TBBL Rings in the New Year

TBBL rang in the new year with a full slate of games at all levels after the New Year snow.

Travel

Tewksbury 7 White 56 – Westford Grey 32

The Tewkbury 7 White team had a great win against the 4-1 division leading Westford Grey sunday beating them 56- 32. The guards led the charge in this one. Zach Tyler led the scoring with 17 points. Riley Frost was hot from the outside with 13 points. Dalton Bere also hit some outside shots adding 7 points. This opened up our inside game in the second half. Jarred Rizzo scored 9 points and crashed the boards on the offensive end. Chad Bosshetti had some key rebounds and added 4 points. Kyle Rossetti knocked down a three pointer and Travis MacMurdo added 2 Points. Kevin Carroll hit the boards and put pressure on Westford’s big men. This was a huge win for us; it puts us up back near the top of our division.

Tewksbury 6 Red 63 Lowell Gray 28

Tewksbury 6th Grade Red started the New Year off with a bang on Saturday with a resounding 63-28 victory over Lowell Gray. 6 Red jumped out to a quick 18-2 lead spearheaded by its aggressive full court press. 6 Red kept the heat on in the defensive end the rest of the way and headed to intermission with a 32-12 advantage. There was no letup in the second half as 6 Red played a solid game from start to finish. The team is really starting to gel with its team defense and the chemistry is starting to take place now that all 11 players are healthy and involved in the rotation.

Offensively, every player scored as the team demonstrated good vision and passing throughout. Chris Antonelli and Colby Brown led the charge with 14 and 10 points respectively. The remaining points came from Garrett Kingston (8 pts); Shane Aylward, Richie Markwarth and Paul Manzi (6 pts each); Nicky Iannacci (4 pts); Nolan Timmons (3 pts); and Thomas Bradley, Greg Sencabaugh and Tyler Keough (2 pts each). The win improves the league record for 6 Red to 5-2

TBBL 7th Grade Blue starts 2014 on the right foot

The 7th Grade Blue TBBL team had a great start to the New Year.  On Saturday, January 4th, the hardest part was finding the school.  The boys soon took the lead and soundly defeated Winthrop 43 to 15.  Connor Nugent was a strong center grabbing the rebounds and putting the ball up and in the basket.  Joe Balboni was fast on defense and switching it over to an offensive move.  Brandon Melo was on fire as he constantly pushed the ball up the court and in the basket.  Michael Rosenberg was aggressive on defense keeping the opponents out of the key.  Casey DeCost did not let a little knee pain slow him down at all.  Derek Schumaker refused to give up the ball to the other team.  Vinnie Hulme guarded the net and got the ball down the court.  David Miller consistently provided a strong offense to help his teammates make baskets.  CJ Zemetres wowed the crowd with his fancy footwork and quick moves.  Matt Cahill grabbed the ball and pushed it up the court time and again. 

Their winning streak continued on Sunday when they trounced Gloucester 34 to 25.  Gloucester held its lead for less than 4 minutes as our team got its head in the game and tied things up 11 to 11, and then never lost the lead.  CJ Zemetres got the first basket and had a few good saves.   Connor Nugent lead the team by scoring 8 points without any effort.  Joe Balboni kept the ball moving and passing between team mates (he never forgot his Kindergarten lessons on sharing).  Mathew Cahill grabbed a few good rebounds, and had 3 lay ups that went perfectly.  Casey DeCost must have had an energy drink that enabled him to fly over the opponents when they fell, and he got right up after a pig pile.  David Miller did not learn his kindergarten lessons so well.  He kept stealing the ball and bringing it to the net (without so much as a please or thank you).  Tony Mannetta stole the ball right under the opponent’s basket, not once, but twice in the first half, as well as grabbing numerous rebounds.  Michael Rosenberg was strong on both offense and defense to keep the opponents out of the key on both ends of the court.  Derek Schumaker threw the ball up the court, and when necessary went in for a tackle to keep control of the ball.    Brandon Melo went up the court quickly, did a fabulous lay-up, and landed the ball in the basket (not so mellow, is he?).  Vinnie Hulme intercepted the ball several times, thereby getting the ball into our hands.  The entire team was like Match.com on defense as they all manned up throughout the game.

