Due to regents testing, the Chaminade vs. Long Island Lutheran (LuHi) clash was one of only five games played on Long Island yesterday.

Therefore, it was fitting that the game was a major test for both programs. The LuHi Crusaders of Brookville, NY were seeking to gain lost ground with the return of Tobias Harris and the Chaminade Flyers from Mineola, NY were looking to right the ship after Sunday's loss to Archbishop Molloy. LuHi was able to hand the Flyers their second consecutive loss, and corral a 71-61 win.

Both teams started the game shooting poorly from the field, but Harris and center Shamar Stephens were able to pound in points in the paint to open up a 6-0 LuHi lead. Chaminade seniors Dan DiVietri and Sean Wildes were able to get the Flyers on the board with a free throw and a short jumper, respectively, but LuHi's then 6-3 lead would bulge as the quarter went on. Senior point guard Derek Klein successfully ran the break and dished out assists, while on the other end of the court LuHi was able to deny Chaminade offensive rebounds and force turnovers via on the ball pressure.

"Coach (Brian Carey) works with us on that in practice everyday", said Klein. "We put pressure on the ball and get out in the full court because we're a good running team. A lot of teams can't run with us." When Klein hit EJ Parry with a nice pass inside for a lay-up, they capped a 9-0 run and were up 15-3 going into the second quarter.

Klein would continue to dish out assists and reap the rewards of Chaminade turnovers. The Flyers would lag by ten or more points for the majority of the quarter, as sophomore standout Achraf Yocoubou and LuHi continued to roll offensively. Chaminade, however, did go into the locker room with a needed jolt, as senior Pat Wildes nailed a three ball at the halftime buzzer to bring the Flyers within nine, 31-20.

Trading baskets was the name of the game to start the second half, but a three from Chaminade sharp shooter Dan Textor brought the Flyers within six, 35-29. Parry would come off of a screen on the other end to quickly reciprocate for LuHi, but Textor would answer with another shot from downtown for good measure. When Pat Wildes chipped in with a deuce, Chaminade had crept up on the Crusaders, 38-34. Yocoubou would get hot from downtown and nail back to back threes to re-establish a ten point LuHi lead, but a Pat Wildes three would stop the bleeding. However, when senior defensive stopper Chris Dooley -who had adequately contained Harris and held him to just three field goals in 22 minutes- picked up his fourth personal with two minutes left in the third quarter, Harris was able to rattle off seven points and open the Crusader lead back to nine.

LuHi's switch to a suffocating man defense would prove fruitful, as they were able to come up with steals early in the fourth quarter and maintain momentum. Textor would bag an assist with a pretty pass to DiVietri for a traditional three point play and bring Chaminade back within five, 57-52, but the game would get no closer. LuHi would eventually pull the game away from the stripe, as Klein made all 6 of his free throw attempts in the waning moments to secure the win.

"We kept our composure and we're good in crunch time", Klein said. "The foul shots? I tried not to think about them too hard, I just shot them."

Tobias Harris led Long Island Lutheran with 28 points and 8 rebounds. Achraf Yocoubou added 21 points and Derek Klein scored 9 points and dished out 10 assists. Pat Wildes led Chaminade with 16 points.

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