Southborough 6th Graders Making Noise this Winter
The Southborough 6th grade Metrowest Division 1 team has started the season on a roll. Currently they are undefeated in league play – 5-0 and just participated in the Hoophall Classic this past weekend in Springfield coming up short to a strong regional team by 2 points in the semi finals.
Southborough (overall 15-3) is ranked as the top team in Southeastern Massachusetts according to the Select Hoops poll (http://www.selecthoops.com/sh-power-rankings-6th-grade.html). Their schedule gets very challenging over the next few weeks playing much bigger towns/city’s – Brockton, Stoughton, Needham. The formula of success has been consistently through playing relentless defense, being opportunistic on offense and their coaches having a deep and talented group of players.
The team is lead by a three guard attack with Zach Zides, JJ Levandowski, and Kyle Henderson. All three players bring a combination of strong defense, intensity and offensive explosiveness to their team. Zides is a crafty lefty with great vision and has the ability to get into the paint and has developed a nice floater to compliment his consistent 3-point shot. Levandowski is a scoring guard who scores the ball in a variety of ways and is at his best in transition. Henderson is a highly-skilled guard with a solid basketball IQ and provides the team with a great scoring presence.
Southboro, also showcases four bigs who are strong in the paint and really work hard – Ben Burton, Jimmy Tobin, and Max and Noah Weinberg. Tobin is a long, athletic, and skilled big that is great running out in transition for easy points; around the rim he has a variety of moves that allow him to get easy looks at the rim. Burton is a strong, physical forward that anchors the defense with great rebounding and blocked shots; he is also a great finisher around the rim.
The defense and overall attack is energized each game by Zach Osetek, Seth Krivanec, and Ryan Courtwright. Osetek and Krivanec provide intense ball pressure and also have the ability to knock down the outside shot. The Weinbergs and Courtwright provide a great physical presence, toughness and a competitiveness that is a key to the team's success. Each game there are contributions from several different players, and the focus of the players is very strong. The team averages 60+ points per game and the team goal is to hold opposing teams to less than 45 points per game. With hard work, there is no doubt that this group of Southborough 6th Graders will remain a force in Metrowest and throughout Massachusetts as their games continue to mature throughout Middle School.