Below are the official 2017 Hockomock League Girls Basketball All Stars, selected by the coaches in the league.
Hockomock League MVP
Ashley Sampson, Foxboro
Hockomock League All Stars
Sarah Deyo, Attleboro
Julia Strachan, Attleboro
Hannah Jerrier, Canton
Ashley Sampson, Foxboro
Lily Sykes, Foxboro
Ali Brigham, Franklin
Shannon O’Connor, King Philip
Meg Hill, Mansfield
Jen Peel, Mansfield
Kate Irwin, Milford
Ashley Ahern, North Attleboro
Caroline Collard, North Attleboro
Kayla Raymond, Oliver Ames
Emma Eberhardt, Sharon
Val Whalen, Stoughton
Lily Patneaude, Taunton
Honorable Mentions
Mish Logie, Attleboro
Emma Murphy, Canton
Grace Tamulionis, Foxboro
Carli Koffinke, Franklin
Julia Leroux, King Philip
Ann Maher, Mansfield
Nicole Dahlgren, Milford
Samantha Taggart, North Attleboro
Niyera Mitchell, Oliver Ames
Shira Stoller, Sharon
Lili Njeim, Stoughton
Mackenzie Handrahan, Taunton
Attleboro’s Sarah Deyo (32) and Mansfield’s Meg Hill (31) could meet for a third time in the second round of the state tournament. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)
Six girls’ basketball teams will begin their quests for a state championship when the state tournament begins this week. League champions Mansfield (Div. 1 South) and Foxboro (Div. 2 South) both earned the top seed in their respective brackets, but neither will have an easy road with league rivals like Attleboro, Oliver Ames, and North Attleboro posing major threats to bringing home a trophy. Milford will also represent the league as the lone Hock team in Div. 2 Central.
As usual, Div. 1 South is a loaded bracket with some of the top programs in the state, including defending state champion Bishop Feehan and perennial powers Braintree and Newton North. Mansfield (18-2) earned the top seed in a coin flip with the Shamrocks, who beat the Hornets in an exclusion game during the regular season. More important than the seed, Mansfield will now avoid the Shamrocks, the Wamps, and the Tigers until the South final.
Led by senior guard Jen Peel and junior center Meg Hill, the Hornets like to slow the pace down and focus on strong defense, which held teams to a league-best 38.0 points per game. Mansfield is young this season, but deep and versatile and head coach Mike Redding’s squad should match up well against the teams on its side of the bracket, including potential semifinal opponents Wellesley or Marshfield (which Mansfield beat 52-47 in December).
In order for the Hornets to get to the semifinals, they may have to go through Kelley-Rex rival Attleboro (15-7), which claimed the No. 8 seed and will host Brockton (Attleboro beat the Boxers 63-55 in December). The Bombardiers have scuffled down the stretch, losing seven of its final 14 games of the regular season, but closed it out by putting 94 points up on Durfee in the season finale.
With seniors Sarah Deyo and Julia Strachan, Attleboro has a potent inside-out combo and has been one of the top offensive teams in the league this year, averaging a league-best 61.4 points per game. The issue for the Bombardiers will be trying to slow down Jen Peel and Mansfield in the quarterfinal, if they can get past a dangerous Brockton team in Tuesday’s playoff opener. Attleboro struggled in two losses to Mansfield in the regular season, but will be hoping third time is the charm to set up a potential rematch with Wellesley, which knocked the Bombardiers out of last year’s tournament.
Foxboro (18-2) has been on fire to close out the season, winning 12 in a row entering the playoffs, including a 20-point win over North Attleboro to claim the league title and an impressive overtime win over Lincoln-Sudbury in the end-of-season tournament. The Warriors will be led by league MVP Ashley Sampson, who scored 31 in that win over L-S and nailed a three-pointer that forced OT, but a strong supporting cast includes Lily Sykes and Grace Tamulionis. The scary part is that all three are juniors and will be back next winter as well.
The Warriors will not have an easy path in Div. 2 South, which is another loaded bracket, and will have to face one of the two finalists from 2016, either Hingham or Oliver Ames, in the quarterfinal and could potentially face the Rocketeers for a third time in the semifinal. Westwood, Nauset, and Falmouth, which knocked Foxboro out of the tournament last year, could wait in the sectional final.
Oliver Ames (13-7), the defending Div. 2 South champ, has had an up and down first season in the Kelley-Rex but managed to claim second in the division and is a sleeper to retain its South title. The Tigers will have a very difficult road to try and repeat with a trip to last year’s South finalist Hingham waiting in the first round and a potential meeting with Foxboro looming in the quarterfinal (the Warriors won the league meeting between the teams 51-35).
Kayla Raymond will be the focus of all of OA’s opponents, but trying to slow down the junior forward is easier said than done. If the Tigers can get support for Raymond from senior Niyera Mitchell and find consistent outside shooting, then OA will be a tough matchup. Losing sophomore guard Sadie Homer during the season and senior Francesca Calabraro prior to it has made things tougher but no one will take head coach Laney Clement-Holbrook’s team lightly.
