SUFFOLK BOYS: PREVIEW
Herzog, Bob. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 21 Dec 2008
CLASS AA
Even though high-scoring Kendall Harris moved to Pennsylvania, Brentwood coach Anthony Jimenez insisted, “I like the guys I have.” So do other League I coaches who see Brentwood as the team to beat once again. The Indians play tough defense and have a potent offense, led by one of Long Island’s best players, forward J.J. Moore, an inside-outside threat. Forward Alex Usera provides grit up front and guard Jean Cherry has shooting range.
Lindenhurst is led by high-scoring Kamil Parzych, a strong finisher with three-point range. More importantly, according to coach John Albano, “He’s a pass-first guy.” Greg Kelm, a 6-7 transfer, provides an inside threat. Guard Andrew Morales can take the ballhandling and shooting pressure off Parzych, and All-Long Island football star Joe Vespier is a tough rebounder and defender.
Longwood comes at you in waves, with nine returning varsity players including eight seniors, plus an infusion of talent from an undefeated JV. Returning All-Leaguers include Kevin Allen, Kris Kelly and long-range shooter Anthony Cazalluzzo, a fifth-year varsity player.
Don’t overlook Patchogue-Medford, which has a serious outside threat in Marcus Stroman, one of the best deep shooters around. He’s got the quickness to blow by a defender who chases him on the perimeter. The inside game gets a huge boost from fast-improving Nick Sergio, a 6-8 center, and athletic forward Jordan Jackson.
Longwood 61, North Babylon 50: Darien Davis had 12 points and two assists and Anthony Cavalluzzo scored nine points for Longwood (1-0) in non-league. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 03 Dec 2008
Longwood 8 19 12 18-57
Central Islip 17 9 14 13-53
L: Allen 9, Weeks 8, Davis 4, Parks 6, Piasecki 4, Boggs 8, Kelly 4, Hunter 4, Green 3, Knudsen 4. Totals: 18-14-54. CIB: Walker 12, Frasier 8, Gray 6, Riley 2, Augustus 6, Augustus 2, Gilley 5, Fluellen 12. Totals: 18-15-53. Threes: L 4 (Allen 2, Weeks, Davis); CIB 2 (Walker, Frasier). Dec. 10
Longwood 18 16 17 10-61
Smithtown West 15 3 26 9-53
L: Parks 9, Davis 12, Holmes 4, Hunter 6, Weeks 1, Knudsen 4, Piasecki 8, Roundtree 5, Cavalluzzo 2, Boggs 6, Kelly 4. Totals: 18-23-61. SW: Duffy 11, Kumpfbeck 5, McKenna 3, Rueda 2, Stillitano 17, Ammann 15. Totals: 17-14-53. Three-pointers: L 2 (Parks, Davis); SW 5 (Duffy 3, Kumpfbeck, McKenna). Dec. 14
Longwood 69, Patchogue-Medford 65: Kevin Allen made two steals that led to field goals that put Longwood in the lead, and Marcus Hunter and Allen totaled four foul shots to seal the game for Longwood (5-0, 1-0) in League I. Longwood‘s Tajric Boggs scored 15 points and Cameron Roundtree added 11. LW: Roundtree 11, Green 3, Cavalluzzo 4, Weeks 4, Kelly 6, Knudsen 8, Piasecki 6, Davis 2, Boggs 15, Allen 4, Hunter 6. Totals: 27-12-69. PM: Stroman 29, Capraro 3, Anderson 3, Sergio 9, King 3, Jackson 18. Totals: 25-9-65. Three-pointers: LW 3 (Roundtree, Green, Cavalluzzo); PM 6 (Stroman 4, Capraro, Anderson). Dec. 17
BOYS BASKETBALL: LONGWOOD 91, FLOYD 65: Hunter, Lions kings of court All’s quiet during Colonials’ first home game since shooting
Martin, Kimberley A. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 21 Dec 2008:
Longwood never quit. Even as the baskets mounted in its favor, the Lions never stopped hustling, never stopped looking for the open man, or for a way to capitalize off their defense.
