02/02/2017

Friday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 02/03/17

Today’s games are listed below.

Boys Basketball
Attleboro, 61 @ King Philip, 58 – Final – Attleboro sophomore completed a traditional three point play with 14 seconds left in the game to give the Bombardiers a 59-58 lead and Jake Dunkley and Andrew Milliken each hit a free throw in the waning moments to earn the win. The Bombardiers rallied from a 20-point deficit in the first half to get the win. Dunkley finished with 14 points, Milliken had 10 and Victor chipped in with 10 points.

Canton, 34 @ North Attleboro, 59 – Final – North Attleboro scored 17 points in the first quarter while holding the Bulldogs to just six and never looked back, snapping a three-game losing streak. “I’m proud of how are kids played tonight,” relayed North coach Sean Mulkerrins. “We weren’t happy with how we played Wednesday so this was important. We challenged our kids to play with more passion tonight. If we continue to play hard on defense and smart on offense we know the results will take care of themselves.” Senior Brent Doherty scored a game-high 17 points while hauling in seven rebounds and classmate Jonny Friberg dropped 16 points and had 14 rebounds. Thomas Reynolds chipped in with 11 points for Big Red. Canton’s Tony Harris and Paul Corcoran each scored seven points.

Foxboro, 67 @ Sharon, 54 – Final – Foxboro erased a first quarter double digit deficit to get within a point at halftime (33-32) and then used a 10-0 to begin the second half. The Warriors went on to win the second half 35-21. Sharon built a 19-5 lead in the first quarter, taking a 21-11 lead after eight minutes. But Foxboro clawed back to get within one by halftime. Junior Joe Morrison and senior Andrew Block each scored 14 points for the Warriors while Mark Clagg added 12 points, Jamaine Few had 11 points and freshman Brandon Borde chipped in with nine points. Sharon junior Malik Lorquet had a game-high 16 points while senior Ricardo Ripley finished with 14 points.

Franklin, 64 @ Oliver Ames, 52 – Final – Click here for a recap from this game.

Mansfield, 80 @ Taunton, 72 – Final – Mansfield senior Sam Goldberg scored 18 of his career-high 30 points in the first half and the Hornets held off a late surge from the Tigers to get the win. The Hornets built an early 15 point lead by Taunton battled to get within four (42-38) at halftime. The Tigers used a 6-0 run to start the second half to take the lead but Mansfield took a 59-58 lead into the fourth quarter. Taunton’s Tommy MacLean (14 points) drained a three with just over four minutes to go to bring Taunton with three at 68-65, but Mansfield responded with seven points to extend the lead to 10 with just over two minutes to play. Christian Weber also scored a career-high for the Hornets, netting 23 points including 10 in the final quarter. Taunton freshman Dante Law and sophomore Lou Vendrell each had 15 points for the Tigers while junior Malik Charles had 12 points.

Stoughton, 47 @ Milford, 67 – Final – Milford got off to a strong start and never looked back. Senior Zack Tamagni netted a career-high, dropping 26 points in the win, Shane Cosquete added 11 points and Kayden Kelley notched another double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Stoughton senior Matt Valle scored a career-high 17 points for the Black Knights.

Girls Basketball
Attleboro, 57 @ King Philip, 41 – Final

Canton, 37 @ North Attleboro, 56 – Final – Caroline Collard scored a team-high 11 points for North, while Julia Feid chipped in with 10. Hannah Jerrier was the top scorer for the Bulldogs with a game-high 19.

Foxboro, 65 @ Sharon, 28 – Final _ Ashley Sampson continued her strong week for the Warriors with a game-high 20 points.

Franklin, 59 @ Oliver Ames, 48 – Final – Click here for a recap from this game.

Mansfield, 62 @ Taunton, 32 – Final – Jen Peel was the top scorer for the Hornets with 16 points and also dished out seven assists. Meg Hill also had a strong game for Mansfield with 12 points and nine rebounds. Alexa White led the Tigers with eight points and eighth grader Sonya Fernandez added seven.

