Mystic Valley Girls Clinch Tourney Berth

The Mystic Valley Girls Varsity Basketball team clinched a state tournament berth yesterday with a 47-30 win over conference rival Chelsea High School. The win avenged a 39-24 home loss from two weeks ago. With the win the girls improved to 10-5 overall, 6-2 in the Commonwealth Athletic Conference Small Division.
 The game was a tight one in the first half with both teams staying within 3 points of each other through two quarters. Chelsea held the lead 19-18 at the half. The Lady Eagles erupted in the third quarter taking a twelve point lead spurred on by two Jessica Phinney 3 pointers and 8 third quarter points from Jordan Sullivan. “The key to our second half burst was a better effort on the glass, getting out in transition and wearing down our opponent” said Coach Jason Cantwell.
 Sullivan led the Lady Eagles with 16 points, Phinney 15, Meghan Foley 8, Paulina Petras 4, Joanna Petras and Tiffany Gomez contributed 2 each. Rachel Tortora and Gomez played great defense on the league’s leading scorer holding her to just 3 points for the game.
The Lady Eagles return to the court at home Wednesday against Shawsheen at 5:15.
  

Mystic Valley Hockey Posts Win

The Mystic Valley Eagles hockey team got back on track with a 6-2 win over Pope John Paul.  Anthony Imbriano had a true hat trick as he scored the first three goals for the Eagles.  He followed up that feat with an amazing diving assist to feed Joey Guarino on the 4th goal.  Marc Toomajian and Evan Conley rounded out the scoring for the Eagles.
 Cam McKenna made his first high school start in net and earned the win.  Joey Whitlow, TJ Flaherty, and Peter Tamagn all had solid performances for the team.
The Eagles will return to the ice on Saturday at 11:00 at home against Tyngsborough.
  

Mystic Valley JV Boys Win

The Mystic Valley Boys JV Basketball team was able to get back on the winning sides of things Sunday afternoon at home beating a tough and disciplined Maimonides squad 39-25.
The Eagles were led by Sophomore Point Guard Raymond Leung who poured in 12 points for the Eagles. Also helping the Eagles to the win were 8th Grader Matt O’Connor (6 points), Sophomore Adam Saisad (4 blocks) and Junior Jackie Yu (8 Rebounds).
The win brings the Eagles record to 5-6 on the season. The team returns to the court when they travel to Whittier Tech in Haverhill on Tuesday January 31st.
  

Mystic Valley Girls Win Two

The Girls Varsity Basketball team moved to 9-5 on the season with a win over CAC large division opponent Lynn Tech yesterday by a 39-35 score. The win avenges an 11 point loss from earlier in the season and puts the Lady Eagles one win away from clinching a state tournament berth.
The girls held the lead at half 16-11 thanks to playing great defense. In the third quarter Mystic Valley seemed to be pulling away building a 10 point before settling for 29-21 lead entering the fourth. Lynn Tech came alive in the fourth quarter, even taking the lead on two different occasions but the Lady Eagles stayed composed and showed their mental toughness by making 8 out 11 of their fourth quarter free throws to hold on for the 4 point win.
Freshman Jessica Phinney showed a calm beyond her years going 4 for 4 in two separate 1and1 situations to tie and eventually take the lead for good. Phinney led the Eagles with 16 points followed by Jordan Sullivan 11, Foley 5 and Paulina Petras 4 to pace the Eagle scoring. The Lady Eagles return to the court Thursday, at Chelsea High School at 4:45 PM.
Prior to the varsity game, the JV Girls got back to their winning ways defeating Lynn Tech 36-16. The girls were led by a balanced scoring attack and pressure defense that harassed Lynn Tech into many turnovers. The girls we led by Martisha Timothee 9 points, Ashley Prudent 8, Sarina Charles 6 and Bailey Chicuarelli with 5. The girls return to action Thursday against Chelsea High School at 3:30.
  

Mystic Valley Girls Beat Masco

The Mystic Valley 5th & 6th grade girls basketball team beat Masco by a score of 22-12 on Saturday.
The girls were led on offense by Menel Lamadzema who is leading the team in scoring this season who had 12 points. Menel also played well on defense and had a good game passing the ball as well. Patrina Alsey and Hannah DiGiovanni each contributed 4 points for the Eagles. Leah Bissex rounded out the scoring with two points.
The girls were able to hold Masco to 12 points thanks to the efforts of Marisa Cabral and Malak Benabicho on defense. Fifth graders Michela Correale, Rachel Wronski  and Erin Zibell all played strong aggressive games and Anatasia Bessler was a powerful force on the boards for the Eagles.
The girls will take to the court again on Saturday when they host Swampscott.
  

Mystic Valley Boys Beat Georgetown

The Mystic Valley 5th/6th grade boys basketball  team won a hard fought game versus Georgetown on Saturday afternoon 39 -37.  The team’s 3 centers dominated the scoring for the team as Isaiah Granderson had 12 points, Hunter Kreis 9, and Andrew Howard added 6.  Also on the scoreboard for the Eagles were Julian Ospina with 3 points, Jimmy Arneil, Joshua Briceus, Jonah Crain, and Tyler Story added 2 apiece, while Ian Libby added a free throw. 
 “The game came down to making some clutch free throws down the stretch and we were able to do that and hold on,” stated Assistant Coach Paul DeSantis.
The team will be back in action this weekend with a home game on Saturday against Malden and at Revere on Sunday.
  

Mystic Valley Girls Beat Greater Lawrence

The Mystic Valley girls’ varsity basketball team beat Greater Lawrence 47-31. The girls led throughout sparked by a 14-4 first quarter. At halftime they led 21-12. They held a 32-23 lead after three and did not look back from there. 
Meghan Foley had 17 points, Jessica Phinney had 14 points and Jordan Sullivan had 7 points for the Eagles.  “Our team has been doing a great job in playing consistently strong on defense.  Rachel Tortora, Tiffany Gomez and Vanessa LoChirco did another amazing job containing one of the top scorers in the Commonwealth Large, allowing us to build an early lead and maintaining it throughout the game and building it to a comfortable level in the fourth quarter.  As much as these three Lady Eagles deserve credit for their hard work on defense, it was a total team effort throughout the game.”  Said coach Rahul Shah after the game.
  

Mystic Valley Wins a Thriller, Makes Tourney

In a thrilling game from start to finish, the Mystic Valley boys’ varsity basketball team defeated Greater Lawrence Regional High School, 54-51, away from home on Tuesday, January 24.

