Welcome to the second issue of volume seventeen of Swish, a periodical with recaps and photos of Santa Monica Family YMCA youth basketball games, and other pertinent info such as announcements and updates from the program.
This Fall season, the Santa Monica Family YMCA had 5 divisions of youth basketball, with the Copper division having 3 teams, the Bronze, Silver, and Gold division with 6 teams each, and the Platinum division with 4 teams.
We are a coed league with players that are ages 5 to 15. Our emphasis is that we are a developmental league, and we want the kids to not only enjoy playing youth sports, but to benefit from the three principles of the YMCA:
Youth Development, Social Responsibility, and Healthy Living.
We are partnered with the Los Angeles Lakers Youth Foundation which provides jerseys, grants, and clinics to help develop our youth. We are ever grateful for their support of our program. Many thanks to the Los Angeles Lakers Youth Foundation: Kiesha Nix, Richard Harris, and Jeanie Buss for helping us become the premier youth basketball program on the Westside. Many thanks to UCLA Health for sponsoring the Junior Lakers jerseys.
For the theme of this season’s team names, I got nostalgic as I always do with my birthday during the autumn season, and the teams are names or nicknames of musical artists or groups that influenced me when I was the same age as the children that are currently participating in our basketball league. It’s a good history of music for parents and their kids to learn about, and perhaps listen to and enjoy, as I have included a few song titles and lyrics in the match summaries.
SAT 11/16/24 WEEKEND #6
Copper
Ants vs Scorpions
It was a “Dog Eat Dog” score to end the first quarter as both teams had 6 points with the Scorpions getting baskets from Issa Ally, James Edelman, and Harper Gaines; the Ants had a couple of buckets from Lennon Farag and free throws from Elle Dousett. The Scorpions got the lead at halftime with the “Winds of Change” as James Wasson made a couple of nice outside shots, and Player of the Game-Jones Updegrove was using his patented behind the head launching mechanism to bank a couple of shots into the hoop. The Ants got closer in the third quarter as Desmon Smith made his first basket ever, with a ten footer from the right side of the net, and Raffaele Giordana made a free throw; however, the Scorpions played solid defense, as Ronan Sundher stole the ball, and teammate Malone Hoevet grabbed all the rebounds to give their team the victory.
Bronze
Suburbs vs Bosses
Low scoring for the first half as defense was tough on both sides with the Suburbs getting steals by Owen Wang, and the Bosses having Kora Kourouma, Hudson Hoff, and Benjamin Bloom chasing down loose balls in a “Cover Me” defense. The Bosses got the scoring going in the third quarter as Kiki Moncher, Luke Samy, and Player of the Game-Canasia Backrein all scored to give their team the lead going into the fourth quarter. The Suburbs “Waiting” paid off, as they did all their scoring in the fourth quarter, as Josephine Carey, Sora Nomoto, and Lincoln Sheng each had a basket, and Devraj Karwal was credited with a couple of assists; however, it was not quite enough to catch the Bosses as they won their first game of the season.
Vans vs Cars
Photo by Carol Chan
The first half ended with the score from the Beatles song “Revolution 9” as both teams were tied at nine. Scoring in the first half came from the Cars getting a free throw from Greysen Lovett, and field goals from Anthony Alliyani and Ignacio Guzman as they were “Moving in Stereo”; the Vans had an “And1” from Ray Lyons, and a basket from Rohan Henderson, and steals from Rocco DeTray. In the third quarter, the Vans had Victor Lima Lopes make a nice swish shot from about 15’ out, and good defense from Kris Peddi and Grace Parry, while the Cars got rebounds from Esme Chan and Jaxon Oxendine. The Vans were able to pull away with the “Hot Shoe Burnin Down the Avenue” in the fourth quarter, as Gianna Sabine made big blocks, and Player of the Game-Phoenix Volken scored two buckets in the final minute to help his team reclaim first place in the division.
Stardust vs Runaways
The Stardust controlled the first quarter as Max Lind went coast to coast to drive home his shot, Louis Liu put rebounds back in for points, Max Lind made a layup, and Lior Vaisburd made a running jumper. The Runaways then won the battle of the second quarter as Lukas Bellodi and Zayden Diaz each had a “Cherry Bomb” basket, and Adam Farghaly made a free throw. The third quarter saw the Stardust get Landon Schmidt and Jonathan West on the scoreboard as they made shots from the elbow to extend their lead. The Runaways went on a scoring surge in the fourth quarter as Zayden Rashid couldn’t miss as he hit three shots in a row, and Benjamin Kapgan had the long range shooting intact as he made shots off of assists from Quentin Dijols and Zev Risman; however, the Stardust would get a basket from Sweden Walsh and a dominant “Fame” performance from Player of the Game-Corbin Strock who had double digit scoring with most of his points coming late in the match, a dozen rebounds, and was the assist leader for the match as his team went onto the victory.
Silver
Clash vs Madness
Photo by Matthew Farrar
The Clash controlled the first half as Oscar Farrar had the hot shooting hands on fire with his long distance dueces, and sister-brother tandem of Otis and Adeline Smith made points down low as they received dimes from Jonas Ketai. The Madness got it going in the second half as it “Was how to bend, not break the rules”, as Saum Safavi made drives to the hole, Ryder Range scored from the elbow, Bodhi Petitti and Marcel Jimenez made workmanlike buckets, and Pablo Gonzalez and Rex Bulette each scored; however, the Clash would continue to score as Beau Bigler and Mateo Chan each had a basket with the help of assists from Oliver Farrar, and Lucas Alemayehu took over with makes of running floaters and conversions from the charity stripe to win the match, and keep their team in contention for the top spot in the division with “Oh, they really pack ’em in. The in crowd say it’s cool”
Photo by Matthew Farrar
Specials vs Mercury
This match would be close from start to finish, as both teams asked “Are you hanging on the edge of your seat?”. The Specials took the first quarter lead on baskets from William Holt and George Couvreur; but, the Mercury grabbed the lead before halftime as Teddy Millman strong-armed the ball into the basket, and was perfect from the free throw line.
Photo by Carol Chan
In the third quarter, the Mercury had Soren Verleun and Ford MacArthur score points as Charlie Koch and Tyler Keliddari assisted on their buckets; the Specials had a basket from Julian Garcia and multiple baskets from Player of the Game-Julian Zambrano to end the the third quarter in a 16-16 tie. The fourth quarter became a defensive grind as full court pressure from both teams limited the scoring to a “Ghost Town”. But with time winding down, Julian Zambrano got another bucket to give his team the narrow victory.
Police vs Rocketmen
Photo by Dean Georgaris
The Rocketmen struck first with baskets from Dylan Read, Rayden Toteja, and Elloit Sheng as they “were hopping and bopping to the Crocodile Rock”. The Police would come back and take the lead before halftime, as Xavier Shine and Anthony Winkler would score courtesy of getting pinpoint passes from Ray Song. In the third quarter, the Rocketmen did their best on defense to make a comeback as Qiao Ren and Oliver Williams grabbed rebounds to get the ball up to Elliot Sheng and Dylan Read for more scores: however, Declan Wong of the Police, would hit a buzzer beater “3” to end the quarter.
Photo by Brian Read
The Police would continue to expand their lead with “Bombs Away” as Griffin Marder and Alice Roberts each made outside shots, Charlie Kalmbach had a “3”, and Player of the Game-Bobby Drake would finish the match with double digit scoring, as their team would go onto the victory.
Platinum
Stones vs Aeros
The Stones struck first with “Start Me Up” baskets from Leonardo Garcia and Maximiliano Flores. The Aeros would come back with Rowan Booher finding spaces down low for lay-ups, “3”s by Diego Gonzalez and Ydur Lacadin, and a basket from Jaden Karayev to get the lead by halftime; however, the Stones would come roaring back in the second half, as Joshua Edwards would make a bucket, Lucien Fong would have a “3”, and Cassius Taylor would have a three for all, as he hit three threes in the third frame, along with free throws to give his team the lead at the end of three. The Aeros would then flip the script and get “Back in the Saddle” and go on a fourth quarter run as Constantine Avramopoulos Orlandos would score a basket, and Luokang “Danny” Zhou and Player of the Game-Rowan Booher would take strong drives to the hoop for scores as they took control of the game to give their team the come from behind victory.
Rush vs Zeppelins
Mostly Zeppelins throughout the first half as Christian Ferew, Noah Michael, Mohamed Dia, and Aayan Lakhani would score multiple points. The Rush had first half scoring from Kingston Andes, and a “3” each from Dylan Kravitz, Radin Taherian, and Alden Wong. In the second half, the Rush would get baskets from with the “Working Man” Augie Tucker Maxcy and Koa Entsminger to get a little closer; however, the Zeppelins would have a “Whole Lotta Love” with baskets made from Kamden King, Brandon Israels, and Isaac Lynn to keep their lead intact till the end, and onto the victory to still keep on top of the division.
