Top L.I. Teams featured in LuHi Invitational
M. Libert
BROOKVILLE, NY- One of the marquee events on Long Island each year, the LuHi Invitational once again this season brought together some of the top teams from Nassau and Suffolk to compete in a one day showcase that again showed the depth and talent that many of the teams East of New York City have to offer.
With three outstanding games on the schedule, it proved to be a phenomenal day of action as each of the three contests lived up to the hype, were well played, and action filled.
There is a lot to go over, and with NYCHoops.net in attending all day, here is our recap of the action from Long Island Lutheran on Saturday.
Bay Shore takes down Westbury, 64-57
M. Libert
For nearly 10 years now, Bay Shore has been a shell of what they once were. A former Suffolk County power, the Marauders have fallen on hard times, but things are now changing.
With former Bay Shore player C.J. Leary now at the helm for his alma mater, there is belief once again that the program can get back to the glory that they experienced in years past, and with brothers Jose Rivera '17 and Angel Rivera '17 leading the way, the good times look as if they are back as they made a big statement on Saturday with a 64-57 victory over a very talented Westbury team.
It's been a week full of statements being made for Bay Shore as on Tuesday they went on the road and took down Half Hollow Hills East 76-55, proving that they are among the favorites in the Suffolk "AA" this season, and what they did at Long Island Lutheran against Westbury only solidified that.
Playing a bigger and more physical Westbury, many figured this would be an emir nous challenge for Bay Shore, but as Jose said, size isn't the only determining factor when deciding a winner.
"Size doesn't matter," Rivera stated. "It’s about who works hardest, and who team wants it more. We were going to dive on balls play all out to do what we had to do."
It wasn't the greatest of all starts for the Marauders as Westbury came out shooting the ball great from the outside with Darius Young '17 and Isaiah Bien-Aise '18 each hitting early treys from the corners to put the Green Dragons up by as many as 8 in the early going.
A big spark for Bay Shore seemed to come at the very end of the opening quarter when Darien Walcott '17 sank a FT line jumper, which seemed to liven up the Marauder squad and give them momentum heading into the second quarter.
The Walcott jumper propelled a 13-0 Bay Shore run that saw them take the lead. Westbury went nearly 9 minutes of game time without getting on the scoreboard as it wasn't until another Young three with just under 3 minutes to go in the half got them back on track.
It had to be considered a disappointing half for Westbury as it looked like they were in control to start, only to fall behind late and trail going into the half, 27-25.
Even going into the half up by just 2, Leary was happy with where his team was at, especially defensively having rallied back from the early deficit and tightened up on the defensive end of the floor where he felt everyone was really working well as a group.
"We may not be as big or physical as Westbury is and we saying to our team that they have big strong guards who will try and push you around but that's fine as long as everyone is behind you," Leary stated. "Everyone did a great job of playing together defensively as the game went on, and we really picked it up in the 2nd quarter."
After a strong defensive 2nd quarter, it was a big offensive output in the 3rd as both Rivera brothers started to heat up with Jose doing a great job connecting from behind the three-point line, hitting three in the quarter, while Angel was able to push the tempo off rebounds and get out in the open floor for baskets.
The duo was able to push the Bay Shore lead to as much as 17 late in the 3rd as Westbury was struggling with foul issues, and the quicker pace of the Marauders which really had them in trouble going to the 4th.
Everything seemed well with how the Marauders were clicking late in the game, but when you have a team that can shoot it the way Westbury can you can never count them out as Bay Shore did find out when both Young, and fellow guard Jonathan Dean '17, started to hit tough, contested long jumpers, which allowed the Green Dragons to get as close as 60-57 with 1:07 to play.
During that stretch where the momentum, and the game, seemed to be slipping away from Bay Shore, Leary thought about calling a timeout to right the ship, but instead with a veteran team he decided to take another route.
"We had a 16-point lead against Hills East earlier this year and lost it with me calling timeouts so I said no, we have 5 seniors I'm not calling a time out, let them figure it out," Leary said.
He trusted his team that consists of 11 seniors to know what to do when the going got tough, and both Rivera brothers said they embraced the challenge in front of them and knew what it took to close it out.
After a 1 for 2 trip to the FT line with 35 seconds to go, Brandon Ottley '17 went to take the ball to the rim but was stripped by Angel who would calmly step up to the charity stripe and make both with 15.7 seconds to go, essentially ending the Green Dragons hopes at the comeback.
Another missed shot in the final seconds allowed Bay Shore to hit 1 more from the FT line as the Marauders were able to finish the game out and say that they are clearly now among the best on Long Island this season with a 64-57 win over Westbury.