Stoughton, 24 @ Milford, 55 – Final – Kate Irwin paced the Hawks to a big division win with 23 points. Senior Nicole Dahlgren added 16 for Milford, which moves back to .500 in the league and within one win of tournament qualification.

Hockey
Taunton, 1 @ Dartmouth, 6 – Final

Boys Swimming
Hockomock League Championships (@ Milford) – Click here for full results and photos.

Gymnastics
Attleboro, 137.2 @ Mansfield, 144.0 – Final
Mansfield, 144.0 vs. Medway/Ashland/D-S, 143.6 – Final
Canton, 117.85 @ King Philip, 135.4 – Final

01/31/2017

Wednesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 02/01/17

Today’s games are listed below.

Boys Basketball
Attleboro, 51 @ Foxboro, 59 – Final (OT) – Foxboro junior Joe Morrison scored 14 of his team-high 21 points in the first half, giving the Warriors a 28-21 lead by the break. Attleboro cut the deficit to two heading into the final quarter and tied the game inside the final minute to send the game to overtime. Foxboro junior Teddy Maher came up clutch with a big three in overtime as the Warriors outscored Attleboro 11-3 in the extra frame. Senior Andrew Block and freshman Brandon Borde added 10 points apiece for Foxboro. Andrew Milliken scored a team-high 14 points for the Bombardiers while freshman Qualeem Charles added 11 points.

Oliver Ames, 56 @ Canton, 45 – Final – Oliver Ames senior Nick Welch scored a career-high 28 points, accounting for half of Oliver Ames’ points in a remarkable performance. Carter Evin added 13 points for the Tigers.

Franklin, 80 @ Sharon, 57 – Final – Franklin scored 26 points in the first quarter and never looked back, hitting the 80 point mark for the second game in a row. Junior Paul Mahon dropped a game-high 18 points while senior Josh Macchi chipped in with 16 points for the Panthers. Sharon junior Malik Lorquet had 13 points and 10 rebounds and senior Ben Stamm added 10 points for the Eagles.

King Philip, 71 @ North Attleboro, 52 – Final – Click here for a recap of this game.

Mansfield, 66 @ Milford, 53 – Final – Milford raced out to a 12-3 lead and stayed within three late in the third quarter, but Mansfield was able to pull away with with a 16-9 final quarter. The Hornets connected on nine three pointers with Max Boen (11 points, six rebounds, four assists) hitting three and Christian Weber (11 points, four assists), Sam Hyland (10 points, five rebounds) and Ben Albanese (six points) each hitting two trifectas. Sam Goldberg led Mansfield with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Milford’s Anthony Arcudi poured in a career-high 30 points while Zack Tamagni added 10 points for the Hawks.

Girls Basketball
Foxboro, 58 @ Attleboro, 46 – Final – Click here for a recap of this game.

Canton, 33 @ Oliver Ames, 58 – Final – Oliver Ames’ defense limited Canton to just 15 points in the second half while the offense kept its pace to pick up the win at home. Kayla Raymond had 16 points and 15 rebounds, Niyera Mitchell added 16 points and both Hannah Carroll and Abby Reardon netted 10 points.

Sharon, 34 @ Franklin, 76 – Final – The Panthers had four players reach double figures in points led by Carli Koffinke’s 15. Ali Brigham added 12, Margaux Welsh had 11, and Bea Bondhus scored 10 for the Panthers. Sharon freshman Telishya Herbert, a recent varsity call-up, led the Eagles with eight points.

North Attleboro, 51 @ King Philip, 28 – Final – Julia Feid was the top scorer for North Attleboro with 14 points, while fellow sophomore Shannon O’Connor led KP with seven points.

Milford, 43 @ Mansfield, 53 – Final – Jen Peel scored 15 points and dished out eight assists for the Hornets, Ann Maher added 13 points and Meg Hill scored 12 points and pulled to lead Mansfield. Kate Irwin was Milford’s top scorer with 12 points and Christine Pye added eight for the Hawks.

