Game 1: Worcester Poly defeats Team BST Sr.
81-79
Game 2: Team BST Sr. defeats Worcester Poly
83-77
Game 3: Team BST Sr. defeats Worcester Poly
83-73

There could not have been any better league championship matchup than this one. Two very good basketball teams, who play with a never say die attitude. In my twelve years of watching championship series, this was arguably the best ever. Typically, every game in the championship weather it goes three games or not, each game the winner usually wins by a fairly large margin, but this series was very impressive as each team stood toe to toe and through hay makers at each other for all three games, neither refused to roll over or even take a standing 8 count. As we discussed in the preview it was going to come down too how would WPI control the big men of BST and would BST be able to handle the constant pressure of the WPI guards. In the end, those were the exact reasons why BSTR Sr. was able to collect their second league championship in 5 years, big man Sam Carey (finals MVP, 22pts/gm) was the horse BST would ride all the way to the top of the podium, Carey was simply just too much, WPI just had know answer for his size and old school post game. Sam often looked like Hakeem Olajuwon as he dipped, ducked, drop stepped and dunked his way to the finals MVP. The other question would be how would the BST guards handle the constant pressure of a very good WPI back court, that is not only very strong with the starters but there is not a drop off, when there second and third strings hit the floor, which can be tough for a post grad team that typically carries a three guard rotation, but this is where the true answer to this series would be. BST decided to go with both their point guards (Aaron Lopez, Jordan Crumley) in the starting lineup, to relieve the pressure of one of the PG doing all the work, this was truly the answer as BST was constantly getting good decisions from their point guards, weather pumping it inside to Carey or hitting wing men Billy Collins, Eric Strand, Joe Marshall or Ramon Garcia for open shots. The first two games were absolute battles from start to finish, game three was the only one that was really never in doubt as BST got back their ox of a big man Greg Lacasse, who missed the first two games, due to a medical procedure. Mr. Lacasse despite not really being ready to play showed up with his game face and really opened up the floor for Sam to do his work. Greg set the tone for this one early as he shot the middle seam, received a nice feed from Eric Strand and caught a backboard breaking dunk on WPI 6’8” big man Matt Carr, this fed a huge run by BST and produced a lead that they would not relinquish. This was a great final game to one of the top three best championship series of all time, anyone that was in the gym to catch one of these three games was treated to some very good basketball, two very good teams that play the game the right way. WPI got major contributions from the same guys that made it happen for them all year, point guard Ken Nadeau, two guard Jay Robinson, three man Ben Etten, four man (incredible talent) Fernando Perez, and five man Matt Carr but it did not end there, these guys coming off the bench did more than there fair share Dave Brown, Jaime Shannon, constantly brought pressure and put up major points. I couldn’t be more upbeat for the 2010 and ten season as the league was incredible this season, we had the most parity we have ever had and its only getting better, see you summer 2010.

Under-Grad Championship
(1) Worcester Poly defeats (6) Franklin Pierce
66-54

This one would play out just as we discussed in the preview. You knew WPI was going to jump out early and the answer to the outcome was going to be how the FPU guards would handle that. Would they be patient and chip away by playing smart offensively making WPI work hard on defense or would they take on the mentality of we need to get it all back at once and feed into the WPI game plan. The answer was the latter of the two, WPI jumped out quick to a 12-2 lead and despite a quick timeout to regroup the troops, FPU would come out of the T.O with the wrong mentality, they ran a nice play out of the timeout as they used big man Terrell Ray (14pts) on the post but after that the guards would become strictly perimeter and jacking shots out of the offensive rhythm, feeding into what WPI wanted them to do. Just 9 minutes in and WPI had established a solid lead at 29 -10, at the half time break the lead was 39-25. The second half would see FPU put a nice run together closing it to a six point gap with 16 minutes left in the game but just as quick as they got back into it they fell right back out as the solid point guard play of Kyle Nadeau and the hot shooting of WPI two guard James Robinson 26 points thwarted any real comeback attempts. The battle of WPI’s Fernando Perez (8pts) and FPU’s Terrell Ray never materialized as FPU got away from using the post early, and WPI never needed to establish any type of low post game, this was unfortunate as I personally would have enjoyed watching these two go at it. FPU was led by Ray with 14 and got 11 more from Kenard Dozier as they finished the 2009 campaign 6-6. WPI was led by Robinson with his 26 and got 12 more from local product Ben Etten with 12. WPI improved to a league best 11-1 as they punched their first ever ticket to the “Gate City Classic” league championship, game 1 is Wednesday night at Rivier College, Nashua, NH , 7:30pm.

