Lillian Otto This weekend, the Lady Vikings Youth Basketball teams starred in the Beaver County Youth Basketball playoffs. All five teams played their hardest, even though not all came out on top.
I was in attendance and have an update on all 3 teams.
4th Grade Gold
-Playoff Game 1 (Quarterfinal) – Riverside 13 / 11
Roster – Annie Krawczynski, Delanie McClintock, Ellyette Mobley, Jeisy Jimenez, Julie Dunning, Kamilla Beck, Kelsey Boring, Sophia Spiropoulos, Teagan Jacobs
Coaches – John Krawczynski
4th Grade Navy
-Playoff Game 1 (Quarterfinal) – Hopewell 21 / Beaver Falls 7
-Playoff Game 2 (Semifinal) – Blackhawk 24 / Hopewell 6
Roster – Arieyanna Jonnet, Emma Enders, Evelyn Thrasher, Juliette Hupp, Kendal Kaminski, Libby Kokan, Lucy Olson, Marlee Barkovich, Pacey Bokor, Savannah Smith
Coaches – Will Enders & Lauren Smith
*Both 4th grade teams had great seasons, although they did not get what they wanted in the playoffs. Beyond the scores, the main focus of 4th grade basketball is to develop the skills of these young athletes and to also learn how to utilize those skills within games to become quality basketball players. Creating quality basketball players takes time, and 4th grade is the first step. Most of these girls will be moving up to 5th grade next year, where they will continue that journey to rule the court.
5th Grade
-Playoff Game 1 (Quarterfinal) – Hopewell 30 / Beaver 10
Scoring – Amzey Budris 14, Piper Bokor 10, Gianna Ceccerelli 4, Emmy Bokor 2
-Playoff Game 2 (Semifinal) – Hopewell 22 / Central Valley 9
Scoring – Piper Bokor 6, Amzey Budris 4, Emmy Bokor 4, Reese Budavich 4, Gianna Ciccerelli 2, Sophia Tiller 2
-Playoff Game 3 (Championship)
Scoring by Quarter
1st Quarter – Blackhawk 5 / Hopewell 6
2nd Quarter – Blackhawk 10 / Hopewell 7
3rd Quarter – Blackhawk 14 / Hopewell 10
Final – Blackhawk 24 / Hopewell 16
Scoring – Amzey Budris 9, Piper Bokor 7
Roster – Amzey Budris, Emmy Bokor, Gianna Ciccerelli, Hayden Sullivan, Lily Burgess, Piper Bokor, Reese Budavich, Sophia Tiller
Coaches – Katherine Bokor, Lou Ciccerelli, Brandi Budris
*5th grade had a tremendous season, including making the playoffs and having an amazing run to the championship game. The first two games against Beaver and Central Valley were blowouts, with girls winning both games by more than 10 points. They showed their versatility from knocking down a large number of outside shots to driving for layups in the paint and on fast breaks.
Then came the most important game of their season, the 5th Grade Championship Game. Throughout this game, the girls displayed their hustle and grit, keeping it close with Blackhawk the entire game. The first half was full of back-and-forth buckets from both teams. They ended the third quarter trailing by just 4 points. Unfortunately, Blackhawk was able to capitalize late in the game, pulling away and ultimately beating Hopewell 24-16. They ended the season with their heads held high, knowing they had an exceptional season and took it all the way to the very end.
6th Grade Gold
-Playoff Game 1 (Quarterfinal) – Central Valley 30 / Hopewell 7
Scoring – Sophia Cronin 4, Flora Marocco, 2, Madison Morgan 1
Roster – Alaina Jacobs, Flora Marocco, Isabella Romero, Mackenzie Bellomo, Madison Morgan, Malena BonAnno, Paisley Cunningham, Sofia Cronin, Sutton Murray Coaches – Jamie Yurcina, Brandon Davis & Mike Kurta
6th Grade Navy
-Playoff Game 1 (Quarterfinal) – Hopewell 33 / Ambridge 29
Scoring – Rilynn Davis 12, Neveah Pope 10, Isla Rock 6, Talia Santia 2, Gia Yurcina 2
-Playoff Game 2 (Semifinal) Beaver 31 / Hopewell 26
Scoring – Rilynn Davis 8, Lydia Jaquay 8, Isla Rock 4, Neveah Pope 2, Talia Santia 2, Gia Yurcina 2
Roster – Callie Sadler, Cora Quinn, Gia Yurcina, Leah Peterman, Isla Rock, Lydia Jaquay, Neveah Pope, Rilynn Davis, Vanessa Kurta, Talia Santia
Coaches – Jamie Yurcina, Brandon Davis & Mike Kurta
The 2 6th grade teams played equally as hard as the 4th and 5th teams this year. The Gold team unfortunately fell short in their first playoff game vs Central Valley, but they gave it their all until the very end. These girls picked up some extremely valuable minutes this year though, which will be extremely important to their continued development as they enter the Junior High program.
The Navy team won their first playoff game vs Ambridge, although it was close the entire way and they pulled it out in the 4th quarter winning by 3 points. In their second game, they fell short to a talented Beaver team. They put their blood, sweat, and tears into it though, right to the very end.
These 2 teams of girls have played together as a group since 3rd grade, which really says something about how well they all fit together and are committed to each other. Every player has a role, and they fulfill it, which will definitely carry over extremely well into the Junior High program. The four years they have spent in this league have been the first chapter of their basketball careers but is still truly just the beginning. The amount of improvement over these 4 years has been remarkable and this group of girls will thrive in Junior High basketball based on how well they know each other and the sheer number of games they have played together.
This closes out another impressive season for the Hopewell Girls Youth Basketball program. The future is bright for all of these young girls, and I cannot wait to watch them continue to grow throughout the next few years!
