Fifth-Graders Are PAL Tournament Champions
Fifth-Graders Are PAL Tournament Champions
Newtownâs fifth-grade boysâ travel basketball team won the Danbury Police Activities League Holiday Tournament championship this week.
The Newtowners came into the tourney riding a four-game winning streak and finished the tournament on a nine-game streak after sweeping the three-game round robin format portion of the tourney, earning the number one seed, and then winning the semifinal and championship games.
Newtown opened the tournament the day after Christmas against tournament favorites, the Danbury Hatters. Behind the scoring of Ryan Kost (12 points), Adam Bergeron (ten), and Kyle Roche (nine), Newtown jumped out to an eight-point halftime lead and then withstood several Danbury runs due to some great defense by Jack Miller and Harry Eppers, to earn the 43-39 victory.
The second game of the tournament was a defensive struggle with Brookfield which Newtown won 26-20. Again, Newtown started hot and grabbed an early double-digit lead, behind ten points from Roche and eight from Bergeron. Kost and Evan Eggleston came up with several assists. Newtown held back a furious run from Brookfield, and continued to play great defense, led by Grant Moxham and great ball pressure from Tim Shaw, to secure the victory.
The final round robin game was against St. Josephâs. Ryan Escoda, Nick Weiland, and Eppers provided all of the offense that was required, as the defense continued to play well and Newtownâs big men owned the glass. Newtown earned the 27-12 victory and secured the No. 1 seed in the tournament playoffs.
In the semifinals, Newtown faced a rematch with the feisty Brookfield team. Once again, the game was a close, defensive struggle, which was tied at the half and through three quarters. Kost and Bergeron provided most of the scoring, but the clinching basket was a clutch, driving layup by Miller that helped seal the 24-21 victory and a spot in the finals.
The New Yearâs Eve finals matchup was with Danbury Hat City. Hat City came out hot and grabbed the early lead, but a dominating performance inside and on the boards by Erwin Grewal, which he converted into 12 points, and offensive efficiency from Kost, Bergeron nd Weiland, allowed Newtown to grab a five-point halftime lead. Newtown extended the lead to ten early in the third quarter and then put the game away with itâs suffocating full-court press, late in the fourth quarter, to secure the 37-29 victory.
In the tournament, Bergeron, Kost, and Roche led all scorers, but defense and rebounding were the keys to the championship. Grewal, Moxham, Weiland, Roche, and Bergeron controlled the paint and the boards. Kost, Escoda, Shaw, Miller, and Eppers provided great ball pressure, key steals, and led the offense from the guard positions.