Tag: Andrew Slaney

Thursday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 05/05/22

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Mansfield, 4 @ Attleboro, 1 – Final (8 Inn.) – Mansfield pushed across the tying run in the top of the sixth and then scored three in the top of the eighth to secure an extra innings victory on the road at Attleboro. The hosts took the lead in the bottom of the third after Owen Taber singled, stole second and third, and eventually scored on an error to make it 1-0. After being shutout over the first five innings, Mansfield plated the tying run. Conner Zukowski was once again the catalyst for the offense with a leadoff double, and scored on a one-out single from Anthony Sacchetti. In the top of the eighth, Sacchetti struck again with one-out, this time with a solo home run to left field to make it 2-1. Jared Fraone tacked on two key insurance runs with a two-run, two-out double to left to bring Andrew Slaney and Connor Curtis home. Aaron Blinn had another strong start on the mound, allowing one run on three hits and two walks, striking out seven in six innings of work. Jake Maydak got the win with a scoreless inning of relief, and Curtis recorded the save, getting three strikeouts including the tying run at the plate for the final out. Billy Saltmarsh pitched well for the Bombardiers, allowing one earned run on three hits and four walks, striking out six in six innings.

Sharon, 2 @ Franklin, 12 – Final (6 Inn.) – Locked in a one-run game through three innings, Franklin scored nine runs over the final three innings, punctuated by walk-off grand slam from Eisig Chin, to take a win over Sharon. The visiting Eagles took a 2-1 lead on a bases-loaded walk in the top of the third but Franklin quickly took the lead back with two in the bottom half, added two more in the fourth, one in the fifth, and six in the sixth to end the game. Chin finished 3-for-3 with five RBI and two runs scored while Chris Goode also went 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored to pace the Panthers. Jack Marino and Evan Raider also drove in a pair of runs each for Franklin. Ethan Voellmicke earned the win in relief, tossing two scoreless innings with no hits allowed, three walks, and three strikeouts. Drew Yaffe drew the bases-loaded walk for the Eagles and Will Hippler had an RBI single in the first inning to put Sharon ahead 1-0.

Canton, 1 @ Foxboro, 4 – Final – Buoyed by a three-run second inning and another strong start from freshman Nolan Gordon, Foxboro secured a 4-1 decision over visiting Canton. Foxboro got three straight walks from Ben Angelini, Matheiu Sullivan, and Tom Marcucella to load the bases, and Jack Watts’ sacrifice fly brought in the first run of the game. Louis Carangelo drew a two-out walk to load the bases again and Ryan LeClair delivered a two-run single to push the lead to 3-0. Canton got one back in the top fo the fifth on a two-out RBI single from Sean Sullivan but Foxboro restored the three run lead in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI single from Caranagelo. Gordon tossed a complete game for the win, allowing one run on three hits and four walks, striking out nine. Zach Peters pitched well in relief for the Bulldogs, allowing one run on four hits and two talks, striking out three in four innings.

Oliver Ames, 2 @ North Attleboro, 7 – Final – After Oliver Ames plated two runs in the top of the third inning to tie the game, North Attleboro responded with four runs in the bottom half to take the lead back for good. The Rocketeers staked a 2-0 lead on a two-run single from Dillon Harding in the bottom of the second but OA’s Nathan Carpentier and Patrick Finnerty had back-to-back RBI singles to bring the visitors level. In the bottom of the third, Tyler Bannon (walk) scored after a throwing error on Derek Maceda’s bunt, Danny Curran singled in Maceda, and Harding collected another two RBI, this time on a two-out double to center to make it 6-2. Maceda added an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth to extend the lead to 7-2. David Floyd picked up the win for the Rocketeers, tossing a complete game with two runs (none earned) allowed on five hits and no walks, striking out 10. Ian Kelly pitched well in relief for the Tigers, allowing one run on one hit and three walks, striking out five in 2.2 innings.








Softball
Franklin, 16 @ Sharon, 0 – Final (5 inn.) – Franklin pushed across seven runs in each the second and third innings on its way to a big win on the road over Sharon. Marley Allen led Franklin’s offense with three hits while Aislinn Lavery, Kiera Kotwicki, and Sarah Boozang each had two hits in the win. Kotwicki also drove in a team-high four runs while Katy Liberman and Julia White each drove in three runs apiece. Kotwicki pitched three scoreless innings with one hit and one walk allowed and Madison Bergeron pitched two scoreless innings in relief.

Attleboro, 14 @ Mansfield, 3 – Final – Attleboro pounded out 20 hits on its way to a win on the road over Mansfield. Mansfield led 1-0 after one inning, but the Bombardiers found a groove at the plate and pulled out a big road win, scoring four in both the third and fourth innings, two in the sixth, and four more in the seventh. Lindsey Perry got the win the circle, striking out six with one walk and six hits in a complete game effort. Perry helped her cause big time at the dish, going 4-for-4 with four runs scored while Sarah Maher (two runs) and Lily Routhier (four runs) each added four hits as well. Kayla Goldrick had a three-run home run in the third that sparked the offense and Rylie Camacho added two hits. The Hornets jumped in front when Callie Lake singled and aggressively advanced to second. She reached third on a passed ball and came home on a ground out by Liv Madeira. Mansfield got one back in the fifth when Cat Kipp singled to plate Molly Kucharski. The Hornets scored a third in the seventh. Julia Kelly singled and came around to score on an Olivia DeTrolio base hit. Mansfield finished with seven hits as a team, including a pair for Alanna Conley, who also made a nice defensive play in left.

North Attleboro, 7 @ Oliver Ames, 1 – Final – North trailed 1-0 heading to the top of the seventh but rallied with seven runs to pull out the win. Mandi Hanewich started things with a one-out triple and tied the game on a single by Ally Levine. Kelly Colleran singled Levine to third and the winning run came in on a double steal. After a pair of walks loaded the bases, Emma Hanwell knocked in one, Grace Simmons walked, and Maddie Bailey brought in two more with an infield single. Colleran dominated on the mound, striking out 15 and taking a no-hitter into the seventh (despite trailing 1-0). Colleran and Levine each finished with two hits and Shaelyn Burns reached base three times.

Milford, 0 @ Taunton, 15 – Final (5 Inn.) – Taunton scored two in the first, added five in the second, and then sealed the win with an eight-run fourth. Liv Mendonca (three innings) and Cate Larson (two innings) combined on the shutout, allowing only two hits. Angie Lynch powered the Tigers on offense, going 2-for-4 with a homer, five RBI, and two runs scored from the leadoff spot. Ava Venturelli (1-for-3) drove in two and scored three runs. Brooke Aldrich (1-for-3) also drove in two and Hayley Krockta (2-for-3) and Katelyn Bizarro (2-for-3) each drove in one.




Boys Lacrosse
Milford, 1 @ Bellingham, 13 – Final

Girls Lacrosse
Franklin, 16 @ Bishop Feehan, 4 – Final – In a battle of unbeatens, Franklin rolled to a big win over Bishop Feehan with a dominating performance on the road. The Panthers built an 11-3 lead by halftime and didn’t allow a second half goal until three minutes left in the game as Brigid Earley had five saves in net and Anna Grasso played well defensively. Kaitlyn Carney paced the offense with six goals and two assists, Katie Peterson (three assists) and Kate O’Rourke each had a hat trick, Kenzie Baker added two goals, and Jackie O’Neil (goal, assist), Lindsay Atkinson (goal, assist), and Stella Regan (two assists) each had two points apiece.

Milford, 9 vs. Bellingham, 3 – Final – After a slow start that resulted in a mere one-goal halftime lead, Milford turned it on with a big second half to pull away from Bellingham. Aislinn Bennett scored a pair of first half goals and Fiona Jordan added one to give the Hawks a 3-2 lead at the break. In the second half, Carly Haley had a pair of goals and an assist, Emily Croteau scored once and had one assist, and Erin Michelson added a goal and one helper. Caitlyn Bangert turned away 11 shots in net while Mya Mitchell and Sophia Soares anchored a stellar defensive effort for the Scarlet Hawks.

Boys Tennis
Foxboro, 3 @ Canton, 2 – Final – Foxboro sophomore Ryan Fossella and freshman Luca Meyer overcame a 0-3 deficit in the third set to prevail in a tiebreaker, clinching the final point for the Warriors’ 3-2 win over Canton. Fossella and Meyer, playing at first doubles, won the first set 6-4 but dropped the second 4-6 to force the deciding third set. Canton raced out to a 3-0 lead before Fossella and Meyer rallied and won the third set 7-6 (7-1) in the tiebreaker. Foxboro also picked up a win at second doubles from sophomores Visruth Chavalam and Nate Cote (6-1, 3-6, 6-3) as well as freshman Raj Jetty at third singles (6-2, 6-0). Max Kupferman and Suraj Ramanathan won at first and second singles for the Bulldogs.

North Attleboro, 5 @ Taunton, 0 – Final – North Attleboro went on the road and took all five matches in straight sets to knock off host Taunton. Senior Will Folan picked up a 6-2, 6-2 win at first singles, junior Brody Carter added a 6-1, 6-2 verdict at second singles, and freshman Darren Liang grabbed a 6-1, 6-0 third singles victory. The first doubles team of Griffin Rodden and Arnav Raghuvanshi emerged with a hard-fought 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5) win for the Rocketeers while sophomore Quinn DiFiore and senior Aashman Gupta prevailed 6-0, 6-2 at second doubles.

Mansfield, 5 @ Oliver Ames, 0 – Final – Mansfield won all five matches, all in straight sets, to secure a road win over Oliver Ames. Sophomore Kailash Elumelai secured a well-played 6-3, 6-3 win at first singles, freshman Neema Khosravani took a 6-1, 6-1 decision at second singles, and sophomore Iniyan Karruppusami completed the singles sweet for the Hornets with a 6-2, 6-3 victory at third singles. The team of Benson Delaney and Jonah Fine earned a 6-3, 6-1 first doubles win while Jesse Colchamiro and Jacob Weiner earned a 7-6 (4), 6-3 win at second doubles.

Sharon, 4 @ Franklin, 1 – Final – In a battle of undefeated division leaders, the Davenport-leading Eagles of Sharon handed Franklin its first loss of the season. Sharon secured the victory with a pair of wins from both singles and doubles action for a 4-1 verdict. Alex Budovalcev earned a 6-3, 6-1 win at second doubles and Jacob Slavsky added a 6-0, 6-0 sweep at third singles. The team of Mitch Weiss and Ruemon Bhattacharyya overcame a one-set deficit to emerge with a hard-fought 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 win. The team of Sava Kassev and Hyojae Park also prevailed in three sets, taking a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win at second doubles for the Eagles. Franklin’s Vayshnav Malhotra earned a 6-2, 6-3 win at first singles.

Girls Tennis
Taunton @ North Attleboro, 3:45

Franklin, 0 @ Sharon, 5 – Final – The Davenport-leading Eagles of Sharon swept all five matches, handing Kelley-Rex leading Franklin its first Hock loss of the season. Navya Shukla took a 6-1, 7-5 win at first singles, Ale Aguilar added a 6-3, 6-0 win at second singles, and freshman Judy Song prevailed 6-0, 6-0 at third singles for the Eagles. The team of juniors Abby Vilk and Sophia Oh earned a 6-4, 6-1 win at first doubles and the Eagles got another point from freshman Olivia Landstein and junior Ellie Zhao at second doubles (7-6 [5], 6-0).

2022 Hockomock League Baseball Preview

2022 Hockomock League Baseball Preview
Taunton returns a strong group of players looking to challenge for the Kelley-Rex division title. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

By HockomockSports.com Staff

2022 Hockomock League Baseball Preview

Attleboro

2021 Record: 5-11
2021 Finish: Reached Div. 1 South First Round
Coach: Steve Dunlea
With a good mix of new faces and experienced veterans, Attleboro is aiming to be in the mix of a loaded Kelley-Rex division. For the Bombardiers, it will lean heavily on a deep pitching staff.

It starts with seniors Billy Saltmarsh, who is committed to UMass Dartmouth, and Cian Kelleher, who is committed to Stonehill. They’ll be joined in the rotation by junior lefty Danny Johnson while senior Jamie Bloch and junior Sean O’Hara lend strength to the relief corps. Sophomore Matt Harvie, sophomore Johnny Pagano, and freshman Tyler Dunlea will also be in the mix to see innings on the mound.

Senior captain Owen Taber (UMass Dartmouth) will be an anchor of the Bombardier defense at second base while juniors Peter DelPozzo and Cooper Johnson, along with Pagano, look to fill in at shortstop as senior captain Evan Houle works his way back from an injury from basketball season. Johnson, DelPozzo, and Dunlea are in the mix for the starting job at third while Bloch (committed to UMaine Farmington) and Christian Dame provide depth at first base.

In the outfield, senior Nate George will cover a lot of ground from his spot in centerfield, and the Bombardiers will rotate between Parket Sacket, Hayden Hagerty, Ben Hochwarter, Danny Johnson, Brody McKenna, and Harvie for the other two outfielder spots. Junior Aidan Hochwarter provides a steady presence both at the dish and behind the plate at catcher.

“The strength of this team is its chemistry,” said Attleboro head coach Steve Dunlea. “We have a great group of returning players who have really worked hard to build a team bond through the pandemic. I give a lot of credit to the captains from last year and this year. Despite the challenges they faced with COVID, they were able to rebuild the chemistry of the Attleboro baseball program that was lost when the 2020 season was canceled.”

Canton

2021 Record: 8-7
2021 Finish: Reached Div. 2 South First Round
Coach: Ben Shuffain
Canton got off to a great start to the 2021 campaign, winning six of their first seven games but ended up with a first-round exit in the playoffs. With a strong core of returning players plus a couple of promising young players, the Bulldogs are aiming to get back to the postseason again this season.

The Bulldogs certainly have some holes to fill with the loss of a talented senior class and the departure of ace Andrew Middleton. Fourth-year head coach Ben Shuffain will lean on captains Andy Butler and Matt Chafin to lead the charge this season, along with three-year players Nico Bonanno, Matt Quan, and Zach Peters. Chafin was one of the best offensive players in the league last year, finishing second with a 0.442 average.

2022 Hockomock League Baseball Preview

Shuffain has a lot of options for pitching, with at least a dozen choices to fill out the rotation and relief corps. Jay Kelleher, Hayden Rose, and Owen Lane will all be in the mix for innings on the mound. Matty Lesser, James Young, Jack Digirolomo, and freshman Kyle Redquest will work the infield while the catching duties will fall to Sean Sullivan and Matt Hart.

“We are a very experienced team with a lot of guys with a lot of innings pitched from last season and wins under their belt,” Shuffain said. “With a few of last year’s backups moving into starting roles and the addition of a few younger guys and the experienced upperclassmen this team should have a good season as they will continue to work hard on the field and in the weight room.”







Foxboro

2021 Record: 5-10
2021 Finish: Reached Div. 3 South Preliminary Round
Coach: Derek Suess
Foxboro has some of the top returning talents in the league but will look for some of its younger players to provide the depth needed to compete for a division title this season.

Junior captain Sean O’Leary is one of the top arms in the league and has a lot of varsity experience under his belt already. He will be the ace of the staff that will also feature junior Mathieu Sullivan, who made his varsity debut last season, and freshman Nolan Gordon, who has impressed during the preseason. Pitching depth will come from seniors Andrew Peterson, Tom Marcucella, Liam Mulkern, and junior Alex Stern.

Senior captain Tom Marcucella is one of the most experienced players in the league and his versatility gives head coach Derek Suess a lot of options in the infield. Marcucella can play at any of the four infield spots but will spend the majority of his time at first base. Junior Ryan LeClair is back in the mix at shortstop after a breakout season a year ago, sophomore Tyler Prescott is back for his second year with the squad, and freshman Ryan O’Leary offers a solid bat and glove. Senior Kyle Smith and junior Josh Connolly provide solid depth in the infield.

Senior captain and three-sport star Jack Watts will patrol center field for the Warriors and will be flanked by juniors Kenny Mello and Louis Carangelo, all three looking to make an impact with their bats this season. When not pitching, Gordon will also be in the mix for some innings in the outfield and sophomore Shane Henri gives Suess another solid option. Mulkern is the starting catcher with freshmen Ben Angelini and Mike Marcucella in the mix as well.

“We have great leadership from our captains and upperclassmen which has set the tone for the rest of our guys,” Suess said. “The underclassmen have bought in and can contribute right away. We must embrace the daunting challenge of playing in the Hock, and compete with confidence to give ourselves the best chance to reach our goals.”

Franklin

2021 Record: 16-2
2021 Finish: Reached Div. 1 South Final
Coach: Zach Brown
Franklin graduated some of the best players in the league after last season, but the Panthers still have a loaded lineup and a deep and talented pitching staff that could result in a very deep playoff run.

Not many teams could lose one of the best hitters in the league (Nate Cooke, 0.429) and one of the best catchers in the league (Jake Fitzgibbons, 0.353) and still boast one of the best lineups in the league but that’s how deep the Panthers are. Jack Marino, Ben Jarosz, and Chris Goode were all among the league leaders offensively a season ago, and Franklin also has sophomore Henry Digiorgio and junior Eisig Chin back after picking up a year of varsity experience. Junior Ryan Gerety, a Northeastern commit, is one of the best fielders in the region and is very dangerous at the plate.

2022 Hockomock League Baseball Preview

And after surrendering a league-low 40 runs last season, Franklin returns its entire rotation. Jacob Jette had a great junior season and will be one of the best pitchers in the Hock while junior Alfred Mucciarone will look to build upon a solid sophomore campaign. Relievers James Kuczmiec and Ethan Voellmicke dominated last season, coming in time after time and shutting opponents down.




King Philip

2021 Record: 8-8
2021 Finish: Reached Div. 1 South First Round
Coach: Jeff Plympton, Jr.
It was a good start for head coach Jeff Plympton as the Warriors won eight games last season and went to the playoffs, bowing out to eventual state champions Xaverian.

King Philip has the majority of its lineup back and will be looking to make some noise in a very competitive Kelley-Rex division. After averaging almost five runs a game last year, the Warriors have some key bats back in the lineup this year. Senior Shawn Legere is a returning league all star that starts at shortstop and is coming off a season in which he hit 0.386 and scored a league-best 16 runs. Rudy Gately had a breakout sophomore season and will be a key bat in the lineup again this year.

Gately will also be a go-to option on the mound for Plympton after going 4-0 last season, striking out 33 in 34.1 innings of work with an impressive 1.03 ERA. Tommy Martorano also gained a lot of experience last year as a sophomore and will give the Warriors a solid 1-2 punch for its starting rotation.

“We have a lot of arms to roll out if we need them which is great,” Plympton said. “Shawn Legere provides great leadership to the team and demands hard work at practice and games. Our fielding should be strong this year but I’m looking forward to watching our offense. Last year we struggled at the plate but this year looks promising. Last season we notched our first playoff win in over a decade and we look to keep those strides moving forward this year.”

Mansfield

2021 Record: 8-8
2021 Finish: Reached Div. 1 South First Round
Coach: Chris Hall
With a talented and experienced pitching staff and a list of players eager to make a name for themselves at the dish, Mansfield enters the season with the goal of challenging for the Kelley-Rex division title.

The Hornets were young last spring, and a lot of players earned their first varsity starts on the mound and at-bats. Mansfield has the majority of its team back and will be looking to turn that valuable experience into a successful 2022 campaign. They certainly aren’t shying away from testing that talent with defending state champions Xaverian, Maryland powerhouse Archbishop Spalding, and other top teams on its schedule along with a loaded Hock schedule.

2022 Hockomock League Baseball Preview

Seniors Anthony Sacchetti, Aaron Blinn, Jimmy Gilleran, and Colby Geddis highlight a deep and talented pitching staff for the Hornets. All of those arms got their feet wet during last year’s season and now give head coach Chris Hall a lot of flexibility with his rotation. There won’t be a drop off as the games go on with four solid options.

The big challenge for the Hornets a season ago was offense, scoring a division low 57 runs. With a strong offseason under their belts, there are a lot of names eager to step up and improve that number. Sacchetti, Gilleran, Geddis, and classmates Andrew Slaney and Jared Fraone will try to lead the way while juniors Conner Zukowski, Sam Martin, Caden Colby, Aidan Jones, and Rocco Scarpellini are all in the mix. Sophomores Connor Curtis and Jake Maydak both played varsity last year and could be impact players right away. Behind the dish, Aidan Jones and Wyatt Bolduc are battling for the starting spot at catcher after the Hornets lost senior Liam Anastasia to an injury.

“The keys to success this season rely heavily on every player doing their job,” Hall said. “The Hornets bring a well-rounded roster to the table and expect to compete all season long. Pitching and defense continue to be a strength for the Hornets. Offensively, the Hornets look to use a variety of talent to score runs and win baseball games.”

Milford

2021 Record: 5-9
2021 Finish: Missed Postseason
Coach: Alex Dion
There were some growing pains for the Hawks a season ago with a young squad, but with just five players graduated from a year ago, the Hawks are hoping to be a contender in a deep Kelley-Rex division.

Head coach Alex Dion plans to get contributions from all four classes this season, starting with a strong group of seniors that cover the field. Tyler Lane and Grant Scudo will see time in the outfield, Justin Luchini mans first base, Alex McColl can play in a number of spots in the infield, Cole Forrest is a versatile weapon, and John Denegris is an option on the mound.

The rotation will be anchored by junior Evan Cornelius, junior Tyler Caldon, and sophomore Anthony LaPierre. Cornelius started every game for the Hawks last season and will play at first when he’s not on the mound. Caldon and LaPierre, both right-handed pitchers, are up from the JV squad and have impressed in the early going.

2022 Hockomock League Baseball Preview

Offensively, sophomore Keith Lee picked up valuable experience after starting nine games as a freshman last season. He will start behind the dish and be one of the most important bats in the lineup. Sophomores Damien Carter and Sean McGee also started last season and will make up Milford’s middle infield.

“I am excited about the potential that this group has,” Dion said. “With strong senior leadership and varsity players in all four grades we have an opportunity to compete this year and for years to come. This is a great league and I have a lot of respect for the other teams in it. It starts on the mound and if we can get quality pitching out of the arms that we have here we have a chance to compete. We will have to win games in a variety of ways and I believe that we have the athletes to do that.”




North Attleboro

2021 Record: 12-5
2021 Finish: Reached Div. 2 South Semifinal
Coach: Mike Hart
After splitting the division title a season ago, the Rocketeers enter the 2022 campaign with a chance at winning back-to-back division titles for the first time in 30 years.

Replacing ace Dennis Colleran won’t be easy but North Attleboro has some solid arms on the mound including senior Danny Curran and senior David Floyd, who missed last season. Curran went 2-0 last year and struck out 22 in 23 innings of work with a 3.65 ERA. Head coach Mike Hart also has pitching options in senior Anthony Wescott, and juniors Jordan Paradis, Derek Maceda, and Ayden Delaney.

One of the big reasons the Rocketeers had such success last season was their offense, which scored a Davenport division 110 runs. Maceda was one of the best bats in the league and will patrol the outfield for the Big Red along with Curran, Paradis, and senior Christian Bates. In the infield, Floyd will be joined by classmates Brody Rosenberg, Gavin Wells, and Nik Kojoian, and senior Tyler Bannon will patrol shortstop. Junior Aidan Conrad had a breakout season starting behind the dish a year ago.

2022 Hockomock League Baseball Preview

“We’re going to look to put a lot of pressure on other teams offensively,” Hart said. “We have many capable pitchers who can provide quality innings. We feel our defense will limit mistakes and not give many runs away. If we want to have a successful season we will need contributions from everybody on the roster on a daily basis. We will rely on our senior leadership and experience to guide us through the season. We need guys to excel in their role and focus on the job at hand.”

Oliver Ames

2021 Record: 9-6
2021 Finish: Reached Div. 2 South First Round
Coach: Joe Abarr
After earning a share of the Davenport title last season, the Tigers have the pieces in place to make another run at the division crown this year.

A combination of veterans and new faces eager to make an impression gives head coach Joe Abarr a nice mix to work with. Offensively, the Tigers will look for their senior captains to lead the way. Jake Waxman will play first base and potentially some outfield and is one of the best bats in the Hockomock League while Joe Cicchetti could also see time at first as well as the outfield, and is a strong two-way player. Patrick Finnerty is back in the mix after a strong junior season.

2022 Hockomock League Baseball Preview

On the mound, OA has a pair of lefties at the top of the rotation. Nick Clark (3-0, 2.78, 32K) and Jack Richardson (2-2, 2.07, 21K) are both coming off great junior seasons and will give the Tigers a solid 1-2 punch on the mound this year. Richardson will also see time in the outfield and will be a key piece of the lineup offensively.

“We have a good mix of returners and young talented players looking for opportunities to help our team win,” Abarr said. “We are excited for a full ‘normal’ season back in the Hock.”

Sharon

2021 Record: 3-12
2021 Finish: Reached Div. 2 South Preliminary Round
Coach: Andrew Poliferno
Sharon enters the season with a roster eager to compete among the Hockomock League’s top teams, but the Eagles will have to do so all on the road this season. With the construction of the new high school currently underway where Sharon’s field was, it will be all road trips for the Eagles this season.

It will start with the 10 seniors on the team, including captains Dan Okstein and Dylan Labbe. Okstein is back after an injury limited his time a year ago and will be a key piece in the lineup offensively. He will be the anchor of the outfield, playing mostly in left but could also see time in center. Labbe has a ton of varsity experience and will be the ace of the pitching staff this year. Also on the mound returns sophomore Luke Meixel, one of the league’s breakout players last year as a freshman. junior Alex Coughlin, Ryan Baker, Zach Loomis, Jack Broughton, and Okstein will also be in the mix for innings on the mound.

Offensively, Nate Yaffe is back after a great year at the dish a year ago and will take over at shortstop. Not only is Yaffe consistent with the bat, but he’s also very dangerous on the base paths. Another speedy option at the dish will be Palash Raina and the Eagles are hoping to get key contributions at the plate from Okstein and varsity newcomer Connor Blaney. Liam Conway takes over behind the dish and Will Hippler, Owen Kevorkian, Eli Greenfield, Josh Tolentino, and Jake Loomis are all in the mix for spots in the lineup as well.

2022 Hockomock League Baseball Preview

“As a second-year varsity coach, I couldn’t be prouder to see how ready our players are to play their 2022 season,” said Sharon head coach Andrew Poliferno. “It is evident our players worked hard during the off-season to prepare to compete in the Hockomock. Our players are gritty, determined, and not afraid to put in the hard work that it takes to improve. In addition to their drive to succeed, the team vibe is positive and players go out of their way to encourage one another. I believe we have the makings of a very talented and passionate group of players ready to make noise for their 2022 season.”

Stoughton

2021 Record: 4-10
2021 Finish: Missed Postseason
Coach: Kevin Carty
There will be a lot of new faces in the Stoughton lineup this season, and that goes for the dugout too as Kevin Carty takes over for Mike Armour, who was the longest-tenured coach in the Hockomock League.

Carty is going to lean heavily on his seniors, who make up over half of the Knights’ roster. There is a lot of versatility among the senior class as well with players like Joe McNulty and Jonah Ly, who could see time in the outfield, the infield, on the mound, and in McNulty’s case, even behind the dish. Brad Franey, Anthony Girolamo, Anthony Tilton, James Price, and Owen Wiesnberger are all seniors that are in the mix for infield spots.

Girolamo, Ly, and Price will be joined by sophomore Will Worsley, junior Jeriel Cuello, junior Sean Farley, junior Joe Rush, and sophomore Hunter Malkin as options on the mound for Carty.

“We have a deep group of seniors that will carry us this year,” Carty said. “These seniors are very athletic and can play anywhere on the field. They have the ability to be great leaders for the younger players. We will go as far as they carry us.”

Taunton

2021 Record: 13-5
2021 Finish: Reached Div. 1 South Semifinal
Coach: Blair Bourque
Replacing a league MVP is never an easy task as the Tigers have to do with Danny MacDougall, but Taunton has a lot of depth and a lot of new faces looking to make a name for themselves as they help Taunton challenge for the Kelley-Rex title.

The strength of the 2022 Tigers will be offense and defense. Taunton has already lost some pitchers to injury so it will be a group effort on the mound this season. Coming off a season in which they scored 119 runs (nearly 7 runs a game), the offense will once again be a key component. Dawson Bryce had a breakout year after hitting 0.341 and driving in 12 runs a season ago, and junior Ryan MacDougall is one of the best power hitters in the league.

Seniors Evan Cali, Colby DeCouta, Colin Botelho, and junior Braden Sullivan are all very experienced at the varsity level and head coach Blair Bourque will lean on their leadership this season.

“Unlike in years past, we don’t have any true pitchers; our pitching staff consists of position players who will need to step up and give us an opportunity to compete,” Bourque said.”Offensively, we’ll look to have productive at-bats, be patient, and take advantage of mistakes. We should have one of the more productive offenses Taunton has had in some time. Although we’ll continue to play fundamental baseball, we hope to be able to capitalize when opportunity presents itself.”

Mansfield Upended By Norwood In Double Overtime

Mansfield boys basketball Trevor Foley
Mansfield sophomore Trevor Foley chases down a loose ball after forcing a turnover in the second half. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
 MANSFIELD, Mass. — Behind a spectacular defensive effort, the Mansfield boys basketball team battled back to get in position to take the game.

But the signature run that the Hornets have used to put away teams time and time again just never came to close it out.

The Hornets dug themselves out of a 15-point second half hole, erased a seven-point deficit in the final 90 seconds of regulation but couldn’t quite put the finishing touches on the big comeback, falling 57-51 in double overtime to Norwood in the Division 2 Round of 8.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

“I thought our defense was pretty spectacular,” said Mansfield coach Mike Vaughan, who saw his team force the Mustangs into 25 turnovers. “I thought we did an awesome job on [Noah Beaudet]. I thought we were able to minimize their other guys’ chances and really put ourselves in a position to come back. The problem was, for whatever reason, the second half of the year we’ve struggled scoring. In the first half…you only have 14 points, you can’t do that against a team at this level.

“We continued to stay true to ourselves defensively and started to make some plays, hit a couple of shots. I just can’t say enough about their effort and commitment to playing the right way and playing hard. You can’t get a better high school game out of this.”

Mansfield boys basketball

The Hornets were limited to 14 points total in the opening half, and a bucket just seconds into the start of the second put the Mustangs ahead 29-14. Mansfield refused to go quietly and outscored the visitors 14-4 the rest of the way in the quarter to get back into it.

After an early bucket, sophomore Trevor Foley (16 points, seven rebounds, four blocks, three steals) turned a steal into an emphatic one-handed slam to bring the hosts within a point, 33-32. Mansfield tied it on a free throw from junior Chris Hill (14 points, six rebounds), who tacked on a three a couple of possessions later to tie it 36-36.

Norwood star junior Noah Beaudet broke free for a rare open look and drained a triple and scored three from the foul line to bring the Mustangs back in front, 44-37, with 1:47 to go.

Senior Andrew Slaney connected on a corner three and the Hornets trapped immediately on the inbounds and forced a turnover, resulting in a quick layup from senior Matt Hyland (10 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, five steals).

Mansfield forced back-to-back turnovers but missed the front end of a one-and-one and had another chance blocked. With 26 seconds left, Hyland found Hill on a backdoor lob play and Mansfield tied it 44-44. The Hornets got another stop on defense with 10 seconds to go but a layup chance was off the mark for the hosts to send the game into overtime.

Points were at a premium in the four-minute overtime period. Hyland lost control in the paint but the ball fell right to Foley for a layup with 2:17 to go. Hill grabbed a steal but the Hornets missed on a chance to extend the lead. Hyland had a steal on the next possession but the Hornets turned it right back over and Norwood tied the game on a putback from Ziad Awde.

Both teams missed on a three in the final minute as the game went double overtime, tied 46-46.

Mansfield boys basketball

Mansfield sandwiched a pair of misses around a turnover, and Beaudet converted to put the visitors ahead. A free throw cut it to one but a tough jumper from Beaudet extended it back to three, 50-47. The Hornets couldn’t get anything to go on their next trip, and Norwood turned an offensive rebound into two points, 52-47 with 1:15 to go.

Foley scored to cut it to four but the Mustangs did enough at the line to keep the advantage the rest of the way.

“I think it just came down to us missing some bunnies, we had our opportunities. I thought in the first half we were forcing some action and then we got to a point we weren’t forcing it, but there were some opportunities when it looked like easy baskets that we just didn’t put in the hole. I’m not sure we shot great from the foul line either. Those two things…you can’t shoot yourself at this level. Defensively, we did it…we played great on defense and played as good as we could on defense.

“But offensively, I thought there were a lot of times we got exactly what we wanted but didn’t capitalize on it.”

Mansfield had an uncharacteristic day on the offensive end, shooting under 30% from the field overall and under 20% from three-point range.

Hill scored the opening basket of the game but it would end up as Mansfield’s lone lead of regulation. Hyland had the two other buckets but Norwood claimed a 14-6 lead after one.

An early three from Hill gave Mansfield a good start to the second quarter, and points from Foley and Anthony Sacchetti made it 14-13 before Mansfield’s offense went cold and the Mustangs closed the half on a 13-1 run.

Foley ignited the Hornet offense with back-to-back buckets in the third, Hyland and Caden Colby each had one from in close, and Slaney added a three. By the end of the third, Mansfield closed the gap to just five, 33-28.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

The Hornets lose five seniors to graduation including Hyland, Sacchetti, Slaney, Jack Lasbury-Casey, and Riley Waldron.

“They are tremendous kids,” Vaughan said. “This was just a great group, starting with the seniors all the way through. Nice kids, came to work every day and never complained. I had no issues with this team all year long. They were great, it was a fun team to be around.”

Mansfield boys basketball finishes the season at 21-5.

Monday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 02/21/22

Today’s games are listed below.

Boys Basketball
Attleboro, 67 vs. Durfee, 42 – Final – After falling behind in the first quarter, Attleboro dominated the final three quarters to earn a season sweep of Durfee. Playing shorthanded without leading scorer Evan Houle, the Bombardiers got a huge boost from junior Jaiden Outland, who hit four three pointers and finished with career-high 18 points to pace the Attleboro offense. Durfee held a 18-14 lead after eight minutes but Attleboro came storming back in a 22-point second quarter with Outland netting eight point, Jake Struminski adding six of his eight points, and Colin Morais chipping in with five of his 15 points. The Bombardiers won the second quarter 22-5, taking a 36-23 lead into the locker room.

Canton, 66 vs. Fenway, 49 – Final – Holding a six point lead at the break, Canton used a 19-point third quarter to stretch the lead and eventually finish off Fenway for the second time in as many days. The Bulldogs got scoring contributions from six players in the big third quarter with senior Lanse Dorcelus scoring six of his team-high 16 points, senior Nate Mei adding five of his 13 points, and Matt Chafin (11 points), Dillon Nguyen, Conor Hunter, and Bahsor Mahn (eight points) all scored in the quarter as Canton turned its halftime lead (32-26) in a 51-36 advantage going into the fourth. Jacob Solomon added a trio of threes and finished with nine points.

Foxboro, 58 vs. Medfield, 54 – Final – Tied at halftime, Foxboro pulled ahead for good with a big third quarter to land a key win over Division 2 foe Medfield. Foxboro had a 20-15 lead after a quarter but the teams went into the locker room at halftime deadlocked, 30-30. Five different Foxboro players scored in the third and the Warriors had their best defensive frame of the game, winning the third 17-9. Alex Penders had five of his 14 points, Andrew Finn and Cam Barreira each sank a three, Sam Golub (nine points) added a basket, and Dylan Gordon had four of his team-high 22 points to help Foxboro pull away.

Franklin, 43 vs. Leominster, 30 – Final – Anchored by one of its best defensive efforts of the season, Franklin landed an impressive win over one of the two ranked teams in Division 2. Junior Ben Harvey had a fantastic showing on the defensive end, holding one of Central Mass’ best players Justin Dadah Jr. to just one three-pointer in the fourth quarter. The Panthers used a 16-0 run across the first and second quarters to create separation. Sophomore Sean O’Leary scored eight of his 11 points in the opening half while Harvey got it going on the offensive end with six points in the second. Geino Scaringello gave the Franklin offense a big boost in the second half with all of his nine points coming over the final two frames.

King Philip, 68 vs. Falmouth, 36 – Final – King Philip poured in 26 points in the third quarter to run away with a big win over Falmouth in the first round of the Somerset-Berkley tournament. The Warriors built a 27-16 lead at halftime, getting a trio of three-pointers from Grant Kinney in the first half and one apiece from Braeden Sottile (10 points) and freshman Tommy Kilroy. Junior Will Laplante took over in the third, hitting three more threes and went on to finish with 16 of his team-high 24 points after the halftime break. Charlie Grant and Sottile also hit threes in the third quarter for KP, who had 12 makes from three-point range.

Mansfield, 56 vs. Westford Academy, 41 – Final – Click here for a Photo Gallery from this game. Mansfield struggled in the opening quarter against Westford’s zone, but the Hornets turned things around in the second quarter to send the teams into the locker room tied. In the second half, Mansfield locked down defensively, allowing only one point in the third and 12 points in the half, to pull out a win against a team ranked in the top 10 in Div. 1 and advance to the final of the Roundball Classic. Matt Hyland led all scorers with 16, 10 in the second half, and added nine rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Chris Hill added 13, including seven in the second to help the Hornets even up the game and 4-for-4 from the line in the fourth quarter. Andrew Slaney nailed four threes, including two in the first to keep Mansfield close, and finished with 12 points. Mansfield hit eight from beyond the arc as a team and will face the winner of Whitman-Hanson and Brockton in Wednesday’s final.

Milford, 46 vs. Shrewsbury, 57 – Final

Sharon, 59 vs. Walpole, 71 – Final – Sharon trailed by just three at halftime but Walpole exploded for 27 points in the third quarter to run away with the win in the championship game of the Davenport Classic. Sophomore Nate Katznelson dropped a career-high 27 points for the Eagles, but Walpole’s balanced attack — five players scored in the third — and successful three-point shooting in the third (five makes) ended up the difference.

Stoughton, 59 vs. Milton, 38 – Final – After a back-and-forth first quarter, Stoughton dominated the middle quarters to build a double digit lead that never relinquished the rest of the way. Junior Rayan Sablon hit four three-pointers in the first half and finished with 22 of his career-high 31 points to help the Black Knights get the win. Connor Andrews added nine of his 17 points in the opening half as Stoughton built a 34-19 lead at halftime and had a 46-25 lead going into the fourth.

Taunton, 77 @ New Bedford, 42 – Final – Taunton senior Trent Santos scored his 1,000th career point as the Tigers rolled to a big win to finish the regular season. Santos finished with 29 points in the win and hit the milestone with — fittingly — a pull up three in transition in the fourth quarter. Santos had five threes in the game and 10 total makes. Chris Volcy came off the bench and scored half of his 12 points in Taunton’s 25-point second quarter, turning a close game into a blowout by halftime (43-21). Faisal Mass added eight points for Taunton, which had nine players get in the scoring column.










Girls Basketball
Attleboro, 61 @ Durfee, 30 – Final – The Bombardiers held Durfee to 12 points in the first half, building a 32-12 lead through two quarters and never looking back to record a fifth straight win. Meghan Gordon scored 12 of her 16 points and Lindsey Perry scored all seven of her points in the first half to get Attleboro off to a great start. Vanessa Ellis scored 13 points (eight in the second half) and Rylie Camacho buried four three-pointers and finished with 12. Avery Vieira scored six of her eight points in the fourth.

Foxboro, 61 vs. Cambridge, 30 – Final – Kailey Sullivan scored 23 points, knocking down five three-pointers, as the Warriors rolled to a big win in the opening round of the Warrior Classic. Nine players scored for Foxboro, which will face Walpole on Tuesday night in the final.

Mansfield, 54 vs. Westford Academy, 55 – Final – Click here for a Photo Gallery from this game. Abigail Chambers hit a three from six feet behind the arc with only 4.5 on the clock and Westford pulled out a come from behind win in the first round of the Roundball Classic. The Hornets had led 54-48 in the closing minutes, but Westford closed the game on a 7-0 run. Abby Wager scored a team-high 22 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, to pace the Hornets. She added six rebounds and four steals. Kara Santos chipped in with nine points (five in the fourth) and Bridget Hanley added nine points, five assist, and two blocks. Natlya Gill came off the bench and scored seven points. Mansfield will face Natick on Wednesday afternoon in the consolation round of the tournament.

Taunton, 52 vs. New Bedford, 59 – Final – Taunton and New Bedford had a shootout in the second half, as the teams combined for 68 points, but the Tigers weren’t able to pull off a comeback in the season finale and the Whalers earned a split of the season series. Kameron St. Pierre had a team-high 17 points for the Tigers, all of them in the second half, and knocked down three from beyond the arc. Liv Gannon scored nine, all in the first half, and Cali Melo and Abby Souza each scored eight points for the Tigers.

Canton, 46 @ Westwood, 40 – Final – The Bulldogs closed out the regular season by winning the title at the Riley Classic and beating one of the teams ahead of them in the Div. 2 power rankings. Fay Gallery scored 17 points, dished our four assists, and had three steals to lead the way for Canton. Kiara Cerruti added 16 points and three steals and Sydney Gallery had seven points, five boards, and three assists. Canton also got a lot of help on the glass, with Han Hong and Erin Beatty each pulling down six rebounds and Samya DaSilva grabbing five boards. Marissa Staffiere made a pair of clutch free throws at the end to help seal the win. Fay Gallery was named tournament MVP and Cerruti was named to the all-tournament team.

King Philip, 49 vs. Archbishop Williams, 28 – Final – KP jumped out to a 16-2 lead after one quarter and extended that lead to 34-6 at halftime, running away with a big win in the consolation round of the end-of-season tournament. The Warriors had 48 points through three quarters. All 14 players saw time on the court and 11 ended up on the score sheet. Liv Lafond led the Warriors with 10 points, while Emily Sawyer had eight and Kylie Watson and Julia Marsden each scored seven points in the win. Olivia Ali knocked down a three-pointer for her first career varsity points.

Boys Hockey
North Attleboro, 1 vs. Walpole, 3 – Final

Mansfield, 3 vs. King Philip, 6 – Final

Stoughton, 1 @ Rockland, 2 – Final (OT) – After being shutout by Rockland in the first time around, Stoughton pushed the Bulldogs to the limit this time around before falling in overtime. Joe McNulty had the goal for the Black Knights, Steven Westerlund had a strong game defensively, and Chris Andrade played well in net with 29 saves.

Girls Hockey
Mansfield/Oliver Ames, 4 vs. Dedham, 0 – Final – MOA freshman Emma Rabinovich sparked the offense with her first career goal less than a minute into the game and the Warriors never looked back, skating to a shutout win over Dedham. Rabinovich lit the lamp 30 seconds into the game and then Kylie O’Keefe doubled the lead with a minute left in the period to make it 2-0. Cammy Shanteler (from O’Keefe) and Cataline Kipp each added a goal for the Warriors. Jess Widdop made 35 saves in net to earn the shutout for MOA.

King Philip, 5 vs. Milton, 0 – Final

Friday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 02/18/22

Today’s games are listed below.

Boys Basketball
Attleboro, 57 @ Mansfield, 64 – Final – Propelled by a strong first quarter (21 points) and a pivotal third quarter (18-4), Mansfield held off a strong fourth quarter from Attleboro to finish league play with a win. Matt Hyland got the Hornets off to a strong start with half of his team-high 16 points in the opening eight minutes and five other Mansfield players got into the scoring column, including threes from Andrew Slaney (12 points) and Chris Hill (12 points) for an early 21-13 lead. Colin Morais (17 points), Jaiden Outland, Neo Franco, and Jake Struminski each hit a three in the second but Dante James had one for Mansfield and Anthony Sacchetti had six points to help the Hornets ahead at the break (39-30). Hyland had another eight points in the third and Slaney added a pair of triples while the Hornets held the Bombardiers to just four points to break the game wide open, taking a 57-34 lead into the fourth. Attleboro made a late push with Morais, Outland, and Franco hitting fourth quarter threes to get the deficit down to single digits.

Foxboro, 51 @ Canton, 47 – Final – Canton continually cut into Foxboro’s lead throughout the game, eventually pulling even with the Warriors but it was senior Dylan Gordon who converted the go-ahead layup and then sank a pair of free throws in the final seconds to ice the win. Junior Alex Penders (12 points), Ryan LeClair (seven points), and Sam Golub (six points) helped Foxboro build leads after the first (12-5) and second quarters (22-18). Lanse Dorcelus hit on three of his four threes in the second and both Matt Chafin and Nate Mei added one each to close the gap by halftime. Chafin and Ashton Cetoute hit from downtown in the third as the Bulldogs made it 36-36 going into the fourth. Gordon finished with 15 of his 17 points in the second half, his lone field goal of the fourth being the go-ahead bucket followed by two free throws. Cam Barreira, fresh off his best shooting performance of the season in a win at Stoughton, came through with a pair of clutch threes in the fourth.

Franklin, 75 @ King Philip, 50 – Final – Franklin’s offense roared to life in the opening half, putting up 21 points in the opening quarter and then 25 more in the second on its way to a big win over King Philip. Sophomore Andrew O’Neil hit five three-pointers, three in the first half, to spark the Panthers’ offense. O’Neill finished with a team-high 21 points while senior Sean Vinson scored all 19 of his points in the first half. King Philip cut into the deficit by winning the third quarter (16-9) with senior Braeden Sottile dropping half of his team-high 20 points in the quarter. But Franklin’s offense got back on track with 22 points in the fourth, with O’Neill adding two more threes and both Evan DaSilva and Caden Sullivan connecting from downtown.

Milford, 48 @ Taunton, 68 – Final – Taunton only led by two possessions going into the fourth quarter (49-43) but the Tigers took care of business in the final eight minutes, running away with a win to clinch the Kelley-Rex division title outright for the first team in program history. Senior Trent Santos hit four of his six three-pointers after halftime and finished with a game-high 26 points to lead the charge. Faisal Mass added 15 points in the win. Milford freshman Andrew Rivera hit a trio of threes and finished with a team-best 23 points.

North Attleboro, 46 @ Oliver Ames, 63 – Final – North Attleboro came out of the gates with 16 points in the first quarter and only trailed by two possessions at halftime but a switch to zone defense from Oliver Ames stalled the Rocketeers’ offense and the Tigers pulled away to finish their regular season with a win. OA held a 30-24 lead at halftime and then got a balanced scoring attack in the third to double its lead from six to 12, carrying a 44-32 lead into the fourth. Drew Baxter had four of his 10 points in the third, MJ Jean Baptiste and Zach Tagliamonte (10 points) each had three, and Dan Reily and Jake Grimaldi each chipped in with a bucket. CJ Williams finished with a team-high 11 points for OA, who had 10 players factor into the scoring. Brody Rosenberg hit a trio of threes to lead North with 13 points, Gavin Wells also had a three trifectas for 11 points and Casey Poirier scored 10 first half points for the Big Red.

Sharon, 65 @ Stoughton, 61 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game.










Girls Basketball
Mansfield, 52 @ Attleboro, 58 – Final – Lindsey Perry scored a game-high 16 points, including 12 in the second half, to help the Bombardiers pull out a win and sweep the season series against the Hornets. Mansfield scored 18 in the first, including eight from Anna Darlington, to take a five-point lead after one, but Attleboro stormed back with a 15-8 second to take a two-point lead into the locker room. Vanessa Ellis, Rylie Camacho, and Meghan Gordon combined for 13 in the quarter. Perry and Gordon combined for 13 points in the third, as the Bombardiers extended the lead to six after three, which they were able to hold onto over the final eight minutes. Perry scored six points in the fourth, including 4-of-6 from the free throw line. Gordon finished with 11 points and Ellis and Camacho each scored 10. Abby Wager led the Hornets with 15, including nine points in the third quarter alone, while Darlington finished with 10. Olivia Salisbury chipped in with eight points for the Hornets.

Canton, 44 @ Foxboro, 49 – Final – Seven Warriors were on the score sheet as they held off Canton to sweep the season series with the bulldogs. Kailey Sullivan was the top scorer for the home team with 14 point and Erin Foley added 11. Ava Hill went 6-for-6 from the line to help Foxboro seal the win.

King Philip, 24 @ Franklin, 49 – Final – KP led 10-8 after the first quarter but Franklin held the Warriors to only 14 points over the final 24 minutes to finish the league campaign unbeaten for the third straight season. The Panthers took the second quarter 11-2 and outscored KP 30-12 in the second half for their 42nd straight league win. Olivia Quinn led the way for the Panthers with 13 points, including nine in the second quarter, and went 6-for-6 from the line. Stefany Padula hit a pair of threes and scored eight points, Brigid Earley had seven, and Katie Peterson added six points for Franklin. Liv Lafond was KP’s leading scorer with eight points, Leah Santoro had six, and Emily Sawyer and Jordan Bennett each scored four points in the loss.

Taunton, 37 @ Milford, 54 – Final – Without the league’s leading scorer, Kameron St. Pierre, Taunton struggled offensively early and the Hawks took advantage to pull out a win in their final league game of the season, splitting the seasons series. Milford jumped ahead 14-3 after the first and extended the lead to 14 by halftime. Maddalena Mannucci Pacini scored eight of her game-high 15 points in the first half for Milford. Taunton took the third quarter to slice into the Milford lead, but then the Hawks exploded for 24 points in the fourth, led by Brooke Ferreira’s nine, to seal the win. Ferreira finished with 12 and Jill Araujo added a dozen as well. Cali Melo led Taunton with 10 points and Jillian Doherty added nine, all 19 of their combined points coming in the second half. Lex Haywood chipped in with five.

Oliver Ames, 78 @ North Attleboro, 33 – Final – OA closed out the league campaign with a big road win. The Tigers jumped out to a big lead early in the game and seemed to have an answer for every defensive switch that North threw at them. Senior Caroline Peper exploded for a game-high 24 points and the Tigers got a big boost on the offense end with 12 points apiece from a trio of sophomores: Jasmyn Cooper, Sarah Hilliard, and Kaydance Derba. Summer Doherty scored 11 of her team-high 12 points for North and Maryellen Charette added nine.

Stoughton, 44 @ Sharon, 53 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game.

Mansfield Edges Franklin In Back-And-Forth Battle

Mansfield boys basketball Matt Hyland
Mansfield senior Matt Hyland goes up for a shot against Franklin’s Sean Vinson (right) and Sean O’Leary (25) in the second half. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
 FRANKLIN, Mass. — One of the best rivalries in the state added a new chapter on Friday night, and it was one of the best games in series history.

Up-and-down, back-and-forth the Panthers and the Hornets went, matching shot for shot and stop for stop over the course of four quarters — and it took every second of the 32 minutes to decide this one.

Mansfield senior Matty Hyland sank both of his one-and-one free throws with 13.4 seconds left and the Hornets held on as Franklin’s last-second turnaround jumper at the elbow hit off the iron and stayed out, securing a 56-55 victory in a thriller.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

The largest lead for either side was nine in favor of the hosts after senior Sean Vinson, who had a career-high 27 points in a gutsy performance, knocked down one of his five three-pointers just a minute into the second quarter for a 20-11 lead.

Meanwhile, the visiting Hornets had the lead just three times in the first half. The first coming on the back of an 11-0 run that erased Franklin’s largest advantage, and twice more over the next couple of minutes. But each of the three leads never increased more than two points before Franklin tied it or went back ahead.

Mansfield’s first lead of the second half came on a three-pointer with a minute to go in the third quarter, a 42-41 lead that the Hornets carried into the final quarter.

And the final quarter, a rollercoaster back-and-forth that featured nine lead changes, the largest lead being five points for Mansfield at 52-47, but that too, was quickly erased as the Panthers retook the lead.

“It was a good old-fashioned boxing match,” said Mansfield head coach Mike Vaughan. “How many lead changes were there? It had to be a lot, it was back-and-forth. I think they had a little bigger of a margin than we did, I don’t think we ever had a big lead. I thought there were times we could have folded and put our tail between our legs but we came down and made big plays.

“Against Franklin, you have to find creative ways to score. Sometimes it’s threes, sometimes you have to get to the rim. They are so solid defensively, you have to be creative and find different ways to score each trip, and ultimately, we were able to do that for sure.”

The fourth lead change of the final quarter came on a nice pass from Mansfield junior Chris Hill to find sophomore Trevor Foley cutting to the basket. Foley had one of the best games of his career with 16 points, 11 rebounds, four steals, and two blocks — more to come on the blocks.

The fifth came right after on a nice up-and-under move from Vinson and the Panthers took a timeout.

Mansfield boys basketball

Mansfield was the first team to get back-to-back buckets in the quarter, first with Hill dropping one in from close, and then after a stop, Hyland battled through some great defense to finish off a tough layup for a 50-47 lead. Another stop led to another bucket from Hyland for Mansfield’s largest lead of the entire game at 52-47.

It didn’t last long: Vinson knocked down a corner three off a pass from Justin Allen (11 points). The Panthers looked poised to tie the game after a turnover but Foley came racing back and pinned the ball against the backboard for a huge chase-down block.

The Panthers, who played the entire second half without leading scorer sophomore Henry Digiorgio because of an injury in the first half, weren’t too fazed as they got a stop and Ben Harvey found Vinson for yet another three, and just like that, Franklin was ahead with under two minutes to play.

