Highlights from the Liberty Belles' Summer Shootout June 27-28, 2009, Jersey City, NJ Attended by the U14 Lady Bombers
The NEBC U14 College Showcase Team traveled down to the Jersey City, NJ area for the Liberty Belles' Summer Shootout. The Liberty Belles are the AAU home to UConn's own Tina Charles, Lorin Dixon and Sue Bird. This Showcase was a Division II and Division III Showcase and brought talent from all around the area. The NEBC U14 Girls found themselves in a situation where they had to play up both days. On Saturday it was against 2 U15 teams and on Sunday 2 U16 teams.
On Saturday, the girls started out by playing the U15 New York Pride. Some very scrappy defense and a quick offensive burst proved to set the tone for the entire game. The girls never looked back and racked up their first victory of the weekend.
Later in the afternoon the NEBC Girls took on the U15 Wesconn Fillies. The template for this game was very similar to the first - a quick offense barrage and defensive stops built a 21-0 lead that proved to be too much to mount any sort of comeback. The girls finished the day 2-0 and looked forward to Sunday.
Sunday would bring an interesting test for the U14 team. They would have to play two U16 teams, with only a one game break in between. The first game was against the U16 Jersey Shore Lightning. This was a balanced team that had a bit of everything - solid post play, good ball handlers and penetrators, good shooters, and a team that played good man-to-man. The game was tightly contested, with the margin being only a single point heading into the final minute. A transition hoop by the Jersey Shore Lightning and some missed opportunities in the final minute gave the NEBC Girls their first defeat of the weekend, losing 48-45.
The NEBC Girls finished the weekend going against another U16 team, the CT Panthers. This would be a great opportunity for us as we knew this would represent a physical challenge. Going into halftime, NEBC carried a hard-earnd 5 point lead. Panthers had done a great job defensively in the first half. We were sure the second half would be more of the same. During a time out early in the second half, the girls were told to continue to take it hard to the hoop where we were sure that we would get to the line and that would help us open up a bit more of a lead. That proved to be the correct recipe as the girls extended the lead to 15 at one point, and ultimately ended up winning by 11.
A truly successful weekend and a fantastic job by the U14 Girls. Next stop? Penn State!!
Maine Hoops Invitational in Saco, Maine, June 13-14, 2009
Highlights from the Maine Hoops Invitational in Saco, Maine, June 13-14, 2009
The entire club and parents had a great time playing basketball, swimming and visiting the arcade in Old Orchard Beach, Maine this past weekend!
Coach Willauer U14 Boys
We won our bracket at the Maine Tournament. We went 2-1 for the weekend, the one loss being a very close game. The defensive effort on the part of our kids was very strong.
Coach Filthaut U12 Boys
The U12 Bombers concluded their season with a strong 3-1 finish in Maine capping a solid 12-9 season. On Saturday the Bombers played their best ball of the year winning the first game by 20+ points against the eventual champions and pulling off a 10 point win against a U13 team. On Sunday the Bombers played well in game 1 with a 30+ pt win but ran out of steam in the championship game. In typical fashion, everyone contributed to the teams success
Coach McGuirl's U11 Boys
The U11 Boys wrapped up a wonderful season up in Maine . The Boys won their bracket Championship for the second week in a row. They were 3-1 for the weekend and ended the season winning 7 out of their last 8 games. This weekend in Maine was no different than the rest of the season as the whole team made major contributions to the team’s success. While handling their business on the court, off the court they enjoyed the pool, the beach and boardwalk. Though this is their second year together as a team, this was their first overnight tournament. They handled themselves well. Great season Boys.
Highlights from the Jaguars Hoop Challenge, Amherst, MA, June 6-7, 2009
Coach Filthaut U12 Boys
The Bombers played well in Amherst despite going 1 and 2. In the first game the Bombers fell to the Warriors out of Worcester by 25. Our shooting failed us on a day we needed to play a near perfect game against the taller and athletic Warrior team. On the plus side the team was aggressive and did a good job attacking the boards. Game two was against the Selects and the Bombers won handedly with solid play from every player. Game three was very tight against OLSH out of Springfield. This game had too many lead changes to count and in the end the Bombers were on the wrong end of a low scoring defensive battle.
