Hudson versus New York City?

CORONA, NY – On Saturday at the Dave Edwards Classic, Hudson Catholic, one of New Jersey’s premier teams, came to New York to face off against two of New York’s top ten teams. Both NJ vs. NY games were entertaining but as far as New Jersey taking over the New York City, the jury is still out.

Hudson is a team fortified with talent including four-star UVA commit Elijah Gertrude. On paper it appeared as if St. Raymond, a catholic school from the Bronx, has no chance at competing with the NJ powerhouse. Basketball however is not played on paper.

Phenom PG Tai Turnage controlled pace while masterfully propelling himself into the HC defense, drawing fouls and making a living at the foul line. Teammate Brandon Stores attacked both in the paint and from the perimeter. Remarkably, the Ravens were only down by a point at the half.

St. Raymond’s fought hard and was incredibly resilient, at one point in the third quarter even hold a albeit fleeting lead. Gertrude, however, was a veritable one-man momentum shifter as he sandblasted the Ravens with multiple high flying fast break dunks in transition.

Gertrude, a Upstate New Yorker as well, was high man for Hudson Catholic with 23 points. Turnage paced St. Ray’s with 17 points.

Considering, that Hudson Catholic was playing their second game back-to-back, it was still expected that they would make short work of the Vikings who had players from South Shore HS. At first glance this appeared to be the case as the New Jersey squad held a 36 – 28 advantage at the half.

Teamwork was making the dream work for HC but so does hard work so when the NJ squad got away from playing as a team and started playing one-on-one street ball, the Vikings pounced on the opportunity.

Led by 6’5” Kyrone Alexander ‘23, in what was truly a team effort, the South Shore players staged a comeback and turned the tide. In a reversal of fortune, the Vikings soundly beat Hudson Catholic.