Post-Grad Championship
(2) Team BST Sr. defeats (8) Sylbrook RE
105-59

The Cinderella run for the eighth seeded Sylbrook team came to crashing halt on this night as they ran into a Team BST Sr. team that is playing great basketball. BST and Sylbrook came out early working the post and establishing the inside out style of game they both like to play. Both big men Donnie Hook (Sylbrook) 29pts and Sam Carey (BST) 23pts were dominant but neither could nullify the other. The major difference and deciding factor would be in the swing men as we went over in the preview, BST has great wing men who can all stroke it and can all finish at the basket, so when Sylbrook realized man to man was not going to work they went zone and that’s when the guards and wingmen would take over, BST point guards Jordan Cromley and Aaron Lopez both did a great job of running the break and feeding wingmen Billy Collins (18pts/ 4-3’s), Eric Strand (17pts/ 4-3’s) , Ramon Garcia (12pts/4-3’s) and Joe Marshall (9pts/3-3’s). Late in the first half, Sylbrook put a nice run together but a sweet pass from Marshall to slashing big man Greg Lacasse (14pts) led to a monster dunk on two Sylbrook players, this would put BST on a major run, that saw them take a half time lead of 42-25. The second half would be a lot of the same as BST kept attacking in waves, inside-out and just 5 minutes in, this one was over. Sylbrook got another solid performance from point guard Omar Perez who finished with 18, Sylbrook closed the season at 5-7 as they made a very nice run thru the playoffs. BST now 10-2 moves onto the league championship for their 5th league championship appearance.

League Championship Preview
Under-Grad vs. Post-Grad
(1) Worcester Poly vs. (2) Team BST Sr.

This one is going to be a battle and both deserve to represent their respective divisions. In their only match-up of the regular season, WPI was down most of the game as they struggled with the size of BST Sr. but as they have proved all year long they know how to win, so they stuck around long enough to bury a three at the buzzer and sent what seemed to be a definite “L” into overtime, where they regrouped and out played BST for a big “W”. The two big men for BST Sam Carey and Greg Lacasse will be the key to establishing the offensive rhythm for BST, and the guards will need to handle the constant pressure of the WPI guards, if the BST guards do not handle the pressure well and if the BST wingmen are not hitting shots to stretch the “D” it could be a quick series. WPI has quickness and shooters and lots of depth in both, BST must try and keep the WPI guards out of their comfort zones. The inside presence of Fernando Perez will also play a key factor for WPI, he has caused a lot of issues for BST, he is quick and strong on the offensive boards which is a weakness for Team BST at times, if BST does not keep Mr. Perez in check he will really open things up for the guards. So looking back at the history of both these teams, your guess, is as good as mine as to what is going to go down when this three game series kicks off. All I can tell you is, it’s going to be a battle and If I were a betting man I would put money on both!!!!!!!!!!! Good luck to both teams as they have worked very hard to get to this point.