“At halftime, we went over how we were playing and we felt in the first half we weren’t doing enough,” Longwood guard Marcus Hunter said. “We said, we could be up by 30 if we wanted. So if we’re not meeting our goals, we can’t relax.”
The Lions fell just short of that mark, but managed to extend their 20-point halftime lead to 26 en route to a 91-65 road win over Floyd yesterday.
Coming off the bench, Hunter scored 11 of his team-high 16 points in the first half and guard Darien Davis chipped in 13 for the Lions (6-0, 2-0 Suffolk League I). Floyd’s Jarel Johnson led all scorers with 21.
The game was the first at home for the Colonials since a 14-year-old Floyd student was shot in the calf outside the school following a varsity basketball game Dec. 12 against Mercy. Floyd athletic director Mark Mensch said security in and around the building has been beefed up.
As many as 14 security personnel were seen inside the gymnasium, positioned in the bleachers and at each of the four exits. A police officer was also seen inside the gym.
There are now separate entrances for visiting and home fans so the “crowds don’t mix,” said Mensch, and for the remainder of the season, all Friday night basketball games will be Saturday afternoons.
“The police will be patrolling the parking lot and the perimeter of the building. They have a copy of our game schedule,” Mensch said. “We know that as tight as we can keep it in here, the safer everyone will be.”
Aside from a few raucous fans on both ends of the bleachers, all was quiet inside – and outside – the Mastic Beach school.
The Colonials had hoped to slow down Longwood in transition and to limit the number of easy Lions baskets. But there was just no stopping them.
Longwood pressed Floyd from the opening minutes and that, coupled with several turnovers and missed shots by the Colonials, resulted in a 19-10 advantage for the Lions at the end of the first quarter.
Johnson fought hard to bring the Colonials within striking distance, scoring eight points in the first minute and a half of the fourth quarter to make the score 65-49. But the Lions’ depth and conditioning proved to be too much, as all 15 Longwood players scored.
After the first five minutes of play, Longwood coach Dennis Terry subbed out his entire starting five. He continued to do so every three to five minutes from then on. It’s a luxury he knows he’s lucky to have.”I tell them, ‘Give it your all for three minutes. That’s it,'” Terry said. “And they’ve bought into it.”
“There are a lot of teams that have one or two stars, but we have 15 guys who can score,” forward Jimmy Knudsen said. “We have a lot of intangibles. And we’re just so deep.”
LW: Davis 13, Spoerer 5, Roundtree 10, Kelly 3, Green 9, Knudsen 6, Parks 4, Piasecki 7, Weeks 1, Hunter 16, Holmes 2, Cavalluzzo 2, Edwards 4, Allen 2, Boggs 7. Totals: 30-26-91. FL: Johnson 21, McLeod 4, Willis 2, Strickland 6, Williams 2, Willis 8, Gonzalez 10, Stanford 12. Totals: 24-15-65. Three-pointers: LW 5 (Davis, Spoerer, Roundtree, Kelly, Green); FL 2 (Johnson 2).
