Boys Basketball
Foxboro, 91 vs. Medfield, 57 – Final – Foxboro’s 22-point first quarter was a sign of things to come as the Warriors’ offense had its best performance of the season in a 91-57 victory over Medfield in the championship game of the Warrior Classic. Senior Sam Golub and sophomore Ryan Kelley buoyed the big start from the hosts as Golub drained a trio of threes for 11 of his 24 points while Kelley hit a pair of triples for nine of his career-high 17 points to set the tone early. Foxboro was even better in the second as Alex Penders erupted for 12 of his game-high 28 points, Golub added 10 more points, and Ian Foley came off the bench to sink a pair of threes for a total of 32 points in the second, and a commanding 54-24 lead at halftime. Foxboro will close out the season on Thursday against Melrose in an endowment game.
King Philip, 64 vs. Falmouth, 51 – Final – King Philip senior Will Laplante shined in his final regular season high school game as his 25-point performance anchored a 64-51 win over Falmouth in the consolation game of the Crosby-Couto Tournament at Somerset-Berkley. The Warriors had a modest three-point lead after eight minutes thanks to three from Tommy Martorano, Brandon Nicsatro, and Laplante but extended its advantage to double-digits (29-19) by halftime with a strong second. Laplante had 10 points in the second lone while Martorano (14 points) added five more. Laplante tacked on two threes in the third quarter and one more in the fourth, and senior Grant Kinney (11 points) splashed in three more three-pointers in the fourth to keep KP ahead.
Stoughton, 79 vs. Milton, 53 – Final – Stoughton used six first-half three pointers to build a 15-point halftime lead and never looked back, knocking off Milton in the championship game of the Moscardelli Tournament at Quincy High. Jayden Costa-Haywood, Jarred Daughtry, and Anthony Alessi connected from downtown in the first and sophomore Matt Greenspoon splashed in three three-pointers in the second quarter alone as the Knights staked a 37-22 lead at halftime. Costa-Haywood continued on in the second half, recording 16 of his game-high 27 points after the break. Greenspoon added two more triples in the fourth to finish with 15 points while Alessi and Daughtry both chipped in with eight points.
Girls Basketball
Foxboro, 61 vs. Brookline, 53 – Final – Foxboro closed out the regular season with an impressive win against a team ranked in the top five in Div. 1 in the final of the Warrior Classic. The Warriors had a big lead at halftime, but Brookline stormed back and eventually tied the game at 47-47 in the fourth quarter. Foxboro went on a 14-4 run to regain a double digit lead and close out the win. Camryn Collins, despite battling foul trouble in the second half, finished with a team-high 23 points and was named the tournament MVP. Kailey Sullivan added 17 points and was named to the all-tournament team, and Addie Ruter scored 10 points. Isabelle Chamberlin provided 10 rebounds, including a couple clutch ones in the final minutes, and Erin Foley played strong defense against Brookline’s talented perimeter players.
Boys Hockey
Canton, 2 @ Boston Latin, 0 – Final
Girls Hockey
King Philip, 2 @ Milton, 2 – Final – Katarina Precobb and Kelly Holmes both found the back of the net and Mallory Johnston made a pair of saves to lift KP in the shootout after the game stayed tied through regulation and overtime. KP trailed 2-1 late in the third period but Nicole McDonald got a tip on a shot from the point, wrong-footing the goalie and tying the game with just 34 seconds to go. In the OT period, KP had several chances to win it, with McDonald, Precobb, and Holmes all denied by the Milton goalie on good scoring opportunities. Precobb started the shootout by going top shelf and Holmes beat the goalie five-hole. On the other end, Johnston stayed with the shooters, twice keeping her pads down to make the saves and send KP to the final of the Milton February Break Tournament, on Thursday afternoon against Bishop Stang at the Ulin Rink.
Boys Basketball
North Attleboro, 45 @ Attleboro, 56 – Final – North Attleboro senior Derek Maceda poured in 12 of his 16 points in the third quarter and North Attleboro scored 19 in the frame to cut the deficit to single digits, but Attleboro kept the visitors at bay in the fourth to secure the win. The Bombardiers built a 29-15 lead at halftime but Maceda helped orchestrate a comeback attempt, hitting a three at the buzzer to pull the Rocketeers within 43-34 going into the fourth. Attleboro senior Justin Hanrahan opened the fourth with five straight points — two free throws and a traditional three-point play — to restore the Bombardiers’ double-digit advantage and they held it the rest of the way. Jaiden Outland had a team-high 12 points, Hanrahan added 10 points, and Michael Beverly chipped in with nine points. Sophomore Chase Frisoli added 14 points for the Rocketeers.
