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Another belt
Students of Sensei Kevin Bergquist's Island Martial Arts recently tested for belts and every student that tested moved up to the next belt level. IMA also raised about $500 for the Sidekick Foundation and is now accepting applications for scholarships. Contact Bergquist at 807-1734 to obtain an application. Pictured: back row, left to right, Bergquist, Christopher, Justin and Eleni Romeo, Max Staebler, Greyson Wallis and Zack Landman. Middle row, left to right, Alexia Yavalar, Madeline Valadie, Alexandra Howe, Alex Siegal, Jake Ross, Luke Valadie, Tyler Yavalar, Michaelange Dattoli and Dylan Joseph. Front row, left to right, Jacqueline Burgess, Macey Reynolds, Riley Goerg, Jacob Castro, Collin Hicks, Tyler Russell, Tyler Pearson and Cooper Hardy. |
Last week, regular season B-ball produces no surprises
by Kevin Cassidy
Islander Correspondent
Four champions were crowned on Feb. 24 and 25 to close out the 2006 youth basketball season at the Anna Maria Island Community Center. Though there were no surprise champions, there were dramatic endings in the Division III and Division I championship games.
Congratulations to the players, coaches and fans of Island Real Estate, Homes of Distinction, Island Family Physicians and Dips Ice Cream for their championship seasons and congratulations to all of the participants in the league for another great season of basketball.
Division III
Dips Ice Cream overcame a 13-11 deficit in the last minute of the game to defeat Beach Bistro 14-13 and win the Division III title on Feb. 25 thanks to some clutch foul shooting by Johnny Mattay.
With Beach Bistro nursing a 13-11 lead, Mattay grabbed a missed free throw and dribbled the length of the court where he was fouled attempting a layup. Mattay made one of two to pull to within a point at 13-12. Beach Bistro then attempted to run the clock out, but got called for an over-and-back violation, giving Dips the ball with 12 seconds remaining. Mattay dribbled to his right before firing up a three-point attempt. His shot missed, but he was fouled on the play, sending him to the foul line with only three seconds remaining on the clock. Mattay calmly sank his first two attempts from the charity stripe to lift Dips to a 14-13 lead. Mattay's last shot bounced right back to him and the clock ran out, giving Dips an exciting 14-13 victory and the Division III championship.
Dips had led Beach Bistro for most of the game, but Luke Shackelford got a steal and a layup to pull Bistro to within 11-10 to open the fourth quarter. After the teams traded possessions, Samantha Purnell grabbed an offensive rebound and scored to give Beach Bistro its first lead with time winding down.
Shackelford extended the lead when he grabbed a long rebound off of a Mattay three-point miss and took off for the basket. Mattay hustled back and fouled Shackelford, sending him to the foul line where he made one of two shots to give make the score 13-11 with 1:27 to play - a score that stuck to the end.
Dips made it to the finals with a 16-2 victory over Jessie's Island Store on Feb. 23. Mattay and Lee Bergeron led the way with six points apiece, while Brennan Gallagher chipped in with four points in the victory.
Billy Eddy paced Jessie's with two points in the loss.
Beach Bistro advanced to the finals with a 19-13 upset of second-seed Kumon on Feb. 23. Shackelford exploded for 15 points, while Trevor Albers and Samantha Purnell each added two points.
Sam Azmi led Kumon with eight points, while Neil Carper added five points in the loss.
Division I
Homes of Distinction edged Danziger Allergy & Sinus 41-40 to win the Division I championship on Feb. 24. With one second remaining on the clock, Homes of Distinction ran an inbounds play underneath its basket to perfection, resulting in a game-winning layup by Blake Wilson.
Five seconds earlier, Katie Hunt looked like the hero after she converted a pass from Garrett Secor to give Danziger a 40-39 lead, but it just wasn't meant to be.
Ally Titsworth led Homes of Distinction with 16 points, including a pair of three-pointers, while Brandon Gengler added 12 points. Wilson added 11 points and Nash Thompson scored two points to complete the scoring for Homes of Distinction.
Secor led all scorers with 27 points, while Hunt and Chris Callahan each scored six points for Danziger in the loss.
Homes of Distinction advanced to the finals by defeating Longboat Observer 38-34 on Feb. 22. Gengler led the way in that game with 18 points, followed by 14 from Titsworth. Troy Kozewski, Stephanie Poelsha and Wilson each added two points to the victory total.
Kyle Aritt led Observer with 12 points, while Forrest Schield and Zach Evans each added eight points in the loss.
Danziger made it to the final on the strength of a 42-38 victory over A Paradise Realty on Feb. 22. Secor scored 22 points and Callahan added 14 to lead the Danziger scoring effort in that game.
