BARRINGTON, R.I. — There was a little bit of a sour taste in Albany Academy’s mouth. A promising start to the Cadets’ first NEPSAC season was suddenly disrupted by a four-game losing streak last week, but they had a chance to right the ship before winter break.
Safe to say it’s back in the right direction. Albany Academy traveled nearly three hours for this weekend’s annual St. Andrew’s Holiday Classic and left for the holidays with two strong Class AA victories, stamped with Saturday's 72-66 victory over Brimmer & May.
“It’s going to make for an enjoyable couple of weeks off,” head coach Jim Driggs said. “It feels really good for the team that they were able to bounce back the way they did.”
Saturday’s win over Brimmer was the continuation of an improved offensive process for Albany Academy, as the Cadets moved the ball better and got to the free-throw line 36 times. It also included one of NEPSAC’s best individual performances of the season. Jack Louridas scored a career-high 49 points, which included eight 3-pointers, as the Yale commit continued his brilliant senior season.
With the victory, Albany Academy improved its Class AA record to 5-2. Here are five standouts from the game.
Jack Louridas, Albany Academy
Class of 2026, 6-3 guard
Hometown: Delmar, N.Y.
NCAA: Yale
Louridas has always been a great shooter, but he’s likely never put on a display quite like this. His 49 points included 8-for-11 shooting from 3-point range, 4-for-6 from inside the arc and a whopping 17-for-18 from the free-throw line. He hit a deep triple from the left wing from there, and that apparently began a domino effect of heat checks. He was hitting everything, and making difficult ones – several with a defender in his air space, a hand in his face or moving off the catch, a testament to his footwork and form. He smartly found spots in Brimmer’s zone to pull up, and he even made one deep triple with the shot clock expiring.
Driggs almost couldn’t believe that Louridas had 49 when he found out the number after the game.
“I was saying thank you to a higher power. I definitely said thank you a few times,” Driggs said of what he was thinking during Louridas’ performance. “I’ll tell you what – he was so efficient. When they said that at the end of the game, I almost fell over. I kind of had no idea until somebody said it after the game, it was just so efficient. Everything was kind of in rhythm. He didn’t really take a bad shot tonight.”
The evolution of Louridas, who’s in his fourth season with the program and has started since he was a freshman, was on full display, too. Driggs said his guard has taken big leaps in two areas: his ball-handling and ability to get downhill off ball screens and create for others, and his rebounding ability. He made great decisions with the ball and made several strong takes to the rim, including one where he wasn’t afraid to take on Brimmer rim-protector Tyson Robinson for a sweet over-the-shoulder finish. He also came down with seven rebounds, including a massive offensive board when the Cadets were up six with 1:26 remaining. He proceeded to get fouled and made both free throws.
“I think the great thing about him is that he’s added stuff to his game every year,” Driggs said. “He was always a pretty good shooter, but didn’t handle it great. His handle has gotten a lot better. He’s able to come off ball screens, he’s now added a post-up game. He didn’t get loose balls or rebounds as a young kid, now he’s one of our best rebounders. Every year, he’s come back older but he’s added something to his game in his development. That’s a credit to him because he works really hard at it.”
Elijah Taylor, Albany Academy
Class of 2027, 5-11 guard
Hometown: Amsterdam, N.Y.
Taylor only scored six points in Saturday’s win over Brimmer, but his impact was measured beyond the box score. He’s as reliable as they come from the point guard position, with consistently smart decisions and reads. He was living in the paint, where he made two short mid-range jumpers but was also creating offense with paint touches as he finished with six assists. He was also competitive defensively against Brimmer’s talented guards and was constantly vocal. He also pulled down an important offensive rebound in the last two minutes that helped the Cadets see out the win. In many ways, Taylor is the glue of this group.
“He's like a security blanket out there for us,” Driggs said. “It’s hard to take him out because he makes good decisions, he defends usually one of the better guards, he rebounds his position for a guy who’s not overly big, and he can make 3s and makes his free throws. He’s providing pretty stable play at the point guard position, and he brings a level of toughness that we need. He’s flown under the radar, and I think he’s somebody who has a really bright future.”
Xavier Lopez, Albany Academy
Class of 2026, 5-11 guard
Hometown: Albany, N.Y.
The Cadets made it a point to slow down Brimmer guard Windston Legentus, who’s one of the best shotmakers and offensive threats in NEPSAC, and they were successful in holding him to nine points, though he hit two big 3-pointers in the second half. That was a credit to Lopez, who was one of the primary defenders on Legentus and never let him get into a rhythm by constantly getting into his body and making his catches difficult.
“He’s a really talented guard,” Driggs said of Legentus. “If he gets it going then watch out, as he’s done many times this year. And I thought (Lopez) did a really good job defensively.”
Ladanion Payne, Brimmer & May
Class of 2027, 6-1 guard
Hometown: Mattapan, Mass.
Payne continued his outstanding junior season with 24 points, and as usual, he was difficult to stay in front of with his combination of speed, athleticism and physicality. He opened the game with a lefty finish for a three-point play, and he made several crafty plays at the rim. He got to the cup on one play with an explosive first step to his left before jumping between defenders for a layup, and made a few finishes that required him to adjust his body in mid-air. His gravity and body control is very impressive. Payne also made a pair of 3-pointers, including one where he smartly moved off the ball and found a soft spot in Albany’s zone and buried a corner triple.
Tyson Robinson, Brimmer & May
Class of 2027, 6-7 forward
Hometown: Newton, Mass.
I included Robinson in my standouts from last weekend’s Scholar Roundball Classic as he continued to turn into a physical force who’s playing with confidence now that he’s fully healthy, and it carried over into another weekend. He scored 15 points, 11 coming in the second half as he attacked the rim with two monster dunks, including one where he somehow took off from under the basket, and flushed it over the defender with one hand for a loud three-point play. He also had a pretty reverse finish on one play; he’s playing freely and seemingly not overthinking things. He was also, as usual, a disruptor defensively with several blocks and deflections.
