By Joe Clark, HockomockSports.com Student Reporter
FRANKLIN, Mass. – On Tuesday night at Franklin High, the Panthers took advantage of a balanced scoring attack and a strong defensive effort to defeat the Attleboro Bombardiers, 63-51.
Defense was the name of the game for both sides, as neither team scored three points until the 3:57 mark of the first quarter when Jake Dunkley (18 points, five rebounds) hit a shot to put Attleboro up 3-2.
A 5-0 Franklin run from there put the Panthers up 7-3, but an and-one layup from Lucas Boucicaut (nine points) cut the Franklin lead to one and after baskets from Connor Peterson (10 points), who had four in the first quarter, and freshman Bryant Ciccio (four points), Franklin took a 9-8 lead into the second quarter.
Early in the second, Attleboro took its final lead of the night at 14-12 with 5:12 to play in the half after a basket by Berlyns Abraham (five points) and four points from Boucicaut. From there, Franklin was led by Josh Macchi, who scored 10 of his 18 points in the second quarter to put Franklin up 26-24 at the half.
“Josh was a beast. He’s been really responding, his rebounding has been terrific, especially on the offensive end, he did a great job tonight getting a few extra points for us,” Franklin coach C.J. Neely said about Macchi, who also chipped in seven rebounds.
After a Peterson bucket to start the third quarter, Attleboro senior captain Andrew Milliken (five points) picked up his fourth foul and, while he sat, Franklin stifled the Attleboro offense during a 13-2 run where Attleboro only scored on a bucket from freshman Qualeem Charles (two points, four rebounds) and saw the Panthers take a 39-26 lead.
Once Milliken checked back in, Attleboro scored four straight off of two free throws from Milliken and a layup by Dunkley, but a layup by Paul Mahon (14 points) and one of three three-pointers from Connor Goldstein (nine points) put the Panthers up 44-33 heading into the fourth quarter.
Attleboro started off the fourth with a made three by Milliken, and with 5:25 left to go in the game they cut the Franklin lead to eight at 48-36 following a pair of made free throws from Dunkley, but four straight points from Jalen Samuels, who had six of his 10 points in the fourth quarter, and another bucket by Mahon extended the lead to 14 at 52-38 with 4:05 left to play.
In the final four minutes, senior guard Nate Douglas had five of his six points for Attleboro while Dunkley picked up six more points, but four points from Macchi, three from Goldstein and two each from Mahon and Samuels kept the Franklin lead intact and helped them hold on for the 63-51 victory.
Franklin had four guys in double figures (Macchi, Mahon, Samuels, Peterson) in addition to Goldstein with nine, which speaks to the amount of options Franklin has on the offensive end.
“We don’t have one guy. “Obviously people see CP (Peterson) and think they got to deal with him, but we have so many guys that can give you 8-10 points a night,” Neely added after the win.
The win was also the Panthers’ seventh game, and third in a row, in which they held an opponent to fewer than 55 points.
“Our defensive effort has definitely been what’s carried us over these last three or four games, we’ve definitely made a huge commitment on the defensive side of practice, and the guys have responded,” Neely also added.
Upcoming for Franklin (9-2) is Kelley-Rex foe King Philip (3-6) on Friday. Next up for Attleboro (8-3) is a trip to Taunton on Friday to take on the 6-4 Tigers.
Mansfield’s Christian Weber goes up for a layup against three Attleboro defenders in the second half. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com) By Josh Schafer, HockomockSports.com Contributor
MANSFIELD, Mass. – In typical Mansfield fashion, the Hornets moved the ball around the perimeter from player to player, eventually a pass finding its way to a wide-open Max Boen. The senior guard drilled the three-pointer, putting an exclamation point on a game-changing swing from the Hornets.
After holding a slim lead (22-21) at half, Mansfield rattled off an 11-0 run in the first three minutes of the second half to create the necessary separation for the rest of the way in a 54-49 win over previously unbeaten Attleboro.
Sam Goldberg (15 points, nine rebounds) started the run with a putback, Tyler Boulter (eight points, three rebounds) added a layup, Christian Weber (13 points) drained a three and Boen (seven points, eight rebounds, three assists) hit a free throw before his big three.
