Two Fierce squads were in action this weekend: 11u Redding and 13u Lipow. And both teams advanced all the way to their Championship Games.   11u Redding rolled past High Rise Elite by 20 points and then CT PHD by 15 points to qualify for the championship. Their stifling defense held both Fairfield County challengers to only 23 points of offense. They eventually lost to the Marksmen. The passing and teamwork was excellent all-around. Devin Julious was carrying the scoring load.   13u Lipow ran off 4 straight wins before coming up 1 point short of the tournament crown, losing 48-47 in over-time. On their way, they defeated the Westchester Lightning, High Rise Elite, Open Court Wildcats and East Side Escalades. Jordan Katz and Julian Marottolo led the scoring charge. Luca Fusco played lock down defense vs the Open Court Wildcats -- earning him Player of the Game honors. Kyle DeFonce had a break-out performance vs High Rise Elite. Jack Michalowski and Caidon Clayton embraced the challenge of shutting down the go-to-scorer for the East Side Escalades. Jack Iacono crashed the boards and Harrison Pratt put in timely baskets. Nolan Hansen operated efficiently inside the paint area.

For the second consecutive weekend, two Fierce teams advanced to their Championship Games. 12u Radding did it again, and this time was joined by 14u Seawright.   12u Radding was spearheaded by the hot outside shooting of Brendan Devine, dominant inside play of Liam Yin and ferocious defense of Roan Smith. Alex Fieweger was beating the defense off the dribble -- as were Devin Kass, Devin Agah and Tyler Fleming. Nicolas Alvarez and Rami Hennawi were doing work in the paint area.   14u Seawright used a 2 point victory over High Rise Elite to advance. Ryan Goldberger was in all of the right spots. Andrew Soltis was tough down low as the lone big man. Dillon Mannix, Andre Mead and Chase Meyer all contributed strong perimeter play.   Then in a remarkable turn of events, a completely out-sized 14u Seawright team showed the heart of a champion to bounce back from a 57-27 loss to CSA Velocity on Saturday... and defeat them just one day later 60-51 with all of the same players. The stakes were high -- it was for the tournament championship.   JT Shapiro went ballistic with 16 points including two crucial And-1's. Ryan Goldber scored 13 points and played stifling defense. Dillon Mannix was raining three-pointers. Andrew Soltis fought through illness A LA the Michael Jordan flu game.   We are so proud of these boys' resilience.

This weekend, the most ever Fierce teams (6) kicked off their spring AAU seasons at the Tri-State Grand Opener. The UNSUNG HERO performances were:   Dillon Mannix and Ryan Goldberger of 14u Seawright showed that being undersized isn't necessarily a bad thing. They were quicker to the loose balls, faster down the court and money from 3 point land.   Tyler Moody of 14u Moore used his athleticism to make an impact. Connor Gitman executed the game plan successfully.   Julian Marottolo of 13u Lipow backed down from noone, making it clear that he was playing to compete every second regardless of opponent.   Chris Gervasi of 12u Radding controlled the game tempo to keep the group in sync. Liam Yin and Nicolas Alvarez, the "twin towers", dominated the rebounds and defended the paint together all weekend long.   Ezra Fearon of 11u Redding used his length and speed to make play after play. Ryan Moore was getting out on the break for easy buckets. Devin Julious was marveling the crowd with a variety of crafty moves. Finbar Malloy was crashing the boards, Will Kane draining shots from outside and Hayden Banner setting up offensive sets in the half court.   Kyle Dulak of 10u Bindner broke the defensive pressure and distributed to teammates. Caden Quigley was impressive underneath the basket. Colin Ryan used his strength and speed to impact the game defensively. Krish Dodani, Aleko Vergakis and Dylan McCarthy all contributed scoring.