Cadet Division

T-wolves 17 - Knicks 13 

The T-Wolves won their fourth game of the season in a tough game against the Knicks.  After the T-Wolves built an early lead, the tenacious Knicks battled back to take the lead in the third quarter before the T-Wolves surged ahead for good in the fourth.  The T-Wolves were led in scoring by Ian Maresca and Colin Hansbury, with additional great shot attempts by Chandler Dubay and Edward Galante; but in the end this was a game won on defense and rebounding.  In the middle, Kodie Legrand, Jason Morris, and Noah Healey scrapped for each rebound against a very good rebounding Knicks squad.  The guards, Colby Flahive, Evan Galanis, and David Forgione battled for each loose ball as every possession was crucial down the stretch to seal the victory!

The Knicks lost a close game to the Timberwolves on Saturday in a thrilling contest throughout. After shaking off the Christmas break rust, the Knicks rallied behind baskets from Joey Bourgea, Ryan Flynn, and Blake Ryder. The Knicks were able to keep the game close thanks to strong defensive efforts from Scott Lightburn, Jayden Donaher and Quinn Brown. Matt Stadtman and Santino D’Ippolito also helped on the defensive end by providing strong pressure on the ball. After battling throughout, the Kicks were finally able to draw even thanks to back to back buckets from Tyler Trodden (who played his best game of the year). However, the Timberwolves scored two late baskets and ultimately prevailed 17-13. 

Pistons 16  -  Rockets 14

The Pistons and Rockets had an intense and competitive battle this week with the Pistons coming away with the two point win.  One of the deciding factors for the Pistons was their great effort in coming up with rebounds with Cooper Lemieux and Shea Moynihan leading that charge.  The Pistons were down early in the game but came back with some great offense by Nick DiCioccio (4 pts).  The Pistons maintained the pressure with some great steals by Simon Dunham and Vincent Marchelletta as well as some great scoring by Tim Bradley (4 pts) and Cooper Lemieux (6 pts).  Jared Kreuger and Aaron Ramsey showed great ball handling skills as Piston guards and Morgan Dunham was a powerful presence on both offense and defensive forward.  The game was kept close until the game winning basket by Mathew Ramsey (2 pts) in the final moments clinched it for the Pistons.

The Rockets played a good game but came up just short at the final buzzer. The Playing excellent defense for the Rockets were Jimmy Holmes, Shane Exilhomme and Seamus Naughton. Brendan Waddell and Shane Exilhomme collected several rebounds on both the offensive and defensive end of the floor. Daniel Sullivan, Timmy Panilaitis and Adam Ellegood all did excellent jobs ball handling and making good passes which led to baskets on offense. Liam Kelly made a key basket, which tied the game at 14 for the Rockets and played an all-around good game.

Celtics 16 -  Raptors 10     

The Celtics scored four late points to pull out a 16-10 victory over the Raptors.  The Celtics were lead on the scoreboard by Noah Williams’ eight points and thirteen rebounds.  His efforts were supported by Alexander Arbogast’s four points, nine rebounds and two assists and Romyn Lorick’s two points, four rebounds, and assist.  Cade Barron completed the scoring with two points and added three rebounds and two assists.  Matthew Flynn had a strong game contributing six rebounds and two assists.  Dominic Johnson and Daniel Franklin each had important rebounds to gain possession for the Celtics.  Adam Saad and Carter Forbes continue to play tough defense.    

The Raptors leading scorers where Justin Magee (4), Anthony Nagibi (3), Jason Svendsen (2) and Michael Gaglione (1). With the Raptors only down by a basket going into the final 4 minutes, the Celtics veterans pulled away with 2 quick baskets.  Assist leaders that helped set up the scoring chances for the Raptors where Peter Impink and Eric Bellavia with quick thinking passing to beat the defense.  Aggressive defensive play by Daniel Richards and Lucas Adams helped keep the game tight and with great rebounding on the offensive and defensive side of the ball by Conner Broderick and Luke Montejo made for a close and exciting game.

Bucks 24 – Suns 12       

The Bucks took on the Suns looking to start off the New Year with a win. The Bucks utilized a solid team effort on both end of the floor to come away with a 26-12 win and continue their winning ways. The Bucks received solid contributions by all members of the team on both offense and defense. The Bucks were led in scoring by Tristen Leslie (10 points), Brian Carleton (6), including 2 points each from Scott Miller, Noah Lehouillier, Ryan Murphy, Brenden Owens and William Humphries.

