Five Things: Irish Music On Academy & More

Fire District meeting: On tonight’s agenda is the swearing in of new commissioners and the Odeum. The meeting takes place in Council Chambers at Town Hall starting at 7 p.m.

Live Music at Academy Field: Irish music tonight from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Academy Field. Bring a blanket or a couple of chairs, a picnic even. And don’t forget the little kids – they LOVE these concerts! But leave your pooch at home. Put on by the EG Parks & Rec Department.

Basketball triumph! For the third straight year, the Avenger boys basketball team made the trek to Franklin Pierce University in Ringe, N.H., to participate in their team camp and tourney.  The tournament features a Saturday of pool play, followed by a single-elimination tournament featuring strong programs from Connecticut, Massachusetts,Vermont, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. This summer's squad drove home Sunday night with the hardware. Led by a dominating offensive performance from junior Brandon Eckles, and stifling man-to-man defense by the entire squad, the Avengers beat Division 1 Coventry in the semifinals, and a strong Hopedale, N.H., team in the finals.

"Team camp is a great opportunity to develop team chemistry and to define a style of play that carries through our summer league play and our next season. This group came to camp committed to working together and defining themselves as a team that makes their opponents uncomfortable on both ends of the court," said Coach Craig MacKenzie. "I'm most pleased with their defensive intensity and their communication.  We played straight man to man all weekend. Junior Carney Crawford set the tone in pool play, and everyone followed his lead."
Highlighting the weekend was a furious finish against Hopedale in pool play. After a turnover gave Hopedale the ball with the game tied and twenty seconds left, junior Ben Chester stole a crosscourt pass, and passed up court to Carney Crawford. Crawford attacked the lane, but was trapped by three Hopedale defenders. With only seconds remaining, Crawford kicked the ball to a trailing Eckles, who hit a three pointer at the buzzer.

Use ‘Five Things’ for a Shout Out: If you have birthday wishes, want to say ‘Happy Anniversary’ to someone, or have a congratulations message, go ahead and leave it as a comment on the day’s Five Things!

Weather: It's a bit more humid today – aw, you knew the dryness couldn't last! – with a high of around 87. Still no rain, so turn on that hose – your plants are getting dry.