NA FALL BALL 2018 WEEK #1 RECAP ACCORDING TO FENNIS DEMBO

We are excited for another year of New England’s premier Varsity Fall Basketball League. NA

Fall Ball kicked off year # 14 Monday night. This year all games are played at the North

Andover Youth Center. Mondays and Tuesdays we will have 4 games each night and on

Wednesday 2 games. I know the oval office doesn’t buy Climate Change but we know its real.

Monday we had a freezing gym followed up with 95% humidity on Tuesday which caused us

to go Old School and Play the last two games outside under the lights. We finished

Wednesday with real September weather. Games were very good this week and we are

pumped for a great fall

GAME RESULTS WEEK #1 WRITTEN BY BEANS PALLADINO

Monday September 10

St. John’s Prep - 69, St. Peter-Marian - 44 In a rematch of the top two seeds from NA Fall Ball 2017, this one was all St. John’s Prep from the jump. The Eagles came into their first game with passion and energy for a full 30 minutes. They were very active on defense and were vocal all game. They jumped out to a quick 8-0 lead at the 13:00 mark which forced a quick SPM timeout. From there, they forced the Guardians of St. Peter-Marian into taking bad shots and took a 33-21 halftime lead. It was more of the same from the Eagles in the second half as Jarnel Snow-Guzman ran the point very efficiently. He was driving, kicking to teammates for open looks, and was the first one to talk on defense. He made sure that his team extended their lead in the second half, giving SPM zero hope. Snow-Guzman turned in a very efficient game with nine points, eight rebounds, and six assists.

Sophomore Will Batchelder led the Eagles with 16 points including four three-pointers. For the Guardians, they struggled and shot just 29% from the field for the game. They were led by Jeff Sullivan and Angel Oquendo who each finished with 14 points. Wachusett - 61, Andover - 57 This game was an all out battle from two teams with veteran leaders. Early on, both teams struggled to pull away from each other, and back and forth play had the game locked at 9-9 five minutes in. The rest of the half was all about defense. Neither team would allow the other to get a good shot. The game was tied at 26 heading into the break. Andover came out on fireing to open up the second half. The Golden Warriors ran their set plays to perfection and were getting good looks. They jumped out to a 38-29 lead with 11 minutes to play. Wachusett, led by seniors Sam Dion and Joey Nuttall, responded with an 8-0 in less than two minutes to cut their deficit to one. Some more back and forth action, capped off by a Dion four point play had the game deadlocked at 44 with 6:00 on the clock. Steve Shaw hit back to back threes for Andover to give them a six point lead. The lead stayed the same with less than two minutes to play before Wachusett went on a 7-0 run, thanks to Andover turnovers, to take a 56-55 lead. Andover got a layup to take the lead back, and had the ball with less than a minute to go. Wachusett grabbed a steal and a layup of their own to reclaim the lead, 58-57. After a missed opportunity, Nuttall grabbed the rebound for Wachusett and was fouled. He hit one of two at the line for the 59-57 lead with 15 seconds left. On their next possession Andover turned it over again to Dion who was fouled. He calmly hit both free throws for the four point lead and the win for the Mountaineers. Dion led all scorers with 28 points, including six threes. Classmate Nuttall added 23 including seven rebounds. For Andover, Shaw led them with 16 points while classmate Colin Kirkpatrick added 11. Fellow senior Emmett Kim had nine points, seven boards, and four assists. Pelham - 52 Chelmsford - 49 Pelham used their aggressive defense to edge out Chelmsford for their first win in Fall Ball 2018. Both teams were aggressive early looking to get to the basket. Like the previous game, neither were able to pull away from each other. Pelham had an 18-17 lead with six minutes to play in the first. Junior Derek Crowley was aggressive getting to the rim and forcing Chelmsford turnovers. The Lions struggled to shoot the ball from deep and Pelham capitalized going on a 9-2 run to take a 32-23 lead into the break. When the second half began, Chelmsford dug in defensively and went on a 7-0 run to cut their deficit to two (32-30). For the rest of the way the lead would not get higher than six for either team. Both teams tried to use the three ball to pull away, but it was to no avail. Pelham shot 22% from deep for the game (6-27) while Chelmsford shot 20%