SUN 11/17/24
Copper
Ants vs Beatles
Only a few players showed for this match, with Marlowe Georgaris, Kosmos Kavalakis, and Rasmus Wolfgang with a “Ticket to Ride” showing for the Beatles to give them the victory. The Ants were “Desperate But Not Serious” but had Hendrix Gross and Elle Doussant present, and they all had a fun scrimmage with each other, as coach Brayden Stoll took them through skills and drills, and all the players had a good time.
Gold
Pretenders vs Styx
The Pretenders were a little short on players but they “Stop Your Sobbing”, so the Styx said “I’ve come to help you with your problems so we can be free”, and different Styx players would help them throughout the match. The Styx got an early lead with a “3” from Ross Nelson, steals from Edward Mahan, and baskets from Player of the Game-Jaewon Cho who also made multiple assists. The Pretenders would have a strong second quarter to get within a couple points before halftime, as Liam Desante would put rebounds back in for points, Henry Mack and Nathanaiel Wallano would score, and Caleb Ong would make a nice hook shot. The Styx would have a strong third quarter that would see the “3” ball become a big factor, as Kaya Dahukey, Siddhant Khanna, and Conrad DiMauro would each make a trey from far away, as Jack Meyer would be credited with assisting each player on their “3” to help the team go onto the victory. Although the Pretenders lost, Ross Nelson would help them out by being their leading scorer in the second half, as he also had another “3” in the match, becoming the only player in the history of the program to make a 3-pointer for both sides in a match, thus also earning “Player of the Game” honors, and “Thank you very much, Mr. Roboto, For doing the jobs that nobody wants to.”
Wailers vs Revolution
Wailers had first half scoring from Harrison Bond, Krishna Aysola, and Archie Lewis with the help of Leon Muenze making precision passes to the open teammates as they would say “I Shot the Sheriff”. The Revolution would have strong first half performances from Rohan Peddi, Jeffrey Records, and Player of the Game-Linus Verleun as they were making shots from all areas of the court. The Revolution would take their halftime lead and expand upon it with second half scoring from Oliver Harris and Theodore Edelman. The Wailers would do their best to try and catch their opponent, as Niam Pahwa and Viggo Mason would create turnovers to get the ball to Buck Jacobs and Krishna Aysola as they hit shots from beyond the arc. In the end, good defense by Finn Duggan and Ellington Litvin kept the Revolution ahead to stay and the win for the day, after all “life is just a game. We’re all just the same, Don’t ya wanna play?
Leppards vs Heartbreakers
Basically a rugby match for the first half with scrums, mauls, and lineouts that saw a low score with the only points coming from Justin Pfaff of the Heartbreakers, and Ocean Yaghoubzadeh of the Leppards as it was “Don’t Do Me Like That”. Scoring picked up in the second half, as the Heartbreakers got baskets from Judah Hong, Donavan Freeman, and Quest Dixon with the help of good defense from Finley Provencher. The Leppards would go onto the victory as Olivia Ruiz, Leo Yaghoubzadeh, and Player of the Game-Azumi Nomoto would score in the fourth quarter as they would “Pour some sugar” on the basket. Azumi was instrumental in the Leppards victory, as she was the rebound leader for the match, helping the Leppards to remain the only undefeated team in the league.
Platinum
Stones vs Rush
This would be a tight match throughout, as the Rush had “Subdivisions” with first half baskets from Dominic Drew, Brendan Still, Daniel Friedman, and Dylan Kravitz; the Stones had scoring from Joshua Edwards, Rohham Taherian, and Player of the Game-Liam Adams. The third quarter saw the Rush get a basket each from Shai Painter and Kingston Andes, and a pair of “3”s from Alden Wong as he would make the treys from the deep corner; the Stones would get a basket from Lucien Fong, and good defense from Hunter Tito and Dylan Zindel. In the final quarter, the Rush had Koa Entsminger convert an “And1” and Kai Halpert made three turnaround inside the lane jump shots to give their team a small lead. The Stones would come back to tie the match as Cassius Taylor would come to their “Emotional Rescue” as he continued his hot shooting as he made two of his four treys on the day, in the final minutes of the match. After some mad scrambling between both teams in the final seconds, nobody could get a shot off, and once again, we had another tie in the Platinum division, but a good match from start to finish.
Aeros vs Zeppelins
First half was mostly defense, but there was some scoring as the Aeros had a “3” from Ydur Lacadin as he was assisted by Constantine Avramopoulos Orlandos, and the Zeppelins had multiple baskets from Christopher Carnes who was the recipient of passes from Mohamed Dia. A back and forth third quarter saw the score tied at 22, as the Zeppelins were “Gonna make you sweat, gonna make you groove” and had a couple of baskets from Brandon Israels and Isaac Lynn, as they were helped by steals from Misha Lakhani, and Aayan Lakhani playing the part of the “Dime Dealer” as he had four assists in the quarter; while the Aeros had baskets from Louis Meehan Smith and Player of the Game-Ibrahim Ally. The Aeros took over in the fourth quarter with “No More, No More” defense, and Ezra Mooney and Luokang “Danny” Zhou scored on drives to the hoop, and Player of the Game-Abdullah Jooma made a crucial shot to keep his team ahead for good and onto the victory.
SAT 11/23/24 WEEKEND #7
Copper
Beatles vs Scorpions
Photo by Dean Georgaris
The Beatles were a little shorthanded but got by “With a Little Help From My Friends” as Scorpion players would alternate turns playing for them. The Beatles had Marlowe Georgaris as their leading scorer with 8 points, and assists were credited to Jacob Glass, Luca D’Angelo, and Rasmus Wolfgang. The Scorpions had good defense from Reyan Parekh, and eventually won with baskets from Issa Ally, Jones Updegrove, and Player of the Game-Galiel Sarfati. The Scorpions were aided by rebound leader-Malone Hoevet, and assist leader-Harper Gaines, as their team has created “The Zoo” at the top of the division as both teams share first place.
Bronze
Suburbs vs Stardust
The Suburbs had strong defense from Grayson Wells, Clara Cowan, and Devraj Karwal that shut out their opponent for the first three quarters, as Kostas Beer, Owen Wang, Sora Nomoto, and Olivia Wang would score points, as Player of the Game-Lincoln Sheng was the assist and steals leader, to give their team “#9” points at the end of the third frame. The Stardust would “Rebel Rebel” in the fourth quarter as Jonathan West and Sweden Walsh would block shots, Theodore Rattner stole the ball, and Corbin Strock scored on an assist from Landon Schmidt to win the quarter, but not enough to catch the Suburbs who rode the “Cows” home to victory.
Vans vs Runaways
The Vans coach, Phil Volken, had to go off and produce a movie in Hawaii(nice!!), but he didn’t leave his team “Unchained” as he got Raymon Parry to step in to take over for the rest of the season. The Vans were able to “Jump” to the first half lead as Tyler Enayati, Rohan Henderson, and Ray Lyons scored. The Runaways said “All Right You Guys” and got their scoring going in the second quarter as Benjamin Kapgan and River Stanton each had a basket thanks to steals by Soraya Nawab, then had Vivienne Bond add free throws in the second half; however, the Vans would have Player of the Game-Victor Lima Lopes continue his hot outside shooting with assists from Grace Parry, to continue on to the victory.
Ryan Chambers received his award for Top Passer in the Platinum division for the Summer league. Photo by Greice Lima
Silver
Madness vs Police
Another match in “Our House in the Middle of Our Street”, would be unlike “On Any Other Day”. Back and forth first half saw scoring for the Madness come from Bodhi Kothari and Ryder Range as they were assisted by Knute Haglund; the Police had baskets from Griffin Marder, Alice Roberts, Bobby Drake, and Anthony Winkler as they were “Walking on the Moon” with the halftime lead. In the third quarter, the Police extended their lead with “3”s from Charlie Kalmbach, and baskets from Emma Escoto and Maximus Arhinful. The Madness would regroup and catch the “Night Boat to Cairo” and takeover the fourth quarter as Saum Safavi hit a couple of treys, and Player of the Game-Rex Bulette would make most of his game high 14 points in the final minutes to give their team the come from behind victory.
Clash vs Specials
Photo by Carol Chan
The Specials would send “A Message to You, Rudy” as Loren Garner and William Holt had the first buckets of the match. The Clash heard “London Calling” and got scoring going in the second quarter with free throws from Rocco Tomas, and Player of the Game-Oscar Farrar had his long range missile on target as he “Rock the Casbah” with multiple makes, and continued to do so in the second half. The Specials got a little closer in the second half as Hugo Casarella made deuces and a “3” with the help of assists from Rodrigo Padron. In the end, additional points from Adeline Smith, Oliver Farrar, and Otis Smith would give the Clash the victory.
Gold
Heartbreakers vs Styx
Photo by Winnie Man
The Heartbreakers were able to “Breakdown” the Styx defense, to get early baskets from Donavan Freeman, Auden Travnikoff, and Quest Dixon. The Styx would have first half scoring from Jack Meyer as he would “Light Up” the scoreboard with a long “3” and an in-the-lane floater. The Styx were able to “Biggime”” the scoreboard in the second half, as Ross Nelson would nail a couple of beyond the arc treys, and Kaya Dahukey would make a field goal. The Heartbreakers would have the “Last Dance with Mary Jane” as Zachary Law chased down loose balls to get them to Player of the Game-Judah Hong to score for their team to go onto the victory.