Hockey
Attleboro, 6 @ Mansfield, 5 – Final – Mansfield built a 4-0 lead after the first period but Attleboro stormed back, netting three goals in the second period and then three more in the third period to get the win. Jake Parker scored five goals to lead the comeback for the Bombardiers while Cam Littig scored once.

Taunton, 0 @ Canton, 7 – Final – Bubba McNeice scored twice and Brian Ghostlaw netted his first career goal to pace the Bulldogs. Mike Dadasis and Ryan Lodge scored back to back goals early in the first period to give Canton a 2-0 lead after one period. Charlie Malloy and Ryan Nolte also scored for Canton in the game.

Oliver Ames, 6 @ Foxboro, 1 – Final – Six different players found the back of the net for the Tigers, starting with a goal from junior captain Eric LeBlanc. Senior Mike Nikiciuk added a goal and an assist and freshman Hunter Costello scored his first career goal. Freshman goalie Owen Connor made five saves in the third period.

King Philip, 1 @ Franklin, 3 – Final

North Attleboro, 8 @ Stoughton, 1 – Final – North Attleboro sophomore Anthony Zammiello netted a hat trick in the first period while Devin Sparrow and Justin Moccia each scored their first career goals. Jon Lessa scored a third period goal for the Black Knights.

Wrestling
Canton, 43 @ Stoughton, 30 – Final

Franklin, 45 @ King Philip, 18 – Final – Franklin clinched the Kelley-Rex title outright, its first since 2014 and the program’s 17th Hockomock title with a win at KP.

Milford @ Taunton, 6:00

Sharon, 12 @ North Attleboro 60 – Final – North Attleboro clinched its first ever Davenport division title outright in its first year in the division with the win over the Eagles.

Oliver Ames, 43 @ Newton South, 12 – Final

Swimming
Boys
Taunton @ Attleboro, 3:30

Girls
Taunton @ Attleboro, 3:30
Canton, 98 @ Stoughton, 60 – Final

Gymnastics
Sharon, 131.1 @ Algonquin, 136.2 – Final

Girls Hockey
Canton, 1 vs. Medfield, 1 – Final
Franklin, 7 vs. Dover-Sherborn/Hopkinton, 3 – Final
King Philip, 0 @ Medway/Ashland, 1 – Final

01/29/2017

Sunday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 01/29/17

Today’s games are listed below.

Boys Basketball
Canton, 53 vs. Sharon, 63 – Final – Click here for a recap of this game.

Mansfield, 52 @ Bridgewater-Raynham, 45 – Final – Mansfield scored 19 points in the second quarter to take a 29-25 lead by halftime and then limited the Trojans to just eight points in the third quarter to earn the win. Senior Christian Weber led the Hornets in scoring for the second straight game dropping 17 points – hitting five three pointers – while hauling in four rebounds. Tyler Boulter added 13 points and Sam Goldberg had 10 points and nine rebounds.

Milford, 57 vs. North Attleboro, 55 – Final – Click here for a recap of this game.

Girls Basketball
Canton, 58 vs. Sharon, 49 – Final – Click here for a recap of this game.

Foxboro, 66 vs. Milford, 37 – Final – Click here for a recap of this game.

Hockey
Foxboro, 5 @ Attleboro, 4 – Final
Mansfield, 3 @ North Attleboro, 5 – Final

Girls Hockey
Mansfield/Oliver Ames, 6 @ Bishop Fenwick, 1 – Final – Cat Luciano had a hat trick for the Warriors. Madison Haughey, Izzy Shanteler, and Shayna Menzer also scored goals for MOA.

01/27/2017

Hornets Dominate From Start To Finish Against North

Mansfield boys basketball — Mansfield’s Christian Weber (3) hits Ben Albanese with a bounce pass in the second half. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

MANSFIELD, Mass. – As if Mansfield didn’t have a good enough first half, building an impressive 43-14 lead by the break, the Hornets were nearly flawless in the third quarter to put an end to any comeback bids.