(5-25). With :30 left, Pelham held a 47-44 lead, Nick Drew stepped up for the Lions and drilled a three to tie the game. Holding for the last shot, Crowley drove and missed the layup but Cam Loring was there for the put back and the two-point Pythons lead with five seconds to go. After a timeout, junior Suubi Nkugwa took the ball the length of the floor to tie the game for Chelmsford at the buzzer and force overtime. In OT, both teams went empty on multiple possessions until sophomore Jake Dumont hit a three for Pelham with 11 seconds left which turned out to be the game winner. Crowley led Pelham with 19 points while senior Devyn Tucci added 13 for the victors. For Chelmsford, Nkugwa led with 12 points and nine boards while senior Graham Jefferies had a near double-double with 10 points and nine boards. Salem (NH) - 54, Westford - 48 Our nightcap of the first night of Fall Ball 2018 was another battle between two scrappy teams who refused to quit. Westford started out the game very efficient on both ends with solid defense and good ball movement on offense. With seven minutes to go in the first half, they held a 15-11 lead. Minutes later, that good passing led to two Adam Scaramuzzo three’s to extend Westford’s lead to eight (28-20) forcing a Salem timeout. The Blue Devils came out hot out of the TO going on an 8-0 in one minute to tie the game at 28. The game would remain tied at the break, 33-33. For much of the second half, Salem used some good ball movement of their own, getting and knocking down open shots. Coupled with strong defense, the Blue Devils had a 50-39 lead with six minutes to play. Westford held Salem scoreless for the next five minutes but could only grab seven points back as they trailed 50-46 with one minute to play. Salem knocked down free throws throughout the final minute and held off Westford for the 54-48 victory. Seniors Zack Caraballo and Kyle Poulin scored 15 and 12 points, respectively. Poulin also added nine rebounds. Junior Trevor DiMinico also scored in double figures with 13 for Salem. Scaramuzzo was the lone bright spot for Westford, scoring 24 points on 9-17 shooting. Tuesday September 11th North Andover - 78, Burlington - 41 The Knights took control early in this one and never looked back. At the beginning of the game, it was their defense that shut Burlington down. North Andover established big man Garrett Murphy early, and Burlington had zero answer. Later in the first half junior Kyle Moore got hot from deep and his teammates followed. North Andover took a 37-22 lead heading into the break. Burlington attempted to get back into the game once the second half started, but it was to no avail, the Knights offense was clicking on all cylinders putting the game out of reach early. Murphy finished the game with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Moore finished with 24 points on 8-11 shooting. Senior Mikey

Gorgoni dished out 10 assists and sophomore Andy Lauzon added 14 points including four three pointers. For Burlington, senior guard Alex Wong and junior guard Kyle Inglis each dropped in 13 points. Bishop Guertin - 57, Haverhill - 54 Bishop Guertin came into the game with a lot of energy and it showed at the beginning of the game. The Cardinals suffocating defense helped them get easy baskets in transition as they jumped out to a 16-2 lead just three minutes into the game. Haverhill played catch up the rest of the way and cut the lead to 10 at the break, 33-23. In the second half, Haverhill senior Daejon Pendleton-Mills (36 points) put the Hillies on his back and brought his team closer to Bishop Guertin. With the Hillies down five and under a minute to play, Pendelton-Mills hit a three to bring them within two. After a foul, the Cardinals missed both at the line, giving Haverhill the ball and a chance to tie or take the lead. Pendleton-Mills drove the lane and tied it up at 54, forcing overtime. In the first OT, neither team was able to get a good look and went scoreless, forcing a second overtime. In the one-minute frame, BG hit two out of four free throws to take a 56-54 lead with 30 seconds left. Haverhill missed a three, fouled Bishop Guertin sophomore Andrew Lussier, who sank one of two to keep it a one possession game, 57-54. Pendleton-Mills brought it down with a few ticks left and missed a three at the buzzer to give the Cardinals the victory. Senior Max Mattarazo led Bishop Guertin with 20 points and seven boards while Lussier scored 16 points and five boards. Newburyport - 48, Londonderry - 46 The Clippers were thrown into a battle in their NA Fall Ball debut. The scrappy Lancers from Londonderry would not let Newburyport pull away. The second half was a back and forth battle that did not see a lead get any higher than four points for either team. After trading baskets in the final two minutes, Newburyport held a four point lead with under a minute to play. After a Londonderry basket, they fouled sending the Clippers to the line. They missed the front end of a one and one. In the final seconds, Londonderry missed two shots and Newburyport hung on for their first NA Fall Ball victory. The McLaren brothers Casey (Sr., 15 points, 8 rebounds) and Parker (Jr., 26 points, 7 rebounds) paced Newburyport. For Londonderry, Ethan May led his team with 13 points to go along with eight rebounds while Jackson Cox chipped in with 10 points, four assists, and four recounds. Malden Catholic - 76, Methuen - 55 Another team making their Fall Ball debut, Malden Catholic wasted no time establishing their full court defense against last years runners-up, Methuen. Malden Catholic used their defense to get out in transition for easy baskets, as they shot 55% from the field for

