Boys Basketball
Attleboro, 72 vs. Bishop Feehan, 47 – Final – Bolstered by high energy defense, Attleboro found success in its transition offense and rolled past rival Bishop Feehan in its regular season finale. A 20-point first quarter set the tone for the Bombardiers, who led by six at the end of the first quarter (20-14) and at halftime (34-28). Attleboro’s offense continued to play well into the third and the defense locked up the Shamrocks, holding the hosts to nine points in the frame to pull away (52-37) going into the fourth. Jaiden Outland led the charge with a game-high 19 points, including 12 in the first quarter. Junior Neo Franco added 16 points in the win, Hayden Crowley chipped in with nine points, and Michael Beverly finished with eight points.
Mansfield, 60 vs. Archbishop Williams, 46 – Final – Click here for a photo gallery of this game – Mansfield handed Archbishop Williams its first loss of the season with a strong defensive performance, holding the Bishops to their lowest scoring output of the season by a large margin. The Hornets set the tone and the tempo in the opening quarter, holding the visitors — who have scored at least 70 points in 15 of their games — to just 10 points after eight minutes, and then just 11 more in the second quarter for a 30-21 lead at the break. Junior Eddie McCoy (five assists) led the offensive charge early as he scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half. The visitors stuck around in the third quarter before Mansfield clamped down again in the fourth to secure the win. Junior Trevor Foley had a team-high 16 points along with 10 rebounds and three blocks and senior Chris Hill finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, four steals, and two blocks, earning Roundball Classic tournament MVP honors.
Milford, 61 vs. Lexington, 56 – Final – Click here for a photo gallery of this game – Needing a win to qualify for the state tournament, Milford jumped out to an early lead and stayed in front from start to finish to beat Lexington and secure its spot in the postseason. Sophomore Andrew Rivers notched a team-high 18 points to lead the way, adding 10 boards while both freshman CJ Farrell (13 rebounds) and junior Jake Soares chipped in with 10 points apiece.
Taunton, 55 vs. New Bedford, 65 – Final
Girls Basketball
Attleboro, 74 @ Abington, 53 – Final – Attleboro jumped out to a big lead in the first quarter, extended it to 20 points by halftime, and never looked back, sweeping the season series with Abington and closing out the regular season on a three-game win streak. Lily Routhier helped the Bombardiers get off to a strong start with eight points in the first. Freshman Tia Williamson chipped in with six of her eight points in the first as well, as Attleboro led 23-10 after one. Vanessa Ellis and Kayla Goldrick took over in the second, combining for 19 of Attleboro’s 21 in the quarter to make it 44-24 going into the locker room. Abington took the third 16-12 to try and creep back into the game, but Merry Bosh (six points) hit a pair of threes and Avery James (six points) hit her second of the second half to help the Bombardiers pull away again for a comfortable win. Ellis was the game’s top scorer with 18, while Goldrick had 17, and Routhier finished with 15.
Franklin, 40 @ Wachusett, 50 – Final
Mansfield, 40 vs. Bridgewater-Raynham, 43 – Final – Mansfield rallied in the third quarter to tioe the game heading to the final eight minutes, but the Hornets only scored seven points in the fourth and dropped a close game against a D1 title contender in the final of the Roundball Classic. The Trojans got off to a strong start with their outside shooting, burying five three-pointers in the first to jump out to a 17-8 lead. Mansfield closed the gap in the second behind five points from Abby Wager and a strong defensive performance. That continued in the third, as the Hornets outscored BR 14-8 to make it 33-33 going to the fourth. Natalya Gill had four points in the third and Ella Palanza added three. Wager would score four points in the final quarter, finishing with 12 on the night and moving within 19 points of 1,000 for her career, but Mansfield couldn’t find enough offense to pull out the win. Palanza scored eight, Gill had seven, and Bridget Hanley added six points in the loss.
Taunton, 52 @ New Bedford, 69 – Final
King Philip, 44 vs. Newton North, 61 – Final – KP was within six points with six minutes remaining, but a late Newton North run broke the game open to avoid the upset bid. Both teams started strong offensively, with the Tigers winning the first 22-16. Kylie Watson scored all nine of her points in the first to keep the Warriors close. Things slowed down considerably as the teams scored seven points apiece in the second and KP help the Tigers to just nine points in the third to slice the deficit in half heading to the fourth. Emily Sawyer sparked KP in the third, scoring nine of her team-high 15. In the final quarter, KP got three-pointers from Leah Santoro, Kaelyn Clancy, and Jackie Bonner, but the Tigers turned it on, scoring 23 points to seal the win. Bonner would also get into double figures, hitting a three in each quarter and finishing with 12 points.
Boys Hockey
Attleboro vs. Diman, 5:00
Franklin, 1 @ St. John’s Prep, 5 – Final
King Philip, 1 vs. Natick, 2 – Final
Mansfield, 3 vs. Silver Lake, 2 – Final
North Attleboro vs. Westwood, 7:30
Girls Hockey
Hockomock Stars, 3 @ Walpole, 7 – Final
Boys Basketball
Attleboro, 43 @ Milford, 44 – Final – Milford’s Andrew Rivera scored the go-ahead basket with two minutes to go and freshman CJ Farrell had the best game of his young career to help the Scarlet Hawks survive against visiting Attleboro. Farrell drained a three to give the Hawks the lead at 40-38 but Attleboro senior Justin Hanrahan drove to the bucket for two to tie the game. Back down the other end, Rivera got a jumper from the free throw line to fall and a 44-42 lead. Attleboro freshman Connor Houle hit a free throw to get within one, and the Bombardiers got a key stop in the final seconds but a heavily contested three-pointer at the buzzer was just off the mark. The Hawks came out of the gate strong as Farrell had nine of his career-high 22 points in the opening quarter to help the hosts stage an 18-13 edge. The middle two quarters were a defensive battle as the Bombardiers held the hosts to just one field goal (a three from Farrell, who also had 15 rebounds and 5 assists) while Jaiden Outland (15 points) and Neo Franco each hit a three to bring the Bombardiers even, 21-21, at the break. Outland added two more threes in the third as Attleboro took a 33-29 lead into the final quarter but Milford’s offense found its footing again and Jack Buckley (nine points) added a key three for Milford.
Sharon, 43 @ Canton, 46 – Final – Canton senior Caden Mirliani drained a three-pointer with 5.2 seconds left to deliver the Bulldogs an upset win over Sharon. The Eagles took a 43-40 lead with just over 90 seconds remaining after a great hustle play from Matt Baur led to an easy two for Nate Katznelson. Jamaal McConnell got the deficit down to two with a free throw, and then a bucket from Kareem Porter off a pass from Mirliani tied the game with 45 seconds to go. Canton got a stop after a quick three from the Eagles was off the mark, and after a timeout, drained the clock down to the final seconds. Jeremiah Predin drew a double-team in the post and kicked it to Mirliani for the three. It was a close game throughout the first half with Sharon leading by two (10-8) after a quarter and Canton holding the same advantage (22-20) at halftime. The Eagles outscored the hosts 17-7 in the third quarter as Dante James erupted for 11 of his 14 points in the game and Jacob McLoughlin had four of his 12 to give Sharon a 37-29 lead going into the fourth. Mirliani finished with eight of his career-high 15 points in the final frame while McConnell had five of his nine to get Canton back in it.
Foxboro, 41 @ Mansfield, 42 – Final – Mansfield junior Trevor Foley made a pair of key defensive plays inside the final minute to help the Hornets survive an upset bid from a well-prepared Foxboro squad. Holding a 42-41 lead with under a minute to go, Foley knocked the ball free to get the ball back for the hosts. Mansfield was unable to extend it’s lead from the free throw line, and Foxboro got off a good look from the corner that was off the mark and a desperation putback attempt was blocked by Foley at the buzzer to seal the win. It was close throughout after some early runs from both sides, with Mansfield leading after the first quarter (12-6) and at halftime (21-17). Davon Sanders had six of his 11 and Caden Colby had five of his 11 points in the third to keep the Hornets ahead while Sam Golub scored seven of his 15 points and Alex Penders added eight of his 18 to keep the Warriors within striking distance, 37-35, going into the fourth. A steal from Golub led to two points from Penders to give Foxboro a 41-39 lead but the Warriors couldn’t add to their lead after getting a stop and Mansfield senior JT Veiking drained the go-ahead triple with just over a minute left.
King Philip, 38 @ Franklin, 56 – Final – Franklin built a 10-point lead by halftime and never looked back, running away with a big win over rival King Philip. Geino Scaringello (11 points) hit a trio of first half three-pointers and Andrew Benoit added a triple of his own as the Panthers staked a 31-21 lead at halftime. Junior Sean O’Leary was a perfect 13-for-13 from the free throw line, including 11-for-11 in the second half and finished with a game-high 20 points for Franklin, who extended its lead to 46-29 at the end of the third. Tommy Kilroy and Grant Kinney each scored 11 points for the Panthers and Tommy McLeish added 10 points.
Taunton, 50 @ North Attleboro, 37 – Final – Locked in a low scoring, tight battle at halftime, Taunton used a press as a spark for the second straight game and pulled away for the win on the road. Both teams were limited to single digits in each of the first two quarters and the game was knotted at 12-12 at the break. Taunton got its offense going in the third quater as Chris Perault had seven points in the frame, Troy Santos added six, Jakari Innocent had five of his eight points, and Chris Volcy chipped in with four as the Tigers dropped 22 points in the third to stake a 34-24 lead going into the fourth. Perault finished with all but two of his game-high 16 points in the fourth while Santos finished with 15 points and Volcy had nine points. Senior Jack Munley led North with 10 points while sophomore Jonnie Obuchowski added 7 points.