The see-saw battle continued, and arguably the biggest plays of the game came next. Hyland came up with an offensive rebound to give the visitors a second shot, which was also off but this time Foley won the battle for the board.

The Hornets missed another chance but once again, Foley came flying in and tipped in the offensive board for two, and a 54-53 lead with under a minute to go. Mansfield won the rebounding battle 9-1 in the final quarter, including five offensive boards.

Andrew Slaney came up for a steal for the Hornets, and Vaughan tried to call a timeout but neither official noticed. The Panthers took advantage with a steal and Allen laid in an uncontested layup for a 54-55 lead with 20 seconds to go.

Mansfield boys basketball

Mansfield came back up the floor in a hurry, and yet again Vaughan’s timeout efforts went unnoticed, and instead, Hyland drew a blocking call for Franklin’s seventh foul of the half.

Hyland finished with 17 of his 25 points in the second half for the Hornets, tying a career-high.

“There’s something to be said about guys like Matty and what he was able to do,” Vaughan said. “Vinson did a really good job against him defensively and really made him work for everything. And as much as I was trying to whine for a foul, he did it clean and he did a really good job of keeping him in front of him and Matty had to work for anything that he got.”

Hyland hit both free throws and Mansfield — who was well under the bonus — strategically fouled twice over the final 10 seconds to drain some clock. Franklin inbounded it with 3.9 seconds left and got off a shot but it was off the mark.

Mansfield boys basketball

“I thought the guys that were out there really gave their heart and soul, I can’t ask for more effort-wise,” said Franklin head coach CJ Neely. “We’ll watch the film and probably see something things we could have done better execution-wise. You don’t want to let it go to that last possession like that, they had a lot of offensive rebounds that we could have pulled in and maybe turned it into a three-point lead instead of a one-point lead.

“You can’t give a team like that multiple chances down the stretch and unfortunately offensive rebounds killed us late. I don’t think it was for most of the game and we made them work for everything they got. Hyland’s a great player and made some big plays down the stretch that really sealed the game.”

As they often have this year, Franklin had a strong start to the game with success from range. Sophomore Andrew O’Neill hit a pair of three-pointers and sophomore Sean O’Leary cashed in on a Mansfield turnover for a quick 8-0 lead. A three from Caden Colby and a late steal and bucket from Foley closed the gap to 15-11 at the end of one.

O’Leary went to work in the paint for two and Vinson sank a three to Franklin’s largest lead but that was short-lived as Mansfield answered with an 11-0 run, sparked by a three from Jack Lasbury-Casey. Foley cleaned up his own miss and had another steal and layup, and Hyland had four straight to take a 22-20 lead.

“I’m proud of Trevor, he’s really come into his own. He’s played well the last couple of games and has kind of built some confidence and starting to play like a junior instead of a sophomore…his first half was huge, he stepped in and really took some of the pressure off Matty.”

Vinson stopped the bleeding to tie it 22-22, and then drained a three after Foley’s tough take handed Mansfield its second lead. Slaney hit one of Mansfield’s five total threes but this time it was Allen who answered with a three. Allen then added another one right before the buzzer to give Franklin a 32-27 lead at halftime.

“Sean Vinson has been one of the best leaders we’ve ever had and I expect nothing less of that when he’s on the floor,” Neely said. “He missed the first matchup [COVID], he was devastated. He was really looking forward to his chance to play Mansfield here at home, and you can see it in the effort he put out there. What a performance for him.”

Franklin finished 10-for-21 from three-point range, but only hit on three trifectas in the second half on half the attempts. Losing Digiorgio was a big blow to not only the shooting game (he made four on Tuesday against Taunton and had three in the first meeting with Mansfield), it hurt the Panthers’ rebounding game (Digiorgio had double-digit boards on Tuesday).

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

“That’s our leading scorer and one of our best players, it’s hard to in-game adjust to losing him,” Neely said. “I do think we settled in eventually and get O’Leary some touches inside and Vinson had some big shots, big plays, and we had some other guys step up. But you don’t just replace a guy like Hank, he’s a really good player that we missed out there.”

“We always want to try and take [the three] away because they have a lot of firepower there and they can do it in a hurry, you really have to try and keep them in check,” Vaughan said. “We made some adjustments and obviously Digiorgio not playing is super unfortunate and he’s a high-level scorer and rebounder, so I hope it isn’t bad and he’s back soon. You never want to see something like that happen and it changed their rotations and their shot selection.”

Mansfield boys basketball

Mansfield boys basketball (12-1 Hockomock, 15-3) stays within a game of first place of the division with a game in hand and will travel to first place Taunton for a huge showdown on Tuesday. Franklin (11-3, 15-3) hits the road to visit Milford on the same day.

Tuesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 02/01/22

Today’s games are listed below.

Boys Basketball
Canton, 40 @ Attleboro, 48 – Final – Canton cut a double-digit halftime deficit down to three in the third quarter but Attleboro finished the quarter strong and pulled away for good with a 10-0 run to start the fourth. Lanse Dorcelus drained a three with three minutes left in the third to make it 28-25 but Attleboro closed with a 7-2 run to take a 35-27 lead into the fourth. Alvin Harrison, who had a career-high 19 points, scored twice down low and then sophomore Neo Franco (eight points) and senior Colin Morais each hit a three as the Bombardiers pushed the lead to 45-27 with five minutes left. Dorcelus scored 12 of his team-high 13 points in the second half, Dillon Nguyen hit a trio of second half trifectas for 12 points, and Matt Chafin had 11 points for the Bulldogs.

Foxboro, 68 @ Taunton, 69 – Final – Taunton’s big three of Trent Santos, Tristan Herry, and Faisal Mass combined for 65 points and the Tigers avoided an upset bid from visiting Foxboro. The Warriors twice rallied from big deficits to make a game of it but came up just short as the buzzer expired. Taunton raced out to a 21-5 lead but Foxboro had a big second quarter to make it a six-point game, 43-37, at halftime. After an even third quarter, Taunton once again stretched its lead to double-digits at 64-51 before the Warriors came charging back in the final minutes. Santos, who dropped a game-high 33 points, sank a pair of free throws with 30 seconds left to put the hosts ahead 69-66. Foxboro finally converted at the rim with under 10 seconds to go but there wasn’t enough time left to force an inbounds and the buzzer sounded for a 69-68 win for Taunton. Santos hit five first-half threes while Faisal Mass also had two in the opening half, finishing with 19 points. Herry added a first half three of his own and finished with 13 points. Dylan Gordon led Foxboro with 22 points, Alex Penders added 15, and Sam Golub chipped in with 13 points with three trifectas for the Warriors, who sank a season-high 11 three-pointers.

North Attleboro, 51 @ King Philip, 65 – Final – Click here for a recap and photo gallery of this game.

Sharon, 57 @ Franklin, 75 – Final – Sharon had a one-point lead after the first quarter, Franklin surged ahead by 10 at the halftime break, the Eagles cut it back to eight going into the fourth, and then the Panthers poured in 24 points in the final frame to run away with the win. Senior Sean Vinson (14 points) sank four three-pointers in the fourth quarter and sophomore Henry Digiorgio (game-high 25 points) had five three-pointers in the second half, two in the fourth, to help Franklin pull away. Sophomore Sean O’Leary scored 12 of his 18 points in the opening half as Franklin staked a 35-25 lead at halftime. Sharon’s Donyae Pierre scored eight of his 13 points in the opening quarter and both Will Hippler (10 points) and Matt Baur (10 points) hit first quarter threes to help the Eagles take a 17-16 edge into the first intermission.

Oliver Ames, 56 @ Mansfield, 69 – Final – Mansfield jumped out to a double-digit lead by the end of the first quarter and kept OA at bay the rest of the way to finish crossover action with a win. Junior Chris Hill (eight rebounds, four assists, two blocks, two steals) tied a career-high with 21 points, including 13 in the first half to help the Hornets seize a 33-20 advantage at halftime. The Tigers held the hosts to 10 points in the third but Mansfield went 9-for-10 from the line in the fourth and put the game away with 26 points. Andrew Slaney (four steals) hit three three-pointers on his way to 15 points while Caden Colby had eight first-half points for Mansfield. CJ Williams and Drew Baxter paced OA with 11 points each while CJ Santos and Zach Tagliamonte chipped in with 10 points apiece.

Stoughton, 57 @ Milford, 54 – Final – Stoughton used a balance attack offensively and survived a last second shot from Milford to record a win on the road. The Black Knights had eight players in the scoring column with senior Cash Mathurin leading the way with 11 points. Stoughton led by four (23-19) after a hot start from both offenses but the Hawks tied it up at 32-all by halftime. Stoughton jumped ahead by the end of the third (45-39). Rayan Sablon had a huge three in the final minutes and finished with a team-high 13 points for Stoughton. Milford had a shot at the go-ahead basket in the final seconds but its bid from the block stayed out. Sophomore Jake Soares led Milford with 13 points.










Girls Basketball
Attleboro, 52 @ Canton, 57 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game.

Taunton, 33 @ Foxboro, 60 – Final – Freshman Kailey Sullivan continued her strong rookie campaign with 22 points, as the warriors earned a fourth straight victory. Camryn Collins also reached double figures for Foxboro, finishing with 11.

Franklin, 61 @ Sharon, 27 – Final – Franklin had 10 players get on the score sheet and the Panthers held their fourth straight opponent under 30 points to improve to 10-0 on the season. Sharon was held to just four points in the first quarter and Franklin broke the game open by scoring 20 in the second for a 29-12 halftime lead. An 18-6 third quarter put distance between the teams. Stefany Padula and Olivia Quinn each scored 14 points. Padula scored all of her points in the middle two quarters and buried four threes. Quinn had five of Franklin’s nine points in the first and another six in the second. Katie Peterson added nine points in the win. Jasmine Davis led the Eagles with nine points and Tess Letendre scored eight.

King Philip, 29 @ North Attleboro, 23 – Final – KP was able to pull out a defensive struggle on the road and moved back to .500 on the season. Although North was able to hold KP’s center Emily Sawyer to six points, the Rocketeers struggled to find the range with only four players getting on the score sheet. Summer Doherty led North with nine points and Taylor McMath added seven, while also doing a strong job defensively in the paint and on the glass. Ava McKeon chipped in with five points.

Mansfield, 36 @ Oliver Ames, 60 – Final – Mansfield made a second quarter push to cut the deficit to single digits, but Oliver Ames dominated the second half to get the win. The Tigers limited the visitors to just four free throws in the opening quarter to establish a 20-4 lead through eight minutes. Mansfield made a game of it with a big second, cutting it to 32-23 by halftime. But OA once again locked in defensively, surrendering just three points in the third to run away with the win. Senior Caroline Peper led the way with 15 points and eight assists, sophomore Jasmyn Cooper added 14 points and 11 rebounds, Anna Murphy chipped in with 10 points, and Hailey Bourne set the tone with high energy defensive play. Abby Wager led Mansfield with a team-high 10 points.

