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July 16, 2009 | 11:29 AM
Harborfields' boys' basketball fans wondering how the Tornadoes will survive the graduation of guard Ben Resner have the beginning of an answer: Everybody returning will be better, more dangerous and more creative. And because the Tornadoes get creativity from inside and out, that makes them very hard to game-plan or guard.
Such was the case on July 9 in a Town of Brookhaven large schools contest against the Flaming Arrows of Sachem East, a game Harborfields won easily 50-25.
A 15-1 start led to a 25-6 advantage at halftime, orchestrated from the backcourt by shifty floor leader Lucas Woodhouse (5-10), now a rising sophomore. Woodhouse runs a pass-first offense and delights in setting up his teammates. He's right-handed, but it's hard to tell.
"The best thing about our team is, you can pass to anybody who is open and they can finish," said Woodhouse, who recently returned from basketball camp at Duke.
"Lucas is now the nucleus of this team," Harborfields head coach Chris Agostino said. "When he's playing with his AAU team and not with us, we're in trouble. He's probably the most talented point guard at his age we've ever had. He sees everything out there, even suggests offensive strategies to me. And he's only going to get better."
Under the basket and out on the wing, the Tornado finishers are also a force. "This is the biggest team I've ever had," said Agostino.
Big, and they can run and shoot and jump, starting with mobile 6-5 center Nick Fessenden, who has muscled up considerably since last summer. "I do individual drills with the coach, get up at 6 am to lift weights and run. And I've been working on my left hand," said Fessenden.
It's all paying dividends now as Fessenden was unstoppable against the Sachem East front line, scoring with both hands and feeding 6-4 power forward Matt Curry for three-point daggers from outside the arc. Add the speed, smarts and defensive hustle of junior wingman Matt McLeod, who nearly tore down the backboard on a dunk attempt, and fans begin to see what Harborfields could be this year.
Defensively, the Tornadoes held the Arrows to one first-half field goal and four free throws in a physical battle filled with whistles. "We work on defense a lot," said Fessenden. "We help and recover, and we work on our shell."
Fessenden drew his fourth foul early in the second half and looked to the bench for the early hook from Agostino. Agostino waved him off, to give him the experience of staying alive in a rugged game. Because he just might need that come playoff time next spring.
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