With the win, the Eagles (10-2 overall, 6-0 in the Commonwealth Athletic Conference), officially qualified for the state tournament for the fifth consecutive year.

“Like every team in Massachusetts, making the state tournament is the ultimate goal, and I’m glad we secured a berth at this time of the regular season,” said Mystic Valley head coach Tony Ferullo.  “I’m proud of my players for their accomplishment and they deserve all the credit in the world.”

Against Greater Lawrence, a very quick and athletic CAC Upper Division squad, the Eagles scratched and clawed from beginning to end.  Mystic Valley led by eight points at halftime (28-20), and only two digits (41-39) after three quarters.

The fourth quarter was a cardiac arrest special, with everyone holding onto their seats during each possession.  It was a seesaw battle for the entire fourth frame, with the Eagles holding on at the end for the impressive victory.

Mystic Valley’s top scorer for the game was senior guard Joey Foley, who scored a career-high 23 points (15 of them coming in the second half). 

“Joey was definitely the star of the game.” said Ferullo.  “He played his heart out at both ends of the court, and it seemed every time we needed a basket, he was in the right place at the right time.”

The Eagles’ next two games are Friday, January 27, when they travel to Lexington to play Minuteman High School in a 4:45 p.m. contest, and Sunday, January 29, when they host Maimonides High School of Brookline in a 3:30 p.m. tipoff.

  

Mystic Valley JV Girls Win 7th Straight

The Mystic Valley JV Girls basketball team won again on Friday, beating Chelsea 32-27. This marks the 7th win in a row for the JV Eagles.
The girls held a 17-10 advantage at halftime, but allowed Chelsea to get back into the game in the 3rd quarter due to foul trouble that continuously put Chelsea at the free throw line. In the 4th quarter Ashley Prudent (4 points) had a textbook offensive rebound and putback that gave the Eagles the lead for good. The Eagles were led offensively by a pair of 8th graders Bailey Chicuarelli who had 11 points and Sarina Charles who scored 6, Violet Sullivan and Martisha Timothee added 4 each and Jonelle Hilaire contributed 3.

Girls Team Goes to BC

Members of the 5th & 6th grade girls basketball team and their parents went to Boston College to watch the women's basketball team play Georgia Tech.  The girls are shown below posing with the Eagle's mascot. Perhaps inspired by the trip the girls went out and got a big win over Hamilton-Wenham the next day.  

  

5th & 6th Grade Boys Sweep Tewksbury

The Mystic Valley boys 5th/6th grade basketball team took both games of a home and home series from the Wamesit Warriors of Tewksbury over the weekend. 
On Saturday, the boys played their usual solid game and came away with a tough 37 – 20 victory.  The weather played a bit into the outcome as the Warriors have only 5 players to start the game but eventually finished with 10 players.  The Baby Eagles took advantage as Assistant Coach Paul DeSantis had the team sprinting from the start of the game to open up a lead which they were able to maintain.  Leading the way was Hunter Kreis with 18 points as he dominated underneath the hoop.  Andrew Howard and Ian Libby added 4 apiece, Jonah Crain had 3, and Jared Martino, Tyler Story, Jimmy Arneil, and Joshua Briceus all added a basket.
In the rematch on Sunday, the boys took off from the opening tap and dominated.  Jimmy Arneil poured in his 10 points in the first half to help send the Eagles to a 51 – 31 victory.  Hunter Kreis once again was the high scorer with 13 points but 11 different players had points in the contest.  Jared Martino, Ian Libby, and Tyler Story had 4 apiece and Ethan Nguyen added 3.  Andrew Howard, John Carlino, Isaiah Granderson, and Joshua Briceus added a basket and Julian Ospina had a free throw to round out the scoring.
The Eagles next game is Saturday afternoon in Georgetown.
  

Mystic Valley Girls Fall to Chelsea

The Mystic Valley girls’ varsity basketball team lost to Chelsea 39-24 on Friday. The score was tied 7-7 after the first quarter. The Eagles were down 13-12 at halftime but definitely still in the game against a tough Chelsea team. The third quarter proved to be the team’s downfall as the Eagles were outscored by twelve and finished down 29-16 at the end of 3.  The girls played well in the fourth but could not make up the difference.
 Jessica Phinney had 7 points, Jordan Sullivan and Meghan Foley each had 6 points to lead the Eagles’ scorers. Despite the loss coach Rahul Shah remained upbeat  “Sometimes the ball just does not fall into the hoop…sometimes we just have bad shooting days…all one can do is focus on the things they can control and success will breed out of that.  Our teams knows when the ball leaves their hands, it is no longer in their control…but they can control their sportsmanship, the ability to play  unselfishly, their attitude, their response to their mistakes  and giving 100% effort at all times…In my eyes, we were successful, as each member of the team exceeded my expectations on the things they could control and I am so proud of them for that…They showed me over the last two losses that they do not believe in moral victories…they EXPECT to win!  This is a great sign for things to come for the Lady Eagles Varsity basketball team!”  “Additionally credit goes to Rachel Tortora, Tiffany Gomez and Vanessa LoChirco, as they played GREAT defense on last years’ League MVP, holding her to 5 points.” 
  

Mystic Valley Swimmers Fall to Strong Reading Memorial High School Team

The Mystic Valley Regional Charter School swim team had its 40-meet win streak, stretching back to January of 2008, snapped on Monday, January 16. The loss came courtesy of a talented Reading team that placed fifth in the state last year among division 1 teams. Despite the stiff competition, the Eagles took Reading down to the wire, losing by a mere 10 points, 90-80.

Reading struck first, earning eight points by finishing first in the 200 medley relay. The Eagles finished second (Shane Kinnon, Christian Kinnon, Robby DeSantis, and Zack Kelso) and third (Ben Lieu, Wilson Tran, Michael Leung, and Giuseppe Iacovone), good enough for six points.

Despite finishing in second (DeSantis) and third (Fallon Bushee), the Eagles fell further behind after the meet’s second event, the 200 freestyle.

The tide turned in the 200 individual medley, however, as senior captain Shane Kinnon earned six points by finishing first. Tran finished in fourth and Nick Antonucci in fifth for the Eagles, who outscored Reading 9-7 in the event.

The Eagles had a similar result in the 50 freestyle, earning nine points for taking second (Zack Kelso), third (Robby Cummings), and fourth (Iacovone). After the 50 freestyle, the two teams were deadlocked, 31-31.