Carleton and Dylan Paulding stood out on the offensive side of the ball with multiple assists each through solid passing in some very tight windows throughout the entire game. Leslie ran the floor aggressively throughout the game. Multiple times in the game, Leslie grabbed the defensive rebound from his forward position, dished the ball to the guard, sped down the court and scored from the low post on the offensive side of the floor.

Miller demonstrated solid rebounding skills on both ends of the court utilizing solid positioning and boxing out technique throughout the game. Colby Coolidge and Humphries also contributed solid defensive efforts throughout the game with multiple rebounds each. Aidan Cram and Ian Shpritzer contributed solid efforts on both sides of the court through their defensive efforts from the guard positions. Additionally, Cram and Shpritzer demonstrated positive offensive technique by setting effective picks which opened up the offense and created space for their teammates. Through the impressive team effort throughout the game, the Bucks were able to earn their sixth win of the season.

The Suns delivered their best defensive game of the season this week.  The game started with an 8-8 tie behind the scoring of Nicholas Gonzalez.  Anthony Burgess, Robbie Beggan, and Ben Piccolo all delivered key baskets under tight pressure from the Bucks defense.  Sean Hirtle delivered a strong performance in his first game of the season after fully recovering from an arm injury. Jake Ryan played very strong on offense, while Ryan Mackeen and Andrew Estabrook delivered a smothering defensive hold on the Bucks.   Jonah Bennett, as usual, pulled down some huge rebounds.

Hawks 20 – Sixers 18   

After a long holiday layoff the Hawks had a big come from behind victory after trailing by 10 and coming back to take 20 to 18 win which was led by strong defense and good passing. William Eskenas led the hawks with a solid 8 points, Aidan MacDonald scored 6 points, Albie Bosworth continued his scoring streak with 4 points, and Michael Carlson had a nice basket to keep the Sixers at bay. Nicolas Ingersoll had two nice passes for assists while Jack Baron and Ryan Feudo were strong on the boards. Kyle Cummings played exceptional defense with 3 steals that helped the Hawks pull out the hard fought win.

Great first game back from the break, with the Sixers playing strong on both sides of the floor.  On the boards this week, Ryan Fleming reached a season high of 12 points, helped by David Timmons for 4 points and Braydon Aylward for 2.  Owen Kinnon and Nathan Jolly played tough defense at the three point line to protect their basket.  Sam White and Kyle Adams both got shots off and also had many assists.  Pouriya Mehrabani played strong down low, but the Hawks had him well covered preventing him from scoring this game.  Joey Foster and John O'Donnell both were there to help clear the lane for their teammates as well as play great defense on the other end of the court.

Thunder 21 – Pacers 12   

Derek Wogan got the Thunder started today with a great jump ball effort.  He continued to contribute with good defense throughout the game.  Also showing their defensive skills today were Joshua Maher, Cameron Heichman and Paul Allen.  Paul and Cam both tied up loose balls at crucial times in the game resulting in jump balls and possessions for the Thunder.  Bobby Branchaud had several assists today, finding those openings for quick passes to his teammates.  He also pulled down several offensive and defensive rebounds.  Leading the scoring today was Brady McHugh, with 14 points.  Brady also led the team in steals, following one up with a long outlet pass to Nicholas Alvarado for 2 points from a jumper at the top of the key.  Andre Monteiro pulled down several offensive rebounds, making two baskets for 4 points in the game.  Matthew Duggan played solid defense at guard and forward and scored 1 point on a free throw. 

The Pacers made an amazing team effort against the Thunder today but fell short by a 21-12 score. The Pacers defensive was incredible and was led by Cam Kearney who had 10 steals, Ian Starr and Drew Nestor who had 2 steals a each as well. The Pacers really put the strain on the Thunders defense towards the end of the third quarter, quarterbacked by Billy Burris (8 points), Jack & Drew Rennell (2 points each). Ryan Thompson and Jacob Martel were all over the court stealing the ball and making some turnkey style passes as well. It was an all-around great game by both teams.

Junior Division

Wizards 22 – Spurs 16

Today’s game between the Spurs and the Wizards would be yet another tough loss for the Spurs. Offensive player of the game was Dylan Dufresne scoring all the points for the Spurs. Offensive assists went to Trevor Trodden, Kyle Breen, Samuel Hines, Brady Litton and Charles Matsas. Defensive standouts for the Spurs were Matthew Woods, Ryan Rosenberg, Joshua Linnehan and Daedon Bere.

