Kline Fundamentals Wins Second Straight SHS Rec Basketball Championship

Kline Fundamentals successfully defended last year’s tournament championship by running the table to back-to-back undefeated seasons and back-to-back tournament wins. They defeated Sigma Slammers, 92-64, in the qualifying bracket, Whitehouse Warriors. 65-39, in the semi-finals and The Dark Side, 57-36, in the finals.

Team members include Nolan Klein, Ryan Bondy, Broderick Calder, Antonio Giacalone, Brennan LaRusso, Coyle Overand, Mason Piazza, John Townsend and Colton Tousa.

Here's Scott Stull's final report of the season:

Welcome to Stully’s CE BB Recap

2025 Pre-Season Rankings
1. Only Buckets
2. Kline Fundamentals
3. The Dark Side
4. Prada 5
5. Airball Alliance
6. Sigma Slammers
7. Brick City Elite
8. Whitehouse Warriors
9. Raining Rejects

Recap: 2/28 Tournament Edition

8 a.m. Game 1: #8 Sigma Slammers 59, #9 Brick City Elite 34
Sigma Slammers finally heeded some coaching advice and came out intent on scoring in the paint. The strategy paid off as they built an early 8-2 lead and took a 28-15 advantage into halftime behind strong play from Westin Rogers and Jack Southward. The second half followed the same pattern, with Sigma delaying outside shots until the game was secure. Rogers led with 22 points and Southward added 17, while reserves Ryan Feldkamp and Jack Wiedmeyer each hit two 3-pointers for 6 points apiece. Andrew Fuhs and Evan Baldwin scored 10 points each in Brick City Elite’s season-ending loss.

9 a.m. Game 2: #4 Whitehouse Warriors 48, #5 Prada 5 46 (2 OT)
Another overtime thriller between these two teams, as neither could pull away. Prada 5 jumped out to an early lead and extended it to 22-14 by halftime. Whitehouse Warriors opened the second half with a 7-3 run but still trailed by four points with 10 minutes left. They eventually tied the game at 38-38 to force overtime. Whitehouse held a 43-42 lead late before Julien Polidano hit a free throw to send it to a second OT. Tied at 46-46, Ben Feldkamp hit a buzzer-beating floater for the win. Feldkamp finished with 15 points for Whitehouse, while Kaden Cahill scored 14 and Archie Gates added 12. Casen Merrilat led Prada 5 with 17 points (three 3-pointers), and Polidano contributed 12.

10 a.m. Game 3: #2 Only Buckets 53, #7 Raining Rejects 37
Only Buckets started sluggishly but led 10-5 five minutes in. The margin shrank to two points before Only Buckets erupted for a 15-0 run to take a 37-20 halftime lead. They cruised in the second half, never letting Raining Rejects close to single digits. Carson Cherry paced Only Buckets with 15 points, and Chris Ignacio added 13. Sebe Polidano carried Raining Rejects with 19 points (two 3-pointers), while Alec Stager scored 11.

11 a.m. Game 4: #1 Kline Fundamentals 92, #8 Sigma Slammers 64
Kline Fundamentals started slowly, leading just 12-8 four minutes in as Sigma Slammers hung around. Once they found their rhythm, Kline took a 48-30 halftime lead. They dominated the second half, building a 30-point advantage by the 14-minute mark en route to a comfortable victory. Colton Tousa exploded for 32 points (four 3-pointers) to lead Kline, with Nolan Klein (23), Broderick Calder (18) and Mason Piazza (15) also scoring in double figures. Westin Rogers scored 23 for Sigma Slammers, and Jameson Massey added 16; both hit four 3-pointers.

12 p.m. Game 5: #3 The Dark Side 52, #6 Airball Alliance 44
The Dark Side opened with a 6-2 lead and never trailed, capitalizing on Airball Alliance’s inability to exploit the absence of The Dark Side’s rim protector. Chase Alexander (15 points) and Brad Sweetland (14) kept Airball Alliance competitive, but The Dark Side’s balanced scoring proved decisive in the season-ending loss for Airball. Brady Clark led The Dark Side with 16 points (four 3-pointers), and Evan Walsh added 12 (three 3-pointers).

