2018-19 New York City boys basketball (through Jan. 26)
The weekly look at the New York City metro area's PSAL, CHSAA and AIS schools for the New York State Sportswriters Association is compiled by Mike Libert:
Class AA
1) St. Raymond (16-4)- Further taking grip of the top spot in the NYC rankings
are the Ravens who had close, yet impressive wins in their three games this
past week. They downed Msgr. Scanlan 73-69 last Sunday in a game that saw St.
Ray's trail most of the way but found a way to win late. Next was one of the
WCAC's best in Bishop O'Connell from Virginia on Monday at the Big Apple Invi-
tational in a game that saw Luis Kortright '20 named Game MVP as the Ravens
took a 75-68 victory. Friday then saw a trip to Iona Prep, and with Gary Grant
'20 scoring a career high 41 points it was St. Raymond leaving with a 70-66
win. It's just one game coming up this week for the Ravens who will hit the
road again on Friday to take on a very improved Mount St. Michael team.
2) Bishop Loughlin (17-1)- Two road games and two wins for the Lions who had a
tricky trip to St. Francis Prep on Tuesday in a game that saw neither team ever
lead by more than 5 points throughout, but with Julian Champagnie '19 leading
all scorers with 32 points he helped Loughlin come away with a 68-64 win. A big
rivalry game on the road at Xaverian came next on Friday and from the start
this one was all Lions as Justin Champagnie '19 had 26 points and 13 rebounds
as Bishop Loughlin controlled throughout in what would be a 72-54 victory. Next
for the Lions will be a Sunday road game at Archbishop Molloy before a big
battle in Queens on Friday night against Christ the King in a must see showdown.
3) South Shore (19-3)- Showing a lot of resilience, the Vikings fell behind by
double digits early in the third quarter but responded with a major comeback as
led by the 21 points of Kadary Richmond '19 and the 16 points and 14 rebounds
of Isaiah Richards '19, South Shore came away with a 61-58 victory on Monday
against Cardinal Hayes in the South Shore MLK Classic. That was the first of two
wins this week as the Vikings downed Boys & Girls 57-47 on Friday in a game that
saw South Shore get off to a slowish start, but came on late for the victory.
It's a one game slate for the Vikings this week as on Tuesday they will go on
the road to face off with Abraham Lincoln.
4) Cardinal Hayes (15-4)- It was the Game of the Week as the Cardinals went to
South Shore to play the Vikings in the South Shore MLK Classic last Monday.
Seemingly in firm control, Cardinal Hayes were up by as many as 14 in the second
half before a fourth quarter rally allowed the Vikings to pull out a 61-58 win
over the Cardinals who were paced by Jaylen Murray '20 and his 26 points. Rally-
ing back from the loss though, Hayes were able to go to White Plains on Friday
and down Archbishop Stepinac 63-49 in a game that had Joe Toussaint '19 score 19
points. Sunday will see the Cardinals go to Staten Island to take on St. Peter's
is a tricky league contest, then it will be a Tuesday road test at St. Francis
Prep before a Saturday evening non-league matchup against Class A power Nazareth.
5) Thomas Jefferson (17-5)- In another one of the offensive displays that the
Orange Wave have put together this season, Kareem Welch '19 had 34 points and
15 rebounds while Kevin Tabb '20 added 17 points as Jefferson took down George
Westinghouse on Friday 104-63 in a blowout win that saw them score 59 first half
points to run away for the easy victory. Going on the road in their only game
this coming week, Thomas Jefferson will head out to take on Boys & Girls in a
game that the Orange Wave will need to keep their hopes of a Brooklyn AA title
alive.
6) Christ the King (10-7)- Without playing last week the Royals move up a couple
spots and look to try and get back on track even though they will still be with-
out Moussa Cisse '21 and Quaran McPherson '20 for the foreseeable future because
of injuries. They still have a good amount of talent though it's unproven talent
besides Ryan Myers '20 who has stepped up his productivity in the past couple
weeks. A big Sunday trip to Xaverian awaits Christ the King as they look to get
revenge on an early season loss to the Clippers, and then it will be home games
against Holy Cross and Bishop Loughlin on Tuesday and Friday respectively in what
will be a busy three game week ahead.
