They had captured 15 other Tournament Championships in their fine careers, but only one tournament had eluded them. The Milford Rotary Hoopfest. The Knights responded to their first-ever loss in the FCBL playoff Semifinal a week earlier, with a mission on winning this tournament.
Facing fellow FCBL member Fairfield PAL in the Hoopfest Final at Law High School, the Knights relied on their suffocating 3-2 zone defense that was the backbone of their 4 year success.
Fairfield jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead. An Ethan Long driving lay-up sandwiched between free throws by Matt Piechota and Riley Jordan made it 8-6 after the first quarter.
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Another Fairfield 3-pointer and basket made it 13-6 before Luke Dana buried a baseline jumper. After free throws by John Neider and Nolan McKenna-Hansen, Fairfield extended the lead to 21-12. Brendan Buchner’s deep 3 before time expired brought the Knights bench to their feet and closed the lead to 20-15 at the half.
Matt Piechota scored the Knights first 5 points in the 3rd quarter to tie the game at 20. Riley Jordan gave the Knights their first lead of the game with a long 3 pointer from the corner. Piechota added another basket off a Christian Andriolas pass extending the lead to 25-20.
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After holding Fairfield to only one basket in the 3rd quarter, Milford really turned up the pressure defense in the 4th quarter. John Neider’s steal and lay-up pushed the Knights lead to 29-20 before Sam Rosa delivered the knock-out blow with a three pointer making it 33-20.
Free throws by Dominic DiFederico, Jordan and Long closed out the Knights scoring and the 41-24 win.
The Knights, who finished their season with a 34-6 record, can now add the Hoopfest trophy to their 2018-2019 collection that already includes the InSports Holiday Tournament, UnderArmour Challenge, and the Milford Sunday League Tournament.
The Knights reached the Hoopfest Finals by beating Newtown Blue 45-31 in the Semifinals. John Neider led the Knights with 16 points, Matt Piechota 11 and Nolan McKenna-Hansen with 9. Zach Worzel and Riley Jordan stood out defensively for the Knights.
Team Photo
Front Row: Sam Rosa, Brendan Buchner, Ethan Long, Riley Jordan, Luke Dana
Back Row: Coach Kevin Long, Matt Piechota, Zach Worzel, Nolan McKenna-Hansen, Domenic DiFederico, John Neider, Christian Andriolas, Coach Scott Worzel