Today at the Vertical Rise Above Challenge, almost every game came down to the wire. 13-Under Lipow started off the day with a dramatic overtime win over CBA 45 to 43. Jack Petrafesa dominated the game on both sides of the ball, with steals everywhere and a "quiet" 30 points. The score was tied and the Fierce held for the final shot, when Jack attacked the rim to get fouled with only 1.6 seconds remaining. He swished the front-end of the 1-and-1 and the second free throw. Rory Tarsy then intercepted CBA's inbounds pass to end the game. JT Shapiro drilled two huge 2nd half three-pointers and Eamon Jones had one clutch three of his own. TJ Martere and Aston Martin fought down low against larger opponents. 13-Under Bindner split a pair of competitive games and received notable contributions across the board. Jack Bloomingdale, Jack Iacono and Tobey Sappern were forces inside. Andre Mead and Zarius Eusebe were pushing the pace together from the guard positions. 12-Under Seawright hung tough on the day as well. Jordan Katz controlled the offense, with Ryan Mollica and Gavin McCarthy running the floor and carrying the scoring load. Theo Mante continued his strong play inside. Chris Gervasi and Jake Medor contributed great hustle and timely baskets. 11-Under Seawright were bit by the injury bug but never gave up. Liam Ryan continued his monster season of rebounds and inside scoring. Devin Agah was scooting around the floor for every loose ball, and Owen Jacobson was earning himself visits to the charity stripe because of his physical play. Last but not least 10-Under Bindner had two great games of their own. Devin Kass and Aleko Vergakis delivered the shot-making, Grady Kaliski and Will Jacobs were in the mix for every rebound, and Charlie Scott and Felix Crawford were everywhere defensively. But the day belonged to Danny Goldberger -- Danny scored 25 points in the second game on a variety of lay-ups, fast breaks and three-pointers. One more day of fall tournament action to go!

Despite playing older, bigger teams at almost every turn this weekend -- the Fierce kept fighting together -- and never turned on each other. In this sense, it might have been our proudest weekend of the fall.   13-Under Lipow hung with the New England Playaz in two games with standout performances from Max Andrews and Jack Petrafesa. They were the dominating players on a court filled with year-round, high-flying hoopers. JT Shapiro controlled the offense at point guard. Dillon Mannix stretched the floor with long-range shooting. Jack Knott and TJ Martere crashed the boards. However, the most memorable play of the weekend -- and maybe fall season -- belonged to Rory Tarsy. As the Playaz big man attacked the rim in transition, Rory (half his size) met him upon lift off with the "stuff heard round the world". In their 46-30 win over CT Elite, Eamon Jones delivered the offensive firepower with corner 3's and drives to the basket.   A great experience heading into our final fall tournament next weekend!

Today in Bristol, CT all 5 Fierce teams were in action.   13-Under Lipow got the day started right with a hard fought 42-34 win over Avon. Dillon Mannix and Liam Ryan caught fire from long-range. TJ Martere had approximately 10 rebounds and 5 rejections. Jack Petrafesa lit it up with 18 points in the 2nd half to close out the game. The squad kept it going vs West Hartford thanks to more hot shooting from Liam Ryan and inside work from TJ Martere. But it was Aston Martin who flaunted his mid-range game, aggressive to the hoop with nifty passing to the cutters through the lane.   13-Under Bindner then rallied to also defeat West Hartford 43-35. Andre Mead continued his torrid play on both sides of the ball. Andre was defending, shooting, hitting the open man on the break, and mixing in some jaw-dropping moves to the basket. Jack Bloomingdale was making his presence known in the paint area. Miles Bradley, Gerard Roarty and Samuel Frank were knocking down their shots. The boys fell short in their 2nd game to Norwalk but not without a fight. Jake Fitzpatrick delivered a very impressive performance scoring 8 points and grabbing at least 8 rebounds, all while taking on the task of guarding the opposing center that was twice his size.   12-Under Seawright had their best day of the fall season. In a 36-29 victory over Norwalk, Kyle DeFonce was everywhere on the floor and playing with great assertiveness. Theodore Mante was a beast down low for the Fierce, finishing every possession strong to the rim. The team carried the momentum into the second game and were clicking on all cylinders. Jack Balsano was flying around the passing lanes and for the offensive rebounds. Jordan Katz and Ryan Mollica were a dynamic guard duo, working together all game with swarming defense and pace-pushing transition offense. Ryan scored an estimated 16 points and Jordan got his own while setting up teammates all day long. Jake and Jamar Medor was hustling everywhere and knocking down shots, and on one fast break Jake hit older brother Jamar right in stride for the score.   11-Under Seawright kept fighting in their 2 games with Finbar Malloy having himself a nice scoring day. Nate Moore and Michael Bernier were all over the glass as usual, and Ryan Moore was running through defenses as usual. Will Kane contributed some outside shooting.   10-Under Bindner also had a resilient day with good shooting from Matt Garcia, Danny Goldberger and Devin Kass, and defensive energy from Charlie Scott. Grady Kaliski had the highlight play with a fast break And-1 in the second game.   Great day for the Fierce boys!