7) Brooklyn Collegiate (12-6)- Playing at the South Shore MLK Classic on Sunday
evening the Lions took on Wings Academy in what many anticipated would be one of
the games of the weekend but it was ultimately all Brooklyn Collegiate as Glen
Anderson '19 had 19 points as the Lions made easy work of Wings 72-49. After
that it was back to league play on Friday as Brooklyn Collegiate squared off
worth Abraham Lincoln. It wasn't easy as they game went to OT, but with 11
points and 14 rebounds coming from big man Erlyn Ramirez '19 the Lions were able
to pull out a 75-72 win to move up the rankings this week. On Sunday, Brooklyn
Collegiate will head to Msgr. Scanlan to play in the Crusaders Invitational, and
then on Tuesday its a road game at Eagle Academy II in their final game of a
two-game week.
8) Msgr. Scanlan (8-8)- When you look at the Crusaders record you may not think
they are as good of a team as they are, but holding wins over Mount St. Michael,
Christ the King and Xaverian so far this season, while also losing to Cardinal
Hayes and St. Raymond's in close contests, it shows just how truly competitive
Scanlan is with 4 of their 8 losses coming out of league against national com-
petition. Matt Mayers '19 has become one of the more productive players in the
CHSAA this season and the Crusaders will look to keep proving those who doubt
them wrong when on Sunday they host Brooklyn Collegiate as apart of their Cru-
saders Invitational, before a Tuesday home game with Mount. St. Michael rounds
out Msgr. Scanlan's week.
9) Xaverian (14-4)- An up and down week any way you look at it, Xaverian nearly
fell at home last Sunday when they needed a late rally to down St. Francis Prep
60-58 in a game that saw lead guard Nick Folk '20 score 16 points, including
the game winner late. Bishop Loughlin followed that one on Friday, and it was a
rough start for the Clippers who fell behind by 13 points after one quarter and
never were able to get back on track in what ended up as a 72-54 defeat. Hoping
to rebound from that last loss will see Xaverian play host to Christ the King
on Sunday in a big B/Q battle, and then it will be a road tilt up in New Ro-
chelle on Tuesday as the Clippers will take on Iona Prep.
10) Mount St. Michael (12-7)- After what could only be described as a disappoint-
ing start to the season 2019 has been very good for the Mountaineers as this week
they defeated both Archbishop Molloy and St. Francis Prep to run their winning
streak to 7 games. Mount led from start to finish in a 72-63 win over the Stan-
ners in a game that saw Mike Green '19 lead with 21 points, and then it was a
tighter game on the road against the Terriers but the Mountaineers were more than
up to the task as they took a 64-61 victory. Looking to keep their impressive
play going, Mount St. Michael will go on the road to take on Msgr. Scanlan on
Tuesday, and then it's a major statement level game on Friday when the Moun-
taineers play host to our #1 ranked St. Raymond.
11) Thurgood Marshall Academy (15-4)- One of the teams that has really shot up
late and come on and made sure to put themselves in the conversation for best
teams in NYC, the Panthers went on the road on Friday to take on Wings Academy
and cruised to a 74-54 win that saw George Varmah '19 had a 22-point, 10-re
bound performance for Thurgood Marshall. They then backed that win up on Satur-
day as TMA defeated Curtis at the Brown vs. Board of Education Showcase 75-71
as the Panthers led nearly the entire way with Jaylen Denny '19 scoring a team
high 21 points in the victory for Thurgood Marshall. In what will be TMA's only
game this coming week the Panthers will host Gompers on Friday looking for
seven league wins in a row.
