LE ROY PENNYSAVER & NEWS - MARCH 6, 2022 by Ric Vangalio KTA COED BASKETBALL LEAGUE: 1st/2nd Grade League Consolation Game: Blazers vs Rockets The Consolation game of the 1st/2nd Grade league was a matchup of the Blazers and the Rockets. Both teams lost last week in the playoffs, but were looking to end their season on a positive note. The Blazers season has not gone as hoped this year but that never stopped them from playing hard and giving it their all. Easton Fox and Tarick Vangalio got the offense started in the first half as Aaron Bailey dished out the assists and played solid defense to help out. The Rockets have relied on the hot shooting hand of Payson Keller for most of the season, today would be no different. Keller came out on fire scoring 10 points in the 1st half, while Austin Branton dominated on the offensive boards and also scored 4 points. With Xander Parker and Alex Tomidy chipping in 2 points each, the Rockets took a big 18-6 lead in the first half. The Blazers knew they would need offense from the rest of the team in the 2nd half and that help would arrive in the form of Trenton Alford, Allie Loftus, Raelyn Cosimeno and Diesel Jones as they all chipped in to try to get their team back into the game. But Ameaus Largeroy had the same idea, as he added 6 points in the 2nd half for the Rockets to extend the lead. Combine that with an additional 6 points from Keller and it was the Rockets that would end up with the 32-16 victory. The Blazers were led by Easton Fox and Tarick Vangalio with 4 points each. Other offensive contributors were Trenton Alford (2 points), Allie Loftus (2 points), Raelyn Cosimeno (2 points) and Diesel Jones (2 points). The Rockets were led by Payson Keller with 16 points. Other offensive contributors were Austin Branton (6 points), Ameaus Largeroy (6 points), Xander Parker (2 points) and Alex Tomidy (2 points). 1ST / 2ND GRADE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Warriors vs Raptors The Championship game between the Raptors and the Warriors was bound to be a great game. These two teams split the regular season with close victories for each team, so needless to say everyone knew what to expect now that the stakes were raised. The Warriors have the twin towers of Brayden Johnson and Dalton Bzduch to lean on in the paint, but also have the shooting of Jayce Miller, Joseph Oliver and Ella Morrow that they use to score points from the outside to go along with the defensive pressure of Steavan Montesano and Olivia Vogt. The Raptors don’t have the size of the Warriors, but have a fast paced run-and-gun style offense led by guards Anthony Hamilton, Jordan Hamilton, Jameson Wyant and Keegan Bramer that provide the majority of their offense. Everitt Torrey, Donavon Jones and Giano Marinaccio combine for a defensive foundation that gave the Raptors the #1 seed heading into the Championship game. Hamilton who has been impressive all year stepped his game up for the Championship game, as he helped the Raptors out every way possible from providing steals on defense to dishing out assists and of course his sharp shooting on offense. The Raptors went into the half with a 23-18 lead. Even though they were down, the Warriors weren’t about to panic in the 2nd half. Both teams played great defense in the 3rd quarter and both offenses were held to 6 points in the period, to maintain a tight ball game. It was a 5 point game going into the last 10 minutes, so it was a case of who wanted it more. In the end, it was the Raptors offense that proved to be too much for the Warriors as they came away with the 49-36 victory and the 1st/2nd Grade Championship title in a very entertaining high scoring game. Congratulations to the 2022 KTA 1st/2nd Grade Champion Raptors!!! No individual scores were reported. 1ST / 2ND GRADE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Knicks vs Lakers The consolation game for the 3rd/4th Grade league was between the Knicks and the Lakers. The Knicks were looking to finish off the season on a high note, while the Lakers were still looking to get their first win of the season. Although both of these teams lost last week to lose out on a chance at the Championship that wasn’t going to stop them from giving it everything they had in this game. The Lakers have relied heavily on the hot shooting of Addy Stella and Drew Spink all year. Today would be more of the same as those two combined for all of the Lakers points in the game. That doesn’t mean nobody else contributed, as Stone Husted, Christopher Ianita, Darby Ferrell, and Graham Pawlak played great defense to help their team out. Isaac Morrison and Aiden Weise also combined for 6 rebounds for the Lakers. The Knicks came out looking like a team that should have been in the finals. With Blake “Sweet Tea” Biracree running point guard, providing some pin point passes to the rest of