Tag: Chris Hill
Mansfield Falls To Malden Catholic In D2 Championship
LOWELL, Mass. — Down a pair of starters and matched up against Malden Catholic, the top seed and defending state champions, Mansfield had little room for error in the Division 2 State Championship game.
The Hornets’ impressive season, highlighted by a memorable postseason run, came to a close with a 72-54 loss to the Lancers on the hardwood inside the Tsongas Center on the campus of UMass Lowell.
Although the Hornets were down just nine at the halftime break, Malden Catholic’s relentless effort on the offensive glass paired with some uncharacteristic Mansfield turnovers saw the deficit balloon up to 19 by the end of the third quarter.
“That’s a really, really good Malden Catholic team and we were going to have to play perfect to win,” said Mansfield head coach Mike Vaughan. “We had to try and find a way to play at our tempo and then live in the moment. They came out playing physically and our passes, and we were throwing passes we haven’t thrown since December. They were jumping passing lanes, and even if they were just deflecting it, it just disrupts the offense and your flow.
“The rest of the first quarter we weren’t cutting, we weren’t moving…guys were standing there, with pale faces, blank stares. I’ve been here before, I’ve seen it and I knew it was going to be an uphill battle.”
Malden Catholic’s Nick Martinez drained a three to open the game and was difficult to slow down the rest of the way as he finished with a game-high 28 points and seven rebounds. Mansfield senior JT Veiking scored a team-high 17 points and had nine boards while junior Eddie McCoy chipped in with 14 points.
The Lancers were prepared for Mansfield’s pass-heavy offense and jumped into the passing lanes for a couple of turnovers-turned-transition buckets and a 16-10 lead after eight minutes.
In an effort to disrupt Malden Catholic’s offense, the Hornets deployed a rare zone defense to start the second. It worked as the Lancers managed just one field goal in the first three minutes of the quarter — after three offensive rebounds — but Mansfield’s offense never quite could get in gear and managed just one bucket of their own.
Malden Catholic’s lead reached 12 after a turnover led to a three from Martinez. The Hornets clawed back into it as sophomore Nate Creedon drove to the rim for two, Veiking hit a floater and then finished off a traditional three-point play to get within 26-20 with 1:27 left in the half, but a quick 5-0 surge, including a bucket off another offensive rebound, saw the Lancers carry a 31-22 lead into halftime.
“We were down nine, we held them to 31 points and we gave up nine offensive rebounds and had seven turnovers, and that was the difference,” Vaughan said. “The talk at halftime was…if we could find a way…rebounding is somewhat effort, somewhat a knack for the ball, but it’s also skill. And we were playing a skilled team, of course they were going to rebound well.
“I think our guys were a little shell-shocked by the moment at the start. At the end of the day, when you start getting punched in the face, you have to look in the mirror. I think it took us a minute to absorb it but by that point, we dug ourselves a hole and you can’t dig a hole against [Malden Catholic].”
Mansfield gave Malden Catholic a little bit of its own medicine when senior Chris Hill collected an offensive rebound for a putback for the opening basket of the third quarter but it didn’t take long for the Lancers to get back on the offensive glass in the form of a three-point play from Ben Howard (11 points, nine rebounds). Bo Moody tacked on a three and Howard had another three-point play off an offensive rebound as the Lancers began to distance themselves.
The Hornets lost starting point guard Davon Sanders in the first game of the tournament, and starting forward Trevor Foley — who led the Hornets in scoring during the regular season and is widely regarded as one of the best defenders in the league — has been out for the past three games.
“[Malden Catholic] is talented, they have three legit players,” Vaughan said, “When you do stuff against them, and they can execute and find a kid open in the corner because they are that good, what are you going to do? And unfortunately, we weren’t perfect.
“As much as I don’t want to blame the fact we were down two guys — they are down a starter too — but our system and the way we play, our depth matters to us. When we don’t have that depth, we aren’t able to rotate guys through and continue to be fresh and continue to move.”
Hill had three straight for the Hornets, Veiking splashed in a triple off a pass from McCoy, and Caden Colby (eight points) finished the quarter with a great hustle play, fighting for an offensive rebound and putback at the buzzer but the Lancers’ lead was 53-34 going into the fourth.
“If you look at where we were at in December and where we are now, it’s like a different team,” Vaughan said. “We didn’t have an identity. We were good defensively but we looked like a hot mess on most possessions offensively. We cleaned that up and that takes a commitment from the guys, they had to trust each other. I thought the guys did an awesome job all year. Just the growth we had in one season was just amazing.”
Mansfield boys basketball finishes the season at 25-3.
Mansfield Neutralizes Nashoba To Earn Spot In D2 Final
WORCESTER, Mass. — The stage keeps getting bigger and the Mansfield boys basketball team keeps delivering.
Junior Eddie McCoy poured in a game-high 28 points as he continued a terrific postseason run and the Hornets put together another defensive masterpiece to pass their latest test with flying colors, a convincing 65-45 win over #6 Nashoba in the state semifinals.
The win sets up #2 Mansfield with its biggest and final test of the season: a date with top-seeded Malden Catholic in the Division 2 State Championship.
“It speaks volumes about where we are at,” said Mansfield head coach Mike Vaughan. “We were saying at the end of the game, this is just how Mansfield does things. For years we’ve used that ‘next up’ mentality, and we have guys playing close to 30 minutes trying to fill the voids with two guys out. Defensively we were awesome all night and offensively we found our opportunities to be effective, took care of the basketball, and did everything I thought we needed to do to win the game. We kind of just kept grinding throughout games.”
McCoy has been a star for far in the playoffs and wasted little time providing a spark on the offensive end for the Hornets. He knocked down an early triple and scored nine points in the opening quarter as the Hornets built a 17-8 lead. He added seven more in the second quarter while senior JT Veiking (16 points, six rebounds, four blocks) had eight points by halftime to help secure a 29-22 lead at the break.
“Not having Trevor [Foley] and Davon [Sanders] hurts us but I’m proud of this group for how we’ve handled losing them and how we’ve kept going,” McCoy said. “I think with Trevor being out, I feel like I’ve had to step up and be more of ‘the guy’ kind of role. I’m feeling confident out there.
“Now we have one more.”
The Hornets only forced five turnovers in the first half but played tough on-ball defense and held the Wolves to under 28% shooting from the field, including just two points off nine offensive rebounds.
“I thought defensively we were the one team that could match up with them,” Vaughan said. “We don’t get a lot of credit for our size because we play a lot of perimeter basketball but JT is 6’7, Chris is 6’5, and Eddie is 6’3 or 6’4. I thought all of our matchups worked and I thought if we could rebound the ball, which they were really good at, and we did that really well early. We got better at that in the third quarter and that helped us get that separation.”
