WINTER PREVIEW BOYS HOOPS SUFFOLK BREAKDOWN Hills West still loaded
Herzog, Bob. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 12 Dec 2010:
CLASS AA
As one Suffolk coach said, “[Tavon] Sledge alone would make them the team to beat in Suffolk.” But Half Hollow Hills West, the League IV favorite, has much more. Junior forward Emile Blackman is an emerging star and the other returning starter. Chris Cox, Chris Kaimis and Anthony Rollino were starters as sophomores.
Hills West will be challenged for class supremacy by League I front-runner Floyd, which returns its top three scorers, led by inside-out forward Anthony White, who averages 16 ppg. Experience comes from four-year varsity guard Shabazz Thompkins and forward Aaron Wigger.
Other League I challengers include Lindenhurst, with three-point expert Rob Balkam and superb slasher Stu Warren, and Longwood, led by explosive guard Paris Parks. Sachem East features one of the best long-range shooters in Suffolk, Dan Candemeres, who nailed five treys and scored 28 in a recent win over Bellport.
Smithtown Christmas Tournament
at Smithtown East
Longwood 29 13 18 24-84
West Babylon 13 20 25 21-79
Paris Parks had 31 points, 12 rebounds and four assists and Josh Taylor added 17 points and 15 rebounds for Longwood in the first game of the Smithtown Christmas Tournament at Smithtown East. Matt Sullivan led West Babylon with 28 points. LW: Parks 31, Evans 21, Dionisio 8, Aiken 3, Taylor 17, Millander 2, Sealy 2. Totals: 31-13-84. WB : McArdle 16, Sullivan 28, Doyle 16, Fairley 20, Frisch 5, Lynch 4. Totals: 28-22-89. Three-pointers: LW 9 (Parks 4, Evans 2, Dionisio 2, Aiken); WB 11 (McArdle 4, Sullivan 3, Doyle 2, Fairley 2). Dec. 18
Butch Delecave Tournament
Longwood 15 8 12 18-53
Smithtown East 10 10 16 7-43
LW: Evans 17, Dionisio 5, Millander 2, Parks 14, Sealy 3, Taylor 12. Totals: 20-10-53. SE: Feiler 20, Modugno 5, Walsh 7, Napolitano 8, Thixton 3. Totals: 16-8-43. Three-pointers: LW 3 (Evans 2, Dionisio); SE 3 (Feiler, Modugno, Walsh). Dec. 19
Longwood 66, Commack 62: Paris Parks had 23 points and Josh Taylor 13 points and 10 rebounds to lead Longwood in a League I game. Dillon Hertel had 19 points and Mark Nembhard 18 points for Commack. L: Evans 5, Parks 23, Millander 2, Sealy 11, Taylor 13, Mayo 10, Washington 2. Totals: 22-20-66. C: Hertel 19, Nembhard 18, Outcault 5, Arnold 10, Karaolis 2, Lynch 4, Nembhard 4. Totals: 21-17-62. Threes: LW 2 (Evans, Parks); C 3 (Hertel, Nembhard, Outcault). Dec. 22
Longwood 13 22 20 18-73
Riverhead 12 12 22 12-58
LW: Parks 21, Evans 6, Aiken 15, Millander 5, Sealy 7, Taylor 15, Daniyan 2, Diggs 2. Totals: 25-17-73. RI: Henderson 14, Rollins 5, Clement 7, Lamb 13, Petriss 1, Sakhno 14, Tolliver 2, Perkins 2. Totals: 20-15-58. Three-pointers: LW 6 (Parks 3, Evans 2, Aiken); RI 3 (Henderson 2, Rollins). Dec. 30
Longwood 18 25 32 14-89
Ward Melville 11 8 10 6-35
LW: Mayo 20, Evans 15, Parks 15, Marone 6, Dionisio 9, Washington 2, Taylor 8, Millander 8, Aiken 2, Diggs 2, Odle 2. Totals: 35-6-89. WM: Smith 8, Aicher 4, Dineen 9, Morello 4, Osman 3, Pittard 1. Totals: 12-3-29. Three-pointers: LW 13 (Mayo 4, Evans 3, Parks 3, Marone 2, Dionisio); WM 2 (Smith 2). Jan. 5
Longwood 14 11 27 17-69
Brentwood 18 14 15 14-61
LW: Parks 30, Dionisio 3, Evans 5, Mayo 9, Millander 6, Sealy 1, Taylor 15. Totals: 23-18-69. BRN: Stewart 11, Perdomo 14, Hall 3, McCastell 15, Devine 10, Lubin 5, Ojugbele 3. Totals: 23-8-61. Threes: LW 5 (Parks 2, Dionisio, Evans, Mayo); BRN 7 (Stewart 3, Perdomo 2, Hall, McCastell). Paris Parks scored 30 points with eight assists to lead Longwood (3-0), which trailed 32-25 at halftime, in League I. Josh Taylor added 15 points and 15 rebounds, and Tayquan Mayo scored nine points. Kwashon McCastell led Brentwood (2-1) with 15 points. Jan. 8
