John Jay Tri-County Championship Games

5/6 Team Wins Championship

After defeating Yorktown 55-20 on Saturday, March 11, the John Jay Howlers lined up with Mamaroneck for the finals of the Tri-County Basketball League. The Championship at stake, the drama didn’t last very long at the House of Sports in Ardsley on Sunday.

The 6th grade team from John Jay scored the first seven points, built a 29-8 lead by halftime and won going away by a score of 39-18. “We did it last year, so we knew we could do it again this year,” said Jake Blank.

The point guard’s coast to coast drive made for a 5-0 advantage, and the lead would grow to ten from the outside. Nate Summer hit a jumper, and Chase Nevins’ three was the last touch on Jay’s around the arc ball movement.

The synergy didn’t take a break either. Moving without the ball, Summer was on the receiving end of the backdoor, and his layup turned a 12-2 lead to close the quarter.

Period two, John Jay refused to let up. Andrew Fridie and Blank both got to the line on hard drives, and the tenacity was definitely by design, according to Summer. “We knew they were physical and aggressive. So we knew we could get them to foul, and we could get to the line,” said Summer.

Of course, Summer wasn’t averse to going in unabated. The tall guard seeing the opening, he burst through the paint and gave his team a 16-2 lead.

Theo Worner stuck to the program anyway and ended up on the foul line for two. On the other hand, Summer showed no signs of hesitation when the next opportunity was 20 feet away. He smacked a triple, and despite feeling the thrill on the way back up court, Summer kept his good play in perspective. “I just took my shots, and they were falling,” said Summer.

A 21-4 lead, the mini celebration didn’t have the Howlers taking anything for granted. So Cody Jones made no bones about diving to the hardwood to keep the ball in play. Blank received the shovel pass among the morass and found Jacob Fein for the layup.

Then it was back to the drawing board, and Summer was holding the chalk. He drove twice, was fouled twice and went 4-4 from the line. Taking his lumps, Summer and the team have toughness in their playbook too. “We definitely strive in practice to take some hits,” said Coach Jacob Mercado.

Summer went 0-2 on another hammering at the rim, but it was Mamaroneck that needed the Advil to close the half. Blake DiMatteo caught Summer on the fast break, and the layup had the Tigers facing a 29-8 deficit.

The rest was more of the same. But what couldn’t be measured in the boxscore or in the game plan was the undeniable confidence that was evident from the opening tap. “They won this last year and came in with a target on their backs from every team,” said Mercado, “The confidence comes from their teammates. They lift each other up every time.”

The trophy lifted, Chase Nevins already has his sights set for next year. “We’re going for a three-peat,” he concluded.

7/8 Team Falls in the Finals

On Sunday, March 12, the John Jay 7th grade boys Tri-County Basketball team suited up for the finals at the House of Sports in Ardsley. Unfortunately, the boys ran into a Hastings team they could not keep up with and fell 49-29. But the loss definitely didn’t define the season for Coach Tyler Sayre.

“If you watched us at the beginning of the year until now, they’re a completely different team. The kids got a lot better,” he said.

So even though they didn’t raise the trophy, getting to the finals was a pretty nice reward for all the hard work, according to Sayre. The last second layup against Somers that sent the team to the finals wasn’t bad either. “They missed a free throw. We dribbled down and we didn’t have anything. So we called a timeout,” said Sayre. “Off the screen, Josh Cooper caught it, gripped it and made the shot.”

Soren Johnson really captured the moment, though. “I don’t know, it was just insane,” he boasted.

Even so, Sunday sent the boys back down to Earth. Hastings jumped out to a 14-4 second quarter lead, and the half ended with John Jay down by 23.

The good news is the team didn’t quit. Liam Fulton and Amogha Bhat played the biggest part in what would be a 10-0 run. Fulton opened the third by sinking two from the line, and taking the cue, Bhat geared up.

He hit a deuce and then took pride in the pass work that resulted in three more points for Fulton on the inside. “I like to pass to my teammates if they are open,” he said, “I’m trying to get in the other team’s heads.”

Johnson then capped the outburst with a long range three that made it a 31-18 game. A Hastings three stopped the outburst, but again the 7th graders were not deterred. Jack Feeney muscled a put back, and Bhat got to the line twice to keep the game in reach at 34-22.

Unfortunately, the mini spurt was the last hurrah. Hastings went on a 10-0 run, but the hero of Saturday night’s game still hung his head high. “I’m proud. We’re a good team,” said Cooper.

Fulton was in agreement and had the same take as his coach. He also gave voice to the main factor for the team’s giant leap. “Over the season, we got more of a bond,” the center said. “We started passing well, dribbling well and came together.”

As for the day’s disappointment, he expressed the real final score. “We played hard, and that’s all that matters,” Fulton concluded.

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