BeantownHoops Blog

Led by the play of 2011 star Marco Coppola, the Watertown Red Raiders captured the 2010 Medford Summer Tournament defeating a tough North Andover team 57-55 in the final.  Watertown defeated Andover to reach the final while North Andover beat Methuen.  Coppola was the star of the tourney, but Sam Longwell from Acton-Boxborough, Zach Karalias of North Andover, and Raudy Minya and Mike Gorman of Methuen stood out as well.  Congratulations to Medford Head Coach Anthony Faradie and his staff for another well ran tournament.

Led by the play of Samir McDaniels (2010) and Khachi Nzerem (2010), New Mission rolled to the BU Team Camp title, defeating Acton-Boxborough by fifteen points in the Gold final.  Even more impressive for the Titans was that they were without two key players, Charles Gunter and Nate Anderson.  In consolation play, Boston English won the Silver bracket final, and LaSalle won the Bronze final.  Although many teams did not have key players participating, it was a good preview of  some teams who look to be amongst the Beantownhoops.com Top 25 when the 2010-11 season starts (New Mission, A-B, Newton North, Weymouth, Watertown, and Eastie).  A great job by the BU Staff and players on putting on a well ran event.  For the full bracket from Sunday’s games click on the following link:  BU Team Camp Final

The BU Team Camp is set for this weekend June 12th and 13th on the BU Campus.  It’s only the Summer, but some teams with big aspirations for next season including defending D4 Champ New Mission (moving up to D2 next season), A-B and Newton North who were ranked  #11 and #9 respectively in Beantownhoops.com’s final Top 25 poll, and a very improved Weymouth team featuring 2013 top prospect Jared Terrell, 2012 prospect Damien Lugay, and 2011 prospects Jon Perez and Patrick Deegan.  As with any off-season events, you never know if everyone will have their full teams, but here are some other  players to watch if they do:

A-B’s Sam Longwell (2011) and Wes Schroll (2011)

New Mission’s Khachi Nzerem (2011) and  Samir McDaniels (2011)

Newton North’s Tevin Falzon (2011), Avi Adler-Cohen (2011), and Michael Thorpe (2012)

Watertown’s Marco Coppola (2011)

Out on Top

Desrosiers triple-double leads Central Catholic to state title

By Christian Bradley, BeantownHoops.com Central Mass. Correspondent

Worcester, MA-Saturday night’s Division 1 state championship game between St. John’s of Shrewsbury and Central Catholic had all the makings of a classic, and it certainly did not disappoint.
St. John’s immediately stared at a deficit, as Central’s Jaycob Morales hit a three-pointer on the Raiders first possession of the game. But all of the Pioneers’ early game jitters seemed to disappear after Matt Harrington hit a 3-pointer from the top of the arc seconds after he was subbed in.
Bennett Knowlton came up big for St. John’s in the first quarter, scoring six of the Pioneers twelve first quarter points. Senior guard Brian Perron hit on a highly contested shot in the paint to beat the first quarter buzzer, giving them a 12-6 lead over Central Catholic.
However, St. John’s 6’6 captain Chad Labove was called for his third foul with 47 seconds left in the first quarter. Labove, St. John’s best interior defender, would be sorely missed as he is a huge part of the Pioneers’ Box and One defense. As a result of his third foul call, he sat most of the second quarter.
“We knew Chad had three fouls coming into the second half, coach told me and Jimmy[Zenevitch] to take it right at him, and that’s what we did,” Central’s 6’11 center Carson Desrosiers said on Labove’s foul trouble.
Desrosiers has committed to playing Division 1 basketball at Wake Forest University next year. Desrosiers will certainly be competing for playing time right off the bat at Wake, as the Demon Deacons will be graduating two of the three centers on their roster. In addition, they could also quite possibly lose their leading scorer, 6’9 Sophomore Al-Farouq Aminu, as it appears likely he will be a lottery pick in the NBA draft.
Central Catholic came out in the second quarter on fire; the score of the quarter was 21-6, a run that one point was 17-0 in favor of CC. Pioneers’ captain David White’s conventional three-point play with 25 seconds left helped stop the bleeding. The Raiders led St. John’s 27-22 at the end of the first half.
After a quiet first half offensively from the best players from each team, White from St. John’s and Desrosiers from Central Catholic, they began to take over in the second half.

St. John’s senior David White had 18 points in his final high school game, but the Pioneers couldn’t prevail, falling 56-55
White led the Pioneers back from their first half deficit, scoring eleven points in the third quarter on three three-pointers. He had fifteen points in the second half.
Desrosiers scored twenty in the second half, playing dominantly on the low post highlighted by a two-handed slam with 1:18 left in the third, to answer a 3-pointer by David White and putting his team ahead 40-39.
Michael Alvarez hit on a layup to beat the buzzer and put Central Catholic back ahead 42-41 at the end of the third. Alvarez had eight in the game, including two 3-pointers.
St. John’s, down by one going into the 4th quarter, went on a 7-2 run to start the fourth to take a 49-43 lead, led by a lay-in off an offensive rebound by White and a 3-pointer by Brian Perron. However Labove fouled out of the game early in the 4th, and Sophomore center Matt Palecki took his place down low.
But the Raiders made a run of their own, taking a 51-50 lead on Michael Alvarez’ second three pointer of the game.
Palecki came up big for the Pioneers, hitting both free throws to give St. John’s a 55-52 lead with 55 seconds left in the game. Desrosiers quickly answered Palecki as he drop-stepped into the paint and scored to bring the Raiders to within one point.
Desrosiers stepped up once again, and scored the game wining basket with five seconds left in the game, St. John’s called timeout.
David White ran the length of the floor and put up a runner from about ten feet on the left side, but could connect, Desrosiers was right there to pressure him and got a tip on it. Central Catholic was soon crowned the Division 1 state champs, by a score of 56-55 in a thriller from the DCU Center in Worcester.
“That was exactly how we wanted it,’’ Pioneers coach Bob Foley said of White’s final attempt to win the game. “To get a layup with our best player at the end of the game, that’s what we wanted. But they had 6’11[Desrosiers] and 6’7[Jimmy Zenevitch] right there to contest him.”

Raiders Junior Jaycob Morales hold the state title trophy in triumph towards the large Central Catholic crowd that was on hand
Carson Desrosiers came up huge for his team in the final game if his high school career, he had a triple-double: 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.
“It was a great way to go out,”. Desrosiers said. “I didn’t want to think about it [Wake Forest] too much during the state tournament. I’m going to enjoy this for a couple weeks, then after that it’s all about getting ready for next year.”

Wake Forest bound capatain Carson Derosiers receives Central Catholic’s 2nd state title trophy in three years
Pioneers Junior Richard Rodgers finished the game with 17 points.
David White finished the game with eighteen points, concluding one of the most decorated careers in St. John’s history. White was a 1000 point scorer, 3-year starter and a 3-time Worcester Telegram & Gazette SuperTeamer . With David White as their starting point guard, Bob Foley’s Pioneers won three central mass championships, one state title, and twice were state runner-up in Division One.
“He’s tough as nails…People say how you replace a David White? I say: you don’t. He’s just a great point guard and a great leader.”
The Pioneers, who finished 24-3, will be graduating White, Chad LaBove(who will play college basketball at Wesleyan), Brian Perron, Bennett Knowlton, and Rick Margatitis.
Central Catholic(26-1) said farewell to a senior class consisting of Desrosiers, Jose Battistine, Andrew Ouelette, Cam Wroblewski, Chris Conlin, Brandon Curley, Michael Alvarez, and Patrick Rooney.

CC freshman Joel Berroa holds up one finger, as he awaits his state championship medal

Fenwick finds a way to win

The final statistics for Bishop Fenwick in their D3 North semi-final against #17 Stoneham were not pretty.  In fact, if you did not know the outcome, you would have thought that the Crusaders had lost a lopsided affair.   Stoneham outrebounded Fenwick 53 to 35, had 10 less turnovers (13 to 23), and shot more free throws (41 to 23), yet the Spartans found themselves on the short end of this one, 53-49.

“I can’t really explain the win tonight.  Stoneham is relentless and they play really hard.  I don’t know how we did it, but the girls just have a will to win that you really can’t coach.  It was a great team effort and I’m really proud of them,” said Fenwick Head Coach Tim Harrington on his team’s big win.

Despite the statistical disadvantage, Fenwick was in control of this one from the start.  After Senior captain Lizzy Trainor hit a three pointer with 40 seconds left in the first, the Crusaders had a 16-10 lead to end the period.  Fenwick continued the momentum in the second quarter, going on an 8-1 run fueled by two great passes from Junior guard Amy Pelletier.  The run gave the Crusaders an eleven point margin, 24-13, but more impressive was their defensive effort.  Fenwick held Stoneham to only one field goal  in the period and were able to maintain the eleven point lead, 32-21 going into the break.

“One of our big keys going into the game was to play hard defensively and try to shut them down,” said Trainor on the Crusaders defense in the second quarter.

Stoneham would close the gap to six to end the third, 40-34, but every time the Spartans made a push, Fenwick responded.  Trainor was the key player for Fenwick as she led all scorers with 18 points and was able to get to the basket consistently in the second half.  Her nine points seemed to come at key moments in the half and Coach Harrington was quick to point out the contribution of his Senior co-captain.

“Lizzy is a great basketball player.  She plays great defense, she has the ability to score on her own, she earns everything she gets, and I’m just really happy for her,” said Coach Harrington.

The game would get tight in the final minute as Fenwick struggled from the free-throw line. After Stoneham Junior Ariana Tuccelli’s two free-throws with 12 seconds left cut the lead to two, 51-49, the Crusaders needed someone to knock down two more free-throws to ice the game.  Senior Sydney Southern obliged knocking down both with 9.3 seconds to seal the win.

Stoneham was led by Junior Vaness Bramante’s 14 points and Tuccelli’s 11.  The Spartans finish the season with an 18-4 record and a share of the Middlesex league title.

Fenwick had contributions from Juniors Erin Botticelli and Sarah James with 10 points each.  The Crusaders now move on to the D3 North final to face #4 Pentucket who defeated #14 St. Mary’s in the other semi-final.

Scoring:
Fenwick:  James 10, Pelletier 7, Doyle 3, Botticelli 10, Southern 5, Trainor 18
Stoneham:  Tuccelli 11, Cataldo 4, Liston 10, Bramante 14, Geraghty 3, Benmir 7
Scoring by quarters:
Fenwick:     16  16   8  13  = 53
Stoneham:  10  12  13  15  = 49
Rebounds:
Fenwick:  35
Stoneham:  53
Turnovers:
Fenwick:  23
Stoneham:  13
3 pt. Shooting:
Fenwick:  2/10  .200
Stoneham:  1/6 .166
Free-throws:
Fenwick:  13/23  .565
Stoneham:  24/41  .585

#10 Hornets stun #6 Newton North

In a match-up of conference champions and top ten teams in the DI South, it was #10 Mansfield over #6 Newton North 67-63.

The game was a contrast of styles as Mansfield was the smaller, quicker team who used their Dribble-Drive offense to spread the floor, while Newton North’s power game led by Yale-bound Greg Kelley pounded the ball inside on every opportunity.  It looked early like the #6 Tigers post play was going  to prevail as Kelley had 8 points and 6 rebounds in the first quarter and Mansfield had trouble getting shots over the Tigers in the paint.  Newton North would take a five point lead at the end of the period, 22-17.

More of the same in the second as Newton North extended their lead to seven, but the Hornets would come back.  Led by Senior Fred Baskin (6 points in the 2nd) Mansfield went on a 9-2 run to close out the quarter, capped off by a Dominique Jenkins-Maxwell free-throw to tie the game at 32.

The second half was more of the same as both teams kept each other at bay in the third, but with 6:26 left in the game, Kelley picked up his fourth foul with Newton North up two, 47-45.  The next three minutes would see five lead changes, primarily from the free-throw line, where both teams were in the bonus to start the fourth quarter.  But it was during that stretch that Mansfield began to exploit the Tigers defense.

“We were doing a bad job inside, but when he (Kelley) went out, we just kept attacking the basket,” said Mansfield Senior big man Patrick Lambrecht.

Kelley would re-enter with 3:24 left, facing a three point deficit 56-53, and the Tigers would get as close as 59-57 with two minutes left.  However, free-throws did them in.  Newton North would shoot 5 of 16 from the line in the quarter (7 of 25 for the game) and with Lambrecht’s put back with 1:33 left, Mansfield would lead 63-57 ending any chance of a Tiger comeback.

“This is just a great feeling, I can’t even put it into words.  Mansfield hasn’t been this far in I don’t know how long, it just feels good,” said Mansfield Junior Michael Lofton.

Lofton had a big game with 12 pts., 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks.  Baskin and Lambrecht finished with 14 a piece and the Hornets leading scorer was Senior Rodney Chance who finished with 18.

Newton North was led by Sophomore Michael Thorpe’s 13, Kelley’s 12 pts, 18 rebounds, and 3 blocks, and 1o points a piece for Avi Adler-Cohen and Kourtney Wornum-Parker.  The Tigers finish the season with a 21-4 record and a Bay State Carey Division Championship.

Mansfield will wait for  the winner of #1 Madison Park and #9 Brockton  to see who they will play at the Garden.

Scoring:
Mansfield:  Baskin 14, Lofton 12, Chance 18, Jenkins-Maxwell 6, Lambrecht 14, Hill 3
Newton North:  McInerney 3, Westman 9, Adler-Cohen 10, Thorpe 13, Wornum-Parker 10, Kelley 12, Falzon 6
Scoring by quarters:
Mansfield:          17  15  11  24  =  67
Newton North: 22  10  13  18 = 63
Rebounds:
Mansfield:  38
Newton North:  50
Turnovers:
Mansfield:  15
Newton North:  16
3 pt. Shooting:
Mansfield:  1/7  .142
Newton North:  4/14  .285
Free-throws:
Mansfield:  22/36  .611
Newton North:  7/25  .280

#14 Acton-Boxborough steps up in the moment to beat #8 Cambridge

In front of one of the largest crowds for a basketball game at Acton-Boxborough, the #14 Colonials did not disappoint the home fans in their 56-47 upset of #8 Cambridge in the DI North quarterfinals.  A-B jumped out to a 19-12 first quarter lead behind the play of Juniors Wes Schroll and Sam Longwell.  The two combined for all 19 points (Schroll 10, Longwell 9) and the duo would finish the game with a combined 41 points.

“We were amped up and ready to play tonight, but I think we needed to harness that energy and I think our team did a great job doing that,” said Schroll.

“This is so exciting, it is one of the best wins ever for A-B.  It was great to have it here at home, the crowd was great, it was just awesome,” added Longwell.

While Schroll and Longwell carried the offensive load, it was the 2-3 zone defense that stifled Cambridge.  The Falcons could not get the ball inside and were not able to consistently knock down three point shots to stretch the A-B defense.  It was extremely pleasing for A-B Head Coach Rick Kilpatrick as his team executed his game plan to a tee.

“There are those rare moments in coaching where you draw up a game plan and everything works.  It was one of those nights and to these guys credit, there a very coachable group and they buy in to everything we tell them.  As the game went on they just gained more confidence as they saw the game plan working and it worked,” said Coach Kilpatrick.

The Colonials would lead by as many as twelve points in the third quarter as Cambridge struggled all night to get into a rhythm.  On one play in the period, Cambridge forward Deondre Starling had a break away dunk opportunity only to be met by Schroll at the rim in what looked to be a clean block.  It was called a foul, but the play pumped up the Colonials and kept their confidence up in the second half.

“I saw the play coming and I think at the time we just needed a boost of energy so I went for it.  It was called a foul, but I think it set the tone for the rest of the game,” said Schroll.

Every time the Falcons would make a run in the game, A-B answered with big shots.  In the second quarter it was Senior Michael Duffy (8 points in the 2nd) and in the third and fourth quarter it was Longwell who answered the call.  Longwell was scoring from the perimeter and at the basket and after his driving lay-up with 1:51 remaining in the game put A-B up 53-44, the celebration was on.

“Sam was the best player tonight.  He was the best player on the floor for us and he was scoring whenever he wanted to.  He was just special tonight,” said Senior Kevin McGovern on the play of Longwell.

“They (Cambridge) were playing up tight in your face defense, but we expected that.  We just stayed composed and were able to get by them,” added Longwell on his team’s breaking down of the Cambridge defense.

Cambridge was led by the 14 points of Senior Jason Nunes and the 12 points of Senior Paul Anderson.  The Falcons finish the season 18-4 with a regular season GBL championship to their credit.

Longwell had 24, Schroll 17, and Duffy 10 to lead Acton-Boxborough.  The Colonials are now in the DI North Semi-finals and will face the winner of Central Catholic and Andover.

Scoring:
Cambridge:  Sealy 2, Taylor 2, Starling 10, Nunes 14, Charles 5, Anderson 12
Acton-Boxborough:Schroll 17, McGovern 3, Longwell 24, LaFrancis 2, Duffy 10
Scoring by quarters:
Cambridge:                12  10  10  15 = 47
Acton-Boxborough: 19  15   8   14 = 56
Rebounds:
Cambridge:  27
Acton-Boxborough:  29
Turnovers:
Cambridge:  14
Acton-Boxborough: 11
3 pt. Shooting:
Cambridge:  3/15  .200
Acton-Boxborough: 6/8 .750
Free-throws:
Cambridge:  7/14  .500
Acton-Boxborough: 8/10  .800

Dracut does it!

In one of the most exciting games this season, the Dracut Middies scored 33 points in the fourth quarter to overcome a thirteen point second half deficit and beat #20 Belmont 89-84.  With two minutes left in the third quarter, Dracut was down 61-48, but were able to get the lead down to eight 64-56 to end the period and that is when the fireworks began.

Dracut got away from their half-court 2-3 zone they were playing and started to press Belmont in the fourth quarter.  It worked and the Middies were able to cut into the lead to be down only five, 76-71 with 2:59 left.

“We thought going into the game that we would have to collapse on the inside because they were so big, but that didn’t work out very well for us.  We knew we could press them and it worked well in the second half,” said Dracut Head Coach Mike Paquette.

Besides the defensive effort, Dracut became more aggressive at the basket on offense and were able to score on a variety of driving lay-ups and put backs courtesy of Rakeem Shepard and Aaron Babosa.  Shepard had 9 points in the quarter and Babosa had 10 points to help Dracut get the lead down to one, 82-81 with a minute left.

Belmont missed a jumper on their next possession and Shepard was fouled in transition going to the basket.  He made both free-throws and Dracut had their first lead of the game, 83-82, since 3:55 left in the second quarter.  The lead would get to three and with 18 seconds left, Belmont had one last chance, but Senior captain Andrew Musler’s three-pointer fell just short and Dracut made their last two free-throws to ice the game and get the upset.

“For $7 bucks you can’t beat that!  It was a great high school basketball game, both teams got up and down and got after it.  I’m just ecstatic for the kids,” said Coach Paquette.

“It feels real good, they stretched the lead out in the third quarter, but we never gave up and we just kept coming back.  We’re going to get ready for the next one now, it doesn’t matter who we play, we’re just going to go out and play our game,” added Babosa.

Belmont was led by Musler who had a game high 32 points, Sophomore John Dillon had 20 and Junior Luca Ladan added 18.   Belmont ends their season with a record of  18-4 and a Middlesex League title.

Rakeem Shepard was the leading scorer for Dracut with 26 points, while Babosa had 19 and Matt Silva chipped in 16 points with three three’s.  Dracut improves to 17-6 on the year and will now face the winner of  Masconomet and Salem.

Scoring:
Dracut: Silva 16, Szymanski 6, Shepard 26, Adie 10, Parent 9, Babosa 19, Diamantopoulos 1
Belmont: Ferraro 4, Papas 2, Cortina 6, Musler 32, Ladan 18, Dillon 20, Stratford 2
Scoring by quarters:
Dracut:    26  10  20  33 = 89
Belmont: 22  22  20  20 = 84
Rebounds:
Dracut: 38
Belmont:  36
Turnovers:
Dracut: 11
Belmont:  13
3 pt. Shooting:
Dracut:  7/30  .233
Belmont:5/16  .312
Free-throws:
Dracut:  18/25  .720
Belmont:5/8  .625

Southie knocks out defending D3 champ Watertown

When the NCAA tournament starts in a few weeks, one upset seems to always happen, a #5 seed loses to a #12 seed.  In the MIAA version of March Madness, #12 seed South Boston (suiting up only seven players) defeated #5 seed Watertown 57-52 in the first round of the D3 North playoffs Wednesday night.

The game was a one-on-one duel between Southie Senior star Anderson Santana and Watertown Junior Marco Coppola.  The two led their respective team in scoring each quarter and scored more than half of their team’s total points.  Coppola won the battle by scoring a game high 30 pts. while Santana had 29.  But it is the war that matters in the tournament and Southie’s biggest advantage was on the offensive glass where they had 16 total while outrebounding Watertown 44 to 24 for the game.

To compound matters for the Red Raiders, they shot a horrid 4 of 24 (.166) from the 3-point line and when they were down three on three different occasions in the final minute they couldn’t make a triple to tie it.

The win was especially gratifying for South Boston because nobody, including Beantownhoops, thought that they would beat the defending D3 champs on their home court.

“We just played together and stayed together to get this win.  Southie hasn’t been to the States in awhile and I just hope we can keep it going,” said Santana.

“It feels good right now.  Everyone has been doubting us the whole season, they thought that we wouldn’t make the playoffs, they thought that we would lose tonight, so we just played hard and now we get to move on,” added Junior point guard Johan Vizcaino.

Watertown had contributions from Senior Tim Barba who had 9 points and Junior Connor Stockdale’s 8 points.  Sophomore Euclides Semedo added 10 points for Southie.

Watertown finishes the year 13-8 while South Boston will play Lynn Tech Sunday at 4 p.m. at Lynn Tech in the D3 North quarterfinals.

Scoring:
South Boston:  Vizcaino 6, Weathers 3, Semedo 10, Pugh 9, Santana 29
Watertown:  Barba 9, Coppola 30, Donahue 2, Kelly 3, Stockdale 8
Scoring by quarters:
South Boston:  14  13  12  18 = 57
Watertown:     12   10  10  20 = 52
Rebounds:
South Boston: 44
Watertown:  24
Turnovers:
South Boston: 13
Watertown:  10
3 pt. Shooting:
South Boston: 6/21 .287
Watertown: 4/24  .166
Free-throws:
South Boston: 15/22  .681
Watertown: 6/8  .750

Dillon and Musler pace #20 Belmont in win over Concord-Carlisle

Sophomore John Dillon’s game high 27 points and Senior Andrew Musler’s 21 points led #20 Belmont to victory over upstart Concord-Carlisle, 74-69.  The two scored all 19 of the Marauder’s points in a decisive third quarter which saw Belmont take an eleven point lead, 59-48.  Dillon scored on a variety of shots and showed why he is one of the top sophomores in the state.

“I was just feeling it.  Everything I was shooting was going in, I don’t really know why, but they did,” said Dillon on his twelve third quarter points.

“He is very important for us, but he’s got to stay out of foul trouble,” added Belmont Head Coach Adam Pritchard about Dillon’s performance and his three fouls he had in the first half.

Concord- Carlisle would be down as many as fourteen points in the game, but kept battling in the second half behind the play of  Juniors Brima Rogers (16 points) and Edwin Delva (15 points).  The Patriots were able to cut the lead to three points twice in the final minute, but just couldn’t get the one basket they needed to tie the game.  It was a game of “What If?” for C-C who missed on a number of opportunities early in the game.

“If we executed we could have been in the 80’s tonight, but we just missed our shots.  I’m proud of how we battled back and I’m just proud of how they played this year,” said Concord-Carlisle Head Coach David Cohen.

Belmont will play Dracut on Friday in the next round of the D2 North playoffs. Concord-Carlisle finishes their season with a 9-10 record.

Scoring:
Concord-Carlisle:  Bonsa 12, Rogers 16, Delva 15, H.Bumpus 2, Taylor 9, J.Bumpus 8, Clark 7
Belmont:  Wynott 3, Papas 3, Cortina 7, Musler 21, Ladan 11, Dillon 27, Stratford 2
Scoring by quarters:
Concord-Carlisle:  18  13  17  21 = 69
Belmont:                23  17  19  15 = 74
Rebounds:
Concord-Carlisle:  26
Belmont:  28
Turnovers:
Concord-Carlisle:  13
Belmont:  13
3 pt. Shooting:
Concord-Carlisle:  6/14  .428
Belmont:  4/14  .285
Free-throws:
Concord-Carlisle:  7/9  .777
Belmont:  12/18  .666

Weymouth hangs on to beat Xaverian

After going winless last season, the Weymouth Boys guarnteed themselves at least a .500 record this year by defeating host Xaverian 65-63 in the opening round of the DI South playoffs.  It looked early on that Weymouth would run away with this game after jumping out to a 20-8 1st quarter lead behind the play of Senior Brian Hard (8 points and 6 rebounds in the 1st).  but Xaverian would keep chipping away at the lead and found themselves down eight at the half and four at the end of the third, 46-42.

The Hawks would continue their comeback in the fourth and with 5:45 left in the game, they were down one 51-50.  After a Weymouth turnover, Xaverian Senior Pat Dinneen took over.  Dinneen would score 10 straight points for Xaverian and would assist on another basket to give the Hawks a 60-56 lead with 2:15 remaining.

The Wildcats fought back to tie the game at 60 on a Patrick Deegan free-throw and after a defensive stop, Deegan would score again to give Weymouth a 62-60 lead with a minute to go.  Brian Hard would go to the line to make three of four free-throws after Xaverian misses to give Weymouth a 65-60 lead with 11 seconds remaining.  Xaverian answered quickly with a three by Senior Zach Achorn and on the inbounds pass, Weymouth through the ball away with .5 seconds left to give the Hawks a chance to tie or win the game.  On the ensuing play, Xaverian’s Matt Koundelka got the pass and in one motion shot the ball which just fell short to preserve the win for Weymouth.

“Our kids don’t quit.  We don’t quit and we keep talking to play like it’s your last play and if you don’t, it will be.  I’m really proud of our kids, to go from where we were last year to right now, I can’t believe it,” said Weymouth Head Coach Jim Dolan.
“I can’t even explain it.  This is the greatest, 0-22 last year, I’m just speechless,” added Brian Hard about the team’s emotional win.
Waiting in the wings for Weymouth will be #6 Newton North on Wednesday.  The Bay State foes have met twice this season already, with Newton North winning the first game 74-54 and the second one 86-49.
“We are all going to bring it at practice and we are going to go in the game knowing we can win,” said Hard about the task of upsetting the #6 Tigers.
Xaverian was led by Dineen’s game high 23 points and JP Wilkinson’s 17.  Xaverian finishes the year 11-10.
Head had 15 points and 19 rebounds for Weymouth and Freshmen Jared Terrell added 13 points and 5 assists.
Scoring:
Weymouth:  McLevedge 2, Dias 3, Perez 4, Deegan 9, Lugay 10, Valovcin 9, Hard 15, Terrell 13
Xaverian:  Campo 2, Dinneen 23, Muir 7, Achorn 9, Varrichione 5, Wilkinson 17
Scoring by quarters:
Weymouth:  20  12  14  19 = 65
Xaverian:      8    16  18  21 = 63
Rebounds:
Weymouth:  31
Xaverian:  43
Turnovers:
Weymouth:  14
Xaverian:  20
3 pt. Shooting:
Weymouth:  2/12  .166
Xaverian:  8/23  .347
Free-throws:
Weymouth:  9/15  .600
Xaverian:  7/14  .500

Boys Champions and 4th-8th grade players to watch
by beantownhoops.com (youth correspondent) 1/5/10

9th Grade 15u Champions: Hollis Biddies
9th Grade 15u Runner-Up: VBC/Gold
8th Grade 14u Champions: VBC/Gold
8th Grade 14u Runner-Up: Boston Spartans
7th Grade 13u Champions: Hollis Biddies
7th Grade 13u Runner-Up: Lowell
6th Grade 12u Champions: Boston Spartans
6th Grade 12u Runner-Up: VBC
5th Grade 11u Champions:  VBC
5th Grade 11u Runner-Up:  Sacred Heart
4th Grade 10u Champions: All for One
4th Grade 10u Runner-Up: Needham

4^th grade 10u: All-Urban Suburban Xmas Team

Shandon Brown (All for One)- Shandon has great court vision and is a very unselfish player. His passing ability is something that you rarely see in a 9-year old player. He has good range on his jump shot and can knock down the 10-12 ft. shot with consistency. A very good coach on the floor, Shandon is also a stellar defensive player with the ability to ball hawk offensive players.
Donte Eldridge (All for One)- Donte is an explosive offensive player. His quickness and first step allows him to beat people off the dribble. Defensively he really puts pressure on the ball handler. His anticipation and quick hands produced many steals in the open court. Donte finished well in traffic and was strong going to the basket.

4th 10u: Honorable Mention All-Urban Suburban Xmas team

Brandon Monheimeir (Needham)

Michael Devalle (Needham)

5^th grade 11u: MVP – Most Valuable Urban Suburban Xmas tourney Player

Isaiah Holmes (VBC) Isaiah is a true point guard, who can get to basket and score at will. He has great court vision and is a very unselfish player. He has a killer crossover dribble that he used to blow by his defender and he’s always looking to pass first. Sometime he’s a little to unselfish. In the tournament, Isaiah put his team on his back and carried them to the championship.

5^th grade 11u: All-Urban Suburban Xmas Team

Wade Whipple(VBC) – Wade is tenacious on the defensive end of the floor. He shoots the ball pretty well from beyond the arc and he’s “only a 3^rd grader”. Wade is a very hard worker and eager to learn, he will only get better as he grows and gets stronger.

James Thurman(VBC) -This lefty was a scoring machine this week. He finished well in traffic and went strong to the basket all tournament long. He also did a decent job on the boards. Can’t wait to see him develop and become more comfortable going to his right. He will have a bright future with continued work.

Kyle Murphy(Sacred Heart) A true floor general, a coach on the floor, with a very high basketball IQ. Really understands the game at such a young age.

Will Phelan(Sacred Heart) He’s an all around player who can do everything: Dribble, Shoot, Rebound, Hustle, you name it Will does it.

5^th grade 11u: Honorable Mention All-Urban Suburban Xmas team

Cameron Ray (VBC)

Johnathan Mendes (Brockton Bulldogs)

Ghared Boyce (Brockton Bulldogs)

Jahari Boone (Brockton Bulldogs)

6^th grade 12u: MVP – Most Valuable Urban Suburban Xmas tourney Player

Ernie Depradine (Boston Spartan)

6^th grade 12u: All-Urban Suburban Xmas Team

Elijah Rue(Boston Spartan)

6^th grade 12u: Honorable Mention All-Urban Suburban Xmas team

Shyheim Hicks (Brockton Bulldogs)

Terrell Williams (Brockton Bulldogs)

7^th grade 13u: MVP – Most Valuable Urban Suburban Xmas tourney Player

Elijah Mcneely-Davey (Hollis Biddies)

7^th grade 13u: All-Urban Suburban Xmas Team

Rajien griffin (Hollis Biddies)

Ethan Talkov (Swampscott)

7^th grade 13u: Honorable Mention All-Urban Suburban Xmas team

Ryan January (Swampscott)

8th grade 14:U MVP – Most Valuable Urban Suburban Xmas tourney Player

Juwan Gooding (5’ 11” PG) “7^th grader” VBC/Gold: Clearly stood out as the best player in the tournament. He has a lightning quick first step and great handles making him extremely difficult to defend. He keeps the defense honest with his range from the 3-point line and his ability to hit the mid-range jumper. He is at his best in the open court, but he is not afraid to get after it with the big men down low. He has the confidence and ability to make plays when the game is on the line. Must stay consistent on the defensive end, continue to work hard, and stay focused. Right now his future looks very bright but it all comes down to how much he really wants to be a great player. He should continue to thrive under VBC and get better every year.  Keep an eye on him because the future looks promising for Juwan.

8th grade 14:U All-Urban Suburban Xmas Team

Max Butterbrodt (6’ 2” SF) VBC/Gold: “Mad Max” playing as an undersized big man,he came up big for his team all week with his work on the interior. He consistently caught the ball around the foul line area and then utilized his skills to score at the rim. Max was a dominant force on the interior making baby hook shoots powering up for “And 1’s” or shooting the mid range jumper. He was very active on the glass, keeping possessions alive and cleaning up misses for buckets. Max is still young and developing and I would like to see him develop a perimeter game. VBC offers drills and skills for everyone seven days a week so I look forward to seeing Max development playing on the perimeter in the future as well.

Chancellor Ellis (6’ 5” SF) Hollis Biddies, NY: Chancellor showed a good skill set from the perimeter during the tournament. He is a combo forward who can put it on the deck and score in a variety of ways. He runs the floor extremely well when he wants to and is capable of going coast to coast off of a defensive rebound. He also showed he can shoot the long ball or the pull up from mid range. Would like to see him play a little tougher on the low block, but he’s still young and has time to develop. The future looks pretty good for Chancellor right now.

Aaron Falzone (6’ 5” F/C) VBC/Gold:A sub-par game by his standards but was still enough to make him one of the best players on the floor.  He did the majority of his damage from the foul line down and around the rim, both by going to the offensive glass and attacking with his dribble. He also showed great footwork on the low post. He was very active on the glass during the tourney, keeping possessions alive and cleaning up misses. He showed some perimeter skills and you could tell he had a good feel for the game.  He was very effective against the full court pressure with his ability to pass the ball which led to several lay-ups. At times, Aaron showed the willingness to get under the boards and bang for rebounds, but he must do it every time he steps on the floor. I do believe that Aaron can play that wing position but its all depends on how much and how hard he works. He must also work on his speed and conditioning so he will be able to run the floor consistently.He will only get better as he continues to grow into his body he does wear a size 15 shoe..

Carmen Giampatruzzi (6’0” SG) Manchester Y: This lefty has a fundamentally sound skill set, in fact his whole team showed great fundamentals all tournament (a sign of a well coached team). He can dribble, pass, and can really shoot it. Carmen was consistently knocking down shots from mid range and from beyond the arc. Teams better have defensive awareness of him at all times because if you leave him open, it is money in the bank.

Marcus Neal (6’ 0” SG) Boston Spartans: Marcus had a great outing during the Urban/Suburban. He attacked the rim in both the half court and in transition and was able to finish or get to the foul line. He rebounds extremely well for his size. He also made a lot of hustle plays, at one point he was a one man wrecking crew on the offensive and defensive ends. Would like to see him use his pull up mid range jumper a little more and tighten up his ball handling skills. Players like Marcus are essential to all winning teams.

Mike Rodriguez (5’ 7” PG) Boston Spartans: Mike is a point guard with a score first mind set who can flat out shoot it. He created havoc for defenders in the tournament shooting the ball and dropping dimes. For his size, I would like to see him develop more at becoming a true point with a penetrate and pass mind set. Coach Chapman does a great job with his guys so I look forward to seeing Mike’s development in near future.

8th grade 14:U Honorable Mention All-Urban Suburban Xmas team

Akwasi Appiah (6’ 2” SF) VBC/Gold
Jameer Henderson (5’ 6” PG) Boston Spartan
Patrick Keefe (5’ 6” PG) Manchester Y
Dawson Dickson (5’ 6” PG) Manchester Y
Mike Silverthorn (6’ 1” SG) Hollis Biddies, N.Y.
Tenie Johnson (6’ 1” F)Hollis Biddies, N.Y.
Phillip Rodgers (5’ 5”) Mass. Thundercats
Fred Hogan (5’ 7”) Mass. Thundercats
Josh Terechin (Danvers)

Girls Tournament Champions

8th grade champions - Due to injuries, co-champions were declared between VBC 8th grade girls and the Boston Showstoppers 7th grade team that played up.

6th grade champions - Boston Showstoppers Runner-up - Scituate

5th grade champions - Ipswich Runner-up - Sacred Heart

#15 New Mission 59 Burke 32
In a match-up between the two premier guards in the City, it was New Mission’s Niesha Kelly who got the best of Burke’s Khadijah Ellison.  Kelly had a game high 29 points to go along with 12 rebounds and 5 assists.  Ellison had all of Burke’s 8 points in the first quarter, but would only score five points the rest of the game to end up with 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 steals.
“To play against a person of John Rice’s caliber (head coach at Burke) and to win, you’re just playing against history, and for us to win against a coach who has never lost on this stage I’m honored,” said New Mission Head Coach Greg Berry on his team’s City title.
New Mission freshman Donaizha Fountain added 16 points and 13 rebounds while Burke’s Frederika Lawson had 9 points for Burke.
#1 Madison Park 66 #2 New Mission 59
The #1 Cardinals rode the backs of point guard Spencer Braithwaite and center David Campbell in the second half to repeat as City Champs.  Braithwaite scored 10 points in the half, while Campbell had 17 points.  Campbell led all scorers with 25 points and had 12 rebounds as well.
“It really was a great game tonight, I really enjoyed it.  This just gives us a lot more confidence in ourselves knowing that we can make big time plays in big time games,” said Campbell.
“It was just a good team effort defensively, we always start off sluggish, but today we came out better at the start.  I’m just feeling real good right now and we’re going ride this wave right into the state playoffs,” added Braithwaite.
New Mission was led by the 18 points of Senior Osmel Odena and the 10 points, 19 rebounds, and 3 blocks of Ousmane Drame.

Odena’s game winner puts New Mission in the championship game
by beantownhoops.com
New Mission point guard Osmel Odena was not having his best game against #11 East Boston.  The Senior had 10 turnovers and was having trouble with the press, but one shot would make up for it.  With four seconds left and down two points, Odena received the inbounds pass, took three dribbles to his right and launched a desperation three pointer with two defenders draped all over him.  The shot hit the backboard square and went right through the net to propel the #2 Titans into the championship game of the Boston City playoffs.
“Coach McCarthy told me that I was going to get the final shot and I just took it and hoped it went in,” said Odena on his game winner.
It was the play before Odena’s shot that gave the Senior his opportunity.  East Boston had the ball at half court and all they needed to do was get the ball inbounds, get fouled, make their free-throws and the game was over.  However, New Mission  knew that if they could get a stop they had a chance to win it.
“Deny the ball, give it all you got, and if it got in we had to foul quickly,” Odenda said about what they had to do in the final seconds.
The Jets threw the ball ahead of the defensive pressure, but it was too much and the ball went out of bounds without anyone touching it.  The miscue gave the Titans the ball at half court to set up Odena’s dramatic shot.
“I told the guys that four seconds is a long time and a lot can happen.  I always tell them to fight until the end and that’s what I said to them in the huddle, Fight!  Fight!  Fight!,” said New Mission Head Coach Cory McCarthy.
Odena gets credit for the game winner, but it was the play of fellow senior Ousmane Drame that made the difference.  Drame had a triple double with 12 points, 16 rebounds, and 13 blocks, not to mention the number of shots he altered all game.  In the final quarter, Drame along with guard Charles Gunter carried the Titans.  Gunter had seven points and Drame had nine points and had three blocks in one sequence to keep New Mission in the game.
“Ousmane just kept working on the glass and was great defensively. I’m just proud that all the guys that played tonight made a major contribution for us to get the win,” said Coach McCarthy.

Eastie was led by Elijah Chislohm and Walter Lewis’ 14 points while Dimitry Coronel added 13.

Notes:  Be sure to check out Danny V’s article in the Herald for more coverage of the games……The New Mission win avenges an earlier loss to East Boston, their only loss of the season…..Many interested high school coaches in attendance at each game, specifically watching Madison Park who will be in the DI south and East Boston who will be in the DI north……In an all-time classy move, East Boston Head Coach Malcolm Smith went into the New Mission locker room after the game to congratulate the team and to wish them luck in the championship game.  “I have so much respect for Malcolm and what he has done at Eastie.  He is a class guy and a great coach,” said Coach McCarthy…..The championship game will be at 6:30 p.m. and will follow the girls final featuring New Mission vs. Burke.

Scoring:
East Boston: Winn 3, Lewis 14, Green 5, Amazon 12, Chislohm 14, Coronel 13, Ornella 6
New Mission: McDaniels 14, Odena 15, Davis 2, Drame 12, Gunter 14, Nzerey 11

Scoring by quarters:
East Boston:   14 13 18 22 = 67
New Mission: 7  22  18  21 = 68

Rebounds:
East Boston: 33
New Mission: 40
Turnovers:
East Boston: 17
New Mission: 14

3 pt. Shooting:
East Boston: 3/11 .272
New Mission:3/13  .230
Free-throws:
East Boston:  12/22   .545
New Mission: 21/35 .600
Madison Park 70 Boston English 53
Spencer Braithwaite had 19 points and 5 steals and David Campbell had a game high 22 points to go along with 11 rebounds and 2 blocks to lead #1 Madison Park over Boston English.
Boston English played with more energy in the first half and were leading 23-16 with five minutes left in the second quarter.  That is when MP turned up the defensive pressure and at the break had a six point lead 33-27.
The second half saw three significant runs, the first a 12-2 run by Madison Park to give them a sixteen point lead at the end of three, 51-35.  The two smallest players on the court then took over, English’s Jose Figueroa and Daryn Gethers.  Figueroa hit three threes (four total in the quarter) and Gethers added four points to cap a 13-0 English run to close the gap to 51-48.
That would be the closest English would get as Madison Park responded with a 19-5 run to close out the game.
“I just felt like we came out a little sluggish.  In the sec0nd half we picked it up defensively, got a lot of stops, and went on a nice run,” said Braithwaite.
“It doesn’t really matter who we play tomorrow.  I think whoever we play we have a great shot to win the championship,” added Braithwaite about his team’s chances in the final.
Boston English was led by Figueroa’s 19 points and Alex DoSouto’s 13.

Scoring:
Boston English:  Figueroa 19, Gethers 4, DoSouto 13, Walton 4, Jones 9, Matumona 4
Madison Park: Braithwaite 19, Hudson 4, Moquete 2, Pettus 7, Bennett 1, McCollum 4, Stokes 11, Campbell 22

Scoring by quarters:
Boston English:  18   9    8   18 = 53
Madison Park: 14  19  18  19 = 70

Rebounds:
Boston English:  34
Madison Park: 37
Turnovers:
Boston English:  25
Madison Park: 21

3 pt. Shooting:
Boston English:  7/25  .280
Madison Park: 2/15 .133
Free-throws:
Boston English:  6/9  .666
Madison Park: 12/17  .705

In a tune-up for the City playoffs next week, the Titans rolled over Boston English 69-40.  Samir McDaniels had a game high 19 points while center Ousmane Drame had 10 points, 17 rebounds and 3 blocks.

The Titans would lead by as many as 33 points in the second half, 66-33, and were never threatend by the Bulldogs. The win sets up a rematch with #13 East Boston next Thursday in the City playoffs, where the Titans can avenge their only loss of the season.

“We’re ready for that game.  We had trouble with their press last time, but we’ll get by that this time and hopefully play Friday,” said McDaniels.

More importantly for New Mission is focusing on making a huge state playoff run and keeping the same intensity they have shown in the regular season.

“The city championship is not our focus, a state championship is.  Our guys are really good at responding when you point out their weaknesses and I’m going to make sure to get them ready (for state). As long as we keep playing as a team, we’re going to be fine,” said New Mission Head Coach Cory McCarthy.

New Mission will face East Boston at 5:30 p.m on Thursday.

Scoring:
Boston English:  Jose 8, Alex 9, Antonio 2, Tre 4, Didjoe 6, Bryanne 9, DarDrick 2
New Mission: McDaniels 19, Odena 12, Davis 7, Drame 10, Willis 2, Gunter 5, Basile 5, Nzerem 9

Scoring by quarters:
Boston English:  6  12   13    9 = 40
New Mission:   18  15  23  13 = 69

Rebounds:
Boston English:  27
New Mission: 41
Turnovers:
Boston English:  12
New Mission: 7

3 pt. Shooting:
Boston English:  3/10  .300
New Mission: 4/9  .444
Free-throws:
Boston English:  3/6  .500
New Mission: 13/17  .767

The scouting report all season on the Watertown Red Raiders was to make someone other than Junior guard Marco Coppola beat you.  Coppola has been averaging just over 24 points this season and when other players have played well, Watertown has won.  The positive trend continued for Watertown as guards Danny Kelly, Cory Donahue, and Tyler Romanelli and center Connor Stockdale paced Watertown in the second half to upset #12 Belmont 57-53.

