New York City & New Jersey High Hoops


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1/17/05 John P Miciotta: ' The Super Six at the Garden may have been the most publicized high school hoops event on Sunday. But there was plenty of great action, and great talent at the 6th annual Martin Luther King Basketball Challenge at L.I.U. Brooklyn as well.

The triple header saw Our Savior Lutheran, All Hallows and Paul Robeson each earn impressive wins over Canarsie, St. Dom's, and Bishop Loughlin respectively. And each of the winners featured potent inside-outside combinations that led them to victory.

In the opener for Our Savior Lutheran, junior guard Larry Garcia got things started by hitting for of his six treys in the opening half. That opened things up for fellow junior 6'8" Justin Burrell, who showed improved agility and finishing ability around the rim on his way to a 19-point 14-rebound MVP performance and a 92-81 victory for his team. For Canarsie sophomore Nathaniel Lester shook off what may have been early jitters to score a game high 37 points and nearly lead the Chiefs back from a big early deficit and earned him the game's sportsmanship award However, while Garcia and Burrell led the way, Lutheran and coach Oswald Cross received important contributions from senior Shane Donnelly and freshman Ivy Fisher who handled the ball well down the stretch and made enough plays along with 6'4" junior lefty Nick Murphy to secure the win. Senior Omar Robinson also scored well for the Chiefs in defeat.

The middle game of the day was also the closest as All Hallows used a fine game from center Mike Davis and some clutch shooting from their guards to squeak by St. Dom's 54-51. It seemed as if AH kept trying to put some distance between themselves and the Doms but each time they did, the Long Islanders made a key play to bring it back. For All Hallows, Davis, Codi Oliver and Tirrell Hill all had good moments early while for St. Dom's TJ Carey provided early scoring outside as TJ Thomas did good work around the basket. The second half saw senior guard Brian Sheehy connect on four treys and briefly give St. Dom's the lead before consecutive drives by Hill and Darryl Crawford got the Gaels the lead for good. Davis was game MVP with 15 points for the Gaels while Sheehy's hot shooting earned him the game's sportsmanship award.

The nightcap saw Todd Myles' Robeson team ride early hot outside shooting from Malcolm Grant and some tough work inside from fellow junior Derrick Wright to an impressive 76-62 win over Loughlin. The Eagles also received key contributions from soph James Mills and senior Godfrey Mascall, who helped MVP Grant navigate Louglin's pressure successfully for all but a brief stretch in the last quarter that saw the Lions rally from a 20 point deficit and cut it to 7 with 2:30 left. Darius Gabriel was outstanding providing the offensive spark for the rally and won the game's sportsmanship award. Despite the Lions" gallant effort, Grant made enough shots and enough good decisions to help his team secure a very good win.'


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