Warriors 26 – Sixers 15

The Warriors used a great team effort to defeat the tough Sixer squad.  Both teams got off to fast starts in the first quarter with the Warriors using baskets from 5 different players to jump out to a 10-6 lead.  The Warrior defense turned it up a notch over the next 2 quarters limiting the Sixers to 1 point with suffocating pressure and clutch rebounding.  The Warrior offense was strong throughout using great ball movement and unselfish play to keep putting up the points.  Sean Kaiser was the scoring star with 10 points followed by Ryan Melo, Luke McFadyen (4 points apiece), Will McFadyen, Sreetej Digmurthi, Travis Cohen and Bryan Doherty (2 points each).  Dylan Crowley and Sean Kaiser each had multiple assists while Travis Cohen, Bryan Doherty and Luke McFadyen controlled the boards.

The Sixers started out with a strong first quarter scoring 7 of their 15 points, but the tough Warrior defense kept them scoreless until the 4th quarter of the game.  Logan Reinhard lead the team with 6 points, Nik Smith followed with 5 and Eric Ndungo and Cole Kimtis netted a basket each to round out the scoring.  The Sixers defense played strong behind the solid rebounding of Robert Ryan, who also had 3 steals and help from Aiden Crawson who added 2 steals.  Damien Hadden, Nicholas Danielson, and Paul Spanos added solid rebounding.

Mavs 20 – Celtics 16

 The Mavs played a great game Saturday to beat a tough and fast Celtics team 20 - 16. Scoring for the Mavs were, Mark Olu with 10pts, both Derek Wilkinson and Henry Pestana had 4pts, and Josh Engelken had 2 pts. It was a great team effort on defense with Cullian Johnson and Paul Tower playing strong down low and Devon Stoddard and Jordan Mackenzie playing aggressive perimeter defense.

Lakers 19 – Cavs 16

The Cavs got off to a fast start only to be matched by the Lakers fast hands of Mike Wilson (2 pts) and the rebounding and passing of Robert Cortes (2 pts) and Nick Polimeno (2 pts).  The Cavs kept pushing the Lakers to score.  Sean Fahey (9 pts) would answer the challenge and Abhi Lingareddy (2 pts) would close out the 1st half 13-4.  The Second half continued with Cavs pushing and driving the ball up the court.  Lee Ghannam had multiple close call shots that hit all over the basket not going through.  Mihir Bagul and James Ministeri both played great offense and defense with rebounds and steals.  Jack Stadtman continued to show great man-to-man defense with strong rebounds.  Nick "Tank" Wilson would close out the victory for the Lakers with his 1st 2 points of the Season.

Intermediate Division

Jazz 35 – Hornets 28

It was a battle of the 2 undefeated teams on Saturday with the Jazz taking on the Hornets.

The Hornets started fast, jumping out to an early lead and then the Jazz bounced back with a big lead of their own. The Hornets showed why they are one if the best teams by coming right back to make it very close throughout the second half.  Scoring for the Jazz was Josh Donaher with 13 points, Ryan Meuse with 6, and Derek Wallace, Shawn Manson, & Nick Stephens each with 4 points. Matt Ferreira and Jack Kenneally each added 2 points. It was a great team effort on D with Mike Bankowski and Matt Pelletier down low and Nate Wilkinson with a number if steals to help seal the win.

Hornets couldn’t get it going against a tough Jazz team who played great defense. The Hornets were led by Justyn Lester and Adam Hines who both had 7 points with Zach Hines chipping in 6 points.  Jake Ruocchio and Logan Singleton each played a strong game on both ends of the court. Andrew Lefebvre, Mike Fowler, Cameron Hodgson, and Gustavo Tizotti all played a strong all-around game.

Suns 42 – Bucks 33

The Suns won this game in overtime with a back and forth battle that ended up tied at the end of regulation with the Suns putting together a great effort in overtime to pull away with the win.  The Suns built up momentum throughout the game with all-around effort on both defense and offense including great work on the boards. The score remained close with the continued defensive presence of Ryan Bennett and William Andella.  Phadungdet Kaeokit led all scorers with 18 points, while Matthew Dugan added 8 and Christopher Zdinak had 6. Anthony Miano added 4 points with William Mance, Harrison Graczyk, and Jack O'Neill each contributing 2 points.

