The Wallkill boys’ basketball team had a rough two days at the Glen McGinnis Holliday Tournament last week at Cornwall High School.
The Panthers lost both of their games at the tournament, finishing with a 68-40 loss to the Cornwall Dragons on Thursday afternoon at Cornwall High School.

“We didn’t play so well on either side of the ball,” Wallkill coach Hunter Andrews said. “Cornwall’s a good team. They’re pretty disciplined on offense, and they’ve got a good presence with Jack Demetriow inside, and then some shooters around him that we saw today. But we’ve got to be better. We’ve got to pay better attention to detail.”

Demetriow dominated on the inside, slamming down two dunks on his way to 22 points. He was complemented on the outside by Damien Sajous, who knocked down seven 3-point baskets on his way to a game-high 29 points.

Both represented the Dragons on the all-tournament team.

“They’re tough,” Andrews said. “He’s been so strong inside. They’ve got some other big bodies in there and (Sajous) shot the ball great. Kudos to him. And they had a great game plan defensively as well, taking away some of our strengths. At every level – coaching, playing – they outworked us.”

George Avila led the Panthers with 10 points and was the Panthers’ sole representative on the all-tournament team.

“He gave us effort and a lot of heart,” Andrews said. “He’s a good passer for a big man. He’s got good touch around the rim. He’s come along really nicely in the beginning part of the season. So that’s been a really nice thing to see for us.”

The Panthers opened the tournament on Wednesday with a 63-31 loss to the Washingtonville Wizards.

Zion Lynch led the Wizards with a game-high 13 points, leading three Wizards in double figures. Adam Badawy scored 12 points and Mason Blauvelt added 10.

Moses Hunter led the Panthers with 10 points. Lynch was named to the all-tournament team. Both the Wizards and Dragons finished the tournament with two wins each. The Panthers and Liberty each lost their two games.

“We played two good teams, and we need to do better,” Andrews said.

“We need to be more focused and play a little bit harder. That’s what’s been frustrating for our team.”

It’s been a frustrating start to the season for the Panthers, who have lost eight straight games to start the season. They will return to action on Wednesday with a non-league home game against the Goshen Gladiators, who also have struggled this season. The Panthers have lost all three of their Mid Hudson Athletic League Division I games so far.

They will return to league play on Friday with a road game against the Marlboro Iron Dukes.

“We need to learn the effort that it takes to win and the mental focus it takes to win, and the attention to detail,” Andrews said. “We’ve got more than half our season in front of us, but regarding our effort after these last two days, I hope we realize how increased it needs to be.”