Sunday, Dec. 30, 2018: Mixed results as basketball teams wrap up trips

   Leading off today: Out-of-state trips ended on losing notes for a pair of New York's second-ranked boys basketball teams Saturday.

   Guard Seth Bennett scored a game-high 22 points for Charlotte (N.C.) Christian during a 54-39 victory over Long Island Lutheran in the title contest of the Hoodie's House Hoops Classic in Mint Hill, N.C.

   LuHi, ranked second in Class AA last week by the New York State Sportswriters Association, was led by 15 points from Jalen Celestine, who was in foul trouble for much of the second half.

   Charlotte Christian improved to 14-1. Long Island Lutheran is 8-1.

   In Lewes, Del., Albany Academy dropped its second game in three days. Yale-bound guard August Mahoney scored 25 points in a 62-52 loss to Westtown (Pa.) on the final day of the Slam Dunk by the Beach.

   Albany Academy is ranked second in Class A by the NYSSWA.

   More interstate action: Thomas Jefferson, ranked seventh in Class AA, made it a four-game sweep of the Vista Mesa Challenge in Arizona by beating Goodyear (Ariz.) Millennium 83-80. Kareem Welch led the winners with 31 points, and sophomore Jaquan Carlos posted 25 points, seven assists and just one turnover.

   Interestingly, the Vista Mesa showcase marked the introduction of the 35-second shot clock to the state. The Arizona Interscholastic Association gave its blessing to use the shot clock -- fewer than a dozen states have that rule -- as a one-shot experiment, which probably helped attract teams and spectators.

   Miles' milestone: Northstar Christian senior Miles Brown became Section 5's career scoring leader in boys basketball with 31 points in a 68-59 win over Geneva.

   Brown began the night needing 24 points to pass the mark of 2,441 career points held by former Dansville guard Neal Weidman since 1993.

   The 6-foot-1 guard is in his fifth varsity season.

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   Following up: John Bowne took to the court for the first time since the death of junior guard Lenny Pierre, losing to James Monroe 63-61 in PSAL action on senior Ismar Martinez's 3-pointer at the buzzer for his only field goal of the contest.

   Pierre, 16, collapsed during practice Wednesday and was pronounced dead at an area hospital. The cause of death has not been determined.

   "It's hard to gauge honestly," coach John Tsapelas said when asked about the team's frame of mind entering the game. "Under these circumstance winning is really secondary."

   James Monroe coach Nigel Thompson said he had a long talk with his team before the game and could tell his players were affected as well.

   "We spoke to our young men about the situation and they understood that there are more important things than basketball even though sometimes it seems like that's all that matters to them," Thompson said.

   400 wins for coach: Baldwinsville hockey coach Mark Lloyd won his 400th game as the Bees routed Mohawk Valley 15-1. Lloyd began coaching the Bees in 1985.

   "I never, ever suspected that I'd be around long enough to get (No. 400.)," Lloyd said. "I've got to thank my family, the athletic directors, and most of all, the players to allow me to do that."

   Quick work: Amherst wrestler Ben Levine set a tournament record by pinning Royalton-Hartland's Karson Grover in six seconds at the Akron Varsity Tournament.

   Sec. 11 pioneer dies: Robert Young, who served as Section 11 president from 1973-75 and associate director from 1982-87, died last month in Hendersonville, N.C., his family said. He was 92.

   Young is credited with facilitating the merger between Section 11, which oversaw only boys high school sports in the early 1970s, and the Suffolk County Girls Athletic Association, which oversaw all girls programs. The move brought uniformity to how the sports were governed and was a significant step toward gender equity.

   "That was a first in New York State, if not beyond," said former sectional Executive Director Cathy Gallagher. "Section 11 led New York State in that whole concept of absorbing the girls programs into one working and functioning organization. That was a major step and I would give Bob Young the credit for that."

   Young, an AD at Island Trees from 1950-65 and the South Huntington district from 1965-81, also spearheaded the modernization of the section's scheduling system, overseeing the transition from a paper-and-pencil process to the use of computers to automatic much of the process.