By Russ Waterman
MaxPreps.com
While several of the country's top squads and players were the top attractions at the 2009 Spalding Hoophall Classic, many boys and girls teams from Massachusetts and local stars also took center stage at Springfield College.
Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir of New Leadership scored 38 points in a 69-51 loss to Millbury at the Hoophall Classic. She fell three points short of surpassing the all-time career scoring mark of 2,710 (boys or girls) set by former Southwick star Rebecca Lobo, who went to star at the University of Connecticut and the WNBA. Julie Franklin had an outstanding 22-point, 18-rebound effort in the win by the undefeated Woolies, defending two-time Central Massachusetts Division 2 champions.
But the crowd, including Lobo, herself, was there to see if the 5-foot-3, Memphis-bound senior could make history. Qaadir still put on a show by connecting on 16 of 32 shots, grabbing eight rebounds and making eight steals. Averaging 43 points per game, Qaadir is likely to set the record very early when New Leadership plays its next game on January 26 against Commerce at Rebecca Johnson Middle School in Springfield.
Briana Kelly had 19 points and 9 rebounds and Julia McWilliams added 16 points for Minnechaug in a 65-60 win over Springfield Central. The back-and-forth contest featured 12 ties and 12 lead changes before Minnechaug went on a late 8-0 run the last two minutes. A'Lece Mark had 21 points and Brisje Malone 20 for Central.
Northampton senior Alanna Driscoll-Barr, headed for Fairleigh-Dickinson next season, came through with 18 points for Northampton in a 75-46 loss against undefeated Mater Dei, Calif., MaxPreps No. 1 squad nationally. Kaleena Lewis, a 6-0 sophomore guard, scored 33 points in 27 minutes of action in the win over Northampton, defending Massachusetts Division 1 state champions.
More Hoophall: Preboye returns triumphantly
* Preye Preboye of the Winchendon School was named game MVP in an 81-70 victory over the Patterson School from North Carolina. The 6-5 senior, a former standout at Springfield Central, played just 16 minutes but still compiled impressive stats: 18 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists.
Behind 10 points and 10 rebounds by 6-9 Vermont-bound senior center Ben Crenca, Worcester Academy held off St. Andrews (Barrington, R.I.), 69-54. Deshawn Dockery had a team-high 14 points for the Hilltoppers while Nyheem Sanders led all scorers with 17 for St. Andrew's.
* The inside-outside punch of New Leadership guard Phillip Warrick (33 points) and game MVP Devonte Vanderpool (17 points, 15 rebounds, and six blocks) was too much for Division 1 Holyoke to handle in a 71-64 loss to the Division 3 Wildcats.
* Danny O'Keefe had 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for Lexington which led from start to finish in a 61-37 victory over Springfield Cathedral in a cold-shooting performance (below 30 percent) by both squads. Jeremy Moss and Mike Igoe contributed 11 each and Lance Greene added 10. Cathedral forward Pat Gooden paced all scorers with 16 points.
* Marco Coppola had 17 points and Kyle Stockmal pitched in with 15 points and 5 assists as Watertown snapped the unbeaten streak of Sabis, 62-47. Watertown connected on 12 3-pointers overall, including four each by Coppola and Timothy Barba.
Freshman Kamali Bey led all scorers with 28 points while Andre King had 11 points and 13 rebounds for Sabis. Richard Morrisey and Barba scored 14 each for the Raiders, who converted 8-of-16 3-point attempts to build a 34-22 lead in the first half.
* Erik Murphy (South Kingstown, R.I.), the 6-10 Florida-bound senior center for St. Mark's School, scored 21 points and had 13 rebounds in a 60-53 loss to Gonzaga College.
Murphy received the game's Most Outstanding Player honors for his performance. His teammate, Georgetown-bound junior Nate Lubick, had 13 points and eight rebounds.
* Two Massachusetts residents who will be playing for Connecticut next season dominated play in a 98-79 win by New Hampshire’s Tilton School over Hotchkiss of Connecticut.
Jamal Coombs-McDaniel of Charlestown, a 6-6 forward, poured in a game-high 33 points and 6-9 Alex Oriakhi (Lowell) added 23 points and 17 boards.
* Defending Massachusetts Division 1 champion Central Catholic rallied with a 31-8 fourth quarter flurry but fell short in an 82-77 loss to American Heritage of Plantation, Fla.
Bill Marsden, a 5-11 senior guard, scored 25 points, including seven treys and 6-9 junior center Carson Desrosiers had 23 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
But American Heritage teammates Kenny Boynton and Raymond Taylor stole the show. Boynton, a future Florida Gator and regarded as one of the top seniors nationally, scored 28 points, including four 3-pointers. Taylor, committed to Florida Atlantic, had 21 points and four treys with five assists.
* Sci-Tech dominated the inside in a 72-62 win over Putnam. The Cybercats' 6-6 senior center Kadar Lynch had a career-best performance (26 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks) while Chrys Malone had 13 points and 12 assists, often setting up Lynch for the finish.
* Jordan Smith and Jarel Njiiri each scored 15 points for Springfield Central in a 61-49 win over Springfield Commerce to close out the Classic. The Golden Eagles forced 26 turnovers by Commerce, which was led by Carl Stewart and Josh Baker with 11 each. Central earlier took Hillhouse, Connecticut's No. 1 team, to the wire before being edged out, 47-44.
Other Hoophall Scores/Results
Boys
Oak Hill Academy (Va.) 65, South Atlanta (Ga.) 58
DeMatha Catholic (Md.) 88, Neumann-Goretti (Pa.) 71
St. Anthony (N.J.) 58, Putnam City (Okla.) 50
St. Benedict’s Prep (N.J.) 77, Wheeler (Ga.) 67
LeFlore (Ala.) 67, Lincoln (N.Y.) 54
Mater Dei (Calif.) 86, Whitney Young (Ill.) 61
All-Tournament First Team
Derrick Favors, South Atlanta
Keith “Tiny” Gallon, Oak Hill Academy
Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, Tilton
Josh Selby, DeMatha Catholic
Travis Wear, Mater Dei
All-Tournament Second Team
Xavier Henry, Putnam City
DeMarcus Cousins, LeFlore
Lance Stephenson, Lincoln
Alex Oriakhi, Tilton
Kenny Boynton, American Heritage
All-Tournament Third Team
Carson Desrosiers, Central Catholic
Preye Preboye, Winchendon
Devon Collier, St. Anthony
Erik Murphy, St. Mark’s
Justin Jackson, Montverde Academy