Game 1
(2) Team BST Sr. defeats (3) Chris Auto Body
58-50

The battle of the beasts…….. always epic !!!!! and this one did not disappoint. Two of the long standing powers of the Gate City Classic collided once again in 2009, this one not quiet as pretty as games past but the none the less, another great one to the end. From the outside looking in you would never know how close these two teams are, to the average eye they look like enimies but if your in the inner circle you know that’s not the case. Despite the blood, sweat and anguish that goes on when they play each other, they often share the same uniforms and that brings a major respect factor to the floor when they do play each other, so the post-grad divisional semi-finals would be no different, yes there was respect, but there was also scrapping, blood and last but not least anguish. BST jumped out quick in this one grabbing a 8-0 lead early, but Chris Auto ring leader Matt Alosa called a timeout and reestablished the troops. The last time these two met in week 5 of the regular season BST was able to control the higher power offense of 6’7” swing man Scotty Hazelton as they held him to a season low 12 points, but this time Mr. Hazelton was not going down without a fight. Chris Auto established Scotty early on the box, taking advantage of his length and quickness to the tune of 17 first half points, BST big man Sam Carey and Hazeltons teammate on the Manchester Millrats kept BST in contention with 15 first half points of his own. BST somehow managed to hold a 26-23 lead heading into the half time locker room. The second half saw Chris Auto take control as they scored 8 quick points and grabbed the lead, BST struggled all night from the perimeter which allowed Chris Auto to sag on the BST big men, making it hard for BST to produce any type of offensive rhythm. BST was able to hang close by playing tough “D” and making it difficult for Chris Auto to get any easy shots, and limiting Mr. Hazelton to just 10 second half points (27/game). Coming down the stretch it would appear with just 3 minutes left and Chris Auto up 6, that this one was over but BST a former league champion called a timeout, regrouped and behind the great guard play of Jordan Cromley and Aaron Lopez closed the gap and sealed the victory. BST got great games from everyone on the floor as each contributed in their own way, leading scorers were Sam Carey (22), Greg Lacasse (13). BST advances to the post grad championship, to play the upset minded and lowest seed to ever advance this deep (8) Sylbrook RE.

Game 2
(8) Sylbrook RE defeats (5) Gladiators
56-49

In this matchup of post grad upstarts it was the methodical inside-out ball movement of eighth seeded Sylbook that lulled the Gladiators to sleep and ground their season to a halt. The Gladiators one of the highest scoring teams in the league (70pts/gm) is led by two of the top scorers in the league in do it all big man Frank Drejaj (25.2) and explosive two guard Cuby Pena (18.6) but on this night it was the highly deliberate play of Sylbrook that would take The high octane Gladiators out of rhythm and force them to play the sylbrook style. Sylbrook is a very balanced team who has 5 out of their seven players averaging in double figures. This team has all the needed tools to make a real serious run at the league championship. They have a very solid point guard Omar Perez, and a big man in Donnie Hook that is very tough to stop with mammoth size and great understanding of how to use that size to his advantage, after those two you have a very good core of guys who can knock down shots and that is exactly how this one played out. From the jump Sylbrook made it clear they would run everything through the big man Mr. Hook, they would pound the ball down low and when nothing was open for Hook they would reset and do it all over again, lots and lots of patience, lulling the Gladiators further and further into sleep. Then as the Gladiators switched to zone to try and take Hook out of the game the picked the zone apart with their outside shooting forcing the Gladiators to go back to man to man. As we came down the stretch it still looked the Gladiators despite being lulled to sleep still might pull this out as they carried a one point lead (48-47) into a timeout at 2:43 left in the game. As play picked up after the time out the Gladiators on offense made a crucial decision to pull the ball out and waste some time, this did not fare well for a team that usually relies on making games hectic down the stretch, they missed an out of rhythm shot on offense and Sylbrook took advantage going inside out on the other for a 3pt shot by Troy Peterson to take the lead they would not relinquish, the next Gladiators offensive possession was a turnover as a pick and rolled got mixed up and Mr. Drejaj got picked clean for a easy basket by Matt Smith on the other end and just that quick the slowest seed ever to advance this far Sylbrook RE had punched their ticked to the post-grad championship.

Preview
Post-Grad championship: (2) BST Sr. vs. (8) Sylbrook RE

This should be a very well played basketball game, both teams pride themselves on playing quality basketball and working inside out. The dominance of Sylbrook big man will be tested in this one as BST brings two of the best big men in the league to the table in Sam Carey and Greg Lacasse. After the big men it shakes down to the guards and wingmen. The point guards will be a wash as Omar Perez for the Gladiators and Jordan Cromely and Aaron Lopez from BST will all do what they do best, run the show. The major difference between these two teams is the wing players, The Gladiators have guys that can flat out stroke, but BST can and will come at you in waves with Billy Collins , Eric Strand, Joe Marshall, Ramon Garcia all of which can stroke it but all of which can get to the rim also and make good decisions. All in all this should be a good one but it will take a minor miracle for the eight seeded Sylbrook to advance onto the final big dance.