“I think we did a good job of wearing them out,” Mansfield coach Mike Vaughan said.
The Hornets stifled the previously undefeated Attleboro offense with a full court press for all 32 minutes.
With scoring hard to come by for either side in the first, Mansfield opened the game with an inbound pass to Boen for an easy layup. Sam Hyland shadowed the Attleboro ball carrier all the way up the backcourt forcing a turnover, darting the other way to give the Hornets an early 4-0 lead.
“There were times during the game that they had trouble breaking the press, trying to run their half court stuff and still get a good shot,” Vaughan said. “I thought we did a good job of taking them out of the stuff they had been doing.”
But as the first quarter dragged on, Attleboro settled in. Bombardier senior Jake Dunkley hit a three and added another bucket to spark the visitors, who trailed 10-7 at the conclusion of the first quarter.
“I think early on, they started scoring and we were struggling to score,” Attleboro head coach Mark Houle said. “Finally we isolated Jake down low and got a basket.”
Dunkley (20 points carried Attleboro through a strong second quarter. He opened the frame with another three from the corner, then proceeded to work the post. He backed his defender down, pivoted and finished a fade away jumper.
On the next Attleboro possession Dunkley drained another triple. After a basket from Berlyns Abraham (seven points, 10 rebounds), Attleboro had its lone lead of the game, 17-15.
“It came down to balance,” Houle said. “They had better balance on offense than we did overall.”
Mansfield stayed persistent in the third quarter not allowing Attleboro to diminish the Hornet’s 11-0 run. Goldberg and Weber each worked their way through the Bombardier defense and found their way to the room.
Weber began at the top of the key, he stutter-stepped left, passed an Attleboro defender and finished with a right-hand layup. By the finish of the third quarter, Mansfield was up 41-30 — the difference equalling their run to open the half.
“I knew (Attleboro was) going to be ready” Vaughan said. “We got up 12 or 13 and I said to the guys this game was not over.”
Attleboro lingered in the fourth quarter with Nate Douglas (seven rebounds) scoring seven of his nine points in the frame. The Bombardiers came within five points following a Dunkley basket and missed Mansfield free throws but the late surge was not enough as the Hornets closed the game out.
Up next, Mansfield boys basketball (7-1) puts its undefeated league record on the line when it hosts rival Franklin on Friday at 6:30. Also on Friday, Attleboro (8-1) hosts Oliver Ames at 6:30.
Boys Basketball
King Philip, 49 @ Attleboro, 68 – Final – Attleboro won the second quarter 19-7 to build a 33-16 lead at halftime and never looked back. Andrew Milliken dropped a career-high 21 points to pace the Bombardiers while Jake Dunkley had 14 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, Berlyns Abraham added 10 points and Nate Douglas chipped in with nine points.
Sharon, 47 @ Foxboro, 75 – Final – Foxboro had a dominate second quarter, turning a nine point lead after one (19-10) into a commanding 43-17 advantage at the halftime break. Senior Mark Clagg connected for a career-high 32 points while junior Joe Morrison added 10 points. Ricardo Ripley and Malik Lorquet each had 12 points for the Eagles.
Sharon, 34 @ Foxboro, 73 – Final – Ashley Sampson scored 19 points to lead the Warriors and Shannon Smalley had 13 and Riley Collins had 11 for Foxboro.
Taunton, 34 @ Mansfield, 62 – Final – Meg Hill had 16 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks for the Hornets. Mansfield also got 11 points and seven assists from Jen Peel and a career-high 11 points from Erin Daniels. Lily Patneaude scored 12 points and hit four three-pointers for Taunton.
Boys Basketball
Attleboro, 64 vs. Durfee, 53 – Final – Attleboro pulled away in the second half after holding just a two point lead (28-26) at halftime. Jake Dunkley led the Bombardiers with 21 points while senior Berlyns Abraham added 12 points and Lucas Boucicaut had 10 points and five assists. Andrew Milliken chipped in with nine points and Nate Douglas had eight points.
