BROOKLYN, NY- Sunday saw a pair of local powers take to the court for a pair of games at the Rose Classic with both Long Island Lutheran and Xaverian each suiting up for doubleheaders.

With neither team at full strength though they each would go 1-1 though proving at the same time that they will both be teams to reckon with once the beginning of the high school season come December.

It was a solid day of play from the famed JHS 113 court, and with NYCHoops.net on hand to take in the action here is a recap of what took place on Sunday in Fort Greene.

With LuHi down a couple starters it was all about Celeste Taylor '19 in this one for the Crusaders as she helped carry a very young group to what would be a solid 8-point win over another young group from Bishop Loughlin.

Alongside of Taylor in the early going it was Chardonnay Hartley '22 for LuHi who was aggressive in attacking the rim in the half court, showing no fear it going to the basket and finishing against defenders. Hartley also was able to drain a long three late in the opening half to push the Crusaders lead to 23-13 with under a minute to play.

Helping trim the deficit for the Stars was Kennedy Grady '22 as the young Loughlin guard looks as if she is going to make a quick impression as she displayed excellent range along with the quickness to beat defenders and get herself to the basket.

Grady and Ariel Jackson '22 each drained a pair of FT's late in the half to make it a 23-17 Long Island Lutheran lead at the break, with the Brooklyn Stars (a team comprised of players exclusively from Bishop Loughlin) trimming the margin and proving that even against a team led by the Texas bound Taylor they could hang and remain in the game.

Coming out in the second half much more aggressive in looking for her own shot, Taylor started to lead the charge for LuHi as she was able to spot up and be a consistent midrange weapon in knocking down three from 15 feet to see the lead pushed back up again, while Kaylene Smickle '22 was a great weapon as well from the wing as she was able to use her strong handle to put the ball on the floor and make moves going inside.

Add in the big 6'3" interior presence of Aaliyah Del Rosario '23 for the Crusaders and it was easy to see why they were able to push lead up to 49-34 with 7:12 to go as the talented 8th grader was able to catch entry passes and use good footwork to impressive finish down low.

Jackson wouldn't let the Stars go away quietly as she controlled the glass late and would push the tempo herself to score as the LuHi defense struggled to get back, bringing the game within single digits with just over a minute to play.

They couldn't get all the way back with the deficit too big, but the Stars showed a lot of fire and heart as they didn't back down from the challenge, but with Taylor pouring in a game high 16 points, and Hartley chipping in with 9 the Crusaders were just too much to over as Long Island Lutheran came away ultimately with the 8-point win.

In LuHi's other game of the day it was a feature matchup between a pair of USA Basketball's best with Taylor taking on Ohio State commit Diamond Miller (Franklin, NJ '19). It looked as if Taylor and her Crusaders were in full control leading by 9 with 7:40 to go in regulation, but that's when Team Miller came storming back.

Nothing was going right for Team Miller in the early going as Miller struggled to finish against constant double teams, and with Taylor pulling up and doing a great job once again in the midrange, LuHi built up a solid 7-point lead at halftime.

The lead for the Crusaders just continued to increase early in the second half as Paris Clark '22 was able to use her size and speed on the outside to show that she is another Long Island Lutheran youngster to be on the lookout for as she had 14 points in the second half alone to make her presence felt.

Taylor would foul out late in the second half though which allowed momentum to begin to swing as Miller would hit a massive step back three to tie up the game at 36, and when Brynn Farrell (St. Rose, NJ '20) was able to slice her way to the rim with under a minute to play, she put Team Miller on top for the first time in the second half, and for good overall.

Farrell would seal it at the FT line late as Team Miller scored the last 8 points of the game to comeback from a sizable hole and take the 8 points victory.

Scoring 20 of her 23 points in the second half was Miller who helped will her team to victory, with Farrell added 13 for Team Miller in the victory.

Even in the loss Taylor was magnificent before fouling out as she had 14 points to help lead LuHi who brought a young team overall, but one with a boatload of potential as well.

It looked as if X Factor, a team comprised primarily of Xaverian players outside of Archbishop Molloy forward Maya Cwalina '21, was going to take this one from the Lady XMen, a team of players from Summit Academy, but a late charge by the PSAL school changed things in a major way.

The guard play for X Factor was carrying them into the lead as Callie O'Brien '20 and Selma Markisic '20 were a dynamic duo in the backcourt with O'Brien creating the opportunities for Markisic who did a good job of capitalizing on good looks in the opening half of play.

Kiana Brereton '20 was able to get good looks later in the first half from the outside as she sent in her first three of the game with 1:08 to play, and when Charity Barnes '19 put back a miss just before the halftime buzzer, the X Factor lead was cut to just 15-14.

Out of the break X Factor once again looked to take control as Cwalina stepped out and showed strong range for someone at her 6'2" size, and when Caitlin Mullin '20 drained a triple from the left wing, it was 21-14 for the young CHSAA school.

As the game wore on though the strength inside of the Lady XMen began to take shape as Sky Castro '20 was getting in strong positions around the rim to finish, and the athleticism and length of Barnes allowed them to really start to make a dent on the inside, chipping away and getting the X Factor lead down to 34-31 with 5 seconds left.

With the ball the Lady XMen needed a three, and while X Factor played with five guards, they were able to get Sade Young '20 a good look at a left wing three that she sunk nothing but net, tying the game up at 34 and sending this one to OT.

All the momentum shifted to the Lady XMen for the first time in the game at the beginning of the OT session, and even though O'Brien was able to connect on a runner in the lane to opener the extra time scoring, it was the last points X Factor would put up as Barnes put back a miss on the other end to tie things up, and when Aichata Ballo '21 scored on a short jumper with 1:28 to go in OT, the Lady XMen went up and took a lead they wouldn't relinquish.

Markisic would miss a drive where she drew contact but didn't get the call, and then it was FT's by Barnes that sealed it as the Lady XMen never gave up and fought back to take the 40-36 win.

A balanced scoring effort saw Brereton lead the Lady XMen with 11 points as Barnes added 9 in the win while in the loss for X Factor it was O'Brien and Markisic who each had 8 to lead the way.

This wasn't necessarily the prettiest game between the team led primarily by Xaverian players against Bria Hartley which is St. Joseph's H.S., but while the CHSAA AA school pulled away for the win, credit to Bria Hartley Elite for showing with a better FT effort they could've been right there.

Cwalina had more opportunities in this game early against a team that didn't have the strength and size inside, scoring 6 in the opening half to lead X Factor, though with Chelsea Reeves '21 draining a three ball and showing her range, Bria Hartley Elite hung close.

It was just an 11-7 lead for X Factor going into halftime, though with Bria Hartley Elite not taking advantage of their opportunities from the charity stripe, it meant X Factor would be able to pull away as Christ the King guard Mia Seemadray '20 was able to send home pull up jumpers to open up the lead to double digits for the first time with 9:44 left.

Farrah Pitt '21 was another young guard who showed range, and quickness in the open floor, though with Bria Hartley Elite as a team going just 3 of 20 from the FT line, that was what ultimately did them in.

Defensively the CHSAA A Division school more than held up their end of the bargain though they just couldn't make the offensive plays when they needed as with Seemadray and Cwalina each scoring 6 points, they were able to put X Factor over the top and pull away for the 14-point win.