Game 3
(6) Franklin Pierce defeats (2) Plymouth State
71-57

The age old adage of “coming together at the right time” couldnt appear more true than it does for the Ravens of Franklin Pierce, they struggled all year (4-5) but as the playoffs loomed they got a little better each week. In round one they smacked a very good BST Jr. team as they moved the ball very effectively on offence and shot a season high in Percentage(72%) on defense they played smart with each guy keeping his man in front of him and making it very difficult to get anything easy. In their under-grad semi-final match up they would continue the same as they wore down a very good two seed in Plymouth State University. Each and every time PSU would make a run at the lead FPU would come up with a huge defensive stop and stall out any momentum Plymouth had gotten. FPU would lead at the half 35-24 and extended the lead to 54-34 midway through the second, but PSU didn’t get this far without having the heart of a champion, so with 4:10 left in the game they called their last time out, brought in incoming freshman Juston Hojlo and put the guard core to work, Hojlo, Ian Dempsey and Matt Feeham started causing some chaos and within a three minute span they had cut the lead to nine, but the energy used to get back in it drained them for the close as they could not get any closer. The Ravens of FPU advanced to their first ever under-grad divisional championship game, they were led by Anthony Graham and Mike Barrow who scored 15 and 13 respectively. PSU got 19 from Mike Chergy as they closed the season at 8-3.

Game 4
(1) Worcester Poly defeats (4) Northern Essex CC
56-49

WPI has proven all season that they were far and away the team to beat in the under-grad division, making it two years straight that a premier division 3 program ruled the roost (2008 Brandeis University went 13-2). WPI even proved that with their quickness and smart play they can more than compete with the big boys of the post grad division as they lost a tough one against Chris Auto and won a very tough game against Team BST in overtime. So all that being said it didn’t leave much of a chance for the four seed of Northern Essex community college out of Haverhill Ma. And when it all shook down this one wasn’t even close. The guard play of WPI ‘s Robinson, Nadeau and Brown was to much for NECC to handle. The trio of guards caused havoc on both ends as they caused a ton of turnovers and attacked offensively both inside and out, Robinson one of the premier scorers in the league led WPI with a game high 22 points and inside Presence Fernando Perez contributed 14. WPI will be making their first appearance in the under grad championship.

Preview
Under-Grad championship: (1) Worcester Poly vs. (6) Franklin Pierce

f you were to ask three weeks ago who would win this one, I would have said WPI, hands down, but as the playoffs have progressed, FPU has beaten two very good teams and WPI has had the easy road and some times the easy road can flat out make things tough when all is on the line. This one should be a great game as both teams can put up buckets, both are athletic and primarily guard oriented. The match-up down low between FPU’s Terrell Ray and WPI’s Fernando Perez will be a wash and one heck of a battle. The key will be if the FPU guards hold composure as over the course of the season WPI guards have proven their dominance in controlling games. After watching all year and observing through the playoffs I have to say that WPI will most likely move on to represent the under-grads in the league championship, but don’t think for one second I will be even a little bit surprised if FPU, manages another big upset.

POST GRAD PLAYOFF PREVIEW
Saturday, July 18th, 2008 at Rivier College, Nashua NH

GAME SCHEDULE
Game #1 - 10am
(3) Chris Auto Body vs. (6) Team 3E

Game #2 - 11am
(2) BST Sr. vs. (7) Team Remix

Game #3 - 12pm
(4) Team Lowell vs. (5) Gladiators

Game #4 - 1pm
(1) Playerz vs. (8) Sylbrook RE

For team rosters, check out the Gate City Classic schedule page and click on a team. I will be providing the under-grad playoff match-ups and previews at the conclusion of their regular season on Friday afternoon.

