BY ZACH SMART
SPRINGFIELD, MASS–This was before a standing room only crowd at Springfield College.
Fittingly, fans were treated to a pulsating 56-53 Stepinac victory over IMG Academy (FL) in an absolute thriller.
With the score deadlocked at 50-50, Hassan Koureissi set his feet and fired in straight-on 3-pointer with one minute, 21 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Fordham-bound Koureissi drew a foul on the shot, absorbing a bump from an IMG defender which sent him spiraling to the floor upon the made 3.
At the line with the opportunity for a wild four-point play, the biggest point of the night suddenly fell on the Harlem native’ shoulders.
A weathered senior in a deep senior class which has dealt with its fair share of injuries, Koureissi didn’t flinch.
The 6-foot-5 senior guard, who shot 82 percent from the free throw line as a sophomore two seasons ago, calmly sank the FT.
And so the Crusaders seized a 54-50 lead during the marquee matchup between two of the country’s heavy hitters.
Koureissi’s clutch four point play, however, did all but thwart the Formidable Florida foe’s momentum.
Jermal Jones, a versatile guard headed to Pittsburgh, stuck a 3-pointer on the move to slice the deficit to 54-53.
It was–surprise, surprise–Koureissi who iced it with a pair of free throws moments later.
“Hassan has been tremendous for us over the last couple years and even more so as a senior,” said Stepinac head coach Pat Massaroni.
“He continues to get better and better. And, in my opinion is not talked about enough on the national level.”
University of Southern Califronia-commit Darius Ratliff will continue to be talked about after this one.
The 7-footer showed his smooth, floor spreading shooting touch and finished with 17 points, nine rebounds, and six blocks.
Kouressi’s scoring prowess was vital during City of Palms last month. He turned in a 32-point game, splashing 3s and elbow jumpers during a third quarter barrage en route to a victory over Batlett (TN).
After a down to the wire loss to Paul VI, Stepinac is back among the upper crust of the nation’s elite teams with a win of this magnitude.
“Beating IMG Academy is a massive win,” Massaroni said.
“Not only for our school and program but the (CHSAA “AA”) league and NY State.”
Koureissi and this deep, veteran Stepinac squad has dealt with adversity many times before.
In fact, they came roaring back from a six point deficit with 58.5 seconds left to force overtime in the CHSAA “AA” city championships against St. Raymond’s, holding on for a memorable OT win at Koureissi’s future hardwood home, Fordham University.
“We stayed composed,” said Koureissi.
“Being with these guys for four years now there hasn’t been a situation I feel like we haven’t been in. On the court throughout practice and in games. Which has helped us stay together and counter any of (the opponent’s) runs.”
Braving the cold and searching for a signature national victory, Koureissi and hjs teammates had some extra juice for this matchup.
“We wanted to win real bad, especially with IMG being ranked ahead of us,” Koureissi said
” Our goal is to get to Chipotle Nationals. So, beating a top 15 team in the country was something that was needed to be done. And, it got done.”
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