During the 100 butterfly, it seemed as though the Eagles turned a corner. DeSantis took six points by finishing first, seventh grader Leung finished second, and eighth grader Caroline Williams finished fifth. The Eagles outscored Reading 11-5 in the event, and led by six points.

The Eagles continued to pull away during the 100 freestyle, earning second (Kelso), third (Cummings), and fourth (Christian Kinnon). Again, Mystic Valley outscored Reading 9-7 and widened their lead to eight.

Reading came back strong, however, in the 500 freestyle. Bushee (second) and Tran (third) scored points for the Eagles in the event, but Reading outscored Mystic Valley 9-7.

After outscoring the Eagles 12-2 in the 200 freestyle relay, Reading reclaimed the lead for the first time since the 50 freestyle.

Over the course of the next two events, the 100 backstroke and the 100 breaststroke, Reading and Mystic Valley split points. Shane Kinnon and Allie Krasco earned first and sixth places in the backstroke; and Iacovone, Nick Antonucci, and Christian Kinnon took second, third, and fourth in the breaststroke. Going into the final event of the afternoon, the 400 free relay, Mystic Valley trailed Reading by four points.

Mystic Valley’s top 400 free relay team of Kelso, Tran, DeSantis, and Shane Kinnon battled Reading’s fastest team valiantly, but they were unable to secure a win, finishing in second place with a Sectionals-qualifying time of 3:41.01.

With the loss, the Eagles’ record stands at 7-1 overall, and 7-0 in the Commonwealth Athletic Conference.
  

Mystic Valley Girls Beat Essex Aggie

The Mystic Valley Girls Varsity Basketball team beat Essex Aggie by a score 43-33 on Tuesday. The win moves their record to 7-4 on the season.
The girls were led on offense by Meghan Foley who had 18 points followed by Jordan Sullivan with 10 and Jessica Phinney with 8. The girls were down by three at halftime but were able to outscore their opponent by 13 in the second half to nail down the win.
After the game coach Rahul Shah remarked that the game was “another great example of a total team effort as each player positively contributed to our big league win. Rachel Tortora did an outstanding job keeping their best player scoreless in the third quarter allowing us to gain and maintain the lead in the second half”. 
  

Mystic Valley JV Girls Win 6th Straight

The Mystic Valley JV Girls Varsity Basketball team has now won 6 straight to improve their overall record to 7-2 on the season with wins over PMA on Friday and North Shore/Essex Aggie on Tuesday.
On Friday the girls beat PMA by a score of 28-20. The Eagles held just a 1 point lead after 3 quarters, but were able to outscore their opponent 11-4 in the 4th quarter. Sarina Charles nailed a 3 pointer with just over 2 minutes to play to put the game out of reach and seal the victory. Charles led the Lady Eagles with 9 points off the bench, Martisha Timothee added 8, Jonelle Hilarie 7 and Bailey Chicuarelli and Ashley Prudent had 2 each.
Tuesday the Lady Eagles faced their stiffest challenge of the year facing off against North Shore Tech/ Essex Aggie. The Eagles dug themselves a hole early trailing 14-5 after the first quarter. However, the girls cut the lead to just 1 at the half and went in trailing 16-15. The JV Eagles were able to take the lead in the 3rd by pressuring NST/EA into multiple turnovers highlighted by a Miles Wentzell steal and breakaway layup that gave MV the lead for good. Martisha  Timothee led the Eagles with 13, Bailey Chicuarelli had 10 of her 12 in the second half and Gabby Elmoussaoi, Ashley Prudent, Jonelle Hilaire, Sarina Charles and Wentzell added 2 each. 

  

Mystic Valley Boy’s Win Streak at 7

The Mystic Valley boys’ varsity basketball team won its seventh consecutive game with a 75-56 road victory over North Shore of Middleton on Tuesday, January 17.With the win, the Eagles improved their overall record to 9-1, 6-0 in the Commonwealth Athletic Conference (CAC).
This CAC contest was a seesaw battle for the first three quarters.  After the first quarter, the game was tied (10-10), and Mystic Valley led by only one point (28-27) at halftime.  The third frame was even most of the way until senior forward Brian O’Connor and senior guard Greg Statho (who hit an incredible Hail Mary heave from halfcourt) connected on back-to-back three point shots to give the Eagles a seven point lead entering the fourth frame.
In the fourth quarter is when Mystic Valley turned up the tempo by playing aggressive team defense and running its fast break to perfection.
“This was a very big win for us because North Shore is in our division,” said Eagles’ head coach Tony Ferullo.  “Our team was up to the challenge when it counted most and I’m proud of how we finished business.  It was good to see how we came together and played with poise under pressure.”
Senior forward Ben Bottrell (23 points and 12 rebounds) and Statho (19 points) led the Mystic Valley scoring parade.  Coach Ferullo praised the unheralded play of Brian O’Connor who recorded a double-double (11 points and 10 rebounds).  “Brian played his heart out at both ends of the court,” said Ferullo.  “He does all the dirty work that doesn’t show up in the box score.  He rolls his sleeves up and plays the game the right way.”
The Eagles’ next game is Friday, January 20, when they travel to play Chelsea High School in a 4:45 p.m. contest.

Mystic Valley Boys Beat Stoneham

The Mystic Valley Boys 5th/6th grade basketball team defeated a pesky Stoneham team 47 – 39 on Saturday to bring their record to 4 – 2 this season.  Tough, timely defense and clutch scoring helped lead the Baby Eagles to victory. 
Jared Martino led the team with 10 points and strong defense in spite of playing a different position in this game than he is used to.  Hunter Kreis added 9 points and many blocked shots.  Julian Ospina kept the team in the game early with 6 big points.  Jimmy Arneil added 6 late in the game and Ian Libby played his usual strong game on both sides of the court and scored 5 points.  Rounding out the scoring were Tommy Callanan, Jonah Crain, Andrew Howard, Michael Sickler, and Tyler Story with 2 points apiece, Ethan Nguyen added a free throw. 
Once again, a team effort and a balanced attack helped propel the victory.  Assistant Coach Paul DeSantis credited the team’s work ethic for their early season accomplishments and is looking forward to the kids’ hard work to bring the same results for the remainder of the season.
  

