The Elite Eight round has come and gone, and the finals are starting to come into view. Four games. Four entries into the final four. Four eliminations. Let’s get it on.
Victor Cutting ’24 and Jacob Brunton’s ‘24 Cinderella run in this year’s NBL ended prematurely, with Will Schneid ’25 and Michael Peluso ’25 easily taking care of them in an 11-3 blowout. Schneid and Peluso now advance to the final four to face Ritter Coombs ’25 and Shane Tronoski ‘25.
Speaking of Ritter and Shane, they too took care of business in impressive fashion, with a 12-4 victory over Sam Lyne ‘24 and Hayden Newman ‘24. The self-proclaimed tournament favorites continue to advance, earning a berth in the final four.
The following evening, Pete Moore ’24 and Alexis Trudeau ’24 advanced with an 11-4 win over Gavin Carr ’25 and Sebastian Pribula ‘24, in what some are calling the worst game in NBL history due to the lack of effort on the part of all 4 players involved. “This is the stuff that kills leagues. These guys think they are too good to play, and it’s embarrassing,” said Peluso after the game. “ I hope someone gives it to them in the next round. I can’t deal with this any longer!”
The Elite 8 wrapped up with Parker Thompson ‘26 and Drew Donatello ‘25 catching an 11-1 beating at the hands of Parker Asbridge ’24 and Dr. Owen Flynn ‘24. This is what I like to call the learning experience year: Thompson and Donatello getting their licks from a far superior foe, and regrouping for a deep run next year.
