Yorktown, the No. 7-ranked Class AA team in the state, trailed visiting crosstown rival Lakeland 19-7 at the end of the first quarter, but thanks to being ignited by the hot shooting of Colin Worden in the second-quarter, rallied for a 51-47 victory Thursday.
The win gave Yorktown its 30th consecutive win on its home floor, a streak that dates to Dec. 1, 2023, the last time the Huskers lost at home, a loss which ironically came at the hands of Lakeland.
“Funny enough, the team that started the whole streak was Lakeland,” Worden said. “Two and half years ago now, at the beginning of that season, they beat us here. Obviously, it’s a fiery rivalry within the town. Our coach (Mark Pavella) emphasizes defending our home court, so that’s what we did tonight.”
Lakeland earned its first-quarter lead on the strength of five 3-pointers, two by Mateo Lugo (14 points), and one each from Mike Lucia (9 points), Anthony Ray (8 points), and Aidan Leonard.
“We have a lot of guys that are really good 3-point shooters, we were able to get by our guy, draw help and kick it,” said Lakeland coach Shawn Sullivan. “I thought we played very unselfish and under control.”
Worden kick-started the rally by scoring on an and 1 and then a trey early in the second quarter after a bucket by Ray, cutting the Hornets’ lead to 21-13.
“I was trying to stay levelheaded,” Worden said. “Obviously, we have to take it slowly to come back, it was a large deficit, 12 points. I was just trying to get my team going.”
Worden, who finished with 6 rebounds and 3 assists, scored 11 of his game-high 20 points in the second quarter, which Yorktown led 25-24.
“The gravity that Connor (Morhardt) creates, opens up a lot of open shots for me and my teammates,” Worden said. “My teammates and coaches instill the confidence in me to knock them down. That’s what happened tonight.”
Along with Worden’s shooting, also a key in the Huskers’ comeback was their defensive intensity, holding the Hornets to just five second- quarter points.
“Guys were communicating a little more on the screens and there was a little more ball pressure, which we really needed,” Pavella said.
Lakeland retook the lead when Lucia drilled a trey for the first points of the third quarter, putting the Hornets back up 27-25.
“We knew the first four minutes of the third quarter would set the tone for the second half,” Sullivan said. “We did a great job finding him (Lucia) and he knocked it down. Yorktown is very good defensively, they made us work for every basket.”
After a 3-pointer by Lucia early in the fourth quarter tied the game at 39-39, Yorktown responded with back-to-back treys from Tyler Galante (5 points) and Morhardt (11 points) to go up by six.
“Tyler hit a big three, he was open and not afraid to take it,” Pavella said. “Connor, as we know, can hit open threes.”
Worden gave Yorktown the necessary insurance it needed when he converted on a putback with 1:35 remaining in the game, putting the Huskers up 51-46.
“My coaches allow me to crash the boards as much as I can,” Worden said. “I’m obviously trying to get extra possessions, as many extra possessions as possible.”
Luke Lulanaj (9 points, 6 rebounds) and Louis Murray (4 points, 8 rebounds) also contributed to the Hornets’ cause.
“I thought our defense was tough,” Sullivan said. “Offensively we have to do a better job executing when our first or second option isn’t available. I’m most proud that the guys competed very hard tonight. We can fix the execution by sectionals.”
Franklin Ringel (9 points, 6 rebounds), Sean Davis (3 points, 10 rebounds) and Lucas Shrade (3 points) produced as well for Yorktown.
Yorktown (14-1) suffered its first loss of the season at Dutchess County powerhouse Poughkeepsie 71-67 on Feb. 2, led by Morhardt (20 points, 4 rebounds), Ringel (14 points, 8 rebounds), and Davis (13 points, 4 rebounds, 4 steals).
Lakeland (10-7) came away with a big 58-43 win against visiting Poughkeepsie on Feb. 4, led by Lulanaj (15 points, 8 rebounds).
“Like I said before and I’ll say it again, confidence is key,” Lulanaj said. “When I play with confidence it’s a totally different game. Another huge thing was my teammates being able to facilitate and get me open shots. Mike Lucia did a great job driving and kicking out and that’s where most of my points came from.”
Ray (12 points), Lugo (11 points), Murray (8 rebounds), and Lucia (6 assists) also contributed to the win against Poughkeepsie.
“We were able to come away with the win against Poughkeepsie because we came out firing on all cylinders and were at maximum energy,” Lulanaj said. “We knew this team was beatable as long as we executed and played smart. Our coaches had a great defensive scheme against them which definitely helped us and reduced their scoring significantly.”
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