The Long Island City YMCA crowned its 2008 Youth Basketball League champions April 19. In the freshmen division, the Wolverines overcame a 12-point first-half deficit to beat the Suns in overtime, 37-35.
In the bantam division, La Familia (bottom r.) had an easier time with the Tomahawks, winning, 34-26. In the novice division the game went right down to the final buzzer, with the Celtics upsetting the first place Cavaliers, 19-18.
After the championship games, the league had a little fun with a three-point shooting contest, a coaches' game and a parents' game.
The 3-point contest had more than 30 combined participants competing three divisions.
In the novice/bantam division, Fidan Prelvukaj of the Tomahawks was the champion. In the freshmen division, Joshua Lee of the Wolverines came out on top, but needed a tie-breaking round to get it done against Harry Scott. And in the adult division, coach Jeff Hunter of the Warriors won for the second straight season.
The league wraps up its season May 3 with an awards ceremony at the LIC YMCA. This season, the league served 140 children from all parts of Queens with the highest percentage coming from the Long Island City area.
Next year, the league hopes to serve even more children with the help of community fund-raising efforts for the Strong Kids Campaign which supports the league. If you have interest in the basketball program or the upcoming youth baseball league please email tsylvester@ymcanyc.org or call 718-392-7932, Ext. 239.
