After a standout regular season, the Arlington Travel Basketball League’s Division I fifth-grade Commandos boys team capped its winter campaign by winning a championship in the Fairfax County Youth Basketball League playoffs.
The team finished with a 16-1 overall record, including winning its final 14 contests. The top-seed Commandos were 3-0 in the playoffs.
The squad defeated Burke, 45-24, in the first round as Andrew Anderson led the way with 11 points, followed by Matteo Snyder and Elijah Hill with 10 each.
In the semifinals, the Commandos outscored McLean, 56-41. Bruce Buczek scored 15, followed by Flynn Juza with 13 and Snyder with 11.
In the championship game, paced by Buczek with 20 points followed by Anderson with seven and Juza with six, the Commandos defeated Vienna 42-34.
Buczek was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
Following the playoffs, Juza, Snyder, Buczek and Will McCool were chosen as league all-stars.
Other players for the Commandos were Jack Amos, Graham Reid, Chase Langley, Zayn Kudiya and Soderdene Nyamochir. The coaches were Dave Maher, Martin Lowen and Larry Snyder.
As the head coach of Arlington travel teams over the years, Maher won some four such championships.
“After we lost the one game,” by two points against Vienna, “these players really came together well,” he told ARLnow.
