Mystic Valley Boys Win Championship

[Editor's note: The following article was submitted by Mystic Valley Regional Charter School.]

The Mystic Valley Boys Fifth/Sixth Grade Basketball team captured the school’s first ever basketball championship by winning the Eastern Basketball League’s Sixth Grade Division 2 crown on Thursday.  The Eagles entered the tournament as the top seeded team won three consecutive games handily to take the title.  In their march to the crown, they averaged 44 points a game while racing to a 16–2 record, including playoffs.  

In the first tournament game the team faced a challenge from Winthrop. Mystic Valley’s balance and defense provided the advantage and the team jumped out to an early lead that they held for the entire game, winning 47–32.  Michael Carlino scored 11 points while Elyjah Odney added eight, Danny Riley had seven and Jack Ryan added six.  Adding to the scoring were Matt Hogan who had five points; Andrew Hogan and Dante Goss with four and Danzy Briceus had two. 

In game two, the Eagles faced second-seeded North Reading for the first time this season and put together their best all around game of the year to come away with a 45–33 win.  The team’s defense shut down the Hornets offense early to race out to a 28–17 halftime lead.  Michael Carlino paced the Eagles with a huge game on both ends of the court, scoring 22 points.  Danzy Briceus had seven points and Dante Goss five as the team’s frontcourt took advantage of their size advantage to dominate under the basket.  Elyjah Odney and Jack Ryan contributed four points apiece and Andrew Hogan added three. 

Five nights later, the Baby Eagles once again faced the North Reading squad for the division championship in what was a much closer game than the previous one. The game was played in Plaistow, N.H., but that didn’t stop a large and loud contingent of Mystic Valley fans from making the trip.

The Hornets used excellent outside shooting to take an early advantage but Mystic Valley fought back and went into halftime with a 26–21 lead.  The second half was also close as the Eagles’ lead ranged from 2–8 points.  Then the team’s defensive press took over late and the boys came up with a late surge to close out the game, winning 58–42.  

Carlino once again led the team with 21 points, while Briceus added 14 and Odney 11. Also on the scoreboard for the Eagles were Jack Ryan and Tommy Callanan with four big points each, Danny Riley with a clutch three-point basket and Ian Libby added a free throw.

The team plays in a Sixth Grade league but is comprised of seven Sixth Graders and seven Fifth Graders for a rather young squad. Michael Carlino (12 points per game) and Danzy Briceus (eight points a game) were the team’s leading scorers. The Eagle’s defense and contributions from the entire squad led them to the School’s first ever title.

Head Coach Anthony Chiccuarelli had nothing but praise for his young players noting how very hard they worked throughout the season and truly gelled as a team. He told his team how proud he was of them and how proud they should be that they are the first Mystic Valley team to win a basketball championship. He also credited Assistant Coach Paul DeSantis for his tireless efforts in teaching the players the fundamentals of the game.

The squad is made up of Danzy Briceus, Tommy Callanan, Michael Carlino, Dante Goss, Andrew Hogan, Matthew Hogan, Andrew Howard, Hunter Kreis, Ian Libby, Jared Martino, Elyjah Odney, Danny Riley, Jack Ryan and Michael Sickler.