The Redwood City National Junior Basketball fourth grade All Star team, known as the Grizzlies, experienced an All Star Season for the ages.
The team was made up of six Menlo Park residents, one Woodside resident, two Atherton residents, two Portola Valley residents, and one San Carlos resident.
The team’s six-week all star season began with a Silicon Valley Tournament in March and ended with an April trip to the National NJB All Star Tournament in Los Angeles.
The Grizzlies won the Silicon Valley Championship by going 6-0 over the course of two weekend tournaments with wins over teams from Los Gatos, Los Altos, San Jose/Almaden, Willow Glen, and Palo Alto.
The Silicon Valley Chapter fourth grade section was made up of about 900 kids this year. Winning the Silicon Valley Championship qualified the Grizzlies for the top division of the National Junior Tournament in Los Angeles, which draws from over 103 sections nationwide.
The Grizzlies success continued in the Los Angeles Tournament with four consecutive wins over teams from Encinitas (San Diego County), Campo Dana (Orange County), Tracy/Stockton and Las Vegas.
This put the Grizzlies in the national championship game in which the Grizzlies lost in a thrilling overtime contest. This All Star season to remember included 10 consecutive victories, a Silicon Valley Championship, and a runner-up finish in the national tournament in Los Angeles.
The Grizzlies players are Kyle Bryan, Andrew Daschbach, Lucas Fioretti, Christian Fioretti, Justin Harmon, Scott Harris, Kailen Kershner, Garrett, McCarthey, Maxton Mauney, Nick O’Donnell, and Mason Randall. The coaches were Jeff Randall, Mark Daschbach and Jeff Tripaldi.