Girls Top Fellowship

The Mystic Valley girls’ varsity basketball beat Fellowship Christian 58-27.  The Eagles were up at halftime 32-7.  Meghan Foley had 14 points, Tania Fabo and Paulina Petras had 10 points.  The Eagles are currently tied for first place with Chelsea.     

Mystic Valley Swimmers Improve to 5-0 after Defeating Lynn Tech and Greater Lowell

The Mystic Valley Regional Charter School swim team posted wins in both of its meets last week, improving the team’s 2011-2012 record to a perfect 5-0.
Two Swimmers Qualify for Sectionals/States at Lynn Tech
On Wednesday, the Eagles traveled to Lynn Tech for their first meet of the New Year. Mystic Valley’s Medley Relay teams took first (Ben Lieu, Christian Kinnon, Michael Leung, and Nick Antonucci) and second (Allie Krasco, Marisa Cagno, Caroline Williams, and Karina Hanson) places.
The Eagles never looked back, earning first, second, and third places in seven of the meet’s eight individual swimming events. Senior Captain Shane Kinnon, in one of the meet’s highlights, swam a 1:55.46 in the 200 Freestyle, fast enough to qualify for Sectionals and States. Robbie DeSantis, a junior, also broke the 2:00 mark in the event, finishing in second place.
Wilson Tran won the 200 Individual Medley with his best time of the young season, a 2:18.01. Eighth grader Christian Kinnon placed second, and sophomore Emily Williams finished third.
In the 50 Freestyle, Captain Fallon Bushee qualified for Sectionals in the 50 Freestyle, swimming a 26.95.
DeSantis continued to dominate his opponents in the meet’s next event, the 100 Butterfly, finishing in first place with a 1:00.96. Eighth graders Caroline Williams and Colleen McGlynn finished in second and third places, respectively.
Senior Captain Zack Kelso, senior Wilson Tran, and junior Giuseppe Iacovone then swept the 100 Freestyle; and Krasco, Leung, and Lieu followed suit in the 500 Freestyle.
Shane Kinnon earned another six points for his team by finishing first in the 100 Backstroke (59.49), as his teammates Bushee and Christian Kinnon pushed each other to the finish to earn second (Bushee, 1:11.32) and third (Kinnon, 1:11.72) places.
Freshman Nick Antonucci won the meet’s last individual event, the 100 Breaststroke, by swimming a personal best time of 1:12.25. Cagno and freshman Ava Asai-Sarris battled each other for second place points, and Asai-Sarris out-touched Cagno by a margin of four tenths of a second.
Eagles Defend Home Pool for the Third Time against Greater Lowell
Swimming at their new pool for the third time, the Eagles handily defeated Greater Lowell Tech on Friday. The 200 Medley Relay team of Shane Kinnon, Christian Kinnon, DeSantis, and senior Captain Zack Kelso finished almost thirty seconds ahead of its closest competition with a time of 1:48.41, the team’s best of the season and fast enough to qualify for Sectionals and States. The team of Jacqui Finn, Ava Asai-Sarris, Colleen McGlynn, and Maaya Alagappan earned third place in the same event.
Mystic Valley’s young swimmers led the way in the 200 Freestyle. Sophomore Ben Lieu won the event with a 2:14.40. Seventh grader Michael Leung took second (2:18.38), and eighth grader Kenneth Antonucci finished third (2:28.14).
After a one-event break, Shane Kinnon jumped back into the pool to win the 200 Individual Medley, swimming a 2:09.41 and qualifying for Sectionals and States.
The Eagles then swept the 50 Freestyle (Kelso, Tran, and Christian Kinnon), the 100 Butterfly (Alagappan, McGlynn, and Emily Williams), and the 100 Freestyle (DeSantis, Tran, and Robby Cummings). The 100 Freestyle was particularly notable for Mystic Valley because all three competitors swam personal best times.
Freshman Nick Antonucci won the meet’s next event, the 500 Freestyle, with a time of 6:00.36. His presence helped teammate Michael Leung shed precious second from his personal best time, and Leung finished with a 6:14.77.
Ben Lieu earned another six points for his team for finishing first in the 100 Backstroke (1:09.17, a personal best). Krasco and Kenneth Antonucci rounded out the top three in the event.
Then, Kenneth’s older brother Nick and Christian Kinnon pushed each other to finishing first and second in the 100 Breaststroke.  Kinnon won the event with a time of 1:11.15, while Antonucci finished in 1:12.
The Eagles compete next on Monday, January 16, at 4:00 pm, against a strong Reading High School team.
  

JV Girls Win Fourth Straight

The Mystic Valley JV Girls basketball team won their 4th straight game 29-16 over Northeast Tech on Friday to improve to 5-2 overall.
The girls played strong on the defensive end and led 15-8 at the half. The Eagles put the game away immediately after halftime, going on a 12-0 run to start the 2nd half. Martisha Timothee scored 6 of her team high 8 points during this stretch. Point guard Bailey Chicuarelli also added 8 points, Ashley Prudent 4, Violet Sullivan 4 and Jonelle Hilaire added 3 for the Eagles.
The girls return to the court at home Friday against PMA.
  

Mystic Valley Boys Win Fourth Straight

The Mystic Valley boys’ varsity basketball team is riding a four game winning streak, thanks to a 71-56 road victory against Northeast Metro Tech of Wakefield on Friday, January 6.

With the triumph, the Eagles improved their overall record to 6-1, 4-0 in Commonwealth Athletic Conference (CAC) play.

Mystic Valley withstood a hot shooting Northeast team to secure the victory.  The Eagles lead 34-30 at halftime, and the game was a seesaw battle throughout most of the second half.  Pressure defense and offensive execution were the key ingredients for Mystic Valley to keep its winning streak alive.

“Northeast shot an extremely high percentage for most of the game, but we hung in there from beginning to end,” said Eagles’ head coach Tony Ferullo.  “We made big plays when we had to at both ends of the court and that’s a positive sign.  Our team is playing with a lot of confidence right now.”

Mystic Valley was led in scoring by senior guard Greg Statho (21 points and five assists) and senior forward Ben Bottrell (18 points and 15 rebounds).

The Eagles next two games are at home: Tuesday, January 10, against Fellowship, and Thursday, January 12, versus Innovation Academy.  Both contests begin at 4:45 pm.
  

