By TONY BELLISSIMO
when it rallied from 16 points down to upset the tournament favorite, The Juice All Stars from New Jersey, 77-71, in a first-round game.
'They were older and bigger, but we got our act together at halftime and used our speed to wear them down,' Gilbert said. 'There was no looking back after that game. The kids played great.'
Four more victories, including two overtime thrillers, earned Gilbert's squad the title. The final, a wild 50-49 overtime win over Virginia's Tidewater Express, wasn't secured until Ricky Vanallen rebounded a missed free throw in the final second.
'It's a special tournament to win,' Gilbert said. 'We played teams from all over the country.'
The Lightning roster included three players from Oceanside High School (Gene Garay, Greg Gilbert and Mike Bonomo), three from Holy Trinity (Vanallen, Tyler Seidman and Nick Ferreiro) and two from Chaminade (Mike Starsia and Mike Ferranti). The team went 24-6 on the season and won three championships.
Seidman (19 points) and Christ The King High School's Terrel Hunt (27 points) keyed the comeback victory against the Juice All Stars. Vanallen and Holy Cross High School's Devon Cajuste controlled the paint, combining for 24 rebounds and nine blocked shots. Ferreiro dished out 13 assists.
In the second round, the Lightning broke open a close game at the half to pick up a 71-58 win over the Maryland Metro Sixers. Four players scored in double figures, and both Cajuste (12 points, 18 boards) and Hunt (13 points, 10 boards) posted a double-double. Seidman chipped in 12 points and Garay 10.
The last game of pool play saw Siedman put on quite a shooting display to lead a 68-67 overtime triumph over the York Ballers from Pennsylvania. All but six of Seidman's 27 points came on 7-for-10 shooting from three-point range. Vanallen, a 6-foot-8 center, added 15 points and five blocks and Ferreiro dished out 11 assists. Greg Gilbert came off the bench to score five points and also set up Garay's game-winning shot with 15 seconds left by calling a time-out while saving the ball from going out of bounds.
The same teams met in the tournament semis, and the Lightning pulled away for a 78-68 win. It opened the second half on a 20-5 run. Garay (25) and Seidman combined for 44 points, Hunt added 11 points and 15 rebounds and Ferreiro had 15 assists.
A seesaw battle in the championship game saw the Lightning prevail against the Tidewater Express in OT despite losing Seidman to an ankle injury with three minutes remaining in regulation. 'We were down 48-44 when Tyler got hurt,' Peter Gilbert explained. 'He was having a huge game with 24 points, so everyone else had to step up.'
The Lightning scored six of the game's last seven points. Garay's jump shot off a backdoor cut proved the winning basket.
Comments about this story? TBellissimo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 204.
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