Metro Classic Overshadowed By Injuries

BRIARWOOD, NY -The Metro Classic, an All-Star Game that pits some of the best high school players from New York City against those from Long Island, was held on Sunday at Archbishop Molloy in Queens.

A girl's game opened the afternoon, and a boys followed after that. It looked like a promising day to see some of the top players from around the area, but a serious injury in the boys contest ended the day early.

New York City Boys 74- Long Island Boys 61

(Called with 4:20 left in the 3rd quarter)

It was an excellent and exciting game with both teams putting on a fantastic effort of athleticism and skill, and the crowd was surely getting their money's worth until a play midway through the 3rd quarter ended things.

6'6" forward Ryan Preston (South Shore '15), who had a pair of impressive dunks earlier in the game, looked set this time to block the shot of Long Island's Alex Sorensen (South Side '16). Preston went up in the air and with the contact, he didn't land on his feet, instead he crashed to the ground and his head seemed to hit off the court.

Preston laid on the ground, and it was immediately clear that this was an extremely serious situation. The trainer on hand was Lee Goldman, and he was quick to attend to Preston and was able to assess the situation.

"It was obvious that when he fell, he fell very hard. He fell so hard that he began having seizure activity from the injury itself," Goldman said of Preston's condition when he got to him. "We treated him as if it was a major injury, fully immobilizing him to make sure he doesn't move his c-spine (cervical spine), we kept him on oxygen, and maintained until ALS (Advanced Life Support) from FDNY could show up."

It took about 10 minutes from when he fell for the ambulance to arrive. The EMT's were able to get secure Preston on a stretcher, and with family and friends by his side he was wheeled into the ambulance and taken to a nearby hospital.

Both teams seemed uncomfortable stepping back on the court after such an injury, and the game was called at that point.

The game that was played was a good game though with New York City showing just how deep and talented they truly are. It was tight in the early going with guard Zachary Moore (North Babylon '15) squeezing his way through tight lanes to finish driving in. He banged home a three from the left side as well to really give Long Island some confidence.

The perimeter shooting of NYC though ended up taking over though with wing Matt Ryan (Iona Prep '15) and guard Shamorie Ponds (Thomas Jefferson '16) each knocking down a pair of threes midway through the 1st quarter, add to that guard Desure Buie (Wings Academy '15) and his playmaking for himself and others, and it was NYC that was up 31-25 after 1.

Long Island came back early in the 2nd behind forward Jamel Allen (Brentwood '16) and guard Mike Almonacy (Brentwood '16) who combined to score 11 straight points and they grabbed the lead at 39-38 with 5:12 to go in the 2nd, but it seemed that mini LI run just got NYC motivated again.

Ryan hit his 3rd three, and then off a steal, guard Justin Wright-Foreman (H.S. of Construction '15) slashed his way inside and finished with contact for the three point play. Sid Wilson (St. Raymond's '17) had a thunderous putback dunk as well that had the crowd on their feet, and with Long Island struggling to find their range from the outside, NYC finished the half on a 16-5 run to take a 55-44 lead.

Guard Mike Smith (Amityville '15) came out after the halftime break and started to find a good rhythm scoring 7 points in the first 3 minutes of the quarter as the Long Island deficit was cut to 64-58 before NYC once again found their groove. D'Ante Warren (Archbishop Molloy '15) nailed a three, and big man Nakye Sanders (Tottenville '15) proved to be a force on the glass with a nice finish on the inside against the undersized Long Island squad. Rashond Salnave (Cardozo '16) hit a corner three to make it a 13 point lead for NYC right before the injury occurred that brought an abrupt end to the game.

It truly looked like a scary situation, and no one exactly knew what was going to happen for Preston, but after the game an update came from NYC coach Billy Turnage.

"Just spoke to Cory Semper (NYC's assistant coach). All of Ryan's tests came back negative thank god. He will be held for a few more hours for observation and then sent home," Turnage said by text.

While it didn't look good when it happened, there at least is now some positive news about Preston, and while the game was excellent, Preston's health and wellbeing is truly what is most important.

Long Island Girls Blowout New York City Girls, 76-52

While it was a blowout win for Long Island, this game may also be remembered for a serious injury to one of the game's best players.

Guard Lauren "Boogie" Brozoski (Long Island Lutheran '15), who was having a fantastic game through 2 and a half quarters, went up for a jump shot in the right side and she came down awkwardly and was grasping at her knee.

Goldman immediately ran out to tend to her, but when she got up, she was not able to put any pressure on her leg and had to be carried off the court. It looked like it could be a major injury, but according to her head coach at LuHi Rich Slater, it may not be as serious as initially thought.

"It looks like it's a hyperextended knee," Slater said by phone on Sunday night. "She is going to see the doctor again Monday and we will see after that. She was able to go out to dinner with her family after the game though."

That also seems like a positive sign for what many feared could've been a tear in her knee. Brozoski was helped off, and this game was able to continue.

This game though was never in doubt. Brozoski dominated the first half with 11 points and a number of assists, and it was fellow lead guard Mei-Lyn Bautista (St. Mary's '15) who knocked down 3 threes in the game, and was able to slice through the NYC defense for easy baskets en route to Game MVP honors.

Guard Jasmine Brunson (Mary Louis '16) was the high scorer for NYC with 14 points, and while she and wing Dominque Toussaint (Christ the King '16) were solid, the loaded Long Island squad that featured 7 girls already committed to Division 1 schools was just too much.

Ariella Guirantes (Bellport '15) came on and scored 5 straight early in the 4th to up the LI lead to 20, and behind her and guard Brianna Jones (North Babylon '15), they just kept pouring it on for the 24 point victory.

Bautista led Long Island with 14 points and was MVP, while Guirantes, Brozoski, and guard Alexia Douglas (Brentwood '15) each added 11 for the winners. Brunson had 14 points for NYC to lead the way for them, with forward Aryn McClure (Archbishop Molloy '15) chipping in with 10 as well in defeat.