Wizards, Timberwolves Win Green Hornets 8-9 Club Hoops Titles

The Green Hornets 8/9 club boys basketball season concluded on February 24 at Folger McKinsey Elementary School with the Wizards topping the Raptors in overtime 26-25 in the A bracket championship and the Timberwolves defeating the Magic 23-20 in the B bracket championship.

The Wizards prevailed over the Raptors in overtime to win the A bracket championship after an intense and thrilling game. The Raptors’ Andrew Webster forced overtime with a game-tying buzzer-beater in regulation, but it was not quite enough to overcome a game-high 18 points, including the game-winning free throw in overtime, by Ryan Cowell. The Raptors’ Fletcher Warner hit a game-winning shot attempt in overtime, but the shot came after the final horn, and the Wizards held on for a one-point win.

The Wizards’ Cole Cavanaugh stuffed the stat sheet with five assists, six rebounds, three steals and shut-down defense in the win. Matthew Butcher, Charlie Cavanaugh and Charlie Samples contributed clutch scoring, while coach Dave Cowell called Mathew Marsella an “absolute beast” on the defensive glass with seven rebounds. Garrett Thompson displayed inspired defense and hustle, while Max Couch, Garrett Dudeck and Sam Garrett held their opponents scoreless with strong defense.

“All 10 boys made significant contributions in the final game,” said coach Cowell. He added that the Wizards “stayed mentally tough” to come out on top and finish the season undefeated at 12-0.

The No. 7 seed Raptors made a run to the final on the strength of play by Andrew Webster, Boden Isenberg, Sean Burkhardt, John Shelling, Fletcher Warner, Tref Bauer, Richard Turner, Daniel Lane and Tyler Grice.

The Timberwolves, composed of players Owen Mulford, Ben Sepp, Stephen Bacho, Tyler Lawhorne, Eric Clayton, Brendan Peck, Avery Merolla, Connor Rayburn, Jonah Darcy, and Treve Darby and coached by Bill Mulford and Travis Darcy, earned a hard-fought win over the Magic to claim the B title. The tournament championship was a fitting end to a season highlighted by the Timberwolves’ 17-point-per-game scoring average, led by top scorers Lawhorne and Bacho and top rebounders Darby and Rayburn.

The Magic, coached by Robert Blanchfield and Paul Brockett, were led by the unstoppable scoring of Teddy Uy (12 points) and the play of Paul Blanchfield (six points). Teammates Jaiden Proctor (two points), Cristiano Dyer, Noah Draper, Tom Brockett, Sean Hoban and Austin Bauer delivered aggressive play to keep the T-Wolves in the game.

“We’d like to thank the parents and the boys for a fun season, and the Magic for a great championship game,” said Wolves coach Darcy. “The Timberwolves were a great team with everyone contributing and a pleasure to coach.”