Tag: CJ Santos

Oliver Ames Downs Canton In Defensive Struggle

Oliver Ames boys basketball Drew Baxter
Oliver Ames senior Drew Baxter goes up for a contested shot in the first half against Canton. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
 NORTH EASTON, Mass. — First-year Canton head coach Eric MacKinnon didn’t have many complaints about his team’s defensive performance, holding OA under 50 points.

But neither did first-year Oliver Ames head coach Oliver Vil, whose squad was equally as good on the defensive side, leading to a 46-36 win for the Tigers and a season sweep of the Bulldogs.

Despite being held to just four points over the final eight minutes of play, the Tigers didn’t surrender a field goal in the fourth quarter, holding Canton to just six points, all from the free throw line.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

“The second half wasn’t our strong suit on the offense end, had a lot of turnovers but the kids grinded it out which was great to see, defensively we worked really hard,” Vil said. “With the Hock, every night is a battle and I think the guys are ready mentally for it. Now we just have to clean up a lot of mental mistakes.”

Canton cut the deficit to eight after back-to-back threes from Matt Chafin (from Lanse Dorcelus) and Nate Mei (from Conor Hunter) and looked to have the momentum going into the break, but a late turnover led to a three-pointer from OA’s Zach Tagliamonte (OA’s only three of the game) just before the buzzer, and the Tigers carried a 31-20 lead into the second half.

“We’ve been really happy with our defense the last four or five games…. but we just can’t score, we can’t make shots when we’re getting them,” MacKinnon said. “And then we’re not getting a ton of good shots. We’re having a tough time getting to the rim.

“We were making more [three-pointers] earlier in the year, so we’re trying to have more balance with getting to the rim, throwing it into the post but we’re just not doing a great job of it. So it just feels like a lot of possessions are flat.”

The Bulldogs once again made a game of it with a 9-2 burst in the third quarter. An early bucket from OA’s CJ Williams extended the hosts’ advantage to 33-20 but Dillon Nguyen converted a tough shot down low, Mei (13 points) converted a turnover into two and then scored again off a nice handoff from Hunter (nine points, eight rebounds, three assists, three blocks).

Tagliamonte answered for OA but Canton came back right away with its fifth three of the game when Mei returned the favor to Hunter, cutting it to six at 35-29.

But that would be the closest the Bulldogs got the rest of the way, and the visitors didn’t hit another triple for the remainder of the game.

Jake Grimaldi hit two free throws, and then found Tagliamonte for a tough two. Sophomore Jefferson Smock came up with a big block on one end and then finished through contact on the other to give OA a 42-30 lead going into the fourth.

Points were hard to come by in the fourth, with Dorcelus and Mei combining for three free throws to cut the deficit to single digits. Drew Baxter made a tough shot after a big rebound from CJ Santos, but both teams went scoreless after that for nearly four minutes.

OA got its second bucket of the quarter when Dan Reilly found Tagliamonte for two to make it 46-35 with just under a minute to go.

Tagliamonte led the way with 13 points, but with defenses zoning on the junior who is among the top scorers in the Hockomock League, Vil was pleased to see other names get it going offensively.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Baxter finished with 10 points and eight rebounds, Grimaldi had nine points and four boards, and both Santos (four rebounds, four assists) and Williams (seven rebounds) had five points apiece.

“With the style we play, it can be anybody that steps up on any given night,” Vil said. “We’ve been fortunate with Zach this year, he’s a sniper that can really pull from anywhere and he’s very good in transition. But he kind of came out of nowhere, a lot of teams are starting to focus on him so we’re starting to see some other guys start to flourish around him which is what we need.”

Oliver Ames boys basketball (6-6 Hockomock, 7-9 overall) is on the road on Tuesday with a big clash at rival Sharon. Canton (4-8, 5-9) returns home to host rival Stoughton on the same night.

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

Today’s games are listed below.

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

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

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

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

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

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










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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Friday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 02/12/21

Today’s games are listed below.

Boys Basketball
Canton, 50 @ North Attleboro, 52 – Final (OT) – Click here for a recap and photo gallery of this game.

Oliver Ames, 66 @ Sharon, 47 – Final – After a close first quarter, Oliver Ames broke the game wide open with 22 points in the second frame and never looked back for a win on the road. The Tigers held a slim 11-10 lead after eight minutes of action before winning the second, 22-6. Kevin Duggan scored six of his eight points in the frame, Amari Brown (17 points) and Trey Buggs (career-high 15 points) each had four while Drew Baxter (15 points) and CJ Santos each connected from downtown. OA had a total of nine players reach the scoring column, owning a 33-16 halftime lead and a 49-24 advantage through three quarters. Sophomore Matt Baur led the hosts in scoring with 16 points while junior Sam Cohen added 10 points.

Attleboro, 55 @ Foxboro, 33 – Final – Attleboro used its pressure man-to-man defense to force turnovers and cashed in in transition on its way to a win on the road over Foxboro. The Bombardiers jumped out to a 16-7 lead after a quarter and then had its best offensive period in the second with 21 points. Evan Houle scored 10 of his 13 points in the opening half, Justin Daniels had eight of his nine by the break, and Alec Eaton scored all seven of his points in the first half for Attleboro, who had 10 players get into the scoring column. Junior Dylan Gordon led Foxboro with 13 points while senior Myles Horsley and sophomore Alex Penders each had nine points.

Girls Basketball
North Attleboro, 51 @ Canton, 67 – Final – Canton led by four after one quarter but then went on an 18-8 run to close out the half with a double-digit lead. North tried to rally in the fourth, scoring 23 points in the quarter, but it wasn’t enough to mount a comeback. Amanda Kaiser was the top scorer for the Rocketeers with 16 points, 10 of them in the fourth. Taylor McMath scored 11 and Siobhan Weir added eight in the loss.

Mansfield, 63 @ Notre Dame Academy (Hingham), 60 – Final (OT)

Boys Hockey
Canton, 6 @ Oliver Ames, 0 – Final – Click here for a Photo Gallery from this game.

North Attleboro, 4 @ Stoughton, 0 – Final – Click here for a Photo Gallery from this game. North scored twice in the first and twice more in the third to pick up the road win. Nik Kojoian scored a pair of goals and assisted on another and Brady Sarro found the back of the net twice to lead the Rocketeers. Kyle Gruber had the shutout, including a big stop on a second period breakaway by Joe McNulty. Stoughton/Brockton goalie Ryan Spano (51 saves) had a strong game to keep the Black Knights in the game.

Gymnastics
Canton, 120.55 @ Franklin, 142.25 – Final

Taunton @ Oliver Ames, 8:30