Below are the official Hockomock League Boys Basketball All Stars, selected by the coaches in the league.
Hockomock League MVP
Tim Prunier, Franklin
Hockomock League All Stars
Jake Dunkley, Attleboro
Alex DuBrow, Foxboro
Rob Lowey, Foxboro
Jason Procaccini, Foxboro
Tim Prunier, Franklin
Connor Peterson, Franklin
Jay Dieterle, Franklin
Samuel Goldberg, Mansfield
Matthew Ehrlich, Mansfield
Dimitry Torres, Milford
Brent Doherty, North Attleboro
Carter Evin, Oliver Ames
Matt Lowerre, Sharon
Brandon Teixeira, Stoughton
Jose Mercado, Taunton
Tommy MacLean, Taunton
Honorable Mentions
Kyle Murphy, Attleboro
Devin Foster, Canton
Jonathan Carnino, Foxboro
Kevin Gill, Franklin
Will Weir, King Philip
Max Boen, Mansfield
Dwight Anderson, Milford
Jonny Friberg, North Attleboro
Tim Kelley, Oliver Ames
Ricardo Ripley, Sharon
Cameron Andrews, Stoughton
Quan Roberson, Taunton
Jason Procaccini scored 21 points and pulled down 10 rebounds as the Warriors pulled away late to beat Dartmouth. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)
FOXBORO, Mass. – With a little more than four minutes remaining in Friday night’s quarterfinal against Dartmouth, Foxboro coach Jon Gibbs called a timeout to try and settle his team down.
The Indians had cut a lead that was at one point as high as 18 down to just eight, so Gibbs reminded his team of the game plan on defense and told them to regroup and finish strong. The Warriors listened, allowing only two points from the line over the final four minutes.
“The wheels were coming off, we hit a patch of adversity, and it looked like maybe we weren’t handling it well,” said Gibbs.
“I just called a timeout to remind them that we’re up eight and we made a little adjustment to our press break. I said, let’s break the pressure and then lets take our time and have a good possession every time.”
Foxboro pulled away late, making 6-7 from the line, and finished off Dartmouth 58-40 to advance to the Div. 2 South semifinal. Senior Jason Procaccini led the way for the Warriors with 21 points and 10 rebounds and classmate Alex DuBrow scored 14, including 7-8 from the line in the fourth.
“It’s all about our defense,” Gibbs explained, “and that’s what we’ve said all year. I think we regrouped pretty well, kept our composure and down the stretch our seniors made big plays for us.”
Dartmouth coach Jeff Caron admitted after the game that his team was looking to keep the score low and for the first half the Indians defense was fulfilling that objective, limiting Foxboro to just 22 points. The only problem was that the Warriors held the visitors to only 14.
“The pace and the score was with us for a while but their defense really made things difficult for us on the offensive end,” said Caron.
Procaccini got off to a strong start with eight points in the opening half, including a three that extended the lead to nine at 21-12. He also added three of his team-high four assists in the first half, as most of the offense ran through him.
In the second half, Dartmouth got out of its zone and started to play man-to-man and tried to press in order to create more turnovers that could get the offense going. The switch also opened things up for the Foxboro offense and Procaccini took advantage with seven in the third, as the Warriors used a 12-2 run to break the game open.
He started the half with a spin to the bucket for two, followed by a three from Mark Clagg who added a pair of free throws. After Dartmouth scored two on a pair of technical free throws, DuBrow picked the pocket of the Indians point guard and laid it in and then Procaccini knocked down a jumper plus the foul.
“He’s jut so versatile,” said Gibbs of Procaccini. “He can shoot, he can drive at you, he can post, he can get offensive rebounds, he’s a nightmare in transition. He just has a knack for scoring the ball.”
The Warriors were letting emotions get the better of them and picked up a second technical in the quarter that Dartmouth used to try and stay in the game. Another Procaccini jumper off an offensive rebound and a couple free throws from DuBrow made it 41-23, Foxboro’s biggest lead of the game.
Dartmouth scored the final five of the third quarter, but the lead was still 13 heading to the fourth. The Indians chipped away behind a couple of baskets from leading scorer Matt Craig, who finished with 17 points but was made to work for every point by the defense of Joe Morrison.
“He’s a great player,” said Gibbs of Craig, “and we knew that he was going to look to take over the game. He had 17 points, but he certainly had to work for it. He made a lot of tough shots to get to that and obviously holding them to 40 points, our defense was the key.”
Procaccini tipped in his own missed layup to make it 46-36 but then Craig managed to squeeze down the lane for a layup that cut it back to eight. That would be the final basket scored by the Indians.
DuBrow went 5-6 from e line in the fourth and Procaccini wrapped up the win with a three that extended the lead back to 15 before Andrew Block added some gloss to the final with a three in the final minute.
“They’ve got a good point guard, they’ve got a good big, they have guys that can shoot the ball…you get down like that and start pressing in desperation mode in the third quarter you run out of gas,” said Caron.
“They were the better team tonight, no doubt about that, no excuses.”
