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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
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Upper Makefield Showing Maturity; Emerges as Force in Summer Hoops
By Bill Alden
The Upper Makefield squad took its lumps when it joined the Princeton Recreation Department summer men's basketball league in 2003.
Featuring a core of high school seniors from the Bucks County area, Upper Makefield finished seventh in the league with a 4-7 mark.
Last summer, the team struggled in the early going, coming into the playoffs as the eighth seed. But then things started clicking as Upper Makefield caught fire, advancing to the championship series where it was edged 2-1 by the Cafe with the final game being a heartbreaking 41-40 loss.
With the summer hoops league tipping off action last Wednesday, Upper Makefield got the chance to show that its playoff run was no fluke as it took on The Cafe/Change Clothes in the title series rematch.
Upper Makefield wasted no time in making a statement as it jumped out to a 12-0 lead over The Cafe. Showing the pride that has carried it to two straight league titles, The Cafe responded with a 12-6 run to get back into the game. At the half, Upper Makefield clung to a 34-28 lead.
In the second half, Upper Makefield displayed its maturity as it fought out several runs by The Cafe to earn a sweet 54-48 triumph.
In other opening night action, Hoagie Haven routed Whole Foods 47-23, Weidel 5-Stars topped Where2Ball .com 59-45, and Merrill Lynch edged George's Roasters & Ribs 42-38.
Last Monday, SMB posted a 78-22 win over Whole Foods while Merrill Lynch improved to 2-0 with a 45-37 win over Where2Ball.com and George's Roasters and Ribs topped Dr. Palmer/Princeton Orthopedics 63-25.
Upper Makefield's coach, Bob Bretschneider, beamed as he considered how the squad has matured in its time in the league.
"We got beaten up," said Bretschneider, reflecting on the team's debut in 2003. "We weren't used to the aggressive nature of the game here. We started to handle it. We learned to get through the contact and still look to make the basket."
In Bretschneider's view, the team's progress is attributable, in part, to an inevitable growth process.
"My kids are growing up," said Bretschneider with a smile. "We came in here as high school seniors and now we have some size and bulk added on. The guys have been playing together and they've gotten playing experience."
A lot of that experience has come at the college ranks with five of the team members playing for the Lebanon Valley College men's team, three with Muhlenberg, one from Franklin and Marshall, and one from Arcadia.
"Everybody is a college player," noted Bretschneider. "They all either start or have gotten significant college minutes. They've been playing at a higher level of the game."
In the win Wednesday, Upper Makefield got 18 points from Jimmy Curran, who plays for Lebanon Valley. Bretschneiders's son Hunter, who also plays for Lebanon Valley, chipped in 11 points.
Utilizing the lessons learned in college, Upper Makefield appears to be in sync. "We've found a style of play that we're best at," added Bretschneider. "We play man-to-man and we get on the boards and try to push things. It also comes down to moving the ball; we have a lot of guys who can score. We have to make sure that we're keeping the court spread so the guys get a chance to play.
In Bretschneider's view, the win over The Cafe could be a harbinger of things to come. "We're happy with this win," asserted Bretschneider. "It's a good team for us to beat. This is a game we would have lost a year ago."
If Upper Makefield can build on that season-opening effort, it may not be losing too many games this summer.