Mystic Valley Girls Beat Northeast

The Mystic Valley girls varsity basketball team posted a 58-24 win over Commonwealth Athletic Conference foe Northeast on Friday.  The Eagles held a lead at all stops during the game: 14-8 after one;  33-12 at half and  50-20 after three. 
Jessica Phinney had 20 points, Meghan Foley 18 points and Jordan Sullivan had 10 points to lead the way on offense.  “Our offense will ALWAYS come from our defense.  This game was a prime example of our team working together, trusting each other and work hard on the defensive end paving way for numerous scoring opportunities.  There is not a selfish bone in our team, thus making coaching very easy-I am a lucky coach to be able to coach this group of ladies!” said coach Rahul Shah after the game.  The Eagles are now 5-3 overall and 3-0 in the league. 
  

Mystic Valley Basketball Tops Minuteman

The Mystic Valley boys’ varsity basketball team welcomed in the new year in positive fashion, defeating Minuteman Regional High School of Lexington, 77-52, before a supportive home crowd in Malden.
The Eagles have now won three games in a row, improving their overall record to 5-1, 3-0 in the Commonwealth Athletic Conference (CAC). 
Mystic Valley took a 38-28 advantage into halftime against Minuteman, also a member of the CAC, thanks to its pressure defense and outside shooting.  The accurate marksmanship continued in the second half as the Eagles extended its lead to 20 points at the end of the third quarter.
In the end, Mystic Valley connected on 11 three-point shots, six of them by senior guard Greg Staho who led the Eagles with 26 points.  Senior guards Mike Levine and Kyle Howard tickled the twine for three and two long range shots, respectively, as well.
“We’ve been spending more time at practice working on our outside shooting and I’m happy that’s it’s paying off,” said Mystic Valley head coach Tony Ferullo.  “This was our best outside shooting game of the season and I hope that it continues.”
The Eagles next game is Friday, January 6, when it travels to Wakefield for a CAC contest against Northeast Metro Tech at 4:45 pm.
  

Mystic Valley Girls Top Minuteman 

The Mystic Valley girls varsity basketball beat Minuteman on Tuesday, 49-35.  Paulina Petras had 12 points, Jordan Sullivan had 11 points and Tania Fabo had 10 points to lead the Eagles to victory.
The Eagles are now 4-3 overall and 2-0 in the Commonwealth Athletic Conference Small Division.  “Today was a great example of our team getting stronger each quarter.  Each member of the team has shown vast improvement over the past three weeks, evident by our second half effort” said coach Rahul Shah.
The girls take the floor again on Friday when they host Northeast at 5:30.
  

Mystic Valley JV Girls Win Two

The Mystic Valley JV girls basketball team extended their winning streak to 3 games Tuesday by defeating Minuteman Tech 34-12. The JV Eagles were led by sophomore Martisha Timothee who scored 12 points, 8th grader Bailey Chicuarelli had 10 and 8th grader Sarina Charles added 6. After the first quarter Mystic Valley held an 8-6 lead and appeared to be in a dog fight, however the Eagles outscored Minuteman 12-0 in the second quarter to take a commanding 20-6 lead and cruised to their third victory in a row.
Over the holiday break the JV Eagles won their only contest beating Pope John by a score of28-14. The Eagle’s defense forced multiple turnovers and was successful pushing the ball up the court to race out to a 14-0 lead after the first quarter, never looking back. Mystic Valley was led by Bailey Chicuarelli (9 points), Martisha Timothee (6 points), Miles Wentzell, Sarina Charles (4 points each) and Jonelle Hilaire (3) with her team leading third 3 pointer of the season.
  

Mystic Valley Hockey Nets a Win

The Mystic Valley Eagles hockey team got their first win of the season just in time for the ball to drop for the New Year. 
Tony Imriano returned to the line up after being out for 2 weeks with a concussion and made his presence felt immediately with two first period goals.   The Eagles took a 3-0 lead into the first break.  East Boston put the pressure on to start the second and answered with two goals to cut the deficit to 1.  Captain Kyle Hanson answered with a nice individual effort and pushed the lead back to two. 
East Boston came out flying in the third and tied the game at 4.  Tony Imbriano completed his hat trick bid to make it 5-4 Mystic only to see East Boston tie it up again.  Kyle Hanson scored the game winner with a minute to play in the game, and the Eagles held on for the win!
  

Mystic Valley JV Boys Win in OT

The Mystic Valley JV Boys Basketball team pulled off a thrilling come from behind win against Commonwealth Athletic Conference rival Northeast Metro Tech.
Northeast came out of the gates hot from beyond the 3 point line and got out to an early lead. In the second quarter, led by the play of Raymond Leung and Jackie Yu, the Eagles were able to pull within 6 at the half. 
The teams went back and forth throughout the second half alternating scoring runs until the Eagles found themselves down by 6 with just seconds left in the game. The Eagles switched to a full court man to man press and produced a lay up to cut it to 4 and later hit a free throw to cut it to 3. With just 8 seconds left and the Eagles trailing by 3 Northeast only had to inbound the ball to seal the victory. 8th Grader Matt O’Connor guarded the in-bounder and used his size, athleticism and timing to get a tip of the inbound pass. Raymond Leung was able to coral the loose ball in the corner and launched a last second off balance 3 pointer that went in at the buzzer to tie the game at 50. 
The Eagles rushed the court and mobbed Raymond and they were off to overtime. The overtime was all Eagles as they played swarming defense and were able to get to the free throw line and seal it. Adam Saisad was particularly big in overtime scoring 5 of the teams 7 points as they went on to win 57-50. Head Coach Craig Turner after the game said, “It was a great team win, to be honest. Everyone wanted to shake Raymond’s hand at the end of the game and rightfully so, but he doesn’t get that shot off without Matt O’Connor’s tip or the rest of the players playing tough defensively. I’m just very proud of the way they never stopped playing hard, from the starters to the bench everyone contributed.”
It was a great way for the Eagles to head into the winter break with a record of 2-1. The Eagles next play at home on Wednesday December 28th at 1 pm when they take on Sacred Heart High School.

  

Mystic Valley Athletics Opens New Facility with Grand Slam

The Mystic Valley Athletics program has opened its new facility in fine fashion. The volleyball, swim, boys’ varsity basketball and girls’ varsity basketball teams all posted wins in their first game at their new home.
The volleyball team started the streak with a thrilling win. The team had not won a match in nearly two years but rose to the occasion to beat Northeast three sets to two. After the win the team went on to win the rest of their games finishing the year with a three game win streak.
Next up was the swim team who were opening their season against a very strong team from Nashua New Hampshire that finished second in the state last year. Not to be deterred the team came through with a razor thin 87-83 victory, the 34th straight for the team.
The boys’ basketball team faced a Lynn Tech team that was 87-13 over their last 100 games heading into the opener. Once again the Mystic Valley team brought their “A” game to the new facility and dispatched the visitors by 16 points.
The girls’ varsity basketball team completed the cycle by beating Fellowship Christian by a convincing margin led by freshman Jessica Phinney who had 26 points. She was also the girl who made the first serve on the new court for the volleyball team that started the opening game win streak.