the game. Methuen struggled to keep up with the pace of the game and got sloppy, resulting in 16 turnovers for the game. The Lancers proved to be too much as they coasted to a Week 1 victory. Malden Catholic was led by senior Kendrick Jean Francois as he poured in 19 points on 57% shooting to go along with seven rebounds. Freshman Tony Felder Chatman added 14 points on 67% shooting with seven assists for the victors. Methuen had four players in double figures, led by big man Tyler Carrien (15 points, 8 rebounds). Onyera Chibuoqu and Hadi Majed each added 11 points, while guard Marcklon Pierre chipped in with 10. Wednesday September 12th Lawrence - 66, Lowell - 59 In what could be a championship preview, Lawrence and Lowell battled on the last night of Week 1 at the Barn. Lowell took control early with their full court defense and spacing on the offensive end. They were attacking the basket and using their defense to get out into transition. They were also very aggressive on the boards, keeping possessions alive. Lawrence was also using a transition tactic themselves to keep pace with Lowell. It consisted of big man Luis Reynoso grabbing rebounds and throwing the ball ahead for easy layups. At the half, Lawrence led 28-27, Chris Ruiz paced the Lancers with 11 first half points. Both teams went blow for blow to begin the second half as the score was knotted at 38 with 10 minutes to play. The lead finally expanded to more than three points after back to back Lowell threes gave them a 50-45 lead with six minutes to play. Led by Reynoso, who scored seven straight during a 15-6 Lancer run, Lawrence took a 60-56 lead with three minutes left. Lowell tried to use the three-ball to get back in the game, but they could not find the mark. Lawrence hit their free throws en route to the victory. Reynoso finished with 16 points, 14 rebounds and five assists. Ruiz added 16 points and fellow senior Jaden Castillo dropped in 12. For Lowell, Carlos Nunez led with a double-double (16 points, 11 rebounds). Nate Siow added 13 and senior Devin Okogwu had a near double-double with nine points and nine boards. Billerica - 55, Peabody - 53 Billerica and Peabody gave us an absolute BARN BURNER to finish off Week 1 here at Fall Ball. Billerica came out very energetic and aggressive in their Fall Ball debut. With six minutes to play in the first, they jumped out to a 16-9 lead. Peabody came right back with a 10-0 run highlighted by two Chris Canela threes to take a 19-16 lead. At the half, Peabody had a 24-23 lead. The energy on both sides was unlike any other game, both teams were diving on the floor, the benches were engaging and supportive, and it led right into the second half. Offensively, Peabody came out aggressive attacking the basket, and on defense they were suffocating. They saw their lead expand to eight (37-29) with eight minutes to play. Billerica dug in the next two minutes, forcing