The Hornets went 11/13 from the field in the third quarter, running away with an 83-41 win over the visiting Rocketeers of North Attleboro.

Even more impressive, the Hornets had 10 assists on the 11 made field goals — the lone bucket without a field goal was a putback on a miss. The Hornets did have four turnovers in the period but had just one missed shot that resulted in a defensive rebound for North.

“I thought right from the get-go we did a tremendous job of setting the tone defensively,” said Mansfield head coach Mike Vaughan. “Then offensively we picked our spots and got into a nice rhythm. We picked our spots when to dribble, when to keep the ball moving, when to break guys down off the dribble. The point totals were awesome to me, getting that many guys in the book and scoring six, eight, 12, 15 points is a good thing.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Christian Weber had a terrific game with 15 points, six rebounds and five assists — scoring six points and adding two assists in the third quarter — while Sam Goldberg added 15 points and four rebounds. Max Boen recorded 14 points and eight rebounds after missing one game with an injury, Tyler Boulter netted eight points and Evan Christo finished with seven points and three rebounds.

In the third quarter, Goldberg netted eight points, Weber had six, Boen had four, Ryan Otto and Phil Vigeant each hit a three and Boulter added two. Ben Albanese had four assists, Weber had three, Vigeant had two and Sam Hyland had one helper.

“We made the right choices on both ends of the floor,” Vaughan said. “I thought we did a good job of when we helped, and when we didn’t, and we never really over-rotated. Offensively I thought Weber did a great job in transition of picking when we go and put pressure and when we pull out and reverse. I thought the combination was good. We’re getting healthy and as we get our sea legs underneath us a group, I think this is a little bit of a sign we can be down the stretch. They’re starting to believe and good things are starting to happen.”

Things couldn’t have gone much better for the Hornets to start the game while things couldn’t have been much worse for the Rocketeers.

North’s Brent Doherty (seven points) scored the opening basket of the game but Mansfield came storming back to build an 11-2 lead midway through the first quarter. The second four minutes continued to go in Mansfield’s favor and the Hornets held a 21-4 advantage after just eight minutes.

Mansfield shot 8/18 from the field in the first quarter, including a trio of trifectas. Meanwhile, North Attleboro was just 2/15 field (0/6 from deep), including misses on some open looks.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

“All the credit in the world goes to Mansfield,” said North Attleboro head coach Sean Mulkerrins. “Their kids shared the ball well, they made shots early and they are tough team to play against from behind. When you get behind a team like Mansfield, the kids naturally start to press a little bit. We talked at halftime about still trying to do our stuff and be us and not get out of our comfort zone. Mansfield defended really well, they shot really well and that’s why they are who they are.”

The Hornets kept up its efficient offense in the second quarter, shooting 10/16 from the field with four more assists. Mansfield totaled 20 assists for the game.

“The ball distribution was great. Everyone was moving the ball, it wasn’t just one or two guys. I thought everyone did a good job sharing the basketball.”

Jonny Friberg led the Rocketeers in scoring with 13 points and four rebounds. Beyond Doherty’s even points, Matt Seavey had six points and Derek Shanks netted five points.

Mansfield (11-2 overall, 9-1 Hockomock) is back in action in a big non-league clash with Bridgewater-Raynham on Sunday at 5:15. North Attleboro (8-5, 5-4) will take on Milford at 11:45AM at the Dunkin Donuts Center in a battle of Davenport division leaders.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

01/20/2017

Friday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 01/20/17

Boys Basketball
Attleboro, 59 @ Taunton, 68 – Final – Tommy MacLean scored 18 points for the Tigers and Lou Vendrell chipped in with 17. Taunton held Attleboro to six points in the fourth quarter to pull out the victory.

