The Weymouth 8th Grade Travel Basketball team defeated Braintree 51-48 in OT to win its' first 8th Grade Championship ever in the prestigious South Shore Youth Basketball League. The team finished the season with a record of 30-4 and won its last four games without one of the team's starters, Jonathan Atwater, who had his appendix removed and missed the final 5 games of the season. "How these kids have grown over the past three years, what they have accomplished, and how they did it, is truly remarkable!" exclaimed Coach Darryl Valovcin who has coached the team for the past 3 seasons.

The team had a 6-12 record as 6th Graders and as 7th Graders, the team improved their record to 9-9. Valovcin said "We played well against the good teams but had trouble against the teams that we should have beaten. We lost six games by one point. We were getting closer, but we were not quite there." During the regular season they had beaten both Marshfield (15-3) and Braintree (14-4) but were eliminated from the playoffs by Marshfield.

In their final season together, as 8th Graders, they lost their first game of the season to Braintree. The team then proceeded to win their next 15 games in a row. Highlights in this stretch were 10 point victories over Scituate (16-2) and Easton (15-3) as well as scoring 80 points versus Rockland. But the key to their success was defense. The goal was to hold the opponent to 40 points or less. The team started to pay more attention to stopping the other team, and played hard until the game was over.

Over the final 6 games, Weymouth held their opponent to less than 40 points in 4 games. They beat Marshfield for the 4th straight time, this time by 14 points, in what Coach Valovcin termed "the best game we played all year". Late in the season when Braintree lost to Marshfield, Weymouth was in first place to stay.

As the playoffs approached, Weymouth had to face Easton, Hingham, and a rematch with Braintree that would likely be for first place. They beat Easton 53-50, then played defending champion Hingham. Weymouth trailed Hingham early in the 2nd half by 14 points. Led by Nick Schmiemann along with great defensive efforts by Patrick Brady, Joey Vento, and Kyle Gill, Weymouth tied the score at 52-52 when Brian Lohmar buried a 3-pointer from the corner. Weymouth eventually lost the game by 1 point when a last second shot by Brendan Chapin rolled around the rim and fell out, but the team showed the heart of a champion during their comeback bid. "I was more proud of their effort in the loss to Hingham than I was in any of the wins during the season. They never quit." said Valovcin.

In the final game of the SSYBL season, Weymouth defeated Braintree 53-38 to claim first place. It was the first time ever for a Weymouth Travel team. Weymouth finished the SSYBL season with a record of 16-2.

Weymouth defeated Quincy in the first round of the playoffs and because of their first place finish, hosted the 8th Grade Final Four at Abigail Adams Middle School. First place Weymouth (16-2) played fourth place Hingham (13-5), and second place Marshfield (15-3) played third place Braintree (15-3).

When Weymouth fell behind by 8 points to Hingham in the second half, things didn't look good. They came back to tie the score and with 3 seconds remaining in the game Brendan Chapin hit the game winning shot to send Weymouth to the Championship game. "Before the game we talked about: ACT like a Champion. PLAY like a Champion. BEAT a Champion. BECOME a Champion. If we had lost to Hingham again, I think we all would have had an empty feeling because we had never beaten them. Nobody wanted our season to end that way." said Coach Valovcin.

Braintree defeated Marshfield in their game to advance to the Championship game to face Weymouth. Braintree and Weymouth had played each other 12 times in 3 years and knew each other well. Braintree tied the game 47-47 with a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime. In overtime, trailing by one, Mike Valovcin stole the ball for Weymouth. The steal led to two Brendan Chapin free throws. Another steal, and two more free throws by Chapin sealed the victory for Weymouth.

As the Weymouth 8th Grade Travel team celebrates its' first ever first place finish, and SSYBL Championship, it can be reassured that it was their commitment and hard work for the past 3 seasons that got them to the championship game, but it was their effort and heart that won them the championship.

Here is a quick summary from Coach Valovcin for each player:

Brendan Chapin - "One of the most talented players in the league. His last second shot beat Hingham, and his clutch free throws helped beat Braintree."

Brian Lohmar - "He can beat you outside and he can beat you inside. Best 3-point shooter on the team and a nice soft touch inside."

Chris Belisle - "Worked as hard as anyone on the team. One of the most athletic big men in the league. Unleashed the Baby Hook this year. An unstoppable move. "

Joe Urban - "He won at Sacred Heart (1st Place). He won in the JBL (Championship). He won in the SSYBL (Championship). Joe is a winner. He wins wherever he plays".

Joey Vento - "One of the quickest, fastest players in the league. A tenacious defender who would change the pace of the game."

Jonathan Atwater - "Best work ethic on the team. A great addition. Finished first in every sprint, and worked hard on both ends of the court."

Kyle Gill - "Gave the team some toughness it was lacking. If there was a loose ball or a rebound we needed to get, Kyle always came up with it."

Mike Valovcin - "Can see the whole court and always looks for the open man. Played very well defensively and came up with a big steal against Braintree when we really needed it."

Nick Schmiemann - "Always played well, but turned it up a notch towards the end of the season. He just kept getting better and better. The bigger the game, the better Nick played."

Patrick Brady - "His heart is as big as a basketball. His feisty defense was an ingredient that no other team had. He also hit two huge 3-pointers in the Championship game."