This is a great time of year, kids. The basketball postseason is here. I will do my best these next few weeks to see my friends and their teams. Let’s get things rolling.
Props to the South Williamsport Mounties. Joe Simon and his squad won the Mid Penn and tallied 20 wins. When did they move to AAA? Unfortunately, their season came to an end. A solid Mifflinburg team nipped South Side in the first round. Chin up, boys. It was a great run. Many will return next season. Kudos to my man Levi Butler. I love watching the kid play, and his family has been on my mind.
Loyalsock went on the road to beat Towanda. Young Cioffi scored 20. I love the Lancers. They have been under the radar, and they will be a tough out. My friend Ryan Cioffi has his team playing well. Saoj Jones added 15. Issac Blackwell had 11. And Breckon Gusick tallied 7. Well done.
The Millionaires survived. They knocked off Wyoming Valley West by turning up the pressure in the second half. Wow. Sophomore sensation Tevin Williams had 26. The high-flying guard had 7 dunks. Yes. 7. I was there. Front row. Coach Taylor’s guys struggled from the floor. They were ice cold. I stopped counting. But they were 0-24 from beyond the arc. Williamsport will now host Delaware Valley. A win will punch a ticket to the AAAAAA D2 Final at the Mohegan Sun Casino.
Montoursville plays a little later. Warrior Run advanced. Muncy did too. Lots of hoops. I don’t have any ties to the gals. Sorry.
Special shout to Daiton Thompson. The senior guard from St. John was recently named the MVP of the Mid-Penn Conference. Daiton is an outstanding kid. We have been buds for a few years. A fantastic player with an even better smile. I was thrilled when he got the nod. Thompson averaged 24.2 points per game. He topped 30 in six games this season. Daiton scored a career high 48 against the Bucks. He became the 26th player in school history to go over 1,000.
“Daiton is the man,” Coach Lou Roskowski mentioned. “A super hard worker who doesn’t follow the crowd. He is his own person. Daiton set lofty goals and found ways to attain them. He scored his 1,000th point. Led the area and AA in points per game. Daiton wanted that MVP. He deserved it. Daiton means a lot to me. He respected my coaching and allowed me to help him get better. That is tough to find these days, especially with the already talented players. My family adores him. He was special.”
“I had a great basketball career,” Daiton responded. “Especially playing the past four years for Coach Lou and the Knights. I was the right fit, and I have no complaints. Scoring 1,000 points and winning the Mid Penn Conference MVP were some of my highlights. They were two of my goals, and I worked extra hard to make them happen. My teammates and coaches pushed and supported me. I owe them a lot of credit.”
Daiton made the right decision. It was his call. Many folks questioned it. But Daiton prevailed. I am proud of my young friend. Congrats kid. Continued successes. He still loves the game. Cheers.