Peabody turnovers, helping them covert easy opportunities on the offensive end. A 12-3 run gave the Indians the lead back with six minutes to go. Both teams went blow for blow the next few minutes and Billerica’s lead only increased by one, (51-49) with two minutes to play. A Canela three gave Peabody a 52-51 lead. Junior Aidan Deady came right back and gave Billerica the lead back. Billerica added another basket to take a 55-52 lead with a minute left. Peabody came back and went empty, forcing to foul with 20 seconds on the clock. Billerica managed to go 0-3 from the line, and Peabody went 1-for-2 after a foul to cut the deficit to two. (55-53) A Chris Perez steal gave Peabody the ball with six seconds left and a chance to tie or take the lead. Out of the timeout, Billerica stole the inbounds pass to seal the victory. For the Indians, Deady led them with 18 points and classmate Ryan Murphy added 10. Senior Jake Loftin chipped in with nine points and seven boards. Canela led Peabody with 14 points, while big men Tyler Callahan (nine points, nine boards) and Alex Jean (nine points, 11 boards) had near double-doubles.

WEEK 1 RESULTS

St. John Prep 69 ( Will Batchelder 16 ) St. Peter-Marian 44 (Angel Oquendo 14)

Wachusett Regional 61 (Sam Dion 28) Andover 57 (Stephen Shaw 16)

Pelham 52 (Derek Crowley 19) Chelmsford 49 (Subi Nkugwa 12)

Salem 54 (Zack Carballo 15) Westford Academy 48 (Adam Scaramuzzo 24)

North Andover 78 (Kyle Moore 24) Burlington 41 (Alex Wong 13)

Bishop Guertin 57 ( Max Matarazzo 20) Haverhill 54 (Daejon Pendleton-Mills 36)

Newburyport 48 (Parker Mclaren 26) Londonderry 46 (Ethan May 13)

Malden Catholic 76 ( Kendrick Jean Francois 19) Methuen 55 (Ty Carrien 15)

Lawrence 66 (Chris Ruiz 16) Lowell 59 (Carlos Nunez 16)

Billerica 55 (Aedan Deady 16) Peabody 53 ( Chris Canella 14)

NEXT WEEKS SCHEDULE: PLEASE REFER TO WEBSITE WWW.FALLBALLNA.COM

TEAM OF THE WEEK: The nominees this week are SJP, No. Andover, Lawrence and Bishop

Guertin but the clear winner were the Lawrence Lancers. After a one year hiatus the Lancers

are back and they played a great game beating a very strong Lowell squad. As stated early this

might be a preview of championship night. The Lancers were led by their four seniors Reynoso,

Martir, Castillo and Ruiz but they had 9 other guys all contribute. Congrats LAWRENCE LANCERS

GAME OF THE WEEK: The nominees were Billerica/Peabody (barn burner) Newburyport/Londonderry (old school outdoors) Bishop Guertin/Haverhill 2 OT Thriller but from start to finish LAWRENCE/LOWELL was the game of the week. Shot makers, Bucket

getters, Track meet, defensive and offensive pressure, both benches loud and into it. Congrats

LOWELL and LAWRENCE

DO YOUR JOB WINNER WEEK #1: NA FALL BALL always loves the guy that just does his job

night and night out. The nominees this week are: JOEY NUTTAL (WR), GARETT MURPHY (NA),

JARNEL SNOW-GUZMAN (SJP), EMMET KIM (A), KYLE POULIN (S), ADAM SCARAMUZZO (WA),

ETHAN MAY (L), BRIAN MARTIR (LAW) CARLOS NUNEZ (LO). I love all these guys as they do

whatever it takes to win. This week we are going with Lawrence BRIAN MARTIR. The kid can

score but tonight he did all the other things with his teammates all scoring he just went out an

defended and grabbed 12 rebounds and took two charges. Congrats BRIAN MARTIR

Brian Martir: Do Your Job Winner

WEEK #1 PLAYER OF THE WEEK: The nominees for Player of the Week were Kyle Moore (NA),

Sam Dion (Wachusett), Deajon Pendleton-Mills ( Haverhill) Parker Mclaren (Newburyport)

and Luis Reynoso (Lawrence). Reynoso is a triple double threat every night, Pendleton had

season high 36 points, Mclaren was a double double performer and Dion scored 28 points but

the best player this week was NORTH ANDOVER elite shooter KYLE MOORE. Was 8-11 from the

field including 4-4 from three, was 4-4 from ft line had 3 steals and 5 rebounds but what has his

coach most excited is his shot off the dribble. The kid is no longer just a catch and shoot player.

