Summer Basketball League Completes its Tenth Season

~ Submitted by Michael Dirrane for the Bedford Recreation Department

The Bedford Summer Basketball League (BSBL) held its 10th annual championship games on the hot and humid outdoor courts at Bedford High School Thursday.

In the A League Division, the Senior Citizens – composed of members of the BHS class of 2022 – beat the Hitmen 48-45 in a game that went down to the final seconds.

The Senior Citizens jumped out to an early lead on outstanding three-point shooting of Matt Kazanjian, Bryan Aweh-Kisob, and Matt Forman, and led by 15 at the half. But captain and floor leader Kazanjian fouled out before halftime and the Hitmen picked up the defensive intensity and chipped away at the lead.

Cam Shelmire (game-high 21 points) led the Hitmen charge and Colin Doyle (seven), Casey Miller (six), and Matt Harrington (five) worked the inside to make it a two-point game with under two minutes to play.

But a costly technical foul called on the Hitmen and clutch free throw shooting of Forman (13 points) and Aweh-Kisob (16) down the stretch clinched the title for the Senior Citizens in their BSBL rookie year.

In B League action, B’kils Army put together their best game of the year to beat the Ringers 62-49. B’kils Army was led by Phil Kimmel (17 points), Connor Stephan (14), and Adam Legere (13).

Tommy Kimmel (seven points) directed the offense and played outstanding defense, while Brendan Kilroy made a number of spectacular passes and no-look assists to lead the team to its first B League crown.

The Ringers, who played well all season, were led by Jeffrey Mascoli (21 points) and Chris Venuti (14). They combined for eight 3-pointers, but B’kils Army played well on both ends of the court the entire game.

Matt Mulligan of the Young Timers was voted 2022 league most valuable player and Chis Weslinger worked his last game at the table. Chris has worked almost every game for BSBL for the past 10 years and has been the heart and soul of the league for many years. On behalf of the entire BSBL, we wish Chris much success in the future.

Editor’s Note: Michael Dirrane has served as commissioner of Bedford’s summer basketball league for the past 10 years. “His dedication each season to making this happen has been instrumental in the success of this league,” commented Raeann Gembis, adult education/program coordinator for the Recreation Department.