Spring Cove Claims Silver In Class of 2029 Tournament

On Friday, April 2, and Saturday, April 3, Morrisons Cove Memorial Park hosted the second annual Class of 2029 Boy's Basketball Tournament.

Eight different 4th-grade teams from the region descended upon Martinsburg this past weekend for the two-day event. Teams in the tournament included Bedford, Bellwood-Antis, Central Cambria, Hollidaysburg, Huntingdon, Portage, Tyrone and host Spring Cove.

Bishop Guilfoyle's travel team won the inaugural event last season – with the Spring Cove entry claiming the runner-up position in 2020. This year, it was Portage's tough team effort that secured the gold medals. Spring Cove again finished second while Hollidaysburg claimed the bronze.

In the opening game on Friday night, Spring Cove made easy work of Huntingdon with a 45-8 win to send the Bearcats to the loser's bracket. Five different players scored for the Dragons in the tip-off game with all players seeing quality minutes on the court.

Spring Cove made fairly easy work of Central Cambria in the second round game, winning 34-9. The Dragons, though, met their match in the winner's bracket with Portage. The Mustangs have not lost to a team from their own grade in the past five years, and their play on the court showed just why they are so good.

Spring Cove easily had the height and rebounding edge, but the speed and team shooting of the Mustangs was just too much for the Dragons as Portage claimed a 37-19 victory to advance to the championship game.

Moving to the loser's bracket, Spring Cove faced equally matched rival Hollidaysburg for the eighth time this season. Hollidaysburg defeated Spring Cove three of four times at the Jewish Memorial Center league this season, while Spring Cove bested the Tigers two of three times at the Garver Memorial YMCA league, including a 24-20 win in the championship game.

Other games

In the third-place game, Hollidaysburg scored more field goals than the Dragons, but the difference came at the charity stripe. Between Colby Gojmerac and Landyn Kasun, Spring Cove converted on 10 of 14 foul shots – including going 2-2 with a technical foul at 0.8 seconds – to seal the deal with a 28-23 triumph.

Spring Cove still showed energy in the fourth game of the day as they faced Portage in the championship.

The Dragons would need to win two in order to claim the crown, as up to this point Portage was still undefeated. The Dragons came out on top with a 25-19 victory, forcing a rubber match.

In the nightcap, the Mustangs just had too much speed and fire power and overwhelmed the host Dragons 39-22 to claim the tournament championship. This season, Portage also won championships on the other side of the mountain with titles in the East Hills Recreation and Bishop McCort leagues.

The winning coach

Winning head coach Jeremy Burkett had this to say at the conclusion of the tournament: "Our players and parents were really excited to be a part of this tournament; we appreciate Morrisons Cove Memorial Park inviting our team. This tournament included teams that we didn't have the opportunity to see during the winter leagues, some well-coached teams and talented players. We are proud of our players [Lucas Shuniak, Conner Sciko, Gabe Johnson, Robert Bagby, Dominic Berardinelli, Owen Slanoc and Tyson Burkett] for their teamwork and effort during the tournament. We believe that our team chemistry was the reason for our success in the tournament and during our season."

The top performers

Colby Gojmerac, a 5'1" post player for Spring Cove, claimed the tournament's scoring title with 103 points in six games played for the Dragons. Gojmerac made 39 field goals over the two days while going 25-39 at the charity stripe for a 64.1 percent free-throw percentage.

The second top scorer for the weekend was Tyson Burkett of Portage with 54 points.

The remaining top scorers were Cullen Jones and Easton Metzger of Hollidaysburg, who finished with 34 and 30 points respectively in five games.

Rounding out the top five was Owen Slanoc of Portage with 21 points.

As for our local Spring Cove Boys, other top point producers were Brooks Decker with 24, Landyn Kasun with 15 and Lucas Horton with 8.

Rounding out the scoring for the rest of the Dragons over the weekend were Abel Corley, Jackson Hetrick and Troy Marks each with 4 points each.

Kaemen Oakes and Drew Dillon also entered the scoring in the book with a field goal. Decker was magnificent with his ball handling skills throughout the tournament finding the open lanes or players in order for the Dragons to score a majority of their points. Decker was also one of three players in the tournament to record a three point field goal.

Editor's Note – The Morrisons Cove Memorial Park at 201 S. Walnut St., Martinsburg, is a non-profit 501(c)3. It receives no direct government funding. The park sustains itself with revenue from the programs offered and from charitable contributions.