Milford, 40 @ Stoughton, 36 – Final – Following a 40-point night against Burncoat on Monday, Maddalena Mannucci Pacini scored 23 against Stoughton to help Milford win for the second time in two days. The Black Knights had a 25-23 lead going into the fourth, but the Hawks scored 17 in the final eight minutes to come from behind and pick up the win. Pacini had 11 points through three quarters and exploded for 12 in the fourth, including 4-of-4 at the line, and Maeve Driscoll added four of her nine points in the final quarter to pull out the win. Jess Maddalena led the Black Knights with nine points. Katrina Varnum nearly had a triple-double in the loss, scoring eight points, blocking seven shots, and grabbing nine rebounds, while Alyssa Edwards had seven points and 10 boards.

Boys Hockey
Oliver Ames, 1 @ Franklin, 8 – Final – Franklin came out hot right from the opening puck drop, scoring five goals in the opening period in a league win over visiting Oliver Ames. Dylan Marchand scored twice while Christian Shabbick, Ben Paterson, and Domenic Lampasona each found the back of the net once as Franklin established a 5-0 lead. Shabbick, Logan Marchand, and Dylan McEvoy tacked on goals in the third period for the Panthers. Ryan Sicchio assisted on half of Franklin’s goals, Paterson added three helpers, and Justin Magazu recorded two assists. Andrew Livingstone (from Jack Corey and Sean Kearns) scored a second period goal for OA. Junior Brandon Burke turned away 27 saves for OA while sophomore Cole Pouliot-Porter had 16 saves in the win for the Panthers.

Boys Swimming
Mansfield, 63 @ Seekonk, 94 – Final – Mansfield closed its dual meet with a loss to Seekonk but put up some impressive performances in the setback. Rico Balanza won both the 100 free and the 100 back, Kevin McCarthy shaved off seven seconds for a new personal best in a first place finish in the 200 free, Xavier Gwynne set a new PR in his win in the 100 fly, and Ryan Morley came in first in the 100 breaststroke with a new PR. Palanza, Morley, McCarthy, and Gwynne teamed up to take first in the 200 free relay as well.

Girls Swimming
Mansfield, 73 @ Seekonk, 97 – Final – Mansfield recorded a handful of season-best times but fell on the road to Seekonk. Sofia Seifert took first in the 100 breaststroke, followed by a second place finish and new PR time from Katherine Elliott. Seifert added a season-best time in the 100 free and took second, Elliott also set a new PR in a second place finish in the 200 IM, and Carla Guirguis set a new personal record in a second place finish in the 100 fly. Separately, over at Wheaton College at the Hockomock League Diving Championships, Mansfield’s Caitlyn Zajac took home the championship with a score of 187.75.

Gymnastics
North Attleboro, 123.15 @ Oliver Ames, 136.3 – Final – Senior Kate McGarry took first place in both the bars and the floor, Abbey DeCouto won the beam, Katie Babinikas grabbed first on the vault, and Oliver Ames finished its final dual meet with a win over North Attleboro. McGarry scored a 9.1 on the bars, and won the floor with a 9.3 while OA captains Peyton Rivers (8.8) and Halley Gramer (8.3) each set new personal bests on the floor. DeCouto and Babanikas each scored 9.0 in their respective wins while Shayla Nagle, Kalli Puskar and Lexi Weintraub all scored key points to help the Tigers.

Mansfield Kicks Offense Into Gear to Beat Attleboro

Mansfield boys basketball Trevor Foley
Mansfield sophomore Trevor Foley goes up for a layup in the third quarter against Attleboro. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
 ATTLEBORO, Mass. — When the Mansfield boys basketball team is moving the ball around, constantly cutting, slashing to the basket, and knocking down shots from beyond the arc at a high clip, it’s like a work of art on the hardwood.

Attleboro learned that first hand on Friday night as the Hornets played a nearly perfect third quarter, turning a two-possession game at halftime into a runaway 69-50 win over the Bombardiers.

Mansfield held a 36-30 lead coming out of the locker room for the second half, and then went on to miss just one shot on 10 attempts from the field over the next eight minutes. The result was a 13-4 burst over the first four minutes and a 22-9 quarter overall to pull ahead for good.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Of Mansfield’s nine makes in the third, four came from three-point territory. Jack Lasbury-Casey (12 points) hit half of his four three’s in the frame, Chris Hill (seven points, six rebounds) connected from deep on the first play of the period, and senior Andrew Slaney (career-high 17 points) had one of his team-high five trifectas.

A week after attempting a total of 10 threes in a loss to Taunton, Mansfield surpassed that number on makes against the Bombardiers, shooting 50% from beyond the arc with a season-high 11 three-pointers.

“I was really happy with how our offense flowed today, I thought it was back to before Christmas where it looked like we knew what we were doing on offense,” said Mansfield head coach Mike Vaughan. “We hit some timely shots and we got some key stops when we needed to get some separation. We needed a game like this where we shot the ball well because we really haven’t the last couple of weeks.

“We needed a run to get some separation. We needed to get some consistent stops and then we’d have to go down and have a couple good offensive possessions.”

Hill’s three got things started for the Hornets in the third and then Anthony Sachetti recorded one of his four assists to Lasbury-Casey for another triple. Sachetti then converted a steal into a layup, Hill scored off an inbounds set, and then sophomore Trevor Foley (10 points, six rebounds) found Slaney in the corner for a three and a 49-34 lead with 3:30 left in the quarter.

Not only was Mansfield finding success on the offensive end, the Hornets weren’t giving Attleboro any open looks on the defensive end. Hill had a block early, and the Hornets only let the Bombardiers get a single point out of offensive rebounds on back-to-back possessions. Attleboro ended up making just a pair of field goals in the frame despite four second-chance opportunities.

“It’s not anything we’re doing specifically but subconsciously, defense becomes easier when you’re playing well on offense,” Vaughan said of getting it done on both ends of the floor. “When you start scoring points and you start getting that separation, the lead going from six to eight to 10…it becomes easier to defend. Now you can take some chances, you can try some different things.”

Lasbury-Casey answered a putback from Attleboro sophomore Neo Franco (10 points) with another three and then after a block from Matt Hyland (14 points, seven rebounds, six assists), Foley attacked the rim for two more. Lasbury-Casey got a piece of another Attleboro shot and Hill had a steal near midcourt, resulting in another layup for Foley, who had six of his 10 points in the frame and Mansfield carried a 59-39 lead into the fourth.

Mansfield set the tone for its big shooting night in the opening quarter, hitting on six trifectas on nine attempts. Attleboro junior Trevor White, fresh off a 31-point performance on Tuesday, hit a midrange jumper for the first points of the game but exited shortly after with an injury and did not return.

Slaney hit from downtown on three straight possessions for the Hornets, the first and third off passes from Hyland, and the middle on a kick out from Sachetti. Lasbury-Casey and Attleboro senior Evan Houle (nine points) traded threes, and then Hill and Attleboro senior Alvin Harrison (team-high 12 points) did the same.

After another one from Lasbury-Casey, sophomore Eddie McCoy joined the three party with one of his own and then Foley cleaned up his own miss for a 22-15 lead after a quarter.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Attleboro held the Hornets without a three in the second quarter (0-for-4), and won the quarter, albeit by one point. Both teams made it to the bonus relatively quickly and ended up combining for 24 of the 25 free throws attempted in the first half. The Bombardiers got a boost from their bench as senior Colin Morais scored six of his 11 points in the frame and senior Hayden Hagerty hit four free throws to cut it to six, 36-30, by the break.

“It’s just how the game flowed,” Vaughan said of his team’s shooting. “We’ve really been focusing on taking open shots in practice and making them. We shot the ball so poorly recently, and we haven’t even got the volume either. We’re usually taking 25 or so a game and we were shooting 13 or 11 or nine, and that’s not us. We have to open the floor for guys like Matty and Chris to get downhill. And on top of that, we have the right guys shooting them.”

Mansfield boys basketball (9-1 Hockomock, 11-2 overall) is scheduled to travel to Bridgewater-Raynham on Monday while Attleboro (7-3, 9-3) is scheduled to travel to Bishop Feehan on Sunday, weather permitting.

Tuesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 01/18/22

Today’s games are listed below.

Boys Basketball
Stoughton, 65 @ Attleboro, 88 – Final – Attleboro junior Trevor White scored 10 of his career-high 27 points in the opening quarter, helping the Bombardiers establish a double-digit lead it never relinquished against Stoughton. The Bombardiers scored over 20 points in three of the four quarters, racing out to a 24-9 lead after one period. Attleboro carried a 38-25 lead into the locker room at halftime, and then White added 10 more points in the third, hitting a total of four three-pointers. Evan Houle added a trio of three-pointers on his way to 19 points while sophomore Neo Franco had one three and finished with nine points. Joe Francois-Annevil hit four shots from the field and finished with 11 points for the hosts, who carried a 61-44 lead into the final frame. Stoughton senior Connor Andrews went 12-for-13 at the line and hit nine shots from the field for a career-high 31 points while junior Rayan Sablon added 13 points for the Black Knights, who were limited to just five three-pointers.

Canton, 68 @ King Philip, 56 – Final – Canton senior Lanse Dorcelus scored half of his career-high 30 points in the final frame as the Bulldogs pulled away from King Philip in the second half for a key crossover win. Dorcelus had a team-high 15 points going into the final frame, with his squad holding a 45-38 advantage. He hit a three early, added three field goals from two-point range, and then went 6-for-7 from the line to help secure the win. Nate Mei added four of his 10 points in the fourth while senior Dillon Nguyen scored all 11 of his point through the first three quarters. King Philip, who was tied with the visitors 26-26 at halftime, got a team-high 16 points from Braeden Sottile while classmate Danny Clancy added 14 points for the Warriors, who ended up with just five three-pointers and went just 5-for-12 from the free throw line.

Foxboro, 53 @ Franklin, 78 – Final – Franklin opened the game with a big run, established a double-digit advantage by halftime, and never looked back in a win over visiting Foxboro. A strong start led to a 19-point first quarter for the hosts with Will Tracey (eight points) and Andrew O’Neill (12 points) each connecting from deep, and sophomore Sean O’Leary accounting for six of his 10 points. Sophomore Henry Digiorgio (16 points) hit a trio of threes in the second as Franklin took a 35-23 lead into the locker room. Tracey and classmate Sean Vinson (14 points) added threes in the third and O’Neill had seven more points to keep the Panthers ahead, leading 59-38 going into the fourth. Foxboro senior Dylan Gordon had a team-high 12 points while Sam Golub added 10 points for the Warriors.

