Long Island Lutheran boys basketball's Mingo brothers lead way in win over Sierra Canyon at UBS Arena
Dylan Mingo of Long Island Lutheran drives to the basket during a non-league boys basketball game against Sierra Canyon at UBS Arena on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
With Long Island Lutheran's Kiyan Anthony (son of Carmelo) and Sierra Canyon's Bryce James (son of LeBron) sitting out Friday night's boys basketball matchup at UBS Arena, it was Kayden and Dylan Mingo who put on a show.
Kayden Mingo scored 20 points and younger brother Dylan had 14 as No. 7-ranked Long Island Lutheran defeated Sierra Canyon (California), 65-50, in the LuHi Holiday Invitational.
“It’s a blessing to be able to play alongside my brother,” Dylan Mingo said. “It’s not something that a lot of people get to experience and it’s a great thing to be able to do.”
MJ Madison scored 12 of his 14 points in the first half and Nigel James had 12 for the Crusaders. “We came in with a chip on our shoulder after losing two games last weekend,” said James, a Marquette recruit. “We put pressure on the ball, played more aggressive and with more intensity.”
“It was just a little bit of grit and grind that we had to display,” Dylan Mingo said. “The feeling of losing our last two games, we didn’t want to feel that again.”
Long Island Lutheran (4-2) had lost its last two matchups against teams ranked within the top 15 of ESPN’s national rankings, Brewster Academy and Montverde Academy. The Crusaders will face another top 15-ranked team when they take on Link Academy (Missouri) on Sunday.
Kayden Mingo, a Penn State commit, scored nine points in the fourth quarter for the Crusaders.
“We responded with some great stretches during this game,” coach John Buck said. “I don’t think we played 32 minutes of Lutheran basketball, but for significant stretches, we were able to."
Chris Nwuli, a Rutgers commit, made a three-pointer to give Sierra Canyon (7-2) a 3-2 lead in the first quarter. Nigel James found Dylan Mingo for a three-pointer to give the Crusaders a 5-3 lead, and they wouldn’t trail again.
Nwuli cut the deficit to 20-18 after back-to-back baskets, but the Crusaders responded with a 13-0 run to end the quarter. Kayden Mingo found his brother on a fast break for a layup with 50 seconds remaining in the half and James scored on the Crusaders' next possession to give Lutheran a 33-18 lead going into the half.
Maxi Adams trimmed the deficit to 52-42 with a three-pointer in the fourth quarter, but James found Dylan Mingo for a three-pointer on the next possession.
It was unclear why Anthony and Bryce James did not play.
“We were blessed with an opportunity to play here at UBS in one of the first high school basketball games at the arena,” Nigel James said. “Obviously, some players weren’t available, but this was worth the wait.”
Christopher Matias covers high school sports for Newsday after spending time in Athletic Facilities and Operation at St. John’s and in Sports Information at CUNY York college.
