NYCHoops.net Long Island Top Ten Week 4

Long Island Lutheran's shocking loss on Sunday night to Bishop Loughlin of the CHSAA in NYC really made this week's NYCHoops.net Long Island Top Ten a bit more difficult. A lot of debate had to be put in to a number of spots though the main decision was does LuHi keep their #1 position.

It was not an easy decision to make, but along with #1, other spots were up for grabs as well as with another week passing us by, here is a look at the updated rankings for Nassau and Suffolk counties.

1) Long Island Lutheran- While both Brentwood and Baldwin were under consideration for the #1 spot after Long Island Lutheran's loss on Sunday, ultimately when you look at the body of work of each of the teams, it's LuHi that still stands out as the clear Long Island top dog. The Crusaders started the week off as dominantly as they have been all season. They took down Holy Cross 85-67 as Devonte Green '16 dominated to the tune of 37 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists. Donatas Kupsas '18 added 18 points and 10 rebounds as well as LuHi looked sharp. They then eased past Curtis on Saturday 75-31 in a game where the Crusaders led 47-10 at the half. Green again led in the win there with 17 points. Sunday though was the shocker as after leading Bishop Loughlin 31-20 at the half in the City Legendz Invitational at the Gauchos Gym in the Bronx, LuHi was outscored 47-21 in the second half as they fell for the first time this season 67-52. Green had 16 points, but the offense cooled in a major way, and the defense let down in what has to be described as a disappointing defeat. The Crusaders though still have the body of work to stay at #1 for now, but they have a difficult game ahead as on Wednesday they host our LI #3 Baldwin in what is surely the game of the week.

2) Brentwood- It was an easy week of action for the Indians as they played two league opponents and came away from it with two blowout wins. Patchogue-Medford was first and it was a runaway 88-46 win for Brentwood that saw Lester Quinones '18 score 23 points, Mike Almonacy '16 score 21 points while dishing out 8 assists, and Jamel Allen '16 score 19 points while grabbing 10 rebounds. Patchogue-Medford was clearly over matched, but Longwood did no better as the Indians went on the road but still handily took the 71-36 victory. Almonacy had 20 points to lead the way offensively, but it was Allen who had 10 points and a huge 22 rebounds that really set the tempo inside to pace Brentwood and keep them unbeaten so far in this new season. Just one game this week for Brentwood as they will host Sachem East on Tuesday is what should be another lopsided blowout victory for a dominant and potent Indians squad.

3) Baldwin- The Bruins were off this week as they haven't played since the 11th when they blew out Campus Magnet of the PSAL in NYC by 19, but one of the biggest games in recent memory for Baldwin awaits as they travel to take on Long Island #1 Long Island Lutheran on Wednesday. Jared Rhoden '17 will have to get good looks from long range and knock down his open shots, while Shane Gatling '16 will have to come out and use his athleticism and his ability to break down defenses if the Bruins wants to have a chance to leave Brookville with the win. If they do end up pulling off the upset it will present Baldwin with a chance to move up to #1 in our Long Island rankings for the first time ever.

4) Half Hollow Hills West- The season finally got underway for Hills West this week and once they got going they proved why they are among the elite on Long Island. They crushed Hauppauge on the road on Tuesday 81-48 as Kian Dalyrimple '16 had 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks to set the tone for the game. Rich Altenord '16 added 16 points, while Cameron Jordan '17 inside had 9 points and 14 rebounds as well for the Colts. Thursday saw HHHW host their league rivals in Deer Park in one of the matchups of the week and it proved to be all Colts. They took a lead right from the start, went up by 13 at the half and cruised home for the 67-58 win. Altenord had 22 points, with Dalyrimple securing another double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds in the impressive early season win. This week just a trip to Bellport on Monday awaits the Colts as they look to make another December statement.

5) Elmont- There was just one game on the schedule this past week for the Spartans and most considered it an easy one as they went on the road to take on a 1-2 Manhasset team that was coming off a loss to Port Washington. You can never take anything for granted though as Elmont came out sluggish, going down by as many as 10 in the first half before rallying for a 64-59 victory. Travis Morgan '16 was a real bright spot for the Spartans as he had 16 of his game high 25 points in the second half to spark Elmont to the win. Yasir Lawrence '16 added 15 as well in the win that had to be a wakeup call for the Spartans to take no win for granted from here on out. Like most teams, Elmont only has one game this week and it will come on Tuesday when they host Bellmore.

