Boyd, Birden Combine For 45 In Win
Zakee Boyd darted past Bishop Loughlin defenders for 21 points while Duane Birden added 24 to lead Lutheran Christian Academy past Ted Gustas' program, 72-60, at the second annual Rim Rocker event held at Longwood High School on Long Island.
Loughlin, a team made up of undersized guards and forwards, was a scrappy test all day for a deeper and older Crusaders' team. Lutheran jumped out to an 18-12 lead after the first quarter and led 33-21 at the half.
Advertisement
In the third, Lutheran expanded the lead to 51-37. Several times during the second half, Loughlin battled back with its press and the quickness of its guards. But the inside presense of Birden and Boyd's transition play overcame any attempt by Loughlin to get close.
Kojo Mensah had a sparkling game. At 6-2, he managed to put up 26 points, most of these from within three feet of the basket. Despite a size advantage, Lutheran had a hard time keeping Kojo off the rim. Courtney Johnson helped Mensah out with 13 points while Andrew Wright had nine.
Besides the scoring efforts by Boyd and Birden, Marvin Kilgore had 13 points for the winners.