Stoughton, 65 @ Canton, 70 – Final – Sophomore Devin Foster paced the Bulldogs with 17 points and Tony Harris scored 15 points and pulled down nine boards, as Canton held off a “furious” rally by the Black Knights. Jake Verille scored a career-high 14 in the win. Cam Andrews had a game-high 24 points for Stoughton.

North Attleboro, 53 @ Foxboro, 47 – Final – Click here for a recap from this game.

King Philip, 49 @ Franklin, 64 – Final – Freshman Chris Edgehill scored a career-high 16 points for the Panthers and Josh Macchi had 14 in the win.

Mansfield, 72 @ Oliver Ames, 42 – Final – The Hornets broke the game open with an 18-7 second quarter to take a 20-point lead by halftime. Christian Weber led the way for Mansfield with 17 points and Tyler Boulter added 15. Phil Vigeant (11 points) and Sam Goldberg (10) each reached double-digits for the Hornets.

Milford, 65 @ Sharon, 42 – Final – Zack Tamagni scored 22 points to lead the Hawks to the division win. Anthony Arcudi added 15 points and Kayden Kelly scored eight points and pulled in 18 rebounds. Sharon was led by Jimmy Fitzhenry with 11 points.

Girls Basketball
Taunton, 28 @ Attleboro, 66 – Final

Canton, 41 @ Stoughton, 54 – Final – Val Whalen had another strong game for the Black Knights, scoring 19 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. Freshman Aliyah Wright added 10 points for Stoughton. Hannah Jerrier had a team-high 11 points for the Bulldogs.

Foxboro, 47 @ North Attleboro, 53 – Final – Ashley Ahern had a team-high 16 points for the second straight game to help North Attleboro take a two-game lead on the Warriors in the Davenport division. Samantha Taggart also scored 16 for North. Ashley Sampson had a game-high 21 for the Warriors and Lauren Flahive added nine fourth quarter points and pulled in nine rebounds in the loss that ended a six-game win streak for Foxboro.

Franklin, 67 @ King Philip, 36 – Final – Kate Morse was the top scorer for the Panthers with 15 points. Megan O’Connell added 11 for Franklin, while Ali Brigham and Erin Skidmore each scored 10 and Carli Koffinke had nine points. KP was led by Shannon O’Connor with 14.

Oliver Ames, 17 @ Mansfield, 32 – Final – Click here for a recap from this game.

Sharon, 37 @ Milford, 48 – Final – The Eagles battled back to cut the lead to eight points in the fourth quarter, but Milford’s Kate Irwin scored eight of her 15 points in the quarter, including 5-of-6 from the line, to seal the win for the Hawks. Emma Eberhardt led the Eagles with a team-high 13 points and pulled in 12 rebounds, while Shira Stoller scored eight and grabbed seven rebounds.

Hockey
Stoughton, 1 @ Attleboro, 2 – Final – P.J. Elliott scored a power play goal in the second period that turned out to be the game-winner. Jake Parker had the other goal for Attleboro. Ryan Chipman had the Stoughton goal. All three of the game’s goals were scored in the second period.

Wrestling
Masconomet Quad (Oliver Ames) – Oliver Ames went 1-2 on the day, beating Burlington 47-24 but falling to Arlington (37-31) and to Masconomet (40-39). Anthony Berksza (145), Jay Fruci (220) and Dean Pacini (195) each went 3-0 on the day for the Tigers.

Swimming
Boys
Canton, 87 @ Ashland, 89 – Final
Oliver Ames, 75 @ Franklin, 94 – Final
Milford, 106 @ Sharon, 62 – Final

Girls
Canton, 82 @ Ashland, 93 – Final
Oliver Ames, 57 @ Franklin, 113 – Final
Milford, 90 @ Sharon, 80 – Final

01/17/2017

Mansfield Pulls Away From King Philip

By Cameron Merritt, HockomockSports.com Contributor

MANSFIELD, Mass.- Led by seniors Sam Goldberg (15 points) and Christian Weber (13 points), the Mansfield Hornets beat the King Philip Warriors, 58-39, on Tuesday night inside James Albertini gymnasium.