Longwood 25 3 20 23-71
St. John the Baptist 13 18 24 14-69
Cameron Roundtree hit a three-point shot to put Longwood (7-0), which trailed by one, ahead with 12 seconds left in non-league. Roundtree scored the last eight points of the game on his way to 16 points and Kevin Allen also added 16 points. : Roundtree 16, Allen 16, Boggs 8, Weeks 2, Knudsen 5, Piasecki 4, Green 4, Davis 2, Hunter 14. Totals: 23-19-71. SJB: Ginyard 4, Plata 7, Elbaum 18, Brown 24, Gibbons 13, Sutton 3. Totals: 23-23-69. Three-pointers: LW 6 (Roundtree 4, Allen 2); Dec. 24
Eastern Officials Holiday Tournament
Longwood 17 16 18 17-68
Bayport-Blue Point 13 17 8 15-53
LW: Roundtree 10, Allen 5, Cavalluzzo 3, Weeks 11, Hunter 9, Kelly 3, Knudsen 9, Piasecki 2, Green 4, Davis 4, Boggs 11, Holmes 1. Totals: 23-22-72. BBP: Mincher 14, Drzal 9, Ray 2, Prendergast 22, Bertram 4, Farley 2. Totals: 19-13-53. Three-pointers: LW 4 (Roundtree 2, Allen, Cavalluzzo); BBP 2 (Mincher 2). Dec. 28
Lindenhurst 12 20 12 11-55
Longwood 9 8 27 9-53
LI: Morales 19, Parzych 20, Matos 3, Vespier 2, Kelm 11. Totals: 21-8-55. LW: Allen 14, Kelly 5, Boggs 7, Parks 11, Weeks 4, Roundtree 4, Hunter 2, Knudsen 2. Totals: 19-6-49. Threes: LI 5 (Morales 2, Parzych 2, Matos); LW 5 (Allen 2, Kelly, Boggs, Parks). Jan. 7
LINDENHURST 55, LONGWOOD 53: Morales has finishing touch Scores seven of his 19 in fourth, picks up slack for fouled-out Parzych
Herzog, Bob. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 07 Jan 2009:
How long does 13 seconds take? Sounds like one of those “Who’s buried in Grant’s Tomb” jokes, but of course it’s a bit of a trick question. With whistles for timeouts, turnovers and loose balls that bounce out of bounds, 13 seconds can take several minutes and seem like even longer when you’re clinging to a two-point lead on the road with the home team in possession.
“Was it five minutes? Felt like the longest possession in history,” Lindenhurst coach John Albano said with a sigh last night after his Bulldogs endured three timeouts and three different out-of-bounds sequences to hold off host Longwood, 55-53, in a matchup of two elite Suffolk League I teams.
Lindenhurst improved to 8-2, 2-1 in League I, while Longwood fell to the same exact record. So of course you knew Lindy’s 32-17 halftime lead was not going to hold up.
“We told coach at halftime, defense was going to win it,” said Bulldogs guard Andrew Morales, who scored 19 points, including seven in the fourth quarter after the Lions scored 27 points in the third quarter to tie it at 44. Kevin Allen scored 12 of his 14 in the third for Longwood, including a tying tip-in at the buzzer. Paris Parks contributed nine of his 11.
Morales, nicknamed “Spider,” wove his magic early in the fourth. He hit two slicing layups and an acrobatic over-the-shoulder flip that gave Lindenhurst a 54-47 lead with 2:53 left. “Sometimes you do what you have to do and improvise,” laughed Morales. “The pump fake didn’t work.”
Morales hit a free throw that made it 55-49 with 1:59 left, but the Bulldogs wouldn’t score again. That was partly because their star player, Kamil Parzych, fouled out with 55 seconds left after scoring 20 points, including nine in a dazzling first-quarter show featuring three dizzying layups through traffic.
And Lindy’s endgame drought was also because of effective desperation defense by Longwood. Kyle Weeks hit a driving layup and two free throws that cut it to 55-53 and the Lions got the ball with a chance to tie or win after forcing a turnover with 13 seconds left.
They gained possession under their own basket, but pressure defense on the inbounds forced the Lions to call consecutive timeouts to avoid five-second calls. When they did get the ball in, the Bulldogs continued to hound, knocking the ball out of bounds on the side with seven seconds left.
Longwood couldn’t find Marcus Hunter down low and Weeks was harassed near the top of the key and could not get a shot off as the buzzer sounded.
“I trust my teammates. They picked it up when I fouled out,” Parzych said. “They won the game for us.”
Even if they dragged out those final 13 seconds.
BRENTWOOD 69, LONGWOOD 59 Usera leads with 23 points
Herzog, Bob. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 14 Jan 2009
Alex Usera is quite familiar with the phrase “jumping the route.”
As a wide receiver on Brentwood’s football team, Usera saw defensive backs employ that strategy against him on occasion. So how sweet was it that Usera came up with the basketball equivalent during a key sequence in last night’s game against League I rival Longwood?