12) St. Peter's (14-5)- It's now 6 wins in a row for the Eagles who this week
defeated Holy Trinity in the non-league 66-48 as Chris Clancy '19 scored 26
points from his point guard spot to lead the way in the victory, and then in
Staten Island play on Friday it was St. Peter's going on the road and defeat-
ing Tottenville 78-48 as four Eagles were in double figures scoring led by
Jamal Achille '19 who had 22 points. Sunday will see St. Peter's play their
final league game of the season when they play host to Cardinal Hayes in a
game that would send ripples through the CHSAA with a win, and then Saturday
it's a non-league trip out to Long Island to take on Chaminade in the Eagles
final game before the SIHSL playoffs.
13) Curtis (17-6)- Locking up the top seed this past week from the PSAL Staten
Island Division for the upcoming SIHSL playoffs, the Warriors achieved a couple
of big things over the past seven days as on Monday they played in the South
Shore MLK Classic and demolished Cardozo 82-57 in a game that saw Darnell Askew
'19 put up a career high 50 points, and then Askew backed that up on Friday in
a Curtis win over CSI/McCown by scoring his 1,000th career point. Saturday did
see the Warriors fall to Thurgood Marshall Academy 75-71 in the Brown vs. Board
of Education Showcase. Just one game before the SIHSL postseason as this week
will see Curtis go to St. Joseph by the Sea on Thursday.
14) McKee/Staten Island Tech (14-7)- With Curtis taking the first Class AA berth
into the PSAL playoffs from Staten Island it's McKee/SIT who will be the other
Staten Island representative in Class AA as in a winner take all game on Friday
night the Seagulls got a last second winner from Kalique Mitchell '19 to down
New Dorp, 52-51. It was a fantastic end to a fantastic regular season for MSIT
as they are now done with their regular season and will await the upcoming
SIHSL playoffs where they will be a top 4 seed before coming back to the PSAL
AA playoffs that begin in a months time.
15) Cardozo (16-2)- A game that the Judges will like to forget is their 82-57
loss to Curtis at the South Shore MLK Classic last Monday as the Judges had one
of their worst defensive outings of the season and never were in it from start
to finish. Friday did see Cardozo come back as Donte Howell '19 connected on a
runner at the buzzer as he had 17 points to help the Judges to a 72-70 win over
Springfield Gardens. Errol White '20 had a game high 19 points and 13 rebounds
in the win for Cardozo who will next play on Tuesday at home against Francis
Lewis in a battle for first place in the Queens AA, before a road game on
Thursday against John Bowne finishes their week.
Class A
1) Brooklyn Law and Tech (17-3)- Without question the Jets solidified them-
selves as the team to beat in the PSAL Class A this season as they capped off
a 3-0 week on Saturday afternoon with a 60-48 victory over Lehman at the PSAL
Class A Showcase in the Bronx. Joseph Pena '19 and Davonta Cook '19 paced Law
and Tech to the win in a week that also saw them down The Dwight School at the
South Shore MLK Classic on Sunday, along with James Madison on Friday in a
league contest. Wednesday will see Brooklyn Law and Tech play host to Lafay-
ette in a Brooklyn A6 league matchup that will be the only game of the week
for the Jets.
2) Nazareth (13-4)- In their two games this past week the Kingsmen showed just
how dangerous and potent an offensive team they could be, defeating University
of New Jersey on Monday at the South Shore MLK Classic, 101-61, and then just
as easily defeating Kennedy Catholic on the road in league play on Friday 93-
41. T.J. Morris '21 had 18 points in both games to lead Nazareth, but the re-
turn of Tymell Stevenson '21 inside has given the Kingsmen a real two way force
down low for the stretch run as he had a pair of double-doubles this week. Sun-
day will see a stiff non-league test for Nazareth as they take on St. Bene-
dict's in New Jersey at the Hand 2 Heart Invitational, then will go to Xavier
in league on Wednesday, before another league road test on Friday at Msgr.
McClancy, and then a AA non-league matchup on Saturday with Cardinal Hayes.
3) Fordham Prep (15-4)- The winning streak for the Rams is now up to 11 in a
row as they were able to win a pair of home games this week over St. Joseph by
the Sea and Adlai Stevenson, with the league matchup against Sea coming down to
the wire as Matt Filipowski '21 had 15 points and 8 rebounds in a 52-49 vic-
tory. Saturday saw Fordham Prep take on Collegiate School at the Coaches vs.