Coach McGuirl's U11 Boys
The U11 boys had a great time in the Mass Jaguars Hoop Challenge up in Amherst Ma. and managed to come away with a 4 and 0 record and capturing first place in the 11 yr old bracket. On Saturday, the boys managed to overcome slow starts in both games to eventually come away with comfortable 20 + victories at the expense of the Home team Mass Jaguars and Team Mass. The first game on Sunday the boys proved they are becoming a strong unit as even though they didn’t have one of their better games they managed to come away with 4 point victory against a scrappy sharp shooting Mass Selects team. In the championship, the boys jumped out to a quick 10 point lead and though Team Mass closed the gap, ultimately the boys came away with a 12 point victory and the bracket Championship. The boys are looking for to carrying their momentum to Maine next weekend.
Highlights from the Albany Invitational at Sienna College Attended by the U14 Girls
The NEBC U14 Girls College Showcase went to Albany this past weekend for the Albany Invitational at Sienna College.
This College Showcase tournament is invitation only, and we were fortunate to be invited. The girls finished the weekend 3-1 and had a very impressive showing.
Friday night you could not have asked for a better way to start the tournament. Offensively the girls were clicking on all cylinders as they played the Albany Capitals. At half-time, the girls had already scored 40pts and converted on 7 three-point shots. We never looked back and the girls notched a 74-51 victory in their opening game.
Saturday morning? A different story. We never really got on track. The girls lost by 5, but despite not playing very well, the game was tied with 2 minutes to go. We didn't really convert on either the offensive or defensive ends coming down the stretch and that cost us the game.
Saturday afternoon we played the Rhode Island Breaker's National Team. Whatever problems the girls had earlier that morning had vanished as the girls were back in form. We were up by as much as 20 at one point, but the breakers team kept coming, pulling the game back to within 8 at one point. However, the girls extended the lead back up and notched a nice victory to round out Saturday.
Sunday morning, we finished the tournament off by defeating a very good Long Island Lightning team. The girls led for pretty much the entire game, leading by as much as 16 pts at one time. The girls ended up winning by 10 against a very formidable team. The Long Island Lightning have an ongoing reputation for fielding top notch teams, and this team was no exception. This was a very good win for the NEBC U14 Girls.
We play as a team and stress the concept of team in everything we do, but on rare occassions we acknowledge an individual accomplishment. On Friday night, Megan Murphy scored her 1000 career AAU point while playing for me. It has been an honor to coach Meg through these years and watch her develop as a player and as person. Congrats Meg!!
Highlights from the NEBC Sponsored Tyler Cormier Memorial Tournament in Hebron, CT (May 23-24)
Coach Willauer U15 Boys
We went 2 and 2 for the weekend and had an exciting game on Sunday morning against the CT Legendz. We were down 2 with roughly 12 seconds remaining in overtime. Tim Willauer drove to the basket and, upon being double teamed, made a pass to Tim Meares in the corner who made a 3 to win the game as time expired.
Highlights from Boys Bulldog Memorial Tournament in Westfield MA (May 23-24)
Coach Filthaut U12 Boys
The U12 Bombers went 2 and 2 in an exciting weekend of play in Westfield.
In the first game the Bombers were flat and fell to the Edge 53 - 40. 53 is the second highest point total we have given up all season as we gave the Edge too many second chance opportunities. In the second game the Bombers defeated OLSH 35 - 26. As the score indicates our defense was an important factor in this victory. We were short handed all day and a special thanks to Eric Eaton for contributing in both games and to Michael McGuirl, Andre Brackett and Mark Hickman for helping us to victory in the second game.
On Sunday the Bombers outlasted the Future 45 - 43 in an exciting double OT game. This game had a little of everything with some late game heroics on both sides. This victory propelled the Bombers to the semi-finals with the top seeded Edge. Unfortunately, the Edge out-hustled the Bombers and won the battle of the boards and seemed to pick-up every loose ball. The Bombers fell 48-37.