Robby Lowey added four points and seven boards, Morrison chipped in with five points, and Jonathan Carnino pulled in nine rebounds for the Warriors.
It turned into a comfortable looking final score, but Gibbs said that this game would be a learning experience for his team, which picked up three technicals in the second half.
“The state tournament is a whole different atmosphere,” he explained.
“The environment is different, the pressure is different, the stakes are totally different so now having a game like this where we encountered a lot of adversity and at times didn’t handle it well gives us the chance to have a teachable moment, look at the film, talk about what happened and hopefully be better next time.”
Foxboro (18-4) will play No. 2 seed Whitman-Hanson at Durfee High at a time and date to be determined.
Josh Perry can be contacted at JoshPerry@hockomocksports.com and followed on Twitter at @Josh_Perry10.
Today’s games are listed below. Boys Basketball D1 South
#4 Mansfield, 75 vs. #13 New Bedford, 51 – Final – Sam Goldberg scored a game-high 16 points and hauled in 11 rebounds as Mansfield battled back from a first quarter deficit. Matt Ehrlich added 13 points, including 12 in the vital second quarter rally. Christian Weber added 12 points and Nick Baskin chipped in with 10 points.
#7 Taunton, 83 vs. #10 Plymouth South, 54 – Final – Jose Mercado scored 28 points in just three quarters of play because of foul trouble to lead the Tigers. Along with Mercado’s 28 points, junior Quan Roberson had a double-double with 16 points and was a big factor on the boards with 10 rebounds. Carlos Borrero and Tommy MacLean each had 10 points while they combined for 13 assists. Brevan Walker and Lens Esquil combined for 15 points off the bench. D2 South
#3 Foxboro, 68 vs. #14 Nauset, 53 – Final – Foxboro grabbed a lead after the first quarter, grew it by halftime and stretched it to as much as 20 points in the second half. Senior Jason Procaccini scored a team-high 15 points while classmates Rob Lowey added 15 points and Jonathan Carnino had 11 points.
#15 Sharon, 52 @ #2 Whitman-Hanson, 54 – Final – Sharon used a full court press to come back from a double-digit first half deficit and take its first lead, 50-49, with 2:25 to play. The Eagles were unable to take the lead in a tie game and the Panthers sank two free throws with 0.2 seconds left to get the win. Mitchell Sirota led Sharon with career-high 17 points and Tyler Smith added 11 points.
#16 Oliver Ames, 63 @ #1 Bishop Feehan, 68 – Final Hockey D1 South
#4 Franklin, 2 vs. #13 Wellesley, 1 – Final
#9 King Philip, 1 vs. #8 Newton North, 3 – Final D2 South
#3 Canton, 10 vs. #14 Sandwich, 1 – Final
Girls Hockey Division 2 #24 Mansfield/Oliver Ames, 3 @ #9 Notre Dame, 11 – Final #26 King Philip, 0 @ #7 Plymouth, 4 – Final
Today’s games are listed below. Boys Basketball
Mansfield, 64 @ Attleboro, 52 – Final – Mansfield clinched a share of the Kelley-Rex title with the win. The Hornets have won four straight Kelley-Rex titles and sixth in the last seven years. Sam Goldberg had 12 points and seven rebounds, Christian Weber added 11 points and six assists and Max Boen had nine points and five assists. Mansfield head coach Mike Vaughan won his 200th career game.
Canton, 48 @ Milford, 71 – Final – The Scarlet Hawks won their fifth game in the last six to clinch a playoff berth. Dimitry Torres led Milford with 23 points while Dwight Anderson added 16 points, Jack DeSantis chipped in with a career-high 10 points and Josh Andonian finished seven points. Canton freshman Devin Foster had a career-high 16 points and sophomore Tony Harris added 15 points.
Sharon, 73 @ Foxboro, 84 – Final (OT) – Jason Procaccini scored a game-high 24 points as the Warriors held on after a rally from the Eagles. Rob Lowey added 14 points while Alex DuBrow, Jonathan Carnino and Mark Clagg all chipped in with 10 points apiece.
Franklin, 77 @ North Attleboro, 39 – Final – Freshman Jay Dieterle dropped in a team-high 19 points as the Panthers claimed their first league title since 2012. With the win, Franklin won a share of the Kelley-Rex title with Mansfield. Sophomore Connor Peterson had 12 points and senior Tim Prunier added 10 points.
Oliver Ames, 74 @ Stoughton, 55 – Final – Junior Carter Evin scored a career-high 28 points and pulled in 10 rebounds. Dylan Mahoney added 15 points, Nick Welch had 11 points and Tim Kelley added 10 points for OA. Jared Costa-Haywood led the Black Knights with 17 points, Cam Gomes had 12 points and sophomore Cam Andrews chipped in with 10 points. Senior captain Nick Quattrucci hauled in seven rebounds.
King Philip, 56 vs. Dartmouth, 60 – Final – King Philip rallied from a 13 point halftime deficit but the Indians were able to hold on. Seth Sullivan had a team-high 18 points while sophomore Justin Vine added 15 points.