Canton, 67 vs. Archbishop Williams, 38 – Final – Junior Tony Harris grabbed a double-double as Canton ran away with a big win over Archies to begin 2017. Harris had 13 points and 15 rebounds to pace the Bulldogs while sophomore Devin Foster scored 15 points and junior Austin Maffie finished with 11 points.
Franklin, 57 @ Catholic Memorial, 58 – Final
North Attleboro, 70 @ King Philip, 64 – Final – North Attleboro had a strong first half by King Philip chipped away to tie the game in the second half. North Attleboro was able take a 54-52 lead into the fourth quarter and then hold onto a 66-64 lead with 1:28 to play. Jonny Friberg led the Rocketeers with 18 points and 10 rebounds while Tom Reynolds added a career-high 16 points. Seniors Brent Doherty (13) and Kyle McCarthy (12) combined for 25 points. King Philip’s Seth Sullivan scored a career-high 26 points while sophomore Kyle Layman had 16 points.
Oliver Ames, 63 @ Barnstable, 56 – Final – Facing an 18 point deficit in the fourth quarter, Oliver Ames scored 35 points in the final quarter to earn head coach Don Byron his 400th career win. Junior Jack Spillane scored 19 of his career-high 31 points in the fourth quarter to spark the large comeback. Senior Dylan Mahoney scored 15 points and sophomore Jake Erlich had 12 points for the Tigers.
Taunton, 78 vs. New Bedford, 55 – Final – Taunton senior Tommy MacLean dropped a team-high 16 points as the Tigers swept the season series against the Whalers. Lens Esquil and Lou Vendrell each added 12 points in the win while freshman Dante Law finished with 10 points.
Girls Basketball
Attleboro, 74 @ Durfee, 47 – Final
Attleboro’s Jake Dunkley takes a shot against Dartmouth in the second half. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
DARTMOUTH, Mass. – It’s not that the Attleboro Bombardiers played a bad first half by any stretch, it’s just that head coach Mark Houle knew his squad could play better.
Behind a high pressure full court pressure, the Bombardiers used a dominate third quarter to make a somewhat close game into a rout, finishing the 2016 calendar year with a 78-40 win over Dartmouth.
Attleboro forced 10 turnovers in the first half but held just a 29-21 lead at the break against Dartmouth’s zone. The Indians were even within two points with just over two minutes to play in the first half before an 8-2 run game the Bombardiers a bit of breathing room.
“We’ve seen a lot of zone so far this year, more zone than man,” Houle said. “We’ve been working a lot against it. With that, ball movement – I always say keep the ball hot – it’s just ball movement. Then looking inside out and over the years, the teams that are able to be successful are teams that can do that.”
The third quarter completely belonged to Big Blue. It took little time to see what kind of pace Attleboro wanted to play with as senior Jake Dunkley (19 points, six rebounds, five assists) hauled in a miss and went coast-to-coast for a layup.
Attleboro forced five straight turnovers over the next two minutes, resulting in points each time. First, Andrew Milliken (17 points, four rebounds) drained a three off a feed from Dunkley. Nate Douglas got an easy layup and Berlyns Abraham converted a three point play after back-to-back mistakes from the Indians.
Dunkley added a free throw and Douglas converted a three point play on Dartmouth’s fourth and fifth turnovers of the third quarter.
Over the first 2:15 of the second half, Attleboro rattled off a 14-0 run to take a commanding 43-21 lead.
“We didn’t play a bad first half, we defended well,” Houle said. “The kid #12 for them [Marquise Adams] had 10 points so that was a challenge – one kid who scored about half their points. We put an emphasis on making him work. And then it created some turnovers and we finished the turnovers. In the first half we forced around 10 turnovers but we didn’t finish off of them. Second half, we did and that lead to that nice run to start the third quarter. That was good to see because the kids are working hard. We’re trying to get to that next gear and I think we did that today.”
After forcing 10 turnovers through the first 16 minutes of the game, Attleboro caused nine turnovers in a third quarter that they won 27-5. Adams did not score in the second half for Dartmouth.
Dunkley added seven more points over the final four and a half minutes, accounting for 10 of his 19 in the quarter.
“We’ve had three games in Hock and we’ve done well…and in our non-league schedule so far we’ve done pretty good,” Houle said. “I think the biggest thing is now is that we’re hitting the open guy, we’re being selfless which is very important. And we’re defending. When you can defend and hit some shots, that’s very important. We did that today, we hit the open guy. That takes some commitment on each player to make sure they’re making the right reads and making the right plays and we’re starting to do that.”
Milliken scored 11 of his 17 points in the first half to pace Attleboro’s offense. Attleboro pulled its starters early in the fourth quarter and Houle was able to get all of his players in the game. All 12 players scored in the game, including seven points and three rebounds from Lucsas Boucicaut, six points from Elvin Sam and five points from Douglas. Sophomore Dom Victor and freshmen Bryant Ciccio and Qualeem Charles each scored four points apiece.
“This is the first game that [Milliken’s] starting to hit some more since the first game,” Houle said. “He had 17 against Feehan but then he hit a little bit of a funk. Today was his second best game he’s had this year. When he’s hitting those outside shots, it opens up everything on the inside too. I think that was important.
“We have some nice pieces right now and everyone’s really finding what their role is. Now we’ve got one more non-league game against Durfee then right into the Kelley-Rex.”
Attleboro boys basketball (6-0) returns to action on Tuesday, January 3rd, when it hosts Durfee in a non-league contest.
Boys Basketball
Canton, 55 @ Attleboro, 64 – Final – In a back and forth close matchup, Jake Dunkley and Attleboro pulled away in the fourth quarter. Dunkley finished with 20 points while classmate Berlyns Abraham had 15 points and 10 rebounds. Nate Douglas added 12 points for the Bombardiers. Canton sophomore Devin Foster had a career-high 21 points while Tony Harris added 12 points and five rebounds and Jake Verille added eight points and three rebounds.
Foxboro, 36 @ Mansfield, 66 – Final – Mansfield limited Foxboro to just 14 second half points, turning a two point lead at the end of the first quarter into a 15-point lead at halftime and a 27 point lead at the end of three. John McCoy, Max Boen and Sam Goldberg (six rebounds) each scored 11 points apiece to lead the Hornets. Andrew Block had 11 points and seven rebounds for Foxboro.
Milford, 60 @ King Philip, 50 – Final – Between the end of the first quarter and beginning of the second quarter, Milford rattled off a 19-2 run that created a cushion they held for the rest of the way. With KP up 10-2, the Scarlet Hawks flipped the game with the run. Senior Anthony Arcudi netted a game-high 17 points, Shane Cosquete added 10 points, both Zach Tamagni and Nate Davila scored nine points and junior Kayden Kelley hauled in 15 rebounds to go with four rebounds. Justin Vine and Tom Madden each scored 12 points apiece while Pharaoh Davis came off the bench to score 10 points for the Warriors.
Stoughton, 47 @ Oliver Ames, 55 – Final– After being tied after the opening quarter, Oliver Ames opened a three point lead by halftime, a four point lead after three quarters and then held that lead in the fourth quarter. Three Tigers scored in double digits, led by Dylan Mahoney’s 21 points. Junior Jack Spillane added a career-best 16 points and Carter Evin chipped in with 10 points. Stoughton senior Cam Gomes dropped a career-high 19 points to go with seven rebounds.
Sharon, 51 @ Taunton, 65 – Final – Sharon was able to hang around through three quarters but Taunton pulled ahead in the final quarter. Freshman Dante Law scored a career-high 18 points to pace the Tigers with senior Tommy MacLean adding 13 points. Jimmy Fitzhenry led Sharon with 16 points while senior Ricardo Ripley chipped in with 12 points.
Girls Basketball
Attleboro, 92 @ Canton, 53 – Final
Franklin, 36 @ North Attleboro, 43 – Final – The Rocketeers outscored Franklin 19-12 in the fourth quarter to pull out the win in their season opener. Ashley Ahern led the way for North with 15 points, including eight in the fourth, and sophomore Julia Feid had 10 for the Rocketeers. Franklin was led by freshman Ali Brigham who scored 18 points in her second varsity game.