Coach McGuirl's U11 Boys
Our U11 boys competed in the Bulldog Memorial Tournament in Westfield, MA. They opened up against The Future and immediately opened up with a big lead by sharing the ball so well providing them with a lot of easy baskets. The boys never looked back cruising to a 30+ point victory. This was a game where all 10 boys managed to score. The second game was against The Edge. Our boys managed to overcome a very lackluster first half by once again by sharing the ball very unselfishly to eventually coast to another 30+ plus victory. And, once again everyone scored. Those victories put the boys in the Championship to once again face The Future. However, this time The Future went to what you might say was a more “mature” lineup than to one they had the day before. This did provide for a much tighter game. And though our boys competed and fought hard, the boys were just not able to keep The Future’s big and athletic center off the boards. Our boys they fell a couple points shy of The Future in the end. Though in defeat, our boys developed and learned more from the 3 point defeat than they did in the 30 point victory. Well done boys!
Buddy Kresge U14 Girls: Commotion By The Ocean College Exposure Tournament (May 23-24)
The U14 Girls College Showcase Team had another successful weekend as they went 4-0 at the Commotion by the Ocean college exposure tournament.
The weekend kicked off against a very tough Ring City team out of New Jersey. Ring City was a very tough team as they possessed quickness, size inside, aggressive defense and some very quick point guards that could really handle the rock. The NEBC ladies were up as much as 13 pts in the second half, but found themselves down 6 with a little of 4:00 left in the game. At a timeout we emphasized that we just had to keep doing what we were doing, continue taking it to the hole, but we had to be better on the boards.
True to form, these group of ladies went out and just took care of business. A few 'old fashion' three point plays evened the game. Taking care of business on both ends of the floor (rebounding, hitting free throws, knocking down open shots, etc.) got the job done. A pair of free throws as time was expiring was the difference - NEBC won 52 - 50.
Second game of the day on Saturday featured NEBC vs MT Elite team from Mass. NEBC ladies jumped out to a quick lead as their pressure early on set the tone for the rest of the game. MT Elite tried to do what others have tried - focusing on stopping one or two players. This team is a true team, so while MT's efforts certainly did hold some players in check, others just filled in offensively. You have to guard all five NEBC players :)
Sunday we played two pretty scrappy teams - Long Island Renegades and the Mass Lady Warriors. NEBC kept grinding and executing. In the end our balanced attack and continued execution was a bit much to overcome and we secured two victories on Sunday, completing a 4-0 weekend.
The girls continue to work hard and continue to make each other better. There isn't a better group of girls on the planet :)
Highlights from the Hall of Fame Spring Classic May 16-17
Coach Willauer U15 Boys
The team won their first game by about 20 points. They defended well. Tim Willauer led us in scoring with over 20 points. They lost Game 2 by 12, but they played a very good team. We defended well throughout the game, but the offense was a little spotty. Kyle and Tim W. led the team in scoring.
Highlights from the CT Storm College Showcase May 8-10
Buddy Kresge U14 Girls
Before getting into this past weekends recap, I would be remiss if I did not mention that the previous weekend the NEBC U14 Girls finished 3rd in the AAU CT State Championship. Way to bring home the 'hardware'! Your coaching staff and parents could not be prouder.
This past weekend the girls played at the CT Storm College Showcase. The NEBC girls played up in the U15 age bracket and went 4-0. The U14 Bombers averaged over 67 pts per game and had 28 3-pointers for the weekend. There is no doubt that the team has a clear handle on this very innovative offense. There was balanced scoring throughout the weekend as the team continues to make opposing teams guard all five players on the floor. This was further evidenced by the fact that on two separate occassions 6 or more girls hit for three pointers in the same game!
This weekend the girls defeated the CT Starters U15 team, CT Breeze U15 team, CT Magic U15 Team and the Vermont Next Level Athletes.
To top this weekend off, our very own Morgan Olander was awarded the Sportsmanship Award in the U15 division by the tournament directors. What a nice way to cap off such a wonderful team effort. Way to go Morgan!
Nice job this weekend ladies. Your hard work and continual desire to improve (both individually and collectively) and to push each other hard in practice is really paying dividends.
This weekend the ladies take a well deserved break before heading down to RI and then off to the Albany Invitiational.
Highlights from the Hoop Mountain Invitational, Easton, MA May 8-10
Coach Willauer U15 Boys
We played a strong defensive game on Sat. night. Lost in overtime, Kyle Rodegher led us in scoring.
Lost two tough games on Sunday. Tim Willauer led us in scoring in game one and Kyle in game 2.
