Connecticut signee Jayden Ross led the way with 15 points, eight rebounds and four steals in the win.
In a crucial matchup for GEICO Nationals seeding, MaxPreps Top 25 No. 3
Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.) knocked off National Top 10 No. 4 Sunrise Christian Academy 58-53 behind a balanced effort that saw five players score nine of more points at the Pete Hollis Showcase.
It appeared the Crusaders of Long Island Lutheran (19-2) were going to run away with the contest
in the fourth quarter after baskets from Reid and Mingo to make the
score 51-44, but Arkansas signee
Layden Blocker scored consecutive baskets from the mid-range to cut the LuHi advantage to 54-51 with approximately two minutes remaining.
A
pair of missed free throws from Ross with 50 seconds remaining opened
the door for Sunrise Christian Academy (19-7) as the Buffaloes made it a
one-point game with 45 seconds remaining after Baylor signee
Miro Little converted both free-throw attempts at the other end.
The
biggest rebound of the game came from the smallest player on the court
as 5-foot-10 point guard Jayden Reid grabbed an offensive board off
his teammates miss with approximately 15 seconds remaining before
knocking down both free throws to give Long Island Lutheran a 56-53 lead
with 12 seconds left.
A corner 3-pointer from
the right corner rimmed off for Little before Ross secured the rebound
and knocked down a pair of free throws with 0.9 seconds remaining to
secure the victory.
Sunrise Christian Academy started the contest on a 10-2 run before the Crusaders battled back to cut the deficit to 17-13 after the first period of play. Long Island Lutheran took their first lead of the contest at 26-24 with 1:32 remaining in the second quarter and held a 28-27 advantage going into halftime.
The third quarter was full of runs as Long Island Lutheran opened the period with an 8-0 run to stretch its lead to 36-27 before the Buffaloes responded with six unanswered points to cut the deficit to 36-33. Seven straight points from the Crusaders gave them their largest advantage of the contest at 43-33, but Sunrise Christian Academy closed the third period on a 8-2 run to make things 45-41 headed into the final stanza.
Top 10 senior
Matas Buzelis and Blocker each finished tied for the game-high with 15 points in the loss.
Both teams return to the court tomorrow for another big-time matchup at the Pete Hollis Showcase as Long Island Lutheran faces off against National Top 10 No. 6
AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) and Sunrise Christian Academy takes on National Top 10 No. 8
La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.).
5-foot-10 senior Jayden Reid grabbed a critical rebound late in the game and finished with nine points in the win. (Photo: Catalina Fragoso)
