'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
With NBA legend Carmelo Anthony walking him out during Saturday's senior night game, Kiyan Anthony led the Long Island Lutheran Crusaders (New York) to a 68-65 win over five-star point guard Darius Acuff Jr. and IMG Academy (Florida). The four-star Syracuse commit was also accompanied by other family members before he was honored as a senior.
Trending
Kiyan led the Crusaders in points, scoring 15. However, it was close, with Long Island Lutheran's five-star point guard Dylan Mingo hitting the game-winning 3-pointer before four-star Marquette signee Nigel James came up with the game-winning stop, deflecting the ball before time ran out.
Kiyan showed he could score on all three levels against IMG Academy, knocking down shots from behind the arc, in the midrange and attacking the paint.
After the win, Kiyan joined his teammates at midcourt to celebrate. Mingo had 14 points and five rebounds, while Nigel James had 13 points. Four-star Penn State signee Kayden Mingo added 10 points, six assists and six rebounds, with one of his assists leading to his younger brother's game-winner.
Meanwhile, Arkansas signee Darius Acuff Jr. had a game-high 21 points for IMG Academy and kept the game close.
Kiyan Anthony and Long Island Lutheran on a 15-game winning streak after beating IMG Academy
Long Island Lutheran may have had a rocky start to its 2024-2025 campaign, including losing Kiyan Anthony to injury during its season opener on Nov. 30; however, the team has since recovered. The Crusaders are on a roll and have won 15 consecutive games, with the majority of those wins coming after Anthony returned in January.
Long Island Lutheran has beaten several nationally-ranked teams during its winning streak, including the Cameron Boozer-led Columbus Explorers and strong teams such as AZ Compass Prep, La Lumiere, Paul VI, John Marshall and Carmelo Anthony's alma mater, Oak Hill Academy. The school will end its regular season campaign against Dalton on Feb. 19.
The Crusaders are expected to take part in the Nike EYBL Scholastic Conference Tournament, which is the playoffs for the Nike Elite League. They are fourth in the standings and it may get a bye in the playoff tournament, which begins on March 6.
