Local AAU team heads for nationals
Published 12:57 am Monday, June 6, 2011
Staff Report
The Riverside Flyers are going to play a few more games.
The Flyers won the AAU Division II state championship in Columbus to earn a berth in the nationals July 16-21 in Cincinnati.
The team of area players who relied on unselfish team play includes Ty Wilcoxon and Joel Lambiotte of Fairland, Evan Holmes and Charlie Large of Coal Grove, Tanner Holden of Wheelersburg, Graeson Malashevich of Ceredo-Kenova, W.Va., and Blake Stewart of Boyd County, Ky.
The team has played in eight tournaments and they have come away with seven championship trophies.
Their only loss came in their first tournament — the Cincinnti Bearcat Classic. Riverside led by three points with one minute to play but lost by three at the buzzer.
The Flyers — sponsored by Joe Lambiotte of Riverside Physical Therapy — trailed throughout the state championship game. But coach Bryan “Cannonball” Wells told his team entering the fourth quarter, “Refuse to lose.”
The players listened to their coach and rallied to win by seven.
Riverside — fourth grade-aged team— finished the regular season 35-2 with one loss coming in the Bearcat tournament to fifth grade team.