High School Boys Basketball

BY DARREN SANDS

We're back at it again basketball fans! I hope you got a chance to read my game story from yesterday. Lutheran was truly impressive in the win against Bishop Ford. But they can't play like they did against a very long, talented Jamesville-Dewitt team. I saw them play yesterday and they weren't very sharp but they've got length.

I'm gonna try and get a quick word with Lutheran coach Brian Carey. Hadn't had much time to hang, as Wyandanch girls basketball coach Warren Fuller was inducted into the New York State Basketball Hall of Fame today. Read more about that in tomorrow's Newsday. Five minutes till tip. We'll be here.

UPDATE 7:42 -- Lutheran is out to a 14-8 lead behind back-to-back three-pointers from Rich Harkins and Jeriel Henriquez with 2:40 and running left in the first quarter.

UPDATE 7:50 -- Lutheran leads 19-12 after one complete. Matt Rooney was fouled on a driving layup that he made, but he missed the foul shot with four seconds left.

UPDATE 7:56 -- A couple of things: Didn't mention this, but Lutheran's Kevin Johnson picked up his second foul just 1 minute and 55 seconds into the first quarter. Henriquez has shot two air balls. It's about 60 degrees but they weren't even close. It will be interesting to see how he responds.

UPDATE 8:00 -- Jeriel Henriquez just responded with an emphatic dunk on a fastbreak. Lutheran leads 23-19 with 3:20 and running to go in the first half.

UPDATE 8:15 -- Jamesville-Dewitt tied the score at 31 with a layup to end the second quarter. Lutheran's shooters haven't been as stellar as they were in the semifinal against Bishop Ford, but they had better pick it up in the next 16 minutes. They've done a good job at neutralizing Jamesville-Dewitt's length inside. Back in a minute.

UPDATE 8:38 -- Jamesville-Dewitt had a 15-4 run to start the third and they now lead, 50-42, with 1:12 remaining.

UPDATE 8:49 -- LuHi's Matt Rooney has fouled out with 5:28. Huge three by Rich Harkins has brought Lutheran within five points, 59-54 with 4:45 remaining in the fourth. Getting interesting here in Glens Falls. They were behind for a majority of the game yesterday, and they just didn't get rattled.

-Lutheran's Matt Carpenter, Rooney's replacement, has hit a three-pointer that has tied the game at 59.

-Harkins two free throws give LuHi a two-point lead. There's 3:07 left in the game -- 61-59.

- Carpenter drains three with 7.2 seconds left. LuHi is down, 67-66. Timeout, Jamesville-Dewitt ball.

LuHi falls to Jamesville-Dewitt, 70-66.

BY DARREN SANDS

GLENS FALLS, N.Y. -- Hey folks! We're back live in Glens Falls at the New York State Federation Championships where Long Island Lutheran is about to take on Bishop Ford of Brooklyn. It's the 2, 3, D, 4, 5 and 6 trains against the Long Island Rail Road. It's Jay-Z against Busta Rhymes, Chris Rock against Eddie Murphy...you get the idea. I hope.

Lutheran is coming off a four-week layoff where they scrimmaged the likes of East Hampton and Hills West. I talked to Brian Carey yesterday before they left for Glens Falls, and all he talked about was how prepared they tried to stay and how ready they are to finally play in a game that means something. More on what he had to say later. Stay tuned!

UPDATE 6:08 -- Bishop Ford is out to an early 17-10 lead early in the first quarter. Jeriel Henriquez already has eight points with two NBA-threes. Chaz Williams (who we hear has committed to Hofstra) has eight for the Falcons.

UPDATE 6:14 -- After one here in Glens Falls, Bishop Ford leads 23-18. Lutheran made two straight threes to close the quarter. They came from seniors Rich Harkins and Matt Rooney.

UPDATE 6:25 -- Lutheran just took a 33-31 lead on a three-pointer by Matt Carpenter with 2:10 left in the half.