Taunton, 59 @ New Bedford, 69 – Final Girls Basketball
Milford, 62 @ Canton, 47 – Final
Foxboro, 57 @ Sharon, 49 – Final – Foxboro had four players reach double figures for scoring. Lily Sykes led the Warriors with 16 points while Ashley Sampson added 13 points, Grace Tamulionis had 12 points and Carolynn Will finished with 10 points. Sharon was led by Alyssa Piazza with 20 points and four steals, while Charlotte Ransom had seven points, all in the fourth quarter. Shira Stoller had seven assists and Emma Eberhardt had 11 points for the Eagles.
North Attleboro, 45 @ Franklin, 54 – Final
Attleboro, 43 @ Mansfield, 56 – Final – The Hornets clinched the Kelley-Rex division title with the win. It is the second in the program’s history. Jen Peel led the way with 18 points and five assists. Meg Hill added 11 points and 15 rebounds and Juliana Newell scored 12 for Mansfield. Attleboro was led by Sarah Deyo, who finished with 15 points. Sam Pierce added 10 for the Bombardiers.
Stoughton, 32 @ Oliver Ames, 63 – Final – Sophomore Kayla Raymond led the Tigers with a game-high 16 points while Kaitlyn McCarthy added 13 points and Niyera Mitchell had 12 points.
Taunton, 48 vs. New Bedford, 17 – Final – Senior Kia Pate led Taunton with 11 points, sophomore Hannah Moniz added nine points, senior Alyssa Gibson finished with eight points and senior Jordan Wade chipped in with nine points and six rebounds. Hockey
Attleboro, 4 vs. Dighton-Rehoboth/Seekonk, 1 – Final
Milford, 3 @ North Attleboro, 5 – Final
Foxboro’s Rob Lowey goes up strong for a bucket in the first half against Milford (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
FOXBORO, Mass. – Foxboro erased a nine point second half deficit and slammed the door shut with a dominant fourth quarter to beat Milford, 66-48, and clinch the Davenport Division title outright.
The Warriors held a one point lead at halftime but trailed by as much as nine points in the third quarter and entered the fourth with trailing by one.
Foxboro used a 23-4 fourth quarter to pull away and clinch the program’s first outright league title since 2003.
“Give credit to Milford, they’ve got some very talented scorers and some very talented guards and they made some tough shots,” Foxboro head coach Jon Gibbs said. “They’ve been playing really well lately, they had won six of the last seven coming in. I’ve seen them lately have some really big quarters and big halves offensively where they just make shot after shot and that happened some here today. I thought our defense was pretty good for the most part and they just made some contested shots. But I was really proud of the way we fought through the adversity.”
The Scarlet Hawks embarked on a 13-3 run to open the second half and take their biggest lead of the contest. Senior Dimitry Torres (game-high 18 points plus six assists) started the run with a pair of free throws and then found Austin Albano for a corner three to go up 31-29. Zack Tamagni drained a three, Torres found Dwight Anderson for a layup and then Torres found Anthony Arcudi for a three to make it 39-30 with 3:53 to play in the third.
Foxboro was inch back, closing out the quarter on a 13-5 run with all points coming from seniors. Alex DuBrow and Jason Procaccini each scored four points, Jonathan Carnino hit a corner trey late in the shot clock to start the run and Rob Lowey scored off a nice post move.
It didn’t take long for the Warriors to assume the lead in the final quarter with DuBrow — who scored 12 of his 16 points in the final quarter — driving and laying one up and under on Foxboro’s first possession to go up by one. Foxboro never trailed again.
“Falling behind and losing the momentum in the third quarter we could have folded, we could have quit but he hung in there, we stayed with the plan defensively and we picked up our energy level and we were able to execute on offense and start making some plays,” Gibbs said. “I was really proud of the way we hung in there and came back and that’s what good teams do. We’ve been able to fight through it more as the season has gone on and that’s something that can help us when we get to the state tournament.
“I told the guys we’ll find our rhythm eventually on offense and eventually we’ll knock down shots but we had to lock them down and not let them score. I told them if we could lock them down defensively then eventually we’ll catch up and get the lead and I think we did a good job of that. I think we started to get some offense off of our defense when we lifted our energy up.”
Procaccini’s three point play preceded his assist to DuBrow at the top of the arc for a three. DuBrow came away with a steal and easy bucket before the Warriors used the same play – finding Procaccini on the baseline for a kick out to DuBrow for a three to put the run at 13-2.
Sophomore Joe Morrison had back to back steals that resulted in two points from DuBrow, a putback from Lowey off a missed three and a Procaccini layup stretched the run to 19-2. Foxboro went on to win the final quarter 23-4.
“You can’t have a quarter like that against the league champions and expect to win the game,” Milford head coach Paul Seaver said. “I thought we played well for three quarters but things just dominoed for us from there.”
While DuBrow had 12 points in the final frame, all 16 of them came in the second half. He had six assists in the first half and finished with eight overall along with five rebounds.