 

Jessica Phinney gets it started

  

Mystic Valley Girls Basketball Wins Home Opener

The Mystic Valley girls’ basketball team completed the Grand Slam for Mystic Valley athletics by winning their first game in the school’s new gym. The volleyball, swim and boys basketball teams all won their first game at the Eastern Avenue facility.
Jessica Phinney had 26 points to lead the team to victory over Fellowship Christian. Jordan Sullivan had 13 and Paulina Petras had 8 points in the 61-17 win.  Mystic Valley’s coach Rahul Shah commented after the game that: “our team unselfishness and team defensive intensity allowed our scorers to have easy looks.” 

  

Cambridge Tops Mystic Valley Hockey

The Eagles hoped home ice would help the squad sure up their first win of the young season against Cambridge High.  Unfortunately, Mystic Valley gave up the game’s first goal less than one minute into the game.  The Eagles played most of the 1st period back on their heels.  Matt Brown turned away every puck shot in his direction for the remainder of the period keeping his team in the game and the teams headed to the locker room with Cambridge holding a 1-0 lead. 
The second period saw the Eagles start to take over and apply some much needed pressure in the Cambridge end.  The Eagles had two power play opportunities but could not even the score.  Cambridge made the most of their first power play scoring to take a 2 goal lead.  The Mystic Valley crew got on the board when Dylan Barrett tapped in a rebound on a shot by captain, Marc Toomajian.  It appeared the Eagles would end the period trailing by one but Cambridge had a late strike to regain a 2 goal lead. 
The Eagles made a push during the 3rd and hit the crossbar about halfway through the period.  Cambridge scored on a scrum out front soon after to ice the game. 
Sophomore Brandon Kelso was on the ice for 75 percent of the game playing solid defense.  The Eagles played the entire game with just 10 players as they sustained another injury to a key forward in Wednesday’s contest against St. Clement. 
The Eagles’ next game is Tuesday vs. O'Bryant at Matthews arena. 
  

Mystic Valley Tops Fellowship

The Mystic Valley boys’ varsity basketball team (2-0) won its second game in a row with a
64-31 victory over Fellowship Christian Academy in a Commonwealth Athletic Conference contest played in Methuen.

All 13 players contributed in the scoring column for the Eagles, led by senior guard Greg Statho (14 points) and junior center Kevin Hazelton (10 points).  Hazelton and Statho each had one of the six three-point shots made by the Mystic Valley squad.

“It was a good team effort from beginning to end,” said Eagles’ head coach Tony Ferullo.  “Winning our first two games is a great way to start the season.”

Mystic Valley will now prepare for two games next week, both 5:30 p.m. starts on its new home court in Malden: Tuesday, December 20 versus Greater Lowell, and Thursday, December 22, against Northeast Metro Tech.
  

Mystic Valley Hockey Falls to St. Clement 6-5

The Mystic Valley lost their second game of the season in East Boston vs. St. Clement by a 6-5 score. 
The Anchormen had two tallies in an up and down 1st period to take the lead after one.
 The Eagles battled to tie the score at 2 after two frames.  Matt Brown was spectacular in the second to hold the Anchormen to 2.
 The third period saw the Eagles grab the lead and an insurance goal made it 4-2 with just over 6 minutes remaining in the game.  St. Clement rallied to score 2 quick strikes to tie the score with just under 4 minutes to play.  Kyle Hanson immediately responded off the next face off and took the puck coast to coast to score what appeared to be the game winner.   St. Clement had other ideas, and scored two goals out in front of the Eagles net off of 2 faceoffs. 
 The Mystic Valley squad shoots for their first win on Saturday as they take on Cambridge at their home rink in Everett.
  

Mystic Valley Boys Basketball Opens with Win

The Mystic Valley boys’ varsity basketball team christened its new gymnasium in grand style with a convincing 56-40 victory over Commonwealth Athletic Conference (CAC) foe, Lynn Tech, on Tuesday night in the 2011-12 season opener for both teams. The win was the school’s first ever over a CAC Upper Division team in school history.
The Eagles began the game clicking on all cylinders, jumping out to a 16-8 lead after one quarter, and a 32-14 advantage at intermission.
“Getting out to an early lead was a big plus for us,” said Mystic Valley head coach Tony Ferullo.  “It gave our players a lot of confidence against one of the traditional power teams in our league.”
In the second half, the Eagles continued to play team oriented and inspired basketball, culminating in a 45-30 lead after three quarters.  The fourth quarter was filled with many exciting moments as Lynn Tech got hot from the outside and trimmed Mystic Valley’s advantage to 45-40 with a little more than five minutes to play. That’s when the Eagles became united, collected their composure, made good decisions and raced off to an 11-0 spurt to end the game.
“I’m very proud of our student athletes and they deserve all the credit for this big win,” said Ferullo.  “They gave a solid effort at both ends of the court and it was a great way to start the season, especially in front of our fans in our new home.”
Senior forward “Big Ben” Bottrell led Mystic Valley with 23 points and 14 rebounds.  Senior guard Greg Statho  (10), junior guard Hari Perisic (7), senior forward Brian O’Connor (6), senior guard Joey Foley (4), junior center Kevin Hazelton (4), and senior guard Kyle Howard (2) also contributed in the scoring column.
The Eagles next game is Thursday when they travel to Methuen to play another CAC opponent, Fellowship Christian Academy.

  

Mystic Valley Girls Split with Lynn Tech

The Mystic Valley JV Girls basketball team got their first victory of the season on Tuesday beating Lynn Tech by a score of 32-12. The Eagles jumped out to a quick start leading 10-0 after the first quarter on 6 points from Bailey Chiccuarelli and 2 each from Violet Sullivan and Martisha Timothee.
It was an excellent effort defensively from the whole team that contributed to the win. On the offensive side, Chiccuarelli finished with a team high 12, Sullivan had 6, Ashley Prudent had 4 and Jonelle Hilaire, Miles Wentzell, Timothee, Selma Sinanovic and Kayla Mei each added 2.
The varsity lost 47-36. The team played hard all game and cut a 12 point lead in the second half to one but they were unable to maintain the momentum.
Jessica Phinney led all scorers with had 15 points, Jordan Sullivan had 9 points on three three pointers. “Everyone played hard and unselfishly...right to the closing seconds. A coach-win or lose, can only be proud and pleased when you have a team like that” said head coach Rahul Shah after the game.
  