Oliver Ames, 56 @ Stoughton, 52 – Final
Girls Basketball
Milford, 36 @ Attleboro, 56 – Final – The Bombardiers had three players in double digits to earn a bounce-back win over the Hawks and continue to apply pressure on league leader Franklin ahead of the teams’ next meeting. Vanessa Ellis and Kayla Goldrick each had eight points in the first half, helping the Bombardiers pull ahead by double digits heading into the break. Ellis finished with a game-high 16 and Goldrick had 12. Sarah Maher also got into double digits for Attleboro, scoring 13 points (nine in the second half). Emily Croteau led the Hawks with 11 points, including a trio of three-pointers. Erin Michelson added seven for Milford.
Canton, 48 @ Sharon, 45 – Final
Mansfield, 57 @ Foxboro, 65 – Final – Kailey Sullivan scored 31 points, going 9-of-10 at the line in the fourth quarter, to help the Warriors pull out a win against Mansfield, which clinched the Davenport title. Camryn Collins added 17 for Foxboro.
Franklin, 65 @ King Philip, 51 – Final – Franklin led by four points at halftime, but the Panthers exploded for 26 points in the third to open up a comfortable advantage. Kylie Watson scored a career-high 13 points, knocking down a trio of threes, for KP and her 10 first-half points helped the Warriors stay close at the break. Bridget Leo (eight points), Katie Peterson (seven), Caelyn Leonard (six), and Chloe Fales (five) turned the game around in the third quarter, combining for 26 points, doubling up KP in the frame and going ahead by 17 heading to the fourth. Peterson would be the high scorer for the Panthers with 17. Leo added 14 points and Leonard and Fales each finished with 11 for the Kelley-Rex leaders. Emily Sawyer led KP with 16 points (nine in the first half). Jackie Bonner hit three from beyond the arc and had 10 points and Leah Santoro hit a pair of threes for six points.
North Attleboro, 64 @ Taunton, 61 – Final – North outscored the Tigers 19-10 in the fourth quarter to pull out the win and avoid a season sweep. After facing each other twice already, including an overtime game last time out, the Rocketeers expected the Taunton pressure, but the Tigers pulled ahead in the third quarter and led by as many as 13 points in the second half before North mounted a comeback. Seven players go into the scoring column for the visitors, with Sam Sweeney, Ava McKeon, and Katie Corsetti each finishing with 14 points and Maryellen Charette adding nine. Cali Melo led the Tigers with 15 points, including 10 in the first half as the teams went into the locker room tied at 33-33. Lexi Haywood knocked down three from beyond the arc and finished with 13. Tarynn Campbell chipped in with a dozen points and Chelsea Bousquet had eight in the loss.
Stoughton, 39 @ Oliver Ames, 60 – Final – OA’s offense clicked into gear right from the start, scoring 34 points in the first half to go up by 19. Stoughton scored 24 in the second half, but the Tigers held onto the big lead to the final whistle. Sara Hilliard helped the Tigers get off to a great start, scoring nine of the team’s 15 in the first. She finished with 13. Kamryn Derba added seven of her 14 in the first half. OA also got 10 points from Avery Gamble and seven from Kaydance Derba. Raina Tat was the game’s top scorer, finishing with 16 points (13 in the second half). Kirsten McKay nailed three from beyond the arc for nine points, Leah McCarty had eight points and 11 rebounds, and Katrina Varnum had six points.
Boys Hockey
Foxboro, 5 @ Apponequet, 0 – Final
Boys Swimming
Hockomock League Championships, 4:00 (@ Milford)
Gymnastics
Canton @ North Attleboro, 7:30
Attleboro @ King Philip, 8:00
Boys Basketball
Attleboro, 57 @ Taunton, 64 – Final – Attleboro cut the deficit down to four with just over a minute to play but Taunton closed the game strong for the win. The Tigers jumped out to a lead with 22 points in the opening quarter, carrying a similar advantage into halftime (39-28) and into the fourth quarter (47-39). Attleboro’s Hayden Crowley scored 12 of his 18 points in the second half, Michael Beverly had seven points in the second half, and Jaiden Outland added 10 of his 16 in the second half to get the Bombardiers within four, 58-54, with 1:16 to play but Taunton closed it out. Junior Troy Santos paced Taunton with a team-high 24 points, Chris Volcy added 14 points, Tyson Carter chipped in with 13 points, and freshman Jakari Innocent finished with 11 points.
Franklin, 72 @ North Attleboro, 59 – Final – Locked in a one-point game just over a minute into the fourth quarter, Franklin ran away with a win behind a strong final six minutes. North Attleboro sophomore Jonnie Obuchkowski scored a layup with 6:20 to play, bringing the Rocketeers within a point at 55-54 but Franklin senior Justin Allen (10 points) answered with a deep three and the Panthers outscored the hosts 14-5 the rest of the way. Bradley Herndon, who scored a career-high 20 points, hit a free throw and scored off an offensive rebound and Sean O’Leary converted a putback as the Panthers pushed the lead to 63-54 with 4:43 to play. Franklin forced a pair of turnovers, including a steal from Allen, that both led to transition layups for Herndon to help pull away. O’Leary carried Franklin through the first three quarters, finishing with a game-high 28 points. North Attleboro had a balanced scoring attack, led by senior Givany Carney with 13 points. Obuchowski finished with 11 points while sophomore Chase Frisoli added 10 points.
King Philip, 61 @ Milford, 55 – Final – King Philip fell behind by double-digits going into the fourth quarter but dominated the final eight minutes to pull out a comeback win on the road at Milford. The Scarlet Hawks held a one-point lead after the first quarter (20-19) but the Warriors won the second frame by a point, sending the teams into the locker room at halftime tied 34-34. Milford’s offense continued in the third with 15 points while the Warriors went cold, netting just five points, as the Scarlet Hawks staked a 49-39 edge going into the fourth. In the fourth, KP erupted for 22 points, their best offensive quarter, while the Hawks went cold from the field. Tommy Martorano scored 10 of his 12 points in the final frame while Grant Kinney, Tommy Kilroy, and Brandon Nicastro (10 points) also contributed to the big fourth. Will Laplante also had five points in the fourth but really shined in the first half, scoring 19 of his game-high 27 points in the opening half. Luca Testa led Milford with 16 points and Gus Coutinho added 10 points.
Sharon, 64 @ Mansfield, 60 – Final – Sharon used a balanced offense and a physical defensive effort to secure one of its biggest wins in recent history, knocking off Mansfield for the first time since 2008. Jacob McLoughlin led the charge with 19 points, Nate Katznelson added 18 points, and Dante James finished with 16 points, including seven in the fourth quarter. Tyler Goodman, James, and McLoughlin all hit from downtown in the second quarter to help the Eagles establish a 31-26 halftime lead. McLoughlin (9), James (3), and Katznelson (6) accounted for all of Sharon’s points in the third as the lead increased to 49-41 going into the fourth. Mansfield battled back, including a deep three from JT Veiking with 12 seconds left to make it a two-point game. Matt Baur hit two free throws for his only points of the game and the Eagles stole the ensuing inbounds pass to seal the win. Veiking and Trevor Foley each scored 13 points to lead the Hornets while Chris Hill chipped in with 12 points.
Oliver Ames, 58 @ Canton, 31 – Final – With four players in double digits and dominant second and third quarters, OA snapped a five-game losing streak and earned its second win of the season. The Tigers led 10-8 after one, but scored 20 points in each of the second and third quarters, while holding the Bulldogs to single digits in each quarter. Freshman Avery Gamble was OA’s top scorer with 16 points, as well as six rebounds and four steals. Freshman Kamryn Derba and juniors Sarah Hilliard and Kaydance Derba each finished with a dozen points for the Tigers. Samya DaSilva was the game’s top scorer with 18, including all nine of Canton’s second quarter points. Erin Beatty and Emily McCabe each scored three for the Bulldogs.
Stoughton, 27 @ Foxboro, 77 – Final – Foxboro dominated for the third straight game, remaining unbeaten in league play this season and keeping hold of its lead in the Davenport division. Addie Ruter continued her strong sophomore season with a game-high 22 points. Camryn Collins added 17 and Kailey Sullivan also finished in double digits with 14. Stoughton was led by Raina Tat’s seven points, while Leah McCarty scored four points and grabbed seven rebounds.
North Attleboro, 17 @ Franklin, 64 – Final – Franklin’s defensive pressure shut down North to secure a win that keeps the Panthers within one of league leader Attleboro. The Panthers held the Rocketeers to six points in the first quarter, 15 for the half, and then clamped down even further after the break. North was held to a single basket in the second half, a fourth quarter bucket for Maryellen Charette. After doubling up the Rocketeers in the first half, 30-15, a 24-0 third quarter broke the game wide open. Katie Peterson led 11 Franklin scorers with 11 points. Chloe Fales and Bridget Leo each added nine points and Lizzie Newman chipped in with eight. Sam Faria and Katie Corsetti were North’s top scorers with six points apiece.
Milford, 32 @ King Philip, 44 – Final – KP bounced back from a tough loss to Foxboro by putting together a strong defensive performance and pulling out a win against Milford. The game was close after one quarter, with Emily Croteau scoring nine of Milford’s 12 points to keep the Hawks within two. Croteau finished with a team-high 14. Emily Sawyer added six points in the first and five in the second, on her way to a game-high 15, putting the Warriors up 29-21 at the break. Kylie Watson buried a pair of threes in the first half to help KP build its lead. The second half was all about defense. KP held Milford to only a single point in the third quarter, a free throw by Brooke Ferreira, but only managed six points of its own, half of them by Maddie Paschke (who finished with 11). The Hawks were able to score 10 points in the fourth, but only outscored the hosts by one, as KP held on for the win.