UPDATE 6:30 -- Bishop Ford tied the score at 36 as the buzzer sounded on the second quarter on a putback off of an air ball from Chaz Williams. Lutheran is letting the ball fly from deep. They've connected on seven three-pointers, largely because defenders are collapsing to help on guards Henriquez and Kevin Johnson. They can all shoot. They're all very disciplined. Considering they haven't played a real game in four weeks, they've got just three turnovers. Impressive.

We'll be back with the third quarter. Lutheran is 16 minutes from advancing to the Class A final.

UPDATE 6:41 -- Bishop Ford scores five quick points in the first 1:05 of the second half. Lutheran's Brian Carey calls a 30-second timeout.

UPDATE 6:52 -- The score is 56-47 with 1:09 left in the third quarter. Lutheran has not been able to get into a rhythm from beyond the arc. Johnson just made a driving layup to help Lutheran pull within seven. That's the score we have at the end of three. Eight minutes to go.

UPDATE 6:59 -- Big three-pointer from Henriquez! Score is 60-58 with 5:30 and counting to go.

UPDATE 7:10 -- Henriquez has 12 points this quarter, and is leading a surge from Lutheran. They are up here 67-62 with 2:12 remaining. We just overheard that Bishop Ford has eight turnovers this quarter. Ouch. Henriquez also has three steals.

UPDATE 7:18 -- Long Island Lutheran is going to pull this game out, folks. Rich Harkins just made two free throws to make the score 75-66 with 35.9 seconds left. Bishop Ford has given to just fouling.

THE CRUSADERS ADVANCE! FINAL SCORE: 77-66.

Tomorrow night at 7:30, Lutheran will play the winner of Jamesville-Dewitt and East New York Transit Tech.

By Stephen Haynes

My apologies for the blog not having been live, but Fordham University's gym isn't as technologically advanced as some others. Extra power sockets? Nope. Extension cords? Nope. Well, it is the Bronx (I can say that because I'm from there). But, here goes it...

Bishop Ford (23-5) beat Chaminade (19-6), 72-62, and it wasn't that close. Powered by point guard Chaz Williams' 32 points and 12 assists, the Falcons dominated. Ford ran a high-octaine offense and the perimeter-oriented Flyers couldn't keep up.

The score was 18-11 at the end of the first quarter, but Ford extended it to 33-21 at halftime. By then, Williams had scored 16 points. Ford pulled away in the third, leading by as many as 18 (41-23) with just over three minutes left in the period.

In the fourth quarter, Chaminade rallied with 30 points to make the game interesting in the final minutes. Sean Wildes went wild inside, scoring 14 of his team-high 28 points, but Williams kept the Flyers at bay with 12 points (and some flashy passes for assists) in the quarter.

When the final buzzer sounded, Williams hurdled the scorer's table (at 5-8, he's got some ups) and climbed into the bleachers to hug his mother. Mama Williams, by the way, is a pretty astute stat-tracker. Right after the game, without seeing the scorebook, she insisted that her baby had 13 assists. She was just one off.

Chaminade seemed dejected after the game (naturally), but coach James Quinn wasn't too down. He kept reiterating the ol' bromidic mantra of the underdog: "Nobody believed in us except us." But he's right. Not many people picked the Flyers to get this far.

By Kimberley A. Martin

There was really nothing East Hampton could do.

When your tallest starter (Hayden Ward) is 6-5 and he's matched up against a 6-10 bean stalk (J-D center Nick Pascale), chances are you're going to get outhustled on the boards. Chances are you're going to wear yourself out jumping for loose balls and shooting over outstretched hands.

No amount of Mikey Russell three-pointers (three in all) is going to change that. It's just that simple.

Continue reading "Class A Championship: Jamesville-Dewitt 78, East Hampton 54" »

BY KIMBERLEY A. MARTIN

This is it people! Our hopes of a Long Island boys state title rests solely on the shoulders of the Bonackers. I'll be the first to admit it -- not many people were talking about East Hampton early in the season (well, not positively I should say). But Ed Petrie's team is the last Island team standing.

