New Yorker Stewart powers La Lumiere past Oak Hill
TOP NEW YORKERS COME BACK TO NEW YORK TO COMPETE
MIDDLE VILLAGE, NY – The GEICO High School Nationals featured some of the top high schools in the country but on Friday it also lured some of New York’s top players back home to the Big Apple. In the semifinal round of the tournament, held at Christ the King Regional H.S., Oak Hill (VA) sought to both end La Lumiere’s undefeated record and advance to the championship game versus IMG Academy.
Rivals.com #5 ranked Isaiah Stewart was the major culprit who vanquished Oak Hills plans. The New Yorker shot 7 of 12 and netted a double-double (14 points and 17 rebounds) that led La Lumiere (IND) to a narrow 58 – 57 victory.
La Lumiere jumped out front leading by 11 points at the end of the first quarter. Rivals.com #4 ranked Cole Anthony, another New Yorker, struggled to score finishing with 11 points (shooting 4 for 16) but played aggressive throughout the contest, issuing out 8 assists for Oak Hill. The day before, in the opening round, the #1 ranked point guard was on fire from the perimeter.
As a result of Oak Hill slipping into a zone and La Lumiere not responding well to it, the Virginia school was able to climb back into the game and took a 30 – 26 halftime lead into the locker room. That lead would be brief as Stewart ran the floor well and put his tenacity on full display.
A clutch shot by New Yorker Gerald Drumgole (12 points and 3 rebounds) helped La Lumiere regain its lead but while Anthony didn’t shoot well, he was unfazed and scored when it counted most. With 27.7 seconds left in the game, he cut La Lumiere’s advantage to a mere point.
Drumgole, who’s ranked #133, drew a foul with 22.4 secs and had a chance to extend La Lumiere’s lead but missed the one and one. Anthony brought the ball down court and with 19.9 ticks on the clock shoveled the rock to #38 ranked teammate Kofi Cockburn who missed a point-blank basket. Cockburn, who played for Christ the King last season before transferring, finished the game with 6 points (3 for 10) while snatching 11 rebounds.
After a brief scrum, Oak Hills retained possession with 3.5 seconds remaining in regulation but an Anthony miss followed by a miss by Cockburn sealed the win for La Lumiere. The Indiana school advances to Saturday’s championship round.
