Home Hopewell Boys JH Basketball
Category:

Hopewell Boys JH Basketball

Hopewell Boys JH Basketball

Hopewell 7th Grade Boys Win in Dramatic Fashion!

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read
0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Hopewell Boys JH Basketball

Hopewell Freshman Basketball Team Picks Up 1st Win of Season

by vikingssportsn
written by vikingssportsn 1 minutes read

The Hopewell freshman Boys basketball team hit the road this afternoon as they traveled to Shadyside Academy and returned home with their first win of the season, a convincing 41–18 victory.

Hopewell wasted no time setting the tone. Roman Crisci opened the game with a steal and drove it to the hoop for his first basket.

The early momentum continued as Xavier Vallecorsa, Christian Fischer, and Vin Smetana each added baskets to extend the Vikings’ lead. Vallecorsa then buried a three-pointer, and Ryder Kostrick closed out the quarter with a bucket that pushed Hopewell ahead 13–0 after the opening quarter.

The offense stayed hot in the second quarter, starting with an opening basket from Jaxsen Covalt, which extended the Vikings lead out to 15-0.

Shadyside finally broke through with its first points of the game, but Hopewell answered quickly. Kaleb Gonzalez attacked the lane for his first basket of the night and later added another basket in the quarter. Crisci and Nico Yannessa each contributed 2 points, helping Hopewell take a commanding 23–4 lead into halftime.

The Vikings’ defense stepped up in the third quarter, which led to more scoring opportunities off of several steals and offensive rebounds. Gonzalez and Kostrick each scored six points in the period, while Yannessa drilled a three-pointer and totaled five points in the quarter as Hopewell continued to build its advantage with a 38-6 lead.

In the final quarter, the Vikings slowed the pace and focused on ball movement and execution. Fischer powered inside for a basket, drew a foul, and completed the three-point play at the line. Gonzalez capped off the game with a late basket, sealing the 41–18 road victory.

Final Stats:

Kaleb Gonzalez-10 points

Nico Yannessa-7 points

Ryder Kostrick- 6 points

Xavier Vallecorsa- 5 points

Christian Fischer- 5 points

Roman Crisci- 4 points

Jaxsen Covalt- 2 points

Vin Smetana- 2 points

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Hopewell Boys JH Basketball

Hopewell’s Christian Fischer Continues to Develop, Becoming Big Part of Vikings Basketball Future

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 2 minutes read

Slowly but surely, the Hopewell Boys basketball program is starting to develop talent and depth within the youth programs.

The Vikings High School team will not only be competitive over the next few seasons, but they’ll win a lot of games, eventually compete for section titles and possibly trophies.

However, for the program to truly develop, Coach Biega will need layers of talent that he can count on and get on the court.

One player to keep an eye on in that regard is 8th grader Christian Fischer.

Over the last couple of seasons, Fischer has developed as much as any player in Hopewell’s system. Christian’s biggest strength is his size and athleticism around the basket, both offensively and defensively.

In his games, Fischer is a mismatch for opponents because of his size and wingspan. However, as he gets older, other teams will have players to match Fischer’s size so that’s where the coaching he’ll be receiving over the upcoming years with Junior High HC Patrick Phillips and Varsity HC Doug Biega will be crucial to his development.

One of the reasons Fischer has gotten better is because of his passion for basketball and the time he’s putting in aside from working with the Hopewell Vikings program.

Hopewell’s Christian Fischer

Fischer competed this season for the first time with the Concrete Jungle Courts program, which is a basketball organization located at Brady’s Run Park since 2020. Players from all over the Pittsburgh area travel to Beaver County to compete in this two-month program.

Fischer not only participated in this league but exceled. At their recently concluded All-Star game, Fischer was named MVP of the game after collecting 14 pints, 10 rebounds and 2 blocked shots.

Hopewell’s Christian Fischer

Nice job Christian!!

Christian and his teammates on “Team Let Em Know” will be back in action tonight at 8:30 pm in a semifinal matchup. If they win, they’ll play for the championship on Thursday, July 3rd at 7:45 PM at Brady’s Run.

Good luck Christian!

Fischer was a member of the Hopewell 8th grade team that won the Drill for Skill Summer League Championship yesterday.

Hopewell 8th Grade Boys Win the Drill for Skill ‘The County” Summer League Championship

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Hopewell Boys JH Basketball

Hopewell 8th Grade Boys Win the Drill for Skill ‘The County” Summer League Championship

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 2 minutes read

HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP– After competing throughout the month of June playing multiple games per week, the Drill for Skill “The County” 7th and 8th Grade teams held their playoff games this afternoon at the Hopewell Junior High School.