Cancer Classic at Fieldston, and with Avni Mustafaj '19 tallying 17 points the
Rams capped off a perfect week with a 53-45 win. Looking to stay on the winning
track Fordham Prep will have a tough road matchup on Tuesday against All Hallows
before a pair of home games on Thursday and Saturday close out the week against
Truman and Regis respectively.
4) Msgr. Farrell (14-3)- Having been idle for this past week the Lions will be
busy in the week ahead with three games starting off with a big one on Sunday
when Msgr. Farrell comes to the Bronx to take on All Hallows in a game with a ton
implications on the CHSAA Class A playoff picture. Tuesday will then see the
Lions host St. Edmund's Prep before a road game on Friday with one of their major
Staten Island rivals in St. Joseph by the Sea. Led this season so far by Anthony
Clemenza '19 and Matt Birnbach '20, it's a big next seven days for Msgr. Farrell
who will be trying to cement themselves as a team to beat in the upcoming SIHSL
and CHSAA playoffs.
5) All Hallows (12-6)- It was a quiet week for the Gaels who didn't take the
court over the past seven days, which might be a good thing. They had played a
lot of basketball early in 2019 and had lost 2 of their last 3 before this
stretch without any games as they look to use this little break as a chance to
get a second wind for the closing run of the season. Led by Nick Johnson '19 All
Hallows will look to get going again on Sunday with a big home tilt against
Msgr. Farrell, then on Tuesday they play host to Fordham Prep, with both games
having major playoff seeding implications before a slightly easier game to close
the week on Friday when the Gaels head up north to take on Kennedy Catholic.
6) Xavier (14-4)- Beginning the week with a convincing 88-45 victory over Ken-
nedy Catholic on Monday, Friday brought us to one of the biggest and best rival-
ries in New York City as the Knights played host to Regis. Even though it's a
Class A vs. Class B matchup it's always a tight and close game when the two
fierce rivals meet, with this year's contest being no different as it was
Joseph McGrane '20 with 19 points as Xavier pulled out a 58-49 victory. Coming
back 24 hours later the Knights were able to take a 50-45 win in OT over Poly
Prep as McGrane again paced the way with 16 points. It's a home week ahead for
Xavier as on Monday they will welcome in Msgr. McClancy, then it's a big Wednes-
day showdown with league favorites Nazareth, before a date on Friday with Card-
inal Spellman finishes out a busy week for the Knights.
7) New Dorp (14-4)- A team that teetered on the AA/A line all year as the top
two finishers in the PSAL Staten Island Division go to Class AA, the Central
Cougars took on McKee/Staten Island Tech on the road on Friday in a winner goes
AA, loser goes A game. New Dorp looked like they had a chance to win down one
in the closing seconds but a late no called on a drive by Latrell Thompson '19
ended the game with the Central Cougars on the wrong side of a 52-51 contest,
pushing them into the top Class A spot out of Staten Island, but a team that
holds wins over Curtis and MSIT, the two Class AA representatives, this season.
A home game with Tottenville closes out New Dorp's regular season at home on
Wednesday before the SIHSL playoffs begin.
8) Beacon (15-1)- With just one loss on the schedule earlier this month against
FDA when the Blue Demons were missing a pair of starters, Beacon looks to once
again be the real deal as on Saturday in Queens they were able to knock off
Canarsie in the PSAL Class A Showcase, 64-58. Great outside shooter from both
Michael O'Brien '20 and Samuel Pohlman '21, who had 21 and 20 points respect-
ively for the Blue Demons, helped Beacon withstand a late charge and come away
with the victory. A three game week awaits the Blue Demons now as on Wednesday
they will go on the road to Graphics Campus followed by a pair of home games
after that, on Friday against West 50th Street, and then a non-league on Satur-
day against Susan Wagner.