We always have a hard time giving POW to a player on losing team but must mention DEAJON

PENDLETON was an absolute man among boys this week scoring 36 with players draped all

over him

Kyle Moore - NA

UNDERCLASSMEN OF THE WEEK: The nominees are Will Batchelder (SJP), Andy Lauzon (NA),

Jordan Robichaud (BG) Andrew Lussier (BG) Tony Felder Chapman (MC). All of these guys are

deserving of the award but two were a tad better. WILL BATCHELDER can knock down shots,

has a motor and a high bball IQ, TONY FELDER CHAPMAN makes guys better and can score in a

variety of ways. Congrats to sophomore WILL BATCHELDER & freshman TONY FELDER

CHAPMAN

BATCHELDER and FELDER were special in week 1

STANDINGS: PLEASE GET USED TO SEEING THE UPDATED STANDINGS ON THE WEBSITE

WWW.FALLBALLNA.COM. These will be updated Thursday of every week along with game

results. Thank You Mac Cerullo of Eagle Tribune for printing game results every week! Thank

u Jaryd Piecuch for maintaining website

ZEBRAS THIS WEEK: Scotty (beautiful hair) Alameida, Brian (suns out guns out) Gleason, Julien

(which way to the beach) Scott, Chris (longs sleeves) Bennet, Rick (Stormy) Napolitano, Paul

(New Do) Slattery, Kevin (Grumpy) Boutilier, Teddy (High Hand) Slattery and Abu

Brian Gleason back for his 14th fall with us

COLLEGES IN THE BARN. Incredible week of college coaches in the barn thank you to New

England College, Endicott College, Anna Maria College, Worcester State Salem State, Nichols

College, SMCC, Williams College, Hamilton College, Middlebury College, St. Joseph College,

Keene State University, Pine Manor College, Emmanuel College, Tufts University, Babson

College. 16 colleges in the first week

Old Friend Matt Malone from Tufts University back in the barn this week

NUTS AND BOLTS:

● College coaches please sign in at front desk and see Rick for your FREE Comprehensive

College Coaches package.

● Parking is in YC parking lot and street parking on Johnson Street and Milk Street

● Cows Rock Ice Cream parlor is located next to YC for ice cream and sandwiches

● For those looking to eat in our fine town the front desk staff can point you in the right

direction

● PLAYERS MUST WEAR GAME REVERSIBLE. NO SHIRT NO PLAY

● Parents please refrain from hammering the refs. Its fall league, just sit back and watch

your son PLAY

● Live tweets will be done. Please follow @fennisdembo87

● Games need to start on time so those coming a distance please plan accordingly

● Coaches Row is only for college and high school coaches

WEEK #1 TOP 5 PET PEEVES: Every week we highlight our pet peeves. Yes we are perfectionists

so we expect the game to be played the right way. Effort mistakes are tolerable but

many of these throughout the fall will give true basketball junkies angina

5. High School Players who inbound the basketball under the hoop. Amazing to me how many

kids casually inbound the ball directly under the hoop. Only one casualty this week but could

have been double digit turnovers.

4. Inability to finish at the rack. We did and do have a number of strong finishers in this league

but we have a majority who can not and we are not talking about going through traffic, many of

the situations this week were only minimally challenged. Most times it was being off balance,

timing issues ot the vaunted scared of contact. Get Better NOW

3. Unforced Turnovers. I know its week #1 but still the amount of unforced turnovers this week

was mind boggling. I particularly love when the offending player looks at his hands, or the one

who makes the incredible face or the player who blatantly blames his teammate for the ball he

threw going ten feet over the receivers head

2. When senior leaders do not take control when senior leaders need to take control. A bit

disappointed in a few of our senior leaders not taking control of their team when it was

necessary down the stretch. Great opportunity this fall to start working on this

1. Nobody Cares who wins a jump ball but they will when we get to sudden death. 35

years of coaching and it ceases to amaze me that most kids don’t act like winning a jump

ball is important at all. I guess they don’t value possession. It’s no wonder for 35 years

the Fennis Tip play always has us up 2-0 to start the game

FACES IN THE CROWD IN WEEK #1:

In the region early for his Gillette show was in the BARN!