Photo by Winnie Man
Wailers vs Leppards
Photo by Rachel Ruiz
The Wailers started the scoring as an “I Shot the Sheriff” style of play as they got out front with a “3” from Harrison Bond and baskets from Krishna Aysola and Buck Jacobs as they were assisted by Emet Ketai who was returning to play after a hand injury kept him sidelined for several weeks. The Leppards were able to take a small halftime lead as Jaxon Silverstein made “Photograph” assists to find Oakley Entsminger and Leo Yaghoubzadeh open for easy buckets. The Leppards maintained their small lead at the end of the third quarter as Azumi Nomoto grabbed rebounds and found Ocean Yaghoubzadeh with a nice bounce pass to where he was able to drive in for a score. The Wailers would make a run in the fourth quarter with shots going in from each elbow of the free throw lane by Leon Muenze and Archie Lewis, and a nice “3” from Krishna Aysola. The Leppards somehow found a way down the stretch to get another narrow victory, thanks to Player of the Game-Olivia Ruiz making steals to take to the basket for scores and finding Alexander Melamed open for a nice 15 footer from the right wing, as their team remained the only team that is undefeated in the league.
Olivia Ruiz received the Summer season Hustle Award. Photo by Rachel Ruiz
Revolution vs Pretenders
The Pretenders got the first scores of the match as they went down the “Middle of Road” and straight to the basket for scores from Henry Mack and Beau Zaczepinski. The Revolution would get first half baskets from Theodore Edelman and Rowan O’Neal to keep pace. In the second half, the Pretenders would have David Yonatan and Liam Desante use power moves to take it down low and score, and Oliver Lynn would hit shots from the outside. The Revolution would eventually make “Purple Rain” as they had players score in bunches with Finn Duggan and Oliver Harris scoring, and Player of the Game-Rohan Peddi had the deep shot going in, as he was making deuces and treys to save the day, as the Revolution went onto the victory.
Rohan Peddi received his trophy for the Gold Division Most Outstanding Player in the Summer league, and was Player of the Game for today’s match. Photo by Parvin Peddi
Platinum
Stones vs Zeppelins
The Zeppelins started with making shots from “Over the Hills and Far Away” as Isaac Lynn and Aayan Lakhani were making “3”s with a “Misty Mountain Hop”, as they got out front. The Stones would be “Respectable” and work their way back into the match, as Cassius Taylor found open teammates Rohham Taherian and Leonardo Garcia for “3”s from afar, as they grabbed the lead at halftime. The Zeppelins got over their “Communication Breakdown” and begin to make a comeback that saw Christian Ferew and Mohamed Dia take the ball to the hoop for scores, and find Kay Roberts open for the trey, and were able to get within striking distance of grabbing the lead back; but the Stones made sure that the opponent knew “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” as they got what they needed with strong rebounds by Liam Adams and power inside moves for scores by Player of the Game-Maximiliano Flores to get the Stones their first victory of the season.
SUN 11/24/24
Copper
Scorpions vs Ants
Mostly Scorpions in this matchup with the “Blackout” as baskets were made by Issa Ally, Jones Updegrove, and Harper Gaines. The Ants had William Kim getting steals, a free throw made each by Elle Dousset and Desmon Smith, and baskets made by Harper Gaines who came over to the Ants in the second half to help them out. “Player of the Game” went to the Ants Ethan Cohen who made his first bucket along with a free throw and had the most impressive performance of the match, as he was a “Highway Dandyman”.
Cars vs Bosses
Photo by Carol Chan
The score remained close through the first half as the Bosses had Cole Lyle make a free throw, and Kora Kourouma grabbed rebounds; the Cars had all their first half scoring from Anthony Alliyani as he was in “Cruiser” mode. In the second half, the Bosses were able to have Adriano Rovira make steals using his “Brilliant Disguise” that got the ball to Canasia Backrein who was able to score; the Cars were able to use “Touch and Go” as Player of the Game-Rachel Lao would get the ball on defense and get it to Jaxon Oxendine for scores that allowed the Cars to get “Just What I Needed” for the victory.
Stardust vs Vans
The Stardust started the game with “Let’s Dance” as Louis Liu scored two quick baskets to take an early lead. The Vans were able the get out of the “House of Pain” and get on the “Mean Street” as they started scoring with baskets from Rohan Henderson and Victor Lima Lopes to get the lead at halftime. The Stardust made some “Changes” at halftime and put on a tight defense in which Sweden Walsh and Lucas Gottschalk formed a trap in which Haruka Yagi and Corbin Strock made steals to slow down the Vans; however, “And the Cradle Will Rock” and the Vans countered with their own tough defense as Player of the Game-Grace Parry was a “Girl Gone Bad” as she blocked shots and took the ball away from the Stardust leaving them in “Ashes to Ashes” as she then got the ball up to Kris Peddi and Nathan Stafford for baskets that put the Vans ahead for good and onto the victory.
Silver
Madness vs Rocketmen
Photo by Dean Georgaris
The Rocketmen were looking to keep pace at the top of the division as coach Bing and his team who I refer to as “Bennie and the Jets” were ready for their matchup, but the Madness would put on their “Baggy Trousers”, and take the early lead on three straight baskets from Rex Bulette, a “3” from Saum Safavi, and scores from Bodhi Petitti and Ryder Range.
Photo by Brian Read
The Rocketmen would become the “Madman Across the Water” and take it up a notch as they turned it on in the second quarter as Elliot Sheng, Oliver Williams, and Dylan Read scored to get close at the end of the third quarter, and then in the fourth quarter, they were doing the “Crocodile Rock” as they put their jaws on defense and shutdown the Madness. The Rocketmen had ten fourth quarter points from Henry Fyda who was the beneficiary of multiple turnovers created from Player of the Game-Josiah Hong to give the Rocketmen the resounding victory.
Oliver Williams received his award for Summer Bronze Division Most Outstanding Player. Photo by Nicholas Walker
Mercury vs Clash
Photo by Carol Chan
Mostly the Clash for this wire to wire win as they often had uncontested drives to the hoop thanks to Player of the Game-Krsna Pathak setting screens that got teammates Mateo Chan, Jonas Ketai, and Lucas Alemayehu to “Stay Free” to score, then adding some of his own baskets. The Mercury would “Keep Yourself Alive” as Ford MacArthur and Teddy Millman had several baskets, Wyatt Mack and Tyler Keliddari each made a basket, as they were all recipients of assists from the Wattanalaowit triplets: Naphat(Aton), Nawat(Alex), and Natcha(Angie). Not to be outdone by three siblings, the Clash would have the Farrar twins: Oscar and Oliver knocking them in from the outside, and the Smith siblings: Otis and Adeline locking down the defense to give their team the victory. “I’m Going Slightly Mad” keeping track of which siblings on the scorecard but was able to stay in “Complete Control”.
Platinum
Rush vs Aeros
This match was the “Last Child” of the day, and it had many “Subdivisions” as it would go back and forth to the very end. The first quarter was a “Working Man” as few points were scored, but the scoring opened up in the second quarter as the Rush had “3”s from Kingston Andes, inside hoops from Kai Halpert, and baskets from Radin Taherian; the Aeros had baskets from Ydur Lacadin, Jaden Karayev, and Luokang “Danny” Zhou to keep things even at halftime. The third quarter saw the Rush get baskets from Augie Tucker Maxcy and Daniel Friedman; the Aeros had baskets from Ibrahim Ally and Louis Meehan Smith, as the score remained tight. As the fourth quarter started, the Rush got a small lead on a basket from Brendan Still who had a nice bank shot off the glass, and Kingston Andes made floaters from the side. The Aeros would not give up and decided to “Lay It Down” and make drives to the hoop that saw Rowan Booher and Abdullah Jooma get a couple baskets each in the final minutes as Player of the Game-Ezra Mooney not only stole the ball on defense but found his teammates open with pinpoint passes in their transition towards the hoop, one the baskets being a running hook shot in the lane by Rowan Booher with seconds left to give the Aeros the one point victory and sole possession of first place in the Platinum division.
SAT 12/7/24 WEEKEND #8
Copper
Scorpions vs Beatles
A battle for first place between the top two teams in the division. With the Scorpions there is “No One Like You” as they got the scoring started with baskets from Harper Gaines and Issa Ally, ‘Here Comes the Sun” as the Beatles had Kosmos Kavalakis score ten first quarter points, then teammate Marlowe Georgaris scored the next ten points over the second and third quarter to give their team a big lead. The Scorpions made a valiant comeback in the second half as Soraya Karwal and James Wasson created turnovers, Malone Hoevet got rebounds, to get the ball to Jones Updegrove and Harper Gaines for baskets. The Beatles got the “Ticket to Ride” onto the victory as Lorenzo Anis Bilimani provided good defense, and Player of the Game-Kosmos Kavalakis finished the day with 18 total points for the match.
