Bucks Claim the Crown in Deep River Parks and Rec Hoops League
The Deep River Parks and Recreation Department’s winter basketball program culminated with players in 9th through 12th grade competing in the eighth annual Valley Cup Tournament. In the championship game of the tourney, the Bucks went up against the Hornets and earned a 72-60 victory to claim the trophy as the 2018-’19 Valley Cup winner. The Bucks were coached by Rob Craco and Tom Bellos. The players on the squad were Logan Bellos, Logan Bellos, Sam Craco, AJ DaRe, Zachary Figuenick, Aaron Jaynes, and Dylan LaPlace. The Hornets were coached by Tyler Saunders and Alex Tiezzi.
The Deep River Parks and Rec Department runs a winter basketball program for all area youth who are in grades 7 through 12. The 7th- and 8th-grade squads played teams from Portland, Cromwell, East Haddam, and Haddam-Killingworth during the season. The 9th- to 12th-grade teams played the other teams within their division at John Winthrop Middle School on Saturdays. This year, the program welcomed a team from Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton that joined the 9th- to 12th-grade league.
Information courtesy of the Deep River Parks and Recreation Department