Section 10 hoop seniors enjoy last hUrrah to aid JOL Foundation
Mar. 20—The Last Hurrah for an historic Section 10 Basketball season and its senior class produced some exciting shooting and dunking at the 2024 Section 10 Jules of Life Basketball Challenge at SUNY Canton on Tuesday.
The event also continued an outstanding partnership between Section 10 Basketball and the Jules of Life Foundation which was founded in May of 2009 to provide financial assistance to families battling pediatric cancer in the St. Lawrence County which does not have pediatric cancer care.
The foundation used the challenge and other events to raise funds over the years and in 2016 it received a grant from the St. Lawrence Cancer Fund to expand its website to include information for all cancers in the country, not just pediatric cancer.
The foundation's focus became building a website full of information, contacts and local knowledge on services and assistance that could help families in their cancer care process.
"What has not changed is our dedication in helping our local kids and families fighting cancer. You are not alone in this fight — we are with you every step of the way," said Patient Advocate and JOL Board of Directors member Mary Lou Robinson who has been a vital member of JOL since its founding.
Anyone needing assistance or information should contact Mrs. Robinson at 315-323-4319.
She was on hand on Tuesday to help coordinate the Basketball Challenge which featured Boys and Girls Exceptional Senior Games and 3-Point and Dunk Contests. She was proud to make an announcement about Oliver White who was one of the first children to be aided in a fight against cancer.
Oliver and his parents, Mike and Liz White, with the help of the foundation has enjoyed great success in their fight.
"Oliver has played junior varsity soccer, basketball and baseball at Parishville-Hopkinton Central and has been moved up to the varsity. He was hoping to attend tonight but had another commitment," said Mrs. Robinson who was honored by the foundation for her 15 years dedicated service to the vision of the Jules of Life Foundation which has touched the lives of many.
She also presented plaques to Section 10 Boys Basketball Chairman Bill Merna of Ogdensburg and Dave Shea of the The Journal newspaper honoring their support, dedication and caring for the foundation through involvement in the basketball challenge.
SENIOR GAMES
The Section 10 Exceptional Senior Girls Games saw the blue clad North Team gain a 69-49 win sparked by Heuvelton's Rylin McAllister who buried six 3-pointers in a 20-point effort. Heuvelton's All-Time 3-Point Shooters who ranks among Section 10's Best Ever knocked three treys in each half as a prelude for the 3-Point Shooting Contest where she placed first among the girls and then bested Lisbon's boys lead sniper Connor Flack in the Overall Shootout.
Gouverneur's Courtney Forsythe worked the inside for 10 points in a balanced winning offense which also featured nine from Madrid-Waddington's Hailey Marcellus and eight from Rylee Typhair of Edwards-Knox and Gouverneur's Chloe Smith.
Rounding out the winning total were: Sara Susice of St. Regis Falls (2), Ashley Weston of Heuvelton (2), Rylyn Phelan of Brushton-Moira (5) and McKenna Cameron of Massena (6).
E-K's Lily Lottie struck for three 3s in the second half leading the red clad South team with 11 points and Meredith Bush of Gouverneur connected on two 3s in the first half in an eight-point effort. Heuvelton's Katie Cunningham tallied nine points and Faith Piefer and Hermon-DeKalb's Aaliyiah O'Donnell each dropped in six points.
Other scoring came from: Heuvelton's Raya McGaw (2), Harrisville's Livy Wilson (2) and Lisbon's Rachel LaRock (4).
The Boys Game saw Massena's Colin Patterson (12 points) sink a double clutch 3-pointer to spark a rally by the blue clad East squad to a 73-73 tie. The Eastern Blues also got off two shots at the win in the final five seconds. Mikey Corneau of Tupper Lake led the East with 15 points with three 3s and Nolan Sullivan dropped in 14.
Ryan Jones of Canton finished with 10 followed by: Heuvelton's Tony Tacchino (4), Tupper Lake's Tyler LaPlante (4), Colton-Pierrepont's Eric Friedel (6) and Lisbon's Connor Bell (2).
The Western Reds were led by Heuvelton's Rhys Brossoit and Brushton-Moira's Saige Sauve with 14 points, Jared Donaldson of Gouverneur with 13 and Lisbon's Connor Flack who netted three 3s in a 10-point effort. Other scoring came from: Tupper Lake's Tom Peterson (9), Potsdam's Theo Huges (2), Potsdam's Austin Mason (4), Canton's Talon Green (2), Harrisville's Tanner Sullivan (4) and Morristown's Terrin Rosenbarker (4).
DUNK CONTEST
A pair of high flying freshman rose to the top of the Dunk Contest in Potsdam's Ian VanWagner and Tupper Lake's Garritt Pelkey.
VanWagner, who has already surpassed 1000 career points, delivered a series of effortless dunks in the preliminary rounds and then hammered home a decisive windmill slam to prevail in the finals.
3-PT DERBY
Lisbon's Connor Flack and Heuvelton's Rylin McAllister sniped their way to Boys and Girls honors for a large group of entries in the 3-Point Shooting Contest. McAllister claimed top honors in the Overall Shootout.
