The DuBois Dream hosted a youth basketball camp and a pair of games on Saturday at the DuBois Christian School.
To begin the day, the Dream welcomed 25 youth basketball players for a successful camp. The kids learned about different facets of the game, participated in skills competitions, and enjoyed relay races. Each player was given a swag bag from Penn Highlands Healthcare, pizza from Buck’s Pizza, and two tickets to the game against the Lancaster Thunder.
A pair of games followed the camp, tipping-off at 2:00 PM and marking the team’s first contests in DuBois since before the pandemic. The first game was a PBL matchup against the second-place Lancaster Thunder. The second contest was a non-league game against the New York City Black Eagles. The Dream entered Saturday’s action with a record of 1-3, and the team’s bid to climb back to .500 on the season got off to a slow start in the first game.
A 33-14 deficit after the first quarter was a sign of what was to come for the Dream throughout the game. The early hole that the Dream would have to attempt to climb out of expanded to 24 points in the second quarter, with the score at halftime reading 59-35. The Thunder, one of the PBL’s best teams, proved why it is at the top of the standings, earning a win over DuBois by the score of 121-79. Tony Acrie led the Dream with 21 points and 17 rebounds in the loss, while both he and Albert Varacallo, III (12 points and 11 rebounds) recorded double doubles in game one. Lancaster was led by Sean Rogers (22 points and 13 rebounds).
Having lost the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, DuBois looked to rebound in the second game against the New York City Black Eagles. NYC came in and played an impressive game and held a one-point lead over DuBois at halftime, but the Dream played its best basketball of the day in the second half to take a quick lead in the third quarter that would not be relinquished. DuBois picked up its second win of the season by the score of 90-82. Every player in the DuBois lineup contributed on the stat sheet in game two. The leading scorer was Tony Acrie with 26 points, while Cory Huff (22), Albert Varacallo (11), and Trey Logan (10) all scored in double figures. The NYC Black Eagles were led by Richard Williams (26 points) and David Melendez (23 points).
The DuBois Dream would like to thank the DuBois Christian School for allowing the team to use the school’s facility and for the incredible hospitality over the weekend. In addition, the Dream wants to thank Penn Highlands and the Continuity Clinic for their support and staff at Saturday’s games. Finally, the Dream would like to thank Buck’s Pizza for the free pizza lunch for the campers.
With a 1-1 record on the day, the Dream move to 2-4 on the season. The club will look to build off of today’s results next Saturday, March 13, when it hosts the Chautauqua Hurricane at 2pm in PBL action and Timothy Edwards United in a non-league matchup at 5pm. Official AAU and Youth Basketball Registration will take place prior to the games beginning at 10am. All interested players are encouraged to attend and pre-register at: https://forms.gle/mwTd7CQwAmW3CXKF9