Mansfield really created separation in the third quarter as it limited the Wolves to just 10 points — holding Nashoba to just two offensive boards while coming up with three forced turnovers.
Meanwhile, the Hornets’ offense just continued to break down Nashoba’s defense, both its man-to-man and 3-2 zone. Multiple passes, constant movement off the ball, backdoor cuts, and effective shooting — all key traits to Mansfield’s offense — kept Nashoba guessing.
Senior Chris Hill (10 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals) asserted himself right away, taking the first three shots of the half (after just two in the first half) and making back-to-back layups. Nashoba answered with two buckets of its own, but over the final four minutes of the quarter. Mansfield outscored the Wolves 16-6 to create its largest lead of the game.
Veiking had a traditional three-point play to start the run, and McCoy had consecutive strong takes to the rim before sinking a pair of free throws. Junior Brandon Jackman hooked up with Hill (who had eight of his 10 points in the quarter) and then Hill set up Veiking for a triple. A late layup from Hill capped the run and Mansfield staked a 49-32 lead going into the fourth.
“When we came out of the locker room, you make eye contact with a senior [Hill] that’s played with you so long…sometimes you don’t have to say anything, they just know,” Vaughan said of Hill’s big third period. “We needed a second or a third guy, we knew they’d try to take some stuff away with Eddie and that’s when Chris asserted himself which I thought were three critical possessions coming out of the half.”
McCoy hit three free throws in the first couple of minutes of the fourth and Caden Colby (five points, three rebounds) added two of his own from the line. McCoy read a Nashoba pass perfectly, picked it off, and went in for the layup as Mansfield’s lead inflated to 56-38 with just under five minutes to go.
“Newton North coach Paul Connolly once said to me about the playoffs that you need a couple of things: you need to get lucky, have talent, and then you need a guy that comes out and plays at a different level,” Vaughan said. “Eddie’s been showing little glimpses all year but he’s taking over games and doing it in the flow. He’s not forcing action, he’s not trying to do it all, he’s allowing his teammates to contribute. He’s stepped in and made big plays over and over the last couple of weeks.”
Nashoba had five straight points to get the deficit down to 16 points (56-40) but that would be the closest they’d get the rest of the way. Sophomore Nate Creedon had success at the line to keep the Hornets ahead, Veiking tacked on one final bucket, and freshman Gabe McIntyre capped the scoring with a free throw.
Mansfield boys basketball (25-2) will finish its season against the top-seeded Lancers of Malden Catholic (22-2), who is looking for its second straight state title. The game is currently scheduled for Friday at 5:30 at the Tsongas Center in Lowell.
Shorthanded Hornets Dominate Marblehead, Earn Final Four Berth
MANSFIELD, Mass. – The beat goes on for the well-oiled machine that is the Mansfield boys basketball team.
Despite being down two starters, the second-seeded Hornets dominated from start to finish in a 77-50 win over #10 Marblehead in a Division 2 Elite 8 contest.
In front of a jam-packed rambunctious crowd inside Albertini Gymnasium, the Hornets exploded out of the gate with 24 points in the first quarter and defensively, they never let the visiting Magicians get their act in order.
With the win, Mansfield advances to the Division 2 Final Four.
With junior point guard Davon Sanders (9.1 points per game) and junior defensive standout Trevor Foley (11.6 ppg) sidelined with injuries, the shorthanded Hornets didn’t miss a beat.
“I think it’s the personality of the guys on the team,” said Mansfield head coach Mike Vaughan. “They understand that the style is more important than the individual pieces. When guys buy into that, that we are the sum of the team as opposed to individuals, it’s about the sum of all of us.”
Sophomore Nate Creedon started in just his second career game at point guard while sophomore Riley Sigman entered the rotation. Both players saw limited minutes during the regular season but made an immediate impact in this one with Creedon (five points, seven assists) dishing out three assists in the opening quarter and Sigman adding a field goal in the Hornets’ big first quarter.
“We’re throwing a back cut to Riley [Sigman] in a playoff game, he was a JV player two weeks ago, a practice player for us,” Vaughan said, “That’s how much they trust the system and one another and what they are capable of. Talk about the play of Nate and Riley…if they got off the bench two weeks ago it was in a 30-point game and now they’re playing meaningful minutes in the rotation and making meaningful plays. And it’s not all stuff you see in the stat book, they both played steady and weren’t afraid of the moment.”
Junior Eddie McCoy, fresh off a career-high 31-point performance in Mansfield’s win over Salem in the previous round, set the tone early offensively as he dropped 11 of his game-high 22 points in the first quarter. It started back and forth, but Mansfield closed on a 12-2 run to create separation that the Magicians couldn’t make disappear.
McCoy had the first four points – a pair of free throws and then a strong baseline take off a feed from Creedon. Sigman converted a backdoor cut, junior Brandon Jackman came off the bench to convert in close, senior JT Veiking (21 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three blocks) scored off a feed from Creedon, and then Jackman linked up with Veiking for two more and Mansfield had an early 24-9 lead.
Mansfield quickly pushed the lead to 20 points less than two minutes into the quarter off a putback from Veiking and a three-pointer from McCoy. The final six minutes played out a bit more even as the Hornets went a little cold from distance but senior Chris Hill (eight points, 13 rebounds, five assists, two steals) found classmate Caden Colby (10 points, four assists) in the corner for a triple and a 39-20 lead at the half.
“JT played a little different in more of what we needed him to do, Caden stepped up and took on a top-level scorer and was able to keep him in check, really helped us and made them work for everything they got,” Vaughan said. “Guys that were playing 20 minutes before, they were playing 26, 27 minutes tonight and in this environment, physically and mentally, is draining. I thought everything from the environment, the community showing out, the pregame, everything was just first class. We were locked in from the start. We’ve been here before and the kids proved we belong here, and I was really proud of that.”
Mansfield’s offense picked back up in the third, outsourcing the visitors by double digits, 22-12. Creedon sandwiched a three and a field goal around a triple from McCoy, Veiking added a triple of his own, and a minute later, McCoy had another triple as the Hornets’ lead grew to 55-26 just three minutes into the third.
“It was a clinic,” Vaughan said. “I thought we were locked in yesterday [at practice]. You never know how young men will respond to a situation. We didn’t have a week to prepare for [Foley’s injury], we had one practice. The kids showed up today, they were locked in on offense, they were locked in on defense, and they really put on a clinic.”
A traditional three-point play from Colby started the fourth quarter and Mansfield’s lead — in an Elite 8 game in the state tournament – hit 30 points. The Hornets held the Magicians to 12 or fewer points in the first three quarters while Colby helped keep crafty Marblehead guard Tyrone Countrymon to 15 points (nine through three quarters).