This week Legends George York and Johnny Bag o Donuts Mcelroy were holding court in the

barn. Coach Gibbons, Chris Dion and the bride, Mrs. Nuttal, former fall ballers Ty Dion and

Eric Bjorn, Faz in the skybox, John Pags, Kazi Rocker, Charlie Micol. Mr. Silva, The McGinty’s

Mike Larson, The Crowleys, Rob McLaughlin, Officer Carballo, The Diminicos, The Poulins,

John Warden, former fall baller Marc Cornelius, Kevin Murphy builder, Dan Murphy engineer,

The Breen clan led by Pete “Gilley Rae” Breen, Dan Moore and the Mrs. The Beaudoins, The

Gorgoni’s, Phil Conners and his legendary father, Matt Regan, The Lussiers, Chris Matarazzo,

former Necco coach Darren Stratton, former UConn star Soulymane Wane, Dave Clay, The

Newburyport Chamber of Commerce, Nate Stanton and Pops, Mike Dunham, Jim McCune,

Anthony Faradie, Dave Turmel, The Clarks, The entire Lawrence coaching and support staff.

Coach Bobby and his twins, H4H Director Mel Berger, Country Singer Mel Winston, and

Recording star Ed Sheeran who is performing at Gillette this weekend,

FASHION OF THE WEEK #1:

BG Volunteer Coach James Roman with his first fashion of the week award. He saw an increase in his social media followers this week

The fashion show was a little weak this week. Peabody coach Justin Barrasso was nicely

dressed but was penalized for wearing beige pants ( Fennis hates the beige color). Newlywed

Methuen coach Anthony Faradie looked very relaxed with the late summer attire. Salem HC

Chris Harvey with the usual blue and orange pullover. Pete Gilley Rae Breen with the aging

farmer look. The NESCAC coaches really know how to dress but This week we go with BG

COACH JAMES ROMAN with his business casual outfit

POWER RANKINGS WEEK #1. YOU HAVE TO BRING IT EACH WEEK, NO EXCUSES. YOU WILL SEE

THE RANKINGS CHANGE WEEKLY

1. Lawrence 1-0 2. Lowell 0-1 3. Wachusett 1-0 4. North Andover 1-0

5. St. John Prep 1-0

(Outside looking In: Malden Catholic 1-0, Bishop Guertin 1-0)

WHO BROUGHT IT IN WEEK #1 – You Have to bring it every week to be on this list! It’s not

what you did last week or what you might do next week it’s what you did this week. If your

name is not on it you have to ask yourself did you bring it!

For the Prep Jarnel Snow- Guzman was very good with 9 points 6 assists and 7 rebounds. Will

Batchelder with 16 points was our co-underclassmen of the week. Aidan Callahan caught our

eye with 10 points 3 assists and 5 rebounds and newcomer Kanye Wevevza had 7 points 3

assists and 5 rebounds. St. Peter-Marian was led by transfer Angel Oquendo with 14 points and

6 rebounds, he is going to be a very nice addition. Jeff Sullivan shooting was a bit off but still

scored 14 points had 2 assists and 6 rebounds. Bobby Letourneau had 8 points 3 assists and 6

rebounds and Andrew Barnaby had a game high 10 rebounds.

Wachusett has one of the top backcourts in the state and they did not disappoint in week #1.

Do everything guard Joey Nutall was tough with 23 points 3 assists and 7 rebounds. Sam Dion

had 28 points and 6 threes and Hunter Johnson was a workhorse with 6 points and 6 rebounds.