“He really just put us on his back,” Gibbs said of DuBrow. “He’s a tremendous player, he’s a special player and I think what you saw tonight was just how valuable he is to our team. When we were down and we were in a tough spot and we really needed a spark and someone to make some tough plays and produce, the way he can step up and put the team on his back. Whether it’s making a big basket or making a big pass or a big steal. All of a sudden, when we needed him the most, he was all over the place on both ends of the court. That’s why he’s such a special player and that’s why we’ve been so successful.”
Procaccini finished with 15 points and eight rebounds, Lowery had 15 points and nine rebounds and Mark Clagg chipped in with 10 points and four rebounds. The Warriors had a 34-18 edge in rebounding.
Foxboro boys basketball (16-4, 12-3) will close out the season by hosting Sharon in search of avenging a loss to the Eagles in late January. Milford (9-10, 6-9) finishes the regular season by hosting Canton. With a win, the Scarlet Hawks will qualify for the state tournament.
“Our goal the whole season was to get to the state tournament,” Seaver said. “We’ve grinded through a lot all season and we’ve put ourselves in a position to get there. Now we have to win to get there on Monday so it’s essentially a playoff game and we’re going to treat it like that.”
Foxboro’s Jason Procaccini secures a loose ball before going up for a shot against Woburn. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
WOBURN, Mass. – It wasn’t quite a playoff like atmosphere, but Foxboro picked up a decisive win on the road against a playoff caliber team on Sunday afternoon.
Against another Division 2 playoff bound team, the Warriors’ consistent and efficient offense build a double-digit lead by halftime and a late 9-0 surge to close the third quarter put the proverbial nail in the coffin as Foxboro took down Woburn, 75-51.
“I told the guys how I’m obviously happy that we won but I’m more happy with the quality of the performance,” Foxboro head coach Jon Gibbs said. “This is the time of year, getting ready to go into the state tournament, you want to be peaking now and playing your best basketball. As happy as I am about the win itself, I’m more happy about the way we played.”
After earning an 11 point lead at halftime, Foxboro hovered around that advantage for the first five minutes of the second half. Over the closing minutes, Foxboro ventured on a 9-0 run to close the quarter. Senior Alex DuBrow (15 points, seven rebounds, six assists) sliced through the lane for a layup, senior Rob Lowey (10 points, seven rebounds) added two more from inside the paint, sophomore Joe Morrison hit a 15-foot jumper and then DuBrow capped it with a deep three.
By the end of the third quarter, Foxboro held a 22-point lead over the hosts.
“Offensively, our sharing of the ball was tremendous, I thought our movement, our cutting and screening was tremendous,” Gibbs said. “When we play that way on offense we can be very difficult to stop. We have a lot of weapons and we get some open shots and we have a lot of guys that can put the ball in the basket.”
Rebounding was a problem early on for the Warriors but senior Jonathan Carnino scored six of his points in the opening minutes to keep Foxboro afloat.
“Carnino played with great energy in the beginning,” Gibbs said. “I thought we played a little lethargic in the first couple of minutes, I didn’t think our energy was great. We were getting out-rebounded and out-toughed but Carnino was the one spark plug early on. He had some some hustle plays, some tough baskets off offensive rebounds, he was running the floor hard. He kind of held down the fort while we woke up.”
Mat Catizone’s three put the hosts up 12-9 but six straight points from DuBrow preceded a fadeaway three at the buzzer from Jason Procaccini to put Foxboro up 18-12 after one.
With three minutes gone in the second quarter and the Warriors’ still clinging to a six point lead, Lowey, Procaccini, DuBrow and Carnino all get two points to push the lead to 10. Lowey and Procaccini both converted at the line near the end of the quarter to make it 39-28 after 16 minutes.
Carnino hit an early three in the second half to push Foxboro’s lead to 14. Woburn would never cut it down to single digits after that.
“Defensively I thought we did a good job challenging everything they did,” Gibbs said. “They have two really good guards. We knew coming in those guys would make some tough shots, and they did. We knew we weren’t going to shut them out but I told the guys if we stayed with the plan and we trusted it that we would get enough stops over 32 minutes. I thought that’s what happened too. I thought Jason, Alex and Joe did a really good job on those two.”
Although Foxboro held a double-digit lead for the entire second half, Woburn – a team headed to the postseason – had a pair of guards that can typically take over a game. Foxboro was able to limit them to combined 24 points and limited the Tanners to just 4/18 shooting from deep.
“We’ve talked about finishing a lot,” Gibbs said. “We’ve talked at halftime about putting teams away in the third quarter. We wanted to win the third quarter, coming out with extra intensity and extra focus. We were able to finally, at the end of the quarter, deliver the knock out punch. With the guards they have, the lead was never comfortable. Even in the fourth quarter I kept stressing to lock down the perimeter and not let them get any offensive rebounds.”
