BeantownHoops Blog

By Christian Bradley, BeantownHoops.com Central Mass correspondent

1.  St. John’s (24-3) The Pioneers won their third Central Mass. title in as many years, but came up just short against Central Catholic in the state title game, losing 56-55 in a thriller at the DCU center.

2. 2.  North (18-5)North easily ran thru Algonquin and Shrewsbury, but met their match in the Central Mass. title game against St. John’s, as they fell 58-35.

3. 3.  Whitinsville Christian (21-5) The Crusaders were nearly unchallenged in the Central Mass tournament, capturing the Division 3 crown by beating Maynard 58-44. WCS lost to New Leadership by 2 points in Double OT, in one of the most exciting games of the year statewide.

4. 4.  Marlboro (15-7) The Panthers upset Doherty 70-66, but could not get past St. John’s, despite a huge game from Zach Auguste.

5. 5.  Doherty (16-5) After a first round bye in the Division 1 tournament, the Highlanders were upset by Marlboro in their first game of the tourney.

6. 6.  Groton-Dunstable (21-5) Groton-Dunstable won the Central Mass. Division 2 championship. They beat Sabis 52-48 at the HoopHall classic back in January, but the Crusaders couldn’t quite get past Sabis again in the D2 state semis, falling 45-44.

7. 7.  Shrewsbury (17-5) After defeating South 65-50 in their first game of the Division 1 tournament, the Colonials fell to North, 72-58.

8. 8.  Millbury (18-6) The Woolies defeated Bartlett and Clinton to get to the Division 2 title game at WPI, but fell ,49-43, to Groton-Dunstable.

9. 9.  Fitchburg (13-9) After defeating Milford already during the regular season, the Red Raiders beat them once again, knocking Milford out of district play. However, Fitchburg was easily defeated by St. John’s 81-50.

1   10.  Maynard (23-1 ) After narrowly beating Worcester Tech, 59-58, in the Division 3 semis, Maynard fell to Whitinsville Christian, their only loss of the season.

11 11.  South (13-9) The Colonials beat Tantasqua with ease earlier in the season, and beat them once again in districts, winning 61-50. But, they were defeated by Shrewsbury 65-50 in the second round of the D1 tournament.

1212.  Northbridge (15-7) The Rams had some tough losses in the regular season, but kicked it into gear when playoffs started: defeating Nipmuc and nearly beating the eventual Central Mass. Division 2 champ Groton-Dunstable, falling 66-63.

1313.  Clinton (13-9) The Clinton Gaels had a great upset victory over Uxbridge in their first game of the Division 2 tournament, winning 60-50. In the semifinals, they fell to the eventual Central Mass. Division 2 runner up, Millbury, 50-48.

1414.  Worcester Tech (17-5) Worcester Tech upset Quaboag 54-52 in their first game of the Central Mass. tournament, and nearly handed then undefeated Maynard their first loss of the season, but fell 59-58.

15 15.  Milford (12-9) Milford was upended in the first round of the Division 1 tournament by Fitchburg.

Miersma Dominates as WCS wins 4^th Title In 7 Years

By Christian Bradley, BeantownHoops.com Central Mass. Correspondent

Worcester, MA- Throughout this year’s Central Mass Division 1, 2, and 3 tourneys, we have seen some excellent big men; including 6’9 Jr. Zach Auguste from Marlboro, 6’6 Sr. Ryan Romich from Groton-Dunstable, 6’7 Jr. Cedric Kuakumensah from North, 6’6 Sr. Chad LaBove from St. John’s, 6’5 Sr. Jose Cruz of Shrewsbury, and 6’6 Sr. Tim Swenson from Millbury.

But for those who didn’t know about Whitinsville Christian’s 6’7 Junior Center Hans Miersma, well, they certainly do now.

WCS center Hans Miersma had 17 points in the game and made his presence felt on both ends of the court

Miersma had 17 points in all on Saturday afternoon, scoring in a variety of ways; including mid-range jumpers, drop steps, tip-ins, and on some nice feeds from Freshman Colin Richey and Senior Captain Andrew Dykstra (each of whom had 13 points).

Dykstra was coming off perhaps the best game of his superb career at Whitinsville, as he led WCS with 31 points in a win in their semifinal matchup against Littleton.

The Crusaders took on the 24-0 Tigers of Maynard High School, led by 1000 point scorer Mike Fowler, who has consistently been one of Central Mass’ best point guards in his four years playing for coach Paul Howes.

Maynard, usually a hot-shooting, high scoring team, started off slow offensively in the first quarter, quickly staring at an 11-0 deficit, highlighted by an excellent conventional 3-point play by Dykstra to start off the game.

As the first half wore on, the Crusaders’ size advantage was clearly playing into their favor (Maynard’s biggest player, Jake Tyler, is listed at 6’2), as Miersma continued to be the most dominant player on the floor offensively, defensively, and everywhere in-between.

The first half of the game, which was held at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, ended with a 31-19 score in favor of Whitinsville Christian.

It’s only expected that a team is 24-0 for a reason, as Maynard came out in the 2^nd half looking poised for a comeback, and Whitinsville came out flat.

The Tigers run, capped off by a 3-point play by Fowler and a 3-pointer by Peter Frank, brought the lead down to just six points. A 47-41 score with 5 and a half minutes left in the game.

And the run stopped there, as Whitinsville did what they’ve done all year in close games, play great defense. Maynard scored three points in the last five and a half minutes of the game. Whitinsville held Mike Fowler to just seven points for the afternoon, thanks to great defense by Dykstra and Co-captain Kurt Steiner, who has started at guard for three years for the Crusaders.

WCS took away any possible chance for a Tigers’ comeback as Colin Richey scored on a fast break layup with about two minutes left.

Fowler was soon after subbed for in-between free throws, and received a loud applause from players of both teams, and from fans sporting their Maynard orange and black or Crusader blue, alike; a true sign of respect and farewell to perhaps the best to ever play at Maynard High.

Maynard’s Senior Captain Mike Fowler walks off the court to a storm of applause from the Harrington Auditorium crowd

The final buzzer sounded and Whitinsville Christian won the Central Mass. Division III championship by a score of 58-44. The Crusaders will play New Leadership Charter of Springfield, on Tuesday night at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield at 4:30. WCS improved to 20-4, and Maynard finished 24-1.

Crusader captains Andrew Dykstra and Kurt Steiner celebrate their Division 3 title as they recieve the championship trophy

Kuakumensah, Iacovone Each Score 19 as North Rolls 72-58

Worcester, MA-For anyone in attendance for North vs. Shrewsbury on Sunday afternoon, it would be hard to argue that the most dominant performer was Jose Cruz from Shrewsbury.

Cruz scored 19 points in a losing effort, with two dunks that included a left handed slam with a minute left in the first quarter that left the crowd in awe. Many would agree that the best game he played of his high school career also happened to be his last. Shrewsbury also got 16 points from Colby Reese and 12 from Ryan Stowe.

Shrewsbury Senior Jose Cruz goes up for a one-handed slam in the first quarter

North came out with a bang in the first quarter, ending the first with 17-12 lead anchored by seven first quarter points by Gaetano Iacovone. The crowd erupted after Cruz put down a left handed dunk on a dribble drive with just under a minute left.

Shrewsbury Senior Captain Colby Reese had 16 points in his final game

The second quarter Cruz continued to carry Shrewsbury, getting a two-handed dunk and a conventional three-point play on consecutive possessions with about 3:30 left in the half.

North really struggled with free throws, not only in the first half but in the entire game, their free-throw shooting woes helped to allow Shrewsbury to stay in the game throughout most of the first three quarters. The halftime score was 29-22, North with the lead.

The Polar Bears began to build a larger lead in the third quarter, despite a couple of contested three-pointers by Shrewsbury’s Ryan Stowe. North extended their lead to 51-40 as 6’7 Junior center Cedric Kuakumensah hit Emmanuel Tarwoe in a perfectly played 2-on-1. Tarwoe was fouled on the made lay-up, and finished off the three-point play with a made free throw.

Kuakumensah, as well as Senior Quazay McClain, really started getting involved in the offense in the 2^nd half. Cedric finished countless times close to the basket on dribble drives and also on some beautiful feeds from Tarwoe. McClain hit some big three-pointers and had an awe-inspiring assist in what was deffinetly the play of the game.

North’s center Cedric Kuakumensah finished around the rim several times in the second half, leading the Polar Bears with 19 points

Off of a blocked shot, McClain dribbled up the court and delivered a no-look around the back pass to Markese Berry. Berry did the rest, finishing with a one-handed flush as the crowd at WPI erupted to its loudest point of the day. The score at that point was 69-59, and Berry’s dunk seemed to take any energy that Shrewsbury may have had to post a comeback.

North’s senior Quazay McClain pulls for a 3-pointer in the 2nd quarter of North’s 72-58 win

Kuakumensah finished with 19 points and Iacovone also had 19 to go along with 9 rebounds as North finished off the Colonials 72-58. The Polar Bears will play St. John’s on Friday night at 7 at WPI, the two teams split the season series 1-1. Shrewsbury finished their season with a 17-5 mark.

1. St. John’s (17-2) The Pioneers destroyed Xaverian, 87-55, as Richard Rodgers, David White, and Bennett Knowlton combined for 58 points. White continued his great play, showing a near perfect performance, 21 points and 14 rebounds, as St. John’s beat North in Shrewsbury.

2. Doherty (13-4) The Highlanders got excellent games from Joel Katana(16 points), Eddie Capstick (17 points), Andre Santana(15 points), and Yawin Smallwood (13 points, 16 rebounds), in a victory over Groton Dunstable.

3. North (14-3) St. John’s great defensive effort was too much for the Polar Bears, as Markese Berry was the only double-figure scorer in a losing effort.

4. Whitinsville Christian (15-2) The Crusaders’ balanced scoring attack was no match for St. Mary’s, ending with a 79-49 win for WCS. Andrew Dykstra then led them with 13 points, beating Douglas.

5. Groton-Dunstable (15-4) Senior Cam Wilcox’s heroic performance led the Crusaders past Marlborough, as he had 23 points and 13 boards, however, G-D couldn’t get by #2 Doherty.

6. Maynard (19-0) The Tigers improved to 19-0, as Mike Fowler pumped in 29 points in a 77-54 win over Littleton.

7. Marlborough (13-5) The Panthers began the week with an upset loss to Groton-Dunstable, and ended it by being upset by a hungry Hudson squad.

8. Shrewsbury (14-4) The Colonials slipped by Leominster behind 18 points from captain Colby Reese, followed by a victory over Wachusett.

9. Fitchburg (12-6) The Red Raiders had a convincing victory over Milford on Tuesday night, led by Adam Vazquez, who had 25 points and 12 rebounds.

10. South (11-5) Emmanuel Feraud was the leading scorer with 16, as they easily beat BMR. Hugh Daye had 25, and Joe Brigham got his second consecutive double-double, in a big victory over St. Bernard’s.

11. Millbury (15-4) Ryan O’Leary superb 35 point performance was the difference as Millbury defeated Oxford. Stephen Bonner led the Wollies over Uxbridge with 19 points, 59-48.

12. Uxbridge (14-5) Corey Gomes’ 20 points lead the way for Uxbridge in a win over Grafton, but the Spartans were upended by Millbury later in the week.

13. Quaboag (16-3) Ryan Plante had 18 points in a victory over David Prouty. The Cougars got 14 points from Josh Toppin, as they slipped by Leicester, 46-44.

14. St. Bernard’s (11-7) Junior John Henault had 21 points as the Bernardians defeated West Boylston with ease. Though Henault and Andrew Gosselin combined for 53 points, St. B’s was unable to get past South, losing 72-69. Henault then proved to be the hero once again for St. Bernard’s, as he dropped 40 points in a victory over St. Peter-Marian.

15. Milford (11-8) The Scarlet Hawks got 18 from Anthony Barry, but couldn’t beat Fitchburg. Barry also had 21 points in a losing effort in an upset loss against Leominster.

Shrewsbury, MA- In a declared “white out” at St. John’s on Friday night, it was only right that Pioneers’ Senior David White had perhaps his biggest performance of the year, as the 6-foot senior guard finished off the Polar Bears of Worcester North High with 21 points and 14 rebounds.

“David’s our best rebounder, we really try to encourage our guards to crash the boards and he did a great job of that tonight,” said Coach Bob Foley on his Captain’s performance against a North team that defeated St. John’s in Worcester just a few weeks ago.

The Pioneers were able to jump out to an early lead, as 6’7” Cedric Kuakumensah and 6’4” Gaetano Iacovone both picked up two early fouls.

Despite foul troubles to their two biggest players as well as an electrifying dunk by Junior Captain Richard Rodgers, North was able to stay within four points by the end of the first quarter thanks to some key baskets by Quazay McClain in the first quarter.

St. John’s Captain Richard Rogers goes up for a fast break dunk in the first quarter

However, St. John’s came out in the 2^nd quarter poised to add to their lead, and they did just that, going on a run capped off by a 3-pointer by sharpshooter Bennett Knowlton, his third 3-ball of the first half.

St. John’s senior Bennett Knowlton connects on one of his three first half three-pointers.

White was consistently outstanding throughout the first half as well as the entire game, as he had several offensive rebounds and put backs that were a true testament to his style of play. The first half ended with North down 37-24.

The third quarter was more of the same, as the two teams continued to trade baskets as North pulled within eight points by the end of the third. North’s Senior Markese Berry gave his very best effort in this one. He finished with 19 points, and he continued to score when it seemed as if St. John’s was finally going to pull away.

North’s Markese Berry pulls up for one of his two made three-pointers

After Quazay McClain hit a 3-pointer at the beginning of the of the fourth quarter, St. John’s went on a tear defensively, as they gave up just three points the rest of the game. Their countless fourth quarter stops were certainly due to excellent bench play, as they just never seemed to tire throughout the game.

“(Ryan)Kelley, (Matt) Harrington, and (Matt) Palecki gave us a great boost off the bench,” said Foley, coming off of his 746^th career victory. “There wasn’t any difference in the level of play while our bench guys were in, and that really allowed us to rest our starters when it was needed. Their play tonight was the key for us.”

The Pioneers also got stellar defensive efforts from Seniors Brian Perron, who held Gaetano Iacovone, one of Central Mass’ most prolific scorers, to 7 points, as well as Captain Chad LaBove, who made his inside presence felt all night long.

“Brian Perron man…he’s a dog, he works his butt off and his effort on defense tonight was excellent,” Foley pointed out as he praised Perron and Labove for their efforts.

“And Chad, he’s a big presence; I think sometimes people are afraid to drive when he’s in the paint. If somebody isn’t doing something right defensively, he’s one that points it out.”

Rodgers ultimately finished with 20 points, and Knowlton had 11.

A great all-around team effort was what really won the game for the #1 Pioneers, they were firing on all cylinders and were able to wear down North as they pulled away in the fourth quarter, finishing with a final score of 64-49.

1. 1.  St. John’s (15-2) The Pioneers easily cruised by Burncoat, 76-47, in their first game of the week. David White had 17 in a victory over St. Peter-Marian on Friday. They’ll take on #3 North in Shrewsbury on Friday night.

2. 2.  Doherty (12-4) Joel Katana and Andre Santana had 22 and 14 points, respectively, in the Highlanders win over Milford. Santana continued his great play against North, scoring 17 points in an upset victory. Senior Eddie Capstick had the best game of his career against Burncoat on Friday night, dropping 40 points and 6 assists in a 91-76 win.

3. 3.  North (13-3) The Polar Bears came out flat in the first half against Doherty, and their 2^nd half run was to no avail, losing 63-59.

4. 4. Marlborough (13-3) The Panthers cruised to a win in their only game of the week against Nashoba.

5. 5. Whitinsville Christian (13-2) WCS was unchallenged by North Brookfield, winning 77-51 behind 24 from Andrew Dykstra and 16 each from Colin Richey and Kurt Steiner. The Crusaders were then led by Junior Taylor Bajema, who had 20 points, in a home win over rival Sutton as they took control of the DVC standings.

6. 6. Groton-Dunstable (14-3) Derek McCaffrey had 16 for the Crusaders, while Ryan and Kyle Romich scored 14 and 13, respectively, in a big win over Shrewsbury. Ryan Romich and McCaffrey then led G-D over Gardner, and they finished the week with a 72-43 win over league foe Quabbin.

7. 7. Maynard (18-0) The Tigers continue to go unchallenged, easily beating West Boylston as well as Tahanto behind 25 points from Jason Silva.

8. 8. Shrewsbury (12-4) The Colonials suffered a 12-point setback to G-D, followed by a 20 point win over N. Middlesex, a game in which Colby Reese dropped his 1000^th career point. They then ended the week with a one-point win over Fitchburg in one of the most exciting games of the year in Central Mass thus far.

9. 9.  Fitchburg (11-6) The Red Raiders defeated Algonquin fairly easily, but Adam Vazquez’ 19 point performance wasn’t quite enough to beat Shrewsbury.

10. 10. South (9-5) Junior Hugh Daye dropped 25 points in an 8 point victory over Holy Name while Emmanuel Feraud scored 21 in a win against Southbridge.

11. 11. Uxbridge (13-4) The Spartans destroyed Oxford, putting themselves at the top of SWCL East.

12. 12. Millbury (12-4) A 32 point victory over Bay Path was capped by Senior Ryan O’Leary’s 14 points. O’Leary then scored 24 points against Northbridge, leading the Wollies to a 16 point win.

13. 13.  Tantasqua (11-4) In their first game of the week, the Warriors were beaten by Milford, 61-40. Senior Jake Gubitose had perhaps his best game of the year, scoring 30 points in a 67-60 win over Shepherd Hill.

14. 14.  Quaboag (14-2) The Cougars slipped by Southbridge, Thomas Jankins and Patrick Hibbard each had 16. However they were upset by Bartlett 76-57. Jankins again scored 16 against Ware, leading Quaboag to a 2-1 week.

15. 15. Oxford (11-6) The Pirates had an easy victory over winless Grafton. But they suffered double digit losses to both Uxbridge and Nipmuc.

Reese, Cruz lead Shrewsbury in a 60-59 thriller
by Christian Bradley, beantownhoops.com Central Mass correspondent

Fitchburg, MA-In a game where Shrewsbury jumped out to a 17-4 lead in the first quarter, followed by a 34-10 run by Fitchburg to end the first half in favor of Red Raiders, it was only right that this one came down to the last possession.

Shrewsbury started off the game with some hot shooting, quickly taking an 11-0 lead a couple minutes into the game. Their 2-3 zone really had Fitchburg struggling in the opening minutes. Senior captain Colby Reese came out of the gates firing, nailing two 3-pointers during the 17-4 run to start the game.

Shrewsbury Senior Colby Reese prepares to pull up for one of his three 3rd quarter 3-pointers

Another Senior, Jose Cruz, made his presence felt in a variety of ways; grabbing several rebounds and hitting his teammates for assists, to go along with 13 points in all.

However, Fitchburg’s shooting woes didn’t continue past the first few minutes of the game, and the Red Raiders stormed back; thanks in part to Sophomore Abi Akanni(17 points) and Senior Adam Vazquez, who made his presence felt off the bench with 19 points.

“Akanni and Vazquez really ignited them, we knew they weren’t going to go away,” Shrewsbury coach Adrian Machado said of the Red Raiders 2nd quarter run.

The Red Raiders didn’t go away, moving the ball well on offense to beat Shrewsbury’s 2-3 zone as well as bringing more intensity on defense, capped off by two blocks and a defensive rebound on one Shrewsbury possession late in the 2nd quarter by Vazquez.

Senior Adam Vazquez gets his second consecutive blocked shot in the 2nd quarter.

Despite not being able to hit early, Fitchburg had the lead at halftime, 38-27.

To the surprise of no one in the stands, Reese, fresh off scoring his 1000th point in Shrewsbury’s previous game, came out in the second half firing, again. His three 3-pointers in the 3rd quarter led the Colonials second half comeback and ultimately his 20 points on six 3’s in all was the top scoring performance of the evening.

“Colby played the way I knew he could tonight, he played like a senior. The kid’s got a great passion for the game and he really showed it tonight,” a proud Coach Machado commented on his seniors’ performance.

Off of Vazquez’ third blocked shot of the game, that was sent out of bounds with 4:15 left in the game, Shrewsbury executed an out of bounds play perfectly with just 2 seconds left on the shot clock and Cruz scored on an open layup to tie the game at 54.

Though Cruz kept his team in the game throughout the night with his eight assists and nine rebounds, it was his scoring heroics in the final minutes that helped win it for Shrewsbury.

Vazquez and Akanni followed with some scoring of their own, taking back the lead 59-56.

But Cruz wouldn’t let his team stay down for long, tying the game on an old-fashioned 3-point play with 59 seconds left in the 4th quarter.

“Colby and Jose have been with me for four years now, they’ve stepped up time and time again, and they did some big things for us tonight,” Shrewsbury’s coach continued.

With the game tied at 59 with 14 seconds left, Shrewsbury called a timeout. Reese pulled up for three off the inbounds pass and missed, but Junior Wil Machalski was there to grab the offensive rebound, and was fouled on the attempted putback.

Machalski, proving to be the unsung hero of the game, made one of two at the line to put the Colonials ahead of Fitchburg 60-59.

Junior Wil Machalski’s clutch free throw at the end of the game gave Shrewsbury the 60-59 victory.

With this win, Shrewsbury surpasses Fitchburg (9-2 in conference) in the loss column and takes command of Mid-Wach A with a conference record of 9-1.

*Small Schools*: Sunday, February 14, 2010
#3 Murdock (14-3) vs. #6 Sutton (11-4), 1:00PM
#2 Littleton (12-2) vs. #7 Oxford (10-5), 2:45PM
#4 Quaboag (13-3) vs. #5 Uxbridge (13-4), 6:00PM
#1 Maynard (18-0) vs. #8 Bartlett (9-6), 7:45PM
Semifinals: Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Winner of Murdock/Sutton vs. Winner of Littleton/Oxford, 6:00PM
Winner of Quaboag/Uxbridge vs. Winner of Maynard/Bartlett, 7:45PM
Finals: Saturday, February 20, 2010, 6:00PM
*Large Schools*: Monday, February 15, 2010
#3 Northbridge (12-6) vs. #6 Westboro (9-7), 1:00PM
#2 Millbury (13-4) vs. #7 Lunenburg (9-8), 2:45PM
#4 Nipmuc (9-5) vs. #5 Clinton (10-6), 6:00PM
#1 Groton-Dunstable (13-3) vs. #8 Shepherd Hill (9-8), 7:45PM
Semifinals: Thursday, February 18, 2010
Winner of Northbridge/Westboro vs. Winner of Millbury/Lunenburg, 6:00PM
Winner of Nipmuc/Clinton vs. Winner of Groton-Dunstable/Shepherd Hill,
7:45PM

Team League Record Overall Record

Inter-High

North 5-1 13-3

South 4-2 8-5

Doherty 2-3 11-4

Burncoat 0-5 3-11

Central Mass.

