Masuk Free Press

The Masuk boys Varsity basketball team took on the Weston Trojans last night in a tough SWC matchup, but they weren’t just playing for a hard conference win, they were playing for something bigger. The Thursday night game, in which the Panthers defeated Weston by a score of 57-55, was in honor of Coach Pete Simoulidis, who passed away unexpectedly this past July. Coach Pete touched the lives of everyone around him, and this night honored him and his family. 

“He was the kind of coach that truly cared about his players, he basically became a second father to us. He pushed us to become the best possible version of ourselves.” said senior captain Matt Domenichelli, “He brought us together, caused players to become teammates, teammates became brothers and brothers became family.” 

Thursday’s event included a ceremony for Coach Pete, followed by the matchup between Masuk and Weston, with games, trivia, and raffles throughout the night. The ceremony consisted of a speech honoring Coach Pete and all of the contributions that he made to the town of Monroe and our community, followed by retiring the number zero in remembrance of Coach Pete. 

The game started off hot for the Panthers, hitting almost every shot in the opening minutes. With 3 pointers from senior Colin Francisco, junior Alex Simoulidis, and sophomores Tyler Newsom and Mitch DeBernardo, Masuk quickly built a 20 point lead on Weston by the middle of the second quarter. For the entirety of the first half, the Panthers shooting was automatic, and Masuk went into the half leading by a large margin. Throughout the 3rd quarter, it was evident that the Panthers had taken their foot off the gas a little bit, allowing Weston to cut down on Masuk’s lead. “I was really happy with our players getting the job done on both ends of the floor.” says Newsom, “We had some young guys step up and they had great games. We took the foot off the gas a little bit and then they came back, but thankfully we pulled out the win.” Newsom said. 

By the end of the 3rd, Masuk’s impenetrable defense and resilient shooting held a 12 point lead over the Trojans. However, as the fourth quarter began, Weston came out firing and began to claw their way back in. After a combination of forced turnovers and three pointers, the Spartans cut the lead to two, down 53-55.  It was a clutch chasedown block from Ethan Palma that reinvigorated the Panthers, as they fought to survive in the final minutes. With Masuk failing to score on their next drive down the court, the ball was back in Weston’s possession with less than a minute remaining. Through driving persistently at the Panther’s basket, the Trojans managed to tie the game at 55. With the ball back in Masuk’s hands, sophomore Newsom drove to the basket and kicked it out to DeBernardo in the corner for a 3, the Masuk fans thought this would be the shot that sent Weston home. To the disappointment of Masuk’s fan section, DeBernardo’s shot ricocheted off the rim, with Weston coming down with the rebound, calling a timeout with just 16 seconds left. The back and forth possessions struck the crowd with a sense of panic, the atmosphere in the arena becoming louder and louder in the closing seconds. After the timeout, Weston attempted to inbound the ball, but committed a violation in the process, with the Weston inbounder stepping over the line onto the court and turning the ball over. 

It was the sophomore captain Newsom who led the Panthers up the court, and instead of attempting to draw a foul, he pulled up from mid range and called the game, putting Masuk up 57-55 with seven seconds left. “It was obviously great to have a game winning shot like that but I would’ve trusted any one of the guys on this team with that shot.” Newsom said after the game, looking back on his game-winning shot. The stadium erupted, with the Masuk gymnasium turning into an unimaginable atmosphere. 

Weston inbounded the ball with just under 5 seconds left, with their point guard driving towards the hoop. The Masuk defenders jumped, attempting a block on the Weston player, but with a beautiful pass from the point guard and a miscommunication from the Panther defense, another Weston player was left wide open in the corner with just 2 seconds left on the clock. He set his feet, pulled up, and let the ball fly. The shot was short. A feeling of relief and happiness came over the Masuk gym, knowing they didn’t just win this game to improve their record, they won it in honor of a truly amazing man, and a role model to all. They knew that this game was for Coach Pete. 

Following the game, a small commemoration was held for the players, friends, and family to celebrate. While talking to Masuk Head Coach Peter Szklarz, he touched on both the adrenalized night and Coach Pete Simoulidis and how he impacts the team. “It was a fantastic atmosphere tonight celebrating Coach Pete. As you can see during the opening ceremony, he has affected so many of these players and so many families.” Szklarz said, describing Pete’s impact on the Monroe community. “He was a fantastic coach, and an even better person. He gets these guys ready, and our success is directly correlated with Coach Pete.” 

After an emotional win over Weston, the Panthers hope to continue their hot streak against Notre Dame Fairfield next Monday.