Emerson 12U boys’ travel basketball team wins the league
March 23, 2018
The 12U travel basketball team plays a tough defensive. They practice their skills every Wednesday. Players form a brick wall and stop almost anyone on offense.
The Emerson 12U boys basketball team recently won the 6th grade championship of the Bergen Travel Basketball League. They played Oradell last month at a neutral local. This big win follows their playoff victory against River Vale on March 15, 2018. At that game, tension weaved its way into every quarter, and by the end of the first, Emerson was ahead 14-2. River Vale had crisp passing and good ball handling. They were also very fast. Emerson was shooting well at all ranges, was drawing fouls, making their free throws, and had also good passing. Emerson kept a solid lead throughout the game, and at the buzzer, Emerson beat River Vale by 26 points, with a final score of 50-24.
“I think we played pretty good. We were shooting a lot and passing the ball,” Jason Ziemba, the starting shooting guard for Emerson, said.
Ziemba was one of the night’s top scorers. Jeremy Lachman, the starting point guard in the game, agreed with Ziemba. He said the team definitely “improved” and they “had pretty good defense throughout the game.”
Emerson finished its regular season with a 12-2 record, making them the number one seed in the playoffs.
“… they [the team] clinched the number one seed in the playoffs during the middle of the season,” Lachman said.
Michael Delpome, the starting power forward of the team, and Derek McKenzie said that the team “had been practicing like they play.” Jared Scharf, small forward, and Delpome said that it’s important to “warm up how you’re going to play.”
This group of boys has made it to the playoffs every year. They give credit for that streak to trainer Richard Zupa, who focuses on increasing speed and endurance. With three players over 5’5” and newcomer Nathaniel Falcon at 6″ tall, height is also an advantage for Emerson.
Other members of the team include sixth graders Michael Dillon, John Danenza, and Ayden Shechter and fifth grader Matt Sabatella.