Mansfield, 68 @ Sharon, 51 – Final – Mansfield came flying out of the gates, scoring 21 points in the first quarter and 38 in the opening half to build a lead it wouldn’t relinquish and secure a fourth straight victory. Abby Wager scored a team-high 22 and she combined with Kara Santos to score 13 of the team’s 21 in the first. Santos finished with nine points, as did Bridget Hanley. Mansfield also got seven points apiece from Rose Maher and Olivia Salisbury in a strong team performance. Sharon tried to rally in the second half, scoring 34 points as a team, but only cutting four points off Mansfield’s halftime advantage. Jasmine Davis continues to be one of the league’s top scorers, finishing with 27 points and also grabbing 19 boards and blocking two shots. She scored 19 in the second half and went 15-of-17 from the line. Eva Poulton added 10 points for the Eagles.
Boys Hockey
Taunton, 6 @ Attleboro, 1 – Final
Boys Swimming
Taunton, 43 @ Attleboro, 83 – Final
Foxboro, 55 @ Sharon, 92 – Final
Franklin @ North Attleboro, 7:15
Girls Swimming
Taunton, 73 @ Attleboro, 94 – Final
Foxboro, 84 @ Sharon, 68 – Final
Franklin @ North Attleboro, 7:15
Gymnastics
Franklin, 133.65 @ King Philip, 138.00 – Final
Oliver Ames @ North Attleboro, 7:30
Boys Basketball
Canton, 33 vs. Randolph, 41 – Final – Canton made a run to start the fourth quarter but Randolph never surrendered the lead and held on to win the inaugural Derrick Snowden Memorial Holiday championship. The Blue Devils carried a 35-29 lead into the fourth quarter but buckets from Matt Chafin and Zaza Francoeur pulled the Bulldogs within two points. However, the offense went cold and Randolph added just enough insurance to get the win. Chafin finished with a team-high 10 points while Francoeur had eight points.
Milford, 71 vs. Uxbridge, 49 – Final – Milford scored 15 points or more in all four quarters, pulling away for good with a 21-point fourth quarter in the championship game of the Scarlet Hawk Holiday Invitational. Sophomore Andrew Rivera scored a season-high 22 points, hitting a trio of three-pointers, to pace the Milford offense. Luca Testa had his second straight big game offensively with 18 points and freshman CJ Farrell scored all 11 of his points in the first three quarters.
North Attleboro, 45 @ East Bridgewater, 48 – Final – North Attleboro rallied at the end of the third to build an eight-point lead but East Bridgewater closed out the final five minutes of the game with a 15-4 run to get the win. The Rocketeers trailed 26-22 in the third but rallied for a 13-1 run over the final 2:30 to flip a four point deficit to an eight-point lead. Chris Hanewich scored all nine of his points in the third, seven of which came in the run. His three started it and a layup at the buzzer ended it with Jonnie Obuchowski (12 points) adding four points and Ryan Bannon adding two more. Obuchowski and Chase Frisoli hit back-to-back threes early in the fourth to keep North ahead by eight but East Bridgewater chipped away and cashed in on a turnover with less than a minute to go for the winning three-pointer. Ayden Delaney scored a team-high 14 points for North
Taunton, 73 @ Durfee, 76 – Final – Taunton rallied multiple times throughout the game to get close to Durfee but the Tigers were never quite able to erase a first half 14-point deficit against the Hilltoppers. Durfee jumped out to a 19-9 after a quarter, led by as much as 14 points (23-9), and carried a 35-29 lead into halftime. Durfee exploded for 24 points in the third quarter and led 57-44 going into the fourth. Troy Santos scored 23 of his team-high 28 points in the second half, including five points in the final minute as the Tigers fought all the way back to get within one possession. With under a minute to go, Santos had a traditional three-point play, freshman Jakari Innoncent sank two free throws, Santos added two more free throws, and after a steal with 10 seconds left, Tyson Carter banked in a three to make it 76-73. Durfee inbounded the ball but with just 0.9 seconds left, the Tigers got the foul. Durfee missed both free throws but there wasn’t enough time to get a full court short off on the rebound. Innocent scored a career-high 16 points and senior Chris Perault added 15 points.
King Philip, 74 @ Framingham, 66 – Final – King Philip led by as much as 20 points in the second half and locked in defensively in the fourth when Framingham cut it to three, earning a win in the championship game of the Framingham Holiday Hoopla tournament. Senior Will Laplante had his second straight big game offensively, pouring in a team-high 26 points to earn tournament MVP honors. Laplante scored 11 points in the opening quarter to give KP the lead after one (18-16) while sophomore Tommy Kilroy sank half of his six three-pointers in the second quarter on his way to a career-high 21 points. Kilroy was named to the all-tournament team. Laplante added 10 more in the third, Kilroy tossed in another triple, and Tommy Martorano (15 points) had eight points in the third as KP’s lead ballooned to 20 points. The Flyers fought back to cut the deficit to three but KP forced eight fourth quarter turnovers to hold on.
Girls Basketball
Foxboro, 52 @ Wachusett, 61 – Final – Despite 17 points from Camryn Collins, Foxboro suffered its first defeat of the season against a Wachusett team that was in the Div. 1 Final Four last year. Ava Hill chipped in with a dozen points and Addie Ruter had eight points and 14 rebounds.
Mansfield, 58 vs. East Bridgewater, 24 – Final – Mansfield had 11 different scorers to win the consolation round of the Hearts for Hope Tournament. Abby Wager was the top scorer for the Hornets with 21 points and Kara Santos also hit double figures, with 12.
Oliver Ames, 39 vs. Bishop Fenwick, 49 – Final – Kaydance Derba scored 11 points and grabbed four rebounds and freshman Kamryn Derba added nine points and six boards for the Tigers in the consolation round of the Sue Rivard Tournament. Sarah Hilliard chipped in with nine points and five rebounds, while guard Maddie Homer led the team with seven rebounds.
Taunton, 39 vs. Durfee, 49 – Final
Sharon, 40 @ Quincy, 67 – Final – Jasmine Davis scored 22 points, but the Eagles fell in the final of the Quincy Holiday Tournament.
Milford, 33 @ Hopkinton, 31 – Final – Milford held off a furious Hopkinton comeback in the closing quarter to secure its first win of the season. The Hawks held Hopkinton to only 16 points through the first 24 minutes but then the Hillers exploded for 15 in the final quarter. Aliza Syed scored a team-high 10 points for the Hawks, including five of their 10 points in the fourth to hold on for the win. Freshman Katelyn Kearnan had seven points and Brooke Ferreira scored six, as well as taking a critical charge late in the game.
North Attleboro, 35 vs. Holliston, 43 – Final – Even without senior Ava McKeon, North battled throughout and trailed by only four going into the fourth quarter, but the Rocketeers only scored five points in the final eight minutes and the Panthers pulled out the win. The game was tied 22-22 late in the opening half, but Holliston finished the half on a 7-0 run to take a lead that it wouldn’t relinquish. Katie Corsetti scored 10 points to pace North, while Sam Faria added nine.
King Philip, 50 vs. Shrewsbury, 35 – Final – After a tough loss last night, the Warriors bounced back with an impressive win on Thursday morning in the consolation game of the Holiday Hoopla Tournament. Maddie Paschke and Emily Sawyer each scored 14 points to help KP pick up the win. Shrewsbury held an 11-8 lead after one quarter, but KP clicked into gear in the second, outscoring the Colonials 16-6, to grab the lead. Paschke scored seven points in the second and Jackie Bonner added five. Jessi Persky, Jordan Bennett, and Bonner each knocked down threes to keep the lead at seven after three quarters. KP put the game away with a 15-7 fourth. Sawyer scored six points, Paschke got an and-one, and Kylie Watson and Kaelyn Clancy each hit from beyond the arc to seal the victory for the Warriors. KP made seven threes as a team.
Boys Hockey
Foxboro @ Dartmouth, 4:30 (@ Hetland Arena)
Oliver Ames, 5 vs. Old Rochester, 3 – Final – Oliver Ames senior Jack Perron potted his second goal of the game with three minutes to go to break a 3-3 tie and Matt Lawson tacked on an empty net goal to give the Tigers a 5-3 win over Old Rochester in the Dartmouth Holiday Tournament championship. OA led 1-0 at the end of the first and the score stayed the game going into the third. Old Rochester battled back to tie it at 3-3 before Perron and Lawson ended it. Freshman Brendan Teehan scored his first career goal and Jack Corey also scored for OA.
King Philip, 8 vs. North Quincy, 1 – Final
Stoughton/Brockton, 7 vs. Tri-County, 2 – Final – Stoughton/Brockton exploded for seven goals to capture the Bellingham Christmas Tournament championship with a 7-2 win over Tri-County. Colby Strunk led the charge with a hat trick while Sean Farley lit the lamp twice in the win. Ryan Summers and Anthony DeSoura each added one goal while Sean McGowan had a solid performance in net for the Black Knights.
Girls Hockey
Franklin, 1 vs. Longmeadow, 4 – Final – Longmeadow added a late power play goal and an empty netter to pull away in the third period. Julia Flynn scored the lone goal for the Panthers with an end-to-end rush.
King Philip, 1 vs. Medway/Ashland, 2 – Final (OT) – Kelly Holmes scored the lone goal for KP and Mallory Johnston continued her strong play in net, making 36 saves. KP will face Natick tomorrow in the consolation round of the Medway New Year’s Classic.
