued against a very good team from Section 9
GAME 4 - 12/31
Dwight-Englewood 64 St. Anthony's 58
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Jackson Burke
St. Anthony's just got back some key players from their State Championship football team, and the question was, would they be ready? They were! The Friars battled all the way and had a 1-point lead with 3 quarters in the books, but the talented and physically imposing Bulldogs from New Jersey caught them down the stretch.
ALL-SHOWCASE TEAM
Caleb Aurelian - St. Anthony's
Evan Brown - Dwight - Englewood
Patrick Burke - Smithtown West
Jackson Burke - Dwight-Englewood
Ryan Jankowski - Kingston
Ziyair Jones - Hempstead
Jack Melore - Smithtown West
Cassius Moore - Elmont
Joshua Phifer - Elmont
Derek Reed - Southamptom
Jakkai Stith - Hempstead
GAMES OF DECEMBER 21ST
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
Port Washington 57 Plainview 52
Another sorting out game in Nassau AA between contenders, and the home team held off the visitors. Both teams showed off well balanced attacks. BOX SCORE
Great Neck North 55 Roslyn 49
At first glance, it looks like a big win for GNN, but Roslyn has struggled. Still, North is 6-3 so far with a tough schedule. Luke Cronin, who made Team Long Island but had to sit out with an injury, had another big game with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks. BOX SCORE
East Meadow 67 Westbury
East Meadow is another team that has played shorthanded at times, but looks good at full strength. Westbury seems to be down this year, losing their third straight home game. Manjot Singh had a big game for East Meadow with 24 points and 11 rebounds, and Frank Destefano added 11 points and 13 rebounds and Jayden Henriquez 12 points and 10 assists. BOX SCORE
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Michael Durnin led Massapequa past Freeport with 28 points and 6 assists.
NIKE/IS8 UPDATES
LONG ISLAND FALLS IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Team Long Island upset the #5, #4, and #1 seeds to advance to the NIKE/IS8 Championship Game, the first time they've ever gone that far in the prestigious tournament, but an outburst of three pointers by UCLA bound Tournament MVP Brandon Williams carried Team Rundown to the IS8 Title. The final was 69-59. Garden City’s Leo Vlogianitis was named Long Island’s Final Four MVP and Long Island Lutheran’s Kayden Mingo, who unfortunately was unable to participate in the Final Four, was named to the All-Tournament Team. PLAYOFF RECAPS
GAMES OF DECEMBER 27th
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
#2 Baldwin 66 #13 Amityville 48
In the first battle between Sweet 16 ranked teams this season, the Bruins rode a 21-4 second quarter to another one-sided win. Josh Petion had a big game with 20 points and 5 rebounds. They take on #9 Elmont, who squeaked by St. Dominic 52-50, this Wednesday at 8 PM in the much-anticipated final of their annual tournament. BOX SCORE
Central Islip 58 #6 Bay Shore 54
CI lost their first three games of the season by substantial margins, but Shakeen Legette, in just his second game, scored 21 points to lead them past 6th ranked Bay Shore and to their third win in their last four games. BOX SCORE
#7 SJB 77 Sewanhaka 55
The Cougars keep on winning, and they've had a few nice wins, but they won't face their first real tests until they take on Chaminade and Manhasset back-to-back 1/6 and 1/11. BOX SCORE
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Christian Smiley had 26 points in Amityville's loss to Baldwin..... Another big game for Kings Park's Matt Garside, who had 29 in a win over East hampton.....
KJ Anderson had 20 points and 12 rebounds in Farmingdale's win over Jericho..... Ryan Leary had 34 points and Chris Colaciello 28 points to lead Carle Place to victory, while Braden Donellan finished with 38 for Plainedge.
TOBIAS PUTS IN THE WORK
After a slow start, Long Island's Tobias Harris is having another good year. Here's what is takes. ARTICLE
EDITOR'S NOTE: Part of Tobias's regiment this past off-season included workouts with Long Island's Tom Tempesta.
GAMES OF JANUARY 29TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
#2 Chaminade 71 Archb. Molloy 68
It was shaping up to be a dominant win for the Flyers. They got off to a good start and had a 24-13 lead at the first quarter buzzer. It was 41-28 Chaminade at the half and 57-45 after three quarters, with Joe Knaus on his way to 9 three-pointers, but Molloy finally made its run in the 4th quarter, cutting the lead to 5 with 3 minutes to play and to 3 with 30 seconds on the clock. The Flyers missed back-to-back 1 and 1 free throws to open the door, but a potential game tying three pointer was off target and the Stanners missed a 1 and 1 of their own and Antoni Vlogianitis came through, icing the game with two big free throws with 7.6 seconds left to give Chaminade a 5-point advantage. BOX SCORE
GAMES OF JANUARY 12TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
#11 Bay Shore 47 #14 Northport 40
A very big road win for the Marauders and Aiden Swinson had the big game, finishing with 18 points and 10 rebounds . Bay Shore controlled the boards, with three double digit rebounders, and held the Tigers 20 points under their season average. The win knocks Northport back into the second tier of the Section 11 League 1 standings and sets up a huge League 1 match-up this Saturday when first place Smithtown West (11-0) visits Bay Shore (9-2), who is now tied for second place with Commack (10-2). The Marauders currently own the tie-breaker with a 58-53 win over the Cougars back on 12/12.. BOX SCORE
#13 Brentwood 67 #16 N.Babylon 66
Brentwood closed out the game on a 12-0 run, and when North Babylon missed the front end of a 1 and 1, Jerimiah Webb came down and got the game winner with 8 seconds left. Brentwood is now tied with Northport for 4th in the League 1 standings, and they have the tie-breaker there, but they don’t have any games left against the league leaders so they’ll have to wait until playoff time to make their mark. They do have a very big non-league match-up with Baldwin this Sunday 1/15 at Uniondale. BOX SCORE
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Anthony Follet had 30 points and hit the 1000 point mark in Portledge's win over St. Dominic..... Malachi Moore had 28 points in Copiague's loss to Commack. Team Long Island teammate Mike Gitz led Commack with 18..... Ben Haug scored 35 points and had 6 steals to lead Smithtown East over Longwood.
FIRST NEW YORK STATE RANKINGS
Both the New York State Sportswriters Association and New York High School Basketball.Com have issued their first set of State Rankings, and despite their 3-2 start, Long Island Lutheran sits on top of both Class AA rankings. Manhasset is our highest ranked A team, landing 4th with the Sportswriters and 3rd with the NYSBB. Portledge leads our Class B teams, coming in 8th and 5th, Pierson is tops in C with 20th and Honorable Mention ratings, and Bridgehampton is our top D team, landing an Honorable Mention nod with the Sportswriters. 12/18
GAMES OF DECEMBER 30TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
#8 Syosset 64 #12 Commack 63 OT
A classic Sweet 16 matchup that was back and forth wire to wire, and all that separated the two teams after 4 hard fought quarters and an overtime were two missed free throws, A.J. AbuSaab's
deterrmined drive for what turned out to be the game winner, and a potential game winning buzzer beater that looked good all the way but bounced off the back of the rim. BOX SCORE
Sachem North 93 Mt. Sinai 87
Two teams knocking on the door of the Sweet 16 faced off, and Sachem North rallied for the big road win. North’s Chris Lally had 15 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter. BOX SCORE
North Babylon 49 Deer Park 46
A very good back and forth game between two evenly matched contenders, and the home team came out on top. BOX SCORE
Clarke 63 East Meadow 61
We said 8-2 Clarke, a program that doesn’t have a great basketball tradition, had the look of a contender after only 1 game, but this big road win against a solid East Meadow team will add more belivers. BOX SCORE
GAMES OF DECEMBER 23RD
Almost every game was postponed due to high winds and flooding, with only six games played that we know of.
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
Sachem North 57 Sachem East 41
Both Sachem schools appear to be contenders this season, so this rivalry game was a big one and host North took command in the second quarter and pulled away in the fourth. North featured a balanced attack, with 4 double digit scorers. BOX SCORE
Bethpage 59 MacArthur 40
6-2 Bethpage continued its winning ways, rallying from an early deficit on the road and outscoring the Generals 33-13 in the second half. Jayden Diaz had 10 of his 19 points in the pivotal third quarter.
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
North Babylon's Pat Washington had 19 points and 6 assists in a win over West Islip..... Pat-Med's Jason Deabreu led all scorers with 17 points and 7 assists in a win over Longwood.
GAMES OF FEBRUARY 7TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
# 6 South Side 69 #13 Elmont 46
The Cyclones are peaking at the right time, hammering a very good Elmont team on their home court. South Side’s Robert Pericolosi had a big game with 20 points and so did Josh Garelle, who finished with 19. They are two of three scorers, along with James Murphy, capable of 20-point games. BOX SCORE
Clarke 54 #12 Friends Academy 37
15-4 Clarke has been searching for that signature win, and they got a big one, convincingly knocking off the first place, 12th ranked defending Long Island Class B Champions. James Desimone registered his 19th double digit game of the season and 6th 20+ game, finishing with 22 points, and the team held their opponent under 40 points for the 6th time.
Amityville 51 #14 Kings Park 49
The Warriors closed out their regular season with 4 straight wins, capping it off by beating league leading and 14th ranked Kings Park for the second time. Seville Williams, who has emerged as a consistent threat, led the way with 15 points. He is part of a potent 1-2 punch along with leading scorer Cristian Smiley. BOX SCORE
#15 St. Anthony's 63 Holy Trinity 52
You’d have to say the 15th ranked Friars have spent most of the season under the radar, rarely mentioned as a leading contender in the NSCHSAA this season, but 6 straight wins, including an impressive 20 point win over Portledge, and looking back, 2 point losses to both SJB and Chaminade, make it clear they are a team to beware of. BOX SCORE
Wyandanch 68 Hills West 57
Hills West’s impressive winning streak put them back in the playoff picture, but Wyandanch ended their hopes, beating the Colts on their home court. The Warriors have been up and down this season, but at their best, they can play with anybody in Section 11 Class A. Tavion Jennings had his best game of the season, finishing with 20 points, and Marcus Harris, who seems to save his best games for good teams, finished with 18. Frank Wilson, another big game player, led all scorers with 26 points for Hills West.
Comsewogue 64 East Hampton 46
Section 11 League 4 has been a dog fight this season, and its not surprising that Comsewogue knocked off the first place Bonakers, but they did it in convincing fashion, which is. The win gives the Warriors sole possesion of third place at 12-3 in league play, and drops East Hampton into a first place tie with Mount Sinai, who rolled over 4th place Hampton Bays to claim their share of first. Colin Stromm was a force on both sides of the ball and finished with 23 points and 15 rebounds for Comsewogue. BOX SCORE
GAMES OF JANUARY 9TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
#10 SJB 74 #3 Manhasset 60
When SJB got off to a great start this season, this game became a big game, and it was hard fought and close most of the way - Manhasset actually had a 4th quarter lead - but it was clear the Indians couldn’t match SJB’s quickness, and worse, they short poorly, and only their domination on the boards kept them in it. The difference was, whenever a big basket was needed, either SJB’s Steven Williams or Carter Wilson got it. The big shots didn't fall for Manhasset. Williams bulled and shot his way to 21 points, and Wilson smoothly added 16 points and 7 assists. Chris Williams had a good game too with 16 points in this statement win for the Cougars. BOX SCORE
Bellport 63 William Floyd 52
In a Section 11 League 2 showdown, Bellport pulled away in the fourth quarter for a big road win and a first-place tie with the Colonials. Samir Bell, who is putting together a terrific season, finished with 29 points and Xavier George added 17.