Bronze
Bosses vs Runaways
The Bosses had a “Hungry Heart” that was fed with a strong first half from Luke Samy who had 11 points, a basket from Canasia Backrein, and strong defense from Vivienne Bond who was gracious enough to come over from her Runaways team to help the shorthanded Bosses. The Runaways responded with “You Drive Me Wild” as Lukas Bellodi made a basket, and Zev Risman and Adam Farghaly made blocks and steals. In the second half, the Runaways had a basket each from Benjamin Kapgan and Quentin Dijols, and River Stanton had a “Cherry Bomb” of points in the fourth quarter in which he had 11 points that included a “3” to get within striking distance to get the lead back. However, the Bosses got big buckets from Benjamin Bloom and Cole Lyle, and Player of the Game-Luke Samy scored 8 points in the second half to keep his team in front till the end for the win.
Cars vs Suburbs
The Suburbs would use the “Monster Man” first half defense as Devraj Karwal and Decker Zaczepinski held the Cars to minimal scoring; but the Cars defense was the “Dangerous Type” as Rachel Lao and Alexander Wolf made takeaways to limit the Suburbs. The second half saw the scoring pick up with the Suburbs getting free throws and baskets from Kostas Beer as he was assisted by Lincoln Sheng; the Cars had makes from the charity stripe by Esme Chan and Anthony Alliyani, and Jaxon Oxendine found an open Ignacio Guzman beyond the arc, as he nailed a trey from far away, that kept the game close going into the final minutes. The Suburbs would use sibling synergy in the final minutes as Owen Wang dished dimes to his sister Olivia Wang to make key baskets down the stretch to earn her Player of the Game honors and the win to keep their team in the hunt for the league title.
Silver
Rocketmen vs Mercury
The Rocketmen did a little “Honky Cat” as they leaped to a big first half lead with field goals from Killian Georgaris, Henry Fyda, and Josiah Hong courtesy of the dime disher Dylan Read who led the team in assists. The Mercury would go “Headlong” and “Keep Yourself Alive ”in the second half as they would outscore the Rocketmen, as the Mercury would get multiple outside shot makes from Wyatt Mack and Auggie Friedman, a “3” from Naphat Wattanalaowit, and strong defense from Charlie Koch and Tyler Keliddari. In the end, the Rocketmen held on with strong performances by Max Ambriz and Josiah Hong as they each grabbed rebounds to put back in for points, Elliot Sheng with a “3”, and continued rebounds and steals from Player of the Game-Dylan Read as they won the match.
Specials vs Police
The Specials would make it a “Rat Race” in the beginning of the match as shots were being launched at a rapid pace with baskets from George Couvreur, Rahm Kapgan, and Billy Casarella. The Police were more interested in “Walking on the Moon” and took their time to size up the opponent, and had Emma Escoto and Declan Wong make inside shots, as Charlie Kalmbach was making shots from beyond the arc, as their team took the halftime lead. In the second half, the Specials narrowed the gap by getting a couple of nice turnaround fadeaways from William Holt as he was assisted by Rodrigo Padron. The Police would pull away in the fourth quarter as Bobby Drake and Player of the Game-Alice Roberts scored on multiple drives to the hoop to give their team the victory.
Gold
Heartbreakers vs Wailers
Photo by Winnie Man
The Wailers would have the “Buffalo Soldier” defense and create turnovers that led to points from Kirshna Aysola, Buck Jacobs, and Jaxon Von Munk-Moran to take a big early lead. However, the “Refugee” Heartbreakers would come back over the next couple of quarters as Justin Pfaff and Donavan Freeman would make multiple outside shots with the help or rebounds from Sean Dobbs, and assists from Auden Travnikoff and Zachary Law. The Wailers would hold on, as late baskets from Emet Ketai and Archie Lewis off of assists from Niam Pahwa would make sure “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” and give their team the victory.
Pretenders vs Leppards
The Leppards were looking to still be the only unbeaten team in the league, but the Pretenders have recently become the “Talk of the Town” and started the scoring with a bucket from Nicholas Chan, a “3” each from Beau Zaczepinski and Matthew Klass, and rebound putbacks for points from Henry Mack. The Leppards would eventually use their half court trap and “Rocket” back into the lead as Olivia Ruiz and Jaxon Silverstein created steals and took it to the rack for scores, and Ocean Yaghoubzadeh hit two consecutive treys. The Pretenders mounted a comeback in the second half, as Caleb Ong converted free throws and Oliver Lynn would score, but in the end, additional baskets from the Leppards by Alexander Melamed and Oakley Entsminger kept their team ahead for good, and still kept their unbeaten streak alive.
Platinum
Aeros vs Stones
Photo by Rachel Adams
The Aeros would say “So never judge a book by its cover, Lord, imagine my surprise” as they would not underestimate the Stones who were looking to “Hang Fire” and get some “Satisfaction”. The Stones would “Start Me Up” the scoring as Joshua Edwards made power drives to the hoop, and Leonardo Garcia put in down-the-lane floaters. The Aeros kept pace in the first half with baskets from Ydur Lacadin, Abdullah Jooma, and Ibrahim Ally. The Stones had the lead at the end of the third quarter as Cassius Taylor exploded for 16 points in the third frame alone as he made shots down low and from downtown, and extended the lead in the beginning of the fourth quarter as Liam Adams skyed high to grab rebounds to put them back into the hoop. The Aeros would then go on a big run as Louis Meehan Smith and Rowan Booher had a three party and were not missing from beyond the arc, thanks in part to multiple assists from Player of the Game-Leo Mooney who would find them open as he was able to dish perfect dimes. The defense of Ezra Mooney was key down the stretch as he made multiple steals that allowed the Aeros to come from behind and get the victory.
Zeppelins vs Rush
There is a “Whole Lotta Love” between these two teams, but today was game day and the Rush would take the approach as “A modern-day warrior, mean, mean stride, today’s Tom Sawyer, mean, mean pride”, and jump out front immediately with Koa Entsminger and Kingston Andes making drives to the hoop for scores, and Augie Tucker Maxcy and Radin Taherian with “3”s off of assists from Player of the Game-Daniel Friedman. The Zeppelins would try to catch up as Mohamed Dia had 14 points for the match, Aayan Lakhani had dimes and treys, Chloe Scofield made midrange shots, and Kay Roberts was dishing assists and making shots from beyond the arc. The Rush would pull away in the end, as Dylan Kravitz and Kai Halpert would score on power moves to the basket, and they would win today..
SUN 12/8/24
Copper
Beatles vs Ants
Many of the players from both teams were at soccer tournaments, so we divided up equally and had a nice fun game and gave both teams the victory. The Ants had “Wonderful” play from Desmon Smith, Samuel Sternberg, and Player of the Game-Isla Haglund; while the Beatles would “Get Back” with a plethora of points from Kosmos Kavalakis, and baskets from teammates Marlow Geogaris, Jacob Glass, and Rasmus Wolfgang. At the end of the day, everybody went home happy.
Bronze
Cars vs Stardust
Photo by Carol Chan
The Cars were “Moving in Stereo” as Esme Chan and Jaxon Oxendine scored early. The Stardust had “Starman” players with Louis Liu and Landon Schmidt getting baskets to get close in the first half, and closer in the second half as Corbin Strock got rebounds to get the ball to Max Lind and Sweden Walsh for buckets. The Cars would eventually pull ahead for good as Ella Sands and Alexander Wolf played tough defense, and Player of the Game-Ignacio Guzman went on fire from beyond the arc, as he had three “3”s along with two “2”s to give their team the victory.
Silver
Rocketmen vs Specials
The Rocketmen had a “Ball and Chain” on their opponent and held them to minimal points in the first half as Qiao Ren and Josiah Hong stayed strong and wouldn’t let the other team score, while assists were plenty with Player of the Game-Dylan Read and Sadie Bellavia finding Henry Fyda, Rayden Toteja, and Elliot Sheng open as they drove to the hoop. The Specials got going in the second half as “Our Lips Are Sealed” and wouldn’t give out their secrets(btw the song was co-written by the singer of the Go-Go’s, Belinda Carlisle, and the singer of the Specials, Terry Hall), and got “3”s from Julian Zambrano, and baskets from Julian Garcia and Aiden Yousefi. In the end, the Rocketmen kept the lead as Max Ambriz and Killian Georgaris got rebounds and steals to give their team the victory, and the division title.
