Sports
By Don Lyons - April 26, 2007
The champion Legends: in front Captain Julius Middleton, standing left to right: Asil Cash, Monte Bizzarro, Woody Vanderhoop, Dylan Osleeb, Joe McCormick, and Richard Shepherd. Photos by Ralph Stewart
Legends claim RCBL
championship
Outlast the Heat, win by 11
Monte Bizzarro's 35 points, 21 from long range, paced the Legends to a 98-87 win over the Heat in the third and deciding game of the RCBL playoff finals at the Boys & Girls Club, Monday.
The team that had won only twice in the RCBL 12-game season dropped their first playoff game to the league-leading Lakers, 93-91. The odds against the Legends reaching the finals, much less winning the championship, were daunting. But no one told the Legends. They took the next two games from the Lakers 98-86 and 92-86 to reach the finals with the Heat which had taken two of three from the talent-laden Celtics.
In the first of the three-game final series the Legends blew a 14-point lead and the Heat won easily, 94-68. Last week the Legends evened the count with a 90-79 win, setting the stage for Monday's deciding game.
The Heat broke on top and led 37-25 after the first 12-minute quarter. They missed very few 3-pointers. Jason Dyer drained four. Both Damon Mello and Sandy Fisher hit two.
Damon Mello drives around Dylan Osleeb.
Monte Bizzarro led a second-quarter Legends charge by scoring 13 points, nine from long range, and at the half a single point separated the teams: Heat 51, Legends 50.
The Heat unaccountably went cold in period three, scoring only 13 points. The Legends didn't exactly set the place on fire, but Bizzarro kept finding the net from beyond the arc and at the three-quarter mark the Legends enjoyed a 68-64 edge.
In the first six minutes of the fourth quarter, Asil Cash and Damon Mello traded hoops and the four-point differential remained. Then Dylan Osleeb dropped two ten-footers and the Legends were up by eight. Mello and Dyer led a late Heat surge that came within two of tying the score with 1:08 left on the clock. The last minute of the game took five minutes to play with the Legends shooting from the charity stripe. Cash and Bizzarro and Woody Vanderhoop sank seven of eight and the Legends claimed game, series, and championship title, 98-87.
Monte Bizzarro (35) and Jason Dyer (33) were high scorers for their teams. Other Legends in two columns were Asil Cash, 23, Julius Middleton, 12, and Woody Vanderhoop. 12. Double-figured Heat included Daman Mello, 27 and Sandy Fisher, 15.
Pat Mercier was the busy referee.
Jerry's stats
According to Jerry Maciel, RCBL commissioner, score-keeper and statistician, Heath Estrella of the Lakers led the league with the most field goals, 109, and scored the most points, 271. Travis Baptiste (81) and Damon Mello (80) were 2-3 in field goals. Brian Scott (245) and Matt Rivers (242) were next high scorers.
Brian Scott and Damon Mello led in foul shot percentage, both at 88.6 percent.
The top three in assists were Adam Rebello (60) , Heath Estrella (59) and Sandy Fisher (54). The leading rebounders were Heath Estrella and Karl Kallinich, both with 148. Vic Cruz (131) was next.
Sandy Fisher and Adam Rebello were chief thieves each with 42 steals. Vic Cruz had 39.
Kallinich, Cruz, and Estrella were 1-2-3 in blocked shots.
The Lakers had the fewest points scored against them, 1,057, followed by the Heat, 1,086, the Legends 1,126 and Celtics, 1,137.
League leading 3-point shooters were Brian Scott, 43; Adam Rebello, 36; Sandy Fisher, 33; Jason Dyer, 31; and Caleb Nicholson, 23.
Jerry's stats are for the 12-game season and do not include playoff totals.
Antulio Neto confronts Whaler defender.
Nantucket is shut out
The M.V. Under-18 boys travel soccer team entertained Nantucket at Veteran's Park, Tisbury, Sunday and treated the Whalers to a 5-0 white wash.
Nantucket was short-footed, able to bring only nine players to the fray. Coach Dwane pulled two M.V. players off the field to even things in the second half. Even so the Vineyard continued to dominate and finished the game on top, 5-0.
Vineyard goals were scored by Gonzalo Zelaya, Ryan Dwane (2), Adiles Goncalves, and Nico Cuba.
Also last weekend, the U-12 Boys 1 bowed to a well-disciplined New Bedford squad, 4-3. Justin Smith, Kip Cooperrider, and Harry West scored.
The U-14 Girls 2 were edged by Mashpee, 4-3. Caitlyn Grzesiwk scored once and Gillian O'Callaghan twice. Madeline Penicaud assisted and Lauren Lucas was outstanding on defense.
The U-14 Boys 1 won its game with Y-D, 14-1.
On Sunday the U-16 Girls lost 2-0 to Dartmouth, the defending champions. Taylor Hughes and Holly Robinson played strong games.
Zach Coutinho sends a zinger
The National Pastime
The Vineyard baseballers hosted Seekonk, Friday, and lost 7-2.
Zach Coutinho went the distance, giving up 8 hits and 4 earned runs. He walked 2 and fanned 7.
Both Adam Herman and Joel Coutinho collected two hits. Seekonk scored all its runs in the second and third innings.