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Jack Melore had 27 points in Smithtown West's win over Central Islip..... Commack's Nick Waga had 18 points and 10 assists in a win over Huntington..... Evan Grant stole the ball and scored at the buzzer to give Centereach a win over Longwood..... Hills East's Jordan Heyman had 27 points and 6 assists in a win over Lindenhurst...
AJ Esposito had 22 points and 10 rebounds in Sachem East's win over Newfield.
GAMES OF FEBRUARY 1ST
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
#14 Elmont 56 Garden City 48
Section 8A2 is one of the strongest leagues on Long Island this season, and unfortunately, that means a good team like Garden City, with wins over four playoff bound teams, might not make the playoffs. The Trojans have to sweep their remaining games, including a 2/10 matchup at 16-1 South Side. 12-5 Elmont is tied for second with Sewanhaka, a team theiy’ve beaten twice decisively. They too have a date with first place South Side, theirs on 2/7. BOX SCORE
Amityville 52 Islip 48 BOX SCORE
Hills West 81 East Islip 55 BOX SCORE
Two more teams that needed to close out their seasons on winning streaks are getting it done. Amityville has won two in a row to get one game over .500, and needs to split two tough games with Kings Park and John Glenn, while Hills West, who has also won two in a row, including an upset of West Babylon, has to keep winning. They have two tough teams - Deer Park and Wyandanch, ahead.
Great Neck So 71 New Hyde Park 53
The Rebels have been up and down this season, but picked up their seventh straight win and are now alone in first place in Section 8 A1. They have a big 2/4 showdown at 2nd place Calhoun, who they beat convincingly at home. Jesse Tricario had 24 points in this win, Jesse Roggendorf had 18 and both are having big seasons for GNS. BOX SCORE
GAMES OF JANUARY 5TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
#1 LIU Lutheran 73 Bishop Walsh 47
The rest of the country is quickly learning what we have known for years - that the Crusaders, now ranked 7th in the country, have an outstanding program - well coached, and loaded with talent. They will represent Long Island well on the national stage. BOX SCORE
BBP 86 Rocky Point 54
The Phantoms just keep winning! Two 25-point scorers in this one and four in double digits. They are now 8-1. Their next big match-up is 1/15 at Deer Park. Their rematch with Mount Sinai, their only loss, is 1/30 at home. BOX SCORE
Comsewogue 59 Miller Place 38
The Warriors struggled without their point guard, Hayden Morris-Gray, going 1-2, but he came back with a vengeance last night, handing out 15 assists. He’s also had two 40 point games this season. Team Long Island’s Colin Strohm was one of the beneficiaries, finishing with 21 points and 7 rebounds. BOX SCORE
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Great Neck North's Luke Cronin had 21 points and 20 rebounds in a win over Bellmore..... Team Long Island's Frank Wilson had 32 points, 16 rebounds and 6 blocks in Hills West's win over John Glenn..... Team Long Island's Matt Garside had 33 points, 7 rebounds, and had 6 assists in Kings Park's win over Hauppauge..... Super sophomore Naevon Williams had 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 steals in Southampton's win over Mayyituck..... Harborfields beat East Islip behind 29 points from Marcus Wynter.....
GAMES OF JANUARY 21ST
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
#7 South Side 71 GN North 45
Its not surprising that the Cyclones won - they’ve won 15 in a row now! It's the margin of victory that was a bit of a surprise, given that GNN had beaten both Elmont and Garden City in recent games. James Murphy led the way with 21 points and Josh Garelle had 17. BOX SCORE
#13 Friends by forfeit
By forfeit over Academy Charter?? Believe it or not, there was another forfeit last night too. Martin Luther pulled out of their game with Portledge at the last minute.
NO BOX SCORE
Great Neck South 64 Long Beach 55
GN South is still searing for that first big win, but they’ve put together an 11-5 record overall and are 7-1 in Section 8 1A. Unfortunately, there are no candidates for a big win on the remainder of their schedule, so they’ll have to show what they can do in the playoffs. Jesse Roggendorf is putting together a memorable season for GNS, averaging 19.3 ppg while knocking down 44 three-pointers. BOX SCORE
Wantagh 47 Valley Stream North 37
13-2 Wantagh is another team in search of a quality win. They did beat Clarke, another team in search of quality wins. What catches your eye is that they allow only 37 points per game - tied with Friends Academy for best on Long Island! BOX SCORE
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Alessandro Giacomorra had 21 points and 10 rebounds in Division's win over Hewlett..... Ryan Connolly had 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to lead Floral Park over Plainedge.....
GAMES OF JANUARY 18TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
Great Neck North 58 #15 Elmont 55
We warned you that Section 8 A2 would be a war this season, and the war continues. South Side is still setting the pace, but Elmont, Great Neck North, Sewanhaka, and Garden City are all battling for second and hoping to knock off the Cyclones in the process. North did what they had to do stay in the hunt, defending their home court thanks to a big game from Luke Cronin, who racked up 19 points, 18 rebounds and 4 assists. BOX SCORE
Mt. Sinai 71 Comsewogue 58
You really have to give the Mustangs credit. They held onto a piece of first place despite playing 8 games without point guard Derrek Shechter, and they got him back just in time for this big Section 11 4A matchup between two of the three contenders, the other being East Hampton. Drew Feinstein had the big game, finishing with 32 points, and Dominic Pennzello continued his excellent play, finishing with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Shecter kicked in 8 points and 8 assists. Mount Sinai doesn’t face East Hampton again, but if a tiebreaker becomes necessary, they have a 5-point win over the Bonackers. BOX SCORE
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
James Notias had 24 points and 5 assists to help Manhasset hand Glen Cove their first league loss. Londell Wheeler led Glen Cove with 32 points..... Team Long Island's Frank Wilson had 35 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists to lead Hills West over Amityville..... Another Team Long Island player, Southampton's Derek Reed, finished with 31 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals in a win over Center Moriches..... Sae'vion Ward's buzzer-beater gave Bridgehampton the win over Port Jefferson..... Tully Campbell had 25 points and 6 assists in BBP's win over ESM..... Roosevelt had two big scorers in Andrew Lee (31 points) and Jaliel McFadden (29 points) in their win over Carey..... Richie Carmody had the game-winner with four seconds left in Saville's win over SWR..... Nehemiah Yuen had another big game with 29 points and 4 assists in Smithtown Christian's win over Southold..... Kazmin Pensa-Johnson had 32 points, 14 rebounds and 6 assists in Hampton Bays win over Rocky Point. It was his fouth 30 point game of the season.....
GAMES OF JANUARY 17TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
Commack 68 Smithtown West 57
It was an excellent first half, and undefeated Smithtown West went into the locker room leading 26-23. All seemed well for the Bulls as they started to build their lead on Patrick Burke’s three pointer and running hook shot, and then Jack Melore’s fall away jumper and a Burke free throw made it a 7 point game, but when Commack rallied behind Nick Waga to take a 44-42 lead into the fourth quarter, and Mike Gitz hit a runner to open the quarter and then a left wing three pointer to make it 49-42 Cougars, you could see the Bulls, who had never trailed in the second half of a game all season, were rattled. All the signs were there: rushed shots, turnovers, repeated one on one moves, defensive lapses, and it got worse as Commack’s shooters, particularly Gitz, heated up. The lead was 14 after Ethan Meisel’s short baseline jumper, and New York State’s 5th ranked team needed to settle down and refocus or they were on their way to their first defeat. They could not, and Commack, who came into the game 11-2 overall and trailing West by only a game in the standings, held on for the upset and a first-place tie in Section 11 AA1. The Smithtown faithful have to hope it serves as a wakeup call for a team that seems destined to compete for a Section 11 Championship and beyond. BOX SCORE
Chaminade 60 Holy Trinity 50
A classic NSCHSAA battle, and although 3rd ranked Chaminade led most of the way, it was close and contentious. If we didn’t know already, the 14th ranked Titans are for real. BOX SCORE
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Carter Wilson led SJB past St. Doms with 13 points and 8 assists..... Ari Kesselman's two free throws with 0.3 seconds remaining gave Plainview the win over East Mreadow..... Samir Bell had 32 points in Bellport's win over Riverhead.....
Smithtown East's Ben Haug had 34 points in their win over William Floyd.....
Chris Lally had 28 points 6 rebounds, and 5 assists in Sachem North's win over Connetquot..... Sachem East's AJ Esposito had 20 points and 14 rebounds in their win over Ward Melville..... Adam Elbehiry had 25 points and 26 rebounds to lead Oceanside over Westbury.....
GAMES OF JANUARY 11TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
#7 Hempstead 71 #6 Syosset 60
This was a big statement game for the Tigers - confirmation that the once dominant program is back! Syosset is a very good team, but their lack of depth may be hurting them. They had an early lead, but their starters are on the floor most of the game and that's tough against a very physical team like Hempstead. Team Long Island's Jakkai Stith was outstanding, but by no means a one man show, leading four double digit scorers with 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. BOX SCORE
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Brian Kopp had 24 points and 5 assists in Massapequa's win over Farmingdale.....
Ryan Leary led Carle Place to a big win over Malverne with 36 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists..... Smithtown Christian's Nehemiah Yuen had 24 points in a win over The Ross school....
GAMES OF JANUARY 24TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
East Hampton 70 Hampton Bays 48
The Bonackers held on to a share of first place in Section 11 4A, pulling away from third place Hampton Bays in impressive fashion. They have a good, aggressive multi-pronged attack, but their defense was the star in this one, holding the Baymen 26 points below their season average and holding Kazmin Pensa-Johnson, one of Long Island’s leading scorers, well below his average as well. Looking ahead, Mt. Sinai, who is now at full strength and has the tiebreaker advantage with a 5-point win over East Hampton back on 1/10, will face two contenders in their final five games - BBP on the road and Hampton Bays at home, while the Bonackers face one contender - Comsewogue on the road - their last game of the regular season. BOX SCORE
Hauppauge 54 Harborfields 48
The Eagles had one of the best teams in Suffolk last season, but are rebuilding this season and it looks like things are going well! After starting off 0-4, they settled in and are now .500 in league play with this big win over a good Harborfields team. It looks like the playoffs are within reach! BOX SCORE
Babylon 59 Pierson 41
As their rivals know, you can never sleep on a Panthers team. The program has a great history, and they were too much for surprisingly good Pierson, thanks to three double digit scorers led by Sincere McDougal, who had another big game with 21 points. BOX SCORE
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Anthony Follett had 28 points in Portledge’s win over Kew Forest….. Mt. Sinai’s Drew Feinstein had 25 points in their win over Rocky Point….. Jai Feaster had 19 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals to lead Bridgehampton over rival Greenport…
GAMES OF JANUARY 14TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
#2 Smithtown W 57 11 Bay Shore 32
The Bulls completely dominated the Marauders wire to wire. Smithtown has a strong inside/out attack led by an elite big man in Patrick Burke and an elite shooter in Jack Melore and they play strong, aggressive D. BOX SCORE
Massapequa 56 #7 Hempstead 48
Huge win for Massapequa and stunning considering Hempstead just beat Syosset to briefly take sole possession of first place in Section 8 AA1! Massapequa held the Tigers 20 points below their scoring average. Massapequa's Michael Durnin was a force, collecting 18 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in what some are calling the biggest upset of the season. BOX SCORE
#12 Commack 62 #14 Northport 55
The Cougars moved into sole possession of 2nd place in Section 11 AA1 and are beating teams they don't usually beat this season. Nick Waga had another big game, finishing with 28 points.Can they play with Smithtown West? We'll see this Tuesday when the Cougars visit the Bullpen!
