Sunday, Jan. 11, 2015: NY trio shares Eastern States MOW honor

   Leading off today: Two Section 5 standouts were among three New Yorkers selected Most Outstanding Wrestlers at the Eastern States Classic on Saturday at SUNY Sullivan in Loch Sheldrake.

   Hilton sophomore Yianni Diakomihalis decisioned Jack Mueller of Wyoming Seminary in Pennsylvania 5-1 for the championship at 120 pounds; Penfield freshman Frankie Gissendanner decisioned Mike D'Angelo of Commack 4-3 on an ultimate tie-breaker at 138 pounds; and Peru senior Jordan Bushey won by fall in the third period vs. Kevin Parker of Shenendehowa at 170 pounds.

   Gissendanner and D'Angelo traded escapes in the first tiebreaker. D'Angelo opted for bottom in the UTB but stalemated twice before Gissendanner rode him out for the win.

   Diakomihalis was the NYSPHSAA Division I champion at 106 pounds last year, and Gissendanner and Bushey were place-winners.

   Seven Long Island competitors were among the nine other New Yorkers who prevailed in the Eastern States finals. You can check out the rundown from New York Wrestling News.

   Pressure rallies LuHi: Long Island Lutheran forced five straight backcourt turnovers midway through the fourth quarter Saturday and went on to a 72-61 boys basketball victory against host Albany Academy.

   The sequence helped the Crusaders, ranked No. 1 in Class AA by the New York State Sportswriters Association, turn a one-point deficit into a nine-point lead over the Cadets, ranked second in Class A. LuHi completes a huge weekend by playing PSAL power Thomas Jefferson, ranked No. 2 in Class AA, in Sunday in New York City.

   Albany Academy scored a 53-50 upset of LuHi a year ago but lined up with five new starters this time.

   LuHi scored 30 fourth-quarter points to overcome a six-point Albany Academy lead entering the fourth quarter. Junior Devonte Green and senior Elijah Bailey finished with 25 and 20 points, respectively.

   Demanding weekend: Fairport's Tyler Sullivan scored a goal and two assists Saturday as the Red Raiders, ranked fourth in New York Division I hockey, beat No. 3 Baldwinsville 3-0. Luke Barnes made 20 saves to record the shutout.

   Baldwinsville was coming off a 3-3 tie vs. Section 3 rival West Genesee on Friday.

   "Fairport is a very good team and I am not taking anything away from them and their victory, but we were pretty gassed out there today," Baldwinsville coach Mark Lloyd told Syracuse.com.

   The schedule doesn't get any easier for the Bees. They'll return to the ice Friday vs. No. 7 Syracuse and Saturday vs. No. 5 McQuaid.

   More hockey: Second-ranked Buffalo St. Joe's scored on a third-period power play by Jake Colosanti and then held on for a 3-2 win over No. 8 Pittsford, which dropped its third straight game.

   Shenendehowa scored a 5-3 win over Pelham, ranked fifth in Division II, as Hayden Haldane tallied twice.

   A pair of fours: Bishop Grimes overcame a four-point deficit in the final 2:00 and defeated Rochester's Bishop Kearney 50-49 in girls basketball. Kearney is ranked fourth in the state in Class A and Grimes is fourth in Class B.

   Grimes (10-0) defeated Maine-Endwell, ranked 21st in Class A, in its previous game and owns wins over Class AA squads Fayetteville-Manlius and West Genesee.

   Jordan Vaught's free throws with under 1:00 to go closed out the victory over Kearney. Freshman center Azariah

Wade led the Cobras with 20 points, and senior guard Teresa Shattuck added 10 points.

   "This was a great test for us," Grimes coach John Cifonelli told Syracuse.com. "They're as quick as anybody we've played -- probably as quick as anybody we've played in years."

   Was this necessary? The "award" for horrendous girls basketball victory of the season goes to San Bernadino (Calif.) Arroyo Valley, which inflicted a 161-2 beating on Bloomington High in a game (?) Monday.

   According to accounts, Arroyo Valley coach Michael Anderson told Bloomington coach Dale Chung beforehand he planned to run his full offense in the first half in order to prepare for league play even though Arroyo Valley carried a 13-1 record into the game against its 0-9 opponent.

   Arroyo Valley benched its starters at the half and the fourth quarter was played with a running clock.

   "It wasn't a good feeling (afterward)," Anderson said. "It's not something I'm proud of. It's not something I would put on a mantel."

   As USA Today points out, it wasn't California's worst blowout. Cheryl Miller scored 105 points for Riverside Poly in a 179-15 win over Riverside Norte Vista in 1982.

   Extra points: The New York State Public High School Athletic Association and and Civil Service Employees Association selected Michael Paz of Newburgh as the winner of the 2014 Excelsior Award, recognizing a CSEA member who has helped promote and foster athletic spirit in their local school district.

   Paz is the acting chief inspector for pro boxing and wrestling in the state and active with numerous scholarship and fundraising committees.