Wizards 34 – Thunder 20

The Wizards had a great start to the first half taking an early 14-8 lead. In the second half the Wizards exploded on offense scoring 20 points combined from Xavier McShane, Sean McMahon, Owen Gilligan and Nick Cappiello. The Wizards defense held strong for the second half as well stepping up their pressure creating multiple turnovers which led to an increase of scoring opportunities. Defensive contributions by Rich Cappiello, Alec Sokol, Matt Perron, and Dominic Cohen helped to seal the win. All players played a great game and even though John “JP” Murphy was sidelined with an injury he helped cheer on and orchestrate the substitution roster flawlessly to his fellow team mates. With the Wizards combination of excellent dribbling, passing and minimal turnovers they were able to hold on to their lead and win their first game of the season. Excellent team effort guys!!

Heat 41 – Bobcats 34

Early Saturday morning, the Heat shook off their sleepy start to hold off an excellent Bobcats team.  Playing short-handed, the Heat started the game very slow in the first half, relying on their defense to keep them in the game.  After a low scoring third quarter, they finally turned up the heat in the fourth, scoring 19 of their 41 points and holding off the Bobcats' comeback threat.  Offensive leaders for the Heat were Andrew Maresca (13 points, 4 steals) and Daryl Quek (15 points and 6 rebounds) who each shot over 50% from the field.  The defense was again led by Ian Tacey who logged 4 blocked shots while forcing many tough shots.

The Bobcats dropped a tough decision to the Heat. While it was close after three quarters, the Heat pulled away in the fourth with timely shooting and defense. Matt Fronduto led the scoring for the Bobcats with 16, while Jon Mahoney (eight points), Andrew Froio (four), Billy Chase (four) and Jared Doyle (two) also tallied.  Tyler Strong, Nick Brooks and Evan Crowley contributed with tough defense, nice passing and heads up defense.

Senior Division

Magic 43 – Sixers 20

The Sixers had a tough loss. They were outplayed and outscored by the Magic. Nick Zullo led the way for the Sixers with 9 points.  Bryan Lelos scored 4 points, Pat Carleton, Robbie Gilligan, and Jonathan Raschella each had 2, and Nick Catizone had 1.  

Hornets 59 – Bucks 34

As they’ve done all season, they Hornets were slow out of their hive early and quickly fell behind to a talented Bucks team. True to form, the team woke up and put on a stinging performance after the half time break and captured a solid win to begin the second half of the season. Leading the team in points was guard Matty McLaughlin, sinking 5 baskets and three from the foul line for a total of 13 points. Next was a red hot Brendan Murray (11 points). His baskets early in the game, including a three pointer, kept the Hornets in the game when the team struggled. Center Ben Connors worked hard for rebounds and dropped in 9 points, and Daniel DeRosa set up Nolan Higgins (6 points) for two long range 3’s. Finding his shot in the final period, Derek Steinbrecher buried 3 outside shots for 6 points helping to increase the Hornets’ lead as the Bucks’ made one final push. With 4 points each, Leo Frisella, Robert Page, and Sam Fortier made sure the team didn’t lose their lead down the stretch. Rounding out the Hornet’s totals was Nick Borges’ 2 points after aggressively working through the Buck’s defense.

Bobcats 35 – Rockets 31

The game between the Bobcats and Rockets went down to the wire on Saturday, with the Bobcats pulling through with a 4-point win.  A great team effort all around by the Bobcats with each player contributing key plays.  Fast transition basketball kept the Rockets on their heels with Dave Pesantes and Damian Dugan pushing the tempo each possession.  The up tempo basketball created many open shots.  Danny Carter, Mike Flynn, and Nick Heinze hit big shots on offense.  Three big men - John Kenney, Josh Snyder, and Jarryd Hickey played great low-post defense forcing tough shots and limiting second-chance opportunities with tough rebounding.  The Bobcats crowd roared after Danny Nguyen's block on a player twice his size and Ryan Nickerson put the game away with a key drive to the hoop in the closing seconds.

Blazers 52 - Timberwolves 44

T-Wolves came out fighting, good passes and ok defense.  Mikey Lambert scored 8 pts and was always ready for the passes from Josh. Adam Deveau was out for the win, running and blocking, scoring 10 pts, top scorer. Joshua Tirrell scored 9 pts, great passing. Trevor Breen ran quickly and tried to play good offense scoring 6 pts.  We missed a few lay ups that should have gone in. Mikey Sarno scored 2 pts. Tim Patterson scored the first basket with 2 more to follow. Bradley Richardson was fighting to keep the ball with some good steals. Andrew Pacheco was demonstrated great teamwork and scored 2 baskets.