Teams for Hopewell, Blackhawk, Western Beaver, Central Valley, Beaver and Moon competed today for the Championship.

For the second consecutive day, a Hopewell team has won a championship.

Yesterday, it was the Hopewell 10-year-old All-Star baseball team and today, it was the 8th grade Junior High basketball team.

HOPEWELL 8TH GRADE BOYS’ BASKETBALL:

It was ironic that on the last day of the regular season, Hopewell’s 8th grade team lost to both Blackhawk and Western Beaver. Today, it was a different story as the Vikings beat both those teams to win the championship.

In the first matchup against Western Beaver, Hopewell came out with energy and intensity, jumping to a quick 10-point lead thanks to relentless effort on the boards and solid team play. Despite the early advantage, Western Beaver battled back, and we found ourselves trailing at halftime. However, our team never backed down. Fueled by determination and strong rebounding, the Vikings stayed composed, matched their physicality, and fought our way back to a well-earned victory. It was a true test of toughness and grit, and our players rose to the challenge.

The second game against Blackhawk was the Championship Game of the Summer League, and Hopewell stepped up when it mattered most. From the opening tip, they set the tone with a fast-break layup and never looked back. With the exception of two ties, Hopewell held the lead the entire game, thanks to consistent effort, unselfish play, and dominance on the glass. Coming off a tough first game, the team stayed calm, collected, and resilient — showing incredible composure in a high-pressure moment. Their ability to finish strong after a hard-fought day was the mark of a championship group. Summer League Champs!

7th Grade Game Summary vs. Blackhawk:

The Hopewell 7th grade team faced off against a tough Blackhawk squad and battled hard from start to finish. The team showed great effort and toughness throughout the game, with several strong stretches of unselfish, team-first basketball. While they had some bright moments on both ends of the court, they ultimately came up short on the scoreboard.

Despite the loss, this game was another step forward in what’s been a valuable summer league season. Every player has continued to grow and improve with each opportunity, gaining experience and learning to compete together. The progress made this summer has laid a strong foundation for the season ahead.

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Hopewell Boys JH Basketball

Hopewell JH Basketball Team Finishes Up Regular Season Action in Summer League

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 3 minutes read

Hopewell Township- The Drill for Skill “The County” 7th and 8th Grade Summer League continued yesterday at Hopewell Junior High School.

During the month of June, teams from Moon, Blackhawk, Beaver, Blackhawk, Central Valley and Western Beaver have played each other in a number of games per day.

Thursday was the last collection of games before the playoffs begin next week.

The Hopewell Vikings 8th grade team took on Blackhawk and Western Beaver and ended up losing both games.

Vikings Sports Now was there for their second game against Western Beaver and has this recap.

HOPEWELL VS. WESTERN BEAVER 8TH GRADE:

*The story of this game was after jumping out to a big lead, Hopewell got away from what they were doing and took a lot of unnecessary and forced shots, which led to an offensive drought. Late in the game, they got back in it but unfortunately, it was too late as they dropped a 34-33 decision. One other thing to point out and this isn’t an excuse but a fact. This was obviously the case for both teams but whether it was due to the extremely high temperature in the gym, Hopewell didn’t seem to have their legs and looked tired. Not an excuse, just an observation.

1ST HALF:
*When Hopewell was getting the ball down low and passing in the paint, they were effective. First basket of the game came from an offensive rebound in the paint from Kaleb Gonzalez. Hopewell 2-0.

*Some nice athleticism shown by big man Christian Fisher on this play as he grabbed an offensive rebound and dribbled the length of the court, ran past defenders and finished strong for a layup, Hopewell 4-2.

*Hopewell runs in transition, Ryder Kostrick with the miss but Fisher is there for the offensive rebound and 2, Hopewell 6-2.

*Fisher misses a shot in the paint, but Vin Smetana is there for the offensive rebound and converts a layup, Hopewell 8-3.

*More rebounding for Hopewell as this time it was guard Brandon Cecchini battling against the big men for a rebound, kicks it out to David Johnson at the top of the key and he knocks down a 3, Hopewell 11-3.

*Hopewell out in transition again, Gonzalez with some nice dribbling and dishes off to Fisher, who converts in close, Hopewell 13-8.

*With 1:00 left, Cecchini uses his quickness to drive into the paint and passes off to Fisher, who finishes, Hopewell 15-11.

*Then with 8 seconds left in the half, Cecchini hits a 3-pointer from the top of the key, Hopewell 18-15.