“I was excited with our efforts in the second and third quarters, I thought we did a good job of responding and playing well,” said Mansfield coach Mike Vaughan. “I thought we had a nice routine, and when we got in the rhythm, offensively we were able to score some points.”

“I thought we played hard but didn’t concentrate well enough on offense,” said King Philip coach Mark Champagne. “[Mansfield’s] a good team, they’re well-coached, and they made us pay for mistakes, but we stayed in our stance pretty good, I thought we competed a little better, [but] the offense wasn’t good at all.”

Alongside Goldberg and Weber, Tyler Boulter added nine points for the Hornets, all coming in the first half. The Warriors lead scorer of the night, Noah Goodwin, also had nine points.

Both sides initially struggled to sink shots after the tipoff, with the Hornets and Warriors exchanging chances and misses alike. Boulter opened the scoring for the Hornets with a three point shot.

While the two teams exchanged baskets early on, Mansfield never relinquished its lead, with the closest King Philip coming being after Pharoah Davis‘s shot brought the Warriors within one at 5-4.

A relatively low-scoring first quarter ended with King Philip’s Will Weir sinking a buzzer-beating three, making it 13-11, but in the second quarter, the Hornets began to break away. The Hornets extended their lead to double digits when Benjamin Albanese‘s three-pointer made it 29-19. The Warriors struck back before the half, and remained within striking distance as they trailed the hosts 29-21.

The second half opened similarly to the first, as both sides struggled again to sink their initial shots until Goodwin’s shot from outside the paint broke through the gridlock. After a slow start, in part due to a strong defensive effort from the Warriors’ guards, the Hornets began hitting their stride again after Goldberg sunk two free throws after being fouled on Kyle Layman, and quickly hit another basket on their next offensive possession.

Weber hit a quick five points to extend the Hornets lead to 12, but thanks to Layman’s layup, King Philip brought the game back within 10 at 42-32. A free throw by Layman after a foul made it 42-33 as the two Kelley-Rex opponents headed into the final eight minutes of action.

Mansfield’s Ryan Otto hit a three pointer to start off the quarter, and it set the pace for the Hornets to continue extending their lead. Though the Warriors, led offensively by Layman, continued to fight on, in the end the Hornets would be too much for them to contain. Goldberg’s seven fourth-quarter points lead the way, while Albanese and Sam Hyland added on and Mansfield sealed another league victory.

“We’ve got to build [on our success],” said Vaughan. “We’ve got to continue to play well and play positive, and continue to do some good things and I think we can take a lot of things out of tonight’s result.”

Both teams return to action Friday night, with Mansfield (8-2 overall, 6-1 Hockomock) traveling to Easton to take on Oliver Ames, while King Philip (3-7, 2-5) travel to rivals Franklin.

01/11/2017

Mansfield Outlasts Attleboro in Kelley-Rex Showdown

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.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

“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.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

“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.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

12/13/2016

Boys Basketball: 2016-17 Kelley-Rex Division Preview

By HockomockSports.com Staff

2016-2017 Kelley-Rex Boys Basketball Preview

Attleboro

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.”

Franklin

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.”

King Philip

2015-2016 Record: 5-15
2015-2016 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: Mark Champagne

The Warriors are returning a strong group of players from last year’s squad with one noticeable addition — new head coach Mark Champagne.

Champagne will have a group of experienced players to work with this season. Tom Madden, Noah Goodwin, Kyle Layman, Will Weir, Seth Sullivan, Pharaoh Davis and Justin Vine all saw either starting minutes or valuable time off the bench a season ago. Matt Lehoullier and Noah Bradley will also factor int this season to provide the Warriors with depth.

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.”

Mansfield

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.