1 p.m. Semifinal 1: #1 Kline Fundamentals 65, #4 Whitehouse Warriors 39
Whitehouse Warriors executed a deliberate first-half plan to slow the tempo and neutralize Kline Fundamentals’ up-tempo offense, holding the lead to one point midway through the half. Kline surged late to lead 30-24 at halftime. They opened the second half with four straight points inside, then used tough defense and transition scoring to build a 20-point lead and cruise to the finals. Four Kline players reached double figures: Broderick Calder (19), Mason Piazza (17), Colton Tousa (16) and Nolan Klein (13). Archie Gates scored 13 for Whitehouse Warriors.

2 p.m. Semifinal 2: #3 The Dark Side 42, #2 Only Buckets 39
The Dark Side’s 2-3 trapping zone troubled Only Buckets, who were missing their point guard. The Dark Side led 10-4 at the 10-minute mark in a low-scoring half. Only Buckets took a brief lead before Evan Walsh banked in a 3-pointer to tie the score at 19-19 at halftime. The game came down to free throws, with both teams struggling from the line. Brady Clark’s free throw stretched the lead late, and a Mikey Muir half-court 3-pointer at the buzzer fell short. Clark scored 18 to lead The Dark Side, while Chris Ignacio had a game-high 24 in a losing effort for Only Buckets.

3 p.m. Championship: #1 Kline Fundamentals 57, #3 The Dark Side 36
The Dark Side opened the finals on fire, hitting three straight 3-pointers to surge to a 9-0 lead that grew to 14-0. Kline Fundamentals responded calmly, closing the gap with a 9-0 run and clamping down defensively. They outscored The Dark Side 31-8 over the next 16 minutes after falling behind by 14, taking a 31-22 halftime lead. Kline extended the margin to 37-32 with 10 minutes left before back-to-back John Townsend 3-pointers swung momentum decisively. The Dark Side ran out of gas as Kline Fundamentals completed an undefeated season and claimed their second straight tournament championship. Congratulations!

Updated Standings
Team Record Pt. Differential
Kline Fundamentals 11-0 +344
Only Buckets 8-2 +247
The Dark Side 8-3 +153
Whitehouse Warriors 5-4 -79
Prada 5 4-5 -49
Airball Alliance 3-6 -82
Raining Rejects 2-6 -137
Sigma Slammers 2-8 -87
Brick City Elite 0-9 -312

Top Scorers (Tournament)
- Colton Tousa – 32
- Chris Ignacio – 24
- Nolan Klein – 23
- Westin Rogers – 23
- Westin Rogers – 22
- Nolan Klein – 22
- Sebe Polidano – 19
- Broderick Calder – 19
- Broderick Calder – 18
- Brady Clark – 18
- Jack Southward – 17
- Casen Merrilat – 17
- Mason Piazza – 17
- Jameson Massey – 16
- Brady Clark – 16
- Colton Tousa – 16
- Evan Walsh – 16
- Ben Feldkamp – 15
- Carsen Cherry – 15
- Mason Piazza – 15
- Chase Alexander – 15
- Kaden Cahill – 14
- Brad Sweetland – 14
- Broderick Calder – 14
- Colton Tousa – 14
- Chris Ignacio – 13
- Nolan Klein – 13
- Archie Gates – 13
- Archie Gates – 12
- Julien Polidano – 12
- Evan Walsh – 12
- Alec Stager – 11
- Evan Baldwin – 10
- Andrew Fuhs – 10

Stully’s Prediction % (SPP)
Last week: 6-2 (.750)
Overall: 32-11 (.744)

POWER RANKINGS
1. Kline Fundamentals
2. The Dark Side
3. Only Buckets
4. Whitehouse Warriors
5. Prada 5
6. Airball Alliance
7. Sigma Slammers
8. Raining Rejects
9. Brick City Elite

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