North Attleboro (16-6) is another sleeper in Div. 2 South. Last year, the Rocketeers were knocked out in the first round by OA on a last second Raymond basket and could have made a similar run to the Tigers if they had made it through. This year, North comes in with six losses, but only one to a team in Div. 2 and that was the league final against Foxboro. Despite missing senior guard Ashley Ahern to injury, North earned an impressive come from behind win against Attleboro in the final week and has the potential to make a deep run this year.
The Rocketeers are loaded with experienced seniors, including forward Caroline Collard and guards Samantha Taggart and Emily Schromm, who have shown the ability to win close games against good teams this season. North beat Foxboro in the first meeting, beat Oliver Ames by one, and has also beaten potential tourney opponents Hingham and Westwood this year. North faces Madison Park to start and likely will face Duxbury in the quarterfinal to try and get a rubber match with Foxboro in the semifinal.
Milford (10-10) qualified for the tournament for the first time since 2012 and has shown immense progress in head coach T.J. Dolliver’s second season in charge. But, the Hawks have also struggled down the stretch, albeit against a tough stretch of league opponents including North Attleboro and Foxboro twice, OA, and Attleboro. The Hawks will be in Div. 2 Central and will likely face Marlboro in the playoff opener, which is a team similar to the Hawks that shoots a lot of threes and does not have a true post presence.
The Hawks will be counting on a big game from junior guard Kate Irwin, who has been among the league’s top scorers this season, but Milford has a lot of versatile players that can cause teams problems on the perimeter and in the paint, including senior Nicole Dahlgren. If the Hawks do get through the first round, then they will travel to No. 3 seed Groton-Dunstable and could face a couple of Eastern Mass. transplants in Hopkinton and Medfield.
Boys Basketball
Taunton, 72 @ Attleboro, 82 – Final – Taunton used a 13-0 run over the end of the third and the beginning of the fourth to cut the deficit to two (59-57) but Attleboro had a response of its own, rattling off a 15-4 run to secure the win. Andrew Milliken hit a pair of threes, Jake Dunkley added four points, Elvin Sam drained a three and freshman Qualeem Charles converted a putback to put Attleboro up 74-63 with just two minutes to go. Dunkley finished with a team-high 21 points, Sam added a career-high 14 points, Milliken had 13 points, Nate Douglas chipped in with 11 points and Charles notched a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Taunton senior Tommy MacLean dropped a game-high 25 points while Malik Charles, Dante Law and Lens Esquil each scored 10 points for the Tigers.
Canton, 66 @ Stoughton, 69 – Final – Stoughton junior Cam Andrews hit a deep three pointer with just seven seconds left to lift the Black Knights to a win. Andrews finished with 18 points for Stoughton. Canton sophomore Devin Foster scored a career-high 30 points for the Bulldogs.
Oliver Ames, 43 @ Mansfield, 61 – Final – Oliver Ames was able to keep pace with the Hornets for 16 minutes, trailing just 29-26 at halftime but Mansfield created separation in the third quarter and never looked back. The Hornets outscored the visitors 16-7 in the third quarter to take a 45-33 lead going into the final period. Mansfield senior Sam Goldberg scored 17 points and hauled in 12 rebounds while classmate Evan Christo was a perfect 6-6 from the field for 13 points. Phil Vigeant added nine points and Max Boen had seven points and seven rebounds. Nick Welch led OA with 16 points and Dylan Mahoney chipped in with 12 points.
Sharon, 78 @ Milford, 65 – Final – After a high scoring first quarter (23-22, Sharon), the Eagles took a seven point advantage (42-35) in the locker room at halftime. Sharon extended its lead to double-digits in the third, eventually taking a 61-50 lead into the final quarter. Milford cut the deficit to five, 65-60, with 4:40 to play but Sharon closed the game with a 13-5 run. Senior Ricardo Ripley connected on a three in the run, Tommy Modelevsky came up with a timely steal and Sharon was efficient at the free throw line down the stretch. Ripley finished with a team-high 20 points, junior Malik Lorquet had 17 points and 15 rebounds and sophomore Alex Kaufmann chipped in with 15 points.
Girls Basketball
Attleboro, 71 @ Taunton, 44 – Final – Jordyn Lako scored a career-high 24 points for the Bombardiers.
Stoughton, 74 @ Canton, 62 – Final (OT) – Freshman Shyanne Trinh scored 22 of her career-high 32 points in the second half and overtime to lead the Black Knights. Senior Lili Njiem added 14 points, Val Whalen added 12 points, and freshman Aliyah Wright chipped in with 10 points. Junior Jordan Motley added 13 rebounds and seven blocks. Canton’s Emma Murphy and Jess Powers each had 12 points.
King Philip, 52 @ Franklin, 58 – Final – Franklin rallied from 10 points down to start the fourth quarter with a 27-11 run to close out the game. Ali Brigham led the way for the Panthers with 17 points to help Franklin move within one game of tournament qualification. Shannon O’Connor was the top scorer for KP with 14 points.
