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Jordan B. "whip creaming" Braden Hawley at a light practice before winter break
Jon S. and Noah T. show the results of their one on one "IN YOUR FACE" contest.
"Don't bring that in here!"
Conner B. denies Cam S. form scoring during the annual "IN YOUR FACE" competition.
The 2015 basketball season started off slow as the Jr. Vikings lost their home opener on the road. Starpoint edge the Vikings who were down 14 -2 after the first quarter. Hot shooting by Braden Hawley, Derek Callen, and 8th grader Cam Sionko brought the Vikings back but fell just short losing 48-46. Hawley ended up with 11, Callen with 13, and Sionko 7. Mario Wright scored double figures and added 9 big boards in the losing effort.
The GI Ballers evened their record on the 12th of December by defeating visiting Global Concepts by the score of 60-32. 12 different players scored in the game led by Devin Brandon's 10 points and eight from both Mario Wright and Bryce Jellinick. Conner Buzby added 7 to the tally sheet to round out the top scorers.
GI gave in to the pressure as Lockport shrugged off a slow start to overpower the Vikings at home 58-28. Turnovers sunk the team early as they found it difficult to score. Mario Wright led the team with 8 points and 9 boards to pace the effort. Devin Brandon scored 7 points and Tyler Moskala added 4.
The Ballers went on the road to Lew-Port, short a few guys due to illness, and losing Mario Wright to the Varsity. The team played great for spurts of the game and led partially into the 4th quarter. Lew-Port's two shooters knocked down 4 3's in the 2nd half to edge GI 48-46. Devin Brandon led the team with 15 points and 6 boards and Braden Hawley chipped in with 11. 8th grader Cam Sionko had 8 points in the effort and Ray Cleveland had 6 boards and 3 points. Roman Cacciatore added 4 points, Tyler Moskala 2 to round out the scoring.
GI held NFHS to 11 points in the first quarter but could not find the bottom of the net and lost their home game 65-30. Cam Sionko's 7 points led GI which had trouble scoring against the pressure defense of the Wolverines.
It didn't get any easier for GI as they traveled to Ken West after missing two days of practice due to the weather on a Saturday. GI again tallied 30 points as West's pressure defense helped them to 54 points. JB Wilkes and Ray Cleveland combined for 17 points as Devin Brandon, Roman Cacciatore, Cam Sionko, Braden Hawley, and Jay Messing all got themselves into the scoring column.
A home game against a similar opponent helped GI get back into the win column. The ballers played a better overall game against Ken-East winning 44-22. Devin Brandon shrugged off a tough start to finish strong with 19 points. Cam Sionko added 9 with a host of other Vikings scoring including Wilkes (5), Cleveland (2), Buzby (2), Hawley (2), Callen (4), and Riniolo (1).
Another home game and another home victory for the Ballers. GI held the Falcons under 6 points in three of the four quarters to beat NW 47-26. All 17 players made it into the game as JB Wilkes, Conner Buzby, and Devin Brandon tallied double figures.
The NT JV team turned out to be to big and athletic for our JV's on the road. NT played its 2/3 zone to perfection and outscore the Vikings 56-29. Devin Brandon scored 7 which was high for the team. 9 players made it into the scoring column for GI including Noah Teator's first career point.
The GI Ballers pressured Lockport JV more ethan they have in the past and played a solid 2 1/2 quarters but found themselves on the short side of the stick losing 58-41. Mario Wright scored 11 points and Devin Brandon 11 to lead the JV's. JB wilkes and Cam Sionko combined for 15 and Roman Cacciatore added a point in the book.
Mario Wright (11) led a balanced GI attack against an undermanned Burgard team as the JV's got back in the win column. The final score read 49-16 as GI held the Bulldogs to 2 points in three different quarters.
The Vikings went on the road to face Buffalo league leader Tapestry. Tapestry boasted a 13-3 record and were quite suprized when GI jumped to a 17-9 lead in the 1st quarter. Cam Sionko scored 10 in the first 98 minutes of the game and finished with 12 and Devin Brandon added 10 along with Mario Wright who also had 6 blocks. GI finished the game winning by a score of 54-37.