Foxboro boys basketball (15-3) will take on Marlborough in the Division 2 finals of the Comcast/Arbella Tournament at 5:30 on Monday back at Woburn High. Ryan Lanigan can be contacted at RyanLanigan@hockomocksports.com and followed on Twitter at @R_Lanigan.
Foxboro’s Rob Lowey goes up strong in the first half against B-R. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
By Josh Perry, Managing Editor
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Warriors led by as many as 15 points in the first half of Sunday morning’s matchup with Bridgewater-Raynham at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence. But, the Trojans rallied and led by four points heading into the final eight minutes.
Foxboro huddled before the start of the fourth quarter and head coach Jon Gibbs reminded his team that it had comeback against Sharon on Friday and it could do it again.
“We talked about just hanging in there and staying with the plan,” said Gibbs. “I said just focus on stop, score, stop. Get a defensive stop, come down and score on that possession, grind it out one at a time and we were able to do it.”
The plan worked perfectly in the fourth quarter. Foxboro scored the first 11 points of the fourth and would close the game on a 22-6 run that propelled the Warriors to a 65-53 victory in the Higher Learning Sports Basketball Invitational.
“It’s a game of runs,” said senior guard Jason Procaccini, who scored a game-high 21 points. “They made a run, so we had to make another one. It all starts on defense too and we need to get stops.”
Foxboro also turned things around at the free throw line in the fourth. After shooting 5-13 from the line in the opening three quarters, the Warriors knocked down 12-16 in the fourth, including a perfect 6-6 from senior Alex DuBrow (15 points, five assists).
“We took a ton of free throws yesterday at practice and then we came back and were struggling again early today,” said Gibbs. “Once we saw the ball start going in again, we were able to make some key ones down the stretch. We made them when we needed to.”
Senior center Rob Lowey (12 rebounds) picked up his third foul early in the third quarter and sat during most of B-R’s run. He came back in the fourth and scored eight of his 12 points in the quarter, including a layup at the shot clock buzzer that made the score 58-51.
“Robby is a huge part of our team on both ends of the court and then we lose him almost immediately in the third quarter,” said Gibbs. “That takes away a huge dimension of our team and I’m sure that had something to do with them going on a run.”
After a B-R basket cut the lead to five, DuBrow came down and hit a floater in the lane with just five seconds on the shot clock to make it 60-53. On the next B-R possession, Joe Morrison dove into traffic to grab a loose ball and managed to call timeout as well, giving Foxboro the ball with just 43.1 remaining.
Gibbs said, “Joe Morrison is the ultimate glue guy.”
He continued, “We joke around in practice and call it ‘Joe Morrison doing Joe Morrison things.’ That was classic…not only coming up with a rebound in a crowd but having the presence of mind to call a timeout and retain possession.”
The Warriors got to the Dunkin’ Donuts Center well before the start of the game and took advantage of being the first team out to get up some shots and get accustomed to the much larger arena.
Procaccini explained, “The backdrop and everything was really different. The lights were really bright and we had to get used to them.”
He scored seven quick points in the first and Foxboro led 18-8 after one, so that early practice certainly paid off. Procaccini added, “We got all our shots up before. We got ready, so we were prepared.”
The Warriors continued to roll in the second quarter, eventually building the lead to as many as 15 points at 33-18, following a layup plus the foul by Lowey. Gibbs was also able to get everyone into the game with Anthony Barreira coming off the bench to bury a three and Jonathan Carnino and James Blake each providing big baskets and Jamaine Few grabbing important rebounds.
It was Procaccini that was the key offensively for the Warriors in the opening half. He scored 15 of his 21 by halftime. He explained, “My teammates would draw the defense and I just made the open shots. It’s all about my teammates.”
The Trojans bounced back near the end of the half and cut into the Foxboro lead, but a DuBrow steal and layup at the buzzer made it 37-28. B-R had a little momentum though and turned it around with a 19-6 third quarter, sparked by six points from former Taunton forward E.J. Dambreville (14 ppints, nine rebounds).
“I think the plan was okay, I thought the execution of the plan was okay and then in the third quarter B-R made some contested jumpers and some tough twos,” said Gibbs.
After taking the Trojans’ best shot and falling behind in the third, Foxboro managed to come back for the victory.
When asked what it showed about his team to get the win on Sunday, Procaccini replied, “We scrap. We take punches in the mouth but we’ll give them back. We don’t give up.”
Josh Perry can be contacted at JoshPerry@hockomocksports.com and followed on Twitter at @Josh_Perry10.
Taunton senior Jose Merardo dribbles around a defender in the first half against Mansfield. (Tom Madigan/Photo).
With nearly half of the games gone for all of the Hockomock teams, our editors Ryan Lanigan and Josh Perry take a look at where things currently stand for boys basketball.
Who is the midseason boys’ basketball Player of the Year?