HockomockSports.com First Team selection Sam Goldberg (11.3 PPG, 7.9 RPG) leads a strong group back that includes Christian Weber, Matt Ehrlich, Max Boen, Phil Vigeant, Tyler Boulter and Evan Christo. Expect the likes of John McCoy, Sam Hyland and Kristian Conner to also factor in for the Hornets.

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.”

Oliver Ames

2015-2016 Record: 11-11
2015-2016 Finish: Reached D2 South First Round
Coach: Don Byron

The Tigers will face a steep challenge because of the switch to the Kelley-Rex division but bringing back a strong core of players will be a big help.

Seniors Carter Evin, Dylan Mahoney, Nick Welch and Mike Graziano are all back as are juniors Matt Muir and Jack Spillane. All six players saw time last year, including some who started all season long.

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.”

taunton

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.”

03/19/2016

North Attleboro’s Doherty Wins 2016 3PT Contest

By HockomockSports.com Staff
In the final event of the 2016 HockomockSports.com Charity Basketball Classic, North Attleboro junior Brent Doherty was the last man standing in the annual Three Point Contest.
Doherty reached the finals when he sank 16 of his 25 shots in the opening round. Foxboro’s Alex DuBrow connected on a round-high 17 three pointers in the opening round to secure his spot in the final. DuBrow and Doherty squared off head to head, shooting at the same time on opposite ends of the court. Doherty hit on 15 threes and DuBrow sank his final corner three to tie him at 15.
In an overtime round (30 seconds), Doherty took home the hardware by hitting eight three pointers. Both Doherty and DuBrow broke the record for most threes made in a final round, edging out Ryan Boulter’s record of 14 in 2015.
Doherty now holds the record for most threes made in one event with 39, eclipsing Boulter’s record of 34 set last year. The North Attleboro guard now also has the record for most threes made in the event for a career with 50 after hitting 11 in 2015. Taunton junior Tommy MacLean jumped into third all time in threes made in the event with 37.

First Round

Jake Dunkley, Attleboro – 14
Tony Harris, Canton – 9
Alex DuBrow, Foxboro – 17
Jay Dieterle, Franklin – 14
Ben Smith, King Philip – 13
Christian Weber, Mansfield – 10
Dimitry Torres, Milford – 13
Brent Doherty, North Attleboro – 16
Tim Kelley, Oliver Ames – 13
David Roelke, Sharon – 11
Cam Andrews, Stoughton – 12
Tommy MacLean, Taunton – 13

Finals

Brent Doherty, North Attleboro – 15 (8)
Alex DuBrow, Foxboro – 15 (5)

