CENTRAL NEW YORK – Something special might be unfolding for Bishop Ludden boys basketball, who completed a perfect 6-0 run through December by winning its own annual Rosemary Corcoran Holiday Classic.
And it was Jahzar Greene who dazzled again for the Gaelic Knights, all but carrying his side past South Jefferson 64-56 in the Dec. 28 title game.
Having beat Corcoran 60-53 in the opening round, the Spartans were determined to take the first-place trophy in its Ludden tournament debut and got off to a perfect start, making defensive stops and gaining a 15-7 advantage.
Sensing trouble, Greene completely took charge during a decisive second quarter, his series of baskets combined with stifling Ludden defense producing a 22-5 surge to close the half.
They went back and forth in the second half but the Gaelic Knights kept its lead as Greene worked his totals to 31 points and six rebounds. Liam Sheard and Colden Sheen had seven points apiece, Sheen adding eight rebounds as the Spartans got 21 points and 17 rebounds from Bobby Piddock.
Back in the opening round on Dec. 27 it was Ludden against Nichols, from the Buffalo area, and the Gaelic Knights (Greene in particular) taking over in the game’s middle stages on the way to a 71-41 victory over the Vikings.
Nichols actually led 11-10 through one period. But Ludden broke out in the second quarter, took a 34-25 lead and then put away the Vikings with a 25-7 domination of the third period.
Greene proved impossible for Nichols to contain, working his way to 33 points while adding eight rebounds, four steals and three assists. Inside support came from Sheard’s 11 points and Joe Dunham’s 12 points.
A day later, two other local powers, Marcellus and West Genesee, got to square off in the opening round of Christian Brothers Academy’s Maddy Leone Classic.
And it was the state Class B no. 4-ranked Mustangs beating the Wildcats 64-59 largely on the basis of what it did just before halftime of an otherwise hard-fought contest.
During that second period Marcellus outscored WG 18-7, which established a 30-19 halftime margin. Then the Wildcats’ offense roared to life in the second half, gradually eating away at the deficit but not quite catching up.
Tucker Burnett had 20 points to lead the Mustangs, helped by Dom Gosh-Sandy’s 15 points and Mitch Donegan’s 14 points. This three-pronged attack overcame WG leaning heavily on two players as Aidan Phelan earned 25 points and Kolton Castrello 24 points, the pair combining to sink nine 3-pointers.
In the final against New York City’s Holy Cross Academy, Marcellus lost 58-52. Despite managing just six points in the second quarter the Mustangs led 37-35 through three periods, only to have Holy Cross take over down the stretch, negating Burnett’s 21 points as Donegan got 14 points and Gosh-Sandy 10 points.
Meanwhile, WG beat the hosts from CBA 65-60 in the consolation game, seizing control with a 16-6 push through the second quarter as it withstood all the Brothers’ late-game comeback attempts.
Phelan finished with 20 points, Castrello adding 17 points and Jake McMahon stepping up with 12 points, which all overcame CBA’s Tavin Penix getting 26 points and Drew Britton adding 21 points.
All of this followed the Mustangs’ 92-45 romp over General Brown on Dec. 27 where all 14 players on the roster scored at least two points, with Donegan hitting five 3-pointers on his way to 24 points and Gosh-Sandy adding 13 points.
On the same day as the tournament final at CBA Ludden returned to action and won its seventh in a row, beating Saratoga Springs 68-45 in the Nexus Center in Utica.
A 19-5 opening run put the Gaelic Knights in control and the margin grew to 51-24 by the end of the third period. Best of all, Greene didn’t need to put up big numbers, though he still had 19 points as Sheard got 18 points and eight rebounds. Nick Brunger stepped up with 11 points, Dunham adding 10 points and nine rebounds.