Mystic Valley JV Basketball Soars Over Lynn Tech

The Mystic Valley Boys JV basketball team opened the season at home with a convincing 35-13 victory over visiting Lynn Tech. The Eagles defense was stifling and consistent all evening long and that defense led to many offensive opportunities for the home team.
Offensively, the Eagles enjoyed a balanced attack seeing 10 of the 16 players score led by Amro Ali’s 6 points. Defensively for the Eagles Adam Saisad was a force in the paint and enjoyed the help of great ball pressure from the group of guards led by Ryan Foley and Raymond Leung.
The Eagles look to go 2-0 on the young season as they take on Greater Lowell at home next Tuesday at 4 pm.

  

Mystic Valley Downs Nashua North in First Varsity Swim Meet at New Natatorium 
 

In a thrilling meet, the Mystic Valley Regional Charter School swim team earned its 34th consecutive win, defeating Nashua North, one of New Hampshire’s strongest teams. It was a very big win for Mystic Valley christening its new pool with the biggest win the team has had in its short but successful History.  Both the Boys and Girls Nashua North teams were 2nd in the State of New Hampshire last year. The win was particularly meaningful because this was the first varsity meet held at Mystic Valley’s new natatorium.

With two events remaining in the meet, the Eagles trailed Nashua North by four points, 68-72. In true Mystic Valley fashion, the team finished 1-2-3 in the 100 Breaststroke, outscoring Nashua 13-3 in the event. Wilson Tran finished first, Christian Kinnon second, and Nick Antonucci third.
Ahead by only six points going into the final event of the meet, the 400 Freestyle Relay, the Eagles needed either a first- or a second and third-place finish to secure the win. In an extremely close race, Shane Kinnon, swimming the 100 freestyle in 50.4 seconds, was just out touched by Nashua’s top swimmer. Mystic Valley earned second and third places and the Eagles won the meet, 87-83.
The meet was a testament to the depth of the 2011-2012 Mystic Valley swim team, as the second Mystic Valley 400 Freestyle relay team of Karina Hanson, Michael Leung, Robbie Cummings, and senior captain Fallon Bushee delivered a truly clutch performance in the meet’s final event to secure the win.
The entire meet was close between these two evenly matched teams. Driven by the emotion involved in defending their home pool for the first time, Mystic Valley’s boys’ 200 Medley Relay team (Shane Kinnon, Christian Kinnon, Robby DeSantis, and Zack Kelso) won the meet’s first event, the 200 Medley Relay, earning eight points. Nashua finished second and third, and the meet’s score was 8-6.
The Eagles split points with Nashua’s Titans in the meet’s next two events, the 200 Freestyle and the 200 IM. Junior Robby DeSantis took second place for Mystic Valley, while Fallon Bushee finished third and Ben Lieu finished fifth. Senior captain Shane Kinnon finished second in the IM, while Wilson Tran finished just behind him in third, and Christian Kinnon took fifth.
The Eagles widened the point margin between the two teams by finishing first, third, and fourth (senior captain Zack Kelso, Giuseppe Iacovone, and Robbie Cummings, respectively) in the 50 Freestyle. Then, in the 100 Butterfly, Robby DeSantis, Michael Leung, and Caroline Williams finished second, third, and fourth.
Although the Titans steadily climbed back into the meet during the 100 Freestyle and the 500 Freestyle, there were some strong Mystic Valley performances. Zack Kelso, Giuseppe Iacovone, Nick Antonucci, Fallon Bushee, and Allie Krasco all scored points for the Eagles in these two events.
Despite placing second and third in the meet’s next event, the 200 Freestyle Relay, Nashua still outscored Mystic Valley in the event, 8-6.
Following the relay, Shane Kinnon delivered a strong win in the 100 Backstroke. The Titans, however, placed second, third, and fourth, outscoring the Eagles in the event.
With the win, Mystic Valley moved to 1-0 in the 2011-2012 season. The team travel to Shawsheen on Wednesday, and will host Greater Lawrence Tech on Friday.

  

Mystic Valley Girls Start Season with OT Win

The Mystic Valley Girls Varsity Basketball team started the season off in style with an exciting 60-56 overtime win over St. Clement. The entire team had to step up and perform as five Mystic Valley players fouled out by the end of the game. 
Mystic Valley led at the end of each of the first three quarters (First Q: 14-10.  Second Q: 24-19. Third Q: 41-37) but couldn’t close the door on the scrappy St. Clement’s team. Once the game made it to overtime the teams both played an intense defensive game. Mystic Valley outscored St. Clement 4-2 in the extra period to take home the win.
Jessica Phinney led the way for the Eagles with 21 points (13-18 from the free throw  line). Jordan Sullivan had 19 big points. Kathryn McPherson had 8 points, Tania Fabo scored 6 points, Paulina Petras had 4 points and Joanna Petras added 2 points. 
“The ladies really worked hard and overcome a lot of adversity.  The non-starters really stepped up and were the key to helping us win” said head coach, Rahul Shah who picked up a win in his first game as head coach of the team.
  

Five Mystic Valley Boys CAC Soccer All-Stars

The first year Varsity Boys Soccer team was proud to name 5 All-Stars in the Commonwealth Athletic Conference this year. The boys were honored at the CAC banquet at Greater Lawrence and got to spend some time with the All-Stars from the other teams in the conference. “They had a great season and it was incredibly difficult to pick out just 5 from all the huge contributors on this team. The entire team has contributed to the success of the program this year” said Head Coach Carlos-Luis Brown. Coach Brown went on to praise each player individually:
Patrick Holden, senior, gave everything he had in every game and every practice. He worked hard to improve his goal kicks and brought a lot of power and size to the fullbacks. He was a big part of our defense and he rarely came off the field. He always worked hard and yet managed to have a lot of fun on the field.
Benjamin Soper, senior, was a workhorse at every practice and game. He, along with Patrick, was only off the field for about 5 minutes the entire season. He played hard and created lots of opportunities for us on transition plays. He was one of the best communicators on the field.
Wilson Tran, senior, was our best center mid-fielder despite being a quiet player. Although he had few points in the season he was responsible for a majority of our goals. His hard work the last three years really showed this year as he learned to control the speed of the game in the middle of the field.
Giuseppe Iacovone, junior, had an incredible year, netting 11 goals and one assist for the second most points on the team, an impressive feat considering he played in the sweeper position for the last few games of the season and in quite a few in the middle. He plays with heart and hustle on both sides of the field, and his work ethic is second to none. As team co-captain he made a great leader on the field.
Tomás Drahos, junior, set the bar his this year with 9 goals and 8 assists, for the current school record of 17 points in a season. He played better and better as the season went on and played a big role in our upsets against Whittier and Cristo Rey.