North Attleboro, 51 @ Canton, 60 – Final – Canton took the lead early and played from ahead, doing just enough to shake a resilient North Attleboro squad for a win in the season opener. The Bulldogs had different players step up throughout the game with juniors Zaza Francoeur (career-high 18 points) and Jamaal McConnell (17 points in his Bulldog debut) leading the way. Francoeur and McConnell each scored seven points in the second to help the Bulldogs establish a 29-24 lead at halftime. In the third, Caden Mirliani hit a pair of threes while sophomore Anthony Diletizia also scored to keep Canton ahead by five, 40-35, going into the fourth. Senior Matt Chafin and Diletizia each had a three in the fourth, McConnell added four more, and Francoeur (5/6 from the free throw line) helped the Bulldogs close it out with seven more points in the fourth. Ayden Delaney led a balanced scoring effort from North Attleboro with 11 points while Givany Carney and Derek Maceda each had nine points.
Milford, 53 @ Foxboro, 60 – Final – Milford rallied to shrink a 23-point second half deficit down to three with under two minutes to go by Foxboro senior Alex Penders came up with a big bucket and Ryan LeClair forced a key turnover two plays later as the Warriors escaped with a win over the Hawks. Penders finished with a game-high 24 points to lead the charge while LeClair chipped in with 10 points. Sophomore Ryan Kelley scored all of his career-high 10 points in the third quarter, helping the Warriors build a big lead. The Warriors led 15-12 after a quarter and thanks to a pair of threes from LeClair and seven points from Penders, Foxboro increased its lead to 31-20 at halftime. Kelley’s big third, plus two threes from Penders, saw the lead balloon to as much as 49-26 midway through the third. Milford sophomore Andrew Rivera scored half of his 16 points in the fourth to help rally the Scarlet Hawks, who went 13-for-18 from the free throw line, including seven of those makes in the fourth. Freshman CJ Farrell added a career-high 14 points for the Hawks.
Franklin, 55 @ Oliver Ames, 42 – Final – Franklin overcame a slow start to erase a double-digit deficit and pick up a win on the road in Easton. Oliver Ames came to play, racing out to an 18-5 lead after eight minutes with senior Chris Elias (11 points) and sophomore Cole Craffey (14 points) each hitting a three. But the Panthers flipped the switch and dominated the second quarter, holding the hosts to five points while its offense got going with 24 points. Justin Allen, who finished with 14 points, hit a pair of threes in the quarter, junior Andrew O’Neill (13 points) added one, and junior Sean O’Leary went off for 13 of his game-high 24 points in the second. Allen, O’Neill, and O’Leary each connected from downtown in the third to keep the Panthers ahead (44-30) going into the fourth.
Taunton, 67 @ Sharon, 63 – Final – Taunton junior Troy Santos exploded for a career-high 44 points to lead the Tigers to a win on the road at Sharon to open the season. The Eagles led after each of the first three quarters but the Tigers continued to rally, especially in the second half, to get the win. Seniors Jack Bates and Dante James each hit a three in the second quarter, Jacob McLoughlin had eight of his 18 points in the first half, and junior Nate Katznelson scored 10 of his 14 points in the first two quarters as the Eagles carried a 30-23 lead into the second half. Santos carried the Tigers in the first half, scoring all but four of their 23 points. Santos got some help in the third as Chris Volcy had five points and Chris Perault added eight points but a three-pointer from Bates at the buzzer put Sharon ahead, 44-42, going into the fourth. With just one three-point field goal and two free throws, Santos connected on seven two-pointers to shoulder the load in the fourth as Taunton went up by as much as 10 in the final minutes. Taunton had a 65-55 lead with a minute to go before the Eagles made it interesting as McLoughlin converted a traditional three-point play, James scored off of a steal and then hit a three off another Taunton turnover, this time with under 5 seconds to play. An errant whistle stopped the clock but Taunton used a full court heave to Santos, who finished at the buzzer, to survive.
Canton, 39 @ North Attleboro, 47 – Final – Ava McKeon scored a game-high 18 points, powering North Attleboro to a season-opening win. McKeon scored 10 points in the first quarter and 15 before halftime to help the Rocketeers jump out to a seven-point lead at the break. Canton cut it to one in the closing minute but North was able to pull out the win. North was 19-of-26 from the line as a team, which helped the Rocketeers hold on, despite having McKeon foul out late in the fourth. North coach Nikki Correia said, “I am so proud of the girls. They played as a team executed the offense and played hard D for four quarters.” Samya DaSilva nearly matched McKeon in the first half, knocking down three from beyond the arc and scoring nine of her team-high 13 in the first quarter. Sam Sweeney helped North hold off the Bulldogs in the second half, scoring seven of her 15 points in the fourth. Sam Faria chipped in with nine points for the hosts, including 6-of-6 from the line. Jess Wright also reached double digits for Canton, adding 11 points.
Foxboro, 67 @ Milford, 29 – Final – Sophomore center Addie Ruter scored a career-high 18 points to lead the Warriors to a big road win in the season opener. Kailey Sullivan added 17 points and Camryn Collins scored 14 for the Warriors. Foxboro scored 19 in the opening quarter but then broke the game wide open with an 18-5 second that increased the lead to 22 at the break. Brooke Ferreira led the way for the Hawks, scoring 12 points and freshman Ava Baglione scored eight on her varsity basketball debut.
Oliver Ames, 45 @ Franklin, 54 – Final – Franklin was able to hold off a fourth quarter charge by OA to pull out a foul-filled season opener and continue its long win streak in league play. The Panthers jumped out to a 17-7 lead after the first and extended the advantage to 14 heading into the final eight minutes. OA rallied, scoring 18 points in the fourth and twice cutting the lead down to as little as seven, but Franklin made enough plays to seal the victory. Katie Peterson battled foul trouble in the second half, but finished as the game’s top scorer with 13 points. Chloe Fales, Caelyn Leonard, and Lizzie Newman each scored 10 points for the Panthers and Bridget Leo added eight. Freshman Kamryn Derba scored a team-high 11 points on her varsity debut for OA. Maeve Horsman added nine points, including seven in the fourth, Annie Reilly had eight points and eight rebounds, and Maddie Homer had seven points and five boards in the loss.
Stoughton, 41 @ King Philip, 64 – Final – KP came alive offensively in the third quarter, outscoring Stoughton 24-7 to break the game wide open. Emily Sawyer scored 12 of her game-high 16 in the third to help the Warriors pull away and seal the season-opening win. Maddie Paschke added 13 points for KP, including seven in the first half. Kylie Watson chipped in with nine and Jordan Bennett and Jackie Bonner each scored seven points for the hosts. Stoughton was able to hang around in the first half with help from Katrina Varnum, who score 10 of her 13 points before the break and added 11 rebounds, including eight on the offensive end, and three blocks. Freshman Kirsten McKay had a big debut for the Black Knights, scoring 10 points, seven of them in the fourth quarter, and adding eight rebounds, four assists, and five steals. Alyssa Edwards added 10 points, eight boards, a block, and four steals, while Raina Tat finished with seven in the loss.
Sharon, 37 @ Taunton, 46 – Final – Cali Melo scored a team-high 17 points, nine in the first half, helping Taunton pick up a win in the season opener and give new coach Gretchen Rodrigues a win on her debut. Taunton held the Eagles to just 11 points in the first half and then held on as Sharon tried to mount a late comeback attempt. Freshman Taryn Campbell added 10 points in her first varsity game (eight in the opening half) and Jillian Doherty chipped in eight points (four in each half). Sharon picked things up offensively after the break, led by Jasmine Davis, who scored 16 of her game-high 19 points in the second half. Davis added 24 rebounds and three blocks. Rachael Hager (seven rebounds and four steals) added eight of her 11 points after halftime and Eva Poulton contributed seven points and five boards for Sharon.
Oliver Ames is coming off a Div. 2 state title, but the Tigers will face a tough challenge to repeat as league champ this winter. Read our full team-by-team previews below. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com) By HockomockSports.com Staff
2021-2022 Record: 16-7 2021-2022 Finish: Reached Div. 1 Round of 32 Coach: Brianna Bracken
Former Attleboro standout Bri Bracken took over the coaching duties late in the preseason a year ago, but she stepped right into her first varsity job and led the Bombardiers to a 16-win season and a return to the state tournament. The graduation of top scorer Meg Gordon will be tough to replace, but the Bombardiers have a versatile lineup and a focus on the defensive side of the ball that still makes them a tough challenge even for the top teams in the league.
Attleboro returns only two starters from last season. Junior Kayla Goldrick impressed in her first two years on varsity, playing on the wing or as the primary ball-handler. Her control on both sides of the ball will be critical this season. Senior Lily Routhier, who transferred from Wheelock last year, is a strong rebounder and can score in multiple ways around the paint. Sophomore Vanessa Ellis wasn’t a starter for most of last year, but she came through with some big games down the stretch, scoring in bunches around the rim and being a force on the glass.
An injury to junior Rylie Camacho will deprive the Bombardiers of one of their best perimeter shooters, but Bracken will be hoping that juniors Merry Bosh and Molly Moore and sophomore Avery James can step into bigger roles in the backcourt and add scoring punch. Senior Sarah Maher is going to have a bigger role on both ends this season, bringing the energy and intensity every game. This will be a different look from last year, as the Bombardiers will have different go-to players every night.
“We have a great mix of experience and youth,” Bracken said. “We are excited about what lies ahead. Practices have been intense and the girls have been working really hard.”
2021-2022 Record: 16-7 2021-2022 Finish: Reached Div. 2 Quarterfinal Coach: Jim Choquette
How do you move on from graduating not just one but three of the best players in program history? That will be the challenge for Canton coach Jim Choquette this season, as the Bulldogs are coming off a winter that included a rare home playoff game and a trip to the Div. 2 quarterfinals and return a group of players that have experience but will need to step into bigger roles this year.
There is a veteran core that the Bulldogs will be relying on. Senior forward Samya DaSilva can score in the paint and knock down shots from the perimeter, while classmate Erin Beatty has been a force on the boards and brings a lot of energy on both ends of the floor. Senior guards Emily McCabe, Marissa Staffiere, and Han Hong all can run the point and are strong defensive players who will be tasked with keeping the ball moving for Canton on offense to find the best shot.
In addition to those familiar faces, juniors Fatima Sidibay and Jess Wright will provide additional athleticism in the frontcourt. Junior Mercia Kolokithas can stretch defenses with her perimeter shooting and sophomore Sally Hoban will provide depth on the wing along with Ava McCoole. Deanna Kolokithas is another newcomer to watch this season, as she can give Canton a boost at point guard, allowing the veteran guards to move off the ball.
“Every season is different, even if you have similar players,” Choquette explained. “We have spoken about that this year and I’ve encouraged our team to write their own narrative, what they want, how they want to get it, and the sacrifices they’re willing to make to accomplish it. I’m so excited to see how we respond as coaches to help them and as players to achieve.”
2021-2022 Record: 14-8 2021-2022 Finish: Reached Div. 2 Sweet Sixteen Coach: Lisa Downs
While head coach Lisa Downs knew there would be some growing pains for a roster loaded with underclassmen, Foxboro was not only building for the future in 2021-22 but showing that it could already compete with the league’s top teams. This season, adding a year of experience to their talented core, the Warriors will be aiming to get back to the top of the Davenport division and make a run in the state tournament.
The backcourt was the key for Foxboro last winter. Sophomore Kailey Sullivan burst onto the scene and was the rare freshman that could lead a team in scoring and also look right at home running the point against the tough defenses in the Hock. Junior Camryn Collins finished just behind Sullivan in the scoring charts, but her handle, her athleticism, and her ability to read the game made her an impact player on both ends of the court. Add in junior Erin Foley’s tenacity on the defensive end and it is a backcourt that can cause any team problems from baseline to baseline.
Foxboro also got solid contributions in the front court from sophomore Ava Hill, who looked increasingly comfortable as the season wore on, and junior Isabelle Chamberlin. Sophomore Adie Ruter will be a new piece to the puzzle this season. The 6-foot-2 center gives a new dimension to the Warriors’ offense and her development in the off-season has her poised for a breakout year. Freshmen Kylie Sampson and Adrianna Porazzo continue the tradition of underclassmen jumping right onto varsity with an opportunity to contribute.
“I’m anxious to get started working with this team,” Downs said. “I really envision a pretty high ceiling once we get established. We will continue the Foxboro team culture of hard work on defense and team play on offense, so it will be pretty exciting to see what they are able to accomplish.”
2021-2022 Record: 22-2 2021-2022 Finish: Reached Div. 1 Quarterfinal Coach: John Leighton
Franklin has dominated the Kelley-Rex division for the past four years, which included a state title run as well, but with a lot of new faces jumping into the lineup this season, the league title race could be a lot closer this winter. The Panthers may not be able to overwhelm teams with size like they have in past few years, but an athletic core of players returns to play typically tough defense and get out and run on the break.
The focal point this season will be senior forward Katie Peterson. After a breakout junior year in which she led the team in scoring, the UMass girls lacrosse commit comes back as one of the top wings in the league. Her athleticism will be critical on both ends of the floor. Senior guard Bridget Leo is also back to run the offense and will be one of the team’s top perimeter defenders. Senior Lizzie Newman emerged last season as a solid rebounder and post defender and her outside shooting could be a major factor.
There are also several players who stepped in at times last year that will need to take on bigger roles for the Panthers this season. Junior Sasha Tracey gives Franklin good length on the wing and adds another athlete that can get out on the break and finish. Her improved outside shot will also help stretch defenses. Sophomore Chloe Fales is a newcomer to watch with her athleticism and ability to score at multiple levels.
“This team is working to find its identity and play unselfish basketball,” said Franklin coach John Leighton. “I have been very impressed with the leadership of our seniors who have stepped up and provided mentorship to our younger players to speed their integration into the team.”
2021-2022 Record: 11-11 2021-2022 Finish: Reached Div. 1 Round of 32 Coach: Jeff Miszkiewicz
Only the two division winners allowed fewer points per game than King Philip last season, as the Warriors focused on strong half court defense under first-year coach Jeff Miszkiewicz. Defense will remain key for KP this season, but there is also an effort to bring more balance to an offense that struggled to keep up with some of the top teams in the Hock. With a year of experience in the new system, the Warriors will be looking to provide a challenge to Franklin and Oliver Ames in the Kelley-Rex.
Senior center Emily Sawyer has developed into a force on both ends of the floor and her presence in the paint will be a major piece of KP’s play this year. An almost automatic double-double every night, Sawyer has improved her offense every year and remains an imposing shot blocker and disruptor on defense. Fellow senior Jackie Bonner will give KP much-needed balance on offense with her ability to shoot from distance and take defenders off the dribble. KP looked like a different team when she went down with an injury last season.
While Bonner and Sawyer get a lot of the attention, KP has solid depth in both the front and backcourt. Senior guard Leah Santoro gives the Warriors a tenacious perimeter defender and junior Jordan Bennett runs the offense well at the point and showed flashes of being a threat from three-point range. Junior forward Maddie Paschke provides energy, rebounding, and finishing in the paint, and classmate Kylie Watson continues to improve on shot-making both in the paint and from the outside.
Miszkiewicz is also counting on several new faces to add to his squad this season. “They all bring something different to the court and have a chance to really impact games this year,” he said. “We can score on all three levels consistently, so we look to attack any advantages that we can get. Last year, we prided ourselves on playing tough, gritty defense. We try to make every shot difficult and hold teams to one shot.”
2021-2022 Record: 12-11 2021-2022 Finish: Reached Div. 1 Round of 32 Coach: Heather McPherson
Mansfield will play in the Davenport division for the first time this winter and, with only three players graduating from last year’s playoff team and both of its leading scorers back, there are hopes that this could be a title-winning debut for the Hornets.
Senior Abby Wager is the team’s top scorer from a year ago and the athletic wing will be the focal point for most teams defensively this year. The Southern New Hampshire-commit causes problems on both ends of the floor with her length and speed and her addition of different facets to her offensive game. If teams want to extend out to the perimeter, Mansfield can also hurt them in the paint with junior forward Kara Santos, who emerged as a consistent scorer on the block.
Experience should be no problem for the Hornets, who have a host of players that gained valuable experience last season. In the backcourt, seniors Olivia Salisbury and Bridget Hanley can run the point and step up with big scoring nights when needed. Senior Natalya Gill was instant offense off the bench for the Hornets, while classmate Rose Maher can knock down big shots from the outside. Senior Brooke Butler gives the Hornets another strong rebounder and paint presence.
“Extremely excited for the season,” said McPherson. “The level of focus and pace that we have committed to this preseason makes me extremely excited for the season with these girls!”
2021-2022 Record: 5-14 2021-2022 Finish: Missed postseason Coach: TJ Dolliver
Milford brings back five seniors from last year’s team, including a pair of four-year varsity players at captain, which the Hawks hope can provide the leadership for a move up the Kelley-Rex standings. After winning five games a year ago, Milford continues to set its sights on getting back into the playoff picture.
Senior forward Emily Croteau is an all-energy player at forward and will be one of the players that Milford counts on at both ends of the floor. She crashes the boards, defends, and her hustle is infectious. Classmate Brooke Ferreira is more of a calming presence in the backcourt, getting the Hawks into their sets and knocking down shots on the perimeter. Fellow seniors Molly Hartman and Aliza Syed will add experience and strength in the paint.
Junior forward Khatrina Leger could be ready for a breakout year after impressing in flashes as a sophomore. Leger used her athleticism to keep possessions alive and was able to get creative with her finishing around the rim. Classmate Erin Michelson uses her length on the wing to cause problems on the defensive side and junior Maeve Driscoll can come into the game and make some big shots on the perimeter.
“We have a lot of versatile players with different skills so our offense and defense is going to rely on execution during the games,” said Milford coach TJ Dolliver. “I have a great group of girls who are ready to compete on a daily basis. We have a lot of room to grow and I am looking forward to seeing where it takes us.”
2021-2022 Record: 4-16 2021-2022 Finish: Missed postseason Coach: Nikki Correia
North Attleboro incorporated plenty of youth into last year’s rotation and those young players will need to be ready from the start this winter because the Rocketeers are only returning four varsity players from 2021-22 and have as many underclassmen (four) as seniors on this year’s team. It is a guard-heavy rotation, which fits into head coach Nikki Correia’s preferred up-tempo style, but there will be a learning curve for a relatively inexperienced group.
Senior Ava McKeon will be the leader on the court for North this season. A four-year varsity player, McKeon gives the Rocketeers an edge with her tenacity, toughness, and athleticism. The rest of the team can feed off the energy that she provides on both ends of the court. Sophomore guards Sam Faria and Sam Sweeney both showed as rookies that they can knock down shots from the outside, but need to be more consistent to take the North offense to the next level. Classmate Maryellen Charette also impressed at times as a freshman and could be ready for a breakout year at forward. Confidence will be important for the younger players to meet the expectations that come from being regular starters.
North has added some new faces to the roster this year to contribute off the bench and give teams different looks. Senior guard Emma Hanwell and forwards Kylie James and Kayla Dominique, as well as junior forward Katie Corsetti will make the jump up from the JV team this season. Freshman guard Ella McLaughlin is another player with the potential to make instant contributions.
“I think our strengths on offense will be our quick guard play,” Correia said. “Our offense seems to be a little more organized and the guards are able to control the tempo. I am really looking forward to the season with this group of players. We are young and have so much potential to really surprise some opponents this year.”