Emmet Kim was strong for Andover with 9 points 4 assists and 6 rebounds. Stephen Shaw had

16 points 2 assists and 7 rebounds. Colin Kirkpatrick had 11 points, 3 assists and 5 rebounds

and sophomore Jack Cloutier had 8 points and 3 rebounds

Chelmsford was led by Graham Jeffries, a much improved forward with 10 points 3 assists and

9 rebounds. Relentless Tommy Slattery plays hard and contributed 9 points 2 assists and 3

rebounds. Subi Nkuwa was solid with 12 points 3 assists and 9 rebounds along with a coast to

coast finish to force overtime. Pelham got a great game from Derek Crowley with 19 points 2

assists and 4 rebounds. Cam Loring had 9 rebounds and Devyn Tucci contributed 13 points and

4 rebounds

Salem got a terrific game from Zack Carballo with 15 points and 3 assists. Kyle Poulin grinded

his way to 12 points and 9 rebounds and Trevor Diminico chipped in scoring 13 points.

Westford got a great performance from exciting Adam Scaramuzzo with 24 points and 6

rebounds and Declan Morse controlled the boards with 9 caroms

North Andover got an outstanding game by this weeks POW Kyle Moore with 24 points 3

rebounds 3 steals and 8-11 from field. Bad Man Garret Murphy was a terror with 19 points and

14 rebounds but needs to get in better shape. Mikey Gorgoni was terrific running the point

with 11 assists and sophomore Andy Lauzon was very good with 14 points 7 rebounds and 3

assists. Burlington was led by senior Alex Wong 13 points 3 assists 2 rebounds and Kyle Inglis

who scored 13 also.

Bishop Guertin got huge games from Senior Max Matarazzo 20 points 7 rebounds and

sophomore Andrew Lussier with 16 points 5 rebounds. Jordan Robichaud was strong with 7

points 7 assists and 5 rebounds and Nick Tedesco chipped in 6 points. Haverhill was led by 36

points and 8 rebounds from Deajon Pendleton-Mills. Jeremiha Phillips had 9 rebounds and

Brandon Simms had 9 points and 6 rebounds.

Newburyport was led by the Mclaren boys; Casey was very good with 15 points and 8 rebounds

and younger brother Parker was a monster with 26 points and 7 rebounds. Point guard George

Coryell had 3 assist and 7 rebounds. Londonderry was led by do everything Ethan May with 13

points 2 assists and 8 rebounds. Jackson Cox with a nice outing with with 10 points 4 assists and

4 rebounds. Luke Marsh also had 8 points and 5 rebounds.

Malden Catholic had a nice debut and got great production from a number of guys. Kendrick

Jean Francois 19 points 7 rebounds, Tony Felder Chapman was co underclassmen of the week

with 14 points and 7 assists. Christian Rios had 8 points and 4 rebounds, Lence Altenor had 8

points and 3 rebounds and Mike Gizz chipped in 9 points. Methuen got a good performance

from Ty Carrien with 15 points 8 rebounds and Onyera Chibuogu with 11 points and 6

rebounds. Hadi Majed had 11 points and transfer Marklon Pierre had 10 points 4 rebounds

Lawrence was led by their big 4. Luis Reynoso turned it on in the second half with 16 points 5

assists and 14 rebounds. Jaden Castillo had 12 points 2 assists and 4 rebounds. Chris Ruiz

scored 16 and Brian Martir had 11 rebounds. Lowell got the customary double double from

Carlos Nunez with 16 points 11 rebounds. Nate Siow had 13 points 3 assists 5 rebounds and

college guys were impressed with Devon Okogwu with 9 points and 9 rebounds

Billerica got a huge game from Aidan Deady with 18 points 3 assists and 6 rebounds. Ryan

Murphy struggled a bit but the big guy still contributed 10 points and 4 boards. Jake Loftin had

9 points and 7 rebounds. Peabody got 14/3/5 from Chris Canella and Alex Jean had 9 points

and 11 rebounds. I was also intrigued with Tyler Callahan with 9 points and 9 rebounds

REMEMBER TO BRING IT EVERY WEEK

These guys brought it in week #1 SAM DION, DAEJON PENDLETON-MILLS, CARLOS NUNEZ

GARRET MURPHY, LUIS REYNOSO, JARNEL SNOW GUZMAN

THE WEEKLY RANT: FOOD FOR THOUGHT OR FOOD FOR

THE DUMPSTER……..YOU DECIDE!