  

Mystic Valley 7th & 8th Graders Split Openers

The Mystic Valley Charter School’s 7th & 8th grade basketball teams split their opening games against Carlisle with the boys posting a win and the girls losing a close game.
The girls lost 31-30. Meghan Foley was Mystic Valley’s top scorer with 20 points. Bailey Chiccuarelli scored 4 points and Sarina Charles, Courtney Ryan, Jessica Soper, and Leah Thomas all got on the board with 2.
The boys won 48-24. The boys played disciplined and as a team. Michael Carlino led the team with 12 points. Coach Lucas Donahue was pleased with his team’s debut stating that “overall a great effort and a nice way to start the season.”
  

Four Mystic Valley Football Players Named to CAC All Star Team

Mystic Valley seniors: Klysman Afonso; Brian O'Connor and Pat Appleby and junior Alex Baires were recently selected to the Commonwealth Athletic Conference All Star Football team.  Head Coach Rollie Hinckley spoke highly of his players:
Klysman Afonso was a 4 season starter on offense and defense. Klysman was the Eagles’ foremost pass receiver and this season the team's leading running back. Klysman intends to further pursue playing in a college setting.
Pat Appleby has been a starter on offense for 3 seasons and on defense for the past 2 seasons. Pat has proved to be a very precise blocker on offense. Pat is also a member of the Eagles' baseball team.
Brian O'Conner is a first year player and distinguished himself on both offense and defense as a starting tight end and defensive end. Brian had some very important pass receptions this fall and several teams selected to direct their offense away from his side this fall. Brian is also a key member of the Eagles' basketball Team.
Alex Baires was a very strong Defensive Tackle for the Eagles this fall as well as the offensive center. Alex was a large part of all of the defensive success we had during games.

Klysman Afonso, Patrick Appleby, Brian O'Connor &  Alex Baires

  

Five Mystic Valley Players Named to CAC All Star Team

Capping a stand out season five members of the Mystic Valley girls’ soccer team were recently named to the Commonwealth Athletic Conference All Star team.  Named to the team were: Jackie Lane; Krystianna DiMaro; Katerina DiPlacido; Kathryn McPherson and Amanda Kerner. Head Coach Chris Giles was very happy with the entire team’s performance throughout the year especially the girls named to the all star team. When asked for comment on his all star players he said:

Jackie Lane:  "Jackie finished a remarkable junior year with a school record 10 shutouts and only conceded 16 goals in twenty games.  As team captain she led by example and her on field communication was absolutely fantastic.  Her distribution from goal was exceptional all season and allowed our team to counter attack instantly.  Her presence in goal filled our entire team with confidence for each game and she was one of the standout talents in the entire conference."
 
Krystianna DiMaro: "This was a breakout year for Krystianna who cemented her place in the heart of our defense.  A quiet leader who let her performance and intensity do the talking for her.  She was always responsible for marking our opponents’ most dangerous player and almost always came out victorious.  Her aggression and work ethic all season was a perfect example of what is required to compete at an all star level"
 
Katarina DiPlacido: "Katarina had a sensational season on the goal front, she smashed the school record and ended the season with 16 goals.  Equally important was her great link up play which saw her record 6 assists and lead the team in total points.  She is a player who has great close ball control and a natural instinct for putting the ball in the back of the net.  Kat was named MVP of the homecoming game against Greater Lowell Tech.  In addition she had several game winning goals and set another school record for hat-tricks in a season."
 
Kathryn McPherson: "Kathryn stepped up her game tremendously this season by playing out of position for the greater good of the team.  Her recovery speed and tackling ability allowed her to perform at an all star level playing sweeper with no previous experience at the position.  Kathryn is a great communicator on the field and a wonderful teammate and role model for the younger players.  She played with a determination and a real defenders mentality during games.  She would do whatever it took to prevent the other team from creating a scoring chance and spent much of the season playing with significant injuries."
 
Amanda Kerner: "Amanda has grown as a player significantly each of the past three seasons and started every single game as our most reliable full back.  She played with such determination and passion that often saw her leave the field as our best player.  She is a very vocal player who never backed down from a challenge and thrived under the pressure of covering a talented opponent.  Her tackling ability and anticipation skills saw her shut down countless opponents this season and her improved technical ability has seen her transform into an all-star defender in the space of three years."

  

Two Mystic Valley Freshmen Named Volleyball All Stars

Mystic Valley Freshman Jessica Phinney and Shannon Roseen were both recently named to the Commonwealth Athletic Conference all star team. Head Coach Marc Arria praised both girls stating that “they all worked very hard this season and it is great to see them recognized for their accomplishments.” 

  

Two Mystic Valley Runners Named to CAC All Star Team

Two members of the Mystic Valley Cross Country team were named to the Commonwealth Athletic Conference Cross Country All Star Team. Senior Fallon Bushee and Sophomore Elise Sheehan were recently named to the team.  Fallon also received the League’s MVP for the third straight year completing an amazing run of three years without losing a league race!

“Fallon is unquestionably the hardest working female athlete that I have been around at the high school level.  Her dedication, determination, and drive are unmatched and the fact that she has not lost a league race in three years is a direct result of these qualities.  It has been a true pleasure working with Fallon and we will desperately miss her once she graduates in the spring” said Coach Chris Bauer.

Bauer added “Elise was a great addition to this year's team as a first year runner.  She steadily improved throughout the season and became a big part of the girl's team.  I look forward to working with her over the next few seasons.”
  

Mystic Valley 5th & 6th Grade Boys Start with Win

The Mystic Valley boys 5th/6th basketball team got the season started in a positive way, winning a thrilling overtime game against a tough Burlington te