Observer Newspaper

Vol XXXIII No. 132

Friday, May 19, 2000

Keyplay edges NDToday in talent-laden tournament
By KATHLEEN O'BRIEN
Associate Sports Editor

Trailing by one at 17-16, top-ranked Keyplay.com decided this was the year it would not go home disappointed. It then scored the final five points of the championship game to make No. 2 NDToday.com wait until next year this time.

"We've been to this place two years before, and ended up on the losing end both times," Keyplay's Cas Schneller, a second-team All Tournament selection, said. "We really wanted to make sure we were the ones on fire at the end. We were determined to go out as winners."

Both teams went out as winners for making the tournament a treat to watch, but only Keyplay managed to take home the trophy.

Keyplay's Jimmy Dillon and Tom Dietrich unleashed a torrent of baskets to secure the victory.

Dillon, the Notre Dame varsity record-holder for steals and assists, turned up the heat on the Bookstore court. And then he tied things up with a slam-dunk on a pass from Dietrich, the Bookstore Basketball MVP.

Dietrich followed suit the next trip down the court, dropping in one of his team-high eight baskets with a pull-up jumper. Dillon drilled a shot from near half-court to put Keyplay up 19-17.

"Jimmy had that 3-point shot. That was a bomb," Dietrich said. "That made them tighten up on defense and let us get to the basket."

Football crossover John Teasdale knocked down a free throw to put Keyplay just one point away from the win. Dietrich then sealed his selection as MVP by ending the game with a nothing-but-net 3-pointer over NDToday's Tim Muething.

The talent-filled Keyplay.com and NDToday.com were laden with former Division I and II basketball prospects, giving onlookers an eyeful.

Dillon started at point guard for the Irish this season, leading them to the NIT title game. Dietrich turned down Division I basketball offers from Vanderbilt, Ohio, Bowling Green, Yale and Miami (Ohio) in favor of a brief track career at Notre Dame. NDToday's B.J. Kloska walked on the Notre Dame basketball team a year ago. Teammate Dave Mikolyzk turned down Division II options after an All-State career in Wisconsin to receive a Notre Dame degree.

"You get all the fans out there and it's great," Mikolyzk said. "It's your time to shine a little bit."

Keyplay beat Versatility 21-15 in the semifinals, while NDToday defeated Majestics 21-10 to reach the title game.

It was the third trip to the finals for Dietrich, Schneller and teammate Paul Moore, and their second with Teasdale.

In the women's tournament, Erin Brandenburg led her top-ranked JAAKE squad to a 21-9 win in a grueling battle against No. 2 Muffet's Second String. Brandenburg scored eight points in winning her third consecutive women's Bookstore championship.

Earning men's First Team All-Tournament honors were Mikolyzk, Kloska, Versatility's Ross Hansen, Pete Ryan of The Majestics and the F-Bombs' Sean McCarthy. Dietrich, a senior, was named Most Valuable Player of the tourney. Steve Craig of Franchise was named Mr. Bookstore.

All Sports Stories for Friday, May 19, 2000