In summer competition, North Warren basketball players gain skills

CHESTERTOWN | The North Warren Summer League basketball team has experienced success during a season in which they have competed with an array of teams from across New York State. Coach James Cuyler reported in late July that his players, many of whom also are members of the North Warren High School varsity basketball team which he coaches, have been improving their skills in the summer league games. Cuyler said July 29 that he and his summer league players attended the St. Lawrence University Basketball Camp. In competing with other participants, they defeated two teams whose members were primarily from Class B schools. They also played a team from Canton, whose athletes were on Class C high school team which made it to the state Finals last spring. Cuyler's crew also played two Class D teams whose members largely comprised the Sackets Harbor and Heuvelton high school teams, both of which competed in the state basketball regionals. The North Warren athletes beat Heuvelton but lost to Sackets Harbor, despite the absence of their standout player Derrick Tyrell. The North Warren team was one of the top four contenders at the St. Lawrence basketball camp, competing in the playoffs, Cuyler said. Back in the Warren-Washington counties region, North Warren competed in two summer basketball leagues: one based in Schroon Lake, and the other in Hudson Falls. In the Hudson Falls League, North Warren competed effectively, playing teams representing Glens Falls, Queensbury and Hudson Falls, whose schools are far larger than North Warren. Cuyler noted that his squad lost to Hudson Falls by only two points. Cuyler's crew also played games with Cambridge, Spa Catholic, Warrensburg and Greenwich, whose players they'll likely face in the winter scholastic competition. In the Schroon Lake League, Cuyler's players competed against teams from Bolton, Moriah, Crown Point, and Schroon Lake, achieving a 4-2 record, and playoffs were scheduled to be held Aug. 2. Cuyler said his son Semaj and Derrick Tyrell, both accorded honorable mention status on the All-State basketball team, performed well this summer. He described the individual progress of his players, most of whom were on the North Warren team that fought their way into the state Class D Final Four this last spring. Tyrell is stronger this season and doesn't get pushed around as much as he did as a junior last year, because he is working out and getting stronger, Cuyler said. Last year, six-foot-four Tyrell averaged 11.9 points per game while grabbing 5.7 rebounds per game. In North Warren's 46-47 loss in the state Class D semifinals, Tyrell was top scorer for the Cougars with 14 points, hitting 70 percent of his shots from the court. "This winter, Derrick will be a 20-point scorer and get 15 rebounds per game," Cuyler predicted. Semaj, now an eighth grader, grew several inches since last December and is now 6'1" and able to float higher toward the basket than he did last year, when he was a solid scorer, averaging 12 points and 2.1 steals per game. "Semaj is having a solid summer — scoring, passing, rebounding and just being a floor leader," Cuyler said. Elijah Horge, who in 2022-23 defended the opposing teams' best players, is now attacking the basket and scoring more consistently, Cuyler said. "We're looking for Eli to do more for us offensively this winter," he said. The coach said Wyatt, a junior, has been shooting from beyond the arc even more consistently than he did last year. "Wyatt's been 'on fire' from three-point range," Cuyler said, noting that in one game held during the St. Lawrence camp, he sank 11 treys. "He's going to be one of my top scorers in 2023-24." In the 2023 Adirondack League Title game, Wyatt Jennings, a sophomore at the time, contributed nine points, two assists and a steal. These four will be leading the 2023-24 North Warren Cougars, Cuyler said, noting that others on his scholastic and summer teams will be filling important roles for the Cougars this winter. "We've got Tyler Hitchcock who's a good defender and plays hard; Coleman Swartz who can play defense, shoot threes and attack the basket; and we've got James Conway who can knock down threes and shoot midrange as well as play defense," Cuyler said. "We also have Hunter Conger who can sink the 'corner three' and play defense as well as rebound; we've got Giovanni Marron who will get minutes playing 'big man' down low — he can rebound and finish around the rim. Also, we've got Derrick's little brother Isaiah Tyrell who can rebound, finish around the rim and plays tough defense." "These role players have big shoes to fill," Cuyler continued, noting the loss to graduation of 2023-24 lead scorer Sean Evans, and multi-talented players Cooper Morehouse, Zach Hopper, and Angelo Willette.

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In summer competition, North Warren basketball players gain skills

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