the squad, the offense was running on all cylinders. Biracree and the Knicks got everyone involved as 8 of the 9 team members put points on the board in this contest. Whether it was Blake Fetzer and Ben “Benny Buckets” Biracree hitting from the outside, or Thomas Englerth driving the lane, the Knicks definitely came to play. After a hot start on offense, and Eli Fortuna providing some great defense, the Knicks found themselves up 24-4 at the half. The Knicks weren’t done scoring in the second half though, as Quinton Ianni, Jackson Hubbard and Wyatt Whipple all provided points in order for the Knicks to come away with the 30-10 victory over the Lakers. Ben Biracree led the Knicks with 8 points. Other offensive contributors were Blake Biracree (4 points), Thomas Englerth (4 points), Jayda Cosimeno (4 points), Quinton Ianni (4 points), Jackson Hubbard (2 points), Wyatt Whipple (2 points) and Blake Fetzer (2 points). The Lakers were led by Drew Spink with 6 points. Other offensive contributors were Addy Stella (4 points). 1ST / 2ND GRADE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Knicks vs Lakers The 3rd/4th Grade Championship game was a showdown of the #1 seeded Bulls vs the #2 seeded Celtics. The Bulls had only lost one game all year, and that was to the Celtics in the 2nd game of the regular season. These two teams are very evenly matched so it was expected to be a tight ball game. The Bulls have been led all year in scoring by the outstanding combination of Dylan Loftus and Carter McClurg while the Celtics have relied on their “Big Three” of Ryker Vangalio, Paul Winters and Cole Cray for offense. The Bulls got off to a hot start thanks to McClurg. By combining numerous steals on defense that led to multiple fast break opportunities, McClurg was able to put up all 8 of his team's points in the first quarter. Dylan Loftus wasn’t able to get on the board in the first half offensively, but by applying outstanding defense on Celtics scoring leader Ryker Vangalio, he helped his team to a 8-4 lead at the end of the 1st. Both teams brought the defense in the 2nd quarter. The Celtics’ Kypton Cone, Preston Heschke and Connar Hanley shut down the Bulls offense and held them to just 4 points in the period. Not to be outdown, the Bulls’ Brianna Porcelli, Farrah Fox, and Harrison Porter held the Celtics offense to an even lower 2 points. Fiona Privitera provided the offense for the Celtics by adding 2 points, but Brody Wilson countered that with 2 points of his own for the Bulls. At the end of the first half it was the Bulls with a 12-6 lead. In order for the Celtics to get back in the game in the second half they knew they had to focus on two things; Increase the offense and find a way to contain McClurg on defense. They quickly learned that one of those would be much easier than the other. McClurg continued to apply the pressure on both the offensive and defensive sides of the court, and Dylan Loftus got involved as well on offense for the Bulls. The Celtics decided to try to get Paul Winters involved in the low post, and that decision paid off. Winters’ tough inside play not only provided points for himself but opened up scoring opportunities for Vangalio as well, as they would put up 14 points in the quarter. After an exciting 3rd period the Celtics, who had been down the entire game, found themselves up 20-18. With 10 minutes to go in the season and with only 2 points between the two, both teams knew they had to leave it all on the court if they wanted to walk away with the championship trophies. The Bulls Dominic DeJesus and Jaiden Biletskiy provided the defense for the Bulls, while Owen Nichols and Cole Cray did the same for the Celtics. Neither team was giving up much on defense, as the offense for both teams was very limited. Vangalio hit two big foul shots from the line to put his team up by 4 in the final minutes, but Loftus answered back with a bucket to close the gap. After McClurg hit one of his two foul shots, it was a 1 point game with under a minute left. With time winding down the Bulls had a steal followed by a breakaway layup to potentially win the game. Unfortunately the Bulls had to watch, as the ball, and their championship dreams rolled off the front of the rim. With just 14 seconds left in the game, Vangalio was able to gain control of the rebound to seal the comeback victory. The Celtics ended up upsetting the #1 seeded Bulls to win the championship. Congratulations to the 2022 KTA 3rd/4th Grade Champion Celtics!!! The Bulls were led by Carter McClurg with 17 points. Other offensive contributors were Dylan Loftus (2 points) and Brody Wilson (2 points). The Celtics were led by Ryker Vangalio with 16 points. Other offensive contributors were Paul Winters (4 points) and Fiona Privitera (2 points). Le Roy Youth Basketball
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