Harborfields Defends Suffolk Class A Title
A year ago, Harborfields senior point guard Lucas Woodhouse led his team of childhood friends to a hard fought victory over the Amityville Warriors. Last night, Woodhouse found himself in the same exact position, less two friends/teammates.
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"Matt [McLeod] and Nick [Fessenden] are gone, but I think this year's team has what it takes to get back upstate," he said. He's now one step closer to another crack at a state championship - Harborfields defended their title against the Amityville Warriors in another to-the-wire Suffolk Class 'A' final, 68-64.
The maestro point guard conducted an air of calm in the face of Amityville's bubbling defense and prototype small ball. With defenders keying in on him with watchdog eyes, Woodhouse managed to maintain control when Amityville came out smoking and hovered above Harborfields at 500 feet late in the game.
"Basketball players have to make plays," said Harborfields Head Coach Chris Agostino, who was coaching against his brother, Jack, in the ongoing saga of the two Class 'A' powerhouses. "And Lucas has done that all year for us."
A coach on the floor, Woodhouse paced the Tornadoes with 21 points and 8 assists. Points three and four came from a floater in the paint to give Harborfields their first lead of the game, 25-24. Considering where they had been just moments before, seizing a one point lead was a major feat.
"We didn't come out strong and we paid for it," said Woodhouse, the game's MVP, of the Tornadoes slow start.
Amityville appeared poised to avenge last years loss, as senior guard Kavione Green capitalized on Harborfields' mistakes with 13 first quarter points. The Warriors' stringent defense, ability to turn that defense into trips to the line, and gumption to rebound the ball amongst the much taller Tornadoes paid dividends - they rolled out to a 20-7 lead after one quarter. Harborfields looked perplexed.
"We couldn't get down on ourselves, so we tried different defenses," said Woodhouse. "The key to our run was the 1-3-1 diamond press. After that, I knew how to take over."
The said run came in a Tornado - no pun intended. Within 90 seconds, Harborfields employed the 1-3-1 to turn Amityville over, and in turn, go on a 10-0 run to start the second quarter. Woodhouse ran the show, but more importantly, his teammates filled their roles accordingly.
Spot up marksman Justin Ringen (15 points) made Amityville pay for leaving him alone. Forward Jon Patron scored all of his 10 points in the second quarter, as he got to the rim aggressively.
X-Factor Kevin Zebransky (11 points) joined Ringen in letting loose from outside, and when Woodhouse kicked him the ball for a corner trey in the third quarter, the Tornadoes went up, 48-40. Considering that in the pre-season Woodhouse was expected to score 30+ points a game for Harborfields to win, Coach Agostino was pleased with the team effort.
"We put these guys in [competitive] situations all season," he said. "They know what it takes after the games against Mt. St. Michael and Newark Tech."
But Amityville wouldn't back down. With NBA point guard and Amityville alum AJ Price in the stands, current Warrior floor general Richie Hobson (16 points) carried the load. The 5'10" senior's trampoline hops, potent outside shooting, and speedy ball control kept Amityville alive.
With star forward Dejuan Gray (9 points) quieter than usual from the field, Amityville didn't find many other answers offensively in the second half. Turnovers made things more difficult, despite Harborfields leaving the door open via poor free throw shooting.
Green (who led all scorers with 23 points) nailed a three with 24 seconds left to make it a 64-61 game. Gray banked one home with under 10 seconds to make it a 66-64 game, the closest it had been since the top of the second half. But time had run too low. Woodhouse coolly sunk a pair of freebies to ice the game and get another crack at what Harborfields fell short of last year.
"I'm relieved we got past Amityville," Woodhouse said. "We still have to win [against the Nassau champion] to get off Long Island first, but I think we can win upstate."
In other Long Island news, William Floyd took down Deer Park and Central Islip edged Lindenhurst, creating the picks for the Suffolk Class 'AA' Final. In the Catholic league, St. John the Baptist upset Holy Trinity, putting a positive spin on a rough season and extending their playoff life to face St. Mary's on Sunday.