STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Ray Guerriero had already done all he could to give McKee/Staten Island Tech a chance to beat Curtis on Saturday. And with the game on the line late, it was only fitting the ball wound up in the senior’s hands.
Once again, he wouldn’t disappoint.
Guerriero gained possession off a turnover and his near coast-to-coast layup proved to be the difference as the Seagulls squeezed out a 65-64 non-league victory over the visiting Warriors in New Dorp.
Guerriero’s go-ahead basket with 18 seconds remaining was followed with one last defensive stop by MSIT, which won its sixth straight to improve to 9-5 overall.
Guerriero, who joined the team prior to MSIT’s Christmas Showcase last week, has made an immediate impact. Not only is he averaging 16.8 ppg. in the four games so far, but he turned in his finest performance yet after finishing with 17 points, 21 rebounds, 10 steals and six assists against the Warriors.
“He’s doing important things that are filling up the stat sheet and he didn’t lose his head after making a mistake down the stretch,’’ praised MSIT head coach Charlie Donohue. ”Instead, he came back and still competed hard and made a real tough shot when we needed one. He stayed locked in.’’
In addition to Guerriero, MSIT received offensive contributions from Nizayah Jordan (team-high 19 points), Terence Legrand (16 points, four treys) and Dalton Cherubin (10 points).
Curtis’ Makhiye Washington tied his career high with 26 points.
The Seagulls owned a 30-25 lead at halftime, but a nip-and-tuck second half saw seven lead changes and five ties before a wild finish in the final minute.
A 16-6 Jayden Faulkner-led run that bridged the final two quarters gave the Warriors a game-high seven-point lead (57-50) with 5:17 left in the final period.
But the Seagulls responded with a 13-4 run of their own, including a Jordan three-point play that gave the hosts a 63-61 lead with 1:15 on the clock.
Washington responded by converting a turnover into a fast-break layup, then hit 1 of 2 free throws with 27.8 ticks remaining for a 64-63 Curtis lead.
The Warriors got the ball back on a turnover but committed a miscue themselves as MSIT’s Lucas Gavin grabbed a loose ball and instantly outletted it to Guerriero.
Curtis’ Oscar Orengo (0) gets off a shot against McKee/Staten Island Tech’s Lucas Gavin during a non-league game on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026.Advance/SILIve.com | Charlie De Biase Jr.
The senior pushed the ball upcourt with a full head of steam, got into the lane and finished on the left side to give the Seagulls a 65-64 advantage with just 18 seconds on the clock.
“Our big, Lucas Gavin, trusts me so much and he gave it to me and I took it full court. I shot it with my right hand on the left side,’’ said Guerriero, who finished 11 for 15 from the free-throw line. ”I’m looking to (get us) a win. So I did whatever I had to do. I take a shot like that all the time in practice.
“It all feels great. And it’s really not just about my shot, it’s about me trusting my teammates and them trusting me.’’
“Ray ended up making a really good, decisive move that took advantage of the space. He made a tough finish,’’ added Donohue. ”When he’s in a one-on-one situation driving to the basket from the foul line, he’s really tough.’’
The Warriors got one last possession and got off a left-baseline jumper for the win, but the shot was off the mark and Legrand secured the rebound as time expired.
“Starting the new year off, it’s all about getting off on the right foot and winning a game of this magnitude means a lot for our confidence as a team. It’s a great step forward, especially since we scrapped the way we did when things didn’t go our way in the fourth quarter,’’ concluded Charlie Donohue.
NOTES: The Seagulls owned a 39-36 advantage on the backboards behind Guerriero, Cherubin (six) and Gavin (six). Faulkner and Ronald Suero led Curtis with eight and six rebounds, respectively … The 5-foot-10 Guerriero on his rebounding prowess: “It’s just knowing how to box out and find the ball off the rim,’’ he said, admitting he likes grabbing caroms. ”Just knowing where to go off the shot.’’ … MSIT connected on 25 of 41 free-throw attempts; Curtis was 7 for 13 (Washington 4 for 6) … The Warriors committed 17 turnovers, the Seagulls 21.
Tottenville 55, Stuyvesant 36
MANHATTAN — Sophomore Shenonda Fahim poured in a career-high 25 points and the Pirates dominated the middle two quarters en route to the PSAL 3A victory over the Peglegs on Saturday.
Danny Garcia, Michael Cinque and Elias Souleidis combined for another 19 points for Tottenville, which remained undefeated in league play with a 7-0 mark (10-4 overall).
Fahim, who played in only his fourth varsity game, connected for three three-pointers and sank 4 of 5 free-throw attempts against Stuy.
The score was tied 11-11 after one period when Fahim scored nine points and Garcia tallied five as the Pirates took a 27-19 advantage into halftime.