Ryan Lanigan –As of the midpoint of the season, I’d say Taunton senior forward Jose Mercado is the current Player of the Year. He came into this week averaging 16.2 points per game and dropped a game-high 24 points in a comeback win over Milford. There were a lot of questions about the Tigers when some pieces from last year graduated or transferred. So far this year, Taunton has answered those questions so far this season with roads wins at Franklin and Mansfield. As one league coach told me, when Mercado is playing at his best that he’s “a man among boys.” He can score literally from anywhere, he’s a solid shooter from deep, can take the ball to the basket strong and has no fear with some midrange shots. Two other names to keep your eye on for the rest of the season are North Attleboro’s Brenty Doherty and Stoughton’s Brandon Teixeira.
Josh Perry – Player of the Year is as always a tough race to call at the midway point, especially with the league title races as close as they are. Franklin entered the season as one of the favorites in the Kelley-Rex and so far has lived up to that potential through the opening 10 games, which has included wins over Catholic Memorial, Foxboro and Mansfield. One of the main reasons for the Panthers success this year has been the play of senior guard Tim Prunier, who provides a steady hand in the backcourt as well as nearly 16 points per game. For a team that seems to have a different player stepping up every game, Prunier has been the consistent driving force this season and has the Panthers once again in the thick of the title race.
Who is the midseason boys’ basketball Underclassman of the Year?
Lanigan – I can’t remember the last time I wrote out the list of possible candidates for our UCOTY award and had so many possible candidates. There were nearly 10 names I came up with right off the top of my head but the one that stuck out the most was Franklin freshman Jay Dieterle. I remember the first game I saw the Panthers this year (against CM), I asked two former players if Dieterle saw much time. In about 30 seconds, he was in the game and drained a pair of three pointers. It’s one thing to be just a good shooter but Dieterle has already proven he has no fear taking the ball to the basket, taking a big shot in crunch time and he’s also a very strong rebounder. There’s still plenty of games to go but right now, Dieterle is already one of the better freshman I’ve seen in this league. Perry – My pick for Underclassman of the Year has a familiar name to fans of the Hockomock. The Layman family has had quite an impact on the King Philip program and this season a new face has emerged in freshman forward Kyle Layman. The 6-foot-3 rookie has made an immediate impression with his ability to control the glass and as a defensive weapon in the middle of the zone. He has also shown a nice touch around the basket. He is a different player than his brother Jake, who is currently building his draft stock at Maryland, but he has the potential to be an important piece for the Warriors for the next four years.
Midseason First Team
Lanigan G – Brent Doherty, North Attleboro G – Alex DuBrow, Foxboro
G – Tim Prunier, Franklin
F – Brandon Teixeira, Stoughton F – Jose Mercado, Taunton
Perry F – Brandon Teixeira, Stoughton F – Jose Mercado, Taunton
G – Alex DuBrow, Foxboro G – Brent Doherty, North Attleboro G – Tim Prunier, Franklin
What has been the biggest surprise this season? Lanigan – Franklin graduated four of their five starters from last season – three of them that played at an All Star level – and graduated a good handful of depth players as well. I remember going to a preseason tournament and seeing the Panthers and barely recognizing anyone. Now they sit tied atop the Kelley-Rex division and look poised for a deep playoff run. Tim Prunier has been strong but it’s the supporting cast that has really been impressive. Obviously freshman Jay Dieterle has been a big boost but sophomore Paul Mahon has also been a huge asset while classmate Connor Peterson certainly looks like he has taken a big step. Kevin Gill has been a steady starter while Josh Macchi, Tom Houlihan and Connor Goldstein have all provided sparks off the bench. While some thought this could have been a rebuilding year for the Panthers, it’s looking like it could be a banner year.
Perry – The biggest surprise for me this season has been Taunton’s place at the top of the Kelley-Rex division at the midway point. The Tigers returned important pieces including Jose Mercado and Tommy MacLean, but the loss of E.J. Dambreville has not had nearly the impact that had been anticipated. Even without a couple of important transfers, Taunton just came through a week in which it beat both Franklin and Mansfield and it sits tied with the Panthers atop the standings. The surprise is not that Taunton is good, there was plenty of talent on the roster coming in, but to see Taunton right there with a shot at it first league title, with the second best offense in the Hock (64.2 ppg) and the third best defense (51.6 ppg), has been surprising.
At this point, which team will be going furthest in the tournament?
Lanigan – This is always one of the hardest questions that we do for the midseason report. Franklin has a strong shot at making a deep run in the Central but inexperience will be the question as they approach the postseason. Taunton has been terrific this season and have a lot of guys that can hurt you on any given night but depth could become an issue down the stretch. Mansfield is still a strong team and when they get going, they will be a team no one wants to see in D1 South.
But my pick is Foxboro. The Warriors showed this past Friday night just how good they can be when they have Alex DuBrow, Jason Procaccini and Rob Lowey all clicking offensively. On top of that, role players like Jonathan Carnino, Andrew Block, Mark Clagg and Joe Morrison have all shown they can hit a big shot when needed. The big challenge will be on the defensive end if they can clamp down and keep their heads in the game. I said it in the preseason and I’m sticking with it now: I think we’ll see the Warriors in the sectional finals.
