Scholastic Roundup: It was a long haul for the Sharks

March 11, 2022 Andy Furman

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It was an 8,496-mile road trip – and it ended in a loss.

The Long Island University men’s ice hockey team traveled to Alaska Fairbanks, and dropped a 5-1 decision in the second game of their series, last Saturday night.

LIU moves to 10-19-3 with the loss.

It was Spencer Cox who got the LIU Sharks on the board with a power-play goal – with assists from Tyler Welsh and Jordan Timmons.

That cut the score in half – 2-1 – but Alaska would add a score and then two more in the third period.

Kris Carlson made 27 saves in goal for the Sharks.

And the traveling continues for LIU. They wrap-up the regular season with a two-game series at Arizona State – tonight (Friday) and Saturday, March 12th.

By the way, the one-way trip to Fairbanks is 4,248 miles.

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The Brooklyn College Lady Bulldogs’ basketball team is still celebrating their NCAA season. In fact, their 70-57 win over Emmanuel in the first round of the tournament was the first NCAA Tournament win in school history. Emmanuel entered the game with a 26-1 record.

Chanel Jemmott led the way in the win with 30 points, and 22 rebounds.

The season also saw the Bulldogs win the CUNYAC Championship for the second-consecutive season and third-time in four years.

Jemmott was named CUNYAC Player of the Year for the second time and was also named CUNYAC Tournament MVP for the third time. She became the all-time leading scorer in BC women’s basketball history with 1,697 points, as well as the leading rebounder with 1,144.

Brooklyn finished the season with a 22-4 won-loss record, marking the 10th consecutive season the team has won 20 or-more games.

And with the win in the CUNYAC Championship game, the team has now accumulated 30 consecutive wins over CUNYAC opponents.

Head Coach Alex Lang surpassed 300 career wins this season, and has a total of 321 – the most of any coach in CUNYAC women’s basketball history.

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Christian Jeffrey and Jakai – two sophomores – captured third All-League honors for Bishop Loughlin’s varsity AA basketball.

As for the Track and Field Intersectional Championship and State qualifier results the Lions from Bishop Loughlin brought home one MVP trophy, a third-place plaque, four first-place championship plaques, four silver medals, three bronze medals and six state qualifiers.

Senior Brinesha Derrick-Bain was voted the meet MVP after winning the 55-meter hurdles in 8.39 seconds; the 300-meters in 39.97 seconds and the long jump in 16-feet-11-inches while running a personal best in each event.

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The men’s volleyball team at Brooklyn College dropped their CUNYAC to defending champ Baruch last week. Brooklyn feel to 3-7 and met Lehman, Saturday.

Trailing 24-17 in the second set, the Bulldogs made one last stand in hopes to tie the match with a three-score rally sparked by a kill put-away by junior outside hitter, Omar Rezika. Following a block by Rezika and David Li, Baruch closed out the set on a kill.

Brooklyn was led by Darren Roach’s team-high seven kills. Zhao Ming Li and Rezika chipped in with five kills each. Roach also finished with a match-high six digs.

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Emaia O’Brien, an LIU freshman basketball player, was named the Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week. It was fourth time O’Brien earned the honor in as many weeks – and pushed her league-best total for eight for the season.

She knocked down the go-ahead three-pointer with 62-seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to secure the come-from-behind win for the Sharks over Bryant last week. She finished the game with nine points.

LIU’s wrestling team wrapped-up their season in the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Championships at Cornell University.

As a team, the Sharks finished 17th in team standings. Four Shark wrestlers earned victories at the competition – Robbie Sagaris, Drew Witham, James Johnston and Nunzio Crowley each posted a win.

Witham had the only fall of the day, as he pinned Christaan Dailey of Franklin & Marshall at 9:17.

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Clearing out the Scholastic Roundup(e) mailbag:

From Dan Lynch, former Baseball Coach at St. Francis College: “These columns bring back great memories. I used to watch Jefferson High’s Tony Jackson play on Sunday nights at St. Thomas Aquinas (Flatlands) with his Brooklyn Infinitives team in an open basketball league. One game he scored 60 points – but his team lost to a Long Island squad led by a little guard who scored 62 in that game – Billy Lawrence.

“I also remember Roger Brown (Wingate High) playing in that league. He made what to this day was the best shot I ever saw. Guarded by TJ, he dribbled into the deep corner (STA gym as 94’ x 50’) – went up for a jump shot [- TJ went up with him. Brown switched the ball to his left hand and swished a 25-foot jump shot,

“And Coak Cannon from that (1965) Erasmus team. I once saw him dunk a 12-pound bowling ball at Riis Park. I was there in my high-black Cons that Red Sarachek gave me from Circle Sports (Flatbush Avenue). I remember like it was yesterday.”

Ike Pollack, Lafayette basketball captain from 1966: “Reading about Bobby Valentine on Valentine’s Day – I met BV at a winter coaching clinic in Connecticut about 15 years ago. He gave us his take on coaching young hitters. The lessons I learned that day were the most memorable and useful stuff I ever heard. The guy is one of a kind!”

You can call Flamingo Park in ethe heart of South Beach, Florida, Brooklyn South – at least when it comes to handball.

Eugene Gerson, a transplanted Brooklynite, watched his dad play handball in Coney Island. He took up the sport as a teenager — and he plays handball during the week while taking his lunch breaks from the pool where he works. He eventually plans to compete in an Ironman triathlon.

“It’s tough on your body playing handball,” he recently told the New York Times. “You get soaked in sweat and you can lose three-to-four pounds of water in a game. I love it.”

Andy Furman is a Fox Sports Radio national talk show host. Previously, he was a scholastic sports columnist for the Brooklyn Eagle. He may be reached at: [email protected] Twitter: @AndyFurmanFSR.