By Marley Seaman
Westbury topped the Rams in the final, leading for the final three quarters and relying on aggressive, quick-handed defense and a low-post presence West Hempstead could not match. Joshua Frazier, a 6'6" senior, scored a game-high 21 points in the title game, showcasing power in the post, a deft shooting touch, and strong ball handling skills. Frazier was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Frazier's 11 points in the third quarter helped salt the game away as the Rams tried to make a run.
The Rams were lead by star senior Akeem Bennett, who scored 19 points. But Bennett and his teammates did most of their damage in the first half, and spent most of the second forcing shots in traffic and trying to play catch-up as their deficit grew. Bennett was named to the All-Tournament team for his efforts, as were Green Dragons Bruce Chong and Thomas Davis, Vinny Schellhorn of the Long Beach Marines, and Julian Hayes of Malverne.
West Hempstead fell to 4-1 overall with the loss. They defeated Long Beach to reach the final game.
In the third-place contest, the Malverne Mules pulled away from Long Beach to win by a score of 82-65. As the game began, Malverne seemed to be on cruise control. But their double-digit first-quarter lead quickly dwindled in the second period after Hayes sat down due to foul trouble
"Hayes is our catalyst," said head coach Darrol Lopez. Lopez also organized the annual event, which is named for the late former Malverne High School basketball coach. "We look for Hayes to play good defense, give the team something to look up to. He's our guiding light."
When that light went out, Long Beach managed to tie the game by half-time. Schellhorn lead the team's scoring drive, and the Marines' team defense kept the pressure on. The game stayed even into the fourth quarter, when Hayes stepped up to make the difference on offense.
With Malverne leading by two points and less than seven minutes to go, Hayes drove to his left, stopped at the baseline, and stroked a jump shot. Thirty seconds later, he repeated the same scoring play. The Mules were up 64-58 and never looked back as they improved to 3-1 on the season. The final margin was their largest lead of the game.
Guard Craig Wilson also turned in a strong performance for Malverne. Wilson, Hayes and Gregory Lott each had 17 points, while Dashiem Cherry added 14. Like Hayes, Lott missed extensive time because of foul trouble, sitting out the second quarter.