On an inbounds play near midcourt in the fourth quarter, Usera timed his move precisely, cut in front of a Longwood player to intercept the inbounds pass and raced for an uncontested layup that produced a 57-50 lead with 3:08 to play. That helped Brentwood break open a tight game and earn a 69-59 victory over Longwood.
The Indians improved to 5-0 in the league and 9-3 overall. Longwood fell to 3-2 in League I, 9-3 overall.
“I jumped the play,” Usera said with a big grin. “They were throwing to the guard off the inbounds all night. I just made an aggressive move. When you see all that open court in front of you, it’s all downhill.”
It looked like it would be an uphill battle for Brentwood early, when star J.J. Moore picked up his second foul just 3:15 into the game and went to the bench for the rest of the first half. The Indians played well without Moore, however, actually building a 10-point lead before Longwood rallied to within 33-29 at halftime.
“When your leading player goes out, and he’s one of the best in the county, if not the Island, you have to step up,” said Usera, who had 23 points and eight rebounds. “I took it upon myself to look for my shot a little more and be more aggressive on defense and around the basket.”
Aggressive defense is a trademark of both teams and old-school man-to-man was on display for the entire second half. Longwood eventually pulled even for the first time at 39-39 with 3:48 left in the third, and took a brief lead moments later on Paris Parks’ driving layup. But Moore, who scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half, converted an offensive rebound to tie it and Cliff Murat’s jumper from the wing put Brentwood ahead to stay at 43-41.
“We played better defense for four quarters tonight than any time this season,” Longwood coach Dennis Terry said. “But our offense sputtered and they made us sputter.”
The Indians trapped to cause turnovers and hurry shots, allowing them to pull away as Usera scored eight fourth-quarter points, even nailing one three-pointer.
“Alex is a senior who is showing maturity and making a huge difference,” Brentwood coach Anthony Jimenez said. “He was a strong presence in the paint and aggressive all night.”
Especially in the open field … make that open court. BRN: Usera 23, Jennings 3, Murat 11, Smith 7, Chery 10, Moore 13. Totals: 23-20-67. LW: Parks 7, Allen 11, Roundtree 7, Kelly 2, Boggs 5, Davis 4, Hunter 12, Piasecki 2, Knudsen 9, Weeks 2. Totals: 25-9-61. Three-pointers: BRN 1 (Usera); LW 2 (Parks, Allen).
Longwood 24 10 10 12-56
Sachem East 12 5 14 10-41
LW: Boggs 3, Knudsen 12, Piasecki 10, Roundtree 2, Allen 2, Green 2, Hunter 17, Kelly 4, Weeks 2, Davis 2. Totals: 23-10-56. SE: Candemaris 9, Borgia 3, Helring 5, Doherty 3, Kahl 2, Masciello 4, Corbett 4, Wedell 2, Delaney 2, Lynch 3. Totals: 13-7-37. Three-pointers: SE 4 (Candemaris 2, Borgia, Helring). Jan. 21
Longwood 14 17 18 19-68
Patchogue-Medford 18 16 16 12-62
Jim Knudsen scored on a putback with 1:30 left to give Longwood (5-2) a 62-60 lead in League I. He scored eight of his 14 points in a 19-12 fourth quarter. Patchogue-Medford (4-3) led by four points before Knudsen hit a jumper and Tajric Boggs stole the ensuing inbounds pass and fed Darien Davis to tie the score at 60. Davis’ steal and layup with 10 seconds left made it 66-60. Marcus Stroman’s 28 points led Patchogue-Medford.LW: Allen 11, Parks 14, Boggs 6, Davis 7, Kelly 7, Knudsen 14, Piasecki 2, Hunter 7. Totals: 25-11-68. PM: Anderson 2, Carroll 2, Stroman 28, Sergio 18, Jackson 12. Totals: 25-12-62. Three-pointers: LW 7 (Allen 3, Parks, Boggs, Davis, Kelly). Jan. 25
Longwood 16 26 25 22-89
Floyd 10 11 12 18-51
Tajiric Boggs had nine of his game-high 15 points in the first quarter and Paris Parks added eight points, five assists and six steals to clinch a playoff spot for Longwood (6-2) in League I.LW: Cavalluzzo 10, Allen 3, Holmes 3, Edwards 7, Davis 10, Kelly 5, Weeks 6, Roundtree 5, Hunter 10, Knudsen 3, Spoerer 2, Boggs 15, Piasecki 2, Parks 8. Totals: 35-10-89. FL: White 10, Willis 9, Johnson 8, McLeod 3, Willis 2, Strickland 8, Gonzalez 2, Bukzin 3, Williams 6. Totals: 16-17-51. Three-pointers: LW 9 (Cavalluzzo 2, Allen, Holmes, Edwards, Davis, Kelly, Weeks, Roundtree); FL 2 (White, Willis). Jan. 28
LONGWOOD 56, LINDENHURST 55: Defense on Parzych the key Lions hold star to 15 points; backup Weeks hits key three-pointer
Herzog, Bob. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 01 Feb 2009:
Weeks nailed a huge straightaway three-pointer with 3:16 left that gave Longwood a two-point lead and helped the Lions hold off host Lindenhurst, 56-55, yesterday in an important League I matchup.
Longwood (7-2) hosts first-place Bay Shore (8-1) on Friday.
“They sagged off me. It was a defensive mishap,” said Weeks, who scored eight of his 10 points in the second half. “I saw no one was on me so I took the three and it went in. I’m a shooter. In practice, that’s what I do. The way we play, whoever has the hot hand takes the shot.”
Parzych never did get hot. He managed to score 15 points but never found his rhythm because of the Lions’ swarming defense. Andrew Morales had 14 for Lindenhurst (6-3). Marcus Hunter led Longwood with 11 points and Tajric Boggs added 10.
“We feel offense wins games but defense wins championships,” said Hunter, who converted the front end of a one-and-one with 14.6 seconds left to give Longwood a 56-53 lead. “During practice, we shoot our free throws like it’s those kinds of situations. I followed my same routine: Dribble three times, breathe, shoot and follow through. I messed up the next one, though.”
Lindenhurst grabbed the rebound of Hunter’s miss and, after a timeout with nine seconds left, Lindenhurst coach John Albano decided to go for two and foul rather than call a play designed to get a three-pointer. Longwood complied, allowing Parzych to drive the length of the court for a layup with 5.7 seconds remaining.
Lindenhurst fouled Boggs with 3.7 seconds left. He missed the free throw, but in the scramble for the rebound, all the Bulldogs could manage was a desperation heave that was way short.
“We know Kamil is their best player,” Longwood coach Dennis Terry said. “It’s no secret. We’ve played them. We’ve scouted them. We used a few gimmicks, but we keyed on him.”
Several players – Weeks, Boggs and James Knudsen among them – hounded Parzych, even in the backcourt. “Maybe that will wear him down a little for the fourth quarter,” Terry said. “Maybe he’ll miss one of those shots he usually makes.”
Whether it was fatigue or not, Parzych did miss a tightly contested 25-foot three-pointer as the shot-clock buzzer sounded with 16 seconds left and Lindenhurst trailing 55-53. “I was shocked Kamil didn’t make that one,” Albano said. “He’s done it before.”
