The 17U Middlesex Magic AAU Boys Basketball team captured the First Shot Championship behind strong team defense and unselfish offense.  The team went 4-0 over the weekend to secure the title in the season’s kick-off tournament.

The team started the weekend by defeated Mass Evolution and the New England Storm on Saturday evening.  In the first game the Magic played their trademark staunch defense and held the opposition to just 12 first half points.  Leading the way on the defensive end were guards Anthony Barry and Jesse Pagliuca as well as 6’10 anchor, Pat Ackerman.  In the second half the offense started to click and Magic went on a roll led by guard Max Masucci and his 5 second half three pointers.  Patrick Connaughton defensive activity led to a handful of transition dunks, and Connor Mahoney was a force on the offensive glass helping the Magic seal their first victory.

In the second game of the evening Magic guard Anthony Barry came out very fast scoring 8 of the team’s first 10 points.  The game was close midway through the first half when guard Brian Edgerley entered and changed the entire feeling of the game.  Edgerley was energy personified as he sparked a 16-2 run with two steals, two offensive rebounds, and a passion that infiltrated the entire team.  The defense stepped up as did the ball movement with Edgerley at the helm, and the Magic closed the half with a flurry of defensive stops and transition scores.  In the second half the Magic never looked back as guards Bryan Hurley and Jesse Pagliuca led the offensive attack in a prolific scoring effort.  Guard Patrick Connaughton displayed the unselfishness that separates him from all other top flight scorers in New England notching 10 assists including many highlight reel passes for emphatic finishes from Ackerman and Barry.

The third pool play game pitted the Magic against local rival Bay State Magic in a clash of heavy weights.  The Middlesex Magic started fast with 6 points from Connaughton and a basket by Ackerman, but Bay State answered right back narrowing the gap back to 2 points.  For the remainder of the half no more than 5 points separated the two teams in a strong defensive battle. Magic big men Pat Ackerman and Eric Olsen both play extraordinary defensive against Bay State center Dennis Clifford, and guard Jesse Pagliuca stepped in and played the best defensive game of the year against strong Bay State Guards.  Connor Mahoney kept the Magic in it offensively making long range jump shots and attacking the offensive glass.  The game was decided with a 10-0 run in the second half sparked by excellent team defense and the playmaking ability of Connaughton in transition and in the post offense.  After pushing the lead to double figures the Magic salted the game away by cleaning the backboard and playing sound defense.  The victory was a hard-fought and well-earned one against a terrific Bay State team, and it poised the Magic for a the Championship game against another Bay State Magic squad.

 

The Championship game was a team effort from start to finish.  The first half was a lackluster one from a defensive standpoint for the Magic.  After allowing an average of 47 points a game to their first three opponents, the Magic allowed 30 points in the first half.  The spark that kept them close came from guard Jesse Paglicua, as he dove on the floor for two loose balls and created havoc for the Bay State team on the defensive end. 

 

In the second half, the Magic went to a change-up three quarter court defense that changed the entire completion of the game.  Connaughton gave Bay State’s guards fits on the front line, and guard Avi Adler-Cohen made three key steals leading to fast break scores.  With Avi and Anthony Barry on the second line, and big men Mahoney and Ackerman preventing any over the top passes, the Magic put the defensive clamps on as this unit went on a 18 -2 run that put the championship game away in the early part of the second half.  Aaron Haynes, Max Masucci, and Brain Edgerley finished the game strong for the Magic securing the 2010 17 U First Shot Championship.

 

The entire team displayed just how many weapons they have throughout the entire weekend.  There were multiple contributors and difference makers in each game, and it seemed as though it was a different player sparking the activity in each game.  More important than the wins though, was the consistent support of each other and chemistry that this team displayed.  These players truly enjoy working together, and it is this trait that gives them the chance to be a special team!

 

Congratulations to the 17U Middlesex Magic team – 2010 First Shot Champions!