Mansfield, 61 @ Oliver Ames, 49 – Final –The Hornets scored 40 points in the second half to close out the league campaign with a win. Jen Peel paced Mansfield with 17 points, while Meg Hill chipped in with eight points in the second half and pulled down 11 rebounds. Brenna Burkett was OA’s top scorer with 10 points and Niyera Mitchell had nine.
Milford, 38 @ Sharon, 41 – Final – Emma Eberhardt scored a team-high 15 points and added five steal and three blocks for the Eagles. She also went 3-of-4 from the line in the final 30 seconds to seal the win. Shira Stoller had 12 points and 10 rebounds in the win.
Boys Basketball
Franklin, 73 @ Attleboro, 65 – Final – Franklin built a 10-point lead heading into the final quarter and held off the Bombardiers to earn the win. Attleboro cut the deficit to five on two separate occasions, including with just under a minute to play but the Panthers finished the game strong. Connor Peterson had 16 points while Josh Macchi and Paul Mahon each chipped in with 14 points for the Panthers.
Foxboro, 51 @ Canton, 44 – Final – It was a close contest throughout between the two Davenport rivals, with Canton seizing a 14-10 lead after one and Foxboro 26-23 at half and 34-33 heading into the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs cut the deficit to one with less than a minute to play but Foxboro senior Andrew Block drained a three to put the Warriors ahead for good. Block scored eight of his 11 points in the final quarter while Joe Morrison scored 13 points, Mark Clagg had nine points and both Brandon Borde and Jamaine Few each had eight points. Canton sophomore Devin Foster had 13 points and junior Tony Harris added 10 points.
Mansfield, 56 @ King Philip, 53 – Final – Mansfield senior Sam Goldberg (six reobunds) scored 17 of his game-high 29 points in the second half, helping offset a poor shooting night by the Hornets to clinch at least a share of the Kelley-Rex title. Mansfield shot just 3-23 from three point range with only Max Boen (11 points) connecting from deep. Goldberg scored 11 points in the third quarter to give Mansfield a 43-36 lead heading into the fourth. The senior scored six of the team’s 13 points in the final quarter. Evan Christo added 11 rebounds for the Hornets.
Sharon, 81 @ Stoughton, 72 – Final – Sharon junior Malik Lorquet had a monster night for the Eagles, tying a career-high with 17 points while hauling in 13 rebounds and adding four steals and three blocks. Senior Jimmy Fitzhenry had a team-high 18 points while classmate Danny Emerman finished with 12 points. Stoughton junior Cam Andrews scored a game-high 24 points.
Girls Basketball
Attleboro, 52 @ Franklin, 59 – Final (OT) – Franklin rallied late in the game to force overtime and outscored Attleboro 16-9 in the extra period. Carli Koffinke buried a pair of threes (her only two of the game) and Bea Bondhus scored five points in OT to lead the Panthers, after the duo combined for only one point in regulation. Freshman Ali Brigham was the game’s top scorer, leading the Panthers with 21 points, and classmate Megan O’Connell added nine points in the win. Julia Strachan led the Bombardiers with 18 points and Sarah Deyo had nine.
Canton, 28 @ Foxboro, 69 – Final – After scoring 31 on Monday night, Ashley Sampson scored a team-high 17 on Tuesday to ensure that Foxboro will go into the final league game in at least a tie for first place in the division. Kristen Bortolotti scored 16 points and Riley Collins had 11 for the Warriors.
King Philip, 33 @ Mansfield, 52 – Final – Junior Ann Maher paced the Hornets with a game-high 14 points. Sophomore Emily Vigeant chipped in with six points and Jen Peel added 12 assists for Mansfield, which had 11 players score in the game. Julia Leroux and Christina Hathaway each scored seven points apiece for the Warriors.
Milford, 55 @ Hopedale, 37 – Final – With the victory, Milford booked a place in the state tournament for the first time since 2012.
Taunton, 20 @ Oliver Ames, 54 – Final – Oliver Ames had another impressive defensive effort while junior Kayla Raymond scored a game-high 11 points. Niyera Mitchell and Hannah Carroll each had nine points for OA.
Stoughton, 59 @ Sharon, 45 – Final – Stoughton was led by a pair of freshmen against the Eagles. Aliyah Wright scored a team-high 17 points, while Shyanne Trinh added 15 points for the Black Knights.
Hockey
Stoughton, 5 vs. Bellingham, 2 – Final – Stoughton senior Jon Lessa netted a hat trick to pace the Black Knights past Bellingham. Brendan Campbell and Josh Hough also found the back of the net for the Knights.
Girls Hockey
Mansfield/Oliver Ames, 4 @ Franklin, 2 – Final – Cat Luciano scored a hat trick for the Warriors and Madison Haughey scored the fourth.
Today’s games are listed below. We will update this post with any changes based on the information we receive.