“And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time. Til touchdown brings me ’round again to find
I’m not the man they think I am at home. Oh, no, no, no. I’m a rocket man”
Police vs Clash
A battle between two top teams that would go wire to wire closely throughout. The Police struck first with multiple baskets from Declan Wong; but the Clash would have the lead at the end of the first quarter with strong putbacks from Alex Blondheim and drives to the hoop from Mateo Chan. In the second quarter, the Police got Emma Escoto on the scoreboard with a basket on a nice assist from Cetine Travnikoff; the Clash had Otis Smith make a couple of inside moves to score to keep his team with a small lead at halftime. In the third quarter the Clash extended their lead with a driving sideline floater from Lucas Alemayehu; but the Police would “Rehumanize Yourself” with a basket from Anthony Winkler off of a nice assist from Maximus Arhinful, and Player of the Game-Charlie Kalmbach made a pair of treys to get the lead back at the end of the third quarter. The fourth quarter would be fast and furious with both teams exchanging baskets, as the Clash got a small lead late with a pair of field goals from Player of the Game-Beau Bigler; however, the Police came back to take the lead with baskets from Declan Wong as he had the hot shooting hand from the outside. The Clash would counter with a basket from Oscar Farrar on an assist from his brother Oliver Farrar. Although the Clash got ahead with seconds left on a basket by Lucas Alemayehu, they still had the “Police on My Back” in which the Police came back to tie on a basket by Alice Roberts because “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic” in the final seconds to have the match end in a draw. A fitting finish to a fine foray of fun for the fans.
Mercury vs Madness
The Mercury went “I Want it All”, but “It Must Be Love” for the Madness in their passion for the game. However, players were limited, and so the teams divided up and shared the victory. The Madness were led by Rex Bulette, Sidney duBois, and Ryder Range; the Mercury were led by Wyatt Mack and Player of the Game-Tyler Keliddari as they would “Keep Yourself Alive”. Bodhi Petitti and Saum Safavi also helped the Madness go “One Step and Beyond”. “Don’t Stop Me Now’, because I could go on with these musical anecdotes.
Gold
Leppards vs Revolution
But the Leppards weren’t going to be “Foolin” as they wanted to keep their unbeaten season going, as the Revolution would have “Nothing that Compares 2 U”. The Leppards controlled the first half as Jaxon Silverstein, Andrey Sterlyagov, and Ocean Yaghoubzadeh scored baskets. The Revolution picked it up in the second half and got their “Little Red Corvette” to race to the basket as Theodore Edelman scored on multiple drives to the hoop, Rohan Peddi had the outside shot going, and Rowan O’Neal worked his way down low to put the ball in. The Leppards used team play to trap and force turnovers created by Olivia Ruiz and Player of the Game-Leo Yaghoubzadeh in the fourth quarter and relied on scores from Alexander Melamed and Azumi Nomoto to keep their unbeaten streak going with another victory
Beau Ellis Farr received his Summer 2024 Silver division Most Valuable Player award. Photo by Jason Silverstein
Styx vs Wailers
The Wailers would “Stir It Up” to start the match as Harrison Bond was on target with couple of outside makes, Buck Jacobs would score layups, and Jaxon Von Munk-Moran made a bucket. For the Styx “Welcome to the Grand illusion. Come on in and see what’s happening, Pay the price, get your tickets for the show”, although admission is free, and they would start the show in the second quarter as Elliot Israels would score the first of his ten points on the day, Jack Meyer would have a deuce and a trey, and Kaya Dahuky would power down low as he was fed assists by Jaewon Cho. In the second half, the Styx got Ross Nelson on the scoreboard, and Levi Cogan had multiple rebounds to get closer to the Wailers; however, the Wailers had Viggo Mason score a couple of baskets, and then Player of the Game-Krishna Aysola was “En Fuego” as he hit four consecutive 3-pointers in the third quarter alone. I thought that I was going to have to get the fire extinguisher to put out the flames on Krishna Aysola, because I had never seen a player get that hot ever! With Krishna having a total of five treys on the day, the Wailers went onto the victory.
SAT 12/14/24 WEEKEND #9
Copper
Ants vs Scorpions
“Big City Nights” for the Scorpions as Jones Updegrove and Issa Ally scored multiple points, and Soraya Karwal made a couple of steals, to give their team the halftime lead.
The Ants did a little “Antmusic” as they “unplug the jukebox and do us all a favor
That music’s lost its taste so try another flavor”, and started scoring in the second half, as Samuel Sternberg, Ethan Cohen, and Desmon Smith went on a scoring binge, making baskets and free throws. The Scorpions got Player of the Game-Ronan Sundher on the scoreboard after he made a nice bank shot. Although the Ants didn’t catch the Scorpions in the end, I would “Stand and Deliver” and gave both teams the victory since they shared players amongst each other, because after all:
“I’m the dandy highwayman who you’re too scared to mention.
I spend my cash on looking flash and grabbing your attention.
The devil take your stereo and your record collection (oh-oh).
The way you look you’ll qualify for next year’s old age pension”
I’m such a “Goody Two Shoes”
Bronze
Runaways vs Cars
Photo by Carol Chan
The Cars said “Oh well uh, you might think I’m crazy. To hang around with you. Or maybe you think I’m lucky. To have somethin’ to do” and jumped out to the early lead as Player of the Game-Esme Chan, Ignacio Guzman, and Greysen Lovett scored multiple baskets.
The Runaways said “Take It or Leave It” in the second quarter and got buckets from Lukas Bellodi, Benjamin Kapgan, River Stanton, and Player of the Game-Vivienne Bond. In the second half, the Runaways got additional points from Zev Risman and Zayden Rashid off of multiple assists from Quentin Dijols. However, the Cars were in “Cruiser” mode, and got Anthony Alliyani and Jaxon Oxendine on the scoreboard to pull away for the victory.
Suburbs vs Vans
The Suburbs would “Turn the Radio On” to try to beat the Vans who were “Hot for Teacher” as their new coach Raymon was filling in. Owen Wang got the scoring going as he had a couple baskets to put the Suburbs out front, as he was the recipient of a dime delivered from Devraj Karwal. But the Vans went on an “Eruption” as Gianna Sabine and Nathan Stafford put rebounds in, and Player of the Game-Victor Lima Lopes went on a hot shooting streak in which everything was “Bottoms Up!” as every shot was hitting the bottom of the net, as the Vans took the halftime lead. The Suburbs played hard and did their best to try to catch up, as Olivia Wang and Lincoln Sheng got on the scoreboard; however, the Vans would get additional baskets from Rohan Henderson, a free throw from Ray Lyons, and Victor Lima Lopes would nail three treys for the match en route to 17 total points for the day, and keep the Vans in sole possession of first place going into tomorrow’s matchup.
Bosses vs Stardust
In the first half, the Stardust had players in their “Golden Years” as Louis Liu put a rebound back in for a bucket, Sweden Walsh made a free throw, and Max Lind converted an “And1” from an assist by Corbin Strock. But the Bosses would have “No Surrender” and got a bucket each from Luke Samy and Player of the Game-Kiki Moncher, along with a two for two from the charity strip by August Axster Bingham to take the lead at halftime. The second half would come down to tough defense by both sides. The Bosses pulled slightly ahead in the third quarter as Canasia Backrein found Benjamin Bloom near the basket for a bucket. The Stardust would come back to tie on field goals by Player of the Game-Landon Schmidt and Louis Liu. There would be no scoring in the fourth quarter, as rugby broke out with scrums, mauls, and lineouts, that would have the match end in a tie, with everyone getting a little bit of “Fame”.
Silver
Mercury vs Police
The Mercury had a “KInd of Magic” with first half scoring from Teddy Millman and Ford MacArthur, thanks to the triple trap defense of Naphat, Nawat, and Natcha Wattanalaowit creating turnovers. The Police said “When the world is runnin’ down.You make the best of what’s still around”, and started to get the scoring going in the second quarter with drives from Bobby Drake and Ray Song, putbacks from Griffin Marder and Xavier Shine, and outside shooting from Charlie Kalmbach to get the halftime lead. In the second half, the Mercury would get a basket from Soren Verleun, and a “3” from Wyatt Mack as he was assisted by Kingston Sundher. The Police would spread the scoring around as Cetine Travnikoff served up passes on a silver platter, and found Emma Escoto and Declan Wong open for easy scores, and Anthony Winkler and Alice Roberts made floaters down the lane to give the Police the victory.
Madness vs Specials
In a battle of iconic ska bands, the Specials brought their “Gangsters” style defense to counteract the Madness “House of Fun”. The Madness controlled the first half with scoring from Pablo Gonzalez, Amarveer Gupta, Ryder Range, and Bodhi Petitti. The Specials got going in the second half as George Courvreur made a “3” and Aiden Yousefi would hit outside shots, thanks to assists from the Casarella brothers, Billy and Hugo, and steals from Miles Wasson. The Madness held on as Bodhi Kothari made a free throw, Sidney duBois had a nice rainbow from the side, and Saum Safavi would score 7 points in the final minutes as Player of the Game-Knute Haglund grabbed key rebounds to get the ball up the floor for Saum to score and to give their team the victory.
Gold
Styx vs Revolution
The Revolution had the “U Got the Look” offense to score early for a big lead with a triplet of layups from Oliver Harris, an “And1” each from Theodore Edelman and Jeffery Records, and plethora of rebounds from Rowan O’Neal. The Styx made it “The Best of Times” and fought back with scores from Siddhant Khanna and Jack Meyer, with the help of aggressive defense from Conrad DiMauro. In the second half , the Revolution had Linus Verleun and Rowan O’Neal score to take a small lead into the fourth quarter; however, the Styx would have Kaya Dahukey making three ‘3’s, and Player of the Game-Brandon Israels playing the “Blue Collar Man” and getting rebounds to score and convert an “And1” in the final minutes to give the Styx, the comeback victory.
