Metro AAU District Championships

WEST HEMPSTEAD, NY – On Monday, the Metropolitan AAU District championships took place at the Island Garden. NYCHoops.net was on hand to check out the 16U and 17U Division I contests where teams jockeyed for position in the AAU Nationals.

Rising Stars-Perry knocks out Rising Stars-Callender, 66 – 40

Lefty sharpshooter Elijah Perry (Holy Cross ’19) and Tyler Stephenson (Port Washington ’19) spearheaded a 10 – 0 run for Rising Stars-Perry and they never looked back. Tyler St. Furcy (Lawrence Woodmere ’19) chimed in as well before point guard A.J. Knight (Holy Trinity ’19) and Armani Cruz (Holy Trinity ’19) provided some offense for Rising Stars-Callender.

Down 33 – 17 at the half, the Rising Stars-Callender deficit grew to 20 points with 10 minutes left to play as Perry and his squad continued their offensive assault. Point guard Louis DeCasso (W.H.E.E.L.S. '19) and 6’8” big man Mike Graham (Xaverian ’19) also weighed in. Comfortably ahead, Rising Stars-Perry subbed out their starters and coasted to a championship.

Stephenson scored a game high 21 points for Rising Stars-Perry with Perry adding 11 points. Knight paced the Rising Stars-Callender with 11 points.

Premium Article: Two Rising Stars are shining bright

New York Scholar Athletes Down Rising Stars, 57 – 53

On its heels for a good part of the game, the Rising Stars were playing catch-up versus a taller and more athletic NYSA but fought valiantly throughout. Carlos Lumas (Upper Room ’18) put the Rising Stars in a shallow hole early but a nice up and under move by big man Billy Muller (North Babylon ’18) along with a bucket by Josh Mitchum (Cardozo ’18) knotted the game at 12 points apiece with 8-minute left in the opening half.

The game would become tied for a second time off another basket by Mitchum but NYSA inched ahead once again as 6’7” Calvin Addinga (Upper Room ’18) scored inside. The momentum was about to shift with 2:14 left in the half as the Rising Stars remained down by 4 points but Nick Ovanessian (St. Francis Prep ’18) closed the gap to a point as the half ended.

The second half began with the New York Scholar Athletes up, 30 -28 and Addinga soon gave them their largest lead at 7 points off a 6 – 1 run which included a posturizing facial dunk by Lumas on Mitchum. Undeterred, the Rising Stars bounced back yet again with help from point guard Josiah Wright (Uniondale ’18) and Constantino Kosimidis (St. Francis Prep ’18). With 6:04 left in regulation the game, the Rising Stars finally broke the cycle of coming back to tie as Nas Cylin (Baldwin ’19) gave them their first lead at 46 -44.

The lead changed hands as both team roared towards the finish line. 2:10 remained and the game was deadlocked at 53 but a late flurry of points by NYSA combined with turnovers by Rising Stars spelled doom as time ran out.

Lumas paced New York Scholar Athletes with 16 points while Wright led the Rising Stars with 14 points.