Groton Dunstable Travel Basketball
December 13, 2015
Press Release
G4/5
The fourth- and fifth-grade girls had a tough matchup falling to 3-0 Fitchburg today, 23-10. The small, but feisty G-D team outshot their opponents, but couldn't get anything to fall until late in the game. With four minutes left and behind 19-2, G-D went small and attacked aggressively causing turnovers and scoring eight quick points. The late run was led by Mia Trawick and Caroline Keegan.
B4/5
The fourth- and fifth-grade boys lost their first game to Littleton. Ryan Hamill played a great game contributing six points. Connor Buchman added five and played solid all around. G-D played strong defense, led by Theo Murphy and Connor Buchman, holding Littleton to just seven points in the second half.
B5
The fifth-grade boys won their second consecutive game in overtime with a thrilling 34-32 victory over Hudson at home on Sunday. Eight of the 10 players got into the scoring column led by Andrew Stenstream’s game-high 17. Finn Bernard and Taylor Wiercinski hit key three pointers late in the game and in overtime and Wes Garibotto nailed two free throws when the team needed it most in a game. Ajaje McCracken-Bradley had 11 rebounds and a handful of blocked shots. The game was physical from the outset of the contest and Evan Laudenslager and Will Vogel played exceptionally strong against the much bigger opponents.
G6
The sixth-grade girls started off strong and went into the halftime break with a 11-9 lead. G-D played consistent defense, but were not able to convert several fast break opportunities. G6 also got into foul trouble, especially in the second half, and they weren't able to recover, losing 30-19.
Haly Buchmann led all scorers with six points, Becca Brennan had four points and Lauren Phelps, Lili Evans, Brooke Barry, Taylor Caldwell each added two points and Cassidy Lacombe added a foul shot.
Overall, the G6 put in a great effort and never gave up.
B6
The sixth-grade boys lost to #1 Fitchburg 42-18. In addition to being up against Fitchburg,
G-D missed its center Will Dagle who was out due to a shoulder injury. Despite that, G-D was able to hold Fitchburg to only 17 points in the second half and scored 14 against them in the second half.
Josh Dai was the high scorer of the day with 10 points, followed by newcomer Tommy Raymond who scored six.
G7
The seventh-grade girls fell 21-39 to a very tall and disciplined Natick team from the Metrowest league this Sunday. Natick scored often off steals leading to transition baskets in the first half, leading by 15-8 as the halftime horn blew. G-D was led in spirit and points (8 points) by Katie Eberhardt who dove for every ball and played with fierce intensity on both sides of the court. Emily Hutchins and Brenna O’Malley were tough on the boards with four each. Aine Murphy and Kyleigh McDonald both had three-pointers to keep G-D close. Caroline Straw (four points) and Ali Vogel three points) also helped the Crusaders on the offensive end.
B7
The seventh-grade boys worked together for a strong team win against a tough Nashoba opponent. It was a close score for much of the game, but G-D finished strong with a 49-46 final score. Brandon Wiercinski led the team’s offense with 24 points with Kyle Plausse and Andrew Watkins adding seven and six points respectively. The B7s all played tough defense with high energy rebounds and numerous players with a several steals apiece.
G8
The eighth-grade girls found their offensive rhythm in the second half to roll past Nashoba 48-20.
The first half started slow as both teams struggled to score against the other team's defensive pressure. The G8s created a little breathing room at half time after a couple of three pointers gave them a 20-10 lead.
G-D continued its streak of strong second half performances as they opened up with great defensive pressure. On the offensive end, the girls started to find key opportunities against Nashoba's 2-3 zone. The team shot 40% from three-point land, which opened the defense. Nicole Tammaro turned in another outstanding performance with 18 points and 6 steals. Jillian Van Pelt (four points, three steals) and Rachel Erickson (three points) contributed on both ends of the floor with five assists and two steals respectively. Cate Bolton (four points) and Olivia Ray (three rebounds) gave great effort as well.
B8
In a match-up of unbeaten teams, the eighth-grade boys were able to overcome the loss of their leading scorer for the game, overwhelming the visiting Lunenburg squad with a barrage of three-point goals and solid half-court defense throughout the contest. G-D hit for eight three-pointers in the first half, including five in the first five minutes of the game leading to a 35-point half and 16-point lead. Tyler Peck hit for five in the half, notching 15 points. Lunenburg though, fought back with a fast-paced transition game and relentless rebounding, cutting the lead to seven late in the game. Elias Jiser, Charley Willis, and Tim Stark all made key plays down the stretch to secure the 54-44 victory. Peck finished with 19, Stark had 14, and Jiser contributed six. Jack Foster tallied five as did Willis who also hit key foul shots at end of game.