Halftime: Hopewell 18 Western Beaver 15

2ND HALF:
*Fisher with a miss but Kostrick leaps for an offensive rebound and converts in close, Hopewell 20-17.

*Nice passing by Hopewell, Smetana rotates it over to Kostrick who finds Fisher in close for 2, Hopewell 22-21.

*Noah Honess dribbles towards the basket and then passes back to Gonzalez, who shows his range but knocking down a foul line jumper, Western Beaver 26-24.

*Western Beaver went up by 6 but Hopewell went on a run to make things close. On this sequence, Kostrick grabs a defensive rebound and races down the court and finds Fisher for 2, Western Beaver 31-27

*Kostrick gets in the paint and is fouled shooting. Ryder goes to the free throw line and converts both free throws to get Hopewell within 2, Western Beaver 31-29.

*After Western Beaver hits a 3 from the corner, Hopewell continued to scrap. With :18 seconds left, Fisher grabs another offensive rebound and makes a 2 plus a foul, Western Beaver 34-31.

*Fisher goes to the line and misses a free throw, but Kostrick is there for the rebound and layup, Western Beaver 34-33.

*Hopewell forces a turnover and has a chance to win it with :05 seconds left but unfortunately, they also commit a turnover.

FINAL SCORE: WESTERN BEAVER 34 HOPEWELL 33

Good luck to both the Hopewell 7th and 8th grade teams in the playoffs which begin next week. We’ll post a schedule when it becomes available.

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Hopewell Boys HS BasketballHopewell Boys JH Basketball

Strong Morning for the Hopewell Boys JH Basketball Program

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 3 minutes read

HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP- The Hopewell Boys Junior High basketball program continued their summer league scheduled with a handful of games this morning at the Hopewell Junior High School.

The Vikings 8th grade team took on Blackhawk and Central Valley, while the 7th graders went up against Moon.

In their first game of the morning, the 8th graders easily defeated Blackhawk. Vikings Sports Now was their second game against Central Valley and here’s a recap of the Vikings win.

HOPEWELL VS. CENTRAL VALLEY (8TH GRADE BASKETBALL GAME):
*This was another game in which Hopewell wasn’t really challenged and it gave head coach Patrick Phillips the opportunity to experiment with plenty of different player lineups and got the players plenty of time on the court. While winning is fun, the real purpose and benefit of the Summer League is to get players live in-game action and to work on things they’re getting taught in practice.

These games are played with a running clock with two halves consisting of 16 minutes.

Early on, it was fairly obvious the talent on the court that Coach Phillips had with Ryder Kostrick, Christian Fisher, Kaleb Gonzalez and Vin Smetana.

1ST HALF:
*Central Valley scored the first basket of the game but after that it was all Hopewell as their size and physicality in the paint was too much. Gonzalez confidently drove to the hoop, missed his shot but Fisher gobbled up the rebound and put it back for 2. Tied at 2.

*Gonzalez showed his range as he knocked down a 3 from the corner, Hopewell 5-2.

*Smetana put his head down and drove the wing and dished off to Fisher, who converted another layup, Hopewell 7-2.

*Hopewell’s pressure defense at times was suffocating as it was on this sequence as Kostrick stole a pass at midcourt and found Gonzalez underneath for 2 more, Hopewell 9-2.

*Following a CV miss, Hopewell got their transition offense going and Enzo Leopardi finished with a 2 + a foul, Hopewell 14-2.

*CV got within 6 points, but Hopewell was able to extend the lead. Smetana found Fisher again, who missed his original shot but grabbed his own rebound, kept the ball high and put it back in for 2, Hopewell 16-8.

*More transition, this time Smetana found a streaking Kostrick, who converted for a layup, Hopewell 19-8.

*Instead of dishing off assists, Smetana kept the ball and had a strong drive from the left wing for a layup. By the way, today was Vin’s 14th birthday. Happy Birthday Vincent!  Hopewell led 23-12.

*Nice ball rotation resulted in Gonzalez getting the ball at the top of the key and after faking a drive, Kaleb pulled up from the foul line and knocked down a jumper, Hopewell 25-12.

*Right before halftime, Gonzalez comes up with a steal off the Hopewell press and took it in himself for two, Hopewell 27-12.

HALFTIME: HOPEWELL 28 CENTRAL VALLEY 12

2ND HALF:
*Gonzalez opens the scoring by taking in a long rebound and dribbling the length of the court for a layup, Hopewell 30-18.

*Later, Brandon Cecchini uses his quickness to drive to the basketball for a contest layup, Hopewell 35-18.