KYLE WEEKS, LONGWOOD Senior guard hit a pivotal three-pointer to give Longwood a late two-point lead in its 56-55 win over Lindenhurst in a huge Suffolk League I game. Weeks, a top-scholar athlete, also keyed a Longwood defense that stymied the high-scoring Lindy offense. Feb. 2
Longwood 89, Ward Melville 81: Tajric Boggs scored seven of his 17 points in a 23-10 third quarter and added 10 rebounds for Longwood (8-2). Jim Knudsen added 14 points. LW: Allen 15, Weeks 9, Davis 2, Hunter 8, Kelly 10, Knudsen 14, Parks 7, Cavalluzzo 5, Boggs 17, Edwards 2. Totals: 30-24-89. WM: Kunkel 8, Lombardo 8, DiVita 9, Williams 29, Lerman 4, Hegarty 15, Watson 2, Bozza 6. Totals: 31-13-81. Three-pointers: LW 5 (Allen 3, Weeks 2); WM 6 (Kunkel 2, Lombardo 2, DiVita 2). Feb. 5
Longwood 66, Brentwood 57: Kevin Allen (19 points) scored seven during a 15-5 run to end the game for Longwood (9-2), which tied Brentwood (9-2) for first place in Suffolk League I. – LW: Allen 19, Parks 15, Boggs 11, Knudsen 11, Weeks 1, Hunter 7, Kelly 2. Totals: 21-17-66. BRN: Jennings 5, Usera 8, Murat 7, Smith 14, Chery 10, Moore 13. Totals: 23-10-57. Three-pointers: LW 7 (Allen 4, Parks 2, Boggs); BRN 1 (Jennings). Feb. 7
Longwood 17 17 24 16-74
Sachem East 18 6 2 13-39
LW: Allen 9, Boggs 11, Spoerer 3, Roundtree 3, Parks 5, Knudsen 9, Green 4, Cavalluzzo 3, Davis 3, Holmes 2, Piasecki 4, Edwards 2, Kelly 10, Hunter 4, Weeks 2. Totals: 31-3-74. SE: Candemaris 9, Helring 11, Delaney 6, Doherty 2, Wedell 2, Jaffer 2, Kahl 2, Raftice 2, Corbett 1. Totals: 15-5-37. Three-pointers: LW 9 (Allen, Boggs, Spoerer, Roundtree, Parks, Knudsen, Green, Cavalluzzo, Davis); SE 2 (Candemaris, Helring). Feb. 12
Suffolk Class AA First Round
Longwood 18 15 20 11-64
Sachem North 11 15 18 6-50
LW: Green 5, Parks 5, Allen 3, Kelly 7, Weeks 8, Roundtree 2, Knudsen 17, Davis 3, Boggs 7, Hunter 7. Totals: 25-9-64. SN: Ford 17, Geoghan 16, Leahy 5, Kenny 10, Chang 2. Totals: 20-2-50. Three-pointers: LW 5 (Green, Parks, Allen, Kelly, Weeks); SN 8 (Ford 5, Geoghan 3). Feb. 18
Weeks’ layup wins it for No. 1 Longwood
Anonymous. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 25 Feb 2009
Marcus Hunter made a steal and found Kyle Weeks for a layup with two seconds left in overtime as No. 1 Longwood edged Patchogue-Medford, 61-59, in a Suffolk AA quarterfinal game yesterday.
With Longwood (18-3) trailing 59-55 with less than a minute left in OT, Tajric Boggs (15 points) hit two free throws and a jumper on consecutive possessions to tie the score with 30 seconds left.
No. 9 Pat-Med forced OT when Marcus Stroman (19 points) hit a three-pointer with two seconds left in the fourth to tie the score at 53.
Jim Knudsen had 14 points and Hunter 11 points and five blocks for Longwood, which will face Bay Shore in a semifinal at 8 p.m. March 3 at Farmingdale State.
Bay Shore 46, Lindenhurst 45: Barry Ingram hit two free throws with four seconds left to lead No. 5 Bay Shore (18-3) in a Suffolk Class AA quarterfinal. Kamil Parzych led No. 4 Lindenhurst with 23 points. Richard Hall had 13 points to lead Bay Shore.
East Hampton 65, Amityville 57: Jerome Russel had 21 points and Hayden Ward 20 for No. 1 East Hampton (18-2) in a Class A semifinal. Darien Croft had 19 points and Steve Medard 17 for No. 4 Amityville. East Hampton will play Huntington in the final Monday at 7 p.m. at Farmingdale State.
Huntington 57, Glenn 54: Anthony Brown had 18 points for No. 3 Huntington (16-5) in a Class A semifinal. Matt Duffy added 16 points and John Patron 14 points and 11 rebounds. Glenn senior Phil Izebehai had 21 points, including the 1,000th of his career.
