Tewksbury Boys Basketball League Opens Its Season

(Editor's note: The following information was submitted by the coaches and administrators of the Tewksbury Boys Basketball League.)

Junior Division

Mavericks 17, Warriors 12

The first game of the season proved to be a great one for the Mavericks.  Steven Nickerson was the leading scorer with 6 points.  Andrew Eringis, Jared Gray, Anthony Miano and Evan Wood also scored pivotal points.  Chris Zdinak racked up a point from the free throw line in the fourth quarter as well.  Guards Shawn Manson, Kyle Morrocco, Anthony Miano and Evan Wood set the tone with tenacious defense and crisp passing.  Derek Leffler and Steven Nickerson had several key rebounds.  Overall, a great team effort which led to the Mavericks first victory!

Warriors lose a tough one 17 – 12. With Derek Wallace leading the scoring with 6pts, followed by Nathan Wilkinson with 4pts and Zack Lalonde chipping in 2pts.  Nick Stephens, Jack Keneannly, Tyler Strong, and Alec Strangman were all solid defensively keeping the scoring down.  While Jason Richardson was all over the boards with some big rebounds. great game by all, they showed a lot of heart!

Wizards over the Cavs

The Wizards played a strong team game both offensively and defensively against the tough Cavs.   Scoring for the Wizards were Ryan Meuse with 12 points, Travis Mecmurdo adding 8 points and William Andella with 2.  Ryan Bennett showed good passing and dribbling skills.  Harrison Graczyk played a strong defensive game.  Getting many offensive rebounds were Diego Monteiro and Noah Lamonica.

The Cavs lost a tough game to a very good Wizards team in the opening games of the season.  Ryan Anderson was the leading scorer for the Cavs with 8 pts.  Patrick Letourneau added 2 pts.  Other efforts on offense were turned in by Xavier MacShane, Cameron Grace, and Quinn McCarthy.  Outstanding efforts were turned in by William Mance JP Murphy, Savion Piche, and Ryan Smith.

Eagles 19 Sixers 16

The Eagles beat the Sixers in a close game.   The Eagles put the first points on the board, but the Sixers battled back.   The two teams remained tied for most of the game.  But in the end the Eagles were able to hold off the Sixers with a 19-16 victory.   Matt Fronduto, the Eagles center, pulled down a lot of rebounds.   Patrick Killion and Jacob Bragg were the defensive stars of the game.  Andrew Froio led the team in scoring with 5 points.   Ryan Joyce, Nathan Jones and Nick Pereira  all had 4 points.   Matt Ferreira rounded out scoring with 2 points.  

In the first game of the season for the 76ers they fell short in a close game with the Eagles by the score of 19-16. The 76ers had a great start with Adam Hines, Zach Hines, Arya Mehrabani and Dominic Cohen.   The 76ers displayed great team passing giving everyone multiple opportunities for scoring. The 76ers extended multiple possessions by dominating the boards on offense, but the ball would not go in. Defense was well displayed by Jon Mahoney, Nick Cappiello, Rich Cappiello, Paul Manzi and Adam Trudeau. 76ers scoring finished with Paul Manzi (8pts.), Nick Cappiello (2pts), Adam Trudeau (2pts.), Arya Mehrabani (2pts.) and Jon Mahoney (2pts.) Everyone displayed great team work.

Clippers 14 - Spurs 10

Congratulations go out to the whole Clippers team on squeaking out their first win of the season! It was a close game through 3-and-a-half quarters, but points from Patrick Dunn and Joshua Sughrue in the final minutes of the game pulled the Clippers past the Spurs and sealed the 14-10 win. Joshua Sughrue led the team with 8 hard-earned points, followed by Richard Kramer who sank two baskets for 4 points. Patrick Dunn rounded out the scoring with a basket for 2 points. The entire team deserves a pat on the back for their great play throughout the game. Matthew Brennan, Tyler Paulding, Andrew Ferreira, and Matt Pelletier showed off their defensive skills with great hustle, multiple steals, and timely rebounds, while Owen Gilligan and Sean MacKenzie were keys to the Clipper’s offense, skillfully handling the ball, making passes, and taking quality shots.

The Spurs played great team defense in an exciting but tough lose to the Hornets in a 14-10 victory over the Spurs. In the first game of the year Jake Winter and Brandon Melo both scored 4 points and Logan Singleton chipped in with 2 points.  Ryan Briley, Justyn Lester and Michael Kelleher came down with some tough rebounds. On defense Sean Phaneuf, Josh Winter, Jared Doyle and Jack Bieren were tough with multiple key defensive stops. This was a great way to start the season and an awesome job by the Spurs.

TBBL INTERMEDIATE DIVISION

FRIARS 29 - HORNETS 26

The first game of the season for the Hornets and Friars was an exciting one.  Both teams came out playing very strong.  Paul Farias, Kyle Curtin,Trevor Breen and Zach Karnell all had 6 points and Kevin Carroll had 2 points for the team.  The Hornets played extremely well with Jared  Cowles, Drew Fletcher Danny Nguyen playing extremely tight defense against the Friars.

