Dunks, Techs, and Trickery: Argyle Outmuscle Notre Dame in Boys Quarter-Finals
Argyle vs. Notre Dame
December 12, 2025
Handsworth Secondary turned into a neutral‑court cauldron as the Argyle Pipers (3A) and Notre Dame Jugglers (2A) tangled in a physical, whistle‑heavy thriller that felt a lot like March, even if the calendar said otherwise.
Argyle was the “home” team on the scoresheet, but the building was a patchwork of colours — Pipers green, Jugglers blue, and a lurking group of Handsworth students clearly just there for the shenanigans.
First Quarter – The 6'7" Problem Arrives
From the opening tip, it was clear Notre Dame had a serious problem:
Argyle’s 6'7" two‑way force I. Maydan (#1).
Early on, Maydan caught the ball on the wing, took one hard dribble like his sneakers were on fire, and exploded down the lane for a thunderous dunk that had the gym absolutely gobsmacked. He grabbed boards like they belonged to him by birthright, then sprinted back to guard on the perimeter like a much smaller man.
Notre Dame answered with its own maestro, Caleb Parrotta (#1), who probed Argyle’s defense with slick handles and kick‑outs. A couple of early jumpers from Niko Kuna (#13) and strong drives by Connor Mabel (#2) kept the Jugglers right there.
Bodies hit the floor, screens were set with feeling, and neither side could open more than a one‑possession edge.
End of 1st: Argyle 18 – Notre Dame 17.
Second Quarter – Jugglers Take Control, Fans Start Scheming
The second quarter belonged to Notre Dame.
Parrotta (#1) opened the frame by snaking into the lane for a smooth dribble‑and‑drive finish at the seven‑minute mark, leaving a defender searching for his ankles on aisle three. Coming out of a timeout at 7:15, the Jugglers dropped into a zone, trying to clog the paint and slow Maydan. Argyle adjusted quickly with a high‑low look, Maydan flashing to the middle for a catch and finish, but the tone of the quarter tilted ND’s way.
The Pipers tried to answer physically. J. Szpak (#25), one of three Szpak brothers in Argyle green, stepped in at the top of the key to take a textbook charge, drawing a huge roar.
A few minutes later came the comedy highlight of the day. With over four minutes still on the clock, some elephant‑brained Handsworth faithful — apparently still bitter about a triple‑overtime loss to Argyle in the 2004 Howe Sound final — started a fake countdown: “5…4…3…2…1…0!”
Szpak (#25), hearing the phantom shot clock, dutifully heaved a three‑quarter‑court prayer that barely reached the foul line. The entire gym cackled. Szpak was visually bamboozled; the Handsworth kids looked like they’d just won a championship of pure chaos.
Argyle found some steadiness late in the half. J. Smiley (#35) checked in for the final three minutes and vacuumed up a couple of big defensive rebounds, momentarily stemming ND’s momentum. With 51 seconds left, Argyle’s mystery man #21 took a hard drive, finished through contact, and calmly sank the free throw for an old‑fashioned three‑point play.
Even so, the Jugglers’ guard depth and steady shooting had done real damage.
Halftime: Notre Dame 38 – Argyle 24.
Third Quarter – Pipers Punch Back
Whatever Argyle coach Jamie Oei said at half clearly landed.
Notre Dame tried to step on the Pipers’ throats early when Kuna (#13) opened the third with a catch‑and‑shoot three. His next attempt — a pure heat‑check from deep — rimmed out, but the message was clear: ND wanted to bury Argyle from the arc.
Things then got spicy. A double technical on Nathan Roye (#5 ND) and Argyle’s #21 turned the gym into a cauldron. Judging by the ND bench exploding in high‑fives, the Jugglers felt they’d won the exchange mentally.
Argyle didn’t flinch. Kuna soon splashed another triple, but then the 6'7" problem took over. Maydan (#1) bullied his way to the rim for a powerful finish over a Juggler defender, then picked up a technical of his own for taunting — a flex, a few too many words, and suddenly the officials were earning their pay.
From there, the game teetered on the edge of chaos in the best high‑school way. Every drive to the rim felt like a rugby maul. The intensity was sky‑high, and more than a little chippy.
At the 6:20 mark, Argyle adjusted defensively: S. Sangha (#30) started face‑guarding Parrotta (#1 ND), trying to deny him the ball entirely. The strategy worked. With ND’s playmaker harassed constantly, Argyle’s length took over on the glass. Maydan and the Szpak brothers churned out offensive rebounds like a factory line, piling up second chances around the rim.
By 3:37 in the third, the comeback was complete — Argyle snatched a 47–45 lead.
Then came the exclamation point: at 2:15, Maydan jumped a passing lane, rumbled out in transition, and detonated a two‑handed breakaway dunk. Even the Handsworth student section, still running psychological warfare from the stands, gave a grudging cheer.
Notre Dame tried to respond. Parrotta (#1) could be seen barking at his teammates about boxing out as Argyle continued to feast on the offensive glass. Klyde Tan (#11) stopped the bleeding with a slick transition finish in the paint with 30 seconds left.
But the Pipers had flipped the script.
End of 3rd: Argyle 52 – Notre Dame 51.
Fourth Quarter – Threes, Techs, and a Pipers Pull‑Away
Early in the fourth, the Jugglers briefly wrestled momentum back. Kuna (#13) drilled another deep three, giving Notre Dame a one‑point lead, but the celebration went a touch overboard. The officials whistled yet another technical on ND for excessive celebration, and the Argyle bench absolutely loved it.
Notre Dame, sensing the game starting to slip into chaos, cranked up the pressure — full‑court pickup, then dropping into a zone to try to plug the low‑post leaks that Maydan and friends were exploiting.
Argyle’s answer? Calm, ruthless shooting.
The ball swung to D. Beksito (#12) on the perimeter, and he buried a big‑time three over the top of the zone. Just like that, it was 62–54 Argyle with seven minutes to play, and the Jugglers were suddenly on their heels.
From there, Maydan (#1) kept carving them up going to his right hand, gliding through traffic and finishing around the hoop like a 6'7" guard. Notre Dame never really succeeded in forcing him left, and he made them pay repeatedly.
The Jugglers started to look tired. Possession after possession ended in deep jumpers that clanged off iron, while Argyle kept punching the paint. With 3:30 to go, the Pipers had built a 70–56 lead and the game was clearly slipping away.
In a last‑ditch bit of strategy, Mabel (#2 ND) tried an intentional miss at the foul line with about two minutes left, hoping for a scramble and quick three. The ball hit too cleanly, Argyle grabbed the board, and that pretty much summed up ND’s late‑game luck.
From there, the Pipers managed the clock, secured rebounds, and dribbled out a statement neutral‑court win over a proud Notre Dame program.
Postgame – Statement from the Pipers, Lessons for the Jugglers
For Argyle, the night was a showcase of what a 3A contender with size and depth can look like when it leans into its strengths — length, rebounding, and a 6'7" two‑way nightmare in Maydan (#1).
For Notre Dame, a tradition‑rich 2A independent that loves tough competition, this was the kind of early‑season gut check that pays off in February. Parrotta (#1) and Kuna (#13) proved they can score in bunches; the film session will probably focus on boxing out and keeping emotions in check when the game gets spicy.
In the end, though, this one will be remembered for Maydan’s dunks, the blizzard of technicals, and a fake countdown that had J. Szpak (#25) launching a three‑quarter‑court missile with four minutes left.
High‑school basketball at its finest: a little messy, a little chippy, and absolutely unforgettable.
Final Score: Argyle 80-Notre Dame 65