Long Island Lutheran girls basketball falls behind early, loses to IMG Academy at Hoophall Classic

Long Island Lutheran’s Olivia Jones (1) is swarmed by the IMG Academy defense as she drives to the hoop in their game at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass., Jan. 19, 2025. Credit: Cloe Poisson
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — More than 15 minutes after the IMG Academy girls basketball team finished its media availability in the depths of Blake Arena, representatives from the Long Island Lutheran program had yet to emerge.
The team was still talking, media relations staff said.
Apparently, there was much to discuss.
What looked like a scintillating matchup between two top-flight girls high school basketball teams on paper quickly turned into a game of catch-up at the Army National Guard Hoophall Classic Saturday evening.
The Crusaders (11-1), ranked No. 4 in the SCNext Top 25, fell behind by double figures midway through the opening quarter to No. 12 IMG Academy and never got within striking distance in a 70-54 defeat at Blake Arena on the campus of Springfield College. To their credit, they gave a valiant effort in halving a deficit that reached 29.
“We take our scouts seriously, and today I don’t think we did a good job of honing in on our keys,” Long Island Lutheran coach Christina Raiti said. “One of the things I was most disappointed with was our connectivity during tough moments.”
They struggled with transition defense. The game plan was to allow three-pointers over drives. IMG took just four. The Crusaders began the game at a disadvantage because of injuries. Junior Savvy Swords, a 6-3 forward ranked No. 13 in the class of 2026 by ESPN and LuHi’s top player, is out for the remainder of the season after tearing her ACL. Sanai Green, a 6-foot junior ranked No. 27, has not played since suffering a lower leg injury in September.
“We just showed up too late,” Raiti said. “You’ve got to take your punches and learn.”
IMG began the game with a 25-4 run stretching into the opening possession of the second quarter.
IMG led 40-15 at halftime, and senior guard Kelis Fisher, a UConn commit ranked No. 27 in the senior class, matched Long Island Lutheran’s first half scoring output on her own while spearheading a defense that wreaked havoc in the passing lanes and with tenacious on-ball pressure. She finished with a game-high 28 points, leading four IMG players in double-figure scoring.
Two new Crusaders were bright spots: sharpshooting junior Emily McDonald and sophomore guard Taylor Bown. New to the program from a private Catholic school near Buffalo, McDonald nailed three straight three-pointers en route to a team-high 20 points. Brown, new from Pennsylvania, added 14 points. Olivia Jones, the nation’s No. 21-ranked junior, also had14 points.
“We’re never getting bullied around ever again,” McDonald said. “We’re just going to take that into practice and work on a growth mindset.”