Corals Cruise, Advance to Outdoor Ball League Championship

As Jamie Mordas delivered a dominant performance in the paint, the Coral squad advanced to its first ever Outdoor basketball League championship contest.

Mordas led the way, recording a game high 10 points and 11 rebounds as the Corals handed the Greens a 25-18 defeat in Tuesday night’s semifinal showdown at the Wayland High School outdoor courts.

With the win, the Corals improved to 9-1 overall while the Greens finished the season at 6-6. Originally the Orange squad, the Corals changed their uniform colors to honor the memory of friend and 2011 Wayland High School graduate Lauren Astley, who was murdered earlier this summer.

The Corals will now face-off against the Blacks in Thursday night’s championship showdown of the league’s top two seeds. Tip off is slated for a 7:30 p.m. start.

“It took us a while to get going, but once we did, we never really looked back,’’ said Mordas. “It was a total team effort, and we were able to get into a rhythm down the stretch. Once we got the lead, we never looked back, and now we’re looking forward to Thursday’s championship.”

Led by Tim Hanafin and Brett Mordas, the Corals grabbed an early 3-1 lead on a pair of jumpers and a Jamie Mordas put back from down low. Consecutive two-pointers by Dave Crismond and James Ivker paved the way for a 5-5 tie. A runner by Jay Saltmarsh along with a jumper by Jason Simches extended the lead to 8-6.

After the Greens rallied to tie the contest at 9-9 on jumpers by Matt Bonner, Dave Bonner and Crismond, the Corals broke through with a  two-pointer for an 11-9 lead.

Led by Ivker and Matt Bonner, the Greens established a 5-0 run transforming a two-point deficit into a 14-11 lead.

It started when a runner closed the gap to 11-10 before Ivker drained a two-pointer from the top of the key, giving the Greens a 12-11 lead. Jumpers by Ivker and Bonner followed as the Greens appeared to have regained the game’s momentum.

A lay-up by Jamie Mordas closed the gap to 14-12 before a runner by Brett Mordas and a two-pointer by Hanafin tied the contest at 15-15. A Saltmarsh runner handed the Corals a 16-15 lead before Jamie Mordas nailed a put back. Gabe Yanoff followed, launching a two-pointer from the top of the key and another Mordas put back from the post handed the Corals a 20-15 lead.

A Matt Bonner runner momentarily closed the gap within four, but Jamie Mordas connected on a jumper en route to a 21-16 edge.

Capitalizing on turnovers, the Greens created a brief 2-0 run on jumpers by Ivker and Dave Bonner, cutting the lead to 21-18, but the Corals closed the contest on a 4-0 run.

After a put back by Brett Mordas, Jamie Mordas slashed through the Green defense with a lay-up before Hanafin connected on a wide-open two-point shot from the top of the key to secure the victory.

“It feels great heading into the championship game,’’ said Jamie Mordas. “We’re hoping that we can finish out the season on top with a win and the Outdoor Ball League title.”