PRACTICE SATURDAY FEBRUARY 2

The Bulls will practice Saturday February 2 at the Peapack Gladstone Gym from 1:30 to 2:30. Please come on time and prepared to practice. We have only one hour. Ms. Becker was kind enough to keep the gym open late on Saturday at the expense of the Recreation Commission to accomodate us. Thank you Diane!

Dickenson School Problems Hamper Schedule

The Chester School District is in the midst of school renovations. Our league relied on the gym at the Dickenson School to be ready in time for the season and the playoffs. However, as with any government project, there are delays. As such, the Dickenson School is not likely to be ready any time soon.

This is clearly not the fault of the Chester Basketball League. Laurie LaSorsa, who handles scheduling for the league has done a tremendous job of handling this situation. There is always going to be a gym time shortage. Add to that, the complete elimination of a gym, and a larger-than-expected number of players, and you have a real problem getting all of the games in.

As a result, there is a new schedule, which I will publish in a subsequent post. It is available on the league's website, www.chesterbasketball.org. In addition, the post-season tournament is going to be single elimination, not double elimination as in the past. It will be "win or go home".

Bulls Tied for First in Chester League

CHESTER BASKETBALL
5TH-6TH GRADE IN TOWN LEAGUE

TEAM WON LOST PCT GB
Nets 4 1 .800 -
BULLS 4 1 .800 -
Magic 3 1 .750 1/2
Cavaliers 1 2 .333 2
Celtics 1 3 .250 2 1/2
Lakers 1 4 .200 3
Nuggets 0 2 .000 2 1/2

Week Four Activities

Wednesday Practice (4:30 to 6:00) at the Peapack-Gladstone Gym

Possible practice early Saturday afternoon.

THURSDAY'S GAME HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO SCHEDULING PROBLEMS BEYOND OUR CONTROL.

Kilgore Leads Bulls Come from Behind OT Victory

It looked like the Bulls had met their match when they fell behind the Nets by nine points in the first half. The Big Three of Sawyer Kilgore, Andrew Martin and Magic Kenny led them on an 8-0 second quarter run. The Bulls trailed the previously undefeated Nets by one at the half.

Tough defense by both teams marked the third quarter. The Nets couldn't seem to find an answer for the Bulls "Bermuda Triangle" defense, and the teams came out of the third quarter tied.

The teams played to a draw in the fourth quarter, and the rivals went to overtime, where you could cut the tension with a knife. Things looked dark when the Nets' center hit a layup, was fouled and made the free throw to put the Nets up by three. The Bulls came roaring back. Will the Thrill Howes hit a jumper from fifteen feet to bring the Bulls within one. Then Andrew Martin hit the game winner on a breakaway layup.

Sawyer Kilgore led the team in scoring with eight points. The final score was 28-27. The Bulls' record now stands at 4-1 in a tie for first with the Nets.

Bulls to face Undefeated Nets Today

The Chester Nets and their NBA counterparts are going in opposite directions. While the NBA New Jersey Nets have lost 7 straight games, the Chester Nets are undefeated this season at 4-0. They have pulled out close wins by margins of 5, 1, 2 and 5 points and sit alone atop the standings in the 5th and 6th grade division.

The Bulls and their high-powered offense average over 50 points per game. They will try to knock off the Nets and force a tie for first place. Clearly, the Nets know how to win, so the Bulls will have to take good care of the basketball in order to beat them.

Big Third Quarter Fuels Bulls Victory Over Lakers

The Bulls hosted a persistent and well-coached Lakers team Thursday night in Peapack. The Lakers kept it close in the first half, but the Bulls broke the game open with a 20-4 third quarter run on the way to a 52-23 triumph.

Will "Magic" Kenny spent most of the first half on the bench with foul trouble exploded in the third quarter with eight of his thirteen points. Magic and the Bulls dominated the boards in the third quarter. Iain Wright answered the call for more rebounds as did Andrew Martin.

Every Bull except one scored in the game. Will "the Thrill" Howes scored a season high 21 points. "Pistol" Blaine Schimoler kept his consecutive game scoring streak alive with an early first quarter bucket.

The 3-1 Bulls will host the Nets tomorrow at 11:45 am in the Peapack Gym.

Bulls Look to Get Back in Winning Ways at Home Tonight

The Bulls will host the Lakers tonight at the Peapack-Gladstone Gym. The 2-1 Bulls lost in OT on Sautrday on the road. It took a miracle 3-point buzzer beater to beat them. They will face the 1-3 Lakers, who lost to the Cavaliers on Saturday. The Bulls defeated the Cavaliers by 34 points on opening night.

The Bulls will be back to full strength tonight after playing shorthanded on Saturday.

Week 3 Schedule

The Bulls enter week three in first place, averaging 49.7 points per game and three players averaging in double figures. The schedule for the week is as follows:

MONDAY: PRACTICE 3:00 PM AT THE PEAPACK-GLADSTONE GYM

THURSDAY: HOME GAME VERSUS THE LAKERS 7:15 PM - ARRIVE AT 7:00 PM

SATURDAY: HOME GAME VERSUS THE NETS 11:45 AM - ARRIVE AT 11:30

Short-handed Bulls Lose in OT to the Magic

The Bulls played short-handed today at Bragg Middle School. Crowd favorite Iain Wright has been sick all week. He showed support for his team by coming to cheer them on. Blaine Schimoler was under the weather as well.

As a result, three Bulls ended up in foul trouble, with Will "Magic" Kenny and Will "The Thrill" Howes both fouling out.

Despite these hurdles, the Bulls almost stole a win from a feisty Magic team, losing in overtime 43-40. The Bulls did it with a tight defense led by Sawyer Kilgore and Walter Rivas. Will "The Thrill" Howes led all Bulls scorers with a dozen points.

The Bulls will be back to full strength on Thursday.

Only Snow can stop the Bulls!

A light snow covered the roads last night in Chester and Peapack-Gladstone, so the Bulls game was canceled to protect the safety of the coaches, players and families who would be travelling over the snowy roads.

Right now, snow is the only thing that can stop the Bulls. Their next game is at 3:45 pm tomorrow at the Dickenson-Bragg Schools in Chester.

Bulls Start off Strong with Two Big Wins

I thought that we had a good team, but I am more than pleasantly surprised with the Bulls' success in Games One and Two. All of the players have contributed, and it shows in the scores. We surpassed the 50-point plateau in each game and won by margins of 34 and 17 points.

In Game One, we saw a Cavalier team that was bigger and stronger than we are. We overcame their size and strength advantage with our speed, shooting and superior passing. Will "Magic" Kenny led the way with 17 points. I was particularly excited to see Blaine Schimoler score four points, to help mount up a lead that was at one point 41 points. The final score was 58-24.

Game Two was a matchup with our friends the Peapack-Gladstone Celtics. We were shorthanded, missing Devon Levine, who was a key contributor against the Cavaliers. The seven Bulls who played made up for Devon's absence with sheer hustle. Andrew Martin and Will "The Thrill" Howes both scored in double figures to lead the team to a 51-33 victory.

The Bulls are a team that can expect to win every time that they take the court. All of the players are using their heads and playing good basketball.