Boys Basketball
Attleboro, 67 @ Oliver Ames, 61 – Final – Oliver Ames made a push in the second half with 24 points in the third quarter, and took a 53-46 lead, but the Bombardiers battled back to get the win an earn a postseason berth. Nate Douglas scored a career-high 16 points while Jake Dunkley also added 16 points for the Bombardiers. Lucas Boucicaut added 13 points in the win. Oliver Ames senior Nick Welch had a game-high 20 points while Jack Spillane and Carter Evin each had 13 points and Dylan Mahoney added 11 points.
Milford, 48 @ Foxboro, 55 – Final – Milford took an 11-10 lead after the first quarter but it Foxboro seized control in the second quarter and never looked back. The Warriors took a 29-25 lead by halftime but then relied on a late surge in the third quarter to create separation. Andrew Block dropped a career-high 20 points, including two threes late in the third. Mark Clagg also hit a three in the third to help the Warriors get the separation. Joe Morrison added 12 points and Jamaine Few chipped in with 11 points. Milford’s Anthony Arcudi had a team-high 17 points while Zack Tamagni and Kayden Kelley each had 10 points.
King Philip, 63 @ Taunton, 64 – Final – Taunton freshman Dante Law hit a three pointer at the buzzer to lift the Tigers over the Warriors. Law (18 points) took a pass from sophomore Luis Vendrell (13 points), who drove the lane before kicking it out to Law. Vendrell had the tying bucket for the Tigers, converting an outlet pass from Tommy MacLean (12 points) to knot the game with 12 seconds to play. KP’s Seth Sullivan scored a pair of free throws to put the Warriors ahead but Law’s buzzer beater.
North Attleboro, 66 @ Stoughton, 56 – Final – North Attleboro had its two leading scorers come alive in the final quarter. Brent Doherty (six rebounds) scored 11 of his 21 points and Jonny Friberg (10 rebounds) netted eight of his 21 points in the fourth quarter as the Rocketeers qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2011. North Attleboro took a 43-42 lead into the final quarter but outscored the Black Knights 23-14 in the frame. Senior Kyle McCarthy (10 rebounds) helped carry Big Red in the middle quarters, totaling 10 of his 12 points between the second and third quarters. Stoughton’s Cam Gomes had a team-high 17 points while Matt Valle added 14 points and Ryan Sullivan finished with 10 points.
Girls Basketball
Oliver Ames, 55 @ Attleboro, 50 – Final – Oliver Ames junior Kayla Raymond scored 20 of her career-high 31 points in the second half to lead the Tigers to a season sweep of the Bombardiers. Oliver Ames held a 25-19 advantage at half but Attleboro took a slim lead early in the fourth quarter. But Oliver Ames was able to battle back to earn the win. Raymond also had 10 rebounds while Hannah Carroll added 12 points and Niyera Mitchell registered 12 rebounds. “It was a great defensive effort,” said OA head coach Laney Clement-Holbrook.
Foxboro, 54 @ Milford, 33 – Final – Ashley Sampson led the way for the Warriors with 19 points and Lily Sykes added 12 for Foxboro, which remained in a first place tie with North Attleboro.
Franklin, 37 @ Mansfield, 59 – Final – The Hornets sealed the outright Kelley-Rex division title with the victory. It is the third league title in program history and first time that the Hornets have won back-to-back championships. Meg Hill scored 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for Mansfield, while Jen Peel scored 18 points and had six assists and Ann Maher scored 11 points. Franklin was led by freshman Ali Brigham’s 11 points and also got nine points from senior Carli Koffinke.
Taunton, 30 @ King Philip, 54 – Final – KP was led by sophomore Julia Leroux, who finished with 18 points, and classmate Shannon O’Connor, who tallied 11 points. Jess Regan was the top scorer for the Tigers with nine points.
Stoughton, 25 @ North Attleboro, 48 – Final – Caroline Collard had 13 points to lead the Rocketeers, who stay in a first place tie with Foxboro with the win. Val Whalen was the top scorer for Stoughton with 11 points.
Boys Gymnastics
Attleboro @ State Championships (@ Newton North) – Attleboro placed fifth overall with a score of 142.95.
Boys Basketball
Mansfield, 66 @ Attleboro, 56 – Final – Mansfield erased a four point deficit in the fourth quarter, closing the game with a 14-0 run to earn the win on the road. Mansfield senior Benjamin Albanese connected on a trio of three pointers and finished with a career-high 13 points to help the Hornets. Christian Weber hit four three-pointers for a team-high 18 points while Sam Goldberg had 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Attleboro freshman Bryant Ciccio scored 14 points while senior Jake Dunkley netted 11 points.
Milford, 36 @ Canton, 46 – Final – Canton used a 20-point second quarter to build a 31-15 lead at halftime and then held the Scarlet Hawks to just six points in the final quarter to earn the win. “It’s nice to see focus and execution,” said Canton head coach Ryan Gordy. “We had a game plan coming in and what we practiced carried over into the game. When we are focused we can be a dangerous team. Milford is explosive so we new we had to defend for four quarters.” Junior Tony Harris led the Bulldogs with 16 points and 11 rebounds while classmate Jake Verille added 13 points for Canton.
Stoughton, 47 @ Foxboro, 62 – Final – Foxboro built a 10-point lead in the first quarter and held onto that lead the rest of the way. The Warriors went up 22-12 at the first and 35-22 at halftime. Foxboro used a 7-0 run to begin the fourth quarter to put the game away. Senior Jamaine Few tied a career-high with 17 points while Joe Morrison added 16 points and freshman Brandon Borde chipped in with nine points. Stoughton senior Cam Gomes had a team-high 11 points.
King Philip, 52 @ Oliver Ames, 63 – Final – Oliver Ames moved within a win of qualifying for the state tournament with a win over King Philip. Senior Nick Welch scored a team-high 19 points while junior Jack Spillane chipped in with 13 points for the Tigers.
Foxboro, 65 @ Stoughton, 49 – Final – Kristen Bortolotti scored 19 points to lead the Warriors, who moved a half-game in front of idle North Attleboro at the top of the Davenport division. Grace Tamulionis added 14 points and Ashley Sampson had 12 for Foxboro.
Franklin, 49 @ Taunton, 29 – Final – Bea Bondhus had a team-high 14 points for Franklin and freshman Ali Brigham added 11 as the Panthers made it three straight wins and seven wins in the last nine games.
Oliver Ames, 51 @ King Philip, 35 – Final – Oliver Ames limited the Warriors to just 12 points at halftime, rolling to a 51-35 win on the road. Kayla Raymond dropped a team-high 19 points for the Tigers while Niyera Mitchell chipped in with 10 points.
Hockey
North Attleboro, 3 @ Oliver Ames, 1 – Final – Connor Ford put North Attleboro up 1-0 in the first period and Erik Clements scored his first goal of the game early in the third period to give the Rocketeers a 2-0 lead. Oliver Ames’ Eric LeBlanc cut the deficit in half midway through the final period and the Tigers had a couple of chances to tie the game with the goalie pulled, but Clements got his second of the game with an empty netter to ice the game. OA freshman goalie Owen Connor made 27 saves in his first start.
Wrestling
Taunton vs. Bristol Plymouth, 7:00
Girls Hockey
Franklin, 7 @ Dover-Sherborn/Hopkinton, 0 – Final
Foxboro junior Lily Sykes (3) scored a game-high 19 points, including five three-pointers, to lead the Warriors to a win over Oliver Ames. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)
FOXBORO, Mass. – Oliver Ames was starting to click and had scored seven straight points to cut the Foxboro lead from 11 points down to four in the closing minutes of the third quarter.
The Tigers grabbed a rebound and had a chance to make it a one-possession game, but a turnover led to an and-one and on the next possession the ball swung from Lauren Flahive out to junior Lily Sykes, who drilled the fourth of her five threes on the night to push the lead back to 10 heading into the fourth.
Sykes finished with a game-high 19 points and hit half of Foxboro’s 10 three-pointers, as the Warriors pulled away in the fourth for a 51-35 victory over OA that moves the hosts within a game of division-leading North Attleboro.
“She’s another one who’s been stepping up for us pretty consistently,” said Foxboro coach Lisa Downs of Sykes. “When the pressure is on Ashley [Sampson], [Lily] is able to step up and take those shots. That’s huge for us and it opens up things for Ashley too.”
While OA did not struggle offensively to the same level as last week’s loss to Mansfield (the Tigers scored more in the first half on Thursday then they did in the entire game against the Hornets), the Foxboro full-court press and aggressive half-court defense had the Tigers off-balance.
Kayla Raymond (11 points, six rebounds) started the game with a three and Hannah Carroll knocked one down for a 6-3 lead, but the Warriors went on an 8-0 run to a lead they would never relinquish. Kristen Bortolotti (nine points) buried one of her three shots from beyond the arc to tie it, Sampson fed Sykes for her second from outside, and then Sampson (13 points, 10 rebounds) scored off a steal.
Niyera Mitchell hit a jumper and Raymond scored on a rebound putback to cut the lead to four after one, but again Foxboro put together a 10-0 run to break the game open. Sykes knocked down another three, scored on a reverse, and Bortolotti buried a three off a feed from Grace Tamulionis.
Meanwhile, the OA offense was stagnating. Sadie Homer (seven points) hit a three and Raymond got out on the break for a layup to get back into the game but the Tigers struggled to find consistent looks. Riley Collins closed out the half with a corner three to put the Warriors ahead 27-18 at halftime.
“We just couldn’t score,” said Laney Clement-Holbrook. “We made bad decisions and we just couldn’t score. We need to figure this out because we didn’t rebound…Our bread and butter is getting out to run and if you’re not willing to rebound then it’s hard to run.”
The Warriors are regularly out-rebounded and the Tigers had a significant edge in size, but Foxboro was holding its own on the boards and at times dominating the glass. Flahive came off the bench and grabbed eight boards, Tamulionis and Sykes each snagged six, and Sampson grabbed 10.
“Because we don’t have the height,” Downs explained, “we need to work our butts off inside the paint. Once we start facing the taller teams, the stronger teams, that’s going to be huge for us because we can run the ball, we play great defense but if we don’t rebound then we can’t get our offensive game going.”
Bortolotti started the second half with another three and Collins answered an Abby Reardon jumper with an offensive rebound basket. Trailing by 11 the Tigers finally started to click. Mitchell kicked out a pass to Carroll (six points) for a three and then fed Brenna Burkett for a layup before snatching an offensive rebound and going up strong for a basket.
Just when it seemed like the game might be turning towards OA, a turnover handed the ball to Sampson for a layup plus the foul. Foxboro then broke quickly off a rebound and the ball was kicked out to Sykes, who stole any momentum that the Tigers may have built with another long-range shot.
“We got it close, down to four, and then we fell asleep,” said Clement-Holbrook. “It’s been this problem all season long in terms of playing four consistent quarters and it’s just….[shrugs].”
Downs was proud of her team for withstanding the run and turning it back around. She said, “They righted the ship without me having to call a timeout. They were able to settle themselves down on the court, which is something we didn’t do against North Attleboro (in a 53-47 loss).
“Tonight, they settled themselves down and it wasn’t crazy Coach Downs over here. They were able to just relax a little bit and keep their composure.”
Foxboro extended the run to 13-0 with the first seven points of the fourth quarter to effectively put the game away. Sykes scored five more in the run, picking up the scoring for Sampson who was being pressured by Homer.
“That’s going to happen because you’re helping off of someone and they have the game of the century,” said Clement-Holbrook of Sykes. She added, “Sadie did a great job on [Ashley]. If we could have everyone playing with that kind of heart and soul then things would be different.”
Foxboro (8-2, 7-2) will play at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence on Sunday against Milford, while Oliver Ames (8-4, 7-3), which is now 1-1/2 games behind Mansfield in the Kelley-Rex, will be off until Tuesday against Canton.
Franklin, 42 @ Canton, 46 – Final – Canton held Franklin to its lowest scoring output of the season, limiting the Panthers to 30 points to three quarters. The Bulldogs trailed 30-26 heading into the final frame before winning the fourth 20-12. It marks Canton’s first win over Franklin in over a decade. “Beating a team like Franklin is a tall order,” Canton head coach Ryan Gordy said. “We needed to execute and play with mental toughness every possession. We grew up as a team tonight.” Canton junior Tony Harris scored a game-high 15 points and hauled in six rebounds while sophomore Devin Foster had 12 points and four rebounds.
Taunton, 73 @ Foxboro, 72 – Final (OT) – Taunton freshman Dante Law connected on six three pointers on his way to a career-high 21 points to help the Tigers edge Foxboro in overtime. Senior Tommy MacLean added 15 points for Taunton, who improves to 10-4. Foxboro junior Joe Morrison dropped a career-high 23 points while Jamaine Few added 15 points and Mark Clagg finished with 13 points.
Mansfield, 67 @ Sharon, 52 – Final – Mansfield junior Tyler Boulter broke a school record, connecting on 10 three pointers to net a career-high 30 points in the win over Sharon. Boulter, who scored 15 points in the first quarter, broke the record previously held by Brian Hershman (2011 vs. Stoughton) and David Borkowski (2009 vs. Franklin). Sam Goldberg added 10 points and eight rebounds while Ricardo Ripley led Sharon with 14 points.
Oliver Ames, 61 @ Milford, 56 – Final – Oliver Ames erased an early five point deficit to take a 18-12 lead after one quarter and never looked back to pick up the win on the road. Milford cut the deficit to five at half (31-26) but Oliver Ames won the third quarter 16-10 to build a double-digit lead. OA’s Jack Spillane led all scorers with 21 points while Carter Evin added 18 points and Nick Welch finished with 14 points. Zack Tamagni led Milford with 18 points while sophomore Brendan White dropped a career-high 14 points.
Canton, 30 @ Franklin, 54 – Final – Franklin had three players reach double figures in a double-digit win over visiting Canton. Carli Koffinke led all scorers with a game-high 16 points while Ali Brigham and Bea Bondhus each chipped in with 10 points in the win. Canton sophomore Julia Hamilton scored a team-high 11 points for the Bulldogs.
Foxboro, 56 @ Taunton, 33 – Final – Foxboro junior Ashley Sampson led the way for the Warriors with a team-high 17 points while classmate Grace Tamulionis added 16 points in the win on the road.
Stoughton, 59 @ King Philip, 54 – Final (OT) – Stoughton ramped up its defensive effort in overtime to pick up the win on the road. Stoughton junior Val Whalen had another monster night for the Black Knights, notching her fifth double-double of the season with 21 points and 21 rebounds. Freshman Shyanne Trinh added 14 points for the Knights. Sophomore Julia Leroux scored a team-high 20 points to pace King Philip.
Sharon, 18 @ Mansfield, 65 – Final – For the second straight game, the Hornets held their opponent to under 20 points to earn a win at home. Offensively, the Hornets had a very efficient showing with junior Ann Maher going a perfect 8/8 from three point range in the first half – a school record – and junior Meg Hill scoring 14 points on 7/9 shooting.
Milford, 42 @ Oliver Ames, 58 – Final – Oliver Ames built a double-digit lead (30-18) by halftime and held onto it throughout the second half. OA junior Kayla Raymond had a game-high 24 points and hauled in 12 rebounds while Niyera Mitchell had 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Tigers.
Hockey
Stoughton, 3 @ Bellingham, 9 – Final – Stoughton’s Charlie Morgan and Ryan Buresh each scored their first varsity goal in the loss, while Brendan Campbell scored the other goal for the Black Knights.
Swimming Boys
Foxboro, 65 @ Attleboro, 90 – Final – Foxboro took first in the 50 free and the 400 free relay but fell to Attleboro. Foxboro’s Dan Egan took first in the 50 free (25:31) while the team of Dimitri Davis, Anthony Quarterone, Ben Dorman and Thomas VanDell took first in the 400 free relay (5:12.30).
North Attleboro @ Milford, 4:00
Girls
Foxboro, 72 @ Attleboro, 92 – Final – Foxboro had three first place finishes, including one relay team. Lexi Nelson was first in the 100 fly (1:06.47), Lindsey Nelson was first in the 100 breaststroke (1:05.09) and the team of Nelson, Nelson, Allison Curran and Jamie Gorham took first in the 200 medley (2:13.84).
North Attleboro @ Milford, 4:00
Gymnastics
Franklin, 121.6 @ Oliver Ames, 136.15 – Final
Girls Hockey
King Philip, 3 @ Ursuline Academy, 4 – Final
Meg Hill (31) scored 18 points and pulled down 17 rebounds to lead Mansfield to a win over Oliver Ames in a battle of top teams in the Kelley-Rex division. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)
MANSFIELD, Mass. – When Oliver Ames head coach Laney Clement-Holbrook walked out of the locker room after delivering her postgame message to the team, she did not even wait until the question had been asked before answering, “Never…never…never.”
After more than 40 years at the helm of the Tigers, a career that has encompassed more than 650 wins, Clement-Holbrook admitted that she had never had a team go without a made field goal for an entire half. That was, at least, until Friday night at the Albertini Gym against division leading Mansfield.
Despite coming into the game having scored 60 points in three of its last four games, OA came out ice cold against the Hornets, was held scoreless in the first quarter, shot 0-19 from the field in the first half, and managed only 17 points for the game (34 below its season average). Clement-Holbrook said, “Everything was tentative. We didn’t go to our strengths.”
Although the Tigers had historic struggles on the offensive end, Mansfield was hardly firing on all cylinders. The Hornets reached double-digits in a quarter just once, scored only four points in the fourth quarter and shot 4-16 from the free throw line (all in the first half). However, it was enough for Mansfield to pull out a 32-17 victory and take control of its own destiny in the race for the league title.
“It’s hard to describe,” said Mansfield coach Mike Redding with a shake of his head. “We had our moments where we executed and scored but never on a continuous basis. As inconsistent as we were, they just had a nightmare time shooting the ball.”
He added, “This was one of the weirdest ‘big games’ I’ve ever been a part of. It felt like two teams battling for last place instead of battling for first. But, if you told me at the beginning of the season that we’d be in first place after the first eight [games] I would’ve taken it and run.”
Mansfield started the game by going inside to 6-foot-3 junior center Meg Hill (18 points, 17 rebounds). Jen Peel (five points, five assists) flipped a pass to Hill for a layup and sophomore Maggie Danehy got Hill a good look with a pass to the left block. Hill added a couple of free throws, but the Hornets had a long stretch without scoring until Ann Maher knocked down a three off a Steph Kemp assist.
That bucket gave Mansfield a 9-0 lead heading to the second. Mady Bendanillo set up Hill for a fast break basket to start the quarter and OA finally got on the board with a pair of free throws by Abby Reardon (team-high six points, all from the line) with 5:39 left in the half.
The Tigers would get only one more point before the break, while the Hornets shot 2-14 from the line in the second and needed a scoring burst at the end of the second, including three points from Erin Daniel and a drive from Peel to get separation.
“I think they got apprehensive when their shots weren’t falling and because of that we did not defend,” said Clement-Holbrook. “I mean, Hill got everything and anything that she wanted and that was certainly not part of the game plan.”
Redding noted, “Both teams are really athletic, we both know what we want to do, so I think defense wins the day. We’re fortunate we had just enough offense to win it.”
The Hornets talked about the free throws at halftime and how OA was one good run from getting back into the game. Mansfield started the third quarter strongly and again it was Hill that the offense ran through. Hill scored six of the first eight points of the third and Peel buried a three to extend the lead to 19.
