Thursday, October 1, 2026
After a pair of frustrating two-point defeats, Calhoun couldn’t afford to fall lower in the Nassau League 3 boys’ basketball standings, and sensational sophomore point guard Ashton Pierre-Charles made sure of it.
Pierre-Charles had his NBA-range shooting skills on display Wednesday night, hitting eight shots from behind the arc in a career-high 35-point effort that led the Colts to an important 67-52 victory over visiting Long Beach.
“We needed the win and I thought our teamwork was great,” said Pierre-Charles, who netted 18 points in the first half and 17 in the second, including a beyond halfcourt trey to beat the third-quarter buzzer for a 50-37 lead. “When we swing the ball around like we did tonight and look for backdoor cuts and find the open man, we’re capable of winning every game,” he added.
One of Nassau’s top 10 scorers averaging better than 22 points per game, Pierre-Charles had plenty of help as Calhoun improved to 2-3 in league and 5-6 overall. Senior Amir Ibrahim had 10 points and 10 rebounds, senior Luca Facciponti chipped in 8 points and junior Will Hutchinson 6.
“Ashton is going to get his points, but I want to be able to look at boxscores and see more names,” Calhoun head coach Jay Kreutzberger said. “Tonight was a perfect example of what we need from everyone.”
Junior Zack Brymer led the Marines with 17 points. Senior Andrew McCartney continued his torrid start with 13, and senior Vance Kanganis and junior Gavin O’Grady had 9 apiece.
“Anyone can beat anyone in this league,” head coach Scott Martin said after Long Beach slipped to 2-2 in league and 5-4 overall. “Our kids always play hard and battled back from an early deficit. But there was no stopping No. 1 [Pierre-Charles.] He’s an unbelievable player and if there’s a flaw in his game, I don’t see it.”
Pierre-Charles scored the last four points of a back-and-forth opening half to give the Colts a 31-27 lead. They led by as many as 11 in the second quarter before Long Beach tied it with a pair of McCartney threes sandwiched between five points from Brymer.
“Andrew’s been a nice surprise,” Martin said of McCartney, who scored in double figures for an eighth straight game and averages 15.5 points. “He put the offseason work in and it’s paying off.”
Calhoun, which lost to MacArthur, 54-52, Jan. 5 and New Hyde Park, 56-54, Dec. 19, caught fire to start the second half and had the Marines in a 16-point hole midway through the third quarter.
Pierre-Charles opened the second half with a nifty reverse layup and had 7 points during the 16-2 run that included a three from junior Alec Bloch. Long Beach, which has league wins over MacArthur and Jericho, crept back within 10 but never got closer.
The last of Pierre-Charles’ points came on an emphatic dunk.
“Last September we had 20 kids in the gym for workouts and they all took 200 shots from various distances; he hit 170,” Kreutzberger said of Pierre-Charles, who averaged 12 ppg as a freshman. “He’s a special player and a great kid.”
