Leading off today: Senior Brian Voelkel put up 25 points and 20 rebounds for Iona Prep last night in a 71-68 overtime victory against Newburgh Free Academy for the championship of the Slam Dunk Challenge in White Plains.

   Iona Prep is No. 4 in Class A and Newburgh No. 2 in Class AA in last week's New York State Sportswriters Association rankings.

   Newburgh senior guard Marcus Henderson made a 3-pointer at the regulation buzzer to cap a rally from 17 points down in the first half and tie the game but Iona Prep broke to an OT lead and wrapped the game up with four free throws in the final 32 seconds.

   Iona Prep dropped an overtime semifinal to Peekskill in last year's Slam Dunk Challenge. Voelkel, a Vermont recruit, produced 19 points and 19 rebounds Monday in a victory vs. Peekskill in the rematch.

   "This is two games in a row that we just gutted it out," Iona Prep coach Vic Quirolo told The Journal News. "Both times, we gave up leads but they found a way to win. I'm proud of them."

   NYC teams advance in Binghamton: Boys & Girls and Christ The King won comfortably to set up an all-New York City final tonight in the Stop-DWI Classic.

   Boys & Girls, making its first appearance since winning the 2006 championship, downed Kentucky's South Laurel 69-40. The Kangaroos ended the first half on a 24-7 run that began with 5-foot-5 point guard Antoine Slaughter's buzzer-beating 3-pointer to wrap up the first quarter. Junior Michael Taylor scored 14 points to match sophomore Jeffland Neverson.

   In the nightcap, Christ The King plowed past Suffolk (Va.) King's Fork High 56-40 in a game featuring 56 fouls and 71 free throws. Corey Edwards' 15-foot jump shot 32 seconds into the game gave CTK the lead for good, and sophomore Omar Calhoun scored a game-high 17 points.

   Big win for Bronx JFK: Bronx JFK remained unbeaten in boys basketball with a 73-68 win over Maryland's highly regarded Lake Clifton in Baltimore. Senior guards Jeffrey Short (32 points, 10 rebounds) and Naquan Pierce (24 points, 13 assists) led the way for JFK, ranked fifth in Class AA by the NYSSWA.

   "I think it was great for us,” JFK coach Johnny Mathis told The New York Post. "We played Kennedy basketball. It’s a big win because we beat a nationally ranked team in their hometown."

   Highly sought Lake Clifton point guard Josh Selby scored 31 points.

   CBA tops CBA: Class AA No. 8 Albany CBA defeated No. 20 Syracuse CBA 61-50 in the first round of the Leone Holiday Classic in Syracuse. Albany CBA advanced to the final against Westhill, which defeated Staten Island St. Peter's 44-42 on a driving layup by Dan Ross with :01.8 to play.

   Westhill trailed by 37-20 later in the third quarter.

   Nevada powerhouse Bishop Gorman crushed Class A No. 2 Buffalo Nichols 84-44 in the second round of the

Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

   Kingston keeps rolling Kingston, ranked No. 1 in Class AA, rallied from 10 points down to win the Slam Dunk Challenge girls crown vs. Class B No. 5 Irvington 68-62.

   Tournament MVP Rachel Coffey scored a career-best 32 points and added 11 rebounds and four assists. Charlise Castro chipped in with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

   Kingston trailed 48-38 midway through the third quarter but turned the momentum with a full-court press that closed out the quarter with a 9-2 run. Free throws from Castro and Coffey (13 points in the fourth) plus a Castro putback built a 62-57 lead with 2:30 to go.

   Girls milestones: Canandaigua senior guard Ashley Zahn scored 31 points in a 63-52 loss to Jackson Memorial from New Jersey to go over 2,000 for her career.

   The game was part of the KSA Tournament game at Disney World in Orlando, Fla. Zahn has 2,026 career points, good for 16th in Section 5 history, and is within striking distance of the school record of 2,059 by Becky Ayers in 2001.

   Lindsay Stoddard of Allegany-Limestone scored 22 points in a win vs. Wellsville to go over 1,000 career points in the same game is which teammate Caitlin Martin hit her 100th career 3-pointer.

   Sherman coach Mel Swanson was unsuccessful in his first bid for career victory No. 500 as Southwestern scored a 34-27 win in the opener of the Jock-Shop Holiday Shootout. Sherman will play Ellicottville tonight in the consolation round.

   Pin-point perfection: Frank Merante pinned all four of his opponents and may still have had only the second-best day of any Long Island wrestler.

   Competing at 171 pounds, Merante was perfect as Sachem East scored wins over Garden City, host MacArthur, Sayville and Islip to win the Long Island Challenge. The elapsed time of his four falls was 7:46, including one pin in 15 seconds.

   Meanwhile, Levittown Division heavyweight Yaseen Mudassar was stringing together five quick pins at the Uniondale Duals. Three of the pins came in 1:13 or less.

   Coaching changes: Jordan-Elbridge girls basketball coach Leslie Ahern is on maternity leave through at least mid-January, with assistant coach Mark Fietta taking the helm Dec. 19 following the birth of Shannon Edwards Ahern III.

   "We’ve been planning this and planning this, and it finally happened," Fietta said. "We were just waiting for it to happen during a game."

   Jake Herlihy stepped down as basketball coach after 1 2 seasons at Nardin Academy, citing health concerns. Herlihy, who had quintuple heart bypass surgery in April, is being replaced by former player Jackie D'Orazio.

   Herlihy built a 219-93 career record.