St. John’s 5-0 14-2

St. Bernard’s 2-2 8-5

St. Peter-Marian 1-3 5-9

Holy Name 1-4 4-10

Mid-Wach A

Fitchburg 8-1 11-6

Shrewsbury 7-1 11-4

Milford 5-3 10-5

Algonquin 4-6 7-8

Leominster 4-6 7-11

Wachusett 2-6 4-12

North Middlesex 2-8 4-10

Mid-Wach B

Marlboro 8-1 12-3

Groton-Dunstable 7-2 11-3

Westboro 5-4 9-7

Quabbin 5-4 7-9

Hudson 4-6 6-10

Gardner 2-7 2-13

Nashoba 1-8 4-10

Mid-Wach C

Littleton 9-0 12-2

Clinton 6-3 10-6

Lunenburg 6-3 9-8

Oakmont 4-5 6-9

Narragansett 1-8 4-12

Bromfield 1-8 3-11

Mid-Wach D

Maynard 10-0 16-0

Murdock 7-3 13-3

West Boylston 3-6 4-8

Tahanto 2-7 5-11

Ayer 2-8 3-11

SWCL Central

Tantasqua 9-3 11-5

Shepherd Hill 8-4 8-8

Auburn 2-12 2-14

SWCL East

Uxbridge 10-4 13-4

Millbury 9-4 11-4

Northbridge 9-4 11-5

Oxford 9-4 10-5

Grafton 0-13 0-15

SWCL West

Quaboag 10-2 12-2

Bartlett 7-6 7-6

Southbridge 5-8 5-10

Leicester 4-9 5-10

David Prouty 1-11 3-13

Dual Valley

Whitinsville Christian 8-0 11-2

Sutton 8-1 11-4

Nipmuc 5-4 10-5

Douglas 4-6 8-8

Hopedale 3-6 8-8

North Brookfield 2-7 7-9

Blackstone-Millville 2-8 3-13

Colonial

Worcester Tech 9-0 12-4

Keefe Tech 8-1 12-3

Valley Tech 5-5 8-7

Nashoba Tech 4-6 9-8

Monty Tech 3-6 6-10

Bay Path 3-8 5-11

Assabet Valley 1-9 1-15

WCAC

Main Souh 8-0 11-3

St. Mary’s 9-2 11-4

Bethany Christian 7-2 10-5

South Lancaster 6-5 6-9

Abby Kelley 5-5 7-9

N. Central Charter 0-11 0-14

Parker Charter N/A N/A

Smallwood, Santana, and Capstick lead balanced attack in 75-49 win
by Christian Bradley, beantownhoops.com Central Mass correspondent
Worcester, MA- Coming into #4 Doherty’s matchup with the 12th ranked Warriors of Tantasqua, the Highlanders plan was to do what they’ve done all year. Run.
“The coaches told us to just keep attacking…Yawin is one of the best players in central mass. When we run, good things happen, “Said Doherty senior guard Eddie Capstick on his team’s plan to win.

Doherty Senior guard Eddie Capstick gets an acrobatic layup in the 4th quarter
The Highlanders used their size and speed to their advantage, jumping out to a 29-12 lead half way through the 2nd quarter behind the strong play of Yawin Smallwood(15 points, 9 rebounds) and offensive leadership of Capstick, who had 7 assists in the first half(12 points, 9 assists, 4 rebounds). Tantasqua had a hard time shooting in the 1st half, with the exception of senior captain, Jake Gubitose, who scored eight straight points (including two 3-pointers) and 11 point total in the last 5 minutes to draw the Warriors within 9. However they were unable to continue their run, staring at a 36-23 deficit at halftime.
The third quarter was more of the same, Doherty continued to run the ball, but the shots just weren’t falling for Tantasqua.
“We need to increase the defensive intensity when shots aren’t falling, and that just didn’t happen tonight, “commented Tantasqua coach Mark Muska. “We played a great game against (St. Peter-Marian) the other night and they were a quick team too, but they definitely weren’t as athletic as these guys are.”
The Highlanders continued to pull away in the 4th quarter, highlighted by a two breakaway dunks by Andre Santana to go along with an excellent dribble drive lay-up as well as a step back 3-ball by Capstick.

Doherty’s Andre Santana goes up for a two-handed dunk in the 4th quarter
The only Tantasqua scorer in double figures, Gubitose finished the game with 19 points, shooting 7-17 from the floor with 3 3-pointers.
Doherty was also aided by Joel Katana, who poured in 11 points and also had 3 rebounds.
The Highlanders also finished with 11 offensive rebounds, winning the overall rebound battle 38-24.
“The coaches really told us to crash the boards, nothing good can come from playing flat,” Capstick said on the rebounding differential.
Doherty will play at Milford tomorrow, and then they have a huge game against #1 North on Tuesday night, followed by a game against Burncoat on Friday night.
Tantasqua will play Milford at home on Tuesday, and will finish the week at Shepherd Hill on Thursday night.