9) Lehman (20-2)- The week began in strong fashion as the Lions got 20 points
from Mekhi Purser '20 as Lehman took down Seward Park in a non-league contest
at home on Monday, 61-54. That win bolstered their case as one of the best in
the PSAL this season, though after a forfeit win on Friday against Longwood
Prep the Lions were taken down by what many, including us, consider to be the
best in Class A this season in Brooklyn Law and Tech 60-48 at the PSAL Class A
Showcase in the Bronx. It was a tough loss but a loss that should help Lehman
with motivation the rest of the way. The first NYC team to 20 wins, Lehman has
just one game this week when on Monday they go on the road to take on a strong
and talented Evander Childs.
10) Canarsie (15-3)- With as good of a backcourt duo in Khadafi Julio '19 and
A'Mag Tate '20 leading the way the Chiefs looked like they were well on their
way to being near the top of the PSAL this season. They defeated Millennium on
the road on Friday afternoon 66-55 in league play and looked ready to take on
Beacon at the PSAL Class A Showcase on Saturday in Queens. It didn't turn out
the way Canarsie wanted though as even though they rallied back in the fourth
to take a lead, the perimeter defense didn't hold up and the Chiefs fell 64-58
in a disappointing defeat. It's time now for Canarsie to show what they are
made of in what will be a very busy week ahead as on Monday they travel to Til-
den, then on Wednesday go on the road to a very good Transit Tech team. Friday
will next have the Chiefs host Bushwick before a Saturday non-league date
against top PSAL Class B school Achievement First ends the week.
Class B
1) Summit Academy (14-1)- It was a slow week for the Eagles who because of the
PSAL Mid-Winter break had an idle seven day stretch here. They did maintain
their top spot in the Class B rankings this week as their body of work is fan-
tastic with an undefeated mark against Class B competition. The challenges for
Summit will heat up this week as they will have 4 games in the next seven days,
leading off on Monday with a road contest at Adams Street Academy in what could
be a tricky test. A road game in New Jersey against Sinai Christian Academy
then is up on Tuesday for the Eagles, with a game soon after that on Wednesday
against Brooklyn Collaborative Studio ending their league slate of games for
the season. Friday will see Summit step out of league as they go on the road to
take on Achievement First in a strong contest between a pair of ranked teams.
2) Uncommon Charter (15-1)- In a game that has to be looked at as a win that
could take a program to the next level, Uncommon was able to dethrone Arch-
bishop Molloy of the CHSAA Class AA this past Monday as Joel Paisley '19 had
16 points and 11 rebounds in a 63-56 victory as apart of the Big North Shoot-
out. The definition of a statement making win if their ever was one, the Sabers
now without question are a team to reckon with the rest of the way as they have
the depth, and the talent both inside and outside to make a major run at the
PSAL title this season. Monday will see Uncommon go to William Maxwell before
a Tuesday game against a strong Spring Creek Campus team 24 hours later closes
out what is a two game week.
3) South Bronx Prep (19-2)- Paced by Jordan Agyemang '19 who had 24 points and
11 rebounds, the Cougars were a blue to rally past Grady for a 72-65 victory
on Monday at the South Shore MLK Classic. It wasn't an easy one for South Bronx
Prep who trailed most of the way in this one, but rallied back with a strong
fourth quarter to seal the deal and remain in the #3 spot in this week's Class
B rankings. It's a busy and big week ahead for South Bronx Prep as on Tuesday
they go to Bronx United, and then will host Health Opportunities for Social
Justice on Thursday. Saturday will be the big one though as the Cougars will
head on the road to face off with Class AA school James Monroe in a huge test
for what looks to be a very good South Bronx Prep team.
4) Fannie Lou Hamer (16-3)- With the Panthers having the past week off they have
no doubt been in the gym readying themselves for what is sure to be a tough clos-
ing stretch to the regular season as Fannie Lou Hamer fights for playoff position-
ing and seeding the rest of the way. Led by Anthony Rose '20 and Frankie Williams
'19, Fannie Lou will start this coming week on Tuesday with a road contest at
Hyde Leadership. Thursday will then see the Panthers host Metropolitan before a
Friday night non-league matchup in New Rochelle where Fannie Lou Hamer will take
on CHSAA Class B school Salesian.
