Dwarf Giraffe Minor Division Playoffs
Varsi Deli captured the DG Minor Division Championship in an exciting three-game final series with Jam Services. The teams played two very close games during the regular season, and the opening game of the final was no different.
Jam jumped out to a nine-point first-half lead as Varsi had to battle back in the third quarter to get within a basket. A fourth quarter breakaway layup by Brendan Corrigan and clutch rebounding by Anthony Merkle and Mike Slattery as well as Joe Kurtz’s great work off the offensive glass were the keys in Varsi’s comeback 48-46 win.
The tables were turned in the second game as Jam’s Giancarlo Santillo had a great two-way performance with 26 points while holding Varsi’s center, Joe Kurtz, in check. Kenny Lehr’s 16 points were not enough as Jam pulled out a 36-34 win.
The two teams saved their best performances for last as they put on a tremendous show for the very loud SRO crowd of supporters at the DG gym.
Varsi had a great first half, jumping out to an 11-point lead behind great efforts from Stephan Foley (17 points), Patrick Berndt (12 points) and Joe Kurtz (13 points).
They would need all those points as Jam put on a tremendous second-half surge and took the lead in the fourth quarter behind two clutch three-pointers from guard Chris Garthwright. Giancarlo Santillo continued to be unstoppable as he scored 34 points on a variety of twisting drives against the junk defenses that Varsi threw at him.
The last two minutes of the fourth quarter saw the teams exchange the lead and with Jam ahead, 45-43, and less than 40 seconds on the clock, Patrick Berndt’s clutch running one-hander from the baseline tied the game. Joe Kurtz hit the winning free throw to give Varsi the lead and game at 46-45. In the last 15 seconds Varsi had to survive two shots from Jam’s Santillo that barely missed before securing the final rebound and win.
Coached by Dave Garthwright, the Jam Services team played with great heart and determination throughout the series and only one point over three games separated them from the win. For Varsi Deli and its players, Patrick Berndt, Brendan Corrigan, Joe Kurtz, Kenny Lehr, Stephan Foley, Mike Slattery, Anthony Merkle and Vinay Choda, the win topped off a great season of basketball.
Congratulations to both teams for a very entertaining and well-played series.
Dwarf Giraffe Girls’ A Division Playoffs
In a stunning upset, Verdi’s Restaurant beat Carvel in the playoffs to move on to the finals. Down by three points with under three minutes to play, Jessica Piccolino stole the ball twice and ran in to sink two uncontested layups for four points.
Rei Lem added one final foul shot. With less than one minute to play Verdi’s held on to win with a final score of 18-16. Verdi’s other scorers included Angelica Rodriguez with a game-high nine points. Rei Lem had four points and Katie McGrory scored one point.
Defensive strategy by Britany Naposki and Michelle Lee, among others, helped culminate the big win. Outstanding play by Carvel included scoring by Samantha Angelone, Gabriella Marden and Angela Grigorakos.
In the first playoff game of the Girls’ A Division, Graham Restoration defeated a spirited Ranshaw Plumbing, 15-11. This was a surprise since the Graham team was the lowest seed in this division.
With their good shooting, Angela Vikelis, Lisa Labate, Tiffany Riviere and Michelle Moravek helped bring the team back from a 7-1 deficit. Joanna Bakalis, Catherine Obidienzo, Monica Sharma, Anastasia Meleties and Anita Avakian added to the win with their never-ending hustle and excellent defensive play.
Dana Kettering and Stacy Kurumusis played outstanding games for Ranshaw. Next up for Graham Restoration will be a difficult challenge, a matchup with top-seeded Cristom Construction, coached by the controversial captain Ted Schiffman. The winner will go on to the finals in this division.
Dwarf Giraffe Bantam Division
David & Nancy Legaz – Re/Max Universal found the right formula to beat Harpell Chemists with a 32-20 victory. Re/Max forward Joe Roberti was strong under the offense boards with eight offense rebounds and led all scorers with 10 points.
Re/Max point guard David Legaz led the team’s quick transitional offense with 12 assists and five steals and ended the day with five points. Re/Max power forward Kenneth Bishop had a strong game on the defensive boards, pulling down four rebounds and adding two points.
Dwarf Giraffe Senior Division
In the first of our three Sunday evening Senior Division games, DePhillips Sporting Goods defeated Gleason’s Funeral Home to remain in first place with a 7-3 record. Ed Johnston led DePhillips, scoring 28 points, while Matt Santeufemia and Mena Yacoub poured in 19 points and 17 points, respectively.
Led by Nick Pisacano’s 44 points and Keith Caperelli’s 13 points and strong rebounding, the much-improved Gleason’s squad gave DePhillips all it could handle.
The second game of the evening saw Cascarino’s Pizzeria defeat Berardi Bakery, 64-56. Joey Mare continued his scoring assault, pouring in 44 points, while Anthony Kapovic played an excellent all-around game, hitting for 18 points.
The Berardi team had an even scoring attack, with Jonathan Matthews, Ray Torres and Tommy Franceschini scoring 13, 11, and nine points, respectively. Styeve Koullias and “Jumping Joe” Graham had their usual strong rebounding and defensive efforts. With the newly acquired Phil Leist, the Berardi team should be a force to be reckoned with throughout the remaining games.
In the evening’s final contest, Clintonville Restaurant defeated Whitestone Car Wash, 66-55. Andreas Kurumusis poured in 18 for the victorious team. As usual, the Finkelman brothers, Jonathan and Justin, contributed to the win, while “Smokin Joe” Montgomery had an excellent effort.
Nick Vigorito, following in his father’s DG footsteps, led the Whitestone Car Wash team, hitting for 20 points, including four from downtown. Carlo Coumoutsis and Teddy Rojas played with a lot of heart even though their team came up short, scoring 15 and 11 points, respectively.
Dwarf Giraffe Novice B Division
The game between Tiffany and Champion ended with a 14-11 victory for Tiffany. Throughout most of the third quarter Tiffany was led, 14-1, with a swarming team defense, and then Champion made a run. Five Tiffany players scored in this team effort led by Anthony Scarallo, Matthew Siano, Ismael Nehhas, Dylan Chateau and Alex Tsiklidiis. Champion was led by Tom Foley’s 10 points.