Canton, 39 @ Mansfield, 61 – Final – Mansfield and Canton were level after the first eight minutes but the Hornets went on to outscore the visitors in each of the final three quarters to run away with a 61-39 win over the Bulldogs, clinching the Davenport division title outright. After going back-and-forth, the teams were tied 14-14 after one but Mansfield had a big second quarter with JT Veiking (18 points, 5 rebounds) sinking a pair of threes and Eddie McCoy (13 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) adding a triple of his own to push the lead to 32-20 at half. Chris Hill added 10 points for the Hornets. Caden Mirliani had a team-high 12 points for Canton.
Foxboro, 52 @ Oliver Ames, 31 – Final – Click here for a Photo Gallery from this game. – Foxboro set the tone early with its defensive effort and had a consistent performance on the offensive end to win its final league game of the year, pulling into a tie in third place of the Davenport division with Canton. The Warriors limited OA to just six points in each of the first three quarters with disciplined defense and good rebounding. Foxboro senior Alex Penders dominated on both ends with a game-high 24 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks, and four assists to lead the way for the Warriors. Rayna Kelley added nine points and four rebounds. Sophomore Cole Craffey led OA with eight points and four rebounds.
Franklin, 63 @ Milford, 53 – Final – Franklin clicked into gear in the third quarter and then pulled away for good in the fourth against a resilient Milford squad. The Hawks had a one-point lead after the first but Franklin had six players contribute to the scoring in the second and went 9-for-10 from the line in the period to stake a 27-23 halftime lead. Hansy Jacques had his best game of the year for the Panthers as the junior erupted for nine of his career-high 16 points in the third quarter and senior Geino Scaringello hit a pair of threes as Franklin extended its lead to 45-34 going into the fourth. Franklin junior Sean O’Leary finished the game strong, scoring 12 of his team-high 17 points in the fourth, going 7-for-10 from the line overall in the game. Milford sophomore Andrew Rivera had a team-high 13 points and eight rebounds, senior Wyatt Zagami added 11 points, and sophomore Luca Testa finished with 10 points for the Hawks.
King Philip, 57 @ Taunton, 71 – Final – It was a tale of two halves as Taunton flipped the script on visiting King Philip by erasing a double-digit deficit at the break and running away with a 71-56 win. Grant Kinney, Tommy McLeish, Tommy Kilroy, and Trevor Clyde each connected for a three in an 18-point third quarter that saw the Warriors surge ahead 33-23 at halftime. Taunton freshman Jakari Innocent flipped a switch in the second half as he scored 20 of his career-high 22 points after the break, including 11 in the third quarter to jumpstart the Tigers’ offense. Junior Troy Santos added six in the frame and had 17 of his 22 points in the second half. Al Morisseau added 10 points and Chris Volcy chipped in with nine points for Taunton, which scored 21 points in the third and 27 points in the fourth quarter, going 13-for-19 from the line. Tommy Martorano and Kilroy each had 11 points for KP while Brandon Nicastro finished with 10 points.
Sharon, 75 @ Stoughton, 73 – Final (OT) – Sharon erased a four-point deficit with under 20 seconds to go to force overtime and then outlasted the Black Knights in the four-minute extra period to secure the win on the road over an upset-minded Stoughton squad. Jayden Costa-Haywood (20 points) sank a pair of free throws to push Stoughton’s lead to 67-63 but a foul sent Matt Baur (22 points) to the line, and his two free throws cut the deficit in half with 17 seconds to go. The Eagles were able to trap with the press and pick off a pass, which led to a floater from Baur taking a kind bounce and in with two seconds left to make it 67-67. Baur opened the overtime with a triple and Jacob McLoughlin (17 points) added a free throw to push the lead to four. After Stoughton got it back to three off a free throw from Jarred Daughtry, McLoughlin had a traditional three-point play with two minutes to go to make it 74-68. Costa-Haywood answered on the other end with a three-point play of his own to cut the deficit in half. Daughtry hit two more to make it a one-point game at 74-73 with 43.1 seconds to play, and Stoughton had a shot in the air to take the lead but it was off the mark and a Tyler Goodman free throw with 1.5 seconds left iced it. Nate Katznelson added 12 points for the Eagles. Matt Greenspoon scored 16 points for Stoughton while Obi Dike added 11 points and Anthony Alessi chipped in with 10 points.
Girls Basketball
Attleboro, 65 @ North Attleboro, 36