Red Wings Claim Holiday Tournament Championships
The 47th Annual Rivers Holiday Basketball Tournament headlined the first weekend of winter break on campus, but both the boys’ and girls’ ice hockey teams were in action as well with all four squads closing 2016 out with solid performances.
The boys’ and girls’ varsity basketball teams were each crowned champions of the Rivers Holiday Tournament on December 17 following two entertaining championship games. Fan support was fantastic throughout the weekend as alumni, parents, students, and friends packed Benson Gym to cheer on the Red Wings.
The varsity girls’ basketball squad successfully defended their Holiday Tournament title with a pair of impressive wins over NEPSAC Class A foes Marianapolis Prep and Northfield Mt. Hermon School. In the semifinal, Coach Bob Pipe got double-digit scoring efforts from four players to push the Red Wings past Marianapolis, 60-51. In Saturday’s championship game, the girls overcame a 13-point halftime deficit to defeat NMH, 50-48, behind strong performances by Fiona Finn ’19 (18 points, 7 rebounds, 10/10 free throws) and Tess Sussman ’18 (16 points, 4 steals).
Tess was named Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament while Fiona was named to the All-Tournament Team. Joining them on the All-Tournament team were Marianapolis’ Olivia Summiel and NMH’s Allie Lopes and Silke Milliman.
The varsity boys’ basketball team claimed its second Holiday Tournament title in the last three years, besting ISL rival Thayer Academy, 78-44, in Saturday’s championship. Coach Keith Zalaski’s team outscored its opponents – The Gunnery School, Beaver Country Day, and Thayer – by a combined 104 points and shot an astounding 53.4 percent from the field to run away with the tournament championship.
Jermaine Samuels ’17 and Azar Swain ’17 were named co-Most Outstanding Players and were named to the All-Tournament team. Joining them on the All-Tournament team were Thayer’s Jayvaughn Edmonds and Jordan Mello-Klein; and Holderness School’s Sukh Mathon.
Click here for a photo gallery from the 2016 Rivers Holiday Tournament.
Click here for a photo gallery from the 2016 Rivers Holiday Tournament.
The varsity boys’ hockey team started their winter break with three games at the St. Sebastian’s Tournament. On Friday, the Red Wings knocked off Northwood School (NY), 4-3, in a shootout, after Frank Ferrara ’17 buried the only goal from either team. Saturday saw them fall, 4-3, to the eventual tournament champions, St. Andrew’s College (Ontario), before rebounding with a 3-0 win over Williston Northampton School.
The varsity girls’ hockey team had a strong showing at the Southfield School Tournament, scoring wins over Middlesex School (6-2) and Kimball Union Academy (1-0) and a tie against NEPSAC Division II rival, Southfield School.
An eventful weekend of Rivers sports closes out a strong 2016 for the Red Wings and all four teams will look to build on this momentum in 2017! Go Rivers!
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