Perry – Picking who will go furthest in the tournament is a fun exercise because it is impossible to know the match-ups. If I had to pick one team right now, it would be Franklin. The Central has plenty of tough teams, but to get to the sectional final, the Panthers could realistically only have to win two games, which makes the path to the final considerably shorter in not necessarily easier than that of the likes of Foxboro, Mansfield, and Taunton. All of these teams have the chance to make noise this year but in terms of who will get the furthest I’m leaning towards the Panthers.
Today’s games are listed below. Boys Basketball
King Philip, 53 @ Attleboro, 69 – Final– Four different Attleboro players scored in double figures, led by Andrew Milliken’s 15 points and seven rebounds. Nate Douglas added 14 points, Jake Dunkley added 13 points and Lucas Boucicaut had 12 points. Kyle Murphy had 13 rebounds for the Bombardiers. Seth Sullivan had a team-high 12 points for King Philip.
Oliver Ames, 66 @ Canton, 47 – Final – Oliver Ames senior Tim Kelley scored a game-high 17 points, junior Dylan Mahoney dropped 14 points and seniors Connor Moroney and Shawn Cardoza each scored 10 points for the Tigers. Tony Harris had a team-high 16 points for Canton.
Stoughton, 41 @ Foxboro, 63 – Final – Senior Alex DuBrow dropped a game-high 18 points, senior Jonathan Carnino scored a career-high 14 points and senior Jason Procaccini scored 10 points. Brandon Teixeira had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Black Knights.
Taunton, 57 @ Franklin, 53 – Final – Taunton outscored Franklin 20-10 in the final quarter to secure the win. Five different players scored in double figures for Taunton: Quan Roberson had 14 points, Tommy MacLean had 11 points, four rebounds and seven assists, Carlos Borrero had 11 points and five assists, Dominique Smith had 11 points and six rebounds and Jose Mercado had 10 points and eight rebounds. Franklin’s Tim Prunier had 15 points and four assists, sophomore Connor Peterson had 11 points and Kevin Gill had 10 points for the Panthers.
Milford, 62 @ Sharon, 55 – Final (OT) – Milford’s Anthony Arcudi came off the bench and scored a career-high 11 points, all coming in the 4th quarter and overtime. Dimitry Torres led the Scarlet Hawks with 16 points and Dwight Anderson had 12 points, including 10 from the free throw line. Ricardo Ripley had 15 points for Sharon and Tyler Smith had 12 points.
North Attleboro, 43 @ Mansfield, 61 – Final– Christian Weber led Mansfield with 13 points while Phil Vigeant had nine points, Sam Goldberg and Max Boen each have eight points and Tyler Boulter had seven points. North Attleboro’s Brent Doherty had a game-high 17 points while Jonny Friberg had eight points. Girls Basketball
Canton, 21 @ Oliver Ames, 55 – Final – Sophomore Abby Reardon had a team-high 12 points and junior Francesca Calabraro chipped in with nine points for OA.
Foxboro, 66 @ Stoughton, 38 – Final – Ashley Sampson paced Foxboro with 19 points, six assists and nine rebounds. Cassidy Harrison helped out with 16 points for the Warriors and Grace Tamulionis had eight points and 16 rebounds. Val Whalen had eight points and 13 rebounds for Stoughton, while Bridgette Whalen had eight points and nine rebounds. Foxboro broke open a three-point game with a 14-3 run to end the first half and 26-9 through the end of the third quarter.
Franklin, 50 @ Taunton, 32 – Final – Lauren Rudolph was the top scorer for the Panthers with 15 points and Carli Koffinke added 11 for Franklin.
Attleboro, 55 @ King Philip, 41 – Final – Emily Houle led the way for Attleboro in her second game back from injury with 21 points. Sarah Deyo added 18 for the Bombardiers. KP was led by Sam Madden with eight points.
Mansfield, 39 @ North Attleboro, 31 – Final – Jackie Carchedi scored 19 points to lead the Hornets. Meg Hill added six points and seven rebounds for Mansfield. North was led by Emily Peters with nine points and 10 boards.
Sharon, 39 @ Milford, 31 – Final – Alyssa Piazza had a double-double for the Eagles with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Sharon also got 11 points apiece from Charlotte Ransom and Emma Eberhardt and five steals from Shira Stoller. Hockey
Taunton, 7 @ Apponequet/Connolly, 5 – Final
Sharon’s Tyler Smith (2) and David Roelke are two of eight returning varsity players for the Eagles. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com) By HockomockSports.com Staff
CANTON
2014-2015 Record: 5-15
2014-2015 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: Ryan Gordy
The Bulldogs have a good amount of talent with experience returning this season and have added some key young pieces and head coach Ryan Gordy is hoping that combination will be a recipe for success this season.
Senior captains Rishi Jambunathan, Woanyen Mahn and Ben O’Neill all got plenty of experience last year and will be relied upon in getting the younger players involved. Griffin Jerrier, who was a strong rebounder last year, is also back and will help the Bulldogs in the paint.