Fahim continued to dominate in the second half as his 11 third-quarter markers helped the visitors outscore Stuyvesant, 19-10, to take a commanding 46-29 lead into the final eight minutes.
St. John’s Prep 60, Farrell 57
THE BRONX — JJ Yates tied for the game high with 19 points and the Lions built a double-digit, halftime lead before the Red Storm came to life in the second half to earn the CHSAA A division victory at Mount St. Michael.
In addition to Yates, who finished with four treys, Farrell received offensive production from Ryan Hanley (12 points), Michael Abreu (10 points) and Matt Scalisi (nine points). The Lions dropped to 6-6 overall, including 4-5 in league play.
Guards Daquan Bryant and Richard Fernandez tallied 19 points apiece for St. John’s, which improved to 13-1 overall (8-0 league). Myles Perry and Nykiel Naggle added 11 points apiece for the Queens school.
“It was a tough loss against a good team,’’ said Farrell head coach Danny Fisher. ”We got away from some of the things that were working well for us in the first half. Credit St. John’s Prep for that.
“It’s a good opportunity for us to learn and grow from this.’’
Yates’ red-hot first half included three treys and a conventional three-point play. The senior had 16 points at halftime while Abreu and Hanley teamed for another 14 markers as the Lions took a 37-25 lead into the locker room.
But the Red Storm saved their best for last. They scored 21 third-quarter points behind Bryant and Fernandez (combined 16) to trim Farrell’s lead to a single point (47-46) entering the fourth.
Fernandez then scored five markers in the final period — including his fourth and final trey — and Naggle added four points as SJP squeezed out the three-point win.
Susan Wagner 62, Valley Stream Central 36
VALLEY STREAM, N.Y. — Chris Albano and Clevi Hoxha led a balanced attack with 15 points apiece as the Falcons cruised to the non-league victory over the host Eagles on Saturday.
Albano and Hoxha buried three three-pointers apiece for Wagner, which improved to 11-4 overall. Charles Gambino (eight points), Darin Humes-James (seven points) and Yusuf Daramy (six points) also contributed offensively for the Falcons.
“It’s good to get in the win column to end the break and get into the new year,’’ said SW head coach Danny Lanigan, whose team snapped a two-game losing streak after falling short in two close games at the Governor’s Challenge in Maryland. ”Hopefully, this puts us on the right path going into the second half of our season, which begins Tuesday at Brooklyn Collegiate.’’
The Falcons wasted little time taking control Saturday as Hoxha, Humes-James and Albano teamed for 13 first-quarter points to give the visitors a 17-5 advantage at quarter’s end.
Hoxha then added seven more markers in the second as SW’s advantage ballooned to 31-14 at the half and it never looked back.
Xavier 52, Sea 45
MANHATTAN — Nick Rebracca led a balanced attack with 11 points and the Vikings carried a lead into the final eight minutes, but the Knights rallied in the fourth quarter to earn the CHSAA A division victory.
In addition to Rebracca, Nick Lee (two treys), John Paturzo and Nick Higgins (two treys) teamed for another 22 points for Sea (7-5 overall, 5-4 CHSAA).
Timothy Leahy (18 points, two treys), Peter Franchock (11 points) and Aleksandar Kovacevic (10 points) paced Xavier (6-3 overall, 3-3 CHSAA).
The Vikings trailed 24-21 at intermission, but turned in the finest quarter of the game to take control. Higgins buried both of his threes, Paturzo added four markers and Lee nailed a three to help Sea take a 39-33 advantage into the fourth quarter.
But the Knights tightened the screws defensively in the fourth as they limited the Vikings to just six points.
Franchock, meanwhile, tallied nine — including his lone trey and each of his two free-throw attempts. Hugh Courtney and Robert Newman added a three apiece as the Knights took home the win.
Monsignor Scanlan 67, St. Peter’s 52
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Aaron Vazquez scored a team-high 12 points, but the Crusaders controlled the middle two quarters en route to the CHSAA AA victory over the host Eagles in New Brighton.
Nico Parlanti, Victor Baez, AJ Troia and Noah Scott teamed for another 29 points for St. Peter’s, which dropped its fourth straight to fall to 0-3 in league play (2-6 overall).
Scanlan finished with four players in double figures, including Akeem Mclaren (15 points, two treys), Anthony Venzen (15 points, two treys), Heathe Healings (11 points) and Issa Sawadogo (10 points). The Bronx school improved to 7-3 overall (2-1 league).
The Eagles got off to a promising start as Parlanti and Ryan Freeman (four points each) were two of six players to find the scoring column in the first period. The hosts owned a 17-16 lead after one.
Henry Collado’s six second-quarter points, however, helped the Crusaders outscore the Eagles 17-9 in the second as they took a 33-26 lead into the lockers.
Venzen and Mclaren then tallied six markers apiece in the third to help Scanlan build a 52-38 lead it would never relinquish.