BOYS BASKETBALL
Tornadoes Earning A Second Chance
LI champion Harborfields seek to avenge 2011 state title loss this weekend
By Mike Koehler/ mkoehler@longislandernews.com

The Tornadoes are headed back upstate for another crack at the state championship.

Suffolk Class A champions Harborfields defeated their Nassau County counterparts South Side in an 80-61 on Saturday for the Long Island title.

Harborfields went on a 12-0 run to end the first quarter and begin the second quarter, never looking back.

“That blew the game open,” Assistant Coach John Tampori said.

Harborfields entered halftime with a 41-23 lead and the Suffolk champions never led by fewer than 15 points from the second quarter on.

“We did have control for most of it. We did a great job playing defense and rebounding,” Tampori said.

Their trademark defense challenged jump shots and was regularly in position to make plays, but they also got a little help from a hot hand – big man Chris Brady. Standing at 6’8”, the junior is not one of the starting five. But Brady has been playing so well lately, Tampori said, they’ve been getting him in games. He finished with 9 points and 5 blocks.

Of course the Tornadoes’ core continues to be senior point guard Lucas Woodhouse. Woodhouse dished out 13 assists and scored 18 points of his own.

“That’s why he’s going to a Division I school [Longwood University]. He does everything well,” his coach said.

Harborfields also saw contributions from senior forward John Patron, senior guard Justin Ringen and guard David Ba; they scored 20 points, 13 points and 11 points, respectively.

The Tornadoes’ next challenge will come upstate in Glens Falls against Bishop Kearney on Saturday morning “They have a 6’9” freshman who’s very big. They have another kid who’s good,” Tampori said. “They’re good. It’ll be a tough game, but that’s the final four.”

Should Harborfields prevail, they will return to the state championship on Sunday. They reached the title game last season, falling to Jamesville-Dewitt 66-51.
Jamesville is in this year’s final four, Tampori confirmed, setting up a possible chance for revenge.

“It’ll be a challenge, no doubt about it. They’re going for their fifth straight title,” he said.

Whoever wins the state title will represent New York in the National Federation of State High School Associations against teams from other states.