Delaware teams captured first place in two of the most competitive age brackets in the Mid-Atlantic Senior 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament at the Hockessin Police Athletic League.
The competition, held last Saturday, featured the best 50 years-and-over teams from West Virginia to upstate New York.
Delaware Gold, coached by Tony Figliola of Wilmington, won the 10-team, 50-54 age-bracket. The Gold defeated two teams from Pennsylvania, along with a team from New Jersey, and another from Delaware before overcoming a physical Albany, NY team in the championship game. The Gold players were: Rod Moyer, Gary Schils, Jimmy Freel, Ken Dill, D. Wilson and Joey McGuire.
The Delaware Diamonds, the reigning National Senior Games Bronze medalists, dominated the tournament’s 60-64 bracket. In the finals, the Diamonds defeated the Press Room, Empire State Senior Games Gold medalists from Oswego, NY. The Delaware Diamonds are coached by Hockessin’s Bob Heffelfinger. Players are Huey Campbell, John Lesher, Ted Brown, Bill Wagamon, and Kent St. Pierre.
Winners of the tournament’s remaining age brackets were: Cliff Peterson’s North Jersey Senior League All-Stars (65-69), Bruce Hewitt’s Virjersians (70-74), and Carl Ling’s North Jersey Senior League All-Stars (75-79).
Wilmington's Charlie Ganter, who organized the tournament, has captained Gold medal basketball teams in Delaware Senior Olympics and played in three National Senior Games.
“I was extremely pleased with the caliber of teams the tournament attracted,” Ganter said. “Almost every team in the tournament is a state or national senior champion. I hope the buzz generated by this level of competition will draw more senior hoopsters into our Delaware Senior Olympics program.”
