Scholastic Roundup: The stars will be out Saturday

December 8, 2023 Andy Furman

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It’s All-Star Saturday – the Brooklyn High School All-Star game is set for tomorrow at Sheepshead Bay High School – and it’s going to be a special day for several reasons.

It’s Alan’s Last Stand – The game will mark New Utrecht’s legendary coach Alan Balkan’s final time at the helm. “He’s been a guiding force for countless young athletes,” writes Fort Hamilton High coach Daniel Perez, “And his impact on the community is undeniable.”

And Sheepshead Bay is honoring Coach Richard Reilly by renaming their field after him. “This All-Star Game is named after him and getting the field renamed is adding an extra layer of significance to the event,” Perez added.

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Medgar Evers College Prep got their revenge. They rolled over Tilden, 70-38 in basketball last week.

And the revenge was sweet. Tilden walked away with a 49-41 victory the last time they faced one-another back in January, 2017.

Dejon Williams scored 41 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the winners. This was his fourth consecutive game with double figure scoring. Jared Percy added 10 for the Prep.

Bouncing Around Brooklyn:

Westinghouse opened their season with a 76-39 win over Sunset Park; Canarsie (1-1) topped Curtis, 71-56; South Shore (1-2) fell to Archbishop Wood, 60-51; Sunset Park (1-1) topped Brooklyn Tech, 53-44; Erasmus (0-1) fell to Bowne 95-75; Nazareth (1-0) got by Cardinal Hayes, 83-79; Boys and Girls (0-1) fell to Archbishop Molloy, 71-51; Collegiate (0-1) lost to Archbishop Carroll, 65-36; Cobble Hill (3-2) had no trouble with Millennium, 87-52; Bishop Loughlin (0-3) remains winless thanks to Father Judge, 77-64; Poly Prep topped Xaverian (2-1) 43-38; Jefferson (0-3) lost to Neumann-Goretti, 81-66; Grace Christian over Canarsie 76-58; Frank J. Macchiarola walked over Prospect Heights (0-1), 79-37; Midwood (0-1) couldn’t catch Robeson Tech, 43-41; Brooklyn Tech (1-1) fell to John Jay; Prospect Heights (1-1) over Tilden (0-2), 66-52; A-Tech remains winless (0-2) losing to Adams St. Academy, 66-41; Madison (1-0) beat Grady 68-58.

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Seven members of the St. Joseph’s University, Brooklyn women’s soccer team were named to the College Sports Communicators’ (CSC) 2023 Academic All District Team.

Sophomores Katherine Barrios, Casey Hobbs, Julia Marin and Ashley Pintado and seniors Sabrina Amadio, Heather Bollmann and Lauren Lynch all earned the distinction; becoming the first set of student-athletes in program history to receive the honor.

The All-District teams, selected by CSC, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performance on the field and in the classroom. To be on the team, a student-athlete must have a grade-point average of at least 3.50.

Amadio notched a pair of assists, coming in the Bears’ season-opening win over Yeshiva. Carrying a 3/.992 GPA, Amadio is one of two criminal justice majors to represent SJKBK on the All-District Team.

Possessing a 3.827 GPA, Barrios – the second criminal justice major – finished the season with five goals and a pair of assists; good enough to earn a place on the All-Skyline Conference Second Team.

Bollmann played in all but two contests in her senior campaign. The business administration major possessed a 3.909 GPA and was one of two Bears to earn a 4.0 GPA in the spring of 2023.

Hobbs recently earned her second consecutive Skyline All-Sportsmanship honor. Starting in each of the 10 matches she played this season, she scored her lone goal of the season in a defeat of Yeshiva. The child study major possesses a 3.770 cumulative GPA.

A hospitality and tourism management major, Lynch rounds out the senior trio. Notching an assist on the year, she posts a 3.632 GPA.

Mann is lone member of then sextet to hold a 4.00 cumulative GPA.

She led the Skyline with 8.77 saves-per-contest and came in second with 114 total saves. Mann had double-figure saves in five games, including a career-best 17 against Manhattanville.

