Kiyan Anthony scores team-high 16 points as Long Island Lutheran boys basketball wins second straight at Hoophall Classic

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Long Island Lutheran senior guard Kiyan Anthony knows this won’t be his last trip to this city, but it may be the last where he’s one of the main attractions.

The 6-5 Syracuse commit will someday return here soon, perhaps as soon as later this year when his father, Carmelo Anthony, is enshrined into The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The younger Anthony led the Crusaders to their second victory in as many days with a team-high 16 points in a 68-55 win over La Lumiere School at the Army National Guard Hoophall Classic Monday evening.

“I’m pretty sure my dad’s going to be back here … and I look forward to coming back,” Anthony told Newsday. “Coming back this year, I knew what type of role I was going to have on the team.”

A day after narrowly exacting revenge on AZ Compass Prep, the nation’s No. 16 ranked team per the SCNext Top 25 demonstrated a standout defensive effort coupled with a balanced scoring attack in the final game of the round-robin tournament held at Blake Arena on the campus of Springfield College. The Crusaders (11-5) limited the La Porte, Ind.-based school to just 16 first half points in building a double-digit lead that held to the final buzzer.

Anthony returned to the LuHi lineup after a groin contusion suffered in the first game of the year forced him to miss 12 games. He’s back to hitting his stride.

“His talent is apparent when you see him out there,” LuHi coach John Buck said. “I thought he really did a good job of helping us win.”

A defensive battle early, LuHi senior center Nico Onyekwere made an immediate impact off the bench five minutes in by blocking two shots on a single possession and finishing in the paint after hauling down an offensive rebound on the other end as part of an 11-2 spurt. Six different Crusaders scored in the opening quarter, punctuated by a breakaway dunk from junior forward MJ Madison — the first of his three throwdowns — just ahead of the quarter buzzer for a seven-point advantage.

The Crusaders extended their lead to double-figures for the first time midway through the second quarter on a nifty up-and-under finish by senior guard Nigel James. La Lumiere responded with a defensive strategy shift from man defense to a space-clogging zone, but the Crusaders found open pockets and converted open looks. LuHi led by as much as 24 en route to its eighth straight victory.

“We’re definitely hitting our stride and going in a great direction as a team,” senior guard Kayden Mingo said. “I feel like it was a big weekend coming up here and getting two wins.”

Anthony, who will follow his father’s path to Syracuse, participated in last year’s Hoophall Classic as a backup to now-Baylor freshman and likely lottery pick VJ Edgecombe. This year, he played a much larger role not to be overshadowed by his famous father’s courtside presence.

“Hoophall is one of the biggest showcases in the world,” Anthony said. “Coming back from injury and not playing so well recently… I just came out here and showed my skill, talent and everything I’ve been working on.”