By Rob Potter
WHITE PLAINS — Senior guard Troy Correa scored a career-high 31 points on Tuesday afternoon to help the Livingston Manor Wildcats continue their historical basketball season.
Keyed by Correa, Manor defeated the Section I champion Greenburgh Academy Crusaders, 86-54, in an opening round game of the state Class D tournament at the Westchester County Center in White Plains.
With the win, Manor (15-5) moves on to the Class D Regional Final against Section XI champion Bridgehampton tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. at SUNY New Paltz.
While the Wildcats did not get off to a lightning quick start like they did in their victory over John A. Coleman Catholic High School in last Saturday’s Section IX Class D championship game, they enjoyed a 20-8 advantage over Greenburgh Academy at the end of the first quarter.
Manor started the second quarter with a 17-5 scoring run to increase its lead to 37-13 with 4:05 remaining until halftime. The Wildcats outscored the Crusaders 28-12 in the second period to hold a commanding 48-20 advantage at the intermission.
In the second half, the Wildcats pushed their lead to as many as 39 points on their way to the 32-point win.
Correa made shots from all over the court while leading the Manor offensive attack. He scored several points on layups following steals and swished many mid-range jump shots. He also made a 3-point shot and two free throws.
“My shot felt good today,” Correa said. “I am happy that I made those shots and helped us win the game.”
He noted that the reason it took Manor a couple of minutes to get going was simply anxiety.
“We had some jitters and were nervous early in the game,” Correa explained. “This is a new arena for us, we haven’t been here before. We just needed a few minutes to get used to the court and the atmosphere.”
Manor Coach Charlie Hicks concurred.
“We had some nerves in those first couple of minutes,” he said. “But once we got our first basket and made a stop on defense, we were OK.”
Hicks praised his team for playing well in all areas of the game.
“We played good defense and were able to get some turnovers,” he said. “We rebounded well, which let us make good outlet passes and score some easy baskets.
“Troy had a great game,” Hicks added. “Kenny Fisk, Mike Mills and Josh Janik also came up big for us today.”
Mills was Manor’s second leading scorer with 17 points. Fisk finished with 16 points and Janik netted 10 points.
Tony Testagrase led Greenburgh Academy (9-10) with 18 points.