Longwood 22 19 14 17-72
Lindenhurst 3 18 13 25-59
LW: Parks 22, Aiken 8, Evans 17, Diggs 4, Lee 2, Mayo 7, Millander 2, Odle 4, Sealy 6. Totals: 23-22-72. LI: Balkam 14, Coughlin 5, Mehm 5, Czopek 4, Kolln 1, Natal 2, Warren 28. Totals: 19-17-59. Threes: LW 4 (Parks 2, Aiken, Evans); LI 4 (Balkam 2, Coughlin, Mehm). Jan. 12
Sachem East 25 14 12 7-58
Longwood 5 14 13 9-41
Senior Dan Candemeres scored 25 of his career-high 37 points in the first half to lead Sachem East (4-1) in League I. He was the only player in double figures for either team. Brian Corbett added eight points and seven rebounds. Blake Evans led Longwood (4-1) with nine points.SE: Candemeres 37, Colson 6, Corbett 8, Daniello 1, Morahan 4, Santarpia 2. Totals: 19-13-58. LW: Evans 9, Washington 6, Aiken 3, Diggs 4, Lee 4, Millender 2, Parks 7, Sealy 6. Totals: 15-6-41. Three-pointers: SE 7 (Candemeres 6, Colson); LW 5 (Evans 2, Washington 2, Aiken). Jan. 15
Longwood 21 32 18 15-86
Patchogue-Medford 3 14 17 16-50
LW: Dionisio 11, Marone 6, Aiken 7, Odle 3, Parks 11, Evans 5, Diggs 7, Mayo 8, Millender 21, Daniyan 2, Lee 5. Totals: 34-10-86. PM: Ford 14, Vogel 5, Halverson 3, Rozzi 10, Williams 18. Totals: 18-11-50. Threes:: LW 8 (Dionisio 3, Marone 2, Aiken, Odle, Parks); PM 3 (Ford 2, Vogel). Jan. 19
LONGWOOD 67, FLOYD 64: Mayo comes up big in clutch
Herzog, Bob. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 21 Jan 2011
When he was rolling around on the court midway through the fourth quarter, grabbing his leg in agony, the last thing on Tayquan Mayo’s mind was end-game ecstasy.
“That’s the second time I’ve gotten a charley horse this season. It really hurts. I didn’t know if they’d let me back in,” said Mayo, a senior guard for Longwood.
After sitting for a couple of minutes while the knot in his calf was massaged and he was cleared to return, Mayo sank a midrange jumper from the right baseline with 27.6 seconds left that put Longwood ahead for good in a 67-64 victory over host Floyd yesterday in a thrilling battle for first place in League I.
“He was fighting cramps out there and was a little dehydrated,” Longwood coach Pierce Hayes said of Mayo, who scored 18 points. “We were glad he could go back in. We like his heart and his tenacity. He wants to take that shot.”
For much of the second half, it didn’t look as if Longwood (6-1) would need any late-game heroics. The Lions led 48-37 with 1:11 left in the third quarter after a three-pointer by Blake Evans (19 points)
But Floyd (5-1), which suffered its first loss of the season, wasn’t going quietly before a noisy, packed house. Anthony White, who was spectacular again with 27 points, 12 rebounds, five blocks, four steals and four assists, sparked a 14-4 run that brought the Colonials to within 52-51 with 5:58 remaining.
Shabazz Thompkins (19 points) rattled in a three from the wing to make it 58-56 before Longwood scored five straight points to take a 63-56 lead with 2:51 to play.
“I thought our pressure defense would wear them out,” Hayes said of the Lions’ fullcourt trap that forced 24 turnovers. “But give them credit. They stepped up and came back. They’re fearless.”
White and Thompkins nailed back-to-back threes to rock the house and cut it to 63-62 with 1:31 left. Floyd took its last lead after Aaron Willis forced a turnover and made two free throws with 41 seconds left.