2021-2022 Record: 22-3 (Davenport champions) 2021-2022 Finish: Won Div. 2 state title Coach: Brittany Engle
The defending Div. 2 state champions are going to have a very different look this season. Not only did Oliver Ames lose its top two scorers (Caroline Peper to graduation and Jasmyn Cooper to transfer) but also saw the retirement of legendary coach Laney Clement-Holbrook after more than four decades in charge. OA has turned to former assistant coach Brittany Engle, who is also a 1,000-point scorer and former state champ for the Tigers, who inherits a roster with only four returning players from last season.
Junior guard Kaydance Derba is the team’s top returning scorer and is one of the best long-range shooters in the league. Her length, her passing, and her ball-handling will all be critical for a team that is going to rely on a lot of relatively inexperienced players. Classmate Sarah Hilliard might be ready for a breakout season. The junior forward showed flashes of being a dominant post player last year, coming up with huge games on both ends of the floor during OA’s tournament run and her athleticism is a tough matchup for most teams.
A pair of seniors round out the returning players. Maddie Homer, who was voted volleyball MVP this fall, missed time last year due to injury but she came back to play a role in the state title game win against Norwood. She brings a lot of intensity on the defensive end and is another solid ball-handler that can get the Tigers into their sets. Classmate Grace Dupill will bring more athleticism to the forward position and leadership for a young squad that wants to challenge Franklin for the Kelley-Rex title.
“I’m excited for the season,” Engle said. “We’ve got a lot of good athletes who work hard, and are coachable and competitive. Coming off of a state title, expectations are high, but measured. This is a different team, but one with a lot of potential.”
2021-2022 Record: 4-16 2021-2022 Finish: Missed postseason Coach: Matt DellaBarba
Coming off a four-win season, Sharon returns four starters and nine players from last year’s roster, intent on making a move up the standings in the Davenport division. There is a change on the sidelines, with former Plymouth South coach Matt DellaBarba taking over this season and he will be hoping to utilize the experience that the Eagles have to make a run at a potential playoff spot.
Most of the focus this winter will be on junior center Jasmine Davis. After a stellar first varsity season in which she introduced herself with a 30-point, 20-rebound debut against Milford, Davis was one of the most prolific post players in the league as a sophomore. Sharon can take advantage of the attention Davis will draw to create shooting space for classmate Rachael Hager, who can force defenses to stay home with her ability to knock down shots from distance. Senior Tess Letendre and junior Eva Poulton round out the returning starters and both are solid ball-handlers and defenders in the backcourt and give the Eagles balance on both ends of the floor.
There is going to be plenty of experience coming off the bench for Sharon as well. In the backcourt, senior Clara Armon and juniors Carmen Leonardi and Natalie David will give the Eagles good energy and aggressiveness. Seniors Samantha Dunham and Emily Freeman add depth, rebounding, and solid defense in the front court. DellaBarba wants to make sure all of his players are threats to score on offense and communicate well in his team defense scheme.
“Being completely new to the Hockomock League I’m not entirely sure what to expect in my first season in the league,” DellaBarba said. “I know year in and year out the Hockomock League is one of the most competitive leagues in the state, so our focus right now is making sure we’re approaching every practice and game with energy and giving maximum effort in every opportunity that we receive.”
2021-2022 Record: 1-19 2021-2022 Finish: Missed postseason Coach: Eric Adams
Stoughton had its struggles in 2021-22, winning just one game, but the Black Knights are in the process of rebuilding through youth. With former assistant Eric Adams taking over for Charmaine Steele Jordan this winter, Stoughton will have continuity on the sidelines despite the coaching change and that should be a boost for a lineup that features only two seniors.
While young, Stoughton does have some varsity experience to call on. Senior guards Andrea Khouzami and Anna Hobbs will provide much-needed leadership in the backcourt. Junior Maiya Merritt is a quick guard who can get into the lane and sophomore Raina Tat showed that she has the ability to stretch defenses with her range, and the confidence to not pass up an open look.
In the front court, junior Alyssa Edwards is a three-sport athlete and she uses her strength and quickness to good effect on both ends of the court. Junior Katrina Varnum gives Stoughton a rim protector and a solid rebounder to protect the paint, while she also showed increasing confidence as a finisher around the rim. Sophomore Leah McCarty returns to give more depth on the block. Stoughton also has four freshmen on the roster, guards Kristen McKay, Molly Fox, Isabel Belmonte, and Cecelia Squires, who could be stepping in and getting minutes right away.
“This team is a young team; two seniors, four juniors, two sophomores, and four freshmen,” Adams explained. “This year is going to be a building year and we are eager to grow as a program.”
2021-2022 Record: 4-16 2021-2022 Finish: Missed postseason Coach: Gretchen Rodrigues
The transfer of the league’s leading scorer from last year, Kameron St. Pierre, will be a big challenge for Taunton this season. Losing more than 20 points per game, nearly half of the team’s nightly output, will obviously require more than just one or two players to step up. First-year coach Gretchen Rodrigues is counting on her team’s athleticism and focusing on the defensive end of the floor first to get the Tigers out and running this season.
Junior point guard Cali Melo will be a key player for the Tigers in this system, not only setting the pace for the team but also providing the energy on the defensive side of the floor. Melo is a tenacious defender and rebounder and will be like a coach on the floor. Junior guard Lexi Haywood provides long-distance shooting for the Tigers and is one of the players that could benefit from a few more touches on the offensive end. Sophomore Jillian Doherty gives Taunton more speed and finishing on the break and senior McMina Clermont adds more vocal leadership, defense, and rebounding.
While a lot of the focus is on the outgoing players, Taunton also got a transfer in who could be a major factor in the paint this season. Sophomore Skylar McCrohan has come from Somerset Berkley and Rodrigues will be counting on her crashing the boards and getting buckets in the post. Freshman Taryn Campbell is a quick guard and solid shooter, who will come in and contribute right away.
“We are going to push the ball, play hard all the time, play unselfish, and be in great shape,” Rodrigues said. “My style is up and down, pressure a lot, and utilize all 94 feet.“
Elizabeth Molla pushes the ball up court after one of her four steals during KP’s 45-33 victory over Plymouth North in a D1 preliminary round game. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)
WRENTHAM, Mass. – Coming into the playoffs, King Philip was allowing the third fewest points per game in the league (behind only league champs Franklin and Oliver Ames). The Warriors clinched their spot in the tournament by allowing fewer than 30 points in each of the final two games of the regular season games, winning both to get back to .500.
On Tuesday night at the Wooden Gym, KP’s defense was on display again, holding Plymouth North to only two free throws in the first quarter and only seven points (on two made baskets) in the fourth, to earn a 45-33 preliminary round victory.
“That’s one thing I’ve been focusing on every day, so I’m glad to see it paying off,” said first-year KP coach Jeff Miszkiewicz about his team’s scoring defense. “I think in our down spurts there, they sped us up a little bit and the key with us is, once we speed up, we have to run our stuff correctly and once we do that then we seem to handle it.”
While things on the other end of the floor weren’t always running smoothly, KP could lean on junior Emily Sawyer to get big baskets when it needed them. The 6-foot-3 center scored 16 points (10 of them in the second half), grabbed 17 rebounds, and blocked four shots, as she once again controlled the paint against an under-sized Eagles front line.
“We’ve been working with her all year on getting her proper angles, and she threw a head fake today, which was great because I’ve been telling her to do that all year,” said Miszkiewicz about Sawyer. “She’s been on fire and I wouldn’t want to have to guard against her.”
KP came out with plenty of energy to start the game and took control in the first. Elizabeth Molla buried a three from the wing on the opening possession to put the Warriors in front. KP would never trail in the game. Sawyer followed up with the other six points in the first, scoring on a put-back, on a nice post move, and then a layup off a feed from Liv Lafond.
Plymouth North struggled to create any good looks at the basket. Sawyer clogged up the middle and nothing was falling from the outside. The Eagles were drawing fouls, but were 2-of-6 at the line in the first (10-of-23 for the night) and went to the bench down 9-2.
Megan Banzi got the first made basket of the night for the visitors to cut the lead to four. Jackie Bonner (five points), who returned from a wrist injury for the final two games of the regular season, drilled a three to push the lead back to five. She would finish with five points, but Bonner’s return to the lineup and threat from the perimeter is a big boost for KP.
“She just makes a difference just by being on the court because she spaces out teams just by being out there,” Miszkiewicz said about having Bonner back. “We’re trying to build back her confidence coming off the injury, but it’s really great having her out there because, even though she’s not a captain, she’s a leader on the team.”
Banzi scored six points in the second and helped the Eagles battle back to tie the game at 13 apiece. With Lafond and Julia Marsden both on the bench for most of the period with three fouls (and limited to very little time in the third as well, after picking up their fourth fouls), the Warriors got timely help off the bench.
Kylie Watson (seven points) made a nice backdoor cut and got a pass from Sawyer to put the Warriors up for good. After a Jordan Bennett steal, Leah Santoro banked in a three (her only points of the night) to send the Warriors to the locker room up 18-13.
A nice reverse by Bonner and a layup for Watson got KP going in the third, but the Eagles started to find the range and kept it close. Mackenzie Hohulin (10 points) and Taylor Voci (five steals) both knocked down big threes to stay within two.
Marsden (five points) answered with a drive to the basket and Sawyer got free on the block for two more. Bennett then fought for a rebound on the base line and went back up strong to push the lead to 34-26 heading to the fourth. Watson then pushed the lead to double digits for the first time when she opened the quarter by drilling a three.