As an overall performance for the Hornets it came right down to the last few minutes on the clock in the 4th quarter to come away short by 3 points.  The team played a super game for the first season opener.

RAPTORS 42   CELTICS 22
 
The Raptors came out blazing to win their first game of the season against an awesome Celtics team.  Every Raptors player scored including Mason Brown (2), Hayden Brown (2), Bradley Richardson (2), Chris Chiccerelli (10), Jason Molea (2), Kyle Crowley (10), and Scott Mazzapicca (16).  The Raptors played hard both offensively and defensively to come out on top and they played great having only 2 subs throughout the game.  The Raptors would like to thank the Celtics for a great game!!

Bobcats  33        Eagles    24

The Bobcats kicked off their season with a solid victory over a very good Eagles team. The Eagles kept the game close through 3 quarters until the Bobcats pulled away in the fourth with strong rebounding, solid shooting, and an excellent defensive effort.  Leading the scoring for the ‘Cats was veteran guard Matty McLaughlin with 9 points, who also had several assists, multiple blocked shots, and defensive turnovers. The team’s two big men Leo Frisella (8 points) and Robert Page (6 points) each muscled into position and got open underneath for more scoring chances set up by the team’s two speedsters Nick Borges and Kevin Carta. Akhil Bagul and Daniel Derosa both defensively pestered the Eagles’ offense all game, and also aggressively wove through the defense dropping in 4 points each.  Nolan Higgins rounded out the scoring adding in 2 points with some powerful second effort rebounding. Matt Boudreau, Ryan Nickerson, along with Carta and Borges, accounted for multiple defensive turnovers helping to set up more offensive chances. A complete team effort to begin the season.

The Eagles started slow but picked it up with a solid 2nd quarter led by big center Nick Catizone (8 pts in the quarter, 12 for the game).  Elijah McTiernan (8 pts), Aaron Whitehouse (2 pts), and Cory Mello (2 pts) helped put the Eagles up for a while, but despite impressive defense by Evan McCarthy and Justin Brown, the Eagles couldn't hold back a hungry Bobcats team that dominated ball control in the second half.  Nick Chinappi, Jeff D'Entremont, and Alex Kelleher contributed with good ball movement and several assists.

Bucks 33 Sonics 20

The Bucks faced the determined and tough Sonics this past Saturday, but persevered with a total team effort for the win. Defensive standouts during the game were Raymond Humphrey, John Henry Dvorak and Kevin Cooke with multiple steals and traps in the lanes and corners. Derek Steinbrecher, Kyle Strong,  James Wink controlled the boards with excellent rebounding and outlet passing. Top scorers during the game were Padock Wild (20) Jonathan Fuller (8) Jared Ward(4) John Henry Dvorak(1) contributed with the balance of the points.

Senior Division

Magic 36 Hornets 37

The first game of the season was a close one. This was a game of streaks. The Magic jumped out to a 15 to 8 point led only to see the Hornets finish the half with a 12 to 2 run of their own .Ronald and Bryan Tam each scored 2 along with Chris Caron dropping in 4 points. The third the Hornets built the largest led of the game, The Magic showed great heart digging in on defense, Dominic Catizone, Tim Glynn and great 1 on 1 coverage from Garrat Gaempel. Dylan Bolorinho caused many turnovers resulting in 5 point of his own. Tim Patterson's eight points helped keep us in the game while P J Wild offensive rebounding scored 13 of his 15 points closing the gap to within one with 19 seconds to go and the ball however good defense on the Hornets resulted in a Magic turnover. Con graduation to the Hornets. We look forward to the rematch at the end of the schedule.

Bucks 46   T-Wolves 28

 The Bucks open the 2011-2012 season with a solid victory over a scrappy T-Wolves team.  Both teams started out slowly as they had to shake off the rust from the off season, but the Bucks got into their rhythm in the second play period.  Defensively the Bucks played a solid zone defense keeping the T-Wolves out of the paint.  Lucas Theisen (5pts) and Andrew Carmen were relentless at the top of the 2-3 zone pressuring the ball.  Anthony Barinelli led all scorers with 12 pts.  Andrew Bryan (8pts) and Ryan Letourneau (4pts) were solid at the center position; each had several rebounds both offensively and defensively.  Chris Meehan (5pts), Ryan Sughrue and Andrew Boudreau (2pts) all played solid games on both ends of the floor each of them coming up with key rebounds, steals or timely baskets.  Ryan Bednarek (10pts) led the team in assists.  He ran the offense well, finding open teammates time after time for easy scoring opportunities.  This was a total team victory for the Bucks with each player making key contributions.

