ITEM PHOTO BY KATIE MORRISON
Lincoln-Thomson’s Miguel Soto, left, has the height advantage on Aborn’s Hector Patient as they both go up for a rebound.
By HAROLD RIVERA
LYNN — There’s no debate that the level of basketball talent in Lynn’s high schools is a high one. Throughout the years, a long list of hoop stars have left their mark in Lynn’s high school gyms and the tradition remains strong. Many of those stars got their starts playing in the Lynn Elementary Basketball Tournament.
In its 40th year, the tournament is now as strong and exciting as it has ever been. Sean Morris, the tournament’s organizer, said the opportunity to bring kids together from all parts of the city makes the event special.
“This is about bringing the whole city together,” Morris said. “There aren’t that many things that can bring together kids from every corner of the city. We have the East Lynn kids, the West Lynn kids, Highlands, kids from all over. They all come together in the spirit of competition and they have a great time.”
Morris has been involved with the tournament for 18 years and has spent the past six as the event’s organizer. One of the perks that comes with his involvement over the years is the opportunity to see future basketball stars at a young age.
“One of the big things that we see is kids play here and we kind of remember their names,” Morris said. “Then five or six years later, you see their names in the paper at English, Classical, Tech, St. Mary’s. A couple kids on the St. Mary’s team that’s playing in the (Division 4 state) final played here.”
Morris recalled a handful of former tournament participants who grew into successful basketball players. He added that the opportunity to follow their careers provides him with a sense of pride.
“The big one is always Antonio Anderson,” Morris said. “You could tell right away that he was going to be a special player. Ryan Woumn, who went to East Tennessee, Jasper Grassa, guys like that. Even before them, there have been a lot of different boys and girls and you could see from then how special they were.”
Morris added, “Things like that, you take a sense of pride in the city when you see kids represent.”
Although the main focus of the tournament is on the kids playing in it, the volunteers who devote their time also play a pivotal role. Chris Miller, who’s in her 25th year as a tournament volunteer, has come away impressed with the dedication that the players have shown on the court.
“The kids are amazing,” Miller said. “It gives them something to do and a safe place to be. They’re dedicated to it and they’re amazing.”
Many of the kids that take part in the action also get the chance to build friendships with one another through after school programs. That allows the tournament to develop a sense of friendly competition.
“What’s really nice about it is that a lot of them go to after school programs together so it’s a friendly competition between most of them,” Miller said. “It’s really nice.”
Miller added, “It’s the best thing I do all year, it really is. I’ve been volunteering every year for 25 years. It’s been great, I love it.”
RESULTS
Day 2 of the 40th Annual Lynn Elementary Basketball Tournament tipped off Friday afternoon at Pickering Middle School.
First up was a Division 1 girls matchup between Cobbet and Callahan, and there was no shortage of excitement. After being down by two at the half, Cobbet engineered a late surge and tied the game at 14 with under a minute to go in regulation, sending the teams into the first overtime game of the year. Cobbet’s Diana Buenrostro came alive at just the right time, scoring six of her team-high 12 points in OT and leading Cobbet to the 21-17 victory. Arizona Hashani also had six for Cobbet. Callahan’s high scorers were Linda Jallow (14) and Ashley Alukonis. Cobbet takes on Hood today at 2:30 p.m.
Game 2 saw a switch over to boys Division 2 action where perennial rivals Aborn and Lincoln-Thomson clashed once again. It was a back-and-forth affair from the start but in the end, Lincoln-Thomson eked out the 17-14 win. Roman Valdez had five for L-T while Almani Medina and Miguel Soto had four apiece. Aborn’s high scorer was Hector Patient with eight. Lincoln next plays Fallon today at 3:45 p.m.
In Division 1 boys play, Sisson took on Hood. Sisson led this one wire to wire and took the game, 37-18. Sisson was led by Joel Maggs (10), Jason Wheeler (9 points) and Andrew Korona (eight). Hood’s high scorers were Ranciel Castillo with six and Jayden Cepeda with five. Sisson plays again today at 5:00 p.m. against Tracy,
In the final game of the night, reigning champs Lynn Woods took on the boys of Drewicz. Lynn Woods could not make it a repeat this year as they fell to Drewicz, 17-6. Dahrien Bernabel came off the bench for Drewicz and scored a game-high 13 points in the win. Andrew Raney, Josean Castillo and Tyler Cormier each scored a basket for Lynn Woods. Drewicz takes on the winner of next week’s Brickett/Sewell-Anderson matchup in the semifinal.
Play resumes on Saturday with seven games scheduled starting at 9:30 a.m.All games are played at Pickering Middle School and admission is just $1.