That’s when Longwood added a little Mayo.
“We were free-wheeling, but I saw I had a mismatch,” the 5-11 Mayo said of being defended by a 5-7 Colonial. “He gave me some space and I shot the ball.”
The win wasn’t secured, however, until Paris Parks (17 points, six assists, four steals) sank two free throws with 3.9 seconds.
“When I missed , I just knew I’d get another chance,” Parks said. “I was laughing in the huddle when called timeout to freeze me. I knew I’d knock them down.”
Willis’ desperation three-point attempt missed, allowing all the Lions to share a moment of pure ecstasy.
Longwood 17 28 19 6-70
Commack 6 10 13 12-41
LW: Parks 16, Washington 3, Evans 10, Sealy 6, Odle 2, Millender 4, Mayo 16, Lee 1, Dionisio 3, Diggs 4, Daniyan 2, Aiken 3. Totals: 28-9-70. COM: McQueeney 11, Forman 8, Kitt 4, Nembhard 2, Stathis 12, Vrana 2, Goldstein 2. Totals: 15-9-41. Three-pointers: LW 5 (Parks 3, Washington, Evans); COM 2 (McQueeney 2). Jan. 29
Longwood 21 6 18 18-63
Ward Melville 12 16 11 16-55
LW: Parks 15, Evans 12, Aiken 5, Mayo 19, Diggs 2, Dionisio 2, Lee 4, Millender 4. Totals: 26-4-63. WM: Edmonds 10, Osman 8, Smith 10, Aicher 2, Dineen 8, Hegarty 13, Morello 4. Totals: 20-9-55. Three-pointers: LW 7 (Parks 3, Evans 2, Aiken, Mayo); WM 6 (Edmonds 2, Osman 2, Smith 2). Jan. 30
Longwood 17 11 15 31-74
Brentwood 10 16 14 22-62
LW: Parks 25, Dionisio 5, Evans 9, Aiken 2, Sealy 2, Odle 2, Millender 21, Mayo 5, Lee 1, Taylor 2. Totals: 28-12-74. BRN: Stewart 10, Perdomo 18, Hall 6, Ojugbele 2, Mills 2, McCastell 3, Lubin 3, Daniel 13, Burton 4, Acosta 1. Totals: 23-11-62. Threes: LW 6 (Parks 4, Dionisio, Evans); BRN 5 (Stewart 2, Perdomo 2, Hall). Feb. 2
Longwood 18 20 18 21-77
Lindenhurst 12 21 19 15-67
LW: Evans 17, Parks 24, Aiken 2, Diggs 4, Lee 3, Mayo 12, Millender 7, Taylor 8. Totals: 30-12-77. LI: Warren 32, Balkam 16, Hauser 12, Mehm 3, Kolln 2, Natal 2. Totals: 23-7-67. Threes: LW 5 (Evans 3, Parks 2); LI 14 (Warren 5, Balkam 4, Hauser 4, Mehm). Feb. 5
LONGWOOD 77, LINDENHURST 67 Parks ignites defense
Herzog, Bob. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 05 Feb 2011
The Lindenhurst gymnasium is so chilly that some of its players wear long-sleeve T-shirts under their basketball tank tops. The Bulldogs’ long-range shooting, however, was so hot Friday night that the boys basketball team was either going to scorch powerful Longwood or go down in flames from the effort.
“They came out on fire. We were pretty surprised,” Longwood guard Paris Parks said. “But coach told us at halftime they’ve got to miss sometime. They can’t stay on fire. Just keep playing good defense. And that’s exactly what happened.”
The Lions also are a team that sizzles from beyond the arc, but this time, they overcame a barrage of Bulldogs bombs – 14 three-pointers in all – and pulled away for a 77-67 Suffolk League I victory.
“That’s one of the best shooting displays I’ve seen,” first-year Longwood coach Pierce Hayes said after his team improved to 11-1 and dropped Lindenhurst to 4-7.
Lindenhurst’s Stu Warren, with a game-high 32 points, was especially steamy in the first half, nailing five treys among his 19 points, but his team still trailed 38-33 at halftime, validating Hayes’ premise. “We didn’t make adjustments at halftime because we weren’t really playing bad defense,” Hayes said. “We stuck with our game plan because we’re confident in it.”
