This story is by Telstar Senior and Bethel Recreation Coach, Morgan Zetts

BETHEL — All ages are coached – Pre-K to 8th grade – and all get to interact with a bunch of different kids every Saturday. Although the numbers are not as high as they used to be, there is a bunch of talent that has progressed over these past eight weeks. Saturday is split up into different age groups. Pre-K to First grade starts at 8 a.m., second and third grades start at 9 a.m., fourth and fifth grades play from 10-12, and sixth-eighth grades play from 12-2.

The Pre-K to First graders age group do not play games but mainly focus on all the skills and drills. It is awesome to see the growth that all of these little kiddos show throughout the season. A handful of them were actually able to play up to our second and third-grade levels and play in the games.

 

Second and Third Age Group:

This age group plays on a smaller court with lowered hoops to prepare them for real game scenarios. Most of the time, this is the first time these kids have ever played in a basketball game. This group is all about learning and explaining terms, spacing, and basic basketball knowledge. The coaches have to really interact and help the kids grow. This group does not have a championship weekend and it ended last Saturday, March 16.

 

 

 

Season round-up:

Fourth and Fifth Grade Age Group:

This age group has lots of young talent and kids who love the game. We finished up their season yesterday with championship weekend.

Players on each team:

Warriors: Lane Gagnon, Jacob Silver, Marco Delulio, Jaylee Kweador, and Quincy Osgood

Celtics: Avery Kimball, Miley Zetts, Quincy Koskela, Bryson Gagnon, and Noah Indermule.

Sixers: Emmett Patten, Aiden Ames, Maebrie Zetts, Aubrey Collins, and Caleb DeMass.

Bucks: Grayson Koskela, Jax Danielson, Eben Herling, Silas Barlow, and Aleigha Deprey.

Sixth-Eighth Age Group:

This age group represented our biggest number of kids. All of these kids play lots of basketball and they can play at the middle school level as well! This league was very competitive as every game played had less than a 10-point gap between the teams’ scores.

Players on each team:

Celtics: Landon McPherson, Bradley Campbell, Hannah Kerns, Sienna Herling, Grayson Koskela, and Ayva Jeselskis.

Warriors: Nick LaPointe, Connor Nguyen, Quinn Coolidge, Lucy DeCato, Kayden Damon, Richard Paul, and Avery Kimball.

Sixers: Alex Doughtery, Bennett Inman, Meredith LaPointe, Aiden Paul, Chloe DeMass, Lane Gagnon, and Quincy Koskela.

Bucks: Carson Koskela, Brooklyn Deprey, Xavier Greene, Sam Thompson, Lexi Indermule, Brennan Beaulieu, and Hope Heath.

Championship Round-up:

On March 24, we had our championship weekend. It started at 8 a.m. with skills competitions for the fourth and fifth-grade age groups. The skills for the sixth-eighth grade group begin at 12. We start with a skills contest where players are timed and have to dribble through a set of chairs, make a pass into a trash can, make a layup at one end of the court, and then run down to the other end and make another shot. The fastest time wins.

For fourth and fifth grade Jax Danielson took first place. For the sixth-eighth grade group, Nick LaPointe had the fastest time and took home the gold. Next, all players participate in a free throw contest. Each player shoots 10 free throws and the kid with the most made wins. For fourth and fifth grade Aiden Ames came in first place.

For the sixth-eighth grade group, Alex Doughtery took home first. The final skills competition is a three-point shootout. Each player shoots 3 shots from five different set spots behind the three-point line, with the third shot at each spot worth two points while the rest are only worth one. For fourth and fifth grade, Lane Gagnon made the most threes and took the gold. For the sixth-eighth grade group, Alex Doughtery sank the most shots and finished with a score of 12 to take home first!

Fourth and Fifth Grade Games:

After the skills, we go right into games for fourth and fifth grade. The first one began at 9 a.m. with the #1 seed Warriors vs. the #4 seed Bucks. It was a hard-fought game but at the end of it, the Bucks defeated the #1 seed to advance to the championships. At 10 a.m. the #2 seed Celtics faced the #3 seeded Sixers. It was a close game but ended in the favor of the Celtics. In the championship game, the Bucks took on the Celtics who had to play back-to-back games and were all very tired. This didn’t stop them and after a back-and-forth game, the Celtics were crowned champions!

After the games, awards are given out after the games at the end of the season. There are four season awards, offensive player, defensive player, most improved, and playmaker. There are also two MVP awards based on a player’s performance during the championship games.

After the awards for the fourth and fifth graders, there is the skills competitions for the sixth-eighth graders. After that, the games begin. The first game was between the #1-seeded Celtics and #4-seeded Bucks. The Bucks played a great game and took home the win. In the second game, the #2 seeded Sixers faced the #3 seeded Warriors. The Sixers fought hard but the Warriors played a great game and locked in their spot in the championship game. In the championship game, the Warriors came to play and took home the gold!

Like with the younger age group, awards are given for Offensive player, Defensive player, Most improved, PlayMaker, two MVP awards based on a player’s performance during the championship games, and two coaches of the year.

 

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