RCC Construction claims Over The Hill League title

DOVER — It might take Mike Casimiro a little longer to warm up these days than it did, say, 20 years ago. But once he and his RCC Construction teammates got things rolling, it was a night to celebrate a championship.

After getting off to bit of a rocky start, RCC Construction found its groove in the second quarter of Wednesday's Over The Hill Basketball League championship game in Dover and beat Seacoast Veteran's Properties 56-43.

"When you're over 50 it takes almost a half to warm up," Casimiro said with a laugh. "Fortunately we got it going pretty good there in the second (quarter), and then we were able to build on that in the third."

Trailing by five at the end of the first quarter, Casimiro sparked RCC's second-quarter surge with seven straight points. A 3-pointer, a slashing layup, and a midrange jumper gave RCC its first lead of the game. They led by six at halftime, and widened the margin to as many as 20 in the second-half, en route to the 56-43 win. Casimiro finished with a game-high 21 points — including five 3-pointers.

Following back-to-back 3-pointers from Casimiro, RCC extended the lead to 14 (34-20) halfway through the third quarter.

"It was nice that my jumper finally started to drop," Casimiro said. "Sometimes you just have to keep shooting until you they start to go in. I think that's any shooters mentality."

Dan Duvall and Tom Ferrari also played key roles in the win, and finished with 16 and eight points, respectively. Ferrari collected 11 rebounds as well.

"(RCC) went on that run in the second quarter, and we never were able to recover," said Peter Wons, a physical education teacher at Dover Middle School and coach of the Dover High School boys freshman team. "We were playing a zone, and Casimiro started hurting us with those 3s at the top of the key. That was a momentum changer."

Wons led Seacoast with a team-high 16 points, while Bill Looker added 11.

"We kept plugging away, but (RCC) shot the ball too well for us to come back," Wons said. "We keyed on Casimiro in the second half, and then all their other guys started making shots. They were definitely the better team tonight. It's all about having fun, though."

Casimiro, a 1976 Dover High School graduate and former Green Wave basketball player, has played in the Over The Hill League for three years. He described his idea of the perfect teammate.

"A complete men's league player is someone who plays hard, showers, and then goes out socially after," he laughed. "That's the trifecta. The quad is if they pick up the tab. That's the best teammate you can have.

"We have a starting five every night after the game," he added. "The social part is one of the best things about playing in leagues like this."

It was the first year Wons participated in Dover's Over The Hill League (50 and older), and he agreed with Casimiro.

"I had a great time," he said. "It's a good way for guys our age to socialize and get to know other people — and get some exercise at the same time."

Casimiro, 53, elaborated on the importance of men's leagues.

"A lot of guys my age — and younger — still have a passion for the game of basketball," he said. "Men's leagues you the chance to still act on that. Some people think there aren't opportunities to play organized basketball after high school or college, but that's exactly what men's leagues are there for."