03/08/2016

Mansfield Doomed By Slow Fourth Quarter Against CM

NEWTON, Mass. – For 24 minutes, Mansfield played even with top-seeded Catholic Memorial, maybe even a little better.
But over the final minutes, the Knights turned a tie game in a double-digit difference and picked up a 78-60 win over the Hornets.
A near flawless first quarter gave Mansfield a 19-13 lead and the fourth-seeded Hornets took a 37-35 advantage into the halftime break. Despite facing a six point deficit late in the third, a pair of corner three’s – one from junior Max Boen and one from sophomore Tyler Boulter – tied the game 53-53 head into the final quarter.
But the wheels came off a bit for Mansfield, starting off 1/10 from the floor, finishing 3/17 in the frame and going 0/8 from three point. CM rattled off six straight points to build a lead but a traditional three point play from Nick Baskin kept it a one possession game.
Over the next three minutes, the Knights scored on five straight possessions while Mansfield had a pair of turnovers, an offensive foul, a pair of missed three pointers, a missed layup and a pair of missed putback attempts.
“They have really good basketball players,” Mansfield head coach Mike Vaughan said of CM. I thought we did a really good job on [Brandon] Twitty and a pretty good job on [Matt] Hanna. The [Ulyen] Coleman kid hit a big three, they got to the rim and they scored a couple times in transition. I just thought they wore us out, which I didn’t think was going to be the case because of our depth.
“Foul trouble early obviously hurt us a little bit, in terms of staying in a nice rhythm and routine. Like any game, there are multiple phases of the game. When we had them against the ropes, they got into a whole new phase into how they were playing. In one on one, they were slightly better at more positions and I think that made a big difference.”
Catholic Memorial’s run started with a baseline drive from Coleman (13 points, seven rebounds) and then grabbed another when Brian Grant converted an offensive rebound off a missed three. Another offensive board turned into a three for Coleman to push the lead to 10 and 6’6 Stephen Azums converted in the paint and then added a free throw on the next trip to make it 69-56 with 2:55 to play and seal the deal.
“We had our chance,” Vaughan said. “I was hoping if we were able to weather the storm in the third quarter maybe been up a couple points and then give yourself a head start so when the first couple baskets happen in the fourth, you’re not down but maybe you’re tied. That might have made a difference in the outcome, or at least down the stretch. The scoreboard looked lopsided but that wasn’t a 15 point game by all means. That was a tough fourth quarter and we missed a couple of baskets. And I don’t think they were all bad shots. We missed two bunnies inside, we had an uncontested [three].
“Overall I think the kids executed the gameplan that we were trying to accomplish. We eliminated the possessions, we kept them in check for the most part. Compared to what they’ve scored all year, I thought we did a pretty good job of keeping them where we needed too.”
Mansfield’s start was bright, finishing the first quarter with an 11-2 run to take a 19-13 lead. Nick Baskin scored consecutive baskets and Boulter added another to take the lead. Sam Goldberg got to the rim and Max Boen drained a three to cap the run.
An early three from Nick Baskin, a drive by Christian Weber and a three from Boulter gave Mansfield its biggest lead of the game at 27-15 with 5:42 to go in the first half. The Knights were able to close the gap but late free throws from Boen and Evan Christo kept the Hornets ahead at half.
Mansfield kept the lead for the first five minutes of the second half but four straight points from Hanna gave the Knights their first lead since the first quarter. A three point play from Twitter and a three from Hanna out CM up with a minute to go but Boen’s three with 41 seconds and Boulter’s three wtih :08 to go in the quarter tied the game.
“We played outstanding [in the first half],” Vaughan said. “Again, our guys are good basketball players and that puts us in that position. We knew they would give up some stuff. I won’t know until I watch the film how much [of cutting to the basket] we stopped doing in the fourth quarter. It felt like we cut a little less, a little less aggressive in the late shot clock. Some things we were getting in the first half we weren’t getting in the second half. Part of that might be that [CM’s] backs were against the wall and they realized they needed one last quarter. I say this a lot that your seniors are going to lead you to the promise land and ultimately CM’s seniors did just that.”
While Mansfield limited Catholic Memorial’s best player Twitty to 12 points and the Knights’ second option to 18 (with six coming late in the game with the lead secure), senior transfer Justin Leip and Coleman each added 13 points and Azums had 11 points and 16 rebounds.
“When you get the third player [that scores], you become undefendable,” Vaughan said. “That’s what happened. Once Leip started to make shots and Coleman hit that fourth quarter dagger, that’s the third guy that you can’t stop. I think a few times we over-rotated and if we had stayed a little more base like we were in the first half, it might have made a difference.”
Baskin led Mansfield with 15 points, Boen added 13 points and four rebounds, Weber had nine points and Boulter chipped in with nine points.
“In early January I would have said no shot [that we’d make it this far],” Vaughan said. “I thought we were a team destined to be a one and done. We kind of had that mindset, that attitude, and not a good swagger. With where we were at as a team in early January, overall I didn’t think we’d make it this far. But once we got rolling and got a couple quality wins under our belt and started to play the way we’re capable of playing, I thought we were the team I wanted to be and a team that could play with CM.”
Mansfield boys basketball finishes the season as Hockomock Kelley Rex Champions and with a record of 20-5.
Ryan Lanigan can be contacted at RyanLanigan@hockomocksports.com and followed on Twitter at @R_Lanigan.