MATCH-UP PREVIEW

In all my pre-season conversations about the “Gate City Classic” (NCAA/Pro-am league) with the media and any basketball guru looking to chat hoops (and believe when I tell you, there is a ton of them) I stated that this year was the most parity we have ever had, from top to bottom, any night any team could win and these playoff match-ups prove just that. As I look at the playoff schedule, if I was a betting man, I would not dare put any money on any of these games. Lets take a look at the post grad divisional match-ups, and I will give you my prediction on who I think will move onto the semi-final round, Monday evening July 20 at Rivier college.

(3) Chris Auto Body vs. (6) Team 3E

This one in my opinion is the easiest of the four post grad divisional first round games to predict. Team 3E out of Westford, MA. has very good guard play, I would say some of the better guards in the league, who am I kidding the “Gate City Classic” is loaded with some of the best guards the east coast has to offer, but anyway, 3E is led by the Ellis bothers (Zach, Mike and soon to be sophomore in high school, Matt) and last years league leading scorer Fred Kell, along with a more than formidable big man in Andrew St. Claire, who is a do it all big, he can post you on the box, with a quick move or he can bring you away from the basket and knock down 15 to 20 ft. jumpers all day long. But in the end Chris Auto a battle tested and two time league champion is just to big and to athletic for 3E to contend with. The floor general, ring leader if you will for Chris Auto is a long time New Hampshire great in Matt Alosa, he controls the masses at the point with incredible wing players, former McDonalds All-American Scotty Hazelton and the high flying Korran Rivers (former league dunk contest winner) with these two running the lanes and 6’11” former Central Conn. Center Jeremy Berg controlling the middle, its safe to say that Chris Auto, more than likely will be moving onto the post grad field of four. Now…….. that being said, I still would not be surprised if 3E finds a way to pull this out, they have been here before, and have pulled off the unexpected, so don’t place any bets yet.

(2) BST Sr. vs. (7) Team Remix

This one should be a good one, Team Remix was the only post grad divisional team to beat Team BST Sr. in a great first game of the summer a 61-60 2-ot win. BST Sr. gets their chance for revenge, a loss they feel like they let get away, BST has since come together over the course of the summer, and looked very good with wins over Chris Auto, and last years post grad division champion Team Lowell. BST has a very well rounded team, with all 9 players being able to pretty much to do it all, they are led by two very solid point guards in Aaron Lopez and Jordan Cromley, who can each score effectively or distribute the ball to wing players, like former BU standout Billy Collins, Eric Strand or Joe Marshall, all three can stroke it from down town, or go to the basketball. The middle is controlled by two of the better big men in the league, both are top scorers in the league, former Bentley beast Greg Lacasse (Monstar) and former SNHU and Manchester Millrat big Man Sam Carey, both have been unstoppable on the box and when one is dominating the paint the other can step out and knock down three’s, tough match-up for most teams. Remix is a very dangerous team, tons of athletes and great shooters, two of there wing players are in the top 5 in the league in scoring, Mike Chroney and Lewis Atkins, both can tickle the twine and both can get to the hoop, Mr. Chroney has had some absolutely ESPN top 10 worthy dunks for the summer, he is very explosive, and when throwing down a two hand tommy, he could pretty much kiss the rim if he so wished. If former Alvirne and University of Manhattan alum Mike Konovelcheck is able to attend Saturday for Team Remix, it will be a very tough game, with his ability to score all over the court and play tough defense on the bigs this becomes a totally different game. My prediction for this game is that Team BST will get their revenge and move onto the post grad semi’s. Again though the outcome is impossible to read, lets see what happens.