“At times we did a good job getting it in and at times we were a little low,” said Redding of running the Mansfield offense through Hill. “The other thing is when all the attention’s on her, it does open other people for drives and shots.”
Niyera Mitchell knocked down a jumper for the Tigers’ first made field goal and she assisted on a basket for Kayla Raymond (five points, 10 rebounds). Hannah Carroll knocked down a three for her only points of the night that cut the lead to as little as 13 at 30-17 in the fourth quarter.
“I think if we had played the first half like we played the second half, I think we probably would have been a lot closer,” admitted Clement-Holbrook.
Redding called timeout knowing that his team needed a basket and Peel was able to flick a no-look pass over the defense to Hill for another layup. It was the final point for either team.
Mansfield has now beaten title rivals Attleboro and OA in the past two weeks and has a one-game lead over both. Defense has been the calling card for the Hornets, who have held four of the top six scorers in the league (Ashley Sampson, Sarah Deyo, Julia Strachan, and Raymond) well below their season averages and are allowing a league-best 37.0 points per game.
“We’re doing what it takes to win tough games and we’ll take it at this point,” said Redding.
Clement-Holbrook is hoping for a response from the Tigers in their next game. She said, “They’ve got to be able to rise above this now and come back on Tuesday and be ready to roll.
She added, “It wasn’t the team that I was hoping would show up today and I hope they learn their lesson from this…We have to hold each other accountable.”
Boys Basketball
Oliver Ames, 62 @ Attleboro, 49 – Final – Oliver Ames built a 10 point lead by halftime and extended its lead to 17 in the third quarter to earn the road win. Attleboro battled back to cut the deficit to eight (48-40) entering the fourth quarter but Oliver Ames closed out the game with a 14-9 final quarter. Nick Welch scored a career-high 25 points to lead the Tigers while Jack Spillane added 15 points for OA.
Sharon, 49 @ Canton, 63 – Final – The Bulldogs turn a close game at halftime (29-22) and built a 20-point lead in the third quarter. Sharon was able to cut it to 12 (46-34) entering the fourth quarter but Canton’s offense didn’t slow down with 19 points in the final quarter. Sophomore Devin Foster led the Bulldogs with a team-high 19 points while junior Austin Maffie netted 17 points and hauled in 7 rebounds. Sharon’s Malik Lorquet had 17 points and eight rebounds while Ricardo Ripley added 15 points and three steals.
Foxboro, 52 @ Milford, 65 – Final – Milford turned a one-point deficit at halftime into a lead behind 25 points in the third quarter. Foxboro got within six at just under six to play but couldn’t close the gap. Shane Cosquete scored a career-high 19 points to lead the Scarlet Hawks while Zack Tamagni added 18 points and Kayden Kelley had 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Stoughton, 54 @ North Attleboro, 68 – Final – North Attleboro was able to break the press and race out to a 22-6 lead through the first eight minutes. Stoughton’s Cam Andrews scored 12 of his game-high 21 points in the second quarter to get the Black Knights within 10 (32-22) at the break. Both offenses poured it on in the third quarter, totaling 55 points between the two teams. North Attleboro’s Chad Peterson scored eight of his 16 points in the final quarter, including a pair of key three pointers to help the Rocketeers ice the game. Jonny Friberg had a team-high 17 points for North while Brent Doherty added 13 points. The Rocketeers went 20/24 from the free throw line in the win.
Girls Basketball
Attleboro, 48 @ Oliver Ames, 60 – Final – Oliver Ames used a dominant second half, outscoring the Bombardiers 34-19, to score a key division win over Attleboro. “It was a great defensive effort for us,” OA head coach Laney Clement-Holbrook said. Sadie Homer scored a career high 24 points to lead the Tigers while, Kayla Raymond had 12 points, Niyera Mitchell had eight points, 10 rebounds and five blocks and Abby Reardon chipped in with nine points.
Sharon, 54 @ Canton, 60 – Final – Canton used a 23-11 fourth quarter to pull out the victory. Hannah Jerrier scored 20 points (12 in the fourth quarter alone) and pulled down 14 rebounds for the Bulldogs. Emma Murphy chipped in with 11 points and Erin Devine had 10 for Canton. Emma Eberhardt scored 22 points in the loss and the Eagles also got 10 points apiece from Shira Stoller (six assists and seven rebounds) and Veronica and Kaitlyn Wallace.
Mansfield, 43 @ Franklin, 50 – Final – Bea Bondhus scored a game-high 13 points for the Panthers, 10 in the second half, to help Franklin hand Mansfield its first league loss of the season. Carli Koffinke scored 12 points and Ali Brigham had 11 for the Panthers. The Hornets were led by Ann Maher’s 12 points, while Maggie Danehy scored nine and Jen Peel added eight (seven in the first quarter).
King Philip, 61 @ Taunton, 34 – Final – Sophomores Shannon O’Connor and Julia Leroux each scored 14 points to lead the Warriors and freshman Faith Roy added 10. Hannah Moniz was the top scorer for Taunton with 11 points.
