National powerhouse LuHi breezes past Albany Academy

The three players were called to come out one by one from the bench to the soundtrack of cheers from the stands and praise being passed by their basketball coach, John Buck, microphone in hand. 

They each received a poster board with their picture on it and flowers. And they each went to midcourt to join family members and smile for the cameras on senior day at Long Island Lutheran, a meaningful day for Jayden Reid, Jayden Ross and Amdy Ndiaye.

“I’m just thankful and grateful for LuHi,” Reid said. “It’s just been the best experience a high school kid could ask for.”

After Saturday’s pregame ceremony, the 5-11 point guard from Westbury, the UConn-bound Ross, Ndiaye and the rest from this national powerhouse showed off their ability. The Crusaders weren’t even at their best, and they still trounced Albany Academy, 93-56, in a nonconference game, extending their winning streak to 17.

“You could tell we were a little bit out of rhythm, offensively especially,” Buck said, citing the ceremony and several players missing practice time because of illness or injury. “But they started coming together certainly by the end and took care of business.” 

Godswill Erheriene, a 6-9 junior forward, topped 18-2 LuHi with 20 points, 10 coming on dunks. Ross, a 6-8 wing, delivered 19 points. And Reid, who added Eastern Michigan to his pile of D-I offers right after the game, contributed 15 points and seven assists for the Crusaders, ranked No. 4, No. 8 and No. 11 in the national polls.

“They’re just so talented and skilled that we might have had better luck if we had seven guys on the court,” said Albany Academy coach Jim Driggs, whose 14-6 team is headed for the state’s Federation tournament, just like LuHi.

Ndiaye added seven points and eight rebounds. The 6-10 forward received a big surprise during the ceremony. His dad, Ndongo Ndiaye, had flown over from Senegal. They hadn’t seen each other in about a year.

“It was very emotional,” Amdy said. “I almost cried.”

Ross hit two threes and scored eight to help the Crusaders jump out to a 21-10 lead after one quarter. 

They opened it up to 18 early in the second quarter when Erheriene dunked.

Jack Louridas, who paced the Cadets with 12 points, nailed a three to cut it to 44-32 early in the third. 

But LuHi took off again. It was 63-41 after three. 

Preston Appel buried back-to-back threes in the final minute for a 40-point cushion.

Now there are three National Interscholastic Basketball Conference games left for the Crusaders. After that, Ross feels they have a “pretty good shot” at being invited to GEICO Nationals, set for March 30 through April 1 in Fort Myers, Florida.

“That would be a blessing,” Ross said.

They certainly feel capable of claiming a national championship.

“I think we have a great chance of winning GEICO,” Reid said. “We don’t fear any team in the country. We’re probably one of, if not the best team in the country.”