Cadet Division

T-Wolves 24 - Pistons 18

The T-Wolves defeated the Pistons 24-18 in the opening game of the season. It was a very close match the entire game, with Domenic Valway and Luke Maresca leading the way in scoring with help from Jack Panilaitis and Shayne MacDonald who made some acrobatic shots to round out the offense.  The team demonstrated excellent teamwork throughout the game helping the T-Wolves keep the lead.  Derek Wilkinson demonstrated excellent passing skills and the whole team handled the ball well throughout the game.  Key defensive players were Johnny Norwood and Joey Arsenault, who kept the pressure on the Pistons’ guards while Brandon Wood and Kyle Breen contributed key rebounds down low to solidify the victory.

Kalu Olu led the scoring for the Pistons picking up 12 points.  Logan Gallagher, Luke McFadyen and Cam Cimino each chipped in with 2 points.  Dylan Crowley made a great pass to set up one score while Mark Olu sparked several scoring opportunities with steals.  Jason Barnes and Josh Engleken played an aggressive game on defense controlling the boards and Will McFadyen used his quick hands to force many turnovers. 

Bucks 17, Sixers 14

The Bucks kicked off the season with a tough win against the Sixers. The Bucks had a five point lead at halftime but the Sixers came back to take a one point lead in the fourth quarter before the Bucks pulled away at the end. Cameron Paolillo led the Bucks in scoring with 11 points and some key steals at the end of the game. Elias Melki (4pts) provided great ball-handling and scoring and Adam Gallagher rounded out the scoring with 2 pts and a number of rebounds.  Solid defense and passing was provided by Travis Cohen, Julian Costello, Colin Fullerton, Cullain Johnson and Jake Aylward.  Brody McGratty had a key defensive stop on a 2 on 1 in the final minute that helped seal the victory.

High scoring for the Sixers was Mikie Kelly with 6 points.  Michael Duggan, Adam Favreau and Dan Fleming all helped the team offensively in hitting baskets.  Gautham Anoop, Corey Butler, Cole Kimtis, Drew Timmons and Kyle Adams all helped the team both offensively and defensively. 

 SUN  19 HAWKS 10

The Suns had a great team effort  in Saturdays win over the Hawks.  Robert Cortes  led the scoring with 10 points. Sam White and Gavin Thomasset each had 4 points. Damien Hadden , Max Tyler and Brady Eagan finished the scoring with 2 points each. Joey Pazyra showed great effort in getting 5 rebounds while Logan Frost and Doug Renna carried a lot of the play at guard.

Rory Power led the Hawks scoring  with 4 pts. Sean Murphy, Derek Munroe and Sreetej Digumarthi  each had 2 pts. Mike Cronin had 2 assists. John Ragucci and Paul Tower had 2 rebounds each. Sean Connelly and Jake Phillips played well defensively.

 Celtics 16   Rockets 12

 Opening day turned into an exciting battle between the Rockets and the Celtics. It was an up and down affair with both teams scoring in each of the first three quarters before the defense took over. Both defenses turned it up a notch in the fourth quarter shutting one another down completely. Leading the Celtics in scoring were Luke Tryder with 12 pts. and Sean Fahey with 4 pts.  Contributing to their scoring success was great offensive passing and ball handling from Michael Bottaro, Conor Moynihan, and Rob Ryan.  Cam Loder and Jeremy Perez showed great skill with multiple steals limiting the Rockets offensive opportunities.  Throughout the entire game Ryan Melo made his presence known under the boards grabbing rebounds on both sides of the ball.  Leo Strangman and Dominic Searles showed great hustle from moving the ball on offensive to coming up with the ball on defense. 

The Rockets were led on offense by Cam Pereira who had a team high 8 points followed by Michael Sullivan who scored 4 points. Playing excellent defense for the Rockets were Jack Stadtman, Colin Goggins, and Devin Stoddard while offensive passing standouts were Jordan MacKenzie, Josh Astudi, and Mihir Bagul. Logan Reinhard and Alden Lentz played very good all around games at both ends of the floor for the Rockets.

 KNICKS 22  RAPTORS 12

The Raptors lost to the Knicks in a game that was well fought from the opening tap. The Knicks caught fire early behind the sharp shooting of Justin Murphy and Benny “The Jet” Svendsen who each finished with 6 points. Michael Wilson and Henry Pestana’s defense kept the Raptors close. Although the offense didn’t start until the second half, Hunter DeLonais (6 points) and Henry Pestana each had two points before the half.  In the second half the Raptors came to play. Christian Marsden and Tommy Crawford had terrific shot selection leading to them each putting in two points. The Raptors got extra shot opportunities with the terrific rebounding by Ryan Rosenberg and Henry Pestana. Brady Lane and Richie Raso’s defense down the stretch was terrific by keeping the Knicks away from the hoop.  For The Knicks, Cole Duffett and Ethan Exilhomme anchored the defense each grabbing 4 rebounds and multiple steals while contributing big baskets on offense.  Aiden Lefler made it difficult to score in the paint while Daedon Bere, Trevor Trodden, and Nick Polimeno pressured the Raptor guards giving them little room to operate. In the fourth quarter the Knicks were able to pull away with big hoops by Ethan Fleming and Will McKay who took over down the stretch and was the team’s leading scorer.