*Kostrick uses his quickness to get into the lane and drops it off to Fisher, who finishes, Hopewell 37-22.

*Gonzalez with another strong take and he spots Fisher in the opposite block, who converts, Hopewell 39-22.

*More Fisher as this time David Johnson dribbles in and gets it to the big man. Hopewell 41-23

*Finally, Fisher with a clean block on defense, which allows Hopewell to get out running. Smetana runs the court and with another assist, this time to Gonzalez, Hopewell 43-23.

FINAL SCORE: HOPEWELL 43 CENTRAL VALLEY 23

HOPEWELL 7TH GRADE VS. MOON:

*In a hard-fought battle against Moon, Hopewell showed grit and growth, even in defeat. While they ultimately came up short on the scoreboard, the game highlighted the Vikings continued progress, especially on the offensive end.

From the opening tip, Moon tested Hopewell with their pace and in-game execution, as a result, Hopewell struggled at times to get stops defensively. Despite the challenged, Hopewell never backed down. They stuck together, moved the ball well, and found better rhythm on offense as the game went on.

Players shared the ball unselfishly, made smart decisions, and trusted one another, resulting in one of their strongest offensive performances to date. While the outcome wasn’t what they wanted, the effort, teamwork and improvement were evident.

Hopewell is learning, growing and getting better every game and today’s game against Moon was no exception.

After the 8th grade game, Vikings Sports Now had a chance to talk with Hopewell Junior High Head Coach Patrick Phillips about the summer league in general and what’s he’s seeing from his players.

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Hopewell Boys JH Basketball

Recap of Hopewell Boys JH Basketball Summer League

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 2 minutes read

Something new implemented this season by new Hopewell Boys HS Basketball Coach Doug Biega and that’s getting players involved in summer league competition.

Not only are the high school players competing but so are the boys’ junior high players.

As I’ve written many times, the only way to have a successful program is to players at all ages getting developed so that you can have waves of players to step in due to graduation and injuries.

That’s finally being done with Hopewell boys’ basketball. Coach Biega has hired two talented coaches and more importantly teachers to run the Vikings Junior High program: Patrick Phillips and BJ McBryde.

Over the weekend, the 7th and 8th boys were involved in summer league competition.

Here’s a general assessment of how things went.

Weekend Recap: Building Through Battle

7th Grade-
This weekend, Hopewell took on two tough opponents in back-to-back matchups — Blackhawk and Central Valley. While the results didn’t land in our favor, the effort, resilience, and improvement on display were a true reflection of who Hopewell is becoming as a team.

Game 1 vs. Blackhawk started with high energy and determination. Blackhawk came out strong, but the Vikings stayed composed and locked in.

Despite falling behind early, they never lost focus. Defensive pressure picked up, offensive possessions became more disciplined, and the bench stayed active and supportive throughout. The second half showed real progress — better spacing, smarter passes, and tougher defense. Though Hopewell fell short in the final score, they took a big step forward as a unit.

Game 2 vs. Central Valley picked up right where they first left off. Facing a tough opponent, Hopewell was tested in every way. But instead of backing down, the players rose to the challenge. Rebounding improved, ball movement became more fluid, and energy from the bench kept everyone engaged. The second half was their best stretch of the day—highlighted by smarter decisions, tighter defense, and fearless play. Hopewell battled until the last buzzer, showing exactly what it means to compete with pride.

“While both games ended in losses, what we gained in effort, growth, and team spirit was far more meaningful,” said Coach Phillips. “This group is learning how to fight, how to bounce back, and how to keep growing. We’re proud of the progress and even more excited for what’s next.”

8th Grade

Hopewell took the court for two games this weekend, and the result were exactly what they’ve been building toward — back-to-back wins fueled by grit, focus, and a team-first mentality.

Game 1 vs. Beaver tested their toughness early. Hopewell came out flat, struggled to find rhythm, and fell behind in the opening stretch. But the response was everything. The team regrouped, locked in on defense, and started chipping away at the deficit. As the game went on, their energy ramped up and so did the execution — smarter ball movement, more aggressive drives, and timely stops. By the fourth quarter, Hopewell flipped the momentum and pulled out a hard-earned comeback win.

Game 2 vs. Moon followed a similar script early, but this time the Vikings managed to hold the lead even as they worked through a slow start. Hopewell went into halftime up, and the second half was some of their best basketball to date. The ball moved with purpose, everyone contributed, and they closed the game with poise and intensity. It was a complete team win from top to bottom.

“Two games, two different challenges — and we handled both. Proud of the way this group continues to grow, adjust, and rise to the occasion,” said Coach Phillips.

 

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail