DENVILLE - The Denville PAL 6th-grade travel basketball team had problems with Roxbury’s second-half pressing defense and the result was a 70-46 second-round loss in a Lakeland Youth Basketball League playoff game played at Roxbury on Wednesday, March 3.
Denville opened the game by taking a 13-10 lead after on quarter of play, but Roxbury had a 16-10 advantage in the second period to take a 26-23 lead at the half.
Roxbury went into its pressing pressure defense in the third period and took advantage of some errors to outscore Denville 21-12 and take a 47-35 lead into the final quarter.
Roxbury closed out the game by outscoring Denville 23-11 in the fourth period.
Jake Voelkner led Denville in scoring with nine points while Luidgi Faubert added eight. John Scalera, Marc Andrian, Jared Badalamenti and Juan Pinedo each finished with six points; Michael Thomas added three points; and Ryan Chegwidden had two points to complete the scoring for Denville.
"The game was close for the first half," said Denville assistant coach Joe LaRiccia after the game. "In the second half, though, Roxbury started to press and they ran it very well and it caused some problems for us.
"Overall, however, the season was a very successful one and the boys should be proud of their 12-6 record."
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Denville tops Jefferson in first-round playoff game
DENVILLE - Jake Voelkner and Ryan Chegwidden each sank key fourth-quarter field goals and Joe LaRiccia made a pressure-packed free throw as the Denville PAL 6th grade boys travel basketball team held off Jefferson, 46-42, in a Lakeland Youth Basketball League first-round playoff game played at Valleyview Middle School here on Monday, March 1.
Denville (12-5) held a 13-11 lead after one quarter, was ahead 23-19 at the half, and took a 39-32 lead into the final quarter of play.
But Jefferson rallied to cut the gap to one point before Voelkner and Chegwidden scored on consecutive trips up the court to put Denville’s lead back to five points.
Jefferson scored again to pull to within three with 35 seconds left in the game only to have LaRiccia go the line and hit one of two free throws to put the Denville lead back up to four points.
"Jake and Ryan's field goals were huge because they gave us a bit of a comfort zone," said Denville assistant coach Joe LaRiccia after the game. "And Joe's free throw that put us up by four was big because Jefferson has some excellent 3-point shooters - probably the best from long range we have seen all year."
Young LaRiccia finished as Denville’s high scorer with 12 points while Chegwidden added eight. Luidgi Faubert finished with seven points; Voelkner and Marc Andrian each had six points; Michel Chapman finished with three points; and Jarad Badalamenti and Juan Pinedo each had two points to complete Denville’s scoring.
Denville's next playoff game is scheduled for Wednesday, March 3, against Roxbury at Roxbury at 7:30 p.m.
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Denville awaits playoffs after finishing 11-5
DENVILLE - The Denville PAL 6th-grade boys travel basketball team closed out its regular season in the Lakeland Youth Basketball League with a 50-44 loss to first-place Randolph in a game played at Valleyview Middle School on Saturday, Feb. 13.
Denville (11-5) took a 13-9 lead at the end of the first quarter but Randolph (13-1) came roaring back in the second period and outscored Denville, 19-4, to take a 28-17 lead into the halftime break.
Denville came back at the league leaders again with a 15-9 third period to cut the Randolph lead to five points, but Randolph increased its lead to 10 points midway through the final period to seal the victory.
Denville's Marc Andrian led all scorers with 13 points. Michael Chapman added seven points; Jared Badalamenti, Jake Volkner and Ryan Chegwidden each finished with five points; Michel Thomas had four points; Joe LaRiccia added three points; and Luidgi Faubet had two points to complete the Denville scoring.
The league playoff will begin this weekend and the schedule will be announced as soon as the brackets are completed.
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Roxbury 4th-quarter burst edges Denville
DENVILLE - For the second time in less than two weeks, the Denville PAL 6th grade boys basketball travel team lost to Roxbury in a Lakeland Youth Basketball League game.
While the more recent game - a 48-34 Roxbury victory at Roxbury on Friday, Feb. 5 - was by a bigger margin than the earlier game - a 43-37 Roxbury victory at Denville on Tuesday, Jan. 26 - Denville was very much in the game up to the final period of play the second time around.
Roxbury held a one-point lead at the half and took that same one-point advantage into the fourth period before the game changed with Roxbury gaining the momentum.
Roxbury turned up its full court press and Denville didn’t have the passing to answer it and the winners closed out the game with an 18-5 fourth-period run.
Marc Andrian had a team-high 13 points for Denville while Michael Chapman added six points; Jake Volkner scored five; Juan Pinedo finished with four points; and Jared Badalamenti, Joe LaRiccia and Luidgi Faubert each had two points.
Denville, which is now 11-4 for the season, faces Randolph-Blue in a 10:45 a.m. game next Saturday, Feb. 13, at Valleyview Middle School.
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Denville falls to Montville rally in last four minutes
DENVILLE - The Denville PAL sixth-grade boys travel team, leading by three points with four minutes to play, saw Montville score three consecutive baskets on turnovers to take the lead and send Denville to a 36-32 defeat in a Lakeland Youth Basketball League game played at Montville on Saturday, Jan. 30.
Montville then finished the game by going 6-for-9 from the free throw line when Denville (11-3) was forced to foul.
The game was close throughout with Montville holding a one-point lead at 14-13 at the half and taking a 22-20 lead into the final period before Denville went on a spurt to claim its three-point lead that Montville quickly erased.
Marc Andrian and MIchael Chapman each scored 12 points to lead Denville in scoring. Jared Badalamenti, Luidgi Faubet, Joe LaRiccia and Juan Pinedo each had two points for Denville.
Next up for Denville is a 7:45 p.m. road game at Roxbury on Friday, Feb. 5.
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Denville leads from start to finish to grab 11th win
DENVILLE - The Denville PAL 6th-grade boys travel basketball team led from start to finish to record its 11th victory of the season, a 45-23 decision over Randolph White in a Lakeland Youth Basketball League game played at Randolph on Wednesday, Jan. 27.
Denville (7-2) led 9-7 after one period and increased its lead to 21-11 at the half with a 12-4 second-quarter run. Denville outscored Randolph 12-6 in each of the final two quarters to clinch the victory.
Marc Andrian scored 12 points to lead Denville with Michael Chapman, Michael Thomas and Juan Pinedo each adding six points. John Scalera added five points; Joe LaRiccia and Luidgi Faubert each had four and Ryan Chegwidden finished with two points to round out Denville's scoring.
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Denville loses again as record slips to 10-2
DENVILLE - After winning its first nine games of the season, the Denville PAL 6th-grade boys travel basketball team lost its second game in five days, this one a 43-37 defeat at the hands of Roxbury in a Lakeland Youth Basketball League game played at Roxbury on Tuesday, Jan. 26.
Roxbury held leads of 15-4 at the end of the first quarter and 26-12 at the half before Denville (10-2) went on a third-period 18-6 run to close the gap to two points at 32-30 going into the final period of play.
Roxbury was able to solve Denville's full-court press in the fourth period and went on an 11-7 run in the final seven minutes of play to seal the victory.
Denville's Marc Andrian led all scorers with 20 points. Joe LaRiccia added five points; Michael Chapman and John Scalera each had four points; and Juan Pinedo and Jake Volkner each finished with two points to round out Denville�s scoring.
Denville's next opponent is Randolph with the two teams scheduled to meet at Randolph on Wednesday, Jan. 27, at 6:30 p.m.
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Denville recovers with 38-26 win over Parsippany
DENVILLE - The Denville PAL 6th-grade boys travel basketball team bounced back from its first loss of the season by leading from start to finish in a 38-26 victory over Parsippany in a Lakeland Youth Basketball League game played at Valleyview Middle School here on Saturday, Jan. 23.
An aggressive man-to-man full-court press enabled Denville (10-1) to take a 13-3 lead after the first period and extend the margin to 15 at 27-12 by the halftime break.
Denville�s Michael Chapman led all scorers with 18 points while Joseph LaRiccia added 10, Jake Voelkner and Juan Pinedo each had four points and Michael Thomas finished with two points.
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Denville suffers first loss of the season
DENVILLE - Mount Olive got its revenge on the Denville PAL 6th-grade boys travel basketball team by scoring a convincing 37-23 victory that handed Denville its first loss of the season in a Lakeland Youth Basketball League game played at Mount Olive on Friday, Jan. 22.
Just the week before, Denville had knocked Mount Olive from the ranks of the unbeaten with an 53-45 victory in a game that was played at Valleyview Middle School here.
On Tuesday, however, Mount Olive (10-1) jumped out to a 15-2 lead at the end of the first quarter, a lead it never lost the rest of the game.
Denville (10-1) closed a 20-6 halftime deficit to six points with an 11-3 burst in the third period could get no closer as Mount Olive outscored Denville, 14-6, in the final quarter to seal the victory.
Jared Badalamenti, Michael Chapman and Joe LaRiccia each had six points for Denville. Michael Thomas and John Scalera each had two points and Juan Pinedo had a free throw to complete the scoring for Denville.
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Denville hands Mount Olive first loss of season, 53-45
DENVILLE - The Denville PAL 6th-grade boys travel team went on a 13-5 run in the last three minutes of the game to beat Mount Olive, 53-45, in a Lakeland Youth Basketball League game played at Valleyview Middle School here on Saturday, Jan. 16, that was billed as the "Battle of the Unbeatens."
Both teams brought unbeaten 8-0 records into the game and the back-and-forth contest went into the final minutes of play tied at 40 before Denville went on its game-ending, game-winning run.
Denville and Mount Olive will go at it again on Friday, Jan. 22, in a 6 p.m. game at Mount Olive when Denville puts its 9-0 record and first-place division standing on the line on Mount Olive's home court.
"It was a great game ... just a great game," Denville head coach Joe LaRiccia said after the game. "We were able to finally pull away at the end when our press worked for us and the kids hit their free throws."
Denville was 17-for-33 from the free throw line for the game and 8-for-12 in the final period when the game was decided.
Marc Andrian led a balanced Denville attack with 11 points; Ryan Chegwidden and Michael Chapman each scored 10 points; and Jake Voelkner finished with nine points to pace the Denville offense.
Joseph LaRiccia scored five points; John Scalera had three; Jared Badalamento and Luidgi Faubert each scored two points; and Juan Pinedo rounded out the scoring for the winners by scoring a free throw.
And they get to do it all over again on Friday.
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8-0 6th-graders face big game with 8-0 Mount Olive next
DENVILLE - The Denville PAL and Mount Olive 6th-grade boys travel basketball teams will put their 8-0 records on the line Saturday, Jan. 16, when the two teams meet head on in a 10:45 a.m. game at Valleyview Middle School here.
At stake is sole possession of first place on top of the Lakeland Youth Basketball League�s 6th-Grade Boys B-Division standings.
Denville maintained its unbeaten record with a 41-20 victory over Hackettstown in a game played at Valleyview on Tuesday, Jan. 12.
Denville took a 24-16 lead into the final period of play where it broke open the game by going on a 17-4 run to close out the game.
Marc Andrian scored eight of his game-high 14 points in the final period while Joe LaRiccia added three and Jake Voelkner, Michael Chapman and John Scalera each contributed two points to the winning run.
Scalera finished the game with seven points; Chapman had five; Jarad Badalamenti and Scalera each wound up with four points; Voelkner had a total of three for the game; and Ryan Chegwiden and Michael Thomas each had two points to complete Denville's scoring.
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Unbeaten 6th-Graders improve to 7-0 with big win
DENVILLE - The unbeaten Denville PAL 6th-grade boys travel basketball team exploded for 23 points in the second quarter and eased to a 53-11 victory over High Point White in a Lakeland Youth Basketball League game played at Valleyview Middle School here on Saturday, Jan. 9.
Denville's strong defense, control of the defensive boards and several fast-break baskets in the first half led to the one-side score as Denville improved to 7-0 for the season.
Marc Andrian led all scorers with 12 points. Ryan Chegwidden, John Scalera, Michael Thomas and Jake Voelkner each added six points; Jared Badalamento, Joseph LaRiccia and Juan Pinedo each scored four points; Michael Chapman finished with three points; and Luigdgi Faubert had two points as all the Denville players who suited up scored.
Next up for Denville is a 6:30 p.m. game against Hackettstown on Tuesday, Jan. 11, at Valleyview.
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Denville improves to 6-0 with 34-22 win over Parsippany
DENVILLE - Marc Andrian and John Scalera led a first-half surge that sent the unbeaten Denville PAL 6th-grade boys travel basketball team into a lead it never lost in a 34-22 victory over Parsippany in a Lakeland Youth Basketball League game played at Parsippany on Friday, Jan. 8.
The win was Denville�s sixth of the season.
Andrian scored eight of his game-high 14 points and Scalera scored four points as Denville moved out to a 14-8 halftime lead. Denville extended its lead to 10 points after an 8-4 third-period run and then outscored Parsippany 12-10 in the final quarter to seal the victory.
Joseph LaRiccia and Scalera each finished with six points; Jake Voelkner added four points; and Michael Thomas and Juan Pinedo each had a field goal to complete Denville�s scoring.
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Sixth-graders improve to 5-0 with 29-20 win
DENVILLE - Denville PAL's 6th-grade boys travel basketball team's pressure defense shut down High Point without a point in the third period en route to a 29-20 Lakeland Youth Basketball League victory in a game played at Valleyview School on Tuesday, Dec. 15.
The win kept Denville unbeaten at 5-0 on the season.
High Point held a 5-4 lead after one period of play, but Denville rallied with an 8-4 second quarter to take a 12-9 lead at the half, a half in which the lead changed hands five times.
In the third period, Denville outscored High Point 13-0 to take a 25-9 lead into the final period of play. Ryan Chegwidden scored all four of his points for the game in the quarter while Joe LaRiccia, Jake Voelkner, Michael Chapman and Mark Andrian each added two points and Juan Pinedo sank a free throw.
High Point wasn't finished, however, as it rallied once again, closing the gap to five points at early in the fourth period, a period that saw High Point outscore Denville, 11-4.
Andrian was Denville's high scorer with eight points for the game; Chegwidden, LaRiccia, Voelkner and Chapman each finished with four points; Luidgi Faubert and Jarad Badalamenti each had two points; and Pinedo finished with his free throw.
With the league shutting down for the holidays, Denville won't return to action until Friday, Jan. 8, 2010, when the team travels to Parsippany.
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Big second quarter sends 6th-grade boys to fourth win
DENVILLE - A 15-4 second quarter run gave the Denville PAL's 6th-grade travel team a commanding 24-10 lead on the way to a 52-35 victory over Jefferson in a Lakeland Youth Basketball League game played at Valleyview School on Saturday, Dec. 12.
Denville, which scored the opening basket and never trailed throughout the game, improved its unbeaten record to 4-0 with the victory.
Marc Andrian and John Scalera each scored four points to key the second-period outburst and the Denville defense was exceptionally strong as it held Jefferson to only four points during the quarter and 10 points in the first half.
Andrian finished with a game-high 12 points and Jake Voelkner added 11 points for Denville.
Michael Chapman had seven points, Scalera finished with six points and Ryan Chegwidden, Luidgi Faubert, Jared Badalamenti and Michael Thomas each had four.
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Late third-period run keys Denville victory
DENVILLE - The Denville PAL unbeaten 6th-grade boys basketball team broke open a close game with a five-point run to close the third period and went on to score a 35-24 victory over Rockaway in a Lakeland Youth Basketball League game played at Valleyview School on Tuesday, Dec. 8.
Denville (3-0) led 12-11 after a slow first half and maintained its one-point lead at 22-21 with three minutes left in the third period before going on its five-point flurry to take a 27-21 advantage into the final period.
Marc Andrian, who led all scorers with 16 points, started the run with a field goal and Joe LaRiccia followed with a steal and a layup before Ryan Chegwidden's free throw capped the run and sent Denville into the final quarter with a six-point lead.
Denville's defense held Rockaway to three points in the final period as Denville moved out to its 11-point victory.
Juan Pinedo and Jake Voelkner each finished with six points for Denville; LaRiccia, John Scalera and Michael Chapman each added two points; and Chegwidden's free throw rounded out the Denville scoring.
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Andrian, Chapman lead way as Denville tops Vernon
DENVILLE - The Denville PAL 6th-grade boys basketball team won its second straight Lakeland Youth Basketball League game by beating Vernon, 40-24, at ValleyView School on Saturday, Dec. 5.
Marc Andrian led the way by scoring 14 points and Michael Chapman added nine.
Andrian scored 12 of his 14 points in the first half when Denville took a 20-8 lead. Juan Pinedo scored all six of his points in the second half when Denville sealed its victory.
Joe LaRiccia and Jake Voelkner each scored four points; Michael Thomas added two points; and Ryan Chegwidden scored on a free throw to complete the scoring for Denville.
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Denville holds off High Point to win season opener
DENVILLE - Mark Andrian scored 19 points to lead the Denville PAL 6th-grade boys basketball team to a 39-30 victory over High Point in the Lakeland Youth Basketball League season-opener for both teams at High Point on Friday, Dec. 4.
Denville broke out to an early lead and never did trail, although High Point closed to 35-30 with three minutes to go before Andrian and Ryan Chegwidden scored the final two field goals of the game.
Joe LaRiccia finished the game with five points; Chegwidden had four; Jake Voelkner added three; and John Scalera, Luidgi Faubert, Jarad Badalementi and Michael Thomas each had a field goal.
