Left, the team from the State Attorney’s Office. From left, Garrett Hill, Henry Jacqmein, Will Farrar, Rob Culpepper, Lair Hall, Jose Musa, Quise Jenkins, Chris Huband and Sam Friedman.
The Public Defenders, from left, Eric Melendez, Pete Venuti, Jon Thacher, Art Stresing, Morgan Orender and Jon Lorimier. Center, seated, Adam Schemer. Not Pictured: Rob Fregosi.
The Dawson Orr team, from left, Garth Cheek, Matt Hunt, John Weedon, Michael Orr, Nate Tincher, Todd Davis, Teddy Foster, Chris Brochu and Corey Portnoy.
By John Weedon
YLS Sports League chair
March Madness got an early start this year in the final 1.9 seconds of The Jacksonville Bar Association’s basketball league’s championship game March 13 at the Jacksonville Ice and Sportsplex.
The Public Defenders and the team from Dawson Orr battled back and forth in a game where every basket was hard-earned and with neither team having a lead larger than 4 points.
Tied at 39-39 with 1.9 seconds remaining, The Defenders inbounded to Morgan Orender who shot an off-balance, fadeaway, baseline 3-pointer just over the outstretched hands of the defense.
It went straight through the net as the buzzer sounded, pulling off a 42-39 victory in a game that seemed destined for overtime in front of a crowd of supporters.
That was the story all season, as The Defenders regained their spot atop the league for the third time in the past four seasons while posting another undefeated record. The campaign was not easy, however, as two of their victories came in overtime.
This season quickly became the most competitive in recent league history, as every team fielded their strongest roster to date.
Teams from the Public Defender’s Office, Dawson Orr, the State Attorney’s Office and Heekin Litigation Group battled week in and week out for the top spot with the most overtime games and the most games decided by fewer than five points that the league has seen thus far.
The league will begin its next season in a few months.
If you are interested in playing, contact John Weedon ([email protected]) or Art Stresing ([email protected]).
