Stepinac defeated Iona 72-48 in Crusader Classic
Stepinac defeated Iona Prep 72-48 in the annual Crusader Classic at the Westchester County Center in White Plains Jan 6, 2024.
High school basketball at the Westchester County Center has long been a holiday tradition. The Slam Dunk Showcase brings together some of the top boys and girls programs from the region and the weekend closes with another Stepinac-Iona Prep showdown in the Crusader Classic.
Section 1 teams with championship aspirations lobby for invitations because a Slam Dunk game is an opportunity to get more comfortable on the wide-open court where the semifinals and finals are played later in the season.
The annual Crusaders Classis typically fills the building and is the headline event. Stepinac and Iona Prep are both coming back with a mix of established talents and new faces. It’s an opportunity for local fans to catch a number of Division I recruits.
Here is the schedule:
Friday, January 3
Slam Dunk Showcase
Tuckahoe vs. Pleasantville (girls), 4:30 p.m.
White Plains vs. New Rochelle (boys) 6: 15 p.m.
Peekskill vs. Woodlands (boys), 8 p.m.
Saturday, January 4
Slam Dunk Showcase
Ardsley vs. Ossining (girls), 10:15 a.m.
Ursuline vs. Walter Panas (girls), 12 p.m.
Christ the King vs. Albertus Magnus (girls), 1:45 p.m.
Rye vs. Mamaroneck (boys), 3:30 p.m.
Scarsdale vs. Byram Hills (boys), 5:15 p.m.
Seventh annual Crusader Classic
Stepinac vs. Iona Prep, 7 p.m.
The marquee matchup on the girls side is Christ the King vs. Albertus Magnus. The Royals are 30-time CHSAA NYC champions and rank among the best programs in the country. The Falcons are coming off a NYSPHSAA Class AA title and return Julia Scott, who’s ranked 31st on the Class of 2026 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings. Three of the best guards in Section 1 will be on display in the Ursuline vs. Panas game – the Panthers’ Cadence Nicholas and Sofia Tavarez and the Koalas’ Sophie Nascimento.
Mamaroneck vs. Rye is the boys game to watch for Section 1 fans. Both teams suffered heartbreaking sectional defeats in the building last season and are coming back with experienced rosters. The best crowd is likely to be watching Woodlands vs. Peekskill, who captured hearts and Section 1 championships last season.
Danny Carbuccia is now the headliner for Stepinac, which is also coming back with Jasiah Jervis and Hassan Koureissi. There are going to be some newcomers in starring roles, too. Dylan Perry, Adonis and Darius Ratliff and Josh Rivera all have Division I offers. Iona Prep was young last year, but has Johnny Keenan, Lucas Morillo and Dillon Callahan back. Keeping up was a chore for the Gaels last season, but the gap is closing.
High school sports: Section 1 is sticking with football start date and decision to end OT in soccer
There is no shortage of all-star talent on the Hudson Valley roster that will be heading to Johnson City later this month for the Basketball Coaches Association of New York Summer Hoops Festival.
Tavien Tyler (Mount Vernon) Kamryn Boyd (Sacred Heart), Jake Pampolina (Suffern), Jaden Chavis (Peekskill), Malik Gasper (New Rochelle), Jake Sussberg (Scarsdale), Brandon Burrell (Mamaroneck), Kai Harvey (Mount Vernon), Kaden Gonzalez (Yorktown), Tyrone Dubose (Poughkeepsie), Ryan Duffy (Yorktown) and Rotimi Esiso (Clarkstown North) made the final cut.
Tyrone Carver of Mamaroneck returns as head coach and will be assisted by Garee Bryant of Mount Vernon and Scott Wright of Suffern.
Four practices are next on the agenda for the festival, which runs July 26-28 at Johnson City Schools.
The bleachers at Iona Prep were dotted with college coaches during the CHSAA’s annual June team camp over the weekend. Offers were extended.
Here’s a look at where things stand with some of the top prospects in the region:
Iona Prep
Lucas Morillo (2025): Fairfield, Manhattan, Fordham, High Point, Washington, UMass.
Johnny Keenan (2025): Manhattan and Fordham.
Scarsdale
Jake Sussberg (2025): NJIT, Kent State.
Stepinac
Danny Carbuccia (2025): Bryant, Dayton, East Carolina, Fairleigh Dickinson, Fordham, LIU, Maryland, UMass, Providence, Robert Morris, Saint Louis, Seton Hall, Stony Brook, West Virginia and Xavier.
Jasiah Jervis (2026): Seton Hall, Quinnipiac, St. John’s, St. Louis, Rhode Island, Iona, Manhattan, St. Bonaventure, Hofstra and Fordham.
Hassan Koureissi (2026): UMass, Iona, Manhattan, St. Louis, Dayton, St. John’s and St. Bonaventure.
Dylan Perry (2026): Quinnipiac, Hofstra, Iona and Manhattan.
Adonis Ratliff (2026): St. Bonaventure, Bryant, Manhattan and Central Florida.
Darius Ratliff (2026): Manhattan, St. Bonaventure, Northern Illinois, Old Dominion, Central Florida.
Josh Rivera (2027): St. Bonaventure, Manhattan, Bryant, Hampton.
