It’s only fitting that the two teams meeting in the championship of the inaugural Mike Cingiser Tournament would be West Hempstead and Lynbrook.

After all, Cingiser graduated as West Hempstead boys basketball’s all-time leading scorer with 1,185 points and was named as a member of Newsday’s 1950s All-Decade Team. But Cingiser, who passed away in December 2024 at the age of 84, also coached Lynbrook for 12 years and won six league titles in that span.

Cingiser’s son, David, didn’t think his father would be picking sides in a game like this.

“I think my dad, the way he coached and played, would hope for a competitive game and be happy for whoever won,” David Cingiser said.

Lynbrook came out on top Tuesday night, 62-42, at West Hempstead High School in a non-league game that meant more th

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