King Philip, 47 @ Milford, 44 – Final – The Warriors rallied from seven points down in the fourth quarter to pull out the win in their season opener. Sophomore Shannon O’Connor was the top scorer for KP with 12 points and freshman Faith Roy chipped in with nine. Junior Hadley Zolak had six points for KP, including important baskets down the stretch. Milford was led by Kate Irwin’s 17 points.
Oliver Ames, 51 @ Stoughton, 32 – Final – OA was led by three players with 11 points apiece – senior Niyera Mitchell, junior Kayla Raymond, and freshman Meg Holleran.
Taunton, 29 @ Sharon, 46 – Final – Sharon jumped out to an early lead and never let up. Sophomore Emma Eberhardt was the top scorer for the Eagles with 18 points and added eight rebounds and six steals. Shira Stoller added six points, eight rebounds, and nine assists for Sharon.
Hockey
Mansfield, 3 @ Norwood, 3 – Final – Chad Piotti scored a pair of goals, including the game-tying goal in the third period, to earn Mansfield a point in the opener. Joey Olsen added the other goal for the Hornets.
Girls Hockey
Stoughton, 5 @ Framingham, 11 – Final
2015-2016 Record: 7-15 2015-2016 Finish: Missed playoffs Coach: Mark Houle
After missing out on the playoffs a year ago, Attleboro will be relying on its senior leadership to try and earn a trip to the state tournament.
Captains Jake Dunkley and Andrew Milliken will help anchor the team along with classmates Lucas Boucicaut, Berlyns Abraham and Robby Peirce. Dunkley was the second leading scorer in the league last year with 18 points per game while Milliken is another top scoring option for the Bombardiers.
Boucicaut and junior Nate Douglas will pair up in the backcourt while freshman Bryant Ciccio will likely see plenty of minutes after his performance on opening night on Friday. Abraham provides length and athleticism down low and can make life difficult in the post for opponents.
“We need to defend and rebound to create transition opportunities and execute with a focus on details,” Attleboro head coach Mark Houle said. “Our strength will be our senior leadership.”
2015-2016 Record: 19-5 2015-2016 Finish: Reached D1 Central Final Coach: CJ Neely
There is no rebuilding when it comes to Franklin, just reloading. Despite graduating a handful of talent, including the Hockomock League MVP Tim Prunier and a couple other strong players, the Panthers are still in a spot to challenge for the Kelley-Rex title.
Two big reasons for that are juniors Paul Mahon and Connor Peterson. Both players started last year and were important pieces as the Panthers claimed a division title. With at least year of experience for both, look for both to be key players this season. Mahon has developed as a shooter to compliment his strong defensive game while Peterson continues to be one of the top big men in the league,.
The Panthers will look to move the ball as much as possible on offense and hope to have a balanced scoring attack so defenses can’t focus in on just a player or two. Franklin has been on the better teams defensively in recent history and will look to continue that trend for the 2016-2017 season.
“We are very excited about this group of guys,” Franklin head coach CJ Neely said. “Having a good balance of talent has made our practice games very competitive, everyone has really been pushing each other hard. Each year our goal remains the same, we will focus on day to day improvement and let the results take care of themselves.
“We want to be defined as a hardworking group that plays aggressively and shares the ball offensively. I think if we can stay committed to trusting each other and consistently competing on both ends of the floor we can have a good year.”
Goodwin and Weir have the most experience and will captain the team along with Sullivan. Madden impressed last year as did Layman during his rookie campaign. Between Goodwin, Weir, Madden and Layman, King Philip will have plenty of size to use down low. Davis and Sullivan are both strong with the ball while Vine provides KP with a shooting threat.
“We are very excited as a coaching staff to compete in the Hockomock League,” Champagne said. “We are fortunate to have a hard working group of players who are hungry for success.”
2015-2016 Record: 20-5 2015-2016 Finish: Reached D1 South Semifinal Coach: Mike Vaughan
Even though Mansfield won the Kelley-Rex division a year ago, the Hornets still might be bringing back the most talent in the league this year. After only graduating three seniors, Mike Vaughan has nearly all of his weapons at his disposal again this year.
It doesn’t matter who it is listed above, almost all of them are capable of being “the guy” on any given night, which makes Mansfield incredibly hard to defend. Weber, Ehrlich, Vigeant, Boen and Boulter are all strong from beyond the arc but also have no problem making the extra pass to find a better shot.
“We’re looking forward to a fun season with seven seniors and a great group of underclassmen, we should have plenty of depth to stay competitive,” Vaughan said. “The league looks loaded again with talent so we shouldn’t have any nights off.”
Between the returning players, the Tigers will be able to score from multiple positions. Evin, a HockomockSports.com Second Team selection, led the Tigers in scoring with 13.4 points per game – and did so in a variety of ways. Mahoney is able to shoot or attack the hoop while both Welchn and Graziano showed the ability to get hot from deep.
“We have a number of players back who played quite a bit last year and showed marked improvement during the course of the season,” Oliver Ames head coach Don Byron said. “We’ll be leaning on them as we develop depth from a number of kids who played jv last year. Our schedule will be a challenge as we make the move to the Kelly-Rex division of the league and our non-league schedule won’t provide any breaks either.”
2015-2016 Record: 16-7 2015-2016 Finish: Reached D1 South Quarterfinal Coach: Charlie Dacey
While there will be some changes for Taunton this year, there will also be some similarities to last year. The Tigers will aim to use their speed and athleticism to their advantage and try to make up for their lack of size and experience.
The youthful Tigers will by led by the very experienced Tommy MacLean, who has played varsity minutes since his freshman year. Junior Tyler Medeiros is back after suffering an injury early last year while junior Lens Esquil also got some minutes a year ago.
Junior Malik Charles, sophomores John Martin and Luis Vendrell and freshmen Dante Law and Naz Kenan are all likely to factor in for Taunton this season. Another positive early on for Taunton is shooting, boasting a handful of players that can consistently knock down shots from deep.
“Our immediate strengths are speed and shooting,” Taunton head coach Charlie Dacey said. “Hopefully, our speed can counter our youth and allow us to play an uptempo game.”
Attleboro junior Jake Dunkley (19 points) drives past a defender in the first half. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ATTLEBORO, Mass. – Five Attleboro players scored in double digits, each contributing in a big way at various points of the game and the Bombardiers closed the season with a 75-67 win over playoff bound Durfee squad.
Junior Jake Dunkley scored a game-high 19 points and pulled in nine rebounds, junior Andrew Milliken added 16 points, sophomore Nate Douglas chipped in with 12 points, senior Brent Cook had 10 points and six rebounds and junior Berlyns Abraham scored 10 points and finished with seven rebounds.
Milliken got Attleboro started early, going a perfect 4/4 from three point range in the first half. The juniors sharp shooting helped Attleboro to a 21-19 lead after one and kept the Bombardiers in the game as they trailed by one (37-36) at halftime.
Douglas scored seven of his 12 points in the final frame, none bigger than his basket with just under a minute to play. The Bombardiers held a 70-65 lead but were forced to call a timeout with 10 seconds left on the shot clock after the original play fizzled. Douglas took possession out of the timeout, raced around his man and hit a layup just before the shot clock expired to put Attleboro up 72-65.
Cook scored the game’s first four points and added another key three in the third quarter, helping Attleboro take a 54-52 lead into the final frame. When the Hilltoppers pulled within two points early in the fourth quarter, Cook drained his third three of the game to reestablish a two possession lead for Attleboro — one they relinquish for the rest of the way.
“Brent Cook, in his last game, really played well both offensively and defensively,” Attleboro head coach Mark Houle said. “He made some big plays for us. He’s been that kind of player for us throughout the course of the year where he’s come off the bench and given us some energy. I was proud to see him and all of the seniors go out winners tonight.
Abraham was a huge spark plug in the second half for Attleboro. He came off the bench to net a pair of putbacks in the third quarter and hauled in six rebounds in just six minutes of play. He then added six more points in the final quarter, including an elbow jumper that put the Bombardiers up seven with just under three minutes to play.
And Dunkley got it done in all four quarters. He scored five in the first, four in the second, seven in the third and then drained a three on the possession after Cook’s trey that capped a 10-4 run to open the final quarter.
“It was important for us to come out and play hard,” Mark Houle said. “I think early on offensively we did well but we didn’t do a nice job on the boards in the first half. In the beginning of the second half I think we started to get a little better at it with some more effort.
“Berlyns Abraham came off the bench early in the third quarter and gave us a ton of energy. I think he had six rebounds in the third alone and he kind of set the tone on the boards and that we weren’t going to give up second chance points. That got us to the point where we got the lead and we were able to hit shots and make good decisions. Different guys stepped up today for us, we worked hard. At halftime we said the team that wants to play more defense is going to win and that ended up being us.”
While Attleboro shot similar percentages from the floor in both halves (36% in the first, 38% in the second), the Bombardiers dominated the rebounding battle in the second half. After a seven rebound advantage at half (23-16), Attleboro finished with a 49-29 edge on the glass.
The Bombardiers hit 15 two point field goals, connected on 10 three pointers and hit 15 free throws. Eight different players scored for Attleboro.
“We found different ways to score,” Houle said. “We felt like we were getting better towards the end of the year. We left a lot of games on the table early on but I’m proud to see us keep working hard and play well against quality teams and beat quality teams.”
Attleboro’s start to the final quarter created the initial separation. Up by two to start, Abraham took a feed from Lucas Boucicaut and after a stop on the other end, Milliken drained a pair of free throws. Durfee responded with a pair of baskets but consecutive threes from Cook and Dunkley kept the hosts ahead.
Over the final two minutes – in a five point game – Attleboro outscored Durfee 9-5 to close the game.
“The last couple minutes of the game are pivotal,” Houle said. “You have to be able to defend and rebound but you have to also know the time and the score and be able to put a team away. It’s a confidence thing and we felt confident at the end, I’m happy to be standing here saying we got the win.”
Attleboro boys basketball closes the season at 7-15 and will lose five seniors to graduation: Brent Cook, Kevin Aguirre, Prowo Kinkoue-Poufong, Max Bohannon and Kyle Murphy (five points and 12 rebounds against Durfee). Ryan Lanigan can be contacted at RyanLanigan@hockomocksports.com and followed on Twitter at @R_Lanigan.
Today’s games are listed below. Boys Basketball
Attleboro, 75 vs. Durfee, 67 – Final – Junior Jake Dunkley scored a game-high 19 points and pulled in nine rebounds, junior Andrew Milliken added 16 points, sophomore Nate Douglas chipped in with 12 points, senior Brent Cook had 10 points and six rebounds, junior Berlyns Abraham scored 10 points and finished with seven rebounds and senior Kyle Murphy had five points and 12 rebounds.
Franklin, 70 @ South High, 41 – Final
Mansfield, 58 vs. BC High, 44 – Final – Mansfield raced out to a 15-4 lead after the first quarter and never looked back. Matt Ehrlich had a team-high 16 points, Max Boen scored 13 points and Sam Goldberg had nine points and nine rebounds. Girls Basketball
Attleboro, 55 @ Durfee, 38 – Final – Sarah Deyo led all scorers with 16 points for the Bombardiers, while Emily Houle added 13 and with a first quarter layup became the fifth Attleboro girls’ basketball player (and first since 1999) to reach the 1,000-point plateau. The Bombardiers closed with a 22-7 run after Durfee cut the lead to just two at 33-31 in the third quarter.
Foxboro, 53 vs. Bridgewater-Raynham, 41 – Final – Ashley Sampson led the way with 12 points while Kristen Bortolotti added 11 points for the Warriors.
King Philip @ Lowell, 7:00 Hockey
Mansfield, 2 @ Winthrop, 4 – Final
North Attleboro, 4 @ Wayland, 0 – Final
King Philip, 3 @ Bridgwater-Raynham, 5 – Final Girls Hockey
King Philip, 3 vs. Norwell, 2 – Final
Today’s games are listed below. Boys Basketball
Attleboro, 88 @ King Philip, 66 – Final – Senior Kyle Murphy scored a career-high 21 points, pulling in eight rebounds and picking up three steals. Jake Dunkley paced the Bombardiers with 12 of his 17 points in the opening quarter, Berlyns Abraham had 12 points and six rebounds and Andrew Milliken also chipped in with 12 points.
Canton, 47 @ Oliver Ames, 70 – Final – Carter Evin scored 20 points and hauled in nine rebounds and Nick Welch came off the bench to net 14 points. Tony Harris scored a team-high 14 points for Canton.
Foxboro, 72 @ Stoughton, 55 – Final – Foxboro senior Jason Procaccini led all scorers with a game-high 21 points while Alex DuBrow (13 points) and Mark Clagg (11 points) also scored in double figures. Stoughton’s Jared Maher had 14 points for the Black Knights.
Franklin, 72 @ Taunton, 83 – Final – Quan Roberson scored a career-high 25 points and hauled in eight rebounds to go along with a pair of steals, blocks and assists to lead the Tigers. Jose Mercado added 19 points and seven rebounds, Tommy MacLean had 17 points, five assists and four rebounds, Dom Smith had 13 points, eight rebounds and three assists and Carlos Borrero had seven points, nine rebounds and five assists. Tim Prunier led Franklin with 20 points, four assists and three rebounds, sophomore Paul Mahon finished with 19 points, five rebounds and six steals and freshman Jay Dieterle had 17 points and seven rebounds.
Sharon, 56 @ Milford, 57 – Final – Dimitry Torres hit a layup going across the paint with 4.3 seconds left to put the Scarlet Hawks ahead, then holding off a last second shot from the Eagles. Torres finished with a team-high 19 points while Zack Tamagni notched a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, having hit a half court buzzer beater to tie the game at the end of three. Kayden Kelley had seven points and 10 rebounds and Dwight Anderson added 10 points and seven rebounds for Milford.
Mansfield, 66 @ North Attleboro, 49 – Final – The Hornets held just a two point advantage at halftime and then just six at the end of three quarters but won the final quarter 23-12 to pick up the win. Sam Goldberg was a perfect 5/5 from the field for a game-high 13 points, also grabbing seven rebounds. Max Boen added 12 points and Matt Ehrlich had 10 points for Mansfield. Chad Peterson led North with 12 points while Brent Doherty and Jonny Friberg each added nine points. Girls Basketball
Oliver Ames, 58 @ Canton, 29 – Final – Kayla Raymond led the Tigers with 12 points while Hannah Carroll added 11 and Francesca Calabraro had 10 points. Emma Murphy was Canton’s top scorer with 10. The two teams joined together for Play4Kay Pink Night to raise money for breast cancer research.
Stoughton, 38 @ Foxboro, 83 – Final – Cassidy Harrison and Ashley Sampson each scored 18 points for the Warriors, who had five players reach double figures. Hailey Maling added 13 points, Grace Tamulionis scored 12 points and Lily Sykes finished with 10.
Taunton, 30 @ Franklin, 65 – Final – Erin Skidmore paced the Panthers with 15 points. Aubrie Kutil added 12 points and Catherine Gray had 10 for Franklin.
King Philip, 28 @ Attleboro, 46 – Final
North Attleboro, 30 @ Mansfield, 45 – Final – Meg Hill led Mansfield with 12 points and nine rebounds, while Jackie Carchedi had seven points and nine boards and Jen Peel had five points and six assists. North was led by Liz Morehouse with eight points and Ashley Ahern who scored all seven of her points in the fourth quarter.
Milford, 53 @ Sharon, 46 – Final – Kate Irwin led the way for Milford with 13 points and Nicole Dahlgren added nine for the Hawks. Sharon was led by Alyssa Piazza who had a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Charlotte Ransom added 13 points, five rebounds, and four steals. Girls Hockey
Mansfield/Oliver Ames, 3 @ Medfield, 6 – Final – Cat Luciano scored a pair of goals for the Warriors while Lilly Feeney added one.