It was all about the Rivera brothers for Bay Shore as Jose had 26 points, and Angel added 14 points in the win that Jose believes shows just how far the Marauders have come.
"I've been here 3 years now and I see the improvements. It's a lot of fun and I believe we can get a league championship which hasn't been done in a while," Rivera stated.
A strong comeback by Westbury almost cost Bay Shore at the end as Young had 25 points to lead the Green Dragons, while Dean added 13 points in the defeat, and even though it wasn't in a winning effort, Westbury certainly showed that they have the inside/outside play to contend with anyone on any given day.
The victory though went to Bay Shore, their second big win of the week after having beaten Hills East on the road this past Tuesday as well, and the two wins now have everyone associated with the Marauders believing that this could truly be the year to bring the Long Island Championship back home.
Everyone except Leary that is as he knows how good the competition is, and while he isn't ready to say the Bay Shore is officially back, he hopes that answer will be clearer come the beginning of March if everything goes the way he hopes.
"I will tell you in six weeks. Hopefully I will know then."
Half Hollow Hills East thumps Elmont, 55-40
M. Libert
It was a close and tight game for most of the opener of the LuHi Invitational but when K.C. Ndefo '18 went out with 4 fouls late in the 3rd quarter for the Spartans, the Thunderbirds were able to take advantage scoring 9 straight and pulling away for the 15-point victory.
A nip and tuck battle early on, Hills East pulled away in the 2nd quarter in the back of 13-0 run to take a 22-12 lead with 2:40 to go in the half as Savion Lewis '18 was able to do a good job in transition, while Kendall Nero-Clark '18 was a good sharpshooting weapon from the outside to see the Thunderbirds take what looked to be a commanding lead.
Right back though came Elmont as Ndefo was able to spin in the lane and elude a pair of defenders to break the run, which ultimately started a Spartans run of their own. He would score 6 points during an 11-0 Elmont run to close the half that would get them even at the break tied at 23.
The tightness of the game continued into the 3rd as each team answered when the other would make a run, but when Ndefo got called for his 4th foul with 1:22 to go in the period it was a game changer as with the Spartans star relegated to the bench, Hills East took advantage.
Nero-Clark would connect on a three ball, and then Kenny Mathurin '18 would be able to clean up inside as his physicality without Ndefo on the floor allowed the Thunderbirds to take a 44-36 lead with 5:46 to go before Ndefo re-entered.
Even with Ndefo on the floor down the stretch he wasn't able to have the impact he had earlier in the game as Lewis was able to push the tempo more as he helped Hills East pull away in the closing minutes for a 55-40 victory.
Both Lewis and Nero-Clark led Half Hollow Hills East with 15 points apiece, while Shane Dean '19 added 10 points as well for the winners.
In the defeat, it was Ndefo who had 12 points, with Victor Olawoye '18 chipping in with 10 points in the loss.
Long Island Lutheran crush Curtis, 83-72
M.Libert
It may not have been the defensive effort they were hoping for, but with plenty of offensive firepower coming from Donatas Kupsas '18 and company, the Crusaders were able to overcome a couple of Warriors runs and take the 11-point victory.
While LuHi struggled to stop Curtis from pushing the ball up and down the court in the opening half, the Crusaders were crushing the Warriors from deep offensively. Long Island Lutheran as a team would knock down 8 first half three balls, and while Curtis wasn't playing bad at all, poor perimeter defense cost them as they trailed going into the locker room 47-33.
Credit to Curtis though, they came out of the locker room strong with Malik Martin '18 doing a great job scoring from all over the floor to cut the deficit to 49-43 with 3:38 to go in the 3rd quarter, but Chris Coalmon '17 would hit the Crusaders 9th three of the game to end the Warriors run.
From there LuHi began to push the tempo more on their end with Brandon Jacobs '17 doing a good job in transition to get easy baskets for himself and Essam Mostafa '19 who for a big man was running the floor extremely well.
The Crusaders lead was pushed back up to 19 courtesy of a 15-2 LuHi run to close the quarter, and while Curtis never did quit, Long Island Lutheran was able to maintain a double digit lead the rest of the way, controlling the game offensively and running away to an 83-72 win.
It was a balanced attack for LuHi as Kupsas had a team high 20 points for pace the Crusaders, though Mostafa added 15 points, Coalmon chipped in with 14 points, while Jacobs poured in 12 points in what was a solid all around scoring effort.
Martin was fantastic throughout for Curtis in the loss as he had a game high 25 points, with Sammy Majekodunmi '17 also scoring 18 points in the defeat.