“I told them before the game, I don’t know who I’m going to need in what situation,” Miszkiewicz explained. “We had Jordan Bennett inbounding the ball against the press, which she hasn’t done all year, Kylie Watson with a really great steal to end the third quarter. That type of experience is invaluable. I think the bench has really, really stepped up over the last few weeks and did again tonight.”
Hohulin answered back with a three of her own, but Plymouth North would score only four more points in the game. Molla drove and dished to Sawyer for a pair and then Sawyer grabbed an offensive rebound for two more points. Marsden went 3-of-4 at the line to seal the win for the Warriors.
King Philip (11-10) advances to face the No. 2 seed, Wachusett, on Friday night in the Round of 32.
Boys Basketball
Attleboro, 67 vs. Durfee, 42 – Final – After falling behind in the first quarter, Attleboro dominated the final three quarters to earn a season sweep of Durfee. Playing shorthanded without leading scorer Evan Houle, the Bombardiers got a huge boost from junior Jaiden Outland, who hit four three pointers and finished with career-high 18 points to pace the Attleboro offense. Durfee held a 18-14 lead after eight minutes but Attleboro came storming back in a 22-point second quarter with Outland netting eight point, Jake Struminski adding six of his eight points, and Colin Morais chipping in with five of his 15 points. The Bombardiers won the second quarter 22-5, taking a 36-23 lead into the locker room.
Canton, 66 vs. Fenway, 49 – Final – Holding a six point lead at the break, Canton used a 19-point third quarter to stretch the lead and eventually finish off Fenway for the second time in as many days. The Bulldogs got scoring contributions from six players in the big third quarter with senior Lanse Dorcelus scoring six of his team-high 16 points, senior Nate Mei adding five of his 13 points, and Matt Chafin (11 points), Dillon Nguyen, Conor Hunter, and Bahsor Mahn (eight points) all scored in the quarter as Canton turned its halftime lead (32-26) in a 51-36 advantage going into the fourth. Jacob Solomon added a trio of threes and finished with nine points.
Foxboro, 58 vs. Medfield, 54 – Final – Tied at halftime, Foxboro pulled ahead for good with a big third quarter to land a key win over Division 2 foe Medfield. Foxboro had a 20-15 lead after a quarter but the teams went into the locker room at halftime deadlocked, 30-30. Five different Foxboro players scored in the third and the Warriors had their best defensive frame of the game, winning the third 17-9. Alex Penders had five of his 14 points, Andrew Finn and Cam Barreira each sank a three, Sam Golub (nine points) added a basket, and Dylan Gordon had four of his team-high 22 points to help Foxboro pull away.
Franklin, 43 vs. Leominster, 30 – Final – Anchored by one of its best defensive efforts of the season, Franklin landed an impressive win over one of the two ranked teams in Division 2. Junior Ben Harvey had a fantastic showing on the defensive end, holding one of Central Mass’ best players Justin Dadah Jr. to just one three-pointer in the fourth quarter. The Panthers used a 16-0 run across the first and second quarters to create separation. Sophomore Sean O’Leary scored eight of his 11 points in the opening half while Harvey got it going on the offensive end with six points in the second. Geino Scaringello gave the Franklin offense a big boost in the second half with all of his nine points coming over the final two frames.
King Philip, 68 vs. Falmouth, 36 – Final – King Philip poured in 26 points in the third quarter to run away with a big win over Falmouth in the first round of the Somerset-Berkley tournament. The Warriors built a 27-16 lead at halftime, getting a trio of three-pointers from Grant Kinney in the first half and one apiece from Braeden Sottile (10 points) and freshman Tommy Kilroy. Junior Will Laplante took over in the third, hitting three more threes and went on to finish with 16 of his team-high 24 points after the halftime break. Charlie Grant and Sottile also hit threes in the third quarter for KP, who had 12 makes from three-point range.
Mansfield, 56 vs. Westford Academy, 41 – Final – Click here for a Photo Gallery from this game. Mansfield struggled in the opening quarter against Westford’s zone, but the Hornets turned things around in the second quarter to send the teams into the locker room tied. In the second half, Mansfield locked down defensively, allowing only one point in the third and 12 points in the half, to pull out a win against a team ranked in the top 10 in Div. 1 and advance to the final of the Roundball Classic. Matt Hyland led all scorers with 16, 10 in the second half, and added nine rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Chris Hill added 13, including seven in the second to help the Hornets even up the game and 4-for-4 from the line in the fourth quarter. Andrew Slaney nailed four threes, including two in the first to keep Mansfield close, and finished with 12 points. Mansfield hit eight from beyond the arc as a team and will face the winner of Whitman-Hanson and Brockton in Wednesday’s final.
Milford, 46 vs. Shrewsbury, 57 – Final
Sharon, 59 vs. Walpole, 71 – Final – Sharon trailed by just three at halftime but Walpole exploded for 27 points in the third quarter to run away with the win in the championship game of the Davenport Classic. Sophomore Nate Katznelson dropped a career-high 27 points for the Eagles, but Walpole’s balanced attack — five players scored in the third — and successful three-point shooting in the third (five makes) ended up the difference.
Stoughton, 59 vs. Milton, 38 – Final – After a back-and-forth first quarter, Stoughton dominated the middle quarters to build a double digit lead that never relinquished the rest of the way. Junior Rayan Sablon hit four three-pointers in the first half and finished with 22 of his career-high 31 points to help the Black Knights get the win. Connor Andrews added nine of his 17 points in the opening half as Stoughton built a 34-19 lead at halftime and had a 46-25 lead going into the fourth.
Taunton, 77 @ New Bedford, 42 – Final – Taunton senior Trent Santos scored his 1,000th career point as the Tigers rolled to a big win to finish the regular season. Santos finished with 29 points in the win and hit the milestone with — fittingly — a pull up three in transition in the fourth quarter. Santos had five threes in the game and 10 total makes. Chris Volcy came off the bench and scored half of his 12 points in Taunton’s 25-point second quarter, turning a close game into a blowout by halftime (43-21). Faisal Mass added eight points for Taunton, which had nine players get in the scoring column.
Girls Basketball
Attleboro, 61 @ Durfee, 30 – Final – The Bombardiers held Durfee to 12 points in the first half, building a 32-12 lead through two quarters and never looking back to record a fifth straight win. Meghan Gordon scored 12 of her 16 points and Lindsey Perry scored all seven of her points in the first half to get Attleboro off to a great start. Vanessa Ellis scored 13 points (eight in the second half) and Rylie Camacho buried four three-pointers and finished with 12. Avery Vieira scored six of her eight points in the fourth.
Foxboro, 61 vs. Cambridge, 30 – Final – Kailey Sullivan scored 23 points, knocking down five three-pointers, as the Warriors rolled to a big win in the opening round of the Warrior Classic. Nine players scored for Foxboro, which will face Walpole on Tuesday night in the final.
Mansfield, 54 vs. Westford Academy, 55 – Final – Click here for a Photo Gallery from this game. Abigail Chambers hit a three from six feet behind the arc with only 4.5 on the clock and Westford pulled out a come from behind win in the first round of the Roundball Classic. The Hornets had led 54-48 in the closing minutes, but Westford closed the game on a 7-0 run. Abby Wager scored a team-high 22 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, to pace the Hornets. She added six rebounds and four steals. Kara Santos chipped in with nine points (five in the fourth) and Bridget Hanley added nine points, five assist, and two blocks. Natlya Gill came off the bench and scored seven points. Mansfield will face Natick on Wednesday afternoon in the consolation round of the tournament.
Taunton, 52 vs. New Bedford, 59 – Final – Taunton and New Bedford had a shootout in the second half, as the teams combined for 68 points, but the Tigers weren’t able to pull off a comeback in the season finale and the Whalers earned a split of the season series. Kameron St. Pierre had a team-high 17 points for the Tigers, all of them in the second half, and knocked down three from beyond the arc. Liv Gannon scored nine, all in the first half, and Cali Melo and Abby Souza each scored eight points for the Tigers.
Canton, 46 @ Westwood, 40 – Final – The Bulldogs closed out the regular season by winning the title at the Riley Classic and beating one of the teams ahead of them in the Div. 2 power rankings. Fay Gallery scored 17 points, dished our four assists, and had three steals to lead the way for Canton. Kiara Cerruti added 16 points and three steals and Sydney Gallery had seven points, five boards, and three assists. Canton also got a lot of help on the glass, with Han Hong and Erin Beatty each pulling down six rebounds and Samya DaSilva grabbing five boards. Marissa Staffiere made a pair of clutch free throws at the end to help seal the win. Fay Gallery was named tournament MVP and Cerruti was named to the all-tournament team.
King Philip, 49 vs. Archbishop Williams, 28 – Final – KP jumped out to a 16-2 lead after one quarter and extended that lead to 34-6 at halftime, running away with a big win in the consolation round of the end-of-season tournament. The Warriors had 48 points through three quarters. All 14 players saw time on the court and 11 ended up on the score sheet. Liv Lafond led the Warriors with 10 points, while Emily Sawyer had eight and Kylie Watson and Julia Marsden each scored seven points in the win. Olivia Ali knocked down a three-pointer for her first career varsity points.
Boys Hockey
North Attleboro, 1 vs. Walpole, 3 – Final
Mansfield, 3 vs. King Philip, 6 – Final
Stoughton, 1 @ Rockland, 2 – Final (OT) – After being shutout by Rockland in the first time around, Stoughton pushed the Bulldogs to the limit this time around before falling in overtime. Joe McNulty had the goal for the Black Knights, Steven Westerlund had a strong game defensively, and Chris Andrade played well in net with 29 saves.