Rush vs Stones
“The Big Money” was on the Rush, but the Stones would “Paint it Black” with the dark side of their jerseys for the match, and they would “Start Me Up” with the scoring as Player of the Game-Leonardo Garcie and Joshua Edwards would do the “Dirty Work” and power to the hoop for scores. The Rush would have Alden Wong make three “3”s as he was positioned in his favorite spot in the deep corners of the court, to convert his tries on the treys, and teammate Kai Halpert would assist Kingston Andes and Dylan Kravitz for scores. In the second half, the Rush got “Distant Early Warning’ makes from Augie Tucker Maxcy to get closer to the Stones. The Stones would pull away as Dylan Zindel and Ryan Yousefi got rebounds to get to Cassius Taylor who went coast to coast multiple times for scores to keep the lead and go onto the victory.
Platinum
Zeppelins vs Aeros
As the Aeros would say “I know nobody knows, Where it comes and where it goes, I know it’s everybody’s sin, You’ve got to lose to know how to win”, as they would learn from this match. The Aeros could wrap up the division title with a win tonight, but
the Zeppelins would say “If there’s a bustle in your hedgerow, don’t be alarmed now, It’s just a spring clean for the May queen, Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run, There’s still time to change the road you’re on, And it makes me wonder”
And so it goes like this: The first quarter saw limited scoring as both teams were feeling each other out, but things picked up in the second quarter with the Zeppelins getting shots in from beyond the arc by Aayan Lakhani and Kay Roberts, and Momamed Dia finding Christian Ferew and Noah Michaels down low for scores; the Aeros had ‘3’s from Rowan Booher and Leo Mooney, and drives for buckets by Luokang “Danny” Zhou to give them a small halftime lead. The Aeros kept the lead to start the third quarter when Ezra Mooney hit a deep shot from downtown. The Zeppelins would come back to tie it all up at the end of the third quarter as good defense from Misha Lakhani and Yisaac Tariku would help Player of the Game-Chloe Scofield make floaters from the side, and she continued to make her presence felt, as she would make key drives to the hoop for scores in the final minutes to give her team the victory, thus making the next day matchup for all the marbles being the division title.
SUN 12/15/24
Bronze
Suburbs vs Runaways
The Runaways would say “I Love Playin’ With Fire” as they got the first half lead with baskets by Benjamin Kapgan and Zayden Rashid, with the help of good defense from Zayden Diaz and Adam Farghaly. The good defense for the Runaways would continue in the second half, as Vivienne Bond rejected several shots with authoritarian blocks. The Suburbs would “Rattle My Bones” and get their scoring going as Josephine Carey and Olivia Wang would score to get closer, then Player of the Game-Lincoln Sheng scored all his points in the second half to get the Suburbs out in front to stay as they would hang on for the victory with the help of defense from Decker Zaczepinski and Clara Cowan.
Bosses vs Vans
The Bosses would take a trip down “Thunder Road” to play spoilers in this last Bronze matchup of the season. The Bosses got out front with a basket from Benjamin Bloom, and a free throw made from Adriano Rovira; but, the lead wouldn’t last long as the Vans Victor Lima Lopes continued his hot shooting from beyond the arc with a pair of treys, and teammates Gianna Sabine, Nathan Stafford, and Ray Lyons would score to give their team a big half time lead. In the second half, the scoring picked up for the Bosses, as they were not “Dancing in the Dark”, and August Axster Bingham and Zachary Cohen would make nice shots from about 15 feet out. The Vans would have the “Best of Both Worlds” as Kris Peddi and Player of the Game-Tyler Enayati would score multiple points to lead their team to the victory and the division title.
Gold
Leppards vs Styx
Photo by Rachel Ruiz
For the Styx, “They said come sail away, come sail away, Come sail away with me, lads”, as they wanted to be the team to give the Leppards their only defeat of the season. The Leppards would have “A wild ride, over stony ground. Such a lust for life, the circus comes to town. We are the hungry ones, on a lightning raid” as they would aim for perfection if they won. Scoring in this match did not start till the second quarter, as the Leppards got baskets from Andrey Sterlyagov, Olivia Ruiz, and Azumi Nomoto; the Styx had Ross Nelson and Conrad DiMauro making shots. The Leppards had a sizable lead to end the third quarter with the help of strong defense from Alexander Melamed. But the Styx would turn it on in the fourth as the “3” Musketeers of Kaya Dahukey, Conrad DiMauro, and Ross Nelson would be knocking them in from downtown, and Jack Meyer would drive to the hoop for scores with the help of clever passes from Spencer Nelson. Before you knew it, the Styx had the lead; but, the Leppards would find something left inside to push it, and go for the victory as Andrey Sterlyagov made key shots, and Player of the Game-Olvia Ruiz made a floater down the lane, and was a perfect two for two from the charity stripe in the final seconds to give their team the victory, the division title, and the perfect undefeated season.
Wailers vs Pretenders
The Wailers would “Lively Up Yourself” whereas the Pretenders would say “I got brass in a pocket, I got bottle, I’m gonna use it, Intention, I feel inventive, Gonna make you, make you, make you notice”. Crazy “8”s to end the first frame with the score 8 to 8, with the Wailers getting hoops from Buck Jacobs, Archie Lewis, and Player of the Game-Zayd Sharif; the Pretenders had buckets from Nicholas Chan, Oliver Lynn, and Henry Mack. The Wailers pulled ahead in the second quarter with “3”s from Harrison Bond and Emet Ketai. The Pretenders would do more of their scoring in the third quarter as Liam Desante and Beau Zaczepinski to get closer. The Wailers would pull away for good in the fourth quarter as Niam Pahwa, Leon Muenze, and Viggo Mason would each make their shots for scores, as the Wailers went onto the victory
Heartbreakers vs Revolution
Photo by Winnie Man
For the Heartbreakers, “The waiting is the hardest part, Every day you get one more yard, You take it on faith, you take it to the heart, The waiting is the hardest part”. The Revolution for the last match in the Gold division decided to “They say, 2000-00, party over, Oops, out of time, We’re runnin’ outta time, So tonight we gonna party like it’s 1999”. The party would start with the Heartbreakers getting baskets from Donavan Freeman, Zachary Law, and Auden Travnikoff; the Revolution had Oliver Harris, Jeffrey Records, and Linus Verleun scoring to have the first half end in an unlucky 13-13 tie. Luck would improve in the second half for both squads in which the Heartbreakers saw Judah Hong and Justin Pfaff score, thanks to rebounds from Quest Dixon and Jacob Hyatt. The Revolution would eventually pull away, as Sean Dobbs, who was gracious enough to come over from the Heartbreakers to sub for the Revolution, made big blocks, sub player Buck Jacobs had 10 points, and Rowan O’Neal scored all his points in the half to give their team the victory.
Platinum
Rush vs Stones
Déjà vu, as the same two teams played each other again for the second day in a row, but this time, it was a seeding match between #3 vs #4. The Stones were essentially telling the Rush, “They Had It With You”, and had a strong first quarter as Cassius Taylor had 14 points, as he maneuvered his body in mid flight to lay it up and in, and Rohham Taherian was the deep threat as he knocked down “3”s. The Rush would not allow “Time Stand Still” and came back with multiple drives from Kingston Andes and 3-pointers from Alden Wong and Augie Tucker Maxcy in order to cut the deficit by halftime. In the second half, the Rush would get within striking distance, as Dylan Kravitz had a trio of treys and stepback deuces that made the Stones take a timeout, and regroup, for which they would do, by having Hunter Tito and Dylan Zyndel hold down the defense, and Joshua Edwards and Player of the Game-Liam Adams would take over as they would share the ball amongst themselves for assists and scores that allowed their team to hold onto the victory.
Aeros vs Zeppelins
Double Déjà vu, as for the second match in a row, was to feature two teams that played each other last night. This was the last match of our season and the seeding matchup for #1 vs #2, with the division title up for grabs in “The Battle Of Evermore”. The Zeppelins would have Kay Roberts with a trio of “3”s, as she was making them from downtown, and Noah Michael was getting rebounds for putbacks which saw their team get out front early. The Aeros would get the halftime lead through the use of pressure defense and distributing the ball around the perimeter to find the open player, as Louis Meehan Smith, Rowan Booher, Ibrahim Ally, and Leo Mooney provided most of the scoring in the first half. The second half saw the Zeppelins get Mohamed Dia and Christian Ferew on the scoreboard; however, the Aeros were too strong as Luokang “Danny” Zhou, Ezra Mooney, and Ydur Lacadin had multiple points; and, the strong play of the “Last Child” Player of the Game-Constantine Avramopoulos Orlandos had his team “Come Together” to put his team “Back in the Saddle” for another Platinum division title.