WHO IS 3 STEP SPORTS?
A HOOPS MONOPOLI TAKING SHAPE?
You might have read about the stunning moves that 3 Step Sports - a relatively unknown company founded in 2016, has made in recent months, taking over youth basketball industry giants Hoop Group and Zero Gravity, who combined operate hundreds of basketball tournaments and events throughout the year. It turns out that the company, founded by former ESPN Vice President of High School Sports and Recruiting David Geaslen, has rapidly grown into a sports empire with over 700 employees, and was valued, as of last May, at over $250 million dollars! Looking back at past news releases, they are acquiring additional companies in eight different sports at an almost frantic pace, perhaps taking advantage of perceived bargains created in the aftermath of the pandemic. Their apparent objective is to dominate youth sports, not only regionally, but across the country, and almost overnight, they have become one of the big players, with the apparently very deep pockets of investment firms Fiume Capital and Juggernaut Capital behind them to pay for all of it. Will this new industry giant have an impact on our basketball community? Almost certainly. With their size and acquired expertise, they should be able to put together bigger, better run events in our area and all across the country, with less duplication, and their economies of scale should bring down their costs and enable them to undercut any competitor. But there are dangers. Competition gives companies the incentive to keep prices low and provide great service. Who's going to effectively compete with them when they have most of the gym space tied up and most of the teams in the area are part of their organization and committed to play in their own events? Another danger: It's very possible their timing is perfect and they are snapping up these companies at bargain prices, but we've all seen companies that have over-extended themselves and been forced into drastic cut-backs and lay-offs and even gone out of business because they misjudged the market or their timing was bad. We'll see how it plays out. Meanwhile, the sleeping giant of youth sports, USA Basketball, continues to slowly make their presence known, now sponsoring 5 age group National Championship tournaments for both boys and girls teams and spreading out into regional championship event in 2023. If they choose to, they can dominate any sport right down the the local level. How would that effect 3 Step and the rest of us? We'll see how that plays out tool
There was a rumor that 3 Step Sports had acquired the Island Garden. Although the two parties have been in negotiations for some time, nothing has been finalized as of October or 2022. They will work together for now, with the Island Garden hosting 3 Step programs, like their new Steph Curry program, and Lightning teams and players will continue to participate in 3 Step events.
REQUIRED COACHING CLASS
A course required if you want to coach at a New York State public school will be offered on Long Island starting February 7th and taught by long time Westbury High School Coach David Graff.
IS 8 FINAL FOUR ROSTER
Caleb Aurelien/St. Anthony's
Jaylen Brown/Baldwin
Patrick Burke/Smithtown West
Nate Gordon/Deer Park
Brendan Kearney/East Islip
PJ Kellachan/Chaminade
Malachi Moore/Copiague
Joshua Petion/Baldwin
Malachi Polson/Friends Academy
Derek Reed/Southampton
Colin Strohm/Comsewogue
Leonidas Vlogianitis/Garden City
Frank Wilson/Hills West
TEAM LONG ISLAND SWEEPS INTO THE FINAL FOUR!
Long Island's Dream Team won its Sweet 16 and Elite 8 matchups, upsetting the #4 seed with a balanced attack and great team defense! STORY
GAMES OF JANUARY 26TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
#10 Portledge 65 LuHi PSAA 64
There is no basketball team that is more under the radar than the LuHi PSAA team, or Regional Team, or B Team. Playing under the big shadow of the LuHi National Team makes it tough to get much attention, but they took a big step towards getting out of that shadow, falling a basket short of upsetting 10th ranked Portledge. Anthony Sennett hit the game winner in the final seconds for the Panthers, who climbed out of a 12-point 4th quarter hole for the win.
BOX SCORE
Bellport 74 Smithtown East 65
Good win for the Clippers. Bellport is in first place in their league and has now won 11 of their last 12 games, but still gets no respect from the Sweet 16 Coaches Panel. Why? First, their league, 2AA in Secion 11, is considered down this season, and all 12 of their wins are league wins, and second, in their non-league games, they’ve gone 0-4 and 3 of their loses have been one-sided. They will have to change that perception the playoffs. Meanwhile, two of Long Island’s best players had big games in this one. Samir Bell had 28 for Bellport and Ben Haug 35 for Smithtown East. BOX SCORE
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Freshman Alex Davis had 25 points and 7 rebounds to lead Bridgehampton over Smithtown Christian..... Pierson's Luke Seltzer had 37 points to lead Pierson past Mattituck.....
GAMES OF JANUARY 30TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
Bayport-Blue Point 53 Mt. Sinai 48
The Mustangs had one last big hurdle to get past to finish in at least a tie for first place in Section 11 League 4, but the Phantoms, in a three-way tie for third, tripped them up. BBP now has wins over all of the other league contenders but East Hampton, who they dropped a 60-57 decision to at home. With Mt Sinai’s loss, the Bonackers are now alone in first place, but they have one last big hurdle on the road at Comsewogue. This Bayport team features three scorers that average double digits, led by Tully Campbell, who had 25 in this game, and a good point guard, Robby Mauer, who can both score and distribute the ball with skill. BOX SCORE
Hills West 50 West Babylon 46
We saw Hills West beat 13-4 Sachem North earlier in the season, and were impressed. Somehow, they are on the verge of elimination and must sweep the rest of their games to qualify for the playoffs. This is the big win that might spark them to do just that. WB is tough to figure, but they will be a factor come playoff time. BOX SCORE
Stony Brook 53 LuHi PSAA 47
A lack of information coming from most of the teams in the PSAA is keeping us from effectively covering them and their players, but clearly, Stony Brook has talent and will be a threat in the playoffs. We would love to have up to date W-L records and player stats from all of the teams, but we do not. NO BOX SCORE SUBMITTED
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Matt Garside was unstoppable once again, scoring 40 points in Kings Park's win over John Glenn..... Jalen Harrison had 24 points in Valley Stream North's win over Plainedge.....
NEWSDAY TOP 100
STORY 12/10
COPIAGUE'S MALACHI MOORE LEADS SUFFOLK PAST NASSAU
He is the 6th straight Team Long Island player to win the MVP award in this event!
GAMES OF JANUARY 22ND
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
St. Anthony's 71 Holy Cross 59
I'll tell you how this works. Whenever a New York City program thinks they don't have one of their best teams, they put Long Island teams on their schedule to pick up some "easy" wins, not knowing that Long Island teams almost always win the season series between the two regions. The result: St. Anthonys makes Holy Cross 0-3 vs Long Island this season, rallying for a very satisfying win behind Team Long Island's Caleb Aurelien.
LUHI REAPS BENEFITS OF MOVE TO NIBC
We're used to some of our best players transferring to Long Island Lutheran to finish out their high school careers, but now that they play in the NIBC, New York City's teams will have to get used to it too. Kiyan Anthony, Carmelo Anthony's son and a talented sophomore at Christ the King, is transferring to Long Island Lutheran. More of NYC's elite players will follow. STORY 2/5
GAMES OF JANUARY 23RD
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
#11 Bay Shore 58 #5 Commack 46
It's going to be one of those years in Section 11 1AA. Bay Shore beats Commack, Smithtown West beats Bay Shore, Commack beats Smithtown West, and Bay Shore beats Commack. So as of now, West is alone in first place, and Bay Shore and Commack are both one game back. This game was was tied at 25 at the half, but Bay Shore opened the second half on a 13-0 run. The Cougars stayed within striking distance, but never really recovered. You had to be impressed with the way Aiden Swinson played. He didn’t force things, and when he got the ball in a position to score, couldn’t be stopped. He finished with 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists to lead the way. BOX SCORE
East Islip 37 Amityville 31
Like last season, the Warriors, who have qualified for the playoffs 41 years in a row, are in danger of breaking that impressive streak. They are now 4-6 in league play and need at least a .500 record to qualify. Last years team responded with a winning streak and made the playoffs. What will happen this season? Big win for East Islip, who would qualify for the playoffs if the season ended today. The Redmen have some talent and could surprise someone if they get the chance. BOX SCORE
GAMES OF JANUARY 25TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
Northport 45 West Islip 44
West Islip came from behind in the fourth quarter and with 54 seconds remaining had a 44-40 lead in their bid to upset the Tigers, but they missed three crucial free throws down the stretch and JoJo Cipollino’s three free throws and Brendan Carr’s pull-up jumper from the right baseline at the buzzer completed the stirring Northport comeback. BOX SCORE
Copiague 56 North Babylon 50
Copiague has a tough road ahead to qualify for the playoffs, having to go 4-1 over their last 5 games, but they took a big first step behind an outstanding game from Malachi Moore, who responded with 35 points, 15 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 blocks. Two of their remaining games are against playoff caliber opponents Northport and Hills East. BOX SCORE
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Derek Reed had 26 points, 6 assists, and 6 steals to lead Southampton over Southold.....
GAMES OF FEBRUARY 2ND
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
#10 Smithtown W 63 #16 Northport 58
At first glance, a very good game between two ranked teams, but the big story is that Long Island Player Of The Year candidate Patrick Burke suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury during the game. His teammates heroically rallied to pick up a big road win. UPDATE: Burke required surgery, but he is expected to make a full recovery. Unfortunately, not until after his senior season is over. BOX SCORE
#8 Bay Shore 71 Brentwood 62
Bay Shore has had some puzzling losses this season, but when they’re at their best, they’ve racked up far more impressive wins. Beating Brentwood at Brentwood is one of them. Adjusting to a new head coach and adding a new starter to the line-up doesn’t come together overnight, but they’ve progressed to the point that they are now one of the best teams, if not the best team in Section 11 AA as the playoffs approach. BOX SCORE
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Mike Corley scored 33 points in Longwood's OT win over Riverhead..... North Babylon's Daniel Blake Watson had 27 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Huntington.....
GAMES OF JANUARY 28TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
Port Washington 46 Plainview 43
Three teams, including East Meadow, are battling for second place in Section 8 AA2, and this win gave the Vikings a share of it and put Plainview one game back. Port climbed out of an early hole to lead by 2 at the half, and it was back and forth from there. Trevor Amalfitano led the way in the big road win with 19 points.
