The Martha’s Vineyard 7th grade travel basketball team — the Vineyard Breakers — capped off an impressive season by winning the New England State Championship’s Silver Division this past weekend, defeating four teams, including in the championship game against Mashpee, a rival from Cape Cod that held second place behind the Breakers throughout the regular season.
“What an amazing way to end that season!” said Coach Shawna Rose Lima. “That was some good stuff for us.”
The team’s journey began before the Cape Cod League season kicked off, at a Thanksgiving tournament in late November. The Breakers won the classic, setting them up with an opportunity to compete in the state tournament.
After finishing the regular season with an 11-3 record, the Vineyard Breakers went 4-0 in the New England championship tournament.
“We knew we would be playing in this championship because of that tournament in November,” Rose Lima said. “So we went out there, went 4-0, and it was amazing. We are super happy with them.”
The Breakers defeated two teams from Connecticut and one from Maine before facing Mashpee in the championship.
In the final showdown, three starters from the Breakers stood out: Lewis Moore, a center who dominated under the hoop; Keyshawn Divine, a center with a smooth three-point shot; and Avery Skully, who also knocked down three-pointers throughout the game. All three put up double digits in the state championship game.
“Our guards were great too, but those three were in double digits, they stood out in those championship games,” Rose Lima said. “Every kid plays every game, and every kid played great.”
Head Coach Irvin Jones and his wife Shawna Rose Lima, who met through basketball, moved to the Island recently, and volunteered their time to coach youth basketball. After the winter season ended, they launched the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) program to keep the young group of basketball players they had been coaching together through the spring. The players and parents committed to forgoing other spring sports, and the Vineyard Breakers were born.
“We made a commitment to the parents and told them we would see them into high school, keeping them together as a team no matter what,” Rose Lima said.
The program now includes a 6th-grade Breakers team as well as the 7th graders.
Following the championship win, keeping with tradition, the Steamship Authority announced the victory over its speakers; and as the young athletes walked off the boat, firetrucks and police sirens blared, for an unforgettable welcome home for the team.
“You never see that in the city. This is something they will never forget and we will never forget,” Rose Lima said. “The community stepped up for the fundraiser even before the season. We raised a lot of money in a short amount of time. To have that kind of reception when coming off that boat was just insane. I can’t thank the towns enough for doing this for these kids. We were in tears out there.”
Rose Lima praised the players’ dedication and the parents’ support. “These parents are the most amazing group — so supportive. If we were going to Greece, they’d pull out their passports and be there,” she said. “And the kids are committed, they’re at every practice, they work hard, and they’re just good kids. We couldn’t be happier.”