Platinum division champions-Aeros. Photo by Corey Smith
This Issue’s Profile
Each issue, Swish has a profile of a coach, player, or someone in the program who inspires all of us involved in Santa Monica YMCA youth basketball.
This issue’s profile is of the Wang family with coach Alex, his daughter Olivia, and his son Owen. Coach Wang is one of our most popular coaches, and I wish he had a double or a twin, so I can put on all the kids that request him to be their coach. Alex brings enthusiasm and desire for coaching kids that gives confidence to all his players that make them want to play and have fun. Alex always looks to give positive reinforcement that makes his players feel better about themselves, and get the best out of them. Olivia and Owen are always supportive teammates that help the team to succeed, and both are exceptional players with both having won multiple awards and All-First team players for multiple seasons. Together, the Wang family has helped raise awareness to our youth basketball program, and have brought in many new players that are continuing to sign up for the program. I asked the Wang family a few questions for the Swish:
DocDrew: What is your favorite thing about youth basketball at the Santa Monica YMCA?
Alex: my favorite thing about the program is how approachable and inclusive it makes the game for the youngest kids especially the officiating at the lower levels. We started at a different LA city program and there was too much stopping and starting or a general indifference to the quality of basketball. when we started the kids in the copper division they had much better understanding of live gameplay.
Olivia: I love how challenging the game is and that there’s a lot of pressure in the games but at the same time it’s a lot of fun.
Owen: being able to be active and I love being able to help my teammates get the ball in the basket
DocDrew: Who is your favorite player or coach, and why?
Alex: John Stockton. A true point guard that made all the other players around him better
Olivia: my Grandpa. He played basketball in the Navy during the Vietnam War. In one game, he broke his pinky and the bone popped out of the skin. He had to get surgery but still came back to play basketball; that inspires me
Owen: It’s a tie between Allen Iverson and Shaq. Shaq because I like when he dunked and broke the backboard. I like Allen Iverson because my favorite number is 3 and I love watching his highlights.
DocDrew: What hobbies, activities, or other sports do you like to do?
Alex: my first sport was ice hockey and I was still playing beer league 3x a week until we had kids. Now that I’ve hung my skates up I like to train Brazilian jiu jitsu and play golf.
Olivia: I like theater and volleyball. I like theater because you can express how you feel.
Owen: I like to play football and watch the NFL. My favorite team is the Buffalo Bills and my favorite player is a tie between Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes. I also like to play golf.
I can’t thank the Wang family enough for all their help and support throughout the past couple of years, and look forward to having them in the program for years to come. They are always looking out for not only their teammates, but also for everyone else that participates in the program, and always there when I need a helping hand. Looking forward to watching Olivia and Owen grow up in our program.
Scores
SAT 11/16/24 WEEKEND #6
Copper
Ants 14, Scorpions 30
Bronze
Suburbs 6, Bosses 12
Vans 17, Cars 13
Stardust 30, Runaways 17
Silver
Clash 31, Madness 17
Specials 18, Mercury 17
Police 34, Rocketmen 28
Platinum
Stones 37, Aeros 43
Rush 32, Zeppelins 60
SUN 11/17/24
Copper
Ants vs Beatles
(Beatles win on forfeit)
Gold
Pretenders 20, Styx 40
Wailers 18, Revolution 38
Leppards 24, Heartbreakers 9
Platinum
Stones 40, Rush 40
Aeros 37, Zeppelins 27
SAT 11/23/24 WEEKEND #7
Copper
Beatles 12, Scorpions 32
Bronze
Suburbs 9, Stardust 2
Vans 26, Runaways 6
Silver
Madness 35, Police 27
Clash 38, Specials 14
Gold
Heartbreakers 29, Styx 13
Wailers 27, Leppards 35
Revolution 30, Pretenders 17
Platinum
Stones 40, Zeppelins 32
SUN 11/24/24
Copper
Scorpions 22, Ants 12
Bronze
Cars 11, Bosses 7
Stardust 6, Vans 19
Silver
Madness 23, Rocketmen 35
Mercury 21, Clash 49
Platinum
Rush 34, Aeros 35
SAT 12/7/24 WEEKEND #8
Copper
Scorpions 20, Beatles 30
Bronze
Bosses 24, Runaways 19
Cars 12, Suburbs 16
Silver
Rocketmen 41, Mercury 16
Specials 16, Police 40
Gold
Heartbreakers 19, Wailers 23
Pretenders 24, Leppards 42
Platinum
Aeros 48, Stones 38
Zeppelins 38, Rush 49
SUN 12/8/24
Copper
Beatles 28, Ants 15
Both teams get the win, shared players
Bronze
Cars 22, Stardust 14
Silver
Rocketmen 27, Specials 16
Police 36, Clash 36
Mercury vs Madness
Scrimmaged, both teams get the win
Gold
Leppards 54, Revolution 25
Styx 30, Wailers 41
SAT 12/14/24 WEEKEND #9
Copper
Ants 14, Scorpions 23
Both teams received a win for sharing players
Bronze
Runaways 17, Cars 31
Suburbs 7, Vans 28
Bosses 10, Stardust 10
Silver
Mercury 11, Police 48
Madness 21, Specials 11
Gold
Styx 33, Revolution 25
Rush 38, Stones 44
Platinum
Zeppelins 40, Aeros 36
SUN 12/15/24
Bronze
Suburbs 11, Runaways 4
Bosses 9, Vans 30
Gold
Leppards 27, Styx 24
Wailers 43, Pretenders 29
Heartbreakers 24, Revolution 31
Platinum
#3 Rush 47, #4 Stones 56
(6-4-2 for W-T-L, seeding game)
#1 Aeros 44, #2 Zeppelins 26
(7-5-3 for W-T-L, seeding game)
Standings:
Teams are awarded 5 points for a win, 3 points for a tie, 1 point for a loss, 0 points for a forfeit. Tournament or seeding games have greater point value. Teams are listed in their place in the standings with W-L-T and team points.
Copper:
Beatles 8-2-0, 42 points *League Champions*
Scorpions 7-3-0, 38 points
Ants 3-7-0, 21 points
Bronze:
Vans 9-1-0, 46 points *League Champions*
Suburbs 7-3-0, 38 points
Cars 6-3-1, 36 points
Stardust 3-6-1, 24 points
Bosses 2-7-1, 20 points
Runaways 1-8-1, 16 points
Silver:
Rocketmen 8-2-0, 42 points *League Champions*
Clash 7-2-1, 40 points
Police 6-3-1, 36 points
Madness 6-4-0, 34 points
Specials 2-8-0, 18 points
Mercury 1-9-0, 14 points
Gold:
Leppards 10-0-0, 50 points *League Champions*
Revolution 7-3-0, 38 points
Wailers 4-6-0, 26 points
3-way tie for fourth place with the following teams:
Heartbreakers 3-7-0, 22 pts
Pretenders 3-7-0, 22 points
Styx 3-7-0, 22 points
Platinum:
Aeros 6-2-2, 40 points *League Champions*
Zeppelins 5-4-1, 34 points
Stones 3-4-3, 29 points
Rush 2-6-2, 23 points
Fall Season Awards
Copper
Most Valuable Player
Kosmos Kavalakis-Beatles
Most Outstanding Player
Harper Gaines-Scorpions
Most Improved
Samuel Sternberg-Ants
Hustle award
Jones Updegrove-Scorpions
Top Passer
Rasmus Wolfgang-Beatles
All First Team
Kosmos Kavalakis-Beatles
Harper Gaines-Scorpions
Malone Hoevet-Scorpions
Rasmus Wolfgang-Beatles
Samuel Sternberg-Ants
Galiel Sarfati-Scorpions
Marlowe Georgaris-Beatles
Jones Updegrove-Scorpions
Issa Ally-Scorpions
