Watertown Recreation
Donohue’s Kaos’ Louis Dale looks to pass the ball to teammate JD Donohue.
The finals of the Papas Elite Summer Basketball league started with a thrilling first game, while the O’Brien-Jerahian Legends semifinals provided some surprises, according to reports from Watertown Recreation.
In one of the most competitive games this season, Donohue’s Kaos edged Game Creek by the score of 48-46 in Game 1 of the Papas Elite finals. Rochester graduate Seth Hauben enjoyed a monster game and led Donohue’s Kaos with a team high 21 points.
Louis Dale was also a huge factor to Donohue’s Kaos’ win as he added 10 points to the final score. However, Jonah Travis was able to keep Game Creek in the game with 27 points until the final buzzer went off.
With minutes remaining in the game, Travis went 18 for 19 at the foul line to bring Game Creek right back into the game. The game was back into a few point differential as Donohue’s Kaos scored, and kept possession with seconds remaining, allowing them to win the game and lead the championship series 1-0 in the best-of-three series.
Game 2 is Tuesday, Aug. 9 at 8 p.m. and, if necessary, Game 3 will take place Thursday, Aug. 11 at 8 p.m. All games are played at the court at Saltonstall Park, behind the Watertown Boys & Girls Club.
O’Brien-Jerahian Legends
Watertown Recreation
Kaos Club’s Matt Wendorf (left) and Control Club’s Stephen Keuchkarian (right) fight for a loose ball in the O’Brien-Jerahian Legends semifinals
Kaos Club took the lead in the best-of-three series with a 49-42 win over Control Club. It was a big game for Kaos Club’s Mark English and Steve O’Donnell scoring 10 points each of the team’s 49. Stephen Keuchkarian (15 points) kept Control Club in the game as they lead the half by 4. Kaos Club captured the win as Dave Born hit 6 free throw attempts towards the end of the game, allowing them to lead the series.
Control Club upset Kaos Club to tie the series 1-1 as Control Club’s Ryan Gleason scored a team high of 11 points. Although Control Club was able to lead for most the second half, Matt Wendorf helped keep Kaos Club in the game by adding a game high 17 points to the final score. Both teams fought hard with strong defense, and smart offensive shots. However, Control Club was able to capture a steady lead early on to win the game 46-38.
In the other semifinals Finnegan Club upset the number one team in the Legends League. In Game 1, Sinan Ashkouri and Drew Zacek helped lead Finnegan Club to victory with 21 and 17 points respectively. It was clear from the start that Johnson Club would come out on top as they maintained a strong and steady lead and style of play throughout the entire game. Johnson Club’s Rob Kulch helped to keep Johnson Club in the game by scoring a team high 16 points. However, that was not enough to stop Johnson Club from winning 59-43.
Finnegan Club advanced to the championship round with a 55-52 victory over Johnson Club. The game was never in doubt for Finnegan Club as they led from the start, and stretched the lead to nine points by half time. John Griffin lead the way for Finnegan Club with a team high of 16 points. With aggressive play and a high pace game, Johnson Club’s Steve O’Donnell was able to pencil in 17 points for the number one seed with the help of Mike Bedrosian (10 points). Finnegan Club sent Johnson Club home as they advanced to the final round.
Game 3 of the series between Kaos Club and Control Club will be played Tuesday, Aug. 9 at 7 p.m.
The finals start Thursday, Aug. 11 at 7 p.m. Game 2 will be Tuesday, Aug. 16 at 7 p.m. and the third and final game, if necessary will be played Thursday Aug. 18 at 7 p.m.