“I think we were overwhelming on both ends of the floor for them tonight,” Vaughan said. “The defensive end, I think you can watch us on film and if you don’t get to play us, you don’t know how good we are defensively. The players are prepared to really navigate the game, and they can force guys into shots and into things out of character. We’re not trying to pitch a shutout, we just try to minimize opportunities. We can’t get away with some things in our league but out of the league, we can make it difficult for teams to score.”
Sophomore Sean McCoy dished out a pair of assists in the fourth quarter, senior Michael Creedon added to the scoring column with a strong take, and freshman Gabe McIntyre drained a three to get the Hornets to their final score.
Mansfield boys basketball (24-2) will take on Nashoba in the Final Four with a spot in the state championship on the line. The date, time, and location for the game is still to be announced.
Tuesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 03/07/23
Today’s games are listed below.
Boys Basketball
Division 1
#2 Lawrence, 67 vs. #18 Attleboro, 47 – Final – Attleboro played even with one of the state’s best for most of the first half but a small surge at the end of the half gave Lawrence a double-digit lead they held the rest of the way. Senior Justin Hanrahan had seven first quarter points and freshman Connor Houle had four as Attleboro and Lawrence were tied 13-13 after one, and the Bombardiers were down just seven as the first half was coming to a close but a turnover led to points for the Lancers, who staked a 34-23 halftime lead. Lawrence poured in 22 points in the third quarter and never let Attleboro back into the game. Sophomore Hayden Crowley had a team-high 11 points, Hanrahan finished with 10 points, and senior Jaiden Outland had seven points.
#3 Franklin, 47 vs. #14 Brockton, 56 – Final
Division 2
#2 Mansfield, 64 vs. #15 Salem, 43 – Final – After a tough close to the third quarter saw Mansfield’s double-digit lead cut down to just two possessions, Mansfield came out and slammed the door shut with a dominant fourth quarter to book their spot in the Division 2 Elite 8. Mansfield’s defense held Salem to just 17 points over the first two quarters for a 27-17 halftime lead. But the Witches closed the third strong and ended up scoring more in that quarter (19 points) than the entire second half, cutting the 10-point lead down to just five, 41-36, going into the fourth. The Hornets came out with a 9-0 run to start the fourth and never looked back, outscoring the Witches 23-7 in the last stanza. Junior Eddie McCoy had a terrific night on the offensive end, shooting over 70% from the floor (12-for-17), including six three-pointers, on his way to a career-high 31 points to lead the charge. McCoy caught fire in the fourth, hitting four of those threes and finishing with 15 points in the fourth. He also had seven steals and hauled in four rebounds. Sophomore Nate Creedon had a big night in his first start of the season with a career-high 11 points to go along with five rebounds and six assists. Senior Chris Hill hit a trio of threes and finished with 11 points, sixi boards, four assists, and two blocks. Mansfield will host #10 Marblehead (who beat #7 Pope Francis, 59-57), with the date and time to be announced.
#3 Sharon, 75 vs. #19 Burlington, 59 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game.
Girls Basketball
Division 2
#5 Foxboro, 71 vs. #12 South High, 55 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game.
Wednesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 02/22/23
Today’s games are listed below.
Boys Basketball
Attleboro, 72 vs. Bishop Feehan, 47 – Final – Bolstered by high energy defense, Attleboro found success in its transition offense and rolled past rival Bishop Feehan in its regular season finale. A 20-point first quarter set the tone for the Bombardiers, who led by six at the end of the first quarter (20-14) and at halftime (34-28). Attleboro’s offense continued to play well into the third and the defense locked up the Shamrocks, holding the hosts to nine points in the frame to pull away (52-37) going into the fourth. Jaiden Outland led the charge with a game-high 19 points, including 12 in the first quarter. Junior Neo Franco added 16 points in the win, Hayden Crowley chipped in with nine points, and Michael Beverly finished with eight points.
Mansfield, 60 vs. Archbishop Williams, 46 – Final – Click here for a photo gallery of this game – Mansfield handed Archbishop Williams its first loss of the season with a strong defensive performance, holding the Bishops to their lowest scoring output of the season by a large margin. The Hornets set the tone and the tempo in the opening quarter, holding the visitors — who have scored at least 70 points in 15 of their games — to just 10 points after eight minutes, and then just 11 more in the second quarter for a 30-21 lead at the break. Junior Eddie McCoy (five assists) led the offensive charge early as he scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half. The visitors stuck around in the third quarter before Mansfield clamped down again in the fourth to secure the win. Junior Trevor Foley had a team-high 16 points along with 10 rebounds and three blocks and senior Chris Hill finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, four steals, and two blocks, earning Roundball Classic tournament MVP honors.
Milford, 61 vs. Lexington, 56 – Final – Click here for a photo gallery of this game – Needing a win to qualify for the state tournament, Milford jumped out to an early lead and stayed in front from start to finish to beat Lexington and secure its spot in the postseason. Sophomore Andrew Rivers notched a team-high 18 points to lead the way, adding 10 boards while both freshman CJ Farrell (13 rebounds) and junior Jake Soares chipped in with 10 points apiece.
Taunton, 55 vs. New Bedford, 65 – Final
Girls Basketball
Attleboro, 74 @ Abington, 53 – Final – Attleboro jumped out to a big lead in the first quarter, extended it to 20 points by halftime, and never looked back, sweeping the season series with Abington and closing out the regular season on a three-game win streak. Lily Routhier helped the Bombardiers get off to a strong start with eight points in the first. Freshman Tia Williamson chipped in with six of her eight points in the first as well, as Attleboro led 23-10 after one. Vanessa Ellis and Kayla Goldrick took over in the second, combining for 19 of Attleboro’s 21 in the quarter to make it 44-24 going into the locker room. Abington took the third 16-12 to try and creep back into the game, but Merry Bosh (six points) hit a pair of threes and Avery James (six points) hit her second of the second half to help the Bombardiers pull away again for a comfortable win. Ellis was the game’s top scorer with 18, while Goldrick had 17, and Routhier finished with 15.
Franklin, 40 @ Wachusett, 50 – Final
Mansfield, 40 vs. Bridgewater-Raynham, 43 – Final – Mansfield rallied in the third quarter to tioe the game heading to the final eight minutes, but the Hornets only scored seven points in the fourth and dropped a close game against a D1 title contender in the final of the Roundball Classic. The Trojans got off to a strong start with their outside shooting, burying five three-pointers in the first to jump out to a 17-8 lead. Mansfield closed the gap in the second behind five points from Abby Wager and a strong defensive performance. That continued in the third, as the Hornets outscored BR 14-8 to make it 33-33 going to the fourth. Natalya Gill had four points in the third and Ella Palanza added three. Wager would score four points in the final quarter, finishing with 12 on the night and moving within 19 points of 1,000 for her career, but Mansfield couldn’t find enough offense to pull out the win. Palanza scored eight, Gill had seven, and Bridget Hanley added six points in the loss.
