By Rob Potter
GRAHAMSVILLE — March 22, 2005 – Despite the fact that the high school basketball season ended a couple of weeks ago, plenty of hoops action took place on Saturday night in the Tri-Valley Central School gymnasium.
In fact, scores of fans were treated to a basketball doubleheader at the Grahamsville school.
In the evening’s opening contest, a total of 24 sixth-graders from the school district’s Bear Cub Basketball Program competed in the “moving-up game.” From January through mid-March, boys and girls in second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth grades participated in Bear Cub practices and games on Friday nights and Saturdays at the school. To mark their “moving-up” from the Bear Cub Program, two dozen sixth-graders were chosen by the program’s coaches to participate in the “moving-up game.”
The evening’s second game featured the Tri-Valley Alumni versus the Tri-Valley Faculty. The 11 members of the alumni team represented T-V classes from the 1980s and 1990s as well as the past five years. The 14- member faculty team included the head coach (Jason Semo) and two assistant coaches (Arthur Felder and John Tenbus) of the Bears’ boys’ varsity basketball team.
The fans were treated to a pair of very entertaining games for a very good cause. That worthy cause is the Amy Paes Memorial Scholarship Fund.
During the 2002-2003 school year, Paes was a fifth-grade student and a member of one of the Bear Cub teams. Sadly, she passed away in the summer of 2003 following a battle with cancer.
Scott Mickelson, who organized the event along with Jason Semo and Jerry Stevens, noted that Paes’ classmates will graduate in June 2010. Mickelson, Semo and Stevens plan to hold Amy Paes Memorial Scholarship Fund basketball games each March in an effort to raise money for the scholarship. They would like to present two scholarships – one to a boy and one to a girl – at the 2010 T-V commencement ceremony.
“We raised between $400 and $500 tonight,” Mickelson said. “I think we did very well.”
While a performance of the T-V school musical took place in the auditorium during the alumni/faculty game and it undoubtedly attracted a large crowd, scores of fans of all ages packed the bleachers in the gymnasium to take in all of the hoops action.
“We are very pleased with the turnout,” Mickelson said. “I think everybody had a good time tonight.”
In the moving-up game, the White team, whose members sported the bright white jerseys normally worn by the T-V varsity boys’ basketball team when they host another high school team, defeated the Blue team, whose members were clad in the dark blue jerseys sported by the Bears’ varsity players during away contests, by a final score of 26-20. The White team held a 10-4 lead at the end of the first quarter and then extended that lead to as many as 12 points (22-10) in the third period before recording a six-point victory.
At halftime, Mickelson presented three volunteers with a special gift. Kaylie Ackerley, Ryan Ansbro and Sean McNamara each received a T-V basketball shirt, lanyard keychain and water bottle for their years of assisting with the Bear Cub Basketball Program. All three have helped out since participating in the program themselves a few years ago.
The coaches for the White team were Hugh Delaney, Pete DiMilia and Kevin Krom. The team members included: Brittany Curry, Peter DiMilia, Richard Johnson, Eli Kennedy, Kevin Krom, Christopher Lake, Clarissa Lake, Brent McKeon, Jesse Miller, Kristan Offringa and Jakki Pugh.
Coaches for the Blue team were Nial Edwards and Mark Sanok. The team members included: Aurora Boyes, Myles Coombe, Emily Devore, Brian Edwards, Emery Horvath, Mike Houghtaling, Jarryd Killian, Agnes Pompeii, Brendan Sanok, Sam Santiago, Tyler TerBush and Emma Tingley.
In the T-V Alumni versus T-V Faculty game, the Alumni team jumped out to an early lead and never looked back in recording an 83-66 victory. Keying the quick start for the Alumni squad was April Nash, a member of the T-V Class of 2000 who played on the Lady Bears’ varsity basketball team. Nash swished five 3-point shots in the first half as the Alumni grabbed a 28-10 lead at the end of the first period and then enjoyed a 53-28 advantage at halftime.
The Faculty team tried to mount a comeback in the second half, however. In the third quarter, the Faculty squad outscored the Alumni by a 22 to 16 margin. The Faculty also outscored the Alumni in the fourth quarter (16-14), but the first half deficit proved to be too much to overcome.
The Alumni team was coached by George Dean, a member of the T-V Class of 1967. Team members included: Ted DeGraw (2004), Nial Edwards (1987), Andrew Hadden (2002), John Hamilton (1984), April Nash (2000), Ben Osterhout (2001), Jon Reed (1991), J.R. Rennison (2004), Brenton Smith (2003), Craig TerBush (1983) and George Walter (1991).
Jerry Stevens served as player/coach for the Faculty team. Members of the team were: Arthur Felder (2000), Maurice Galant (1995), Lori Kimmes (1980), Joseph Lee (1985), Scott Mickelson (1974), Becky Piechuta (1999), Jason Semo (1994), Steve Semo (1974), John Tenbus (1998), Brian Tingley (1983), Cory Turner (1997), Kyle Walter (1987) and Rob Worden (1985).
(The year after the players’ names denotes the year they graduated from high school – whether it was from T-V or another school. However, most of the players are T-V graduates.)
The event organizers noted that several other people volunteered their time this winter during the Bear Cub program and/or at Saturday night’s games. They included:
• Bob Ackerley and Dan Hendrickson, who were the referees for the Alumni/Faculty game.
• Ryan Ansbro and Janet Dymond, who officiated the Bear Cub “moving up” game along with Scott Mickelson.
• Kaylie Ackerley and Dan Killian, who worked the clock and scoreboard during Saturday evening’s two games.
• Sean McNamara, who was the emcee for both games.
• Faith Dymond and Cindy Mickelson, who ran the clock and scoreboard during the Bear Cub basketball games this season.