5th & 6th Grade Boys Lose Championship Game

Mystic Valley Boys Lose Championship Game

The Mystic Valley 5th & 6th grade boys’ basketball team came within one win of repeating as Eastern Hoop League Champions. The boys entered the tournament as the top seed thanks to a 14-2 regular season record. Their road back to the championship was made difficult by a loss in the first game of the double elimination tournament which forced them to go through the losers’ bracket to reach the championship game. The Eagles played 7 games in 7 days (1 Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and 2 each Saturday and Sunday). As they entered the weekend the boys knew that they had their work cut out for them and they responded well.

Friday night’s game against Stoneham was a close game throughout but the Eagles pulled through, 45 - 41.  Leading scorers were Hunter Kreis with 23 and Isaiah Granderson who added 8.  Saturday’s game against Winthrop was the most exciting game of the tournament as the teams went back and forth all game and ended regulation tied at 39.  The Baby Eagles took over in OT and won 46 – 40.  Kreis had his highest scoring game in his so far short career with a dominating 28 points.  Jimmy Arniel and Granderson added 5 each to top the scoring for the Eagles.  The Burlington game on Saturday night was a great game as Arneil hit 7 of 8 from the free throw line in the second half and ended with a total of 9 points as the Eagles came away with a hard fought 53 – 42 win.  Granderson was a beast under the basket with a ton of rebounds and he led the team in scoring with 15 points.  Kreis added 14 and Ian Libby scored 6 including 4 clutch free throws down the stretch to ice the game. 

Championship Sunday began with a dominating performance by the Eagles.  The team led from start to finish with clutch scoring and dominating defense leading them to a 46 – 30 win over Danvers.  The Eagles offense kept feeding their big men down low and the strategy paid off as Kreis once again led the team with 25 points.  The other leading scorers were Libby with 6 and Jared Martino who had 4.  However, the tourney comeback wasn’t to be as the toll of 7 games in 7 days hit the Baby Eagles and they hit ‘the wall’.  Danvers came through in the end building a steady second half lead then hitting many free throws late as the Eagles tried to preserve the clock by fouling and sending the Falcons to the line.  Kreis again led the team with 12 points and Libby and Arneil added 5, including Arneil’s 3 pointer down the stretch to bring the team back to within 10.

After the game coaches Anthony Chiccuarelli and Paul DeSantis were proud of the team’s effort. They commented on how hard it is to win a championship coming out of the losers’ bracket and how much mental toughness they showed winning four straight elimination games. 

The Eagles players all performed extremely well all season but all raised their game for the tournament.  Guards Tyler Story, Tommy Callanan, Ethan Nguyen, Jonah Crain, John Carlino, Julian Ospina, and Jimmy Arneil all ran the Eagle offense exquisitely.  Forwards Jared Martino, Jimmy Petras, Ian Libby, Michael Sickler, and Joshua Briceus plus the center play of the triple towers of Andrew Howard, Isaiah Granderson, and Hunter Kreis dominated down low and in the paint all season and tournament. 

“We couldn’t be more proud of our kids.  They played their hearts out.  Everyone contributed with timely defense and good offensive movement all tournament but also all season.  This is one the most special units I’ve ever been around,” said Coach Anthony Chiccuarelli.  Assistant Coach Paul DeSantis added “we asked the kids all year to empty their gas tanks for their 180 second shifts and they always came through.  That last game they just had nothing left in those tanks.  Their hearts were as big as anyone’s I’ve seen.  They played like beasts all tournament and right to the last second.”  The 2011-2012 5th and 6th grade boys Basketball Team gives big promises to the future of our Varsity Basketball Program. There are a lot of future stars on this squad!