Refusing to Accept Dreaded Bridesmaid Role, Winberie’s Rallies to Win Summer Hoops Title


BREAKING THROUGH: Chris Edwards of Winberie’s/Miller Lite looks to get past an Ivy Inn defender last week in the Princeton Recreation Department Summer Men’s Basketball League championship series. Last Friday, Edwards scored 14 points to help Winberie’s edge Ivy Inn 45-41 in the decisive third game of the best-of-three series. It was a sweet win for Edwards and his teammates as they had fallen in the title series the last two years. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
It was looking like the Winberie’s/Miller Lite squad might be assuming the unwanted role of bridesmaid as the decisive third game of the Princeton Recreation Department Summer Men’s Basketball League championship series headed to halftime last Friday night.
After having fallen in the title series the last two summers, second-seeded Winberie’s found itself trailing No. 5 Ivy Inn 23-18 at intermission before an overflow crowd at the Community Park courts.
But Winberie’s forward Chris Edwards and his teammates weren’t about to settle for another runner-up finish.
“The morale was a bit low but we were just trying to keep it up,” said Edwards, recalling the team’s halftime meeting.
“We just said that if we do what we had to do, we are going to win the game. We said, hey this is our third year in the finals, we can’t come out here and be the Buffalo Bills [losers of four straight Super Bowls] of the summer league. We have to play with more heart and take it to them.”
Winberie’s team manager Mark Rosenthal had a heart-to-heart chat with Edwards during the break in an effort to provide further inspiration to the forward who had scored just two points in the first half of the contest.
“I talked to Chris at halftime and I said ‘you need to be aggressive,’” said Rosenthal.
“We are a better team when he is more aggressive. He knows that he needs to be more aggressive and he knows he can play against anybody. He was in a bit of foul trouble; I told him to forget about the foul situation and just go out there and play all out and this will work out.”
Edwards responded to the pep talk with aplomb, tallying 12 points in the second half as Winberie’s rallied for a 45-41 victory.
“The second half was a little more aggressive,” said Edwards, who punctuated the win with a thunderous dunk in the waning seconds of the game.
“We were getting out on transition and getting out on the break, Chris Hatchell and I were talking about it; we had to keep running and keep pushing the ball. Once I started to do that, I started getting easy buckets.”
In pulling out the victory, Winberie’s also stepped up the defensive intensity. “We said at the half that 23 points was a little too much for them in the first half,” said Edwards.
“They got a lot of shots. We were double teaming them and rotating better on the defensive end in the second half so that turned the game around.”
In Rosenthal’s view, the play of sharpshooting guard Hatchell helped turn the tide in the favor of Winberie’s.
“Chris Hatchell gave me the guarantee before the game,” said Rosenthal of the former College of New Jersey standout who scored a team-high 16 points in the finale and was voted to receive the Foreal Wooten Award as playoff MVP.
“He told me ‘coach just put the ball in my hands and I promise I will bring you that first championship.’ He is clutch.”
In the moments after Winberie’s clinched that elusive title, Rosenthal celebrated by leaping into the arms of Kurt Simmons.
“Kurt is one of the original members of this team,” said Rosenthal. “He was there through the thin years when we only had two or three wins a season. We have been talking how we wanted to get to this point for a long time. He came through; he was the first guy I looked for when we came off. I had to give him a big hug; this has been a long time in the making.”
A beaming Edwards basked in the glow of finally coming through with the title.
“It means a lot,” said Edwards. “It was now or never; there was no turning back. Our core guys are older players. We are experienced in the league; we have played in the playoffs. We figured that’s what got us over the top.”