Justin Dearlove scored 16 points to lead A Paradise, which also received 10 points apiece from Jordan Sebastiano and Martine Miller in the loss.
Division II
Hailey Dearlove poured in 14 points to lead Island Family Physicians past Duncan Real Estate on Feb. 24 and take the championship in Division I basketball.
The game was close through three quarters, but Dearlove scored six in the fourth quarter and Stephanie Purnell scored two points to fuel an 8-4 scoring run to close the game out.
Savannah Schield led Duncan with six points, while Molly McDonough added three points. Jake Rappe scored two points and Kayla Aritt added one to complete the Duncan scoring in the loss.
Island Family Physicians made it to the finals by defeating Saleaway Cruises 19-16 on Feb. 20. Hailey Dearlove again led the way with 11 points, while Chris Pate scored six and Becca Butler finished with two points.
Travis Belsito and Kelly Guerin each scored six points to lead Saleaway Cruises, which also received four points from Julian Botero in the loss.
Duncan Real Estate advanced thanks to a 22-9 victory over Sun House on Feb. 20. Molly McDonough scored eight points to lead Duncan, which also received four points apiece from Taylor Wilson, Jack Titsworth and Jake Rappe in the victory.
Kalif Mora scored eight points to lead Sun House, which also received one point from Justin Gargett in the loss.
Premier League
Island Real Estate foreclosed on any chance of a Publix upset behind the hot shooting of David Buck in the Premier League championship game. Buck took over in the second quarter to blow open what had been a fairly close game. Buck finished with 41 points and Zach Schield scored 24 to lead IRE, which also received eight points from Eric Distelhurst in the 76-54 victory.
Michael Wallen led Publix 18 points while Tyler Bekkerus finished with 15 points in the loss.
Island Real Estate advanced to the finals by running past Anna Maria Glass & Screen 67-49 on Feb. 20. Zach Schield led all scorers with 34 points, while Eric Distelhurst added 20 points.
Franklin Moore scored 28 points and Luis Leon added 11 points to lead Glass & Screen in the loss.
Publix moved into the finals by defeating West Coast Air Conditioning 56-44 on Feb. 22. Tyler Bekkerus led the way with 23 points, while Mike Wallen added 16 points in the victory. Jordan Graeff chipped in with eight points, while Jake McDonald finished with six.
Thirteen points from Matt McDonough and 12 points from Al Barrett paced the West Coast Air Conditioning offense that also received nine points from Sammy Samap and six points from Kevin Grunke.
 Islander medals in six senior events
Tony Webb of Holmes Beach competed in the Gulf Coast Senior Games Feb. 19-25 and earned medals in six events in the 60-64 age division.
Webb opened his medal haul by earning a silver medal in table tennis on Monday. Tuesday, Webb got busy. He won bronze in basketball free throw shooting, spot accuracy shooting and timed accuracy shooting at the G.T. Bray gym.
Wednesday saw Webb fire a 78 at Buffalo Creek to claim a bronze medal in golf.
He followed that effort with a gold medal in horseshoes on Thursday.
Webb then earned two bronze medals in tennis on Friday. He won in men's singles and men's doubles.
Webb culminated his week by winning the gold medal in football passing accuracy by hitting the target seven out of ten tries at Manatee High School's Hawkins Stadium.
The 2006 Gulf Coast Senior Games are a qualifier for the National Senior Games, which will be held June 2007 in Louisville, Ky. All Gulf Coast qualifiers will now focus their energies for the Florida State Senior Games, which take place in December in Fort Myers.
Horseshoe news
Anna Maria's Rod Bussey and Jim Durrough of Cinncinnati defeated Jay Disbrow of Bradenton and Leo Hutton of Lancaster, Pa., by a 25-9 score on Feb. 22. Durrough - 85 years young - emphatically closed out the match with a two-ringer “six-pack,” his fourth six-pack that day - and adds up to a full case.
Four teams emerged from pool play on Feb. 18 with Fred Huyghe of Youngstown, Ohio, and Ron Slagh of Bradenton edging Herb Puryear 21-19.
Puryear defeated the team of Don Buchholtz of Dayton, Ohio, and John Johnson of Holmes Beach 21-9 in the first semifinal, while Slagh and Huyghe defeated Tom Rhodes of Cortez and John Crawford of Bradenton 21-10 in the other semifinal game.
Play gets under way at 9 a.m. every Wednesday and Saturday at the Anna Maria City Hall pits. Warm ups begin at 8:45 a.m. followed by random team selection. There is no charge to play and everyone is welcome.
If horseshoes isn't your game, how about shuffleboard? The Anna Maria Shuffleboard Club plays Monday-Friday at 1 p.m., also at Anna Maria City Hall. Anyone interested in playing, regardless of skill level, is welcome. |