Pintado found the scoreboard in the Bears’ stalemate with Brooklyn College. The nursing major currently holds a 3.722 GPA.

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Behind 20-plus-point efforts from Kristen Donovan and Destiny Hurt, the St. Joseph’s University, Brooklyn women’s basketball team defeated Yeshiva University, 76-73, Sunday from the ARC Arena at Baruch College. The triumph marks the Bears’ first in Skyline Conference play this season.

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It was Fan Appreciation Night and Alumni Night at the West Quad Center at the West Quad Gymnasium, Friday as the Brooklyn College men’s basketball team defeated John Jay, 70-62 in both teams’ CUNY opener. Serge Thraysbule led the way in scoring, attaining a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds; Stephon McGill also finished with a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 12 boards.

The Brooklyn College women also knocked-off John Jay, Friday evening 74-60 in what was a rematch of the last two CUNY Finals. It was the Bulldogs’ 47th consecutive victory over CUNY competition. Alina Estrella led all scorers with 21 points and nearly reached a triple-double with eight rebounds and seven assists. Ericka James was honored pre-game for scoring 1,000 career points, scored 17.

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Sheily Quezada posted a career-high 31 points (11-24 FG) and 26 rebounds; and she blocked seven shots as Medgar-Evers women’s basketball team registered its second victory in its past three games with a 56-43 win over CCNY, Saturday. The win improved the Cougars record to 3-3 overall (1-0 CUNY).

Jennifer Metra scored 11 points, snatched seven rebounds, recorded three assists and added two steals. Mariame Gueye had six points and seven boards.

Aaliyah Lyons, freshman basketball player for Medgar-Evers College was selected as the City University of New York Conference Rookie of the Week for the second week in-a-row. Lyons earned the distinction following her stellar efforts in the 22nd-ever Dr. Betty Shabazz Women’s Basketball Memorial Invitational. Against Pratt, – a 69-38 win — Lyons connected on 10 of her 20 attempts from the floor, including three out-of-six from downtown, to finish with a game-high 23 points. She also added nine rebounds, a game-high six assists and three steals.

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The Pratt Institute men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams opened their 2023-24 season at the Youree Spence-Garcia Invitational hosted by St. John’s University at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex, Saturday.

Siena Sujitno was the highest-placing Cannoneer winning her section in the 60-meter dash with a personal-best 8.08 and placing 14th overall in the field of 62 and only bested by one Division III competitor. The junior was also the top finisher for the gold-and-black in the 200-meter in 28.40, good for 32nd – third among DIII runners.

Senior Christina Sancho-Spore also scored 14th – second among DIII runners – in the 3,000-meter run taking third in her section in 10:50.97 in her first time running the distance indoor. Classmate Ava Hunwick collected 18th – sixth among DIII runners – in the 400-meter posting a personal-best 1:07.02.

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First-year Cameron Windt scored a game and career-high 26 points to lead Pratt Institute men’s basketball team to a 75-71 road victory over the College of Saint Vincent, Saturday. Senior Patrick O’Gorman scored 19 points.

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The LIU women’s volleyball team’s magical run to the NCAA tournament came to an end Friday night when they fell to the number one overall seed Nebraska in three sets 13-25, 16-25, 22-25. Camelia Melendez led the Sharks with 12 kills, Amaris Smith was second with eight. Rumur Rouille had a game-high seven blocks while LIU outposted Nebraska in blocks eight-to-six. Selina Koc led the team with 11 assists followed by Allie Merrz who had nine. Alasha Colon had a game-high fifteen digs.

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Reigning national goaltender of the month Tindra Hom had logged every minute between the pipes for the LIU women’s hockey team this season entering Saturday night.

But after a convincing win a day earlier at Pot, LIU coach Kelly Nash decided the timing was right for freshman Clara Kammholz to make her collegiate debut in goal for the Sharks.

The result?

A 6-0 victory over Post Saturday night at Northwell Health Ice Center

Kammholz made 13 saves in the victory. Mikayla Lantto scored twice and Sarah Rourke, Emma Mortl, Jeannie Wallner and Anya Weilandt also had goals for the Sharks.

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