Westport YMCA 5th Grade Team Wins 2014-15 FCBL Boys B League Title

Capping an unexpected playoff run, on Saturday, March 7, the Westport YMCA 5th Grade Travel Basketball team bested the Bethel Parks & Rec squad 44 to 28 to claim the 2014-15 Fairfield County Basketball League Boys B Title.

With a regular season record of just 6-12 – and 3-9 in league play – the Westport Weston Family YMCA’s 5th Graders had to play their way into the post-season, edging the Greenwich Flame team to earn a berth in the playoffs.

From there, the boys’ championship run was magic, with the Westport YMCA 5th Graders knocking off Bristol in the quarterfinals and then avenging an earlier season loss to Darien YMCA in the semis to set up the title game at Saxe Middle School in New Canaan.

Coached by C.J. Davis, the Westport YMCA team got off to a great start, building a 19-point lead at the half. Guy Harizman made the defense play of the year, doing his best Odell Beckham Jr. impersonation, leaping high into the air and stealing the ball with one hand. The saying, “Defense wins championships” held true, and the Bethel team never got closer than 11 points.

All the boys saw playing time and all contributed. Max Udell helped Westport control the boards and went an impressive 4 for 4 from the foul line. The chief ball handler was Ryan Thompson, who played an all-around great game. Colin Konstanty continued his strong late-season surge by hitting some key outside jump shots. The entire team moved the ball around well to set up high-percentage shots.

At the buzzer, the Westport YMCA team rushed to mid-court to celebrate their championship in a pile of boys, a moment of March Madness each one will remember forever.