Taunton, 52 @ New Bedford, 69 – Final
King Philip, 44 vs. Newton North, 61 – Final – KP was within six points with six minutes remaining, but a late Newton North run broke the game open to avoid the upset bid. Both teams started strong offensively, with the Tigers winning the first 22-16. Kylie Watson scored all nine of her points in the first to keep the Warriors close. Things slowed down considerably as the teams scored seven points apiece in the second and KP help the Tigers to just nine points in the third to slice the deficit in half heading to the fourth. Emily Sawyer sparked KP in the third, scoring nine of her team-high 15. In the final quarter, KP got three-pointers from Leah Santoro, Kaelyn Clancy, and Jackie Bonner, but the Tigers turned it on, scoring 23 points to seal the win. Bonner would also get into double figures, hitting a three in each quarter and finishing with 12 points.
Boys Hockey
Attleboro vs. Diman, 5:00
Franklin, 1 @ St. John’s Prep, 5 – Final
King Philip, 1 vs. Natick, 2 – Final
Mansfield, 3 vs. Silver Lake, 2 – Final
North Attleboro vs. Westwood, 7:30
Girls Hockey
Hockomock Stars, 3 @ Walpole, 7 – Final
Monday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 02/20/23
Today’s games are listed below.
Boys Basketball
Attleboro, 44 @ Durfee, 58 – Final – Attleboro only trailed by four at halftime but the Bombardiers couldn’t quite get the offense in gear as the Hilltoppers pulled away in the second half. Jaiden Outland led the visitors with eight points while sophomore Dante Monestime and freshman Connor Houle each had seven points.
Canton, 47 vs. Wakefield, 48 – Final – Canton tightened up defensively to build a lead going into the fourth quarter but the Bulldogs’ offense went cold and a late three from Wakefield proved to be the difference. Canton trailed after one quarter, rallied to to it by halftime, and then held the visitors to just six points in the third to stake a 38-29 lead going into the fourth. Junior Lucas Massih sank four three-pointers for the Bulldogs, including three in the third to finish with a team-high 12 points. Jeremiah Predin and Kareem Porter each had 11 points for the shorthanded Bulldogs.
Foxboro, 56 vs. Dighton-Rehoboth, 33 – Final – Foxboro exploded for 40 points in the first half and used suffocating defense to deny Dighton-Rehoboth in the first round of the Warrior Classic. Senior Alex Penders scored eight of his 12 points in the opening quarter and both Ryan LeClair and Sam Golub had five points as the Warriors staked an 18-3 lead after eight minutes. Ryan Kelley hit two threes and had eight of his team-high 13 points in the second while Ryan Cotter drained three triples and had 11 of his points in the second to give Foxboro a 40-10 lead at halftime.
King Philip, 64 vs. Hanover, 72 – Final – King Philip had a great start with 26 points in the first quarter but Hanover rallied to take the lead going into the fourth and finished off the win. Five different Warriors contributed to the strong start as Will Laplante had 11 of his 20 points in the fame, Tommy McLeish hit two three-poitners, and Grant Kinney, Tommy Martorano, and Tommy Kilroy all had field goals as KP staked a 26-20 lead. Martorano, McLeish, and Laplante all had a three in the second as the lead settled at 42-37 at halftime. Hanover used a strong third quarter to take the lead and then scored 21 points in the fourth to finish it off. Kinney and McLeish each added 10 points while Martorano had nine points.
Mansfield, 71 vs. Hingham, 55 – Final – Hingham battled back to make it a game at halftime but Mansfield dominated the third quarter and never looked back in a big win over the visiting Harbormen. Mansfield opened the second quarter on 9-2 run to build a double-digit lead but Hingham closed the half out strong to get within 33-24. An 11-3 surge to start the second half restored Mansfield’s big lead and the Hornets rattled off a 10-3 run right after. The Hornets had seven players score in the pivotal third quarter as Caden Colby (12 points, five rebounds, four assists) drilled a pair of threes, Chris Hill (nine points, nine rebounds, two steals) added five points, JT Veiking (15 points) had four points, Davon Sanders and Eddie McCoy (12 points, five rebound, three assists) each had a three, and Brandon Jackman and Trevor Foley (10 points, seven rebounds, two steals) each had two points.
Milford vs. Hampden Charter West – Milford wins via forfeit.
North Attleboro, 49 @ Weymouth, 58 – Final – North Attleboro got off to another strong start with a 22-point first quarter and had a double-digit lead on playoff-bound Weymouth but the host Wildcats clawed their way back into the game and won the fourth quarter to win the game. Senior Givany Carney hit a trio of threes and led the Rocketeers with a team-high 17 points while sophomore Jonnie Obuchowski hit four three-pointers on his way to a career-high 16 points.
Sharon, 84 vs. Walpole, 62 – Final – Sharon junior Jacob McLoughlin caught fire early as he sank four three-pointers in the opening quarter and Matt Baur (19 points) and Tyler Goodman (10 points) each added one more as the Eagles staked a 21-15 lead after the first. The first was a sign of things to come as the Eagles continued to find success on the offensive end, claiming a 39-29 lead at halftime. McLoughlin got it going in the third with 10 more on his way to a career-high 29 points. Dante James and Goodman each had a pair if buckets while Nate Katznelson scored five of his 13 points to keep Sharon ahead, 64-45, going into the fourth.
Girls Basketball
Attleboro, 62 vs. Durfee, 31 – Final – Attleboro lost the first meeting with the Hilltoppers by 20, but put together a complete performance at home on Monday and doubled up Durfee. The visitors led 10-9 after one and Attleboro went into the locker room up just 23-18, but the Bombardiers outscored the visitors 39-13 in the second half to earn the big win over another D1 playoff contender. Kayla Goldrick and Vanessa Ellis each scored 17 points to lead the hosts. Goldrick scored nine in the first half and then eight during the big third quarter run. Ellis scored six in the second and seven more in the third to put Attleboro well in front. Liy Routhier added 14 points, including 13 in the second half. Avery James chipped in with seven points.
Canton, 18 @ Westwood, 49 – Final
Foxboro, 56 vs. Tewksbury, 36 – Final – Foxboro put in a strong defensive performance and pulled away late to advance to the final of the Warrior Classic. Addie Ruter led the way for the Warriors with 18 points, while Camryn Collins and Kailey Sullivan finished with 15 points apiece. Foxboro will face Brookline in the regular season finale on Tuesday afternoon.