Wheatley 63 Locust Valley 57
Wheatley avenged their only league loss of the season, but it was tight wire to wire once again. Wheatley's Nate Song led all scorers with 20 points, but both teams had four double digit scorers. BOX SCORE
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Hempstead's Jakkai Stith had 22 points and 10 assists to lead the Tigers past Oceanside..... Josh Socias had 36 points and 10 rebounds in a Herricks win over Valley Stream Central.....
GAMES OF JANUARY 31ST
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
#4 SJB 70 Holy Trinity 56
The Cougars jumped out to an early lead and held onto it. Steven Williams gets big baskets and he was at his best in this one, finishing with 26 points and 5 assists.
#7 Syosset 56 Uniondale 53
There has been an amazing turnaround at Uniondale and watch out if they qualify for the playoffs! The Braves had to come from behind for this win! BOX SCORE
Malverne 73 Seaford 56
This is the time of year when the Mules start to assert themselves, gearing up for the playoffs. They have won 5 of their last 6, and Seaford was in second place in their division coming into this game. Farvens Ulysse has led the offense this season, as he did in this game, with 24 points, and he’s an excellent rebounder as well, pulling down 12 - the 6th time he’s registered double digits in that stat. Kevin Estime had his best game of the season, with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Barring upsets, Wheatley stands in the way of another Class B title, but at 16-1, it will be no easy task. BOX SCORE
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Patrick Burke had 28 points and 13 rebounds in Smithtown West's win over Huntington..... Jakkai Stith had 39 points and 11 rebounds in Hempstead's win over Freeport.....
ACTIVE COACHES WITH THE MOST CAREER VICTORIES
Jack Agostino/Amityville/500
Wally Bachman/Jericho /485
Steve Liebertz/GN South/443
Ralph Rossetti/Seaford/391Darius Burton/Baldwin/380 2/6
AGOSTINO'S 500TH!
Amityville 57 John Glenn 53
Legendary Hall of Fame coach Jack Agostino, who has taken the Amityville Warriors to 4 New York State Championships, picked up his 500th career victory - only the 4th Long Island coach to ever achieve that milestone. The win clinched a playoff spot for his Warriors for the 42nd year in a row! An amazing career with an amazing program, and it's not over yet! 2/3 BOX SCORE STORY
GAMES OF FEBRUARY 6TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
#10 Smithtown W 55 West Islip 33
How far can the Bulls go without Long Island Player of The Year candidate Patrick Burke? They rallied to beat Northport without him, and now make short work of pesky West Islip. So far so good! Last test before the playoffs: 2/8 at Hills East. BOX SCORE
Bellport 69 Ward Melville 50
Bellport is now 14-1 in league play and can’t wait for the playoffs. BOX SCORE
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Northport’s Brendan Carr had his second straight 26 point game in a win over North Babylon….. Chris Lally hit the game-winning shot at the overtime buzzer in Sachem North’s win over Longwood…
Josh Socias had 32 points and 12 rebounds to lead Herricks over Seaford…..
SECTION 8 PLAYOFFS
CLASS A SECOND ROUND 2/17
#3 Manhasset 78 Glen Cove 49
Glen Cove has a good team, but they had the misfortune of being in the same league as defending New York State Champion Manhasset, and then drawing them as a playoff opponent. A 26-7 second quarter put the game away early. BOX SCORE
#5 South Side 44 Jericho 39
The Cyclones couldn’t shake the Jayhawks, with the Jericho defense holding the #2 seed 20 points below their season average. It wasn’t enough. James Murphy was the difference for South Side, leading all scorers with 19 points.
#13 Elmont 46 Calhoun 43
The Spartans and the surprising Colts battled from whistle to whistle, with no quarter decided by more than 3 points, and the 13 seed finally prevailed behind a balanced attack led by Cassius Moore, Joshua Phifer, and Gemere Frias-Walsh. BOX SCORE
Friends Academy 57 North Shore 41
The Quakers had all their pieces back and rolled over a good North Shore team. Jackson O'Brien, who stepped up in the absence of Logan Mott and Malachi Polson to help lead the team to a 17-2 record, was a force once again with 19 points and 18 rebounds. Mott seems to be rounding into shape, finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds. BOX SCORE
Sewanhaka 50 Clarke 36
With an 11-9 regular season record, some questioned Sewanhaka’s 5 seed, but they had a very tough schedule this season, with 8 of their 9 losses coming to teams ranked in the Sweet 16. They proved very deserving, dominating a 15-5 Clarke team right from the opening tip. Dylan McLennon, who finished with 14 points, and Jordan Tucker, who finished with 13 led the way. BOX SCORE
Great Neck North 73 Floral Park 68
GNN built a 17 point lead but had to hold on against a stubborn Floral Park team to record their first playoff victory since 2013, ironically a 58-50 victory over Floral Park. Luke Cronin had another big game, finishing with 19 points, 20 rebounds and 3 blocks. BOX SCORE
GN South 57 VS North 50
GNS rallied for their 16th victory of the season behind a big game from Jesse Tricario, who finished with a game high 27 points. BOX SCORE
Wantagh 45 Roosevelt 31
Roosevelt led 31-28 at the end of three quarters, but Long Island’s stingiest defense completely shut out the Roughriders in the fourth quarter and the Warriors went on to a 45-31 victory. 17-3 Wantagh has held their opponents to a Long Island best 38 points per game this season. Jakai Lester led the way with 15 points and Jake Borgese added 10.
GAMES OF FEBRUARY 8TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
#2 Baldwin 48 Plainview 45
Plainview came storming back from an 18-point first half deficit, outsourcing the Bruins 22-9 in the third quarter, but Baldwin dug in and held on for the big road win despite scoring only 14 second half points. BOX SCORE
#7 Syosset 72 #11 Hempstead 67
Trailing heading into the 4th quarter, and with their leading scorer - AJ AbuSaad on the bench with a turned ankle, the Braves staged a big fourth quarter rally to avenge their only league loss. Darian Rahimzadeh, who averages 10 points per game, stepped up with 11 of his 17 points in the 4th, and Syosset finished with 4 players in double digits. BOX SCORE
#10 Smithtown West 65 Hills East 48
Anybody expecting the Bulls to roll over playing without Team Long Island big man Patrick Burke better think again. They registered their second straight impressive win without him to close out the regular season, and Jack Melore continues his strong play, finishing with 23 points. Sean Mensh chipped in with four three-pointers, but their defense is their greatest weapon, holding the Thunderbirds well below their season average. It will serve them well heading into the playoffs. BOX SCORE
#16 Port Wash 51 East Meadow 46
It was the second of two close, hard fought games between these serious contenders, with both teams prevailing at home, and Vikings took sole possession of second place with the win, getting some late 4th quarter breathing room thanks to another big game from Trevor Amalfitano, who led all scorers with 20 points, and then holding on for the big win. Looking ahead, both of these teams have played close games with first place Baldwin, and East Meadow gets one last shot at the #2 Bruins at home on 2/11. BOX SCORE
LWA 77 Waldorf 51
With the win, the Tigers clinched a home court for their first round playoff game Monday at 4 PM. Super sophomore Isaiah Blunt led the way with 24 points, and 8th grade phenom Hank Williams added 23.
GAMES OF FEBRUARY 7TH
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Drew Feinstein had 28 points in Mt. Sinai's win over Hampton Bays. The Baymen's Kazmin Pensa-Johnson also had 28..... Jakai Lester had 18 points, 11 rebounds and 7 blocks in Wantagh's win over Plainedge..... Southampton's Derek Reed had 29 points and 10 assists in a win over Center Moriches..... Alex Davis had 26 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals in Bridgehampton's win over The Ross school..... Spencer Smith had 26 points in Roslyn's upset of Sewanhaka.....
GAMES OF FEBRUARY 3RD
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
#4 SJB 102 #2 Chaminade 88
The young Cougars overwhelmed the Flyers on their home court, tearing their formidable defense to scheds with a balanced attack that had 5 players reach double digits. Jeremiah Carter led the way with 28 points, Jawuan Smith had his best game of the season, dominating the paint with 20 points and 14 rebounds, and Carter Wilson finished with 19 points and 11 assists. All three are sophomores! It was one of the most impressive performances by any team this season. BOX SCORE
GAME OF FEBRUARY 9TH
Newfield 62 Ward Melville 61
Although they got off to a slow start, Ward Melville looked well on it's way toward clinching a playoff spot, building a 14 point lead, but Kyle Milano spoiled things, capping off a big Newfield rally with a game-winning basket with 5 seconds remaining to eliminate the Patriots from the playoffs for the first time since 2012. BOX SCORE
MATT DOHERTY HONORED!
Holy Trinity's Matt Doherty, one of Long Island's all-time greats, was honored before last night's game against St. Marys and his number was retired, accompanied by a standing ovation from the Titan faithful. Doherty led Holy Trinity to three NSCHSAA championships and a Federation title, then in college, was a starter on the North Carolina 1982 NCAA Championship team. After he graduated, he was drafted by the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers. He capped off his outstanding basketball career as a head coach at Notre Dame, SMU, Florida Atlantic, and North Carolina. His 2000-01 North Carolina team was his best, finishing 26-7 and ranked 6th in the country. A great night, and the Titans
won too! 2/10
PSAA SEMIFINALS 2/14
Stony Brook 57 LWA 46
Two programs that came on strong this season, and Stony Brook got the best of the Western Division Champs. Charlie Onana Awana was a force, finishing with 20 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 blocks to lead the way. Isaiah Blunt led LWA with 26 points and Joe Thorton added 10 points. The Bears will now face defending champion Portledge in the championship game. Stony Brook lost to the Panthers 60-58 the last time the two teams met, and the game was at Portledge. The final will be Wednesday on a neutral court.
Portledge 70 LI Lutheran PSAA 64
These teams played a 1 point game the last time they met, with the Panthers prevailing, and they went at it again in this one too. Anthony Follett led the way with 21 points and Anthony Stennett added 19. Dylan Kopp was high man for the Crusaders with 20 points. If the LuHi national team eventually decides to leave the Federation, the regional team (PSAA team) will make able replacements
GAMES OF FEBRUARY 8TH
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Giuliano Camporino had 30 points in Massapequa's big OT win over Farmingdale..... North Babylon's
Kameron Quinn had 17 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in their win over West Islip..... Samir Bell had 36 points and 7 rebounds in Bellport's come from behind road win over Centereach..... A.J. Esposito had 20 points and 18 rebounds in Sachem East's win over Sachem North..... Pat-Med's Jason Deabreu had 35 points and 7 assists in their win over Longwood..... Braden Sosnik had 26 points and 5 assists to lead Herricks past Oceanside..... Seaford's TJ Harrington hit the game winner with 9 seconds remaining and then took a charge to preserve Seaford's win over Academy Charter.....