Are Kids Soft Today, I’m not sure but they are surely SPOILED !

A week ago I sent notice to all of our teams that the wacky weather the last two falls has

slightly affected our fall ball league due to humidity and the effect it has on the court which

might cause a postponement or two. Our first week we ran into the issue on day 2. The floor

was not a problem during the first two games but the start of game 3 it was evident that we

needed to err on the side of caution as safety is our number 1 concern. After a brief delay in

getting the lighted outside court ready for play we played Port/Londonderry and MC/

Methuen old school style on the asphalt.

The reactions were precious. Folks aged 30 and up thought it was the coolest thing. Our

college coaches which at that point numbered 12 thought it was the way they remembered

playing pickup and leagues on summer nights under the lights. Twitter was off the hook as

many former NA players who grew up playing on the same lighted court traded stories of

how it was back in the day. The interesting comment was from a few Momma Bears and

some of the actual players. Couple of Mom’s had the typical fear comments but a couple of

reactions from players were bizarre “ I have new white sneakers, what if they get dirty” “I

don’t like playing outside cause of my knees” “There are bugs outside”

Most of the kids don’t know that the ASPHALT is where you earned your stripes. Back in the

80’s 90’s there were not beautiful gyms, coordinated and structured by adults, there were the

outside courts where you fought to stay on the court cause Winners stayed and Losers sat.

Back in the 90’s we would have 50-70 folks a night trying to get a run. We ran a college and

post college league where we had the NA varsity playing. They never won a game but they

learned, they improved and they got TOUGHER. Some of the guys that played down here

John Mcveigh, Chris Downer, Sean Ryan, Paul Neal, Bobby Licare, Jamie Cosgrove were

legends along with not so legends Walking Walter Gillespie, Rosey Rosenberg, Fennis Dembo,

Pete the Hammer Breen, Silver Fox Lietz, and Marlboro man Timmy labelle. There were team

names like Olde Ctr Old Guys, Juice Crew, Sixers, Kenneally Club, Buco Liquors & of course the

Varsity Knights. Heck all of the teams that play H4H for years it was held at the outside court

at lawrence high with crooked rims

As the two games went on the excitement for the old days grew. We don’t plan on playing on

the outside court again unless the humidity affects the gym floor as we continue to deal with

what the Oval Office denies CLIMATE CHANGE, but it was nice to revisit yesteryear. High

School kids you want to get better go play against older guys on the asphalt then apply the

lessons learned to your fall team. As we closed up and shut the lights off it was awesome to

get a text saying it reminded him of the famous Night Train v Wild Boomers game in 95

Resiliency is a skill and we appreciate the 4 teams who adjusted so we could get the games in.

We joke about the whiners and a couple of overprotective mothers but most everyone rolled

with it and made the best of it and we thank you very much.

NA FALL BALL THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE WITH EVERYONE IN LAWRENCE, ANDOVER AND

NORTH ANDOVER. THE LAST TWO DAYS HAVE BEEN A NIGHTMARE BUT WE ARE MERRIMACK

VALLEY STRONG AND WE WILL REBOUND FROM THIS. THE BASKETBALL COMMUNITY IS A

SPECIAL COMMUNITY AND I CAN’T THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR ALL THE

CALLS/TEXTS/EMAILS/TWEETS OFFERING BEDS/FOOD/SUPPLIES AND PRAYERS. SPECIAL

THOUGHTS FOR OUR PLAYERS ON SCARLET KNIGHTS/GOLDEN WARRIORS/LANCERS. WE ARE

HOPING TO STILL BE ON SCHEDULE NEXT WEEK

DON’T GET TOO HIGH, DON’T GET TOO LOW…IT’S FALLBALL