Chaminade 61, St. Mary’s 52: Dan DiVietri (18 points, 10 rebounds) hit five free throws in the final two minutes for No. 4 Chaminade (16-8) in a CHSAA quarterfinal. Dan Textor had 17 points and Sean Wildes 14. Jeffrey Mark scored 24 points for No. 5 St. Mary’s. Chaminade will face No. 1 St. John the Baptist in a semifinal Sunday at 3:30 p.m. at C.W. Post.
Kellenberg 60, St. Anthony’s 53: Chris Lyons hit six threes and scored 20 points for No. 3 Kellenberg (13-11) in a CHSAA quarterfinal. Adam Arthur and Ryan Kane each had 11 points. Rexton Gordon led No. 6 St. Anthony’s with 21 points.
Lawrence Woodmere 76, Evangel 56: Sean Henry had 18 points and Chris Williams 17 for No. 1 LWA (21-2) in a PSAA semifinal. LWA will play the winner of No. 2 Kew Forest vs. No. 3 Martin Luther in the final Thursday at 5:45 at Molloy College.
Whitman 59, Deer Park 50: Myles Jones had 24 points for No. 7 Whitman (15-4) in a Class AA quarterfinal. Andy Indoo had 14 points and John Mills 13 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. Whitman will face North Babylon in a semifinal at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Farmingdale State. For more on this game, go to
LONGWOOD 68, BAY SHORE 54 Hunter, Park, Boggs & more Balanced Lions get key contributions from starters and bench
Herzog, Bob. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 04 Mar 2009:
hey come at you in waves. If Longwood‘s starting five doesn’t roll over you, the second unit grabs you in its undertow. Sometimes, even the third wave washes you away.
“We never feel that only our starters can score,” Longwood‘s Marcus Hunter said. “Our deep bench wins games for us.”
Once again that was the case for the Lions last night as 10 different players scored and applied relentless pressure defense that created 25 turnovers in a 68-54 victory over Bay Shore in a Suffolk AA semifinal game at Farmingdale State.
Hunter and Tajric Boggs scored 12 points each and Paris Park 11. All three are starters, but the bench contributed 20 points and countless hustle plays that helped No. 1-seeded Longwood (19-3) advance to Friday’s final against North Babylon, also at Farmingdale State. The third-seeded Marauders finished 18-4.
“We started the year with a three-team rotation,” Longwood coach Dennis Terry said. “All 15 players started at least one game. Then we settled into a rotation. But every player on the bench does whatever is right for the team, whatever the situation. It’s nice to have several pieces to attack with.”
The Lions’ grit was on display in a third-quarter sequence that also included a dash of flash. First, Boggs threw a long diagonal pass to Hunter on a fast break that resulted in a stunning dunk that delighted the packed Longwood side of Nold Gym. Moments later, Kyle Weeks outmuscled and outhustled two Bay Shore players for an offensive rebound, kicked it out to Kevin Allen and the sub nailed a three-pointer from the wing that made it 52-39. Bay Shore never recovered.
“They took us out of everything we wanted to do,” Bay Shore coach Ken Parham said. “They wore us down with 10 or 12 guys.”
R.J. Hall led Bay Shore with 13 points and Jordan Allen had 10. But the League II champions turned the ball over too frequently to sustain any kind of offensive surge. “It took its toll,” Parham said of Longwood‘s relentless pressure. “Even the easy shots became hard.”
Bay Shore got no closer than eight in the fourth quarter, slowing down the pace considerably by repeatedly fouling to try to get back in it. Longwood scored its final 12 points from the free-throw line down the stretch, with Boggs scoring seven from the stripe.
“The key for us was we stepped up at the foul line,” Terry said. “We practice foul shots in practice, but it’s not the same. In those pressure situations, can you make them?”
The answer for most of the game was a resounding yes.
