By Dan Guttenplan
The Newburyport Boys Basketball Association completed its eighth season on Sunday with championship tournaments in three age divisions, a shooting contest for players in grades 3-8 and the annual distribution of the Frank Cousins Award.
Eighth-grader Mark Beluk received the Frank Cousins Award, which goes to an eighth-grader who has played in the league for three years and demonstrated a dedication to basketball, leadership on and off the court and good sportsmanship.
Beluk is the second recipient of the award. Last year's award went to Ryan Short.
"Mark was the perfect recipient of the award," NBBA president Steve Macrae said. "He's a great kid — a leader on and off the court. He's really the type of kid we want in the program."
In the In-Town Tournament, the Oregon Ducks won the fifth- and sixth-grade division, beating the Kansas Jayhawks in the final. The Golden State Warriors won the seventh- and eight-grade division, beating the Los Angeles Clippers in the final. In the Developmental League, the T-Birds beat the Vipers in the final.
The NBBA also puts on a Hot Shot Contest, which resembles the NBA's 3-point contest. Each participant must cycle through five racks, which each include four balls, that sit at different spots on the floor. The winners of the contest included Casey McLaren (grade 3), Max Leonard (grade 4), Jonathan Jalajas (grade 5), Nick Fay (grade 6), Matthew Short (grade 7) and Trevor Bradbury (grade 8).
"The kids had a blast with that contest," Macrae said. "All of the contests came down to the wire."
Championship rosters
Golden State Warriors (seventh and eighth grade)
Coaches: Jerry Wallace and Rob Sokol
Mark Beluk
Travis LaValley
Tyler LaValley
Johnny Nickodemus
Christopher Orlando
Steven Simkins
Nathan Ribicandria
David Sokol
Phillip Wellmann
Oregon Ducks (fifth and sixth grade)
Coach: Neal Spinney
Elias Campanella-Garcia
Jonathan Jalajas
Jake Messina
Brendan Powers
Petey Conway
Michael Denner
Robbie Lagasse
Kyle MacKinnon
Tyler Naughton
Hunter Rosewood
Jackson Spinney
T-Birds (Developmental League)
Coaches: Craig McLaren and Dave Valcich
Casey McLaren
Jake Valcich
Jared Pierce
Tristan Cassidy
Spencer Emmith
Valentino Reynoso
Harry Blackman
Ronan Harrington
Henry Newman
