The NEPA Elite Cooper 17U boys team got every available player involved Saturday while winning Pool A of the 17U Boardwalk Division at The Hoop Group’s Jersey Shore Jam Fest in Atlantic City.
NEPA Elite defeated Lightning-Brue, 71-61, then New Jersey Bulldogs White B, 57-44, to win the three-team pool and advance into the championship bracket.
All seven players scored at least seven points in the first win.
James Pettinato and Justin Love scored 15 points each against the Bulldogs while Dane Schutter and Mason Fedor each had double-doubles of points and rebounds. Schutter had 11 points and Fedor 10.
Pettinato is from Scranton Prep, Love from Pocono Mountain West, Schutter from Wyoming Area and Fedor from Abington Heights.
NEPA Elite is part of a four-team Boardwalk Championship Bracket of pool winners. It plays SHA Elite White at 12:40 p.m. while Allentown Pressure and Grindhouse Hoops meet in the other semifinal.
The other three NEPA Elite teams went 1-1 Saturday.
Coyle 17U
The NEPA Elite Coyle 17U team defeated the New Jersey Roadrunners-HGSL, 53-43, then lost to the New Jersey Bulldogs Black A, 70-53, in the 17U Shore Division, a 32-team bracket competition.
Joyce 16U
The NEPA Elite Joyce 16U team fell to Train’D 2 Go, 67-50, in the 16U Shore Division Championship bracket to drop into the consolation bracket where it defeated Drive Swarm-Green, 56-39.
Brycen Martin from Scranton Prep led the way as NEPA Elite controlled the pace to post the win in the second game.
Miller 15U
The NEPA Elite Miller team defeated Team Uplife Hoops NYC, 49-44, in overtime, then lost to Mount Vernon Elite 15U, 52-50, in the 15U Shore Division, a 32-team bracket competition.
Mario Matrone from Scranton Prep scored 15 points to lead the overtime win.
Demaja Dunston from Mid Valley hit the clinching free throw on the Elam Ending where the first team to score five points in overtime wins.
NEPA Elite wound up in another close game, rallying from 16 down to tie before losing on a late putback.
Matrone scored 14 points. Matthew Godlewski from Riverside added 11.
Dunston chipped in eight points, including a key three-point play late.