Longwood loves to pressure the ball and Parks (24 points), Blake Evans (17 points) and Tayquan Mayo (12 points) made numerous steals that led to high-percentage baskets as the Lions grabbed a 49-39 lead midway through the third quarter.
The Bulldogs’ Rob Balkam (16 points) nailed a couple of treys in a 9-0 run that cut it to 51-50. But Parks made two steals and two layups in an 11-3 run to start the fourth quarter and Lindenhurst never recovered. Parks had 13 rebounds and three steals.
“I’m not usually a rebounding guard, I’m usually looking to leak out,” Parks said. “But once I grabbed some rebounds early, I kept at it.”
His teammates kept at it on the defensive end, particularly Evans, who scored 14 second-half points thanks to opportunities in transition. “When we pulled away,” Hayes noted, “it was because we turned up the ratchet on defense.”
And turned down the Bulldogs’ thermostat. Warren did not have a three-pointer in the second half. “We knew – hoped – he couldn’t keep it up,” Hayes said.
Sachem East 20 22 4 19-65
Longwood 19 13 16 14-62
SE: Daniello 11, Candemeres 19, Morahan 3, Colston 9, Corbett 10, Doherty 13. Totals: 20-19-65. LW: Lee 6, Mayo 16, Evans 9, Parks 11, Aiken 2, Millender 17, Sealy 1. Totals: 22-12-62. Three-pointers: SE 6 (Daniello 3, Candemeres 2, Morahan); LW 6 (Lee 2, Mayo 2, Evans, Parks). Feb. 10
Longwood 15 10 18 24-67
Patchogue-Medford 11 13 8 15-47
LW: Evans 18, Dionisio 5, Mayo 13, Diggs 2, Lee 2, Millender 12, Odle 4, Sealy 2, Taylor 9. Totals: 24-15-67. PM: Vogel 16, Williams 21, Halverson 4, Rozzi 6. Totals: 17-5-47. Three-pointers: LW 4 (Evans 2, Dionisio, Mayo); PM 8 (Vogel 4, Williams 4). Feb. 12
Longwood 12 12 23 15-62
Floyd 14 7 8 14-43
LW: Parks 14, Evans 17, Lee 4, Mayo 9, Aiken 2, Diggs 2, Millender 6, Sealy 2, Taylor 6. Totals: 21-15-62. FL: Burney 5, Gonzalez 3, White 17, Dennis 4, Thompkins 8, Washington 4, Willis 2. Totals: 15-10-43. Three-pointers: LW 5 (Parks 2, Evans, Lee, Mayo); FL 3 (Burney, Gonzalez, White). Feb. 16
Longwood too strong for Riverhead in playoff opener
By Joe Werkmeister – Feb. 19
Paris Parks had already drained one buzzer-beater this season from beyond the arc, a trey at the end of the second quarter against William Floyd Jan. 20 in what was a three-point Longwood win.
Against Riverhead Saturday afternoon in the first round of the Class AA playoffs, Parks added a second buzzer-beater to his resume this season with an added twist. He rattled this one in from half-court.
“I threw it up then I was just watching it,” Parks said.
The ball hit inside the rim, looking as if it was going to bounce out, before rattling around and finally settling in and falling through the net. The 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter was a symbolic end to a dominant period for the Lions as they rolled to an 81-54 victory at Longwood High School.
Parks’ 3-pointer capped a 16-0 run for Longwood to end the third quarter as they turned a 13-point halftime lead into a rout. The Lions put together the kind of complete performance from start to finish that went to show why they entered the playoffs as the No. 2 seed.
Longwood (17-2) led by as many as 35 in the fourth quarter and will now advance to the quarterfinals Thursday against the winner of East Islip and Bay Shore.
In the Lions’ regular season finale against William Floyd, a game that determined the league champion, the Lions outscored the Colonials 23-8 in the third quarter. They put together a similar performance against the No. 15 Blue Waves with a 25-7 third quarter.
“The third quarter is the most important quarter of the game,” said Longwood coach Pierce Hayes. “You have halftime, a chance to make adjustments, you got to make sure your kinds understand what they’re doing well, what they’re not doing well. The team that wins the third quarter typically goes on to win the game.”
The Lions haven’t allowed a team to score double digits in the third quarter in their last four games.
Riverhead turned the ball over nine times in the third quarter while shooting 3-of-16 from the field. For the game the Blue Waves shot 29 percent while the Lions were at 49 percent. The Blue Waves shot 4-of-28 from beyond the arc and were 2-of-18 in the second half.