Fierce 13-Under Lipow came alive in the 2nd half of Monday's DeSantis Fall League opener to defeat PHD Basketball by a final score of 32 to 24.   The half-time score was only 14 to 8, but the Fierce opened up the second session on a 14-0 run with a new pep in their step. They used swarming defensive pressure to breathe life into a slow offensive start. Jack Petrafesa led the charge, literally, crashing into scorers' tables and worrying the crowd. Jack caught fire in the 2nd half with his basket attacks and long range shooting. TJ Martere was a force on the glass and also contributed some intimidating rejections. Rory "the X factor" Tarsy came up huge in the clutch with a rainbow three-point swish from the wing, and a free throw in the 1-and-1 bonus situation.

The Fierce kept it going this weekend at the Vertical Fall Classic in the New Haven area.   10-Under Bindner split two tight games on Saturday and were led by the ferocious defense of Charlie Scott and Danny Goldberger, the inside rebounding of Grady Kaliski, Felix Crawford and Ryan Luchetta, and the outside shooting of William Jacobs, Devin Kass and Matt Garcia. Aleko Vergakis, Barrett Mullahy, Tommy Deems and George Targowski were doing all of the dirty work.   11-Under Seawright showed tremendous grit. After struggling in both of their Saturday games, they climbed uphill on Sunday to overcome Mobilio's Fitness in the final seconds. Coach Judah drew up a play that the boys executed to precision, with Will Kane assisting Ryan Moore for the go-ahead basket. And it may have been the Fierce's only lead of the game. Nate Moore continued his toughness around the hoop, Nicolas Hardiman was cutting off the passing lanes, and Brendan Mullahy got it going down the stretch. Michael Bernier was muscling for the rebounds.   12-Under Seawright played with great structure and tenacity in their 3-point Sunday loss to the New Haven Heat. Kyle DeFonce and Anthony Gambuzza came alive on both ends of the floor, especially with defense and rebounds. Theo Mante was a force inside and constantly finding himself at the free throw line. Jack Balsano followed up a Saturday shooting display with continued aggressive defensive play. Chris Gervasi was strong defensively and efficient on offense.   13-Under Lipow dropped a pair of competitive, close Saturday games vs CBA and United Youth, but bounced back Sunday with a 46-30 victory over AFK Renegades. Max Andrews was all over the court in all 3 games. Max was defending, rebounding and running the floor. JT Shapiro and Rory Tarsy brought high intensity defense and energy. Jack Petrafesa stayed on the attack. But it was Braden Moore that stole the show on Sunday. Braden hardly missed -- finishing with an estimated 15 points coming from a variety of spots on the floor.   Great job boys. Keep it going!

