St. Helen's Hurricanes take tournaments

Nick LoPrinzi has high hopes for his kids, but not even the St. Helen's Hurricanes coach expected such a successful holiday season.
The sixth grade Hurricanes of Howard Beach won two local basketball tournaments recently, taking the St. Francis DeSales 22nd Annual Christmas Tournament in the Rockaways and the St. Mary Nativity Christmas Tournament in Flushing.
The latter one, in which St. Helen's repeated as back-to-back champions, defeating St. Mel’s, 31-12, and sweeping all three of their games, didn’t surprise LoPrinzi, although the final margin over St. Mel’s was a little surprising. His son, Nicky, was awarded MVP of the tournament, scoring a team-high 22 points.
The Rockaway competition, however, was another story, with their chief nemesis, St. Francis DeSales, the prohibitive favorite. The southern Queens school fell to St. Francis DeSales early on in the double-elimination tournament, but made it to the final, winning their other three contests. In the title game, the Hurricanes, despite a diminished roster, pulled out a thriller, 39-36, in overtime, behind huge shots from Jason Natland and Anthony Cuomo. Daniel Mole was the team’s leading scorer, earning MVP honors.
&#8220We were missing three key players for this game, and these boys stepped up their game big-time when we needed it,” the coach said. &#8220They know how to dig down deep when they want something bad enough. This is truly a special basketball team.”
This accomplishment sets up an intriguing subplot for the CYO playoffs. Last year, St. Francis DeSales knocked off the Hurricanes in the Queens Diocesan championship game. St. Helen's last won it all in 2004. But they are 8-1 in league play, and on a collision course for a rematch. &#8220We expect to meet them again in the championship game,” LoPrinzi said.
The coach has noticed a significant difference in this undersized but feisty bunch this season. Although they often face bigger and stronger opponents, the Hurricanes seem to thrive on being the underdogs. &#8220They almost have it in their heads that it’s a David and Goliath type thing,” LoPrinzi said. &#8220They gut it out with hustle.”