Crushing The Competition —  Orange Crush Wins Title

The Zephyr Lock Orange Crush won the Newtown Youth Basketball Association’s girls’ Intermediate (fifth/sixth grade) championship with a 24-13 win over the Lady Hawks on March 19.

The Orange Crush rolled into the championship game as the No. 3 seed and methodically worked its way to the championship game to face a solid Lady Hawks squad. Strong guard play, great shot blocking and all around team defense stifled the Lady Hawks in the early going. 

The Orange Crush’s transition game and dominant rebounding proved to be the difference in a very competitive defensive match up. In the end the Crush were led by an standout front court of Ashley Lynch, 6 points and seven rebounds; Madiline Cole, 9 rebounds and 2 steals; Shannon Cheh, 4 points, 2 steals, and 4 rebounds; and Lexy Leidlein, 2 points, 3 steals, 3 rebounds. Tremendous guard play was also lead by Erin Tressler, who had 2 points, 4 assists, and 2 rebounds; and Sportsman of the Year candidate Isabelle Pryor, 6 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists. Dylan Zahansky, 4 points and a steal; Lucy Scarangella, 3 steals and an assist; Lucy Draper, three rebounds; and Vennessa Tucker, who had 4 rebounds, all contributed.

The Orange Crush passed the ball beautifully on several trips made sure everyone touched the ball, always looking for the better shot and earned the title.

The Lady Hawks got off to a slow start and found themselves down by 15 points early in the game.  The Lady Hawks’ scoring was led by Emily Neave with 9 points while Natalie Kelchner, Nicole Frascatore, and Grace Frost each added 2 points. On the defensive side of the ball, the Lady Hawks’ intensity was missing early but grew in intensity as the game progressed. By the second half, the Lady Hawks‘ defense, led by Grace Frost, Sydney Flint, Kendra Dunnigan, Rachel O’Grady, and Larkin Huffman, made it tough for the Orange Crush to put up points the way they did in the first half. Abby Pereira, who was not in the lineup, provided energy and speed throughout the year that was certainly missed in this game. The full court press in the fourth period created scoring opportunities for the Lady Hawks, but missed shots and turnovers kept them from closing the gap as time expired.

The Orange Crush played a solid game on both sides of the ball which helped them to their third victory this season over the Lady Hawks. It was an exciting game to the finish and the girls on both teams gave the packed house of parents and fans something to cheer about. The Lady Hawks finished the season with a 9-4 record.

Members of the girls’ Intermediate champion Orange Crush are, from left, front: Erin Tressler, Lexy Leidlein, Lucy Scarangella, and Lucy Draper; middle: Shannon Cheh, Vennessa Tucker, Dylan Zahansky, Madiline Cole, Isabelle Pryor, and Ashley Lynch; back: Head Coach Gino Scarangella, and Assistant Coaches Dominic Scarangella, Jimmy Leidlein and John Draper.