This weekend the Fairfield Fierce opened up the fall season at the Tri-State Tip-Off in Brewster, NY and New Milford, CT   10-Under Bindner came out of the gates blazing, going 3-0 and capturing the tournament championship over Fenom Fire (Westchester). They rode ferocious team defense and unselfish ball movement all the way. Ryan Luchetta was in charge in every aspect -- defense, rebounds and outside shooting. Grady Kaliski was a force in the block, Charlie Scott and Danny Goldberger were diving everywhere for loose balls, Devin Kass put on a dribbling display, Aleko Verkakis and Matt Garcia had the shooting stroke, and William Jacobs and Barrett Mullahy brought their toughness.   11-Under Seawright stuck together all weekend with unselfish teamwork of their own. They opened up with a gritty 30-23 win over CT-PHD and fought hard to the end in their other 2 games. They were led by the guard play of Ryan Moore, Nicolas Hardiman and Brendan Devine, the shot blocking presence of Nate Moore, and the inside games of Liam Yin and Brendan Mullahy. Roan Smith's non-stop defensive motor was also running as usual.   12-Under Seawright earned their way into the 4-team playoff bracket with a 2-1 record. There they fell short against the eventual champion. Guards Jordan Katz, Ryan Mollica and Gavin McCarthy worked together. Jack Balsano and Anthony Gambuzza never stopped fighting for boards, Jack Plesser never stopped running the break, and Theodore Mante flashed his inside dominance. Jack Gueterman, Chris Gervasi and Kyle DeFonce played smart games with scoring contributions.   13-Under Bindner struggled through their first 2 games but found some rhythm vs CT-PHD in the final game. They started working the ball inside to open up the offense, led by the tough play of Jack Iacono. Zarius Eusebe, Tyler Moody and Andre Mead were fast and athletic down the floor. Miles Bradley and Gerard Roarty contributed buckets.   13-Under Lipow started off with a thrilling back and forth OT victory over Bomb Squad. They followed that up with a goose egg Sunday morning against High Rise Elite, but bounced back with a proud underdog performance against Playaz Academy, keeping it interesting to the end. Jack Petrafesa scored 49 points between Bomb Squad and Playaz Academy... and importantly they were an efficient, unselfish 49 points. Jack P. was getting to the rim at will, drawing And-1's, draining 3's and dishing out to teammates. Jack Knott was a defensive force and wowed the crowd with his shot blocking against the Playaz, complimenting that with a pretty mid-range game. TJ Martere showed up to the party vs the Playaz with key rebounds and defensive plays of his own. Dillon Mannix made smart decisions from the point and used his speed to out-hustle much larger opponents. Eamon Jones and Brian Fullenbaum contributed timely 3-pointers and used fundamental box-outs to steal away rebounds. Thierry Thelismon brought tenacious defense into the mix.   This was an exciting opening tournament for all 5 Fierce teams. Looking forward to next weekend!

The Fierce program finished the spring in dramatic fashion today all across the Tri-state area.   In Bristol, CT -- 13-Under Lipow won all 3 of their games to capture a 2nd consecutive tournament. In their early game, it took every second to pull it out, as Jack Petrafesa drilled a buzzer beater from two feet beyond the top of the key to flip a 1-point deficit into a 2-point victory. Petrafesa used a strong down screen from Charlie Began and received a perfect pass from Max Andrews to find his groove.   The group used the game winner as momentum for the remainder of the day. They played scrappy team defense and displayed unselfish ball movement. Griffin Harding went to another level defensively. Thomas Schindler and Dillon Mannix were spraying in shots from all over the court, Jack Knott found his shooting stroke as well and gathered in the boards, and Sean Racette was setting up teammates with precision passing. Congrats to the boys on another tournament title!   Meanwhile in Ardsley, NY -- 13-Under Seawright split 2 games. But it was the way they capped off the season that counted. The group stuck together through adversity all spring, and in the final game, the stars aligned as they pulled out an overtime thriller. Liam Ryan scored the go-ahead basket. BSNY Metro then tied the game at 50 to 50, but Liam threw a baseball pass to Matt Vivona who was fouled with 2 seconds remaining. Matt made both free throws to seal the game for the Fierce. Jack Murphy ripped down 12 rebounds, while Aston Martin scored 8 points to go along with 10 rebounds, and Jack Balsano brought great all-around energy to the game.   Finally in Brewster, NY -- 11-Under Binder also split 2 hard-fought games, for a strong finish to their season. The squad outlasted High Rise Basketball in an overtime thriller of their own, thanks to 2 clutch free throws by Emmett Derby with 4 seconds remaining. Gavin McCarthy and Ben Davenport led the way in scoring, Nicolas Alvarez contributed across the stat line, and Wyatt Dodge and Roan Smith played strong defense.   Thank you to all Fierce families for a fantastic 2017 Spring Season. And a great way to wrap it up!