All Second Team
Lennon Farag-Ants
Desmon Smith-Ants
James Edelman-Scorpions
Jacob Glass-Beatles
Elle Doussant-Ants
Ethan Cohen-Ants
Raffaele Giordana-Ants
Isla Haglund-Ants
Hendrix Gross-Ants
James Wasson-Scorpions
All Honorable Mention
Aiden Gallegos-Ants
Ronan Sundher-Scorpions
Luca D’Angelo-Beatles
William Kim-Ants
Soraya Karwal-Scorpions
Reyan Parekh-Scorpions
Benjamin Vaisburd-Beatles
Petra Baselga Puig-Ants
Lorenzo Anis Bilimani-Beatles
Alexander Oussik-Ants
Bronze
Most Valuable Player
Victor Lima Lopes-Vans
Most Outstanding Player
Ignacio Guzman-Cars
Most Improved
Canasia Backrein-Bosses
Hustle Award
Sweden Walsh-Stardust
Top Passer
Olivia Wang-Suburbs
All First Team
Victor Lima Lopes-Vans
Anthony Alliyani-Cars
Canasia Backrein-Bosses
Sweden Walsh-Stardust
Lincoln Sheng-Suburbs
Olivia Wang-Suburbs
Owen Wang-Suburbs
Sora Nomoto-Suburbs
Phoenix Volken-Vans
Louis Liu-Stardust
Tyler Enayati-Vans
Rohan Henderson-Vans
Ray Lyons-Vans
Jaxon Oxendine-Cars
Ignacio Guzman-Cars
Kiki Moncher-Bosses
Kostas Beer-Suburbs
Landon Schmidt-Stardust
Corbin Strock-Stardust
Jaxon Oxendine-Cars
Adriano Rovira-Bosses
Nathan Stafford-Vans
Gianna Sabine-Vans
Zayden Rashid-Runaways
River Stanton-Runaways
Esme Chan-Cars
Vivienne Bond-Runaways
Quentin Dijols-Runaways
Max Lind-Stardust
All Second Team
Josephine Carey-Suburbs
Grace Parry-Vans
Rocco DeTray-Vans
Decker Zaczepinski-Suburbs
Lior Vaisburd-Stardust
Kris Peddi-Vans
Clara Cowan-Suburbs
Grayson Wells-Suburbs
Lukas Bellodi-Runaways
Zayden Diaz-Runaways
Hudson Hoff-Cars
Rachel Lao-Cars
Adam Farghaly-Runaways
Zev Risman-Runaways
Benjamin Kapgan-Runaways
August Axster Bingham-Bosses
Benjamin Bloom-Bosses
Luke Samy-Bosses
Cole Lyle-Bosses
All Honorable Mention
Alexander Wolf-Cars
Jonathan West-Stardust
Matthew Alemayehu-Cars
Theo Rattner-Stardust
Lucas Gottschalk-Stardust
Devraj Karwal-Suburbs
Greysen Lovett-Cars
Zachary Cohen-Bosses
Hendrix Gross-Bosses
Kora Kourouma-Bosses
Sophie Ogawa-Bosses
Soraya Nawab-Runaways
Hana Tagami-Stardust
Haruka Yagi-Stardust
Ella Sands-Cars
Silver
Most Valuable Player
Henry Fyda-Rocketmen
Most Outstanding Player
Jonas Ketai-Clash
Most Improved
Naphat, Nawat, and Natcha Wattanalaowit-Mercury
Hustle Award
Julian Zambrano-Specials
Top Passer
Declan Wong-Police
All First Team
Lucas Alemayehu-Clash
Henry Fyda-Rocketmen
Dylan Read-Rocketmen
Elliot Sheng-Rocketmen
Declan Wong-Police
Ryder Range-Madness
Saum Safavi-Madness
Naphat Wattanalaowit-Mercury
Bodhi Petitti-Madness
Jonas Ketai-Clash
Oscar Farrar-Clash
Mateo Chan-Clash
George Couvreur-Specials
Julian Zambrano-Specials
Knute Haglund-Madness
Bobby Drake-Police
Otis Smith-Clash
Adeline Smith- Clash
Wyatt Mack-Mercury
All Second Team
Charlie Kalmbach-Police
Oliver Williams-Rocketmen
Alex Blondheim-Clash
Krsna Pathak-Clash
Griffin Marder-Police
Max Ambriz-Rocketmen
Alice Roberts-Police
Ray Song-Police
Soren Verleun-Mercury
Emma Escoto-Police
Auggie Friedman-Mercury
Pablo Gonzalez-Madness
Bodhi Kothari-Madness
Beau Bigler-Clash
Josiah Hong-Rocketmen
Oliver Farrar-Clash
Cetine Travnikoff-Police
Teddy Millman-Mercury
Qiao Ren-Rocketmen
Anthony Winkler-Police
Ford MacArthur-Mercury
Loren Garner-Specials
Rex Bulette-Madness
Sidney duBois-Madness
Rodrigo Padron-Specials
Natcha Wattanalaowit-Mercury
Nawat Wattanalaowit-Mercury
Aiden Yousefi-Specials
Killian Georgaris-Rocketmen
Tyler Keliddari-Mercury
Hugo Casarella-Specials
Julian Garcia-Specials
William Holt-Specials
Charlie Koch-Mercury
Maximus Arhinful-Police
Rayden Toteja-Rocketmen
Billy Casarella-Specials
Rahm Kapgan-Specials
Miles Wasson-Specials
All Honorable Mention
Kingston Sundher-Mercury
Rocco Tomas-Clash
Sadie Bellavia-Rocketmen
Veer Gupta-Madness
Marcel Jimenez-Madness
Xavier Shine-Police
Gold
Most Valuable Player
Olivia Ruiz-Leppards
Most Outstanding Player
Buck Jacobs-Wailers
Most Improved
Zachary Law-Heartbreakers
Hustle Award
Rowan O’Neal-Revolution
Top Passer
Henry Mack-Pretenders
All First Team
Buck Jacobs-Wailers
Kaya Dahukey-Styx
Conrad DiMauro-Styx
Zachary Law-Heartbreakers
Justin Pfaff-Heartbreakers
Rohan Peddi-Revolution
Olivia Ruiz-Leppards
Auden Travnikoff-Heartbreakers
Donovan Freeman-Heartbreakers
Ocean Yaghoubzadeh-Leppards
Henry Mack-Pretenders
Beau Zaczepinski-Pretenders
Ross Nelson-Styx
Theodore Edelman-Revolution
Linus Verleun-Revolution
Rowan O’Neal-Revolution
Jeffrey Records-Revolution
Azumi Nomoto-Leppards
Krishna Aysola-Wailers
Liam Desante-Pretenders
Jack Meyer-Styx
Oliver Harris-Revolution
Viggo Mason-Wailers
Leon Muenze-Wailers
Alexander Melamed-Leppards
Andrey Sterlyagov-Leppards
All Second Team
Oliver Lynn-Pretenders
Matthew Klass-Pretenders
Siddhant Khanna-Styx
Jaewon Cho-Styx
Zayd Sharif-Wailers
Judah Hong-Heartbreakers
Levi Cogan-Styx
Caleb Ong-Pretenders
Nathanaiel Wallano-Pretenders
Finn Duggan-Revolution
Ellington Litvin-Revolution
Leo Yaghoubzadeh-Leppards
Harrison Bond-Wailers
Archie Lewis-Wailers
Nicholas Chan-Pretenders
Niam Pahwa-Wailers
Quest Dixon-Heartbreakers
Judah Hong-Heartbreakers
Elliot Israels-Styx
Emet Ketai-Wailers
Oakley Entsminger-Leppards
Jaxon von Munk Moran-Wailers
Sean Dobbs-Heartbreakers
Honorable Mention
Spencer Nelson-Styx
Diego Gonzalez-Heartbreakers
Edward Mahan-Styx
Finley Provencher-Heartbreakers
Jacob Hyatt-Heartbreakers
Ava Katz-Leppards
Jaxon Silverstein-Leppards
David Yonatan-Pretenders
Teo Escalante-Pretenders
Platinum
Most Valuable Player
Rowan Booher-Aeros
Most Outstanding Player
Cassius Taylor-Stones
Most Improved
Ydur Lacadin-Aeros
Hustle Award
Kingston Andes-Rush
Top Passer
Aayan Lakhani-Zeppelins
All First Team
Luokang Zhou-Aeros
Kingston Andes-Rush
Dylan Kravitz-Rush
Rowan Booher-Aeros
Cassius Taylor-Stones
Ydur Lacadin-Aeros
Aayan Lakhani-Zeppelins
Mohamed Dia-Zeppelins
Augie Tucker Maxcy-Rush
Alden Wong-Rush
Radin Taherian-Rush
Kay Roberts-Zeppelins
Liam Adams-Stones
Joshua Edwards-Stones
Radin Taherian-Rush
All Second Team
Kai Halpert-Rush
Koa Entsminger-Rush
Rohham Taherian-Stones
Louis Meehan Smith-Aeros
Isaac Lynn-Zeppelins
Dominic Drew-Rush
Leonardo Garcia-Stones
Christian Ferew-Zeppelins
Noah Michael-Zeppelins
Ezra Mooney-Aeros
Brandon Israels-Zeppelins
Misha Lakhani-Zeppelins
Abdullah Jooma-Aeros
Shai Painter-Rush
Oliver Harris-Stones
Kamden King-Zeppelins
Diego Gonzalez-Aeros
Abdullah Jooma-Aeros
Ibrahim Ally-Aeros
Jaden Karayev-Aeros
Constantine Avramopoulos Orlandos-Aeros
Daniel Friedman-Rush
Lucien Fong-Stones
Isaac Lynn-Zeppelins
Chloe Scofield-Zeppelins
Honorable Mention
Brendan Still-Rush
Maximiliano Flores-Stones
Christopher Carnes-Zeppelins
Hunter Tito-Stones
Jake Records-Stones
Leo Mooney-Stones
Ryan Yousefi-Stones
Dylan Zindel-Stones
Yisaac Tariku-Zeppelins
Thank you very much, to all the coaches, parents, players, and referees.
Special thanks to the Los Angeles Lakers Youth Foundation for partnering with the Santa MonIca Family YMCA youth basketball program.
Dr. Paul Drew, youth basketball coordinator at the Santa Monica Family YMCA, editor and publisher of Swish