Yesterday, the Bonackers outlasted a much bigger Buffalo East team, relying on their quickness and athletic ability (have you seen how high Marcus Edwards elevates off the ground?). But the Red Rams just ran by the press table onto the court, and I've got to say -- they are some BIG BOYS. I'm looking at the roster as we speak and they have a 6-10 center in Nick Pascale. Throw in 6-7 Marcus Williams and Mickey Davis, Mitchell Howe and Mychal Weekes (all of whom are 6-5), and this could end up being a long afternoon for East Hampton.

But the one thing Marcus Edwards and Mikey Russell have stressed to me this season is how much they love proving the haters wrong. Let's see if it happens.

8:35 and counting....

Continue reading "Class A Championship: East Hampton vs. Jamesville-Dewitt (Section III)" »

BY KIMBERLEY A. MARTIN

Less than seven minutes until the Class B championship game. The Mules don't look nervous at all. One thing's certain, though: they'll need to start and end strong against Olean (Section VI).

OK, gotta finish my Burger King meal before tip-off...be back in a flash!

(Whoa...Olean just did this really weird "on-the-floor-huddle"...apparently that psyches them up. Whatever does it for you, I guess. Laura took a pic using her camera phone -- hopefully we can find a way to post it online for your viewing pleasure.)

Ta-da:

Continue reading "Class B Championship: Malverne vs. Olean" »

Class AA Semifinals: Bishop Maginn defeats Mount Vernon, 54-52.

Class A Finals: Maple Grove trounces Mechanicville, 71-46.

(I guess having fans who paint themselves in team colors really does help.)

BY LAURA ALBANESE

Baldwin fell behind early and never recovered after Niagara Falls scored 23 in the first quarter to go on to defeat the Bruins 66-49 at the Class AA Semifinals in Glens Falls.

Kelvin Agee led all scorers for the Wolverines with 22 points and 15 rebounds, while Rashon Tabb and T.J. Critterden chipped in 20 and 15, respectively. Chris Manning and Chris Mauldin led Baldwin with 10 points each.

Niagara Falls outscored Baldwin 23-12 at the end of the first and led by as many as 22 midway through the fourth. Baldwin came within six twice in the second, after Matt Brown hit the front end of a one-and-one and Ashanti DePass sunk a three with 2:30 left. In the third, they ame within five at 3:19, but would draw no closer.

Niagara put it away in the fourth with a 12-7 run that spanned about four minutes. The scoring was capped off by four foul shots by Tabb and Eric Spanbauer.

Niagara plays the winner of Mt. Vernon/Bishop Maginn tomorrow at 2:45.

BY LAURA ALBANESE

8:00 - Starting Lineups: 2 Rashon Tabb, T.J. Critternden, Kelvin Agee, Michael Crumpton, and Eric Spanbaur start for Niagara. Nick Thomas, Cailup Norris, Chris Mauldin, Matt Brown, Chris Manning take the court for the Bruins.

5:02 – It’s not looking good early for Baldwin, who already trail by 11, 15-4. Kelvin Agee already has seven points in the game, including a three-point baseline jumper.

3:05 – Niagara is having a little trouble converting and has missed four straight shots. Bruins, meanwhile, have gotten into a groove – Derrell Brown and Chris Mauldin scored on two consecutive layins to make it 15-8.

2:40 – Baldwin is on the comeback trail – Anthony Lee just scored on a layup to make it 15-10 and Niagara has been held scoreless for more than 2:30 minutes.

41.5 – Niagara scored the next six off a three from Bobby Daniels and a putback from Kelvin Agee. Agee sunk one of two foul shots to make it 21-10.

End of the first: 23-12, Niagara.

Continue reading "Class AA Semifinals: Niagara Falls v. Baldwin" »

BY LAURA ALBANESE

We're about 15 minutes from tip-off here at the Glens Falls Civic Center and I'm noticing a trend - once again, a Long Island team will have to overcome a sizable (pun!) height difference to advance to the finals. Niagara has all but two players over 6-feet, with three guys at 6'7. Compare this to the Bruins, who top out at 6'4 and are comparably small across the board.

The Wolverines are 24-1 going into this afternoon's game, while the Bruins are 19-3. Stay tuned for the blow-by-blow.