Mansfield, 57 vs. Westford Academy, 41 – Final – Abby Wager scored 30 points for the second time in the last week and the Hornets held Westford to just 16 points in the second half to book a place in the final of the Roundball Classic. Wager was on fire from the opening tip, burying a pair of threes and scoring 14 points in the first to lead Mansfield to a 21-14 advantage. She added another five points in the second and Hallie Popat drilled a three to make it 35-25 going into the locker room. The visitors would cut one point off the lead in the third, as Mansfield was held to just eight points, including five from Wager and another three from Popat. The Hornets would double up Westford in the fourth (14-7) to seal the win. Wager scored six more to cap off her night and Ella Palanza added all five of her points in the fourth. Bridget Hanley added seven point for the Hornets, who will face Bridgewater-Raynham (which is in the top 10 in the D1 power rankings) on Wednesday.
King Philip, 48 vs. Quincy, 62 – Final – KP closed the gap to just three points heading to the fourth quarter, but Quincy would outscore the Warriors 22-11 in the final frame to secure a win in the Norwell Invitational. Emily Sawyer would lead KP with 16 points, including 10 in the second half. Jackie Bonner and Kaelyn Clancy each knocked down three from beyond the arc. Bonner finished with 12 points overall and Clancy had nine, including six points in KP’s third quarter rally. Maddie Paschke added six in the loss. KP will face Newton North in the consolation round on Wednesday.
Oliver Ames, 58 vs. Malden Catholic, 41 – Final – With a big fourth quarter to break the game open, OA clinched the title at the Spartan Classic. The Tigers led 14-10 after one and extended the lead to seven at the break. The third quarter was even, but then OA exploded for 19 points in the final eight minutes to put the game out of reach against one of the top 10 teams in the D4 power rankings. Katherine Farley scored six points, Kaydance Derba had five, and Maeve Horsman added four in the fourth quarter to help seal the win. Farley would finish with a career-high 13, including nine in the second half. Avery Gamble added a dozen points and Kamryn Derba and Horsman each finished with nine. Maddie Homer scored eight and Kaydance Derba seven in the victory. OA heads into the state tournament having won six of its final eight games.
Boys Hockey
Franklin, 5 @ St. John’s Shrewsbury, 4 – Final (OT) – After going back-and-forth for three periods, Franklin’s Logan Marchand deposited a quick wrist shot on a breakaway bid in overtime to hand the Panthers an impressive 5-4 win over St. John’s Shrewsbury, who was ranked #10 in Division 1 in the latest rankings. Anthony Lampasona scored less than a minute into the second to tie the game 1-1, and then scored again on the power play for a 2-1 lead. After SJS tied it, Ben Paterson redirected a shot from Liam O’Rielly to go back in front. The Pioneers regained the lead just over six minutes into the third but this time it was Carter Balducci that found the equalizer at 7:18 of the third.
King Philip, 5 vs. Mansfield, 4 – Final (OT)
North Attleboro, 1 @ Walpole, 7 – Final
Oliver Ames, 2 vs. Westwood, 4 – Final
Taunton, 1 @ Somerset Berkley, 6 – Final
Girls Hockey
Canton, 2 @ Algonquin, 1 – Final
King Philip, 1 vs. Bishop Feehan, 2 – Final
Friday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 02/17/23
Today’s games are listed below.
Boys Basketball
North Attleboro, 45 @ Attleboro, 56 – Final – North Attleboro senior Derek Maceda poured in 12 of his 16 points in the third quarter and North Attleboro scored 19 in the frame to cut the deficit to single digits, but Attleboro kept the visitors at bay in the fourth to secure the win. The Bombardiers built a 29-15 lead at halftime but Maceda helped orchestrate a comeback attempt, hitting a three at the buzzer to pull the Rocketeers within 43-34 going into the fourth. Attleboro senior Justin Hanrahan opened the fourth with five straight points — two free throws and a traditional three-point play — to restore the Bombardiers’ double-digit advantage and they held it the rest of the way. Jaiden Outland had a team-high 12 points, Hanrahan added 10 points, and Michael Beverly chipped in with nine points. Sophomore Chase Frisoli added 14 points for the Rocketeers.
Canton, 39 @ Mansfield, 61 – Final – Mansfield and Canton were level after the first eight minutes but the Hornets went on to outscore the visitors in each of the final three quarters to run away with a 61-39 win over the Bulldogs, clinching the Davenport division title outright. After going back-and-forth, the teams were tied 14-14 after one but Mansfield had a big second quarter with JT Veiking (18 points, 5 rebounds) sinking a pair of threes and Eddie McCoy (13 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) adding a triple of his own to push the lead to 32-20 at half. Chris Hill added 10 points for the Hornets. Caden Mirliani had a team-high 12 points for Canton.
Foxboro, 52 @ Oliver Ames, 31 – Final – Click here for a Photo Gallery from this game. – Foxboro set the tone early with its defensive effort and had a consistent performance on the offensive end to win its final league game of the year, pulling into a tie in third place of the Davenport division with Canton. The Warriors limited OA to just six points in each of the first three quarters with disciplined defense and good rebounding. Foxboro senior Alex Penders dominated on both ends with a game-high 24 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks, and four assists to lead the way for the Warriors. Rayna Kelley added nine points and four rebounds. Sophomore Cole Craffey led OA with eight points and four rebounds.
Franklin, 63 @ Milford, 53 – Final – Franklin clicked into gear in the third quarter and then pulled away for good in the fourth against a resilient Milford squad. The Hawks had a one-point lead after the first but Franklin had six players contribute to the scoring in the second and went 9-for-10 from the line in the period to stake a 27-23 halftime lead. Hansy Jacques had his best game of the year for the Panthers as the junior erupted for nine of his career-high 16 points in the third quarter and senior Geino Scaringello hit a pair of threes as Franklin extended its lead to 45-34 going into the fourth. Franklin junior Sean O’Leary finished the game strong, scoring 12 of his team-high 17 points in the fourth, going 7-for-10 from the line overall in the game. Milford sophomore Andrew Rivera had a team-high 13 points and eight rebounds, senior Wyatt Zagami added 11 points, and sophomore Luca Testa finished with 10 points for the Hawks.
King Philip, 57 @ Taunton, 71 – Final – It was a tale of two halves as Taunton flipped the script on visiting King Philip by erasing a double-digit deficit at the break and running away with a 71-56 win. Grant Kinney, Tommy McLeish, Tommy Kilroy, and Trevor Clyde each connected for a three in an 18-point third quarter that saw the Warriors surge ahead 33-23 at halftime. Taunton freshman Jakari Innocent flipped a switch in the second half as he scored 20 of his career-high 22 points after the break, including 11 in the third quarter to jumpstart the Tigers’ offense. Junior Troy Santos added six in the frame and had 17 of his 22 points in the second half. Al Morisseau added 10 points and Chris Volcy chipped in with nine points for Taunton, which scored 21 points in the third and 27 points in the fourth quarter, going 13-for-19 from the line. Tommy Martorano and Kilroy each had 11 points for KP while Brandon Nicastro finished with 10 points.