GI looked to get some revenge from an early season defeat by playing host to Lew Port. GI lost 47-46 at the Big Green and were hungry for the victory. Mario Wright showed why he is ready to step in for the Varsity by scoring 18 points and 7 blocks en route to a 62-51 victory. Cam Sionko also netted 18 and Devin Brandon 12 for the Vikings. JB wilkes added 6 points and 7 boards for GI.
GI ran into a Falls team ready to play as the defensive pressure became too much for the team. The Wolverines held GI to 22 points while scoring 78 themselves, mostly in transition or from the 3-point line. Playing without Mario Wright who was called up to the Varsity did not help but the Vikings seen some good things from Roman Cacciatore and Braden Hawley who were happy to have the extra minutes.
An overtime thriller is just what the doctor ordered fo rthe young JV team as Ken West came into the gym after pouncing on the Vikings at their home a month ago. Cam Sionko put the game into overtime on a long pass from Devin Brandon and a running three form near 1/2 court. That riled the crowd and put the parents and fans who came to see the Varsity in a festive mood.
Sionko ended the night with 17 and JB Wilkes 14 as the Vikings finally gracefully bowed out 53-51. Devin Brandon and Conner Buzby finished with 9 and 7 respectively. Wilkes, Buzby, and Cleveland all fouled out playing hard and gave the Vikings a chance. Derek Callen, Tyler Moskala, and Braden Hawley all gave it their all and came close to knocking off the top team in the league.
GI took the show on the road along with a little angst over the KW defeat and took it out on Ken East. The Vikings scored a 63-26 victory where everyone played some minutes as the Vikings cruised. Cam Sionko scored 24 points, 17 in a big 2nd quarter before giving way to some of the other reserve guards. Devin Brandon and JB Wilkes each scored 11 to help pace the Vikings.
GI shrugged off a rough 3 quarters to come back down 10 in the 4th to overtake NW 46-45. NW missed key free throws down the road (3 after time had expired) which could have put the Vikings away. JB Wilkes 9 points and clutch free throw shooting in the 4th quarter led the comeback along with 8 from Devin Brandon. Wilkes finished with 17 and Brandon with 11. Derek Callen threw in 9 points with two 3's and 3 of 4 from the charity stripe.
In its last game of the season GI hung tough with NT who was fresh off a big victory at NF. GI ended up losing 72-35 after being down 9 at halftime. Devin Brandon and Roman Cacciatore paced the team with 8 points apiece. Derek Callen had 7 and JB Wilkes 6. Tyler Moskala and Tom Riniolo added 5 and 2 points respectively.
BANQUET INFORMATION:
The banquet will be held on Tuesday, March 25 at River Oaks: 6:30 PM. $16 per person and checks to Coach Krystof
Banquet Review:
Each player at the banquet was recognized by Coach Simpson. Players with special recognition included Devin Brandon who led the team in points and earned MVP status. He shared the title of most steals/assists with Conner Buzby (127 combined) who was the Defensive Player of the Year.
Roman Cacciatore earned Most Improved Player, JB Wilkes was the top rebounder(103) (and dancer), and Jason Messing earned the Viking Award for the 2015 year.
Coach Simpson is thankful for the GREAT bunch of student-athletes he had this year and wishes the 10th graders the best of luck up on the Varsity. He is also looking forward to working with the few 9th and 8th graders from this year's team as well as the group of 7th graders from the middle school.
Summer workout, summer league and camp information to be posted soon....
LAST YEAR'S TEAM....What's NEXT?
Intramural Hoops will start next week for any player wishing to try out for JV boys' basketball. Listen to announcements for dates and times.
On Monday October 27th, there will be a quick meeting for boys planning on trying out for boys' basketball for the 2014-15 school year. Please go to Coach Simpson's room (180) for a brief meeting.
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