“We are a team that has a nice mix of veterans and rookies, we have some athleticism, a good work ethic and IQ for the game,” Gordy said. “I would say we are relatively deep this year with 11 guys who can give quality minutes at the varsity level. Our biggest weakness is that this roster is unproven, and we need to learn how to execute in big moments to win games.”
FOXBORO
2014-2015 Record: 15-8
2014-2015 Finish: Reached D2 South Semifinal
Coach: Jon Gibbs
When it comes to talent coming back, Foxboro is near the top of the list with the players they have returning this season. Hockomock League All Stars Alex DuBrow and Robby Lowey are both back for their senior seasons and will look to lead the Warriors to another deep postseason run.
Along with DuBrow and Lowey, Foxboro has junior Mark Clagg (third year of varsity), Andrew Block and Jonathan Carnino all back this season. Sophomore Joe Morrison was brought up at the end of last year and the Warriors got transfer Jason Procaccini from Nobles and he could emerge as one of the Foxboro’s top scoring options. Head coach Jon Gibbs will be relying on experience and depth to try take the next step this year.
“We have some good pieces offensively and should be able to score in a variety of ways, so as long as we stay unselfish, we should be able to put some points on the scoreboard,” Gibbs said. “Ultimately, our success will be determined by how big of a commitment we make to defense and rebounding.”
MILFORD
2014-2015 Record: 2-18
2014-2015 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: Paul Seaver
After just two wins in head coach Paul Seaver’s first year, the Scarlet Hawks are looking to take a big step forward in the 2015-2016 season. With nearly everyone back, Milford is in prime position to pick up more victories this season.
Dwight Anderson, a Hockomock League honorable mention last year, is back for his senior season, junior sharpshooter Nate Davila is back, junior Zack Tamagni will be back running the point and senior Dimitry Torres is a player that can make an impact at both ends of the court. Sophomore Kayden Kelley saw some time in the second half of the season last year and should provide good length and size in the post.
“We return 10 of 14 guys from last year’s team, which was the youngest in the league,” Seaver said. “This group had a terrific offseason, coming together both on and off the court, and helping to rebuild the culture within Milford basketball. Some of our strengths would include our improved teamwork and general awareness of working with each other after having played together so much over the last year.”
OLIVER AMES
2014-2015 Record: 20-4
2014-2015 Finish: Reached D2 South Final
Coach: Don Byron
After reaching the D2 South Final last season, the Tigers will have a to overcome a lot to try and get back there this season. All five starters (Carney, Handy, Kyne, Flynn, Welch) from last year’s team graduated as well as a key role player off the bench (Kelley) and another junior Franklin Holgate transferred to Nobles.
But the goal hasn’t changed for Oliver Ames as the Tigers will be making a push for the postseason again this year. Senior Tim Kelley will be one of the Tigers’ go-to options on the offensive end of the court and junior Carter Evin will provide some size in the post to give OA options on offense and defense. Connor Moroney will also be a source of scoring while Shawn Cardoza is another post player with some good experience.
“We graduated a strong senior class last year but with a nucleus of five returning players who played in a number of high pressure games last year we are optimistic,” head coach Don Byron said. “We also will add seven players who were key players on our successful JV and freshmen teams last year.”
SHARON
2014-2015 Record: 11-10
2014-2015 Finish: Reached D2 South First Round
Coach: Andrew Ferguson
Similar to Foxboro, Sharon is near the top of the list when it comes to returning players back this year. First year head coach Andrew Ferguson has eight returning varsity players at his disposal as the Eagles will look to not only make the playoffs, but try to get further than they did this past season.
Seniors Matt Lowerre, Tyler Smith, Bryce Smith, Mitchell Sirota, Andrew Filipkowski, David Roelke, and Michael Zola are all back for another year while juniors Ricardo Ripley and Peter Banks both saw time last year. Ferguson will be relying on that depth to try and challenge Foxboro in the Davenport title race. Although the Eagles don’t have a ton of size, they make up for it in athleticism.
“We are very excited to begin the season, and expect a lot from a very experienced roster,” Ferguson said. “Our roster will allow us to be very versatile as we try to create mismatches on both ends of the floor.”
STOUGHTON
2014-2015 Record: 8-12
2014-2015 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: John Gallivan
There are a lot of questions heading into the season for Stoughton but at the same time, there is a lot of optimism among the Black Knights.
Brandon Teixeira is back for his third year on varsity and is among the best shooters in the league. He will be relied on to captain the team on both ends of the court while junior Ryan Sullivan – who saw minutes last season – should see a bigger role in 2015-2016.
Beyond those two, head coach John Gallivan will be looking for others to step up and emerge as options on offense and as consistent players on defense. Sophomore Cam Andrews could be one of those players after seeing some minutes during his freshman year and junior Cam Gomes could provide some size for the Black Knights.
“There’s a big difference between the games that start at 5:00 and the one’s that start at 6:30,” Gallivan said of JV to varsity. “We have a lot of guys that haven’t played the 6:30 ones yet. We don’t have a ton of size but we can run and we’re hoping to make teams play our style.”
