Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018: Wantagh, Mount Sinai win wrestling championships

   Leading off today: Wantagh and Mount Sinai each won four matches Saturday to capture the titles at the first New York State Public High School Athletic Association wrestling dual-meet championships in Syracuse.

   Back-to-back pins by James Langan at 195 pounds and Jonathan Loew at 220 -- in times of just 44 and 21 seconds, respectively -- turned the momentum and sparked Wantagh to a 37-28 win over Minisink Valley in the Division I final. Each had wrestled in a lower weight class earlier in the day.

   "I told them, 'I'm moving you both up and you're going to pin,'" coach Paul Gillespie said. "And they said, 'OK, coach.'"

   Nine competitors went 4-0 on the day as Wantagh improved to 31-0 for the season.

   "We came into this the one seed," said 2017 state 126-pound champion Justin Vines, who won all four of his matches. "We wanted to prove that we are the one seed and we are the best team in the state and we are the hardest hitting team out there."

   Brendan Goodrich's win by decision at 99 pounds in the next-to-last match clinched a 33-30 victory for Mount Sinai against Canisteo-Greenwood for the Division II crown at SRC Arena.

   Matt Campo enjoyed a huge day for the winners, pinning his four opponents in an aggregate 3:31.

   "I put so much time into this sport," Campo said. "I spend my entire offseason wrestling. My coaches give nothing but support to me. I want to thank my parents for helping me every day."

   Boys basketball: Long Island Lutheran looked dazzling at times in a 76-57 victory over Cardinal Hayes in the championship game of the SNY Invitational.

   LuHi entered the ranked fifth and Hayes 10th in the most recent NYSSWA ratings.

   Hayes dug out of an early seven-point hole to lead by eight in the first quarter, but LuHi went on a 10-0 run early in the second quarter and went on to a 39-30 advantage at the half.

   "I just knew that they were really quick and would be a tough matchup for our stating line-up," said Crusaders coach John Buck. "We had to match to (their intensity) and when we did that we were able to get the game in our favor."

   Donatas Kupsas led the winners with 22 points and also grabbed 12 rebounds. Tykei Greene scored 21 points and Tyson Etienne who chipped in with 15 en route to being selected the tournament MVP.

   Jontai Williams led Hayes with 21 points.

   J-D wins rematch: Jamesville-DeWitt extended a 10-point halftime lead to 14 after three quarters and went on to a 54-38 win over Pittsford Mendon in a rematch of last season's NYSPHSAA girls Class A championship game, also win by the Red Rams.

ADVERTISEMENT

   J-D is ranked first and Mendon fourth by the NYSSWA this week.

   Senior Meg Hair scored 15 points to lead J-D and sophomore Gabby Stickle added 14.

   "We know we have to defend our ring from last year," senior guard Kasey Vaughan said. "We wanted to come out and show whey we're No. 1."

   J-D coach Rob Siechen said it was good to have a playoff-like game heading into the homestretch of the regular season.

   "Mendon is so tough defensively," he said. "They made us work, which is good. They didn't go away."

    • Allegany-Limestone, ranked 14th in Class C, went three overtimes to defeat Fredonia 85-78.

   "It was one of those playoff atmospheres," A-L coach Frank Martin said. "When I went down the line I told their girls that if ESPN was here, this would've been an instant classic."

   Sophomore A'Cetta Farriat scored 11 of her team-high 21 points in the fourth quarter to help Fredonia rally from a 45-37 deficit.

   Limestone's Morgan Davis finished with 27 points and 16 assists. Molly Wolfgang (15 points) and Tierney Hemphill (11) each scored eight in overtime for the Gators.

    • Copiague's Carole Olsen picked up her 300th win with a 73-39 victory over Bellport. Keyanah Jackson had 20 points and 11 rebounds for Copiague.

   "Winning is nice. Everyone likes to win," Olsen said. "But 300 wins is more of a confirmation of trying to do all these things the right way over the years and it paying off."

   Two deaths to report: Mary ann Bump, a highly successful coach at Warrensburg, died Friday in Florida at the age of 59, more than 13 years after being diagnosed with cancer.

   Bump coached field hockey and softball for 28 years before retiring in 2013. She also served as the Section 2 field hockey chair. Her softball teams reached three straight state Class D finals beginning in 1993. Her 2007 field hockey team reached the state Class C final and win five sectional crowns.

    • Adam Sanford, who served as the officials assigner at the Armory as well as president of the USATF New York Officials Association, died Thursday.

   Sanford was also involved in the Manhattan Invitational cross country meet and the New Balance Indoor Nationals.