SUFFOLK AA SEMIFINAL
Bay Shore 18 9 14 13 — 54
Longwood 19 16 17 16 — 68
BS: Allen 3-4-10, Awoye 3-0-6, Hall 6-0-13, Ingram 2-0-2, Jackson 3-0-7, Turner 2-4-8, Rivera 3-0-6. Totals: 22-8-54. LW: Park 4-3-11, Boggs 1-10-12, Allen 2-0-6, Hunter 5-2-12, Roundtree 2-2-7, Kelly 3-2-8, Knudsen 1-1-3, Piasecki 1-0-2, Davis 1-0-2, Weeks 1-3-5. Totals: 21-23-68. Three-pointers: BS 2 (Hall, Jackson); LW 3 (Allen 2, Roundtree).
‘AA’ FINAL: N. BABYLON 67, LONGWOOD 65: Perez, Bulldogs press on Three-pointer helps North Babylon to 14th straight win
Herzog, Bob. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 07 Mar 2009
While his teammates jumped and screamed and hugged all around him, Ian Perez carefully cradled his 1-year-old sister Jaylin in his arms as he walked around wearing a full-court smile. “Sharing the moment,” the North Babylon guard said.
And what a moment it was. The No. 6 Bulldogs rallied from 12 points down in the second half, using a snarling all-court press, and defeated No.1 Longwood, 67-65, Friday night to capture the Suffolk Class AA title before a crowd estimated at 2,500 at Farmingdale State.
Next up for North Babylon (18-5), which is riding a 14-game winning streak, is East Hampton in the Suffolk overall title game Sunday at Farmingdale State. The Bulldogs then face Nassau AA champ Uniondale on Friday at Farmingdale State for the right to go to Glens Falls.
“I can’t believe it,” North Babylon coach Brendan McCaffrey said. “A No.6 beats a No.1. Wow!”
The wow factor was North Babylon’s defense and its durability. Longwood, as usual, rotated in a dozen players and applied pressure itself. Five Bulldogs played nearly the entire game, with only one sub coming off the bench in the final 1:31 after center Tevin Thomas fouled out with 13 points, six blocks and 19 rebounds.
“Pressure defense. That’s the key. That’s why we’ve won 14 games in a row,” Thomas said. “Our offense is consistent, but our defense is dominant.”
That was especially evident in the second half, when McCaffrey turned his Bulldogs loose in a 1-3-1 zone press after they fell behind by 13 early in the third quarter. Soon after, North Babylon scored seven straight points to pull to within 44-39. Game on.
“Our press worked all year. No one has broken it,” said Perez, who scored 15 points, including a three-pointer in the fourth quarter that gave North Babylon a 58-56 lead with 3:15 left. Antonio Crespi, held to two free throws in the first half, came up big in the final quarter, scoring nine of his 14. His two free throws tied it at 60 with 2:46 left and his layup in traffic gave the Bulldogs a 66-63 lead with a minute to play.
Marcus Hunter, who had 21 points and six blocks for Longwood (19-4), scored on a strong drive to make it 66-65 with 47 seconds left. Moments later, Perez made a play that would’ve made his sister proud – if she were old enough and awake enough to comprehend.
He stole the ball from Tajric Boggs (14 points) as Longwood was setting up for a game-winning shot. “We’re up one with 20 seconds left,” Perez said. “He faked a pass but I wasn’t going for it. I made the steal and passed it to Antonio and we took the championship away.”
Crespi made one of two free throws with four seconds left and Boggs’ half-court heave was way short. The long shot was North Babylon.
“I knew I had to come up clutch in the fourth quarter,” Crespi said. “I lost in the county finals in soccer, so this feels great.” It was a great moment worth sharing.
SUFFOLK CLASS AA TOURNAMENT
Final – at Farmingdale State
North Babylon 18 10 19 20-67
Longwood 20 15 16 14-65
NB: Perez 14, McCoy 12, Toussaint 13, Thomas 14, Crespi 14. Totals: 23-17-67. L: Boggs 14, Weeks 8, Knudsen 10, Parks 6, Allen 6, Hunter 21. Totals: 28-8-65. Three-pointers: NB 4 (Perez 2, McCoy 2); L 1 (Boggs).