The Lions went 1-2 against Brentwood last year, losing both games on the road. All three games were tight.
Here's a look back at how the Class AA playoff game went down:
By Grant Parpan
BRENTWOOD--All season long it seemed whenever the Longwood boys basketball team needed to find a little magic, it did. Whether it was a bench player rising from obscurity to hit a key basket or one of the regulars making a key defensive stop, the Lions kept on finding a way to win.
For a few minutes Saturday in a raucous Brentwood gym it seemed the Lions just might pull it off again. After trailing by as much as 14 points in the second half, they had somehow tied the game at 62 apiece with 1:40 remaining.
Then the magic ran out.
The Indians hit nine free throws in the game's final 90 seconds and Longwood failed to hit a single field goal as it saw its season end in the Class AA quarterfinals for the third straight year with a 73-63 loss.
"We just came up short in the end," said veteran Longwood coach Dennis Terry, who had missed the three previous games following the unexpected death of his nephew. "We fought hard to come back and tie it up, but we just couldn't get them."
Longwood (15-6) went 1-2 against League I champion Brentwood (17-5) this season, winning once at home at dropping two on the road.
The size difference between Brentwood and Longwood was hard not to notice Saturday as the Indians maintained a strong advantage on the boards and in the paint right from the very beginning of the game. The Indians jumped out to a 17-9 first-quarter advantage largely due to their efforts on the offensive glass, using six offensive rebounds to create second-chance opportunities.
While Longwood managed to orchestrate comeback bids in the second and fourth quarters Saturday, the size of the Indians, particularly forwards JJ Moore and Kendall Harris, proved too much to overcome in the end.
Longwood's first comeback attempt came with Moore on the bench with foul trouble in the second quarter. But starting with the very first play of the third quarter, the 6-foot-6 sophomore put his stamp on the game in the second half.
At no point was Moore's contribution to the game more important than on Brentwood's first two possessions following the two free throws Longwood forward Jimmy Knudsen hit to tie the game at 62 all with 1:40 to go.
On the first trip down Moore, who also grabbed 12 rebounds, gave Brentwood the lead for good with two free throws. On the next possession he got fouled again but still sunk the field goal. He knocked down the ensuing foul shot to give the Indians some much-needed breathing room.
"They're a tough team," Terry said. "We tried to force them to shoot from the perimeter and that worked out OK for us ... but they kept coming at us and they found a way to get it done."
Harris chipped in with 15 points and 12 rebounds for Brentwood Saturday and guard Jean Chery added 20 points, eight rebounds and four steals.
Knudsen led Longwood with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Cameron Roundtree added 15 points and Kyle Weeks chipped in with 10 more.
The Indians saw their season end Tuesday when they fell to unbeaten Half Hollow Hills West 66-50 in the semifinals.
Saturday's loss to Brentwood marked the end of a largely positive season for Longwood. The Lions entered the year just trying to reach the playoffs and emerged midway through the season as league title contenders. While they ended up finishing a game behind the Indians, they spent a good portion of the season in first place.
"When I look at how far this team came from the start of the season to the end, it's just remarkable," Terry said. "I've never gotten as much out of a team as I did this one."
This coming from a coach who led Longwood to the state finals in 2000 and has a career playoff record of 16-13.
One comforting factor for Terry in the year ahead is that his entire roster, which featured one sophomore and 11 juniors, returns next season. He also has the option of filling some of his bench spots with players moving up from an 18-0 junior varsity squad who also went unbeaten as freshman in 2007.
"It's a great problem to have," Terry said. "Everyone has to work hard this offseason. We'll find out who wants it more."
Hills West will meet No. 2 Walt Whitman Friday at Stony Brook for the Class AA title. The higher seed has won each game thus far.
BRENTWOOD--All season long it seemed whenever the Longwood boys basketball team needed to find a little magic, it did. Whether it was a bench player rising from obscurity to hit a key basket or one of the regulars making a key defensive stop, the Lions kept on finding a way to win.
For a few minutes Saturday in a raucous Brentwood gym it seemed the Lions just might pull it off again. After trailing by as much as 14 points in the second half, they had somehow tied the game at 62 apiece with 1:40 remaining.
Then the magic ran out.
The Indians hit nine free throws in the game's final 90 seconds and Longwood failed to hit a single field goal as it saw its season end in the Class AA quarterfinals for the third straight year with a 73-63 loss.
"We just came up short in the end," said veteran Longwood coach Dennis Terry, who had missed the three previous games following the unexpected death of his nephew. "We fought hard to come back and tie it up, but we just couldn't get them."
Longwood (15-6) went 1-2 against League I champion Brentwood (17-5) this season, winning once at home at dropping two on the road.
The size difference between Brentwood and Longwood was hard not to notice Saturday as the Indians maintained a strong advantage on the boards and in the paint right from the very beginning of the game. The Indians jumped out to a 17-9 first-quarter advantage largely due to their efforts on the offensive glass, using six offensive rebounds to create second-chance opportunities.
While Longwood managed to orchestrate comeback bids in the second and fourth quarters Saturday, the size of the Indians, particularly forwards JJ Moore and Kendall Harris, proved too much to overcome in the end.
Longwood's first comeback attempt came with Moore on the bench with foul trouble in the second quarter. But starting with the very first play of the third quarter, the 6-foot-6 sophomore put his stamp on the game in the second half.
At no point was Moore's contribution to the game more important than on Brentwood's first two possessions following the two free throws Longwood forward Jimmy Knudsen hit to tie the game at 62 all with 1:40 to go.
On the first trip down Moore, who also grabbed 12 rebounds, gave Brentwood the lead for good with two free throws. On the next possession he got fouled again but still sunk the field goal. He knocked down the ensuing foul shot to give the Indians some much-needed breathing room.
"They're a tough team," Terry said. "We tried to force them to shoot from the perimeter and that worked out OK for us ... but they kept coming at us and they found a way to get it done."
Harris chipped in with 15 points and 12 rebounds for Brentwood Saturday and guard Jean Chery added 20 points, eight rebounds and four steals.
Knudsen led Longwood with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Cameron Roundtree added 15 points and Kyle Weeks chipped in with 10 more.
The Indians saw their season end Tuesday when they fell to unbeaten Half Hollow Hills West 66-50 in the semifinals.
Saturday's loss to Brentwood marked the end of a largely positive season for Longwood. The Lions entered the year just trying to reach the playoffs and emerged midway through the season as league title contenders. While they ended up finishing a game behind the Indians, they spent a good portion of the season in first place.
"When I look at how far this team came from the start of the season to the end, it's just remarkable," Terry said. "I've never gotten as much out of a team as I did this one."
This coming from a coach who led Longwood to the state finals in 2000 and has a career playoff record of 16-13.
One comforting factor for Terry in the year ahead is that his entire roster, which featured one sophomore and 11 juniors, returns next season. He also has the option of filling some of his bench spots with players moving up from an 18-0 junior varsity squad who also went unbeaten as freshman in 2007.
"It's a great problem to have," Terry said. "Everyone has to work hard this offseason. We'll find out who wants it more."
Hills West will meet No. 2 Walt Whitman Friday at Stony Brook for the Class AA title. The higher seed has won each game thus far.
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