Hoops, they did it again! DGAL and DYAA battle it out on the court
Raelynn DeMello dribbles the ball as both teammates and opponents look on. Photos by Abby Van Selous
Hailey DeMello with the ball in a basketball match between teams with second and third graders.
Austin Snell dribbles the ball as River Pike plays on the defense.
Ethan Lavoie with the ball for team DYAA as Corey Ponte goes on the defense.
Bennett Mathes raises his arm to let a teammate know he's open.
Corey Ponte looks for a way past Jason Tavares.
Rob Ubre dribbles the ball as Ryan Goyette goes on the defense.
Raeleen DeMello tries to get past the defense.
Mark Read dribbles the ball as Bennett Mathes goes on the defense.
Kathryn Laviolette dribbles with the ball.
Bennett Mathes dribbles the ball while Kingston Xie goes on defense.
Raelynn DeMello dribbles the ball as both teammates and opponents look on. Photos by Abby Van Selous
Hailey DeMello with the ball in a basketball match between teams with second and third graders.
Austin Snell dribbles the ball as River Pike plays on the defense.
Ethan Lavoie with the ball for team DYAA as Corey Ponte goes on the defense.
Bennett Mathes raises his arm to let a teammate know he's open.
Corey Ponte looks for a way past Jason Tavares.
Rob Ubre dribbles the ball as Ryan Goyette goes on the defense.
Raeleen DeMello tries to get past the defense.
Mark Read dribbles the ball as Bennett Mathes goes on the defense.
Kathryn Laviolette dribbles with the ball.
Bennett Mathes dribbles the ball while Kingston Xie goes on defense.
For most of the day Sunday, the gym at Dartmouth Middle School was taken over by basketball players of all ages.
Kids in grades second through 12th took to the court for All Star Day on March 29, not only wrapping up the basketball season but also bringing the Dartmouth Girls Athletic League and the Dartmouth Youth Activities Association together.
This was the second year in a row that DGAL and DYAA held the combined tournament, not only giving the kids a chance to see each other in action, but also giving the coaches a chance to play in a DGAL versus DYAA coaches game.
DYAA President Adam Mathes said the idea for a combined All Star Day stemmed from conversations with some DGAL coaches who previously coached DYAA but switched leagues for their daughters.
“They approached me and said, ‘Hey, what do you think? We’ve always done an All Star Game, what do you think about if we combine?’” Mathes recalled.
DGAL Basketball Commissioner Steve DaCosta called All Star Day a “fun event,” serving as a way to wrap both the DGAL and DYAA programs up.
“We just all come together, and it’s a fundraiser for both leagues,” he said.
Just an hour into the day, DaCosta noted that the event was “great last year” and that this year’s event “looks good already.”
As part of the event, two or three players are chosen from each DGAL and DYAA age group to compete in what was the last day of this year’s basketball program.
“I think they love it because they get to play with their friends,” DaCosta said.
Mathes called the day “super special.”
“A lot of these kids — second and third graders — they’ve got third graders playing on the town travel team together, so they get to battle each other out,” he said.
In the coaches game, the DGAL team coaches looked for a win, after losing to the DYAA coaches last year.
There’s a lot of excitement from adding the coaches game element,” Mathes said.
In a game that included lots of cheers and screams of support from the spectating kids, DGAL took the win.
“[All Star Day] has been a huge success,” DaCosta said. “The kids love it, parents love it, and the coaches — we all love doing it.”