6) Northport- It was another week that proved to be full of challenges for the Tigers, but they once again got through it as they continue to stay unbeaten early on in this season. Northport hosted Connetqout on Tuesday, and while it was a tight game for 3 quarters, the Tigers pulled away with an impressive 4th quarter for a 62-51 win. Lukas Jarrett '16 had 17 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 blocks in the win, while Brennan Whalen '16 had 16 points and 7 assists as well in the victory. Friday proved to be an even tougher challenge when Northport went on the road to take on Half Hollow Hills East. We warned you right here last week this would be a game that could see the Tigers be severely challenged, and that they were. Jarrett hit 2 FT's with 4 seconds left in OT to help give the Tigers a 73-72 win. Jarrett had 16 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 blocks, but it was the enormous effort of Sean O'Shea '16 with his 31 points that helped pave the way for Northport to stay unbeaten. This week it's a home game with Bay Shore on Tuesday that awaits the Tigers, another game that could test Northport in a major way.

7) Kellenberg- After losing their opener of the season to Holy Cross, the Firebirds have since looked like they can play with anyone on Long Island as they led by as many as 38 on Friday against Valley Stream Central before eventually cruising to a 79-49 victory. Steve Torre' 16 was the high man as the guard scored 24 points along with having 7 assists and 7 rebounds. His backcourt mate Kyle DeVerna '16 added 16 points, 8 assists, and 8 rebounds as the duo are proving to be among the best 1-2 combos not just on Long Island, but throughout New York State. This week Kellenberg will head to Stamford, CT to play in the Jack Smyth Tournament where on Tuesday they will play St. Joseph's (CT), and on Wednesday they will get either Kolbe (CT) or Trinity Catholic (CT) depending on if they win or lose, but right now you have to like the way the Firebirds are playing as they head up to challenge some of Connecticut's best.

8) Copiague- We welcome Copiague into the rankings for the first time this season as off the heels of a strong week, and now at 4-0 on the season, they crash the party in at #8. They opened their week on Tuesday with a trip to Walt Whitman and with Myles Mills '16 scoring 17 points and dishing out 6 assists, and Andre Morgan '16 scoring 16 points and pulling down 11 rebounds, the Eagles flew to the 54-34 win. It was a strong win to start the week, but Friday was a major test as it was a battle of unbeatens as Copiague took on Bay Shore. The Eagles trailed by as many as 7 in the 2nd half, but a strong showing by Mills as he finished with 18 points helped Copiague rally for the 66-62 win. Rigaud Destime '17 had 15 points as well, and Morgan had 10 points and 18 big rebounds to help the Eagles stay unbeaten. This week it's a matchup of ranked team as Copiague will head out on the road on Tuesday to take on our Long Island #9 Central Islip in another game of the week candidate.

9) Central Islip- The second new team to debut in the rankings this week, Central Islip is 4-0 on the year, and much like Copiague, they had a pair of very solid wins this week to propel them into the #9 spot. My'Quel Matthews '16 had 16 points and 9 rebounds, while Justin Headley '16 had 13 points including a big three in OT to down Lindenhurst on the road 64-60. It was an important win as it gave them momentum in taking on Walt Whitman on Friday. It was not a pretty offensive game, and the Musketeers needed a 16-3 fourth quarter rally to again rally back for a 49-43 win. Matthews and Mailk Clark '17 each had 13 points to lead Central Islip as the known how to pull out games late, helping them stay undefeated so far as we near the end of 2015. This Tuesday it will be a great league matchup as the Musketeers host Copiague in a must see Long Island contest that will surely have big implications in terms of our rankings for next week.

10) Chaminade- The Flyers had a strong start to the week, but closed it losing on a buzzer beater to one of NYC's best, a loss that while heartbreaking, is not considered a bad loss and allows them to stay in the Top Ten for yet another week. Chaminade got big efforts from both Mike McGuire '16 and Owen Prendergast '16 as they had 23 and 22 points respectively as the Flyers won an offensive shootout over Regis 78-70 on Tuesday. Saturday was the even bigger test for Chaminade as they had Cardinal Hayes from the CHSAA in NYC coming to them. It was a back and forth contest from start to finish, though the Flyers held the 1 point lead in the closing seconds, but Cardinal Hayes hit a baseline jumper as time expired to take the 64-63 win, crushing Chaminade's hopes of beating one of New York City's best. McGuire did all he could as he knocked down 5 threes and had a team high 19 points in the loss, though if anything can be taken out of this one it's that the Flyers can absolutely compete with some of NYC's best, and that should help them going forward this season. Chaminade is off this week, but returns to the court on the 29th when they host their Haggerty Tournament.

On The Bubble:

Deer Park

Westbury

Harborfields

Lawrence

Holy Trinity