Eva Chapman
Photos and text
Special to The Express
The energy inside the Halifax Elementary School gym flowed through the air during multiple nail-biting championship basketball games on Friday, March 21.
During a series of exciting games, six Halifax boys basketball teams went head to head to secure the championship trophy for their age bracket. The third and fourth grade teams played first, followed by the seventh, eighth and ninth, with the fifth and sixth grade teams facing off for the final game.
The opening match featured the third and fourth grade Knicks and Trailblazers going up against each other, and the game resulted in the Knicks coming out victorious. The end score was 18-8.
The seventh, eighth and ninth grade teams, the Jazz and Spurs, were more than ready for their game. This game was particularly special for the freshmen in high school, as this was their last season playing for the Boys Recreational Basketball. Every player, and even their supporters in the crowd, made sure this final night counted. The lead shifted back and forth throughout the game, leaving the crowd on the edge of their seats waiting to see who would take home the win.
With one second left, and a score of 45-43, the Spurs in the lead, Ryan Green from the Jazz was fouled, taking three free throws. He made one of them, bringing the score up to 45-44, and on his last shot Ronan Mackinaw jumped in for the rebound and threw the shot up with less than a second left, winning the game by a margin of just one point with a buzzer beater.
Green, with 20 points, and Mackinaw, with 12 points were the lead scorers for the Jazz. For the Thunder, freshman Neyson Dos Santos led the team with 16 points in total.
The night wrapped up with an electrifying game between the fifth and sixth grade Lakers and Thunder. The players brought all their gameday energy, making for a heated match, and in the end the Lakers pulled through with the win by eight points, the final score being 40-38.
Mark McGary from the Lakers and Dylan Grossman from the Thunder were the lead scorers for their teams, putting up 15 points and 11 points respectively.
The excitement of the night was not just confined to the basketball court, however. To end the season, president of Halifax Boys Recreational Basketball Pete Barone presented the “Pulliam Sportsmanship” award and “Wilmarth Leadership” award to one player in each grade to recognize them for their dedication and the impact they had on their teams.
Nominated for the third and fourth grade “Pulliam Sportsmanship”: Tyler Gangon (Warriors), Lucas Fernandes (Pistons), Gabriel McIver (Knicks) and Javonte Paris (Trailblazers).
For the third and fourth grade “Wilmarth Leadership”: Tommy Tedesco (Knicks), Michael Vella (Pistons), Brayden Wyman (Warriors) and Alex Sciulli (Trailblazers).
For the fifth and sixth grade “Pulliam Sportsmanship”: Kaden Laing (76’ers), Jaxson DiSesa (Thunder), Bobby McCarthy (Nuggets), Alec Jeronimo (Lakers), Anthony Pollara (Celtics) and Evan Littlefield (Bucks).
For the fifth and sixth grade “Wilmarth Leadership”: Dylan Grossman (Thunder), Danny Tedesco (Nuggets), Seth Johnson (Celtics), Tyler Greene (76’ers), Zach McAuliffe (Lakers) and Nicky Cina (Bucks).
For the seventh, eighth and ninth grade “Pulliam Sportsmanship”: Koen Morris (Bulls), Jacob Willis (Spurs), Aiden Crawford (Mavericks) and Ethan Castle (Jazz).
And finally, for the seventh, eighth and ninth grade “Wilmarth Leadership”: Ryan Carroll (Mavericks), Colin Izzo (Spurs), Mike McNeeley (Jazz) and Charlie Eldridge (Bulls).
Fernandes, Sciulli, Jeronimo, McAuliffe, Morris and Izzo were each presented with the award in their respective category. These awards reflected their hard work, and their victories were celebrated by their teammates, coaches and their supporters in the bleachers.
This series of events marked the end of the 2025 Boys Recreational Basketball season, and the basketball community will come back together in January of 2026, where the program’s town legacy and success will continue to thrive.