The 2024 Hoophall Classic at Springfield College in Massachusetts featured one of the games most stacked with high-level Division I prospects so far this season: No. 19 Columbus, headlined by five-star brothers Cameron and Cayden Boozer and four-star brothers Jase and Jaxon Richardson, and No. 3 Long Island Lutheran, with five-star VJ Edgecombe supported by four four-star players and depth from five-star sophomore Dylan Mingo.
Long Island’s blistering start to the season was stymied by Columbus, which gave LoLu its second loss by a score of 81-62. Cameron Boozer led the 15-4 Columbus Explorers with a game-high 26 points in 26 minutes.
Columbus led for almost the entirety of the first half, but Long Island Lutheran snuck a 39-36 lead into the break and maintained that three-point lead through the third quarter.
The Explorers put their foot on the gas in the fourth quarter, though, going on a 25-3 run to take away any chance the Crusaders had at victory. The tough-nose defense resulted in Long Island shooting only 38% from the field, Edgecombe making just five of 14 field goal attempts, and four-star Kiyan Anthony shooting just 2-for-10 off the bench.
In addition to Cameron Boozer’s 26 points and five blocks, Jase Richardson had 20 points to go with nine assists, two blocks, and four steals, and Cayden Boozer had 17 points.
The full game can be found on NBA.com.
Final: Columbus wins by 19 over Long Island Lutheran🏀
Columbus – 81 | Long Island Lutheran – 62
–@HoophallClassicStats Powered by @LegitSportStats 📊 pic.twitter.com/CljrM3Qdup
— Legit Sport Stats (@LegitSportStats) January 13, 2024
Long Island Lutheran now has two losses, with this game adding onto the loss to No. 1 Montverde. With wins against Super 25 teams like No. 11 Don Bosco Prep, No. 15 Link Academy, and No. 23 Mater Dei, the Crusaders remain one of the best teams in the country despite this defeat.
Columbus, meanwhile, has four losses, but don’t let that make you think this victory is a fluke. This is now the third team in the top six of the Super 25 the Explorers have taken down: No. 3 LoLu, No. 4 Harvard-Westlake and No. 6 Prolific Prep. Columbus’ losses are to very good teams: Montverde, Don Bosco Prep, Link Academy, and No. 17 Wasatch.
They’ll test themselves again on Monday when they face off against No. 2 Paul VI.
