The 2023 Booster Basketball season for the 6th grade boys and girls was absolutely electric. Players on every team gave it their all to try to win the championship. There were ups and downs throughout the season but that did not stop anybody from giving it their all.

For the 6th- and 7th-grade girls basketball, the finals came down to the two top teams all season, Kentucky Vs Duke.  Duke was led by tough-as-nails Brooke Giorodano and Roxy Bishop.

Kentucky showcases one of the best slashers in the league in Ronese Jones. You could feel the championship intensity right from tipoff. It was an absolute defensive showdown to start the game, each team forcing turnovers and creating havoc on both sides of the ball.

Roneese Jones got the Wildcats on the board first to go up 2-0. Brooke Giordano answered right back with a layup of her own. The teams went back and forth trading stops on the defensive end.  Duke took the lead at the end of the quarter to go up 7-6.

There was a massive momentum change to start the second quarter. Duke decided to turn up the heat and come out in a half-court press against the Kentucky offense.

They forced three straight turnovers, resulting in a quick 6-0 run and going up 16-6 with 4:28 to go in the second quarter. Kentucky regrouped and answered right back.

Thanks to an Emme Gerson contested layup, Kentucky was able to get the lead back down to single digits going into the half.

Coming out of the half Duke made it an emphasis to take care of the basketball with long possessions, and they did just that. After a high pick from Roxy Bishop, Brooke Giordano drove to the lane to pick up a crucial and-one with 1:08 to play, putting the Blue Devils up 20-8 in the third quarter.

Duke began to sense a victory after that play. Although Jones was determined to keep the Wildcats in the game, it just wasn’t enough in the end as Duke won the championship by a score of 36-11.

Giordano after the game said “It was a great win, we really played well on offense and defense which was enough to win us a championship. With my brothers in the stands cheering me on, I knew we could do this.  Now we get to go to Dunkin Donuts!” Giordano led all scorers with 11 points.

For the boys’ matchup of Kolin vs Rothman the intensity was just as high.

Offense was on full display in this game. Brandin “BUCKETS” Dorf for team Kolin was in his bag all night, scoring from all three levels of the court.

For Team Rothman, it was star point guard Trystan Pope slicing and dicing through defenders all night. It was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams in the first quarter, but team Kolin was up 11-9 going into the break.

The battle continued with Pope and Dorf going back and forth trading buckets. Midway through the second quarter Brody Geller started cooking. The mid-range jumper from Geller was lethal and closed the gap, but Pope was relentless on offense.

The first half ended with team Kolin leading 24-23.

The second half got off to a fast start as Pope came out and hit a three pointer to retake the lead 26-24. The dynamic duo of Geller and Dorf continued to use their speed and skill in the third quarter for team Kolin.

The tandem hit shot after shot, highlighted by an emphatic and-one layup by Geller to take the lead 33-32. Geller was spectacular, scoring an unheard of 14pts in the 3rd quarter alone!

His crafty finishes around the rim and mid-range jump shots put the game out of reach for Team Kolin. The final score was 50-37 in favor of Team Kolin.

So that’s the end of the 6th and 7th grade booster basketball season. We hope everyone had a great time playing this year and come out next year to enjoy another fun and competitive season.  Thanks!

Submitted by Charlie Heller