(4) Team Lowell vs. (5) Gladiators

When talking to the referee coordinator, I made a huge point to point this one out, this is gonna be a absolute battle. Both teams hail from the beautiful city of Lowell, Mass. and neither one is ever willing to give an inch, weather playing hoops or a game of bowling these two will battle. In their only match up this season during Rivalry week, Team Lowell capitalized on a struggling Gladiators team, by grabbing the “W” with a 79-63 win. But don’t be fooled by that score the Gladiators are on a two game winning streak, including a week 6 pasting of the number 7 Remix team 95-59. Lowell is the typical smart basketball team, their two captains are coaches and the rest just know how to play, all five guys on the floor for this team can do it all. The guard core is made up of Phill Conners who can absolutely stroke it, the floor general is former UMass Lowell product Todd Boyle, a very smart, energizer bunny type, (think Steve Nash). The bigs are comprised of Chris Burns and Jimmy Cardaci, they are hard nosed tough kids who score inside or out. This is a very good basketball team, there is a reason why they were they 2008 post-grad champions, they just know how to win. The Gladiators are pretty much polar opposite, they are a team that just comes at you in waves with tons of talent, primarily scorers. This time of season is when they become extremely dangerous, because when the season is on the line they always show up to play “D” and things will get hectic as they bring it from beginning to end. The Gladiators are led by team captian a former University of Manhattan and UMass Lowell star Frank Drejaj, he is what makes them tick, Frank can score in a variety of ways and has a uncanny way of finishing around the basket, besides Frank the scoring comes from all angles with guards Cuby Pena (3-time league 3point contest winner) Cuby can stroke but he can also get to the basket, tough guard for anyone in the league, then there is Brian Bettano and Marcus Wilson, Marcus more of a pure shooter, when he gets hot he can crush a defense, Brian can stroke it also but can put it on the floor and make great decisions with the ball. If the Gladiators show up to play from beginning to end this will be a great one. My prediction on this game is the composure and savy of a well versed and battle tested team of Team Lowell will prevail, but yet again I will not be even a slight bit surprised if the Gladiators move on. Referees hope your ready !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(1) Playerz vs. (8) Sylbrook RE

Believe it or not, it’s your choice, this could be the best game of the post grad first round. Sylbrook despite being the 8 seed at 3-6 is a very good team, with only one of their loses being a blowout, a week 1 drubbing by 3 seed Chris Auto (66-46) they were in every other game and had a chance to win all of them. Sylbrook is led by team captain, a mountain of a man 6’10” 300 pd. Big man Donnie Hook, and they go as he goes, when they use him early and he pounds the ball on everybody down low, it starts opening it up for the rest of the surrounding cast, all of which are very prolific shooters. Point guard Omar Perez is a solid ball handler who can knock it down from the perimeter but can get to the basket and make good decisions with the ball. Two guard Randy Philbrick can score it, he is more of a shooter than a driver and plays a very hard nosed defensive game. The rest of the cast (Andy Dinga, Tom Peterson, and Matt Smith) are all very good role players, Mr. Smith is a 4 spot guy that can rebound, score some points, but most importantly understand how to pass from the high post, key for using Mr. Hook down low. Dinga and Peterson are both good shooters who can really stretch the defense, Peterson if he gets you chasing his shot will pick you apart with the dribble drive. Now…… with all that being said lets not forget that the Playerz are only two season removed from being the 2007 league champions and they have the major component of that team back, Steve Deluca. Deluca was on a one year hold from the Playerz team as he participated in 2008 with his college team, Brandeis University, mind you Brandeis was the 2008 league champions, that makes Deluca a back to back league champion with two different teams, that is a first and there is a lot to be said for that, some are just built to be champions. Deluca is a tough match up for anyone in the league as he posses the size to be more than effective down low but also posses the quickness and shooting ability to be effective on the perimeter, which culminates in Deluca being one of the premier scorers in the league. Deluca being such a scoring threat, it makes things much easier for the rest of the surrounding cast. Sharp shooters Jay Martinage, Jaime Sajac, Jeremy Colon all benefit greatly from the defensive attention Deluca commands and once you start running out at all three of these shooters they can and will pick you apart going to the basket. Tommy Schneider is the final piece this championship contender, he is a 6’ 5” four guy than can score down low, rebound, play solid “D” and can even step away from the basket and knock down shots. So despite this being the best first round match-up and the game with the largest possibility of upset, I think the fact the Playerz know how to make the championship run, will find a way to move onto the field of four. Lets not forget Sylbrook, despite being close in a lot of their games really never figured out how to close teams out consistently. So, the reality is when it all shakes down there is just to much parity with these teams to even consider putting any type of monetary value on them. Best of luck to all teams as we move forward into the 2009 playoff run.

After Saturday's first round games look for my first round game reviews, and my preview of the post-grad and under-grad divisional semi-final match-ups. Its gonna be another great year of “Gate City Classic” playoffs.