Sharon, 75 @ Stoughton, 73 – Final (OT) – Sharon erased a four-point deficit with under 20 seconds to go to force overtime and then outlasted the Black Knights in the four-minute extra period to secure the win on the road over an upset-minded Stoughton squad. Jayden Costa-Haywood (20 points) sank a pair of free throws to push Stoughton’s lead to 67-63 but a foul sent Matt Baur (22 points) to the line, and his two free throws cut the deficit in half with 17 seconds to go. The Eagles were able to trap with the press and pick off a pass, which led to a floater from Baur taking a kind bounce and in with two seconds left to make it 67-67. Baur opened the overtime with a triple and Jacob McLoughlin (17 points) added a free throw to push the lead to four. After Stoughton got it back to three off a free throw from Jarred Daughtry, McLoughlin had a traditional three-point play with two minutes to go to make it 74-68. Costa-Haywood answered on the other end with a three-point play of his own to cut the deficit in half. Daughtry hit two more to make it a one-point game at 74-73 with 43.1 seconds to play, and Stoughton had a shot in the air to take the lead but it was off the mark and a Tyler Goodman free throw with 1.5 seconds left iced it. Nate Katznelson added 12 points for the Eagles. Matt Greenspoon scored 16 points for Stoughton while Obi Dike added 11 points and Anthony Alessi chipped in with 10 points.
Girls Basketball
Attleboro, 65 @ North Attleboro, 36 – Final – The Bombardiers scored 20-plus points in the first and third quarters to pull away for a big bounce back win. Eight players got on the score sheet for Attleboro in the win. It was a quick start for the visitors, as Kayla Goldrick and Avery James each scored six points and Lily Routhier added four in a 20-11 quarter. Ava McKeon tried to keep North in the game with seven of her team-high 15 in the opening quarter. Attleboro scored 14 in the second, while holding North to just six. Vanessa Ellis was held scoreless for the first half, but she got things going with nine points in the third and then added another eight in the fourth to finish with a game-high 17. The Rocketeers tried battle back in the fourth with 17 points as a team, including six more from McKeon and all five of Ella McLaughlin’s points in the game. Goldrick would finish with 12 points, Routhier would have nine, and James scored eight. Sam Sweeney added 10 points for the Rocketeers.
Mansfield, 47 @ Canton, 33 – Final – Mansfield put in a strong defensive performance to secure a home win in the Hockomock finale. The Hornets didn’t allow Canton to reach double digits in the first three quarters and opened up an 18-point lead. The visitors jumped out to a 16-9 lead after one and doubled up Canton 12-6 in the second to make it a double-digit game at halftime. Abby Wager, Kara Santos, and Hallie Popat combined for 19 points in the first half. Wager would go on to score eight of Mansfield’s 10 points in the third and the Hornets held Canton to just five to break the game open. The Bulldogs had their best offensive quarter in the fourth, scoring 11 points, including four from Erin Beatty and Emily McCabe’s second three of the night. Wager led all scorers with 14, while Santos finished with 10 and Popat added eight. Fatima Sidibay was Canton’s top scorer with seven points, while Beatty and McCabe each totaled six.
Oliver Ames, 52 @ Foxboro, 58 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game.
Milford, 24 @ Franklin, 58 – Final – Franklin had 13 different scorers, none with more than eight points, to close out the league campaign with a big win. The Panthers held Milford to just nine points in the first half, going into the locker room with a 24-point lead. Katie Peterson scored all eight of her points in the first quarter, as the Panthers scored 24 in the opening eight minutes. The Hawks would play even in the third, as Brooke Ferreira scored eight of Milford’s 10 points. She finished with a dozen on the night. Franklin’s depth was too much. The Panthers got contributions up and down the roster. Norah MacCallum scored seven, while Elle Bonacci and Kyra McSweeney each chipped in with six. Aliza Syed had five points for the Hawks, all in the first quarter.
Taunton, 38 @ King Philip, 56 – Final – Emily Sawyer exploded for 16 points in the fourth quarter and had a career-high 34 points, powering KP to a bounce back win in the final home game of the regular season. Jackie Bonner chipped in with 14 points and four threes for the Warriors. KP grabbed the lead in the first, as Sawyer and Maddie Paschke each scored four and Bonner knocked down her first triple. The Warriors extended the lead to 25-18 at halftime, as Sawyer and Bonner had all 11 of KP’s points in the second. Cali Melo kept the Tigers close with 10 of her team-high 16 in the opening half. Sawyer and Bonner had all of KP’s points in the third quarter as well, combining for 14 to add another six points to the lead. In the fourth, the Warriors continued to feed Sawyer in the post and the 6-foot-3 center, and league’s leading scorer, had 16 of KP’s 17 points to put the game out of reach. Paschke added her fifth point of the night in the fourth. Taryn Campbell added seven points and eighth grader Raya Horton chipped in with six for the Tigers.
Stoughton, 56 @ Sharon, 59 – Final – Rachael Hager nailed the game-winning three, one of several big plays she made down the stretch, to lift the Eagles to a sweep of the season series. Hager finished with 16 points. Jasmine Davis continued to dominate in the paint, scoring a game-high 26 points for Sharon. Kirsten McKay was Stoughton’s top scorer with 15 points and grabbed four boards. Raina Tat continued her run of double-digit games, scoring 12 points, while Leah McCarty had eight points and four rebounds and Katrina Varnum scored seven and grabbed a dozen boards.
Boys Hockey
Taunton, 6 @ Everett/Revere, 2 – Final
Girls Hockey
Canton, 2 vs. Norwood, 1 – Final – Ellie Bohane scored the game-winner with 40 seconds left in regulation to earn the Bulldogs a big win against another Div. 2 title contender. Audrey Koen scored Canton’s first goal before Bohane popped up with the late winner to extend the Bulldogs’ unbeaten streak to 11 games (7-0-4).
Sharon Survives Mansfield Rally For A Season Sweep
SHARON, Mass. — Over the past decade-plus, countless teams in the Hockomock League and beyond have fallen prey to Mansfield’s signature fourth quarter runs.
This year’s Sharon boys basketball team isn’t one of them.
The Eagles survived a one of those runs inside a furious fourth quarter comeback bid from the visiting Hornets to hold on for a 66-61 win to complete an impressive season sweep.
Sharon’s once comfortable 17-point lead to start the final frame turned into anything but as Mansfield came out with a renewed energy to the tune of a 12-0 run to make it 55-50. Sharon senior Dante James answered with a triple to stem the tide, but it was only momentarily as the Hornets kept clawing back.
Chris Hill drilled a three and Trevor Foley’s monster block led to a steal from Davon Sanders but the Eagles’ defense got back-to-back-to-back stops and on a night where he was the best player on the floor, Sharon junior Jacob McLoughlin (career-high 27 points) delivered one of the biggest shots of the game with a corner three for a 61-53 lead with 2:20 to go.
