NYCHoops.net Top Ten L.I. Teams (Week 9 Recap)
It was a very big weekend for the teams in both Nassau and Suffolk as the Nassau vs. Suffolk Challenge really changed the shift of the NYCHoops.net Long Island Top Ten Rankings.
We learned a good amount about a lot of the best of the best from Long Island, and with a number of big matchups to come over the seven days ahead let’s see where things stand with our new and updated Top Ten.
1) LONG ISLAND LUTHERAN (13-1)- As per usual it’s the Crusaders making big statements to show why they aren’t just the best team on Long Island, but the best team in New York State overall. They took down Chaminade with relative ease on Sunday as a part of the LuHi Invitational 78-64 in a game that saw Zed Key ‘20 finish with 18 points and 10 rebounds, and then it was a super impressive 60-52 win over Holy Spirit Prep from Georgia at the HoopHall Classic in Massachusetts with a fantastic performance from Andre Curbelo ‘20 as the lead guard had 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists against the national power. From Thursday until Saturday this week the Crusaders will play in the Montverde Invitational Tournament in a Florida where they will open against one of Missouri’s best in Vashon.
2) BRENTWOOD (14-0)- Yet another strong showing from the Indians who took on Elmont at the Nassau vs. Suffolk Challenge on Sunday and took control early and rolled to a comfortable 72-58 win as double-double machine Bryce Harris ‘20 was at it again with 26 points and 12 rebounds in the Brentwood win. The Indians also had wins this week over Commack and William Floyd as they look to continue their trek to an undefeated season. Two more league games are coming up this week as Brentwood will go on the road on Wednesday to face off against Sachem East and will finish the week out on Friday afternoon against Patchogue-Medford.
3) LONGWOOD (12-1)- If anyone is going to give Brentwood a run in Suffolk it might just be their division rivals in Longwood. The Lions also had a fairly easy league win to open the week as they downed Sachem North 77-44 on Wednesday, and while it looked tough on paper Longwood would then make quick work of Uniondale at the Nassau vs. Suffolk Challenge on Sunday 73-55 as Elijah Whitty ‘19 had 19 points to lead the Lions in the convincing win. Really solidifying themselves as a Suffolk County title threat, Longwood this week will take on Central Islip at home on Tuesday before hitting the road on Thursday for a game against William Floyd.
4) CHAMINADE (10-4)- Even though the Flyers fell to Long Island Lutheran on the road on Saturday by a 78-64 score it wasn’t the worst performance by them as they hung tough and fought from start to finish as Kieran Dorney ‘20 had 22 points in the defeat. Chaminade did pick up a big road league win on Friday though against Holy Trinity 62-57 as Michael O’Connell ‘20 had 16 points and 7 assists in the victory. It’s a two-game week here for the Flyers as they go on the road for a non-league game on Wednesday with a tough Knox School before coming home for a Friday league date with St. Mary’s.
5) NORTH BABYLON (14-0)- Staying perfect on their season to date are the Bulldogs who may have been underrated heading into the year but have turned themselves into a serious title contender. Going on the road to start last week, North Babylon got a game winning FT in the closing seconds from Frank Toney ‘19, who had a team high 15 points, to help the Bulldogs to a 50-49 win at Deer Park. That would be followed up by two more wins over Huntington and West Islip to get them to the 14-win mark. The week ahead here will see North Babylon go on the road on Wednesday to play Centereach before coming back home to take on Comsewogue to close the week on Friday.
6) THE KNOX SCHOOL (10-4)- Continuing to test themselves against many of the best teams Knox went to play in the Gotham Hoops Classic this past Saturday afternoon against one of NYC’s best in Curtis, and while they fell 76-64 it wasn’t a bad performance by any stretch as Jaden DeJesus ‘21 had a very strong 20-point outing. The Falcons added wins over Stony Brook, St. Demetrios, and Leman Prep in a 3-1 week. Staying against tough competition, Knox will host our #4 team Chaminade team on Wednesday in a Long Island game of the week in what is their only game of the week.
7) LAWRENCE WOODMERE ACADEMY (11-4)- Another of the private schools on Long Island who routinely are testing themselves against high level competition, the Tigers got wins over Bay Ridge Prep and Oceanside this past week with Tyler St. Furcy ‘19 scoring his 1,000th career high school point in the Oceanside victory on Saturday. Monday did see Lawrence Woodmere play a very good Glenelg Country team from Maryland, and in a low scoring halfcourt court game the Tigers fell 46-34. It will be just one game this week for LWA as on Friday then will welcome Msgr. McClancy from the A Division in the CHSAA.
8) UNIONDALE (12-2)- While the week started out on a very positive note with a big league 45-41 win over their main rivals this season in Farmingdale in a game that had big man Juwan Shuford ‘20 had 12 points and 15 rebounds in the victory. At the Nassau vs. Suffolk Challenge though the Knights started slow and never recovered in a 73-55 defeat that sends Uniondale a bit down in the rankings. Looking to get back to their winning ways, the Knights will play one time this week with it being a home game on Saturday against Massapequa.
9) BALDWIN (11-1)- Many felt that the Bruins would be the one Nassau County team that would cruise the rest of the way to an undefeated regular season but on Friday they fell in one of the bigger shocks of the season, falling at home to Port Washington 37-36. They had beaten them earlier on the season by 26 points but in a slower tempo type of game Baldwin never found a rhythm and ultimately lost on a final second winner. It’s also a one game week for the Bruins too as on Saturday they will hit the road to go up against Westbury in what is almost a must win game for a talented Baldwin team.
10) FARMINGDALE (10-2)- Playing host last Friday to Uniondale gave the Dalers a chance to really make a major statement on Long Island, and while they led at the half it wasn’t meant to be as even though Marvel Chambers ‘20 had 17 points, Farmingdale struggled to score late and fell 45-41. They did defeat Freeport on the road earlier in the week 61-40 to hold their spot at #10 but will need to bounce back strong here on Saturday when they step out of league and travel to play Roosevelt.