SECTION 11 PLAYOFFS
CLASS B SEMIFINAL 2/10
Babylon 46 Mattituck 36
The Panthers left no doubt they are the second-best Class B team in Section 11, beating #3 Mattituck for the third time this season behind 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists from Sincere McDougal. Now they turn their attention to knocking off #1 Southampton. BOX SCORE 2/10
SECTION 11 PLAYOFFS
CLASS D SEMIFINAL 2/11
Smithtown Chr 64 Greenport 33
The Knight’s had Greenport’s number this season, beating them three times, this time for a birth in the Section 11 and Long Island Class D Championship Game against New York State ranked Bridgehampton. Smithtown opened up a lead in a dominant second quarter and then blew it open with 19-5 forth. Lorenzo Crilly led a balanced attack with 16 points and 9 rebounds, Isaiah McCarter added 14 points, and Nehemiah Yuen finished with 13. BOX SCORE
GAMES OF FEBRUARY 10TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
#1 LuHi 87 Oak Hill Academy 52
Some people are saying this might be Long Island Lutheran's best team ever, a great compliment given the programs illustrious history, but unfortunately, it definitely isn't one of Oak Hill's best teams ever and the Crusaders rolled. STORY
#6 South Side 70 Garden City 50
Garden City had to win this one to make the playoffs, and they had the Cyclones on their heels most of the first half, but South Side pulled away for another impressive win.
Knox 67 Portledge 55
In previous seasons, this would have been a playoff preview, but Knox was left out of the playoffs this season due to a change in the playoff format. This was their response - an impressive road win over the first place Panthers. Maksim Vukcevic had a big game with 26 points and 14 rebounds, and so did Damjan Stanisic, with with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Jean Michael added 14 points and 6 assists. BOX SCORE
GAMES OF FEBRUARY 11TH
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
#1 LI Lutheran 81 South Shore 64
This game didn’t get the attention it deserved. Defending PSAL Champion South Shore beat Long Island Lutheran in last season’s playoffs, but the Crusaders, on less than a day’s rest, were too much for them this season. Two Long Islanders led the way, with Westbury’s Jayden Reid scoring 22 points and Farmingdale’s Kayden Mingo finishing with 13.
East Meadow 53 #2 Baldwin 48
The biggest win for the Jet program in many years. East Meadow, like a number of Long Island public school programs, was hit hard by defections to private schools during the COVID pandemic, yet continues to thrive and one can only imagine how good they would be if everybody had stayed home. Frank Destefano stayed home and came up big in this very big game, finishing with 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Muneer Ibrahem, who left and came back, did too, running the show and finishing with 13 points. They have shown they can stay with the top teams in Section 8 Class AA, and there is no telling how far they can go in the playoffs. BOX SCORE
GAMES OF FEBRUARY 10TH
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
SJB's Carter Wilson had 23 points and 5 assists in their win over Kellenberg .... James Murphy scored 27 points in South Side's win over Garden City.... Jordan Tucker had 20 points and 14 rebounds in Sewanhaka's win over GNN..... Floral Park's Maddox Mega had 31 points and 20 rebounds in their win over Mineola..... Jesse Kahn had 25 points in Roslyn's win over Bellmore.....
Nahmire Young had 22 points and 11 rebounds for Lawrence in a win over Academy Charter.....
GAMES OF FEBRUARY 11TH
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
Mike Maiorella led Hicksville with 25 points and 12 rebounds in their upset of Syosset..... Mike Santarelli capped off Wheatley's 19-1 season with 24 points in their win over Seaford..... Farmingdale's
KJ Anderson had 21 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Freeport..... Josh Socias led Herricks past Westbury with 27 points and 12 rebounds..... Chris Colaciello had 24 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals and Ryan Leary had 11 points,10 assists in Carle Place's win over East Rockaway..... Port Washington's Trevor Amalfitano scored 36 points in a win over Valley Stream Cental..... Farvens Ulysse had 26 points and 12 rebounds to lead Malverne over Oyster Bay.
SECTION 11 PLAYOFFS
CLASS A FIRST ROUND 2/13
Harborfields 51 West Babylon 39
The Tornadoes have been shorthanded at times this season and have been up and down as a result, but they were very impressive in upsetting #5 seed West Babylon. Their team quickness catches your eye, and it translated into an excellent defensive performance that held the Eagles 12 points below their season average. Jackson Carey, grandson of championship coach Brian Carey of Long Island Lutheran and Kings Park, had a strong second half and led the way with 18 points, Marcus Wynter finished with 15, and Pete Johnson added 14 points and 10 rebounds. WB’s Sean McCarthy led all scorers with a hard earned 19 points. BOX
Bayport-BP 60 Deer Park 57
It looked like the Phantoms had the game well in hand, but Deer Park’s Nate Gordon put the team on his back and rallied them from 18 down to take the lead. BBP responded, with Dylan Craig knocking down a clutch three pointer to put them back in front, and then the defense forced back-to-back turnovers to preserve a big win. Bayport had the ultimate balanced attack, with two players finishing with 11 points, two with 10, and one with 9. Gordon led all scorers with 20 points for DP. BOX SCORE
Wyandanch 70 Sayville 66
Sayville has been a bit under the radar this season,and like past Sayville teams, a good, tough team. Wyandanch didn’t let that slow them down, picking up their seventh straight win to advance to the quarterfinals. Tyiem Joiner had his best game of the seaon, finishing with 20 points and 7 assists, and Jamel Williams and Marcus Harris also came up big, Williams with 16 points and Harris with 13 points and 7 rebounds. BOX SCORE
Amityville 56 Hampton Bays 53
Faced with falling short of the playoffs for the first time in decades, Amityville has now won 6 straight, including this big first round playoff win over a good Hampton Bays team. Christian Smiley had the big game with 27 points. BOX SCORE
Hauppauge 71 Comsewogue 53
Hauppauge is another team that has turned its season around, winning 8 of their last 10 games. The 11th seeded Eagles stunned #6 seed Comsewogue with a 17-4 first quarter and never looked back. Cole Wood, who saves his best performances for big games, finished with 29 points and Mark Petre added 20.
SECTION 11 PLAYOFFS
CLASS D CHAMPIONSHIP 2/15
Bridgehampton 78 Smithtown Chr 64 OT
It was a great back and forth game and a great duel between Alex Davis of Bridgehampton and Lorenzo Crilly of Smithtown Christian, but the 9 time state champion Killer Bees completely dominated overtime on their way to capturing both the Section 11 and Long Island Class D championships.
NEW YORK
PLAYOFF BRACKETS
ALL OF NEW YORK STATE
SECTION 8
SECTION 11
NYSPHSAA
CHSAA
PSAL
NYSAIS
NYS FEDERATION TOC
PSAA PLAYOFFS SET
The PSAA is always the first organization to begin playoffs, and this year, they begin on Monday. Portledge in the #1 seed in the East division, and LWA is tops in the West. PLAYOFF BRACKET 2/11
NSCHSAA REGULAR SEASON
St. Dominic 78 #2 SJB 74 2/14
Add this to the list of this season’s biggest upsets. The Cougars were 19-2 coming into it and the Bayhawks 7-13. Fabian Wheatley had a big game with 32 points, Christian Thomas did too with 19 points and 14 rebounds, and Adam Jerome added 13 points and 10 rebounds. SJB narrowly avoided an upset in their previous name, slipping by Kellenberg 63-60. Did they peak too early? BOX SCORE
#4 Chaminade 78 Holy Trinity 50
David DeBusschere continues to build on an outstanding senior season, scoring 29 points to lead the Flyers over their arch-rivals. Never discount the Titans, though. They have a history of pulling off playoff upsets. BOX SCORE
SECTION 11 PLAYOFFS
CLASS AA FIRST ROUND 2/14
#7 Commack 58 Sachem East 32
The Cougars are going to be hard to beat, winning their 12th in their last 13 games. Sachem East stayed within striking distance most of the way, but Commack blew it open with a 21-6 4th quarter. They are a good defensive team with a deep and well balanced attack - led by Mike Gitz and Nick Waga, who had 15 and 14 points respectively in this one.
#15 Northport 58 Centereach 45
This Tiger team hasn’t had the success that other recent Northport teams have had, but they’ve won 8 of their last 9 and are 16-5 overall, so the potential is there. Like all Tiger teams, they are a very good defensive team, but what’s most intriguing about this team is that it seems a different player leads them in scoring every game. That’s tough to prepare for. Andrew Miller had a game high 17 in this one, Brendan Carr finished with 14, and Owen Boylan added 11. This is a good Centereach team that might have deserved a higher seed. BOX SCORE
Brentwood 76 Smithtown East 57
This was a 5 point game at the half, but Brentwood steadily pulled away in the second half. Marquese Dennis had a strong game with 20 points and 11 rebounds, his 4th reported double-double of the season, and so did Jeremiah Webb, with 14 points and 10 assists. They were 2 of 5 double digit scorers for the Indians. Ben Haug had 15 for East. BOX SCORE
North Babylon 63 Sachem North 39
The Bulldogs are one of those teams that, win or lose, play everybody tough, and they have the weapons to put points on the board and to stop the opposition from scoring. Aiden Morel was a force in this game, driving a nail into Sachem North’s coffin with every one of his 5 three pointers. He finished with 18 points to lead all scorers, and Patick Washington, who goes all out in every game, inspiring his teammates in the process, finished with 15. A very impressive win over a good Sachem North team. BOX SCORE
William Floyd 57 Hills East 55
Hills East is one of those underdog teams you don’t want to meet in the playoffs, and as expected, they put up a very good fight and appeared to be headed for the upset, but the 5th seeded Colonials were up to the task, storming from behind with a 22-9 4th quarter for the win. Jake Yourison was the hero, hitting a putback for the game winner with seconds remaining. He finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Joey McLaurin led Floyd with 20 points and Ryan Zeh was high man for East with 15 points. BOX SCORE
SECTION 11 PLAYOFFS
CLASS C CHAMPIONSHIP 2/15
Pierson 58 Port Jefferson 52
SECTION 11 PLAYOFFS
CLASS B CHAMPIONSHIP 2/15
Southampton 62 Babylon 42
SECTION 8 PLAYOFFS
CLASS A FIRST ROUND 2/15
Calhoun 51 Long Beach 35
On paper, two seemingly comparable teams, but Calhoun defeated Long Beach for the third straight time in this Section 8 Class A first round matchup, quickly building a big lead behind a balanced attack that featured Matt Kalfas, Sean DiPaola, and Cody Schanstra and cruising past the Marines into the quarterfinals.