5) Bronx School for Law, Government, and Justice (15-1)- Off since their dis-
appointing 47-36 loss on the 19th at the James Monroe MLK Classic, the Jaguars
have no doubt been stewing on what offensively was without question their worst
performance of the season. Frantz Jean-Pierre '19 and Kevin Bimpey '19 lead the
way for Law, Government, and Justice as they are tough in the paint and will look
to lead the way and help get the Jaguars back on track this week when they host
Frederick Douglass Academy III on Wednesday, and then it will be another home
game on Friday against Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy to close out what is a two-
game week.
6) Regis (12-2)- Easily defeating Moore Catholic 62-31 opened the week up for
the Raiders, but it was Friday's nights road date against their archrivals from
Xavier that was the main attraction of the seven day stretch here for Regis. It
was a nip and tuck game most of the way against the Class A school, and even
though Joe Manfredi '20 had 18 points it wasn't enough in a 58-49 loss. That
sour feeling of defeat didn't last long though as Regis came back on Saturday at
the Coaches vs. Cancer Class in the Bronx against one of the best in the NYSAIS
this season in Dalton and with 21 from Manfredi took a 70-58 victory to get the
Raiders back on the winning track. There are two games ahead this week for
Regis who will travel to Sacred Heart on Tuesday, before a Saturday evening
showdown against another of Class A's best in Fordham Prep.
7) Bathgate Educational Complex (11-2)- Flying under the radar a bit are the
Bulldogs who have been a dominating team in the Bronx B2 so far this season,
outside of their early season loss to Bronx School for Law, Government, and
Justice. A fairly young team that is led by junior Michael Boafo '20, Bathgate
will play host this week in a pair of games to Comprehensive Model School on
Wednesday and Marie Curie School for Medicine, Nursing, and Health Professions
on Friday as the Bulldogs will look to put together another strong week of play
leading up to their rematch against Law, Government, and Justice coming up on
Feb. 6.
8) Dalton (13-3)- Playing at the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic at Fieldston on
Saturday afternoon in their only game of the week the Tigers took on another
Class B ranked team in Regis. It was a close game for nearly three quarter
before the offense ran dry for Dalton as they would fall 70-58 to the Raiders
in a game that saw Mark Engel '20 score 21 for the Tigers in defeat. Based off
of their strong season to date as they are the leaders right now of the Ivy
League, Dalton remains in the Top Ten but needs to put together a strong week
here to stay as on Wednesday they will host a big one against second place River-
dale, and then it will be another home game on Frdiay night against their main
rivals in Trinity to finish out the week.
9) Achievement First (14-3)- Coming in at 11-2 in league play, Achievement
First's only two losses come to our No. 2 Uncommon Charter team by a combined
eight points showing that they can compete against some of the very best Class
B has to offer. Solid in the non-league as well with 3 wins over Class A com-
petition, and a loss to a ranked Class A team in Xavier by just 1 point, it's
clear that they are very much deserving of a spot in the Top Ten this week and
beyond with a strong resume a solid core of talent led by Jalen Fenton '19. The
week ahead here will see Achievement First go on the road on Monday to face
off against Teachers Prep before a pair of non-league games finish out the
week, a home game on Friday against our No. 1 Summit Academy team, and then a
road contest on Saturday against a ranked Class A squad in Canarsie.
10) Riverdale (13-2)- Some good moments and some not so good moments took place
over the past seven days for the Falcons who opened up the week with a 57-45
loss on the road at Collegiate. That loss set Riverdale back a bit, though to
their credit the Falcons did battle back with wins, on Friday over Fieldston
70-59 in a game that saw Noah Seeherman '20 score 18 to lead all scorers in the
victory, and then again on Saturday at the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic over Rye
Country Day 50-45 in a game that saw Sam Klores '20 pace the team with 14 points
in the win. A big one for first place in the Ivy League awaits on Wednesday when
Riverdale goes on the road to take on Dalton in the only game of the week for
the young and talented Falcons.