“At halftime coach talked to us and he said just keep the intensity up and we should come up away with the W,” said Parks, who had 15 points, seven rebounds and fives assists.
The Lions got a nice boost in the third quarter from Jo Jo Aiken, one of three sophomores on the team. Aiken scored eight of his 13 points in the quarter. He was fouled on the break with 3:52 left in the period and hit both free throws to spark the 16-0 run to close out the quarter.
Early in the fourth quarter Aiken scored a basket that doubled Longwood’s lead over Riverhead at 70-35. The Lions played most of the fourth quarter with their reserves, who didn’t make life any easier for the Blue Waves.
Riverhead came into the game having won its last four games. But after playing a close first quarter, in which they trailed 17-15, the Blue Waves were gradually wore down by the more athletic and deeper Lions.
“These kids have been working with me since the spring,” Hayes said. “We do some crazy stuff, flipping tires. It’s archaic but it builds a real sense of strength.”
The Blue Waves didn’t help themselves from the free-throw line. They finished the game 8-of-21 (38 percent).
Riverhead got a team-high 17 points from senior Ben Edmund. Senior Alex Sakhno added 10 points.
The 81 points was the most Riverhead had allowed in a game all season. Longwood beat the Blue Waves 73-58 Dec. 28.
Hayes said from having played the Blue Waves already this season, they knew they couldn’t sleep on them.
“We couldn’t underestimate their ability,” he said. “They have a good inside game as well as a terrific shooter in [Ryan] Bitzer. He shoots real well.”
Bitzer hit a pair of 3-pointers and finished the game with eight points. Blake Evans led the Lions with 17. Josh Taylor added 13 points off the bench with 11 rebounds. Taylor scored eight points in the second quarter as the Lions began to pull away. He scored in the post with 3:45 left to give Longwood its first double-digit lead at 31-21.
Riverhead ends the season with a 9-10 record.
The Lions are now 55-9 in their last three seasons. They’ve reached the county finals each of the past two seasons, losing in 2009 to North Babylon and to Hills West in 2010. Hills West is the No. 1 seed again this season.
One more win will put the Lions back into the semifinals at Stony Brook University.
WEST BABYLON 61, LONGWOOD 52: Sullivan, Eagles hot from afar Scores 23 points, including 5-for-9 on three-pointers W. Babylon 9-for-16 from downtown, gains county final
Mascaro, Chris. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 02 Mar 2011
Third-seeded West Babylon beat No. 2 Longwood, 61-52, at Stony Brook last night to advance to the Suffolk boys basketball final for the first time since 1978. The Eagles, who never have won the county title, will play League IV rival Half Hollow Hills West, the top seed and defending champion, in the rubber game of their seasonlong three-game series in the final at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Stony Brook.
A 17-0 West Babylon run spanning the first and second quarters, including 13 straight from Matt Sullivan (23 points), gave the Eagles (18-3) a 25-13 lead with 6:58 remaining in the second quarter. The lead ballooned to 15 on Taylor Frisch’s three-pointer 2:52 before halftime.
The Eagles’ hot shooting was a recurring theme, as they made 9 of 16 three-pointers, including Sullivan’s 5-for-9 performance.
“We’ve played like that from a young age,” Sullivan said. “Run and gun and shoot threes.”
Frisch, who scored 17 points, said: “It’s contagious. I don’t even shoot threes and I hit one.”
The only player keeping Longwood (18-3) from getting blown out early on was Tayquan Mayo (24 points), who hit four three-pointers in the last 5:07 of the second quarter.
But by the fourth, points were hard to come by for West Babylon.A 2-for-6 stretch from the free-throw line accounted for all the Eagles’ scoring in the first 4:38 of the period. When Longwood’s Josh Taylor made a bucket from the low post with 3:05 to play, the lead was cut to 54-49, the closest margin since the first quarter.
“We knew our 17-0 run wasn’t going to stop Longwood from making a run,” West Babylon coach Tim Lynch said.
A steal led to Frisch’s layup, then Marshall Fairley (six points, nine rebounds) sank two free throws to extend the lead to 58-49. Chris Doyle, who totaled 10 points, made two free throws with 38.9 seconds remaining to seal it.
Longwood’s offense was held to its second-lowest scoring total of the season, which Lions coach Pierce Hayes said was partially because of West Babylon’s hot shooting.
“They shot the lights out,” he said, “and I think that got into our guys’ minds a little.”