Jericho 57 Bethpage 44
Trailing by 1 at the half, a strong third quarter propelled the Jayhawks. Gurnihal Chadha led the way with 20 points and Devkartik Anne added 13. BOX SCORE
Roosevelt 47 Lynbrook 38
Roosevelt was the only road team to pick up a first round win, with another big game from Andrew Lee the difference. The Roughriders stunned the Owls and the home crowd with a 19-4 first quarter and held on from there. Lee finished with 26 points, his 8th game of 25 points or more this season. BOX SCORE
North Shore 72 Division 47
The Mustangs thought they deserved a higher seed and took it out on Division, rolling to a 44-16 halftime lead. Vasilis Triantafyllou, one of Long Island's most consistent scorers with 17 double-digit games this season, led the way with 35 points. BOX SCORE
Glen Cove 70 Lawrence 65 OT
Lawrence's Dexter Robinson led a big fourth quarter comeback, and his three point play with no time remaining sent the game into overtime, but in the extra session, Melton Foster's short jumper put Glen Cove on top for good. BOX SCORE
PSAA QUARTERFINALS 2/13
Stony Brook 65 Waldorf 34
The Bears have really come together in the second half of the season. A force when they were in Section 11, they started out the season 1-4 but have won 9 of their last 10, including wins over both division leaders Portledge and LWA
LI Lutheran PSAA 59 Avenues 56
Avenues is another team that has come on strong, but the Crusaders had what it took to end their season and advance to a semifinal date with Portledge.
SECTION 11 PLAYOFFS
CLASS A QUARTERFINALS 2/16
Amityville 57 East Hampton 51
An excellent back-and-forth game and the Cinderella Warriors, or should we say the Road Warriors, pulled off another upset for their 7th straight win. Seville Williams had another big game, finishing with 19 points to lead the way. Next up, #2 Mount Sinai. BOX SCORE
Mount Sinai 76 Hauppauge 58
Thought to be rebuilding, Hauppauge came out of nowhere this season to qualify for the playoffs, registering some impressive wins along the way, and they had a lead on the Mustangs for much of the first half, but the #3 seed put it into overdrive and pulled away for the win. Drew Feinstein had a big game with 32 points and 11 rebounds, and so did Derrek Shechter, with 15 points and 9 assists. BOX SCORE
Kings Park 63 Bayport-BP 58 OT
BBP gave the #1 seed everything they could handle, leading much of the way, but in a crucial sequence late in regulation, King Park’s Matt Garside found a teammate underneath for a basket, pulled up in transition and nailed a three-pointer, and then drove from the right side and looped one in from the lane to put the Kingsmen on top 52-49. The Phantom’s Tully Campbell heroically responded, sending the game into overtime with a dramatic off-balance three-pointer as time expired, but in overtime, Kings Park once again had a lead as final the seconds ticked off. Up 59-58, they turned the ball over to open the door, and the Phantoms attacked the basket, drawing a foul. With the Kings Park crowd frozen in their seats fearing a potentially disastrous end to their season, Bayport missed both pressure-packed shots. Still trailing by 1, they had no choice but to foul and sent one of Long Island’s best free-throw shooters to the line. Garside knocked down 4 straight to ice it. BOX SCORE
Wyandanch 82 Harborfields 68
4th seeded Wyandanch is a serious contender in this season’s playoffs, convincingly beating a good Harborfields team many thought deserved a higher seed. They were all over the Tornadoes, building a 43-24 halftime lead over the team that upset 5th seeded West Babylon. Marcus Harris, who had 19 points, and Harold Cunningham, who had 16, led a balanced attack that had 5 players reach double digits. BOX SCORE
PSAA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Portledge 62 Stony Brook 54
It was beginning to look like Portledge’s recent domination of the PSAA was over. Leading up to the playoffs, they had two league losses, their first since 2020, a number of other close calls, and once the playoffs started, were challenged by LuHi Regional in the semifinals and now trailed a good Stony Brook team through three quarters in the Championship Game. The 2022-23 Panthers were undeterred, rallying from a 3rd quarter deficit behind a big game from Brandon Torres, who had 10 fourth quarter points, to claim their 3th consecutive league title. Torres led all scores with 23 points, Anthony Follet added 17 and Damien Bennet 16 for Portledge. Charlie Onana Awana led the Bears with 15 points, Nate Small had 11, and Orlando Morris and Federico Chioppa both had 10. The Panthers will now represent the PSAA in the NYSAIS Class B State Playoffs beginning 2/22.
SECTION 11 PLAYOFFS
CLASS AA QUARTERFINALS 2/17
Brentwood 47 #6 Bay Shore 41
This was the upset of the day, with Brentwood coming from behind for the win. Defense holds the key in the playoffs, and it was Brentwood's defense that decided the game, holding the #2 seed to 6 fourth quarter points. STORY
#7 Commack 58 William Floyd 34
Commack looks better and better, with their stingy defense holding 16-5 Floyd 24 points below their season average and without a double-digit scorer. Nick Waga had a big game with 23 points and 5 steals. BOX SCORE
#10 Smithtown W 59 N Babylon 49
The Colts have clearly demonstrated what their league opponents already knew - that they still are a very good team even without big man Patrick Burke. Jack Melore leads the way on the scoreboard, but the entire team has stepped up, particularly on the defensive side.
Bellport 60 #15 Northport 56
Northport climbed out of an early 19-5 hole to take the lead, but it was hard fought and back and forth from there, with the Clippers prevailing behind another outstanding game from Samir Bell, who finished with a game high 26 points. BOX SCORE
NSCHSAA REGULAR SEASON
St. Anthony's 77 #2 SJB 68 2/17
The Cougars continued their slump, dropping their second straight game and posting their third straight disappointing performance after dismantling first place Chaminade only two weeks ago. Kevin Moore led the way for St. Anthony’s, who moved into a second place tie with SJB, with 26 points and Caleb Aurelien added 23 points and 10 rebounds. BOX SCORE
SECTION 8 PLAYOFFS
CLASS AA QUARTERFINALS 2/18
#11 Hempstead 73 East Meadow 54
After picking up a big mid-season win over rival Syosset, the Tigers suffered a surprising letdown, losing two straight games. They have rebounded with a vengeance, reeling off six impressive wins, interrupted only by a close road loss to that same Syosset team. That trend continued in the playoffs, with the Jets, a three-point shooting team fresh off a regular season upset of Baldwin, their latest victim. East Meadow went toe to toe with the very physical Tigers, but their shots just would not fall. Live by the three, die by the three. Credit the Hempstead defense. Ja'Mir Andrews was the star for the Tigers, stepping up and hitting 6 three pointers and finishing with 22 points, and Ziyair Jones had a big game too with 19 points. BOX SCORE
#8 Baldwin 74 Farmingdale 48
A regular season ending loss to East Meadow was a wake-up call, and the Bruins responded, blowing open the game against a good Farmingdale team with a 25-9 second quarter. Jaylen Brown showed great senior leadership, posting one of his best games of the season in their biggest game of the season so far. He finished with a game high 23 points and added 5 rebounds and 5 steals, and Chase Timberlake from Baldwin's impressive youth contingent finished with 16 points. BOX SCORE
#9 Syosset 68 Massapequa 58
Syosset led almost wire to wire, but Massapequa didn’t go quietly. They rallied repeatedly, but whenever they made a run, Dylan Eisenberg ended it with one of his 6 three pointers. He finished with 30 points on the night, and AJ AbuSaab added 19. BOX SCORE
#12 Port Washington 79 Plainview 41
This one had all the earmarks of a classic Port/Plainview confrontation, but the Vikings never let the Hawks challenge for the lead and blew the game open with an incredible 32-4 fourth quarter. Cam Welker had his best game of the season, finishing with 25 points, Trevor Amalfitano added 16 points and John Spinoso 15.
SECTION 8 PLAYOFFS
CLASS B QUARTERFINALS 2/18
Carle Place 52 CS Harbor 50 OT
A classic playoff game! The favored Frogs bounded back from a 10 point third quarter deficit, with Ryan Leary’s free throw sending the game into overtime, and then Chris Zannino’s steal and layup put them ahead in the extra session, and his and Leary’s clutch free throws down the stretch preserved the victory.
Locust Valley 60 West Hempstead 44
Locust Valley looked impressive in this quarterfinal match-up and picked up their 5th straight win. They have also had two close games with #1 seed Wheatley, so they have shown they can play at that level. Balanced attacks are important in the playoffs, and the Falcons had three double digit scorers in this one, led by Mike Rice, who finished with 18 points. Mike Hancock had 16 points and 9 rebounds, and Preston Rothkrug added 12 points and a very impressive 19 rebounds. Next up Malverne in the semifinals.
LONG ISLAND'S SCORING CHAMPIONS
Kings Park’s Matt Garside from Section 11 is Long Island’s overall regular season scoring champion, averaging 27.4 points per game. The Section 8 Champion is Roosevelt’s Andrew Lee, who averaged 22.1. The NSCHSAA Champion is David DeBusschere from Chaminade, at 20.0 points per game, and the PSAA Champion is Anthony Follett from Portledge, who averaged 25.9.
SECTION 8 PLAYOFFS
CLASS A QUARTERFINALS 2/21
#2 Manhasset 81 GN North 63
It’s tough for a defending state champion to maintain its intensity some times, and Manhasset seemed to be going through the motions a few times this season, but they look ready to defend their title after an impressive win over a good GNN team. One of Manhasset’s many strengths is its balanced attack, and that was on full display once again in this one, with four players reaching double digits. Jackson Southerland led GNN with 19 points.
#4 South Side 47 GN South 37
GNS stayed within striking distance the whole way, playing good defense of their own, but the South Side defense held the Rebels 22 points under their scoring average and GNS could never mount a sustained rally. The Cyclone’s
three headed monster of Robert Pericolosi, James Murphy, and Josh Garelle came through again, finishing with 19, 18, and 14 points respectively. Jesse Roggendorf did not go down without a fight, leading all scorers with 20 points. BOX SCORE
#13 Elmont 51 Sewanhaka 48
Elmont rolled over rival Sewanhaka twice during the regular season, but the Indians came to play in this Class A Quarterfinal. Osagie Ekhator stepped up for the Spartans, hitting back to back shots, the second the game winner. Elmont's Cassius Moore led the way on the scoreboard with 20 points, his 5th 20+ game of the season, Ekhator finished with 12 points and Joshua Phifer 10. Dylan McLennon had another big game for Sewanhaka with 25 points. BOX SCORE
Wantagh 57 Friends Academy 47
Wantagh will start getting respect now! They defeated the defending Class B Champions and #4 seed in Class A this season, with their Long Island best defense holding the Quakers under 50 points for only the third time this season - all losses. Ryan Daly was clutch for the Warriors, knocking down 5 three throws as the clock ticked down to preserve the win. Charlie DeStefano led Wantagh with 15 points, Daily finished with 15, and Jakai Lester with 13. Jake Bock was the high man for Friends with 13 points and Malachi Polson had 12 in his second game back. BOX SCORE
CLASS A SEMIFINALS
Mount Sinai 58 Amityville 50
Kings Park 41 Wyandanch 37
We can't say enough about Kings Park's Matt Garside. He will not let the Kingsmen lose! The Warriors represented very well against the #1 seed, with a fourth quarter rally that fell just short.
WINNING STREAKS
LONG ISLAND'S LONGEST ACTIVE WINNING STREAKS
South Side 20
Long Island Lutheran 16
Great Neck South 11
Manhasset 10
SECTION 11 PLAYOFFS
CLASS AA SEMIFINALS
Brentwood 63 Bellport 59 OT
Commack 48 Smithtown West 43
TRYOUT INVITATIONS
After advancing to the Championship Game last fall, there aren't a lot of spots to fill on Team Long Island's IS8 Spring Tournament roster. Invitations are going out to a select few, and the first tryout is tentatively scheduled for next week.