The first half was a duel between each team’s best player.  Belmont’s Andrew Musler had 11 points on 4 of 6 shooting, while Coppola countered with 20 points shooting 8 of 12 from the field.  The result was a 31-31 tie going into the half.

The individual battle ceased in the last half as Musler would only score three more points and Coppola would only score four.  Unfortunately for Belmont, the team totaled only 22 points in the two quarters after scoring 22 in the first alone.  The lack of point production opened the door for Watertown as they would take their largest lead of the night 45-36 with 2:13 left in the third quarter.  Donahue, Kelly, and Stockdale would combine for ten points in the frame and the Red Raiders took a six point lead heading into the fourth.

The fourth quarter was a back and forth affair and with 2:55 left and a five point lead, it looked like Watertown was ready to ice the game.  Belmont guard Vincent Cortina responded on the Marauders next possession hitting an NBA three with a man in his face and all of a sudden it was a two point game.  After a defensive stop, Musler was able to scoop a loose ball with one minute left to tie the game at 53.

Watertown missed on its next possession and Belmont had the ball with 34.5 seconds left and a chance at a last shot to win the game.  The Marauders ended up taking a corner three with 15 seconds left and the long rebound fell into Coppola’s hands.  Immediately he looked up to see a streaking Kelly who he hit in stride for a reverse lay-up and Watertown led 55-53 with seven seconds remaining.

The next possession as Belmont was bringing the ball up the court, Romanelli stole the ball from behind and then calmly hit two free throws after he was fouled to give Watertown the win.  Watertown Head Coach Steve Harrington was pleased with  how his guys contributed after Coppola was taken out of the game defensively by Belmont.

“When those guys have come up in those situations they have stepped up.  They have played enough games this season now that their confidence is up and they have come through,” said Coach Harrington.

Coppola was also proud of how his teammates played tonight.  “My teammates stepped up huge.  Everyone contributed, Connor was breaking guys down, Cory was hitting open shots, Tyler was flying around all over the place, and Danny had a huge lay-up at the end.”

“It’s a big confidence booster for the other players because Marco has been doing a lot for us.  The game definitely gives us more confidence going forward,” added Kelly.

Belmont was led by Musler’s 14 points and Cory Stratford’s 10 points.

Scoring:
Watertown:  Romanelli 7, Coppola 24, Donahue 7, Kelly 9, Stockdale 10
Belmont: Penta 3, Ferraro 2, Wynott 5, Papas 4, Cortina 8, Musler 14, Dillon 7, Stratford 10

Scoring by quarters:
Watertown: 15  16  14  12 = 57
Belmont:     22    9    8   14 = 53

Rebounds:
Watertown:  22
Belmont: 30
Turnovers:
Watertown: 4
Belmont: 12

3 pt. Shooting:
Watertown: 6/19  .315
Belmont:  7/15  .466
Free-throws:
Watertown:  8/8  1.000
Belmont: 8/11  .727

by beantownhoops.com (2/9/10)

Led by the 17 points and 19 rebounds of center Asia Ewing, the #3 Grey Ghosts defeated Newton South 67-56 in a match-up of the two top teams in the DCL Large.  With 4:30 left in the third quarter, Ewing grabbed a loose ball under the basket and calmly put it in to reach the 1,000 point mark.  It was her only field goal in the second half, but it was her dominant second quarter, 12 points, that kept the game close before Westford pulled away in the second half.

“I’m really excited, it’s a big accomplishment, but I’m just glad that we won, that was my goal for today,” said a modest Ewing on reaching her milestone.

“As far as I’m concerned, Asia has been the best player in the DCL the last two years.  She is a dominant presence and the team rallies around her because they know she’s a team player,” said Westford Head Coach Russ Coward.
Early on the game looked like it was going to be a blowout by Westford as they jumped out to a 10-2 lead.  But behind the play of Juniors Sophie Bikofsky (11 pts. 14 rebs.) and Kendall Burton (17 points), Newton South rallied and took their first lead at 7:30 of the second quarter, 16-15.
The rest of the quarter was a shooting clinic by the Lions as they hit four threes and made countless jumpers to score twenty-four points in the frame to take a 38-33 halftime lead.
“We didn’t communicate very well and they were killing us on the pick and rolls.  They (Newton South) were also doing a good job of spreading the court and attacking our zone,” said Coach Coward.
The Ghosts came out more aggressive in the second half and picked up their intensity on the defensive end.  Newton South would go scoreless for the first four and a half minutes of the quarter and by that point Westford had taken a five point lead 45-40.  They would extend their lead to as many as nine points in the fourth quarter before adding a couple free-throws for the eleven point win.
Newton South was led by Burton’s 17 points and Bikofsky’s 11.  Suzanne Parker had 15 points and 4 assists and Erica Wright added 10 points for Westford.  The Ghosts improve to 16-1 overall and 9-0 in league play while Newton South drops to 14-3 overall and 5-3 in the league.

Notes: The win was the 11th straight for Westford….. It was Senior Night for Newton South who honored their two Senior players, Allie Leipzig and Nikki Butera.  In a nice gesture, the Newton South team also gave flowers to the Westford Seniors…..I’ve never been a fan of the field house set-up, but Newton South by far has the best one I’ve seen to this point…..Westford had already clinched the DCL Large title coming into the game…..Finally, when you think you’ve seen it all, a Newton South shot lodged between the rim and the backboard in the second half.  Normally during a girls game, a ref gets a ball and tries to dislodge it, not tonight.  Without hesitation, Newton South Head Coach Sam Doner ran onto the court, grabbed the net, pulled himself up to the rim, and got the ball down.  Coach Doner then went back to the bench and started coaching again like nothing happened.

Scoring:
Westford:  Parker 15, Gallant 3, Mills 2, Wright 10, Malboeuf 8, Boyle 7, Ewing 17, Webb 5
Newton South:  Ka. Burton 3, Collins 6, Rothman 7, Leipzig 7, Ke. Burton 17, Horowitz 1, Haghayeghi 2, Bikofsky 11, Sloan-Cullen 2

Scoring by quarters:
Westford:         15  18  16  18 = 67
Newton South:  14  24  5  13 = 56

Rebounds:
Westford:  45
Newton South:  39
Turnovers:
Westford:  16
Newton South:  20

3 pt. Shooting:
Westford:  4/8  .500
Newton South:  7/22  .318
Free-throws:
Westford:  17/28  .607
Newton South:  10/17  .588