Girls Hockey
Mansfield/Oliver Ames, 4 vs. Dedham, 0 – Final – MOA freshman Emma Rabinovich sparked the offense with her first career goal less than a minute into the game and the Warriors never looked back, skating to a shutout win over Dedham. Rabinovich lit the lamp 30 seconds into the game and then Kylie O’Keefe doubled the lead with a minute left in the period to make it 2-0. Cammy Shanteler (from O’Keefe) and Cataline Kipp each added a goal for the Warriors. Jess Widdop made 35 saves in net to earn the shutout for MOA.
Boys Basketball
Canton, 50 @ Fenway, 43 – Final – Canton saw it’s double-digit halftime lead disappear in the third quarter but the Bulldogs bounced back in the fourth to secure the win on the road. The Bulldogs built a 24-13 lead over the first two quarters of action with senior Dillon Nguyen scoring six of his 11 points in the second and Jacob Solomon and Bahsor Mahn coming off the bench with four points apiece. But Fenway erupted in the third, hitting four threes on the way to 22 points and a 35-31 lead going into the fourth. Canton had its best offensive quarter of the game, outscoring the hosts 19-8 over the final eight minutes to get the win. Matt Chafin and Nate Mei (11 points) each hit a three in the fourth while Lanse Dorcelus scored seven of his team-high 15 points in the frame. Canton hosts Fenway in a rematch on Monday.
North Attleboro, 74 @ Weymouth, 67 – Final (OT) – Senior Brody Rosenberg drained a three and junior Givany Carney had a steal that led to a traditional three-point play in the extra period as North Attleboro earned a hard-fought win on the road at Weymouth. Rosenberg (game-high 28 points) hit a trio of three-pointers in 19-point second quarter for the Rocketeers, who built a 30-21 lead by halftime. Weymouth took advantage of its size advantage in the third to cut the deficit to two (39-37) going into the fourth. After a back-and-forth fourth, Weymouth took the lead with a minute and a half to go but the Rocketeers had a big day at the free throw line (22-for-29), hitting some clutch shots from the line down the stretch, with Rosenberg going 8-for-8 from the line in the fourth. Carney finished with seven of his 17 points in overtime and Casey Poirier added 12 points for North.
Sharon, 89 vs. Ashland, 33 – Final – Sharon opened the game on a 14-0 run and never looked back in a convincing win over Ashland in the opening round of the Davenport Classic. The Eagles found a lot of success attacking the basket with 14 two-point field goals in the first half, and just three of their 10 made three-pointers. Junior Matt Baur scored 15 of his team-high 18 points in the first half for the Eagles, who had 11 players factor into the scoring, including 10 from Sam Cohen and nine points apiece from Donyae Pierre and Jacob McLoughlin.
Stoughton, 58 @ North Andover, 72 – Final
Girls Basketball
Oliver Ames, 67 vs. Newton South, 40 – Final – Locked in a 10-point game at halftime, Oliver Ames held Newton South to just four points in the third, doubling its advantage going into the fourth and ran away with the win. Sophomore Jasmyn Cooper had an incredible efficient night, shooting 13-for-18 from the field to finish with a career-high 33 points to pace the Tigers. Sophomore Sarah Hilliard added 11 points while senior Caroline Peper stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists.
Canton, 45 vs. Needham, 29 – Final – Canton had a strong defensive performance and got big games from its three stars to pull out a win against Needham in the first round of the Riley Classic at Westwood High. Fay Gallery, Kiara Cerruti and Sydney Gallery combined for 43 of the team’s 45 points in the win. Fay Gallery led the Bulldogs with 20 points, also pulling down seven rebounds, picking up seven steals, and finishing with three assists. Cerruti had 15 points and seven rebounds and Sydney Gallery chipped in with eight points and seven rebounds against the team that entered the day No. 15 in the D1 power rankings.
Franklin, 48 vs. Bridgewater-Raynham, 44 – Final – Following its first loss in three years, Franklin bounced back 24 hours later by pulling out a close win against Bridgewater-Raynham. The Panthers got off to a good start, scoring 15 points in the first quarter and jumping out to a nine-point lead, but the Trojans responded with an 18-8 second to lead by one at halftime. In the the third quarter, Stefany Padula and Katie Peterson each scored five points, as Franklin took the third 14-9 and regained the lead. Franklin shot 8-of-12 from the line in the fourth, including 5-of-6 from Peterson, to hold on for the win. Padula knocked down four from beyond the arc and was the top scorer for Franklin with 15 points. Peterson added nine, all in the second half, and Olivia Quinn chipped in with nine as well.
King Philip, 47 @ Hingham, 58 – Final – Playing without its two leading scorers, KP got off to a tough start against the Harborwomen, down 18-9 after the first, but then played largely even for the final three quarters. KP held Hingham to just seven points in the second to cut the lead to three heading to halftime, but Hingham pushed the lead back up to nine after three. Liv Lafond scored 16 points to pace the Warriors, who also got nine points from Jordan Bennett (on three makes from beyond the arc) and six points apiece from Mia Bennett and Kylie Watson.
Abby Wager lines up a first half three. Wager led all scorers with 19 points to help Mansfield pick up a win over King Philip. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)
MANSFIELD, Mass. – After getting off to a great start and jumping out to a double digit lead in the first quarter, Mansfield went into the fourth quarter of Sunday afternoon’s matinee with King Philip at the Albertini Gym leading by just two. The Hornets needed to find the energy they started the game with.
Mansfield regained control on the defensive end, got an important lift from reserve forward Brooke Butler on both ends of the floor, and went on a 9-2 run to start the fourth. The Hornets extended the lead to as many as 12 and finished with a 45-35 victory over the Warriors, pushing their win streak to four.
“We’re at a point right now that we have so many kids who want to take it to the basket, take quick shots, we’ve got shooters, we’re not making teams play defense long enough,” Mansfield coach Heather McPherson. “They honed in and went to fundamentals and I feel like our defense was really, really good.”
Afternoon tips sometimes cause problems, as it can be tough to find the necessary energy outside of the normal routine. The Hornets had no problem with that in the first quarter, jumping out to a 13-2 lead.
Olivia Salisbury and Anna Darlington (eight points and seven rebounds) each buried threes and then Abby Wager (game-high 19 points and six steals) got going. She scored in the lane off Darlington’s offensive rebound and assist and then drilled a three plus the foul to put Mansfield up 11. Emily Sawyer (14 rebounds) got the only basket for KP.
The Warriors needed a boost before the game got out of hand, so KP switched its defense to a half-court trap and full-court press, forcing the players to be more aggressive. It worked. KP looked much more engaged on both ends and the Hornets lost any rhythm to their offense.
Knocking down shots also helped KP get back into it. The Warriors made four three-pointers in the quarter. Elizabeth Molla got things started with a three, then Julia Marsden hit one. Kara Santos (six points and nine rebounds) answered with a pair of baskets for Mansfield, but Marsden came back and drilled another to cut the lead to 17-11 midway through the quarter.
Molla set up Jackie Bonner (eight points) for a corner three and, after Rose Maher got two on the other end off an inbounds pass from Bridget Hanley (three blocks, four assists, nine rebounds), Sawyer kicked it out to Kylie Watson for a buzzer-beating jumper. Mansfield led 19-17 at the half.
“We’ve been that way as a team all year,” KP coach Jeff Miszkiewicz explained. “We don’t get off to great starts, but we always battle back. Every single game, we’ve had to battle back.”
He added, “I was trying to get some way to get them to play more energetic on defense and that certainly helped. I think, they got really comfortable on offense, so our defense wasn’t nearly as good as it was (last time out) against Attleboro, so we needed do something to change up what they were seeing.”
KP carried its momentum into the second half. Wager hit a tough layup off a steal but Liv Lafond (nine points, all in the second half) answered. Wager came back with a pull-up jumper, but Bonner knocked down a floater and with the game tied knocked down a big three that put the Warriors ahead 26-23.
It was the only lead that KP had in the game. Darlington grabbed an offensive rebound and scored plus a foul to even things back up with 1:11 left in the third. As time was winding down inside the final 10 seconds of the quarter, Wager got yet another steal and turned it into a go-ahead layup.
McPherson said of Wager, “She’s out-sized for her position, which is a huge advantage. Just to put her on someone and to have that wingspan on you is really hard to think about and she’s come up really big when it matters.”
The basket meant Mansfield would have the lead entering the fourth, but still with a lot of work to do to find its flow on offense. Santos started the quarter with a bucket in the paint and then added a steal and lead pass to Wager for a layup and a foul, making it 33-26.
Lafond got two at the other end with a nice post move, but then Mansfield’s bench came through with several big plays. Butler, who had been guarding the 6-foot-4 Sawyer in the post at times, managed to control a bounce pass and finish for two, Natalya Gill drove to the basket for her only points of the afternoon, and then Butler again finished at the rim thanks to a great drive and dish by Hanley.
“A kid like Brooke Butler comes in and, she doesn’t light up the stat line but does a lot of things that make a huge difference,” said McPherson. “What she lacks in size she makes up with heart. We’re looking for team chemistry and camaraderie and she brings it.”
KP was trying to hang around, but Santos came up with another huge effort play, grabbing two offensive rebounds to keep a possession alive and kicking it out to Wager for a dagger three that put the Hornets up 12 late in the quarter. Leah Santoro got three back for KP but the Hornets had the important win.
“They hit some really big shots,” said Miszkiewicz. “Liv and Julia had foul trouble, Emily got hurt, so we had a lot of things go wrong, but they (Mansfield) played really well. They took advantage of every misstep we had on defense and hit some really big shots.”
Mansfield (6-3) will try to keep things headed in the right direction on Tuesday when it hosts Canton. King Philip (5-4) has lost three in a row heading into a visit from Oliver Ames on Tuesday.
