LuHi Invitational Tournament Recaps

BROOKVILLE, NY - Long Island Lutheran High School hosted their first annual LuHi Invitational Tournament on Saturday which brought out a widespread of Division I and Division II talent. The stands were filled for the event, as spectators were well aware of the great matchups prepared for the day.

The players who were known coming into the tournament surely did not disappoint, while others may have proven their title as a college prospect. Here's a rundown on the results of the games.

North Babylon Rocks Holy Trinity

The North Babylon Bulldogs earn a big win against Long Island's number five ranked Holy Trinity High School to start off the day. The game remained even up until the end of the third quarter, where Holy Trinity faced a slight shooting slump. 6'6" forward Timothy Forbes '15 and guard Brandon Sobotker '17 led the way for the Bulldogs with 21 points each in the 63-54 victory.

Wings Academy Hands Brentwood First Defeat

In Game 2, Wings Academy handed Long Island's #1 ranked Brentwood their first loss of the season. This game was highly recognized as Brentwood's true test at proving themselves that their rank matches their record, being that Wings is one of the top ranked teams in the PSAL. However, the Indians fell short in the hard fought bout and good defensive pressure may have been the reason Wings came out on top. Mike Almonacy '15 (26 points) was lights out for the Indians as he knocked down contested jumpers from all over the court. With Tavon Ginyard '15 struggling to find his stroke the entire game, Almonacy picked up the slack with an incredible offensive performance hitting six threes in total. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to keep Brentwood in the undefeated lineup.

With a quiet first half, Wings Academy's Desure Buie '15 stepped up in the second to finish off the game with a great performance. Scoring 15 of his 19 points in the second half, Buie displayed great poise and control down the stretch, knocking down mid-range jumpers and finishing at the rim. Teammate and Georgetown commit Jessie Govan '15 had a stellar performance as well, dominating the post with quick jump hooks. Govan put up 25 points in Wings win.

L.I. Lutheran Cracks St. Pat's

The third game was a battle between two top Catholic league teams, as the LuHi Crusaders topped The Patrick School (St. Patricks) Celtics 67-56. The Celtics struggled to get it going in the first half, as LuHi played with high defensive intensity. Sophomore Jamir Harris '17 had a similar performance to Almonacy's draining contested threes and keeping the Celtics in the game. However whenever LuHi felt the momentum beginning to shift, they responded to keep a double digit lead on The Patrick School throughout the game. Devonte Green '16 gave the Crusaders a huge spark off the bench knocking down shots and slashing to rim. Point guard Chris Atkinson '15 did a good job on both ends of the court, as he performed his floor general duties of controlling his team's offensive tempo with a good balance of scoring and ball distribution. He also did well at staying in front of 3 star guard Bryce Aiken who didn't really get things going until it was a little too late. This was a good win for the Home team, since this is their tournament's debut.

Chaminade Gives Amityville Horror

In the final matchup the Chaminade Flyers soared passed the Amityville Warriors in 67-53 win. Chaminade started off strong in the first quarter, outscoring the Warriors 21-11. After the first, the Flyers continued to gradually stretch the lead each quarter. Mike McGuire '16 led the flyers with 16 points, followed by game MVP Thomas O'Connell '15 with 13. Amityville's Mike Smith '15 had a game high 24 points in the defeat.