Sharon, 48 @ Mansfield, 69 – Final – Mansfield’s lead grew at the end of each quarter, culminating in a 23-point fourth quarter to secure a 69-48 win over Sharon, snapping the Eagles’ five-game win streak. Senior Andrew Slaney (11 points), senior Jack Lasbury-Casey (eight points), and junior Dante James (six points) each connected from three-point range to help the hosts build a 12-8 lead at the end of the opening quarter. The lead grew to 27-20 by halftime and then a 19-point third quarter, featuring buckets from Caden Colby, Trevor Foley, and Anthony Sachetti, helped the Hornets push the lead to 40-30 heading into the final frame. Senior Matt Hyland put the game away, scoring 11 of his game-high 25 points in the final frame to help Mansfield pull away. Sophomore Nate Katznelson had a team-high 14 points while junior Matt Baur added all 12 of his points in the second half for the Eagles, who ended up connecting on just one three-pointer coming in the third quarter.

North Attleboro, 53 @ Milford, 50 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game.

Oliver Ames, 56 @ Taunton, 86 – Final – It was a game to remember for senior Trent Santos, leading Taunton to a big win at home over visiting Oliver Ames. Santos etched his name into the record books, connecting on 11 three-pointers on his way to a career-high 46 points. After just five points in the opening quarter, Trent took center stage. He hit five three-pointers in the second quarter alone, adding five free throws as well for 25 points in the first half, helping his Tigers to a 42-30 lead. The three-point barrage continued after halftime as Trent hit three more in the third quarter and two more in the fourth to get to 46 points. Taunton held an 18-10 lead after one quarter and a 60-43 edge after three quarters of action. Sophomore Troy Santos had a career-high 15 points while senior Faisal Mass added 11 points. Oliver Ames junior Zach Tagliamonte hit 11 shots from the field to finish with a team-high 25 points while senior Drew Baxter added 11 points.










Girls Basketball
Attleboro, 70 @ Stoughton, 27 – Final – Attleboro’s offense continues to fire on all cylinders, as the Bombardier scored 40 points in the first half to take a big lead that it wouldn’t relinquish. The Bombardiers jumped out to a 20-2 lead after the first quarter and then added another 20 in the second to go into the break up 40-15. Attleboro continued its strong defense in the second half, holding the Black Knights to just 12 points after the break. Meghan Gordon led all scorers with 14 and Lindsey Perry added 12. Kayla Goldrick scored eight, while Lilian Froio and Vanessa Ellis each had seven for Attleboro, which got points from each player on the roster. Vanessa Phelimond and Evie Lam each had five to lead Stoughton.

King Philip, 39 @ Canton, 56 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game.

Franklin, 51 @ Foxboro, 47 – Final – Franklin’s unbeaten run nearly came to an end at Foxboro, but the Panthers rallied from three points down with two minutes to play to remain in first place in the Kelley-Rex. After Foxboro took a one-point lead after the first, Franklin scored 20 in the second to take a 29-24 lead into the locker room. The Warriors won the third to send the game into the final quarter tied. Camryn Collins had a career-high 21 points, including 10 in the third quarter, to lead all scorers. Erin Foley added 13 and knocked down four threes, while Hannah Blake scored all seven of her points in the fourth to help Foxboro take a late lead. Stefany Padula scored eight of her 12 points in the fourth, making 6-of-8 from the line, to help Franklin pull out the win. Katie Peterson and Olivia Quinn each scored 11 points in the win, with 19 of their combined 22 coming in the opening half.

Mansfield, 58 @ Sharon, 29 – Final – Mansfield clamped down defensively in the second half, limiting Sharon to just nine points and turning a close game into a big win. The Hornets led 28-20 heading into the locker room, but came out with a 19-4 third quarter to break the game wide open. Kara Santos scored eight of her 12 points in that third quarter run and Hallie Popat added four of her dozen points to lead Mansfield. Abby Wager chipped in with 10 points, eight in the first half, and Anna Darlington scored all eight of her points before halftime. Rachael Hager led the Eagles with 12 points, all coming on threes in the first half, as she scored 12 of Sharon’s 20 before the break. Jasmine Davis added eight points, scoring a basket in each quarter.

Milford, 41 @ North Attleboro, 30 – Final – Milford made its free throws down the stretch and limited North to just five points in the fourth quarter to pick up its first league win of the season. Jill Araujo and Maddalena Mannucci Pacini each scored 11 points to lead the Hawks. Summer Doherty scored a game-high 15 for the Rocketeers. Milford led 22-17 at halftime but North cut the lead to just two by holding the Hawks to three points in the third. The Hawks turned the tables in the fourth, outscoring the hosts 14-5 over the final eight minutes.

Taunton, 44 @ Oliver Ames, 86 – Final – Oliver Ames scored 53 points in the second half, turning a six-point game into a big win. Taunton made a game of it, keeping close with the hosts and trailed 33-27 at the break. OA got on track in the third and pulled away for the big win. OA senior Caroline Peper led all scorers with 22 points along with five assists while sophomores Kaydance Derba (19 points) and Jasmyn Cooper (13 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists) both had big games for the hosts. Kameron St. Pierre continued her strong season for the Tigers, scoring a team-high 17 points. Abby Souza added 14 points and Cali Melo scored nine in the loss.

Swimming
Franklin @ King Philip, 7:00

Gymnastics
Franklin, 144.2 @ Oliver Ames, 140.55 – Final – Franklin seniors Kate Rudolph and Emma White took the top two spots in the All Around category to help the Panthers land a win over Oliver Ames. Rudolph was first with a score of 37.4 and White was right behind at 36.4. Rudolph was first in the bars (8.85) and the beam (9.5) while taking second in the vault (9.6) and the floor (9.45). White was the winner for the vault (9.7) and the floor (9.7), taking second on the beam (9.0), and fourth on the bars at 8.0. Lizzie Brown added a third place finish on the vault (9.2), Elizabeth Schirduan was third on the bars (8.2) and the beam (9.0), Emma Nelson recorded a 9.0 on the vault and a 8.4. on the bars, and Caroline Woelfel scored key points in the vault (9.1), the beam (8.9), and the floor (8.85).

Mansfield Hangs On Against Franklin In Defensive Battle

Mansfield boys basketball Chris Hill
Mansfield junior Chris Hill goes up for a shot against Franklin’s John Brigham in the second half. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
 MANSFIELD, Mass. – The solution to Mansfield’s problem was so simple, yet incredibly difficult at the same time.

The Hornets needed a basket.

With two elite defenses going at it, points were at a premium on Friday night and Mansfield’s 15-point lead over Franklin had dwindled down to three, having scored just four points in a six-minute span between the third and fourth quarters.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Franklin’s attempt at a tying three rimmed out and the Hornets got just what they needed, scoring on three of their next four possessions to finish strong and earn a 48-38 win over the previously undefeated Panthers.

The Hornets drew three fouls on one possession, getting into the bonus where Dante James hit a pair of free throws to extend the hosts’ lead to five, 41-36. Another open three from Franklin was off the mark and the Hornets survived a turnover as James went back to the line for two more.

After Caden Colby drew an offensive foul on the baseline to get the ball back, junior Chris Hill drove to the basket to draw the defense before dishing to senior Andrew Slaney for a wide-open three from the corner to put Mansfield up double-digits with just under two minutes to go.

Mansfield boys basketball

“That was a good old-fashioned fistfight,” said Mansfield head coach Mike Vaughan. “We had to come down and get some points, it felt like we hadn’t scored much in the last couple of minutes. We had made a few silly plays and started to get a little passive. We got some points to push it to five and then Slaney hit the three a couple of possessions after and that was kind of the backbreaker.

“It’s a huge win, this is always one you get anxious about, you lose sleep over it…you’re watching a lot of game film, trying to be prepared. We know CJ [Neely] is going to do such a good job of knowing what we’re going to do so you feel like you’ve got to match that to give your kids a fighting chance. Any time you get can get a win against them in the league, now we’re playing from ahead instead of behind in the league race and that’s a big deal.”

The game got off to a hot start for both offenses, combining for 19 points over the first four minutes, but both defenses started to settle in as the game went on. After Mansfield won the opening quarter 18-12, the two squads combined for just 15 points (10-5 Mansfield) in the second quarter.

Mansfield boys basketball

Defense continued to be the theme in the second half. Mansfield’s lead peaked at 15 points after Matt Hyland (17 points, 12 rebounds, two steals) had a three-point play and a breakaway layup sandwiched around a strong take from Hill (seven points, five rebounds, five assists) to make it 35-20 with three minutes to play in the third.

The Panthers came out of the timeout with a renewed energy as sophomore Henry Digiorgio (11 points, six rebounds) drained a three off of an offensive rebound and junior John Brigham had a big block that led to a shot clock violation.

Digiorgio and James traded buckets before Brigham converted a putback and Sean O’Leary tacked on a free throw to pull Franklin within single digits, 37-28, going into the final quarter.

O’Leary scored on a nice post move to open the fourth and after a brief scoreless stretch from both sides, junior Justin Allen sank a three-pointer to get the visitors within four at 37-33.

Franklin got the stop it needed but couldn’t convert on a three and James dished it off to Hyland for two after a big rebound from Eddie McCoy. The Panthers quickly answered as Ben Harvey got into the paint to draw the help, finding Allen open for another three to make it 39-36 with four minutes left.

The Panthers got another stop and got a good look at the tying three but it stayed out and the Hornets called a timeout. They ended up finishing the game on a 9-2 run.

“I thought we had a lot of great looks…but 38 points isn’t going to get it done,” said Franklin head coach CJ Neely. “I really believe in what we were doing, I thought the ball was moving really well, they were composed, they made the passes, and we got some really, really good looks for guys that we’re used to seeing make shots, uncontested threes. This was a night where they hit some of their open ones and we didn’t.

“I’m really proud of the defense and the way that we responded after we went down, we had a shot in the air to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. But we just didn’t make our looks.”

Mansfield boys basketball

Mansfield opened the game hitting nearly 80% of its shots, hitting on 7-of-9 attempts from the field, including a trio of three-pointers. Slaney, Hill, and Jack Lasbury-Casey each connected from downtown while Hyland attacked the rim for a pair of field goals. The Hornets only hit a pair of threes the rest of the way, including Slaney’s second with just two minutes left.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Digiorgio hit a pair of threes in the opening quarter but the Panthers were limited to one three in each the second and third quarters, finishing 6-for-25 from three-point range. Franklin ended up with 11 more field goal attempts than the hosts, and also struggled at the free throw line going 2-for-10.

“A lot of these guys were playing freshman basketball last year, they didn’t even get the JV experience because of COVID,” Neely said. The Panthers started three sophomores and two juniors. “It’s a pretty big jump from that to playing Mansfield’s varsity team in an environment like this. I really think they played well and had a good game but some of the shots just didn’t fall. We did what we had to do to get some great looks against one of the best defensive teams in the league so I was impressed with their response.”

Mansfield boys basketball (5-0 Hockomock, 7-0 overall) is back in action on Monday with a big non-league showdown at BC High. Franklin (4-1, 7-1) has a big test this weekend when it travels to Taunton on Sunday afternoon.