SECTION 11 PLAYOFFS
TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS 2/21
Pierson 76 Bridgehampton 53
They are a young team, but we know what Class D Bridgehampton can do. Class C Champion Pierson continues to surprise. The Whalers put on another impressive performance and seem to be serious contenders statewide once again.
SECTION 8 PLAYOFFS
CLASS B SEMIFINALS 2/22
Malverne 57 Locust Valley 51
Malverne led 42 -28 after three quarters and looked on their way to a dominating win, but Locust Valley staged a dramatic rally that fell short. Chad Wesley made four big free throws down the stretch to ice the win for the Mules. Wesley finished with 15 points, Farvene Ulysse with 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Kevin Estime with 14 points. Mike Hancock had a game high 16 points for Locust Valley. BOX SCORE
Carle Place 47 Wheatley 40
Add this one to the “Big Upset” list. Top seeded Wheatley was 19-1 coming into it, with two 20 point wins over Carle Place during the regular season, but great defense and balanced scoring led by freshman Ryan Leary turned the tables. The Frogs beat finals opponent Malverne 63-54 during the regular season.
LONG ISLAND'S
LEADING 3 PT SHOOTERS
David DeBusschere, Chaminade - 90
Michael Santarelli, Wheatley - 82
Joe Knaus, Chaminade - 77
Matthew Garside, Kings Park - 73
Tyson Reddick, Southampton - 69
Brady McGowan, ESM - 68
Dylan Eisenberg, Syosset - 64
Thomas Matonti, Kings Park - 64
Nick Broas, Carey - 61
Jack Shields, Long Beach - 61
NSCHSAA PLAYOFFS
FIRST ROUND 2/22
Kellenberg 77 St. Mary's 54
This Kellenberg team is showing signs of a turn-around, with this dominating win and closely contested games with St. Anthony’s, St. Dominic, and SJB. Sean Cannon stepped it up for the Firebirds, leading all scorers with 19 points. Jordan Leach had a big game too, finishing with 18. BOX SCORE
NYSAIS STATE PLAYOFFS
CLASS B QUARTERFINALS 2/24
Portledge 54 Hackley 52
Anthony Stennett’s putback at the buzzer sent the Panthers into the semifinals.
Dalton 60 Stony Brook 39
The traditional New York City power was impressive, rolling over a good Bears team. BOX SCORE
CLASS B SEMIFINALS
Fieldston 52 Portledge 48
Portledge got into an early 20-12 hole, but rallied to pull within 1 at the half and take a 5 point lead in the 4th quarter. Fieldston drew even with 2 minutes left to play and it was back and forth from there all the way down to the 33 second mark, when a charging call gave the ball to Fieldston and they capitalized, drawing a foul and knocking down both free throws to go uo 50-48. An ill-advised foul with 4 seconds remaining sent Portledge to the line with a chance to tie, but they missed both free throws and Fieldston tacked on two more to ice it and advance to the NYSAIS State Champshionshp Game against Poly Prep
NSCHSAA PLAYOFFS
QUARTERFINALS 2/24
#10 St. Anthony's 72 Kellenberg 40
You never know which St. Anthony’s team is going to show up - but this is the one that beat semifinal opponent SJB just 8 days ago and has to be considered a serious contender for the NSCHSAA title. The Friars prevailed following that battle tested formula - great defense and balanced scoring, with 4 players reaching double digits. BOX SCORE
PLAYOFFS
QUARTERFINALS 2/24
Holy Trinity 64 St. Dominic 50
The Bayhawks have pulled off a few upsets recently, including a 65-54 win over the Titans 4 days ago, but Holy Trinity is always at its best in the playoffs, pulling away in the second half to advance to a semifinal matchup with Chaminade, the team they upset in last season’s NSCHSAA championship game.
SUFFOLK COUNTY TOC
QUARTERFINALS 2/25
Southampton 69 Pierson 52
Some people think Southampton has the tools to win the Suffolk County All-Around title and the Long Island Class B Championship. A young and talented team, they play great defense, have multiple scoring options, and great senior leadership. Keep in mind, 7 of the last 8 small schools that have won the Suffolk All-Around have gone on to be New York State Champions. We'll see how it plays out. STORY BOX SCORE
SECTION 11 PLAYOFFS
CLASS AA CHAMPIONSHIP
Brentwood 68 Commack 46
7th seeded Brentwood is on a roll, picking up their 3rd playoff upset to claim the Section 11 Class AA Championship. After a slow start, the young team has turned its season around with that aggressive, relentless style the Brentwood program is famous for. They will be a tough out for anybody going forward. STORY BOX SCORE
SECTION 8 PLAYOFFS
CLASS AA SEMIFINALS 2/25
Baldwin 57 Hempstead 54
Everybody was looking forward to this game and it didn’t disappoint. The two legendary programs battled back and forth the whole way until the Tigers moved in front late in the game, but big shot maker Jaylen Brown came through again, nailing a huge three pointer off an inbound play with 10 seconds left for the game winner. Fellow senior Josh Petion also came up big, finishing with 16 points and 7 rebounds, and 8th grade point guard Peyton Howell was very impressive, running the team like a cool headed veteran. STORY BOX SCORE
Port Washington 71 Syosset 44
Wow. I don’t think anybody expected this. Complete domination. Junior Trevor Amalfitano has grown into a big game player, going 8-11 from the field and 6-7 from the line, and the Vikings are playing their best ball right now, overwhelming a good Plainview team in their previous playoff game as well. Both games with Baldwin were tight, so it should be a great championship game. BOX SCORE
NOTES
East Hampton and Westhampton have both won the Suffolk County Overall Championship, but Southampton never has. East Hampton had a memorable overtime win over Tobias Harris and Hills West, while Westhampton rolled over North Babylon on their way to a New York State Federation Title.
CLASS A CHAMPIONSHIP
Kings Park 67 Mount Sinai 54
PLAYOFFS
SEMIFINALS
#3 Chaminade 71 Holy Trinity 56
At first, it looked like a repeat of last season, when the Titans upset the Flyers, but the #1 seed rallied and pulled away in the 4th quarter to improve 22-3 and earn a spot in this season’s NSCHSAA Championship Game. David Debusschere, the leader of Long Island’s most potent 3 point attack, had 3 and finished with 19 points, and Antoni Vlogianitis had 4 and finished with 18 points. STORY BOX
#10 St. Anthony's 65 #11 SJB 51
BEST DEFENSIVE TEAMS
Here are the fewest average points allowed by teams still alive in the playoffs:
Class A South Side - 46
Class AA Baldwin - 47
Class AA Port Washington - 48
Class B Southampton - 48
PLAYOFFS
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
#3 Chaminade 43 #8 St. Anthony's 35
Both teams embraced the concept that defense wins championships and did a masterful job of not only slowing down the other team, but controlling the other team's leading scorer, and the result was another classic NSCHSAA Championship Game between two of the league's all-time great programs. STORY BOX SCORE
CLASS B CHAMPIONSHIP
Malverne 60 Carle Place 36
Malverne's outstanding team defense fueled a devastaing 15-0 opening run and Carle Place could never get back into it.
CLASS A SEMIFINALS
#2 Manhasset 50 Wantagh 37
Don't be decieved by the final score. Wantagh controlled the pace and was right in this game, trailing by 2 at the 6 minute mark of the 4th quarter, but defending champion Manhasset went on a 17-7 run to put them away. The win sets up a much anticipated championship game matchup between 22-1 #2 seed South Side and the 22-1 top seeded Indians. STORY BOX SCORE
#4 South Side 49 #9 Elmont 35
Like the first game of the Semifinal Double Header, this was a tight defense-oriented struggle, and the Cyclones pulled away to reach their first championship game since they dropped a 62-54 decision to this same Elmont team in the 2020 final. The trio of Robert Pericolosi, James Murphy, and Josh Garelle came trough again, with Pericolosi standing out with 15 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals and 4 blocks.
SEMIFINAL
#16 Southampton 58 #11 Kings Park 49
This was a classic confrontation between two teams with exceptional senior leadership in Matt Garside and Derek Reed, both surrounded by young and talented supporting casts that have come a long way this season. Southampton sophomore Naevon Williams stood out and has to be one of the top sophomores on the Island. STORY BOX SCORE
MOST LONG ISLAND PUBLIC SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Since 1975
Malverne - 12
Amityville - 11
Hempstead - 10
Southampton - 8
Brentwood - 7
Center Moriches - 7
Friends Academy - 7
PLAYOFF BRACKETS
NYSPHSAA
CHSAA
PSAL
NYSAIS BRACKETS
All-New York State
SECTION 8 PLAYOFFS
CLASS AA CHAMPIONSHIP
#6 Baldwin 45 #7 Port Washington 39
CLASS A CHAMPIONSHIP
#4 South Side 57 #2 Manhasset 46
CLASS A SEMIFINALS
Bishop Timon 73 #3 Chaminade 61
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
#6 Brentwood 64 #16 Southanpton 61
THE 2023
BASKETBALL HONOR ROLL
There are approximately 2000 boys varsity basketball players on Long Island.
Here are the best!
LUHI'S WEEKEND SWEEP
The Long Island Lutheran Crusaders wrapped up their first regular season in the NIBC, sweeping three games over the past weekend. 3/5 STORY
NYSPHSAA CLASS D REGIONAL SEMIFINAL
Chapel Field 58 Bridgehampton 53
Trailing by 11 with time running down, the Killer Bees made one last run, cutting the deficit to 4 with 44 seconds remaining on a basket by freshman Sae'vion Ward, but Section 9 Champion Chapel Hill held on, icing the game from the line to advance. The two teams played in the same game last season with similar results. Another freshman, Alex Davis, had a big game, finishing with 26 points, and a third freshman, Jai Feaster, added 16. Looks like Bridgehampton's best is yet to come! STORY BOX SCORE 3/7
FLASHBACK!
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME LUHI DIDN'T FINISH #1
IN THE SWEET 16 POLL? SWEET 16 HISTORY
LONG ISLAND CLASS B CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Southampton 63 Malverne 49
Southampton, who has as good a shot at winning a state title as any Long Island team, was plagued by foul trouble and poor free throw shooting for the second straight game but pulled away from Section 8 Champion Malverne to capture the Long Island Class B Championship and a spot in the NYSPHSAA Southeastern Regional Final against Section 1 Champion Valhalla. Senior leader Derek Reed sat out the second quarter with three fouls and the Mariners gave up a lead, but they headed into the halftime locker room only trailing the determined Mules by 2 after Naevon Williams, who stepped up in Reed's absence, closed out the half with a three-point play. Once the third quarter got underway and Reed returned, Southhampton quickly surged ahead, and at one point, it looked like they might put the game away, but Malverne has a great basketball tradition and fought back, erasing a 9-point deficit behind Chad Wesley, who was a big spark off the bench. It remained close into the fourth quarter and was a 4-point game midway through, but the Mules ran into foul trouble too, with key starters Josh Croom and Farvens Ulysse both fouling out. Southampton's Alex Franklin, who was having a big game for the Mariners, fouled out too, but the Mules didn't have the firepower left to take advantage and Southampton pulled away behind Reed, who always seems to rise to the occasion. He had 10 points in the final run to lead the Mariners to the Long Island title and a spot in the Regional Final. They are going to have to put their foul troubles and their free throw shooting woes behind them as the competition gets tougher on the way upstate. Section 1 Champion Valhalla, who is 24-1 and ranked #3 and #4 in the New York State Class B rankings, is up next and the winner advances to the Final Four in Glens Falls. Game time is 6:30 PM at Eastport-South Manor HS. The Class C Regional Final, with Pierson taking on Section 1's Haldane, precedes it at 4 PM. 19-4 Haldane is also considered to be one of the top teams in the state, coming in 6th in both statewide rankings.
CLASS C SOUTHEASTERN REGIONAL
Haldane 57 Pierson 53
It was a close and hard-fought game throughout between two surprisingly big Class C teams, but the young and talented Pierson Whalers, who start a freshman and don’t have a senior in the starting lineup, came up short, falling to senior laden Section 1 Champion Haldane, the 6th ranked Class C team in New York State. The Blue Devils prevailed on big plays down the stretch to hold off the Whalers and advance to the New York State Public School Final Four in Glens Falls. STORY BOX SCORE 3/10
CLASS B SOUTHEASTERN REGIONAL
Southampton 64 Valhalla 55
24-1 Valhalla, the winningest team in program history, had the speed and scoring to stay with the Mariners, battling back from several double-digit deficits, but Southampton had too many options, getting big games from Tyler Blake, Naevon Williams, Alex Franklin, and Derek Reed, that propelled them to victory in this Regional Final and into the NYSPHSAA Final Four in Glens Falls for the first time since 2017. STORY BOX SCORE 3/10
LONG ISLAND CLASS AA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Brentwood 62 Baldwin 53
In a stunning swing of momentum, the Section 8 Champion Baldwin Bruins were all over Section 11 Champion Brentwood at first, frustrating them at every turn, generating turnovers, and racing out to a 12-2 lead, but the young Indians, who don't have a senior in their starting lineup, quickly regained their composure and got right back into it, building a lead over the second and third quarters and holding off the Bruins to win the Long Island Class AA Championship and a spot in the New York State Public School Final Four.
STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
LONG ISLAND CLASS A CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
South Side 45 Kings Park 31
After knocking off defending New York State Champion Manhasset, the Cyclones were a solid favorite to capture the Long Island title, but when Matt Garside is on the floor, you can never write Kings Park off, and the Player of the Year candidate kept the Kingsmen in it, giving them the lead mid-way through the third quarter, but the talent and skill level at South Side prevailed. STORY BOX SCORE 3/11
LUHI ADDS POSTSEASON TOURNAMENT
Long Island Lutheran, Long Island’s and New York State’s #1 ranked team and the #4 and #9 ranked team in two major national polls, has been invited to participate in an 8-team national high school tournament that will be played from March 30th to April 1st in Fort Meyers, FL, following the end of the high school basketball season in New York State. The GEICO sponsored event will have five of the country’s top ten ranked teams participating and will be televised by ESPN. It will be a challenging 10 days for the Crusaders, starting off with the New York Federation State Championships on March 25th and 26th, which they have won 9 times, and finishing up with the GEICO event. On the most recent schedule, they will start off on Thursday with fellow NIBC team AZ Compass, who they beat on the last game of the regular season, and it seems inevitable that they will have to get past NIBC Champion Montverde, who beat them by 5 during the regular season and is ranked either 1st or 2nd in the two major national polls. All 7 of the other teams in the tournament appear to be formidable opponents, so it will be a big challenge no matter who they face. The semifinals will take place on Friday, and the championship game on Saturday, coinciding with the start of the big NIKE/IS8 Tournament in New York City and the NCAA College Basketball Championship Tournament Final Four later that evening, so it will be a very big basketball weekend! 3/8
LONG ISLAND SWEPT AWAY
SATURDAY'S GAME
CLASS B SEMIFINAL
Central Catholic 65 Southampton 52
Central Catholic hit 9 three pointers and the Mariners only 3 - going 3 for 17 from behind the arc, and that was the difference. Two young and talented teams that have a good chance of being back next season. Naevon Williams led Southampton with 19 points.
FRIDAY'S GAMES
CLASS AA SEMIFINAL
Victor 56 Brentwood 41
Brentwood turned it over 15 times, shot 2 of 14 from 3, and only had 4 assists as a team. STORY STATS
CLASS A SEMIFINAL
Irondequoit 50 South Side 29
NEW YORK HALL OF FAME INDUCTIONS
The New York State Basketball Hall of Fame inducted two Long Islander's in ceremonies held during the NYSPHSAA State Championship Tournament. Bridgehampton Coach Carl Johnson, who played on three Killer Bee State Championship teams and then coached four others to State Titles was deservedly honored. STORY. So was Chris Agostino, who is now the AD at Bay Shore, but while coaching, compiled an excellent record, which included a memorable 2012 team that won the NYSPHSAA State Championship, defeated Iona prep to advance to the Federation State Championship Game, but fell to Long Island Lutheran on a dramatic shot at the buzzer.
GLENS FALLS WRAP UP
Our teams did not do well in the Final Four round, not playing as well as they could have, but there is a silver lining. Brentwood and Southampton both have young and talented teams and chances are, they will be back next season - older and wiser, and if they are not, it will be because any one of a large number of young and talented teams that we had on Long Island this past season beat them to it. The current sophomore class is outstanding, and will help lead us to more state championships and add to the long list of Long Islanders already on D1 rosters.
SPRING 2023 ROSTER
Tryouts are over, and Team Long Island - Long Island's Dream Team - will begin pursuit of a Spring NIKE/IS8 Championship starting Saturday, April 1st in New York City. They were runners-up in the fall tournament. The Spring roster is:
KJ Anderson/Massapequa
Luke Cronin/Great Neck North
Elijah Darby/Freeport
David DeBusschere/Chaminade
Nate Gordon/Deer Park
Muneer Ibrahem/East Meadow
Kazmin Johnson/Hampton Bays
PJ Kellachan/Chaminade
Jakai Lester/Wantagh
Malachi Moore/Copiague
James Murphy/South Side
Derek Reed/Southampton
Colin Strohm/Comsewogue
Carter Wilson/SJB
Frank Wilson/Hills West
NASSAU COACHES AWARDS
Large School Player of The Year:
Jakkai Stith/Hempstead
Small School Player Of The Year:
Liam Connor/Manhasset
RICK PITINO NEW
ST. JOHN'S COACH!
There is no doubt in my mind that the St. Dom's grad will restore the program to its former glory. Hope he remembers that all the great St. John's teams of the past had at least one Long Islander playing a major roll!
The iconic 50 year old NIKE sponsored event that has hosted just about every great high school basketball player from the New York City Metropolitan Area and players from all over the country, from Lebron James on down, kicks off this Saturday, April 1st.
Team Long Island, runners-up in the fall IS8 Tournament, will be part of it! Their schedule is:
Saturday 1:30 PM @ IS8 main gym
Sunday 10:15 AM at IS8 main gym
LONG ISLAND HIGH SCHOOL
COACH OF THE YEAR!
Anthony Jimenez
Brentwood
His teams are always good, but this season, he took a very young team thought to be a year or two away from being a serious contender all the way to the NYPHSAA State Semifinals, upsetting one favored team after another.
LONG ISLAND'S HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS
LONG ISLAND'S BEST TEAM
Long Island Lutheran
New York State Champions
The Crusaders were undefeated in New York State, posting dominating wins in the semifinals and finals of the New York Federation State Championship Tournament, and in their first year in the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference, finished in 2nd place with a 10-2 record. They concluded the season ranked in the top 10 of every major national high school basketball poll.
LONG ISLAND HIGH SCHOOL
PLAYER OF THE YEAR!
Jayden Reid
Long Island Lutheran
The Westbury native had 26 points and 6 assists in the New York State Semifinals and 20 points and 12 assists in the New York State Championship Game and during the regular season, helped carry his team to a national ranking while leading the NIBC in assists and finishing among the leaders in scoring.
LONG ISLAND'S BEST TEAM
THE NEW YORK FEDERATION
STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
CLASS AA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
#1 Long Island Lutheran 81
Archbishop Stepinac 57
Long Island’s #1 team, the nationally ranked Long Island Lutheran Crusaders, rolled over CHSAA Champion Stepinac 81-57 to capture the New York State Class AA title behind a big game from Westbury’s Jayden Reid, who finished with 20 points, 12 assists, and 5 steals. Five LuHi players finished in double digits, including Team Long Island’s Kayden Mingo, a sophomore from Farmingdale, who had 12 big points off the bench filling in when NIBC Player of the Year VJ Edgecombe got into foul trouble. Next up for the Crusaders, the GEICO Nationals next weeked, and as The Mecca’s best high school basketball team, they have to be one of the favorites. The event boasts 5 of the country’s top 10 ranked teams. STORY BOX SCORE WATCH REPLAY
CLASS AA SEMIFINAL
Long Island Lutheran (NYSAIS) 81
Victor (NYSPHSAA) 52
Victor, the underdog New York State Public School Champion that beat Brentwood on its way to claiming its first ever public school title, was right in it, tied at 26 with 3:24 to play in the first half on some good three-point shooting, but Jayden Reid and Amdy Ndiaye led a closing run for Lutheran that gave them a 38-29 lead heading into the locker room. There was no looking back in the second half, with the Victor shooters cooling off and the Crusaders reeling off 43 second half points to blow the game open. Reid finished with a game high 23 points and handed out 6 assists to lead the way and Ndiaye and VJ Edgecombe both added 13 points. Garrett Clar had 17 for Victor and Griffen Hopkins 10.
THE GEICO NATIONALS
AZ Compass was the #1 ranked team in the country at one point this season, but LuHi knocked them off 54-51 in NIBC play. The Arizona based team turned the tables on them in the first round of the GEICO Nationals, eliminating the second seeded Crusaders 73-71. LuHi rallied from a 12 point third quarter deficit to tie it with 2 minutes to play, but AZ's Rayvon Griffith knocked down a 3 pointer at the 44 second mark to put them up 71-68. Long Island Player Of The Year Jayden Reed answered, scoring on a drive through traffic, drawing a foul and converting a three point play to knot it up 71, but Griffith got what proved to be the game winner on a putback with 10 seconds remaining and AZ held on to advance.
NSCHSAA
NSCHSAA
NSCHSAA
STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
NYSAIS STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
THE 2022-23 SEASON
Our congratulations to the 39 Long Islanderss that were named All-New York State this season, led by First Team selections Jaylen Reid from LuHi and Derrick Reed from Southampton. They were all "Long Island Players of the Year" in their respective classes as well. Jaylen Reid also captured New York State Class AA Player of the Year honors!
COACHES OF THE YEAR
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PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
FINAL STATE RANKINGS