Caden Colby wrestled his way to a putback and two free throws from Sanders (17 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals) cut the lead back to four before Nate Katznelson hit one from the line himself to make it 62-57 with just over a minute left. Foley (15 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals) had a strong take to the rim at the end of the shot clock to cut the deficit to three and Mansfield got the ball back down just three. The Hornets got off a three from the corner but it was off the mark.
McLoughlin went 4-for-4 from the line in the final 15 seconds to seal the win.
“We preach mental toughness all the time,” said Sharon head coach Andrew Ferguson. “We said in the locker room that in the second half they would come out with all they’ve got, especially after what happened last time. We knew we’d be getting their best effort. We had to just get guys in the right position and just having really good players that can execute the plan.”
Mansfield put up more points in the fourth quarter than it had in the second and third quarters combined but fell just short of completing the comeback.
“We had a lot more fight in that fourth quarter,” said Mansfield head coach Mike Vaughan of what was different in the last eight minutes. “We had our backs against the wall and we are a team that doesn’t lose a lot so the kids responded. I think if we were able to limit it more in the third, it kind of cost us and it ended up being too big of a hole to climb out of.”
Sharon had its big lead going into the fourth because of its offensive execution in the first and third periods. McLoughlin set the tone right out of the gate by hitting his first six shots from the floor, including a trio of three-pointers. He finished with 15 points in the first eight minutes and his only miss from the floor was a desperation three before the buzzer. James (18 points, 7 rebounds), Tyler Goodman, and Matt Baur added baskets and the Eagles landed the first punch in the form of a 24-point first quarter.
“In previous years, we’ve been down double digits before we wake up,” Ferguson said. “To be able to attack them early in our gym, get the crowd into it…our crowd has been fantastic all year. We were able to get them involved early with that big first quarter.
“I don’t think there are any better point guards in this league than Jacob McLoughlin. When he has the scoring opportunities, he will have nights like tonight. He’s had double-digit assist games, his defense is so good, and his on-ball stuff forces teams out of things they want to do. He’s been struggling shooting the ball the last couple of games so seeing that first one go in certainly built some confidence in him.”
Mansfield tightened up defensive in the second as the Eagles only had half of the production in the second quarter, but their physical defense prevented the visitors from finding a rhythm on the offensive end.
The Hornets tried to exploit Sharon’s aggressive, physical defense and ended up with 19 first half free throw attempts (12 in the second quarter) but they weren’t able to cut into the deficit and trailed 36-29 at halftime.
“McLoughlin shot the ball really well tonight and that was a big difference,” Vaughan said. “He’s an elite level player in our league and obviously those players make big plays in big games. It doesn’t get much better than this for a high school game, it was an old-fashioned fight. I can’t be more proud of my guys to respond and come back at the level they did. We had a shot in the corner that would have tied it. We have to take some lessons about how we played in the fourth and apply that going forward.
“We were trying to move more than we did the first game but it’s hard with two styles of play. We’re a finesse team that wants to run our action. It’s no secret teams try to be physical with us. When you don’t get a consistent whistle, you have to adjust and I thought we did that in the fourth. And I thought throughout the game we got some shots in the scheme we were running, they just didn’t fall. You have to play through the physical play and when you have a shot, you have to knock it down.”
Sharon’s defense held Mansfield to just three points in the first three minutes of the third, a free throw from Eddie McCoy and a putback from Hill (17 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks). Katznelson drilled a three and Ryan Brown sank one of his own on a quick catch and release from the corner. Two more from James gave Sharon its biggest lead to that point at 46-32.
“We mixed between our man and our 1-3-1 zone defense, and I think we’re still pretty physical when we play in the zone,” Ferguson said. “They hurt us rebounding when we were in that zone so we had to play a little more man-to-man. We want to play aggressive defense, aggressive man-to-man defense, and our help and our secondary help was excellent tonight. That allowed us to be more physical too.”
Defense was the catalyst for Mansfield’s rally in the fourth quarter. Colby dove onto a loose ball for a steal that led to two points from Foley, and then Foley had an incredible stretch with three consecutive steals, all leading to points on the other end. Hill converted his own miss to make it 55-50 with just under five minutes left.
“I was talking to one of their assistants before the game and I asked, ‘how do you guys prepare knowing you’re getting everyone’s best every single night?’ He said it’s better than the alternative,” Ferguson said of playing Mansfield. “Mike does such a good job, from freshman right through varsity, they are so efficient in how they run things. It’s a program we’re emulating and we’re trying to be like them because they’ve been the standard.”
While the Eagles became just the third team since the Hock split into two divisions to earn a two-game season sweep of the Hornets (Franklin in 2012, Taunton in 2022), the Hornets still have control of the Davenport division. If the Hornets win out, they’ll win their first Davenport title in their first season in the division.
“This is a good learning lesson for us,” Vaughan said. “We don’t set goals to beat individual teams, we don’t circle specific teams, we never have. We want to win the league and we still control our own destiny. When you put it in perspective, our goals are still intact. Winning the league is a big goal of ours, and no matter how we got here, it doesn’t matter to us, we want to win the league.”
Sharon boys basketball (11-3 Hockomock, 13-3) will look to stay in contention for the division crown with a trip to rival Oliver Ames on Tuesday. Mansfield (12-2, 17-2) is also on the road with a trip to Stoughton on tap.
Tuesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 02/07/23
Today’s games are listed below.
Boys Basketball
Attleboro, 69 @ King Philip, 66 – Final (OT) – Attleboro junior Neo Franco exploded for a career-high 38 points, including a clutch three-pointer with under a minute to go in overtime to help the Bombardiers return home with a hard-fought win over King Philip. A layup from KP sophomore Tommy McLeish gave the Warriors a 65-63 lead but Franco took an extra pass from freshman Connor Houle and sank a three from the corner to give Attleboro a 66-65 lead with 49.1 seconds to play. Franco and KP’s Tommy Martorano each hit a free throw before Attleboro sophomore Hayden Crowley hit two from the line with 7.5 seconds left. KP got off a look before the buzzer to tie it but it was off the mark. Franco had a quiet first quarter (two points) but got it going with a trio of triples in the second and had 15 points at half. After just one three in the third, he scored 20 points between the second half and overtime to lead Attleboro to the win. Crowley finished with 10 points and Justin Hanrahan hit three three-pointers in the third, helping Attleboro turn a 26-25 halftime deficit into a 42-39 lead going into the fourth. KP senior Will Laplante scored 10 of his team-high 17 points in the fourth quarter, Martorano finished with 15 points, and senior Grant Kinney had 12.
Stoughton, 51 @ Canton, 63 – Final – Canton juniors Zaza Francoeur and Jeremiah Predin combined for eight of Canton’s 11 made three-pointers and the Bulldogs pulled away in the second half for a win over neighboring Stoughton. Francoeur hit five threes on his way to a career-high 23 points while Predin had three triples and finished with 13 points. Canton staked a 34-28 lead at halftime and doubled up on the Black Knights (14-7) in the third to create a double-digit advantage. Stoughton senior Obi Dike dropped a career-high 24 points and grabbed six rebounds.