Coach Davis U14 Boys
Congrats to the team this weekend. The boys worked hard playing five games in less than 24 hours and winning 4 out of 5. The Semi-finals were particularly exhausting as both teams played full court man-to-man the entire game. It showed in the finals as the well-rested Boston Area Basketball Club (they had one morning game on Sunday and a bye into the finals) prevailed and we clearly had nothing left in the proverbial “tank”.
Highlights from Selects May Madness Tournament, Holyoke, MA May 8-10
Coach Filthaut U12 Boys
The U12 Bombers had another solid performance going 2 - 2 at the Selects May Madness Tournament.
On Saturday the Bombers avenged an earlier 9 point loss to the Monson Mustangs with a 36-35 win. This game was tight from start to finish. Everyone contributed down the stretch with Justin Farnham, Colin Madore, Jeff Hallback and Jake Filthaut hitting some key buckets. Drew Babiak hit the game winner with less then a minute to play. Jered Delventhal led all scorers with 17. In the second game the Bombers defeated the CT Premier 44-38. This was a physical game with few whistles being blown. Jason DePersia led a pressing defense that forced a number of turnovers. Jared Eaton hit two free throws with 30 seconds remaining to stretch the lead to 5 and seal the victory.
Sunday was a tough day for the Bombers and they started on the wrong end of a 66-32 game with the Gold Blue Jays. The Bombers had difficulty with the Blue Jays pressing defense and fast break offense. Tyler Brett had a strong game in defeat leading all scorers with 13 points. In the final game the Bombers lost to the NH Warriors 40-36. This was another tight game with a tie score at the half along with a number of lead changes down the stretch. Ben Stone led all scorers with 10 points and Terry Clark led the defense that contained a strong Warrior team.
Coach McGuirl U11 Boys
Our U11 Boys really put together a very strong weekend in the Selects May Madness Tournament going 3-1. They opened with the Host team the Selects and after jumping out to 17 point first half lead with a very inspired defensive effort, they ended the first game with a 12 point victory. Game two was a true test for the boys as they were playing the Edge’s U12 team and they were shorthanded with only 8 boys. Still, the boys managed to establish a small half time lead. However, in the second half the Edge took advantage of their size advantage and our boy’s foul trouble to squeak out a 4 point victory. Once again, our U11 boys played one of their better games in defeat. Game three was against a very good Team Mass opponent. Our boys really came to play in this one. They were able to jump out to a double digit first half lead using an incredible defensive effort and their best passing game of the season and never looked back on way to impressive victory. The final game was against Ct Premier. Our boys over came a sluggish first half start to their 3rd double digit victory to conclude a solid weekend.
Highlights from the Team Mass Spring Blast held April 25-26 in Sturbridge
Coach Davis U14 Boys
Coach Davis’ squad had a solid weekend winning two out three and just missing out on the tournament semi-finals. The team was led by the tenacious play of its five guard rotation of Tito, Andrew, Conner, Ryan and Tyler. Defensively all locked down on their opponents.
The team would have likely taken all three games if not for a five hour layover between games on Saturday leading to a lethargic start against the Mass Mustangs Saturday afternoon that they could not overcome. John Thomason and Conner Chicoski led the team in rebounds with Conner coming up with crucial offensive rebounds in the waning minutes of the last game. Tito led the team in scoring in the first two games and Ryan drained four threes from long distance in the final win.
Coach Filthaut U12 Boys
The U12 Bombers had another solid performance going 2-1 at the Team Mass tournament in Sturbridge.
Maybe it was the long layoff or spring fever, but the Bombers got off to a terrible start in game 1 spotting the Chaos a 15-1 advantage in the first 5 minutes. To their credit the Bombers played strong basketball from that point forward but could get no closer then 9 points. The final score was 50-37. In the second game the Bombers defeated the CT Force by a score of 47 - 34. After a close first half, the Bombers played strong defense and benefited from some easy fast break buckets in the second half to pull away. In the final game the Bombers defeated an under-manned Select team by the score of 47 - 28. The Selects only had 5 players and the Bombers jumped out to an early lead and held that edge throughout the game.
Every player contributed to a balanced scoring attack this weekend and our man-to-man defense was very strong.
Coach McGuirl U11 Boys
The U11 boys participated competed in the Team Mass Spring Blast in Sturbridge Ma. They ended the weekend 2-1. The first game was a hard fought four point victory where 9 out 10 players were able to get on the score board. The boys continued their balanced scoring attack. The second game was an exciting well played effort but they fell short in the end. The boys established a 7 point half time with the help of a trapping zone defense combined with a relentless fast break. But in the end the Mass Evolution’s size advantage was just a little too much and the boys lost 49-45. Though in defeat, this was the boys best played game of the weekend. The final game the boys jumped out to a quick 11-1 lead and never looked back. It ended being a 51-28 victory where all 10 players scored. Next up for the boys is the Selects May Madness in Holyoke Ma.
Highlights from the Boys Hoophall Invitation Tournament held April 17-19 2009 in Middletown, CT
Zach Konopka's U16 Boys Team
The team had a rough tournament, but they played better on Sunday than on Saturday. This week they will build off the positive notes from Sunday to get ready for Providence this weekend.
Neal Benson U17 Boys Team
The U17 team finished the weekend with two close victories on Saturday and a narrow defeat to the Long Island Avengers on Sunday morning. They look forward to next weekend in Providence.
Buddy Kresge U14 Girls
The U14 Girls went 4-0 this weekend at their first College Showcase of the season. On Saturday the girls opened up by defeating the East Coast Renegades. The girls took 24 free throw attempts in the game as they constantly attacked the rim. They also played some aggressive defense and drew some great charges.
The girls finished up Saturday by defeating Higher Ground out of Philadelphia. The girl's extreme defensive pressure limited the speed of the ladies from Philly.
Sunday the girls opened up a little sluggish and found themselves down to the Long Island Lightning before rallying from down 12 to win the game. Mental toughness, poise, good defense and clutch freethrow shooting down the stretch proved to be the recipe for the win. Down the critical stretch, the girls did not miss a foul shot!
Sunday afternoon the girls worked off their sluggishness to defeat Maine Hoops (from the Portland area). 7 different girls hit 3 pointers and a balanced scoring attack proved to be too much in the end.
Up next for the U14 Girls - the CT AAU State tournament!
Highlights from the CT Force Tournament held on April 3-5 in Coventry (U12-U17):
Paul Cormier's U-13 Team:
The team won 2 games and lost 1. The game they lost was very competitive, they went back and forth with the other team on the lead. The opponents were able to pull it out at the end with a small lead. All in all Coach Cormier and team were very pleased with their season opener!
Rich Filthaut's U-12 Team:
The U12 Bombers got off to a solid start winning two games and losing one in their first tournament action. The first game was against the Coventry Patriots and the Bombers played exceptional defense in the first half holding their opponent to 7 points as they jumped out to a 7 point advantage 14 - 7. The pace of the game picked-up in the second half with the Bombers winning 36 - 24. Ben Stone and Jared Eaton led the scoring with 8 points each and Collin Madore had a strong game with some timely assists and ball handling.
In the second game the Bombers led the Monson Mustangs for the first 20+ minutes but gave up the lead in the last 4 minutes as the Mustangs hit some key three's and free throws down the stretch. The Bombers fell to the Mustangs by a score of 41 - 32. Drew Babiak and Terry Clark led the scoring with 9 and 7 points respectively. Jason DePersia played a strong defensive game with some key steals and deflections.
The Bombers clearly saved their best effort for last and defeated the Connecticut Force 46 - 33. The team started strong and raced to a 20 - 10 halftime lead. Jake Filthaut and Jered Delventhal out rebounded the Force and made some key stops in the paint. Tyler Brett led the scoring with 12 points and Justin Farnham added 6.
Our next tournament is scheduled for 4/25 & 26 in Sturbridge. It was good to see Jeff Hallbach at our games and moving well in his new soft cast. We look forward to getting Jeff back on the court.
Highlights from Central Connecticut Hoop Stars HOOP HOUSE SHOOTOUT 2009 (U11):
Patrick McGuirl's U-11 Team:
The U11 boys had a very successful opening weekend to 2009 Spring season. They finished 2-2 for the weekend. However, they competed against two strong teams that were older and much bigger and to their credit did not quit or back down one bit. The boys took valuable experience from those games that will help them in the long run. In addition, relying heavily upon their tenacious man to man defense and well balanced offensive attack they did go 2-0 while competing in their own age bracket. Over the course of the weekend each of the 10 players on the team scored at least 5 points and in their two victories 9 of 10 players managed to score in those games. The boys will continue to work hard individually and as a team to keep improving and be ready for the next tournament.
