ZG Battle for the Belt - Event Recap

Monday, October 29th, 2018

Hundreds of teams populated eastern Massachusetts this weekend for the annual Zero Gravity Battle for the Belt, the culmination of the fall season.

The varsity American division belt went to the Boston Bobcats who impressed the entire weekend with their high-powered offense. Their ability to push the ball and score in transition wore teams down, especially late in games, while their lights out three-point shooting opened up driving lanes for their athletic guards to attack. Defensively, their length and athleticism allowed them to created havoc pressuring the ball and speeding up opposing teams into mistakes.

BABC came away with the 10^th grade American division belt by allowing less than forty points in four out of their five games. Their defensive dominance and ability to control the clock was fuedl by great energy, as they jumped on their oponent in the opening minutes virtually everytime they took the floor. From there it was the execution of their system on both ends of the floor in typical BABC fashion.

Team New England came away with the 9^th grade American division belt by showing great collective maturity and poise for a young team. They never got flustered in the face of opposing runs and hit a series of timely shots late in games. Their big men anchored the team inside defensively, blocking and altering numerous shots, while their guards controlled tempo all weekend long.

Key Players:

Aireus Raspberry 2020 6’0- The lefty point guard was a tough cover all weekend, being able to knock down the three, beat his defender off the dribble and finish over shot blockers.

Alexander Momo 2020 6’1- Momo was able to get to the basket and finish through contact against high level teams and displayed one of the best defensive efforts of the tournament.

Kevin Ariste 2021 6’3- Despite being a little undersized, Ariste made up for that with his motor, relentless pursuit of the offensive glass, and second chance points.  

Dallion Johnson 2020 6’2- A lights out shooter, Johnson was automatic from downtown but also able to attack close-outs and use crafty finishes around the rim.

Judson Martindale 2020 6’6- The athletic wing displayed his versatility by finishing well, showing an improved three-point stroke, and being a consistent presence on the defensive glass.

Bryant Ciccio 2020 5’9- With defenders being unwilling to allow him to get going from the arc, Ciccio showed off an impressive mid-range game with numerous pull-ups and floaters.

Scott Lampron 2019 6’1- Lampron put on yet another scoring display with several thirty-point games by knocking down the outside shot at a high clip, attacking the basket and finishing with both hands.

Jay Dieterle 2020 6’3- No team was able to keep Dieterle out of the paint this weekend, but his ability to collapse a defense allowed him to show his ability to read the defense as he scored himself and found his teammates for open shots.

Tony Felder 2022 5’8- Felder showed great point guard play by breaking presses left and right, knocking down deep threes, and being the vocal leader for his team when opponents would make their runs.

Aaron Cooley 2021 6’5- While still working the rust off, Cooley used his length and athleticism to defend and finish at a high-level but also knocked down shots off both the catch and the dribble.  

Noah Cummings 2019 6’2- Distributing the ball seemed to come naturally for this point guard who was finding his teammates throughout the weekend while being a scoring threat as well.

Jack Richard 2020 6’4- Richard was able to hit tough contested shot from three by being on balance and ready to shoot at all times. He also is a capable ball handler who can attack and finish at the rim.

Ryan Donahue 2021 6’0- This point guard was able to push the ball well in transition and do a great job of relocating to the open space for spot-up shots that he consistently knocked down all weekend.

Jack Poirier 2020 5’11- As defenders caught on that Poirier is a deep range threat, he went to work in the mid-range area, showing an ability to get downhill and then stop on a dime for quick released pull-ups.

Keyonte Beals 2022 6’3- Beals utilized his strength to be an elite-level finisher at the rim but was also versatile enough to be a solid passer out of double-teams and capable open shooter.

Dasonte Bowen 2022 6’2- Bowen displayed high-level IQ and ball handling by making great decisions when attacking the hoop whether it be a drive and kick or a finish at the rim.