Foxboro, 64 @ Sharon, 68 – Final – Sharon senior Dante James had a key three-point play with under a minute to go and finished with a team-high 21 points to help the Eagles land another close win over Foxboro. The visiting Warriors led at each of the first two quarters, 15-12 after one and 32-28 at halftime. Junior Jacob McLoughlin scored half of his 18 points in the third, Matt Baur and James each had four, Tyler Goodman added a three, and Nate Katznelson and Sam Letendre chipped in points from the free throw line to help Sharon pull even, 50-50, going into the fourth. The Eagles were limited to just two field goals in the fourth, including James’ big one on a leak out on an inbounds play, but also went 14-for-15 from the line in the final eight minutes to ice the win. Foxboro senior Alex Penders had a team-high 20 points while Sam Golub chipped in with 12 points for the Warriors.
Franklin, 75 @ Taunton, 50 – Final – Taunton didn’t have an answer for Franklin’s Sean O’Leary as the junior erupted for a career-high 35 points to lead the Panthers to a win on the road. The win clinches the Kelley-Rex division title for Franklin, the first since 2016. O’Leary hit 16 shots from the floor — 14 from two-point range and a pair of threes — and had just one free throw to finish with 35 points. He scored nine in the first, 11 in the second, six in the third, and nine more in the fourth quarter. Franklin increased its lead throughout the game leading 11-8 after one and 32-24 at halftime. An 18-point third quarter extended the lead and Franklin closed strong with 25 points in the fourth. Justin Allen hit four threes and finished with 14 points to go along with 13 rebounds, and Andrew O’Neill added 11 points for the Panthers. Troy Santos led Taunton with 16 points, Chris Perault added 15 points, and Jakari Innocent finished with 11 points.
Mansfield, 74 @ Oliver Ames, 60 – Final – The Hornets built a big lead early but needed a dominant fourth quarter to shake an upset-minded Oliver Ames squad. Mansfield opened the game on a 12-0 run and had a 28-11 advantage after a quarter, but the Tigers clawed back into it and got within five (42-37) at the break. A three-pointer from Davon Sanders late in the third quarter handed the Hornets a 59-50 lead going into the fourth and Mansfield pulled away for the win. Sanders finished with a career-high 24 points along with six rebounds, Eddie McCoy added 12 points and five assists, and Chris Hill chipped in with 12 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two blocks. OA sophomore Cole Craffey caught fire in the second, hitting four of his seven threes in the period while Jake Willard added two more and Jacob Lok sank one, resulting in a 26-point quarter from OA. Craffey finished with a career-high 28 points while freshman Soren Lolonga added 10 points.
Milford, 63 @ North Attleboro, 56 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game.
Girls Basketball
King Philip, 48 @ Attleboro, 61 – Final – Attleboro outscored KP 15-7 in the fourth quarter, turning a five-point game into a double digit win and keeping the Bombardiers one back of Franklin in the league standings. The hosts jumped out to a 10-point lead after one. Lily Routhier scored eight of her 11 points in the opening quarter and Kayla Goldrick added five more. Maddie Paschke scored eight points in the first for KP, but the Warriors found themselves down 23-13. The Warriors closed the gap in the second with Kaelyn Clancy knocking down a pair of threes and the Warriors outscoring Attleboro 14-8. The third quarter was nearly even, as Attleboro added one point to its advantage. In the fourth, Attleboro got a spark from Rylie Camacho, who just returned from injury and scored six of her eight points in the final frame. Goldrick led all scorers with 17, while Avery James added 10 and Vanessa Ellis scored eight. Attleboro made six threes as a team. Paschke was KP’s top scorer with 13. Emily Sawyer scored 10, Clancy had a career-high 11, and Jackie Bonner had six points. KP hit seven threes as a team in the loss.
Canton, 23 @ Stoughton, 29 – Final – Raina Tat scored 11 points to help Stoughton pull out a defensive struggle against Canton. Tat added four rebounds and three steals for the Black Knights. Leah McCarty added eight points and four boards and Kirsten McKay had six points for Stoughton. Katrina Varnum chipped in with 10 rebounds and a pair of steals.
Sharon, 43 @ Foxboro, 72 – Final – Kailey Sullivan had another big game for the Warriors, scoring 23 points, and Foxboro remains unbeaten in league play. Camryn Collins added 17 points, Erin Foley scored 14, and Addie Ruter had 10 in another balanced attack for the Davenport division champions.
Taunton, 32 @ Franklin, 57 – Final – Caelyn Leonard scored a career-high 21 points and Franklin turned up its defensive pressure over the final three quarters to earn the big win and stay one game in front of Attleboro in the Kelley-Rex title race. The game was tied at 13 apiece after the first quarter. Leonard got off to a quick start, scoring seven points, while Cali Melo paced the Tigers with five points over the first eight minutes. Franklin broke things open in the second, outscoring Taunton 19-7. In the third, the Panthers were even tougher on defense, holding Taunton to just four points. Leonard came up big again, scoring eight of Franklin’s 16 in the quarter, as they made it a 24-point lead heading to the fourth. Lizzie Newman scored 10 points and Katie Peterson had eight for the Panthers. Melo led Taunton with eight, while Chelsea Bousquet and Tarynn Campbell each scored seven.
Oliver Ames, 45 @ Mansfield, 57 – Final – The Hornets scored 32 points in the second half to turn a one-point halftime lead into a 12-point win, ending a two-game losing streak and keeping Mansfield in second place in the Davenport. Mansfield’s Abby Wager scored 18 points in the second half, on her way to a game-high 29. Wager opened the game with six points to help the Hornets take an 11-9 lead. Sarah Hilliard had five points to help OA stay within two. The Tigers cut the lead in half in the second, as Kaydance Derba buried a pair of threes and Avery Gamble added three more points. Kara Santos had seven in the frame for Mansfield and Wager had five. Wager caught fire in the third, hitting a pair of threes and scoring 10 of Mansfield’s 16 points. Wager added eight more in the fourth, half of Mansfield’s total, and Olivia Salisbury went 3-for-3 at the line to put the game away. Santos scored 16 and Ella Palanza chipped in with six. Kamryn Derba had 13 of her team-high 18 and Gamble had eight of her 11 in the second half to try and keep the Tigers close. Hilliard and Kaydance Derba each finished with seven points.
North Attleboro, 47 @ Milford, 43 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game.
Boys Hockey
King Philip @ Arlington Catholic, 8:30 (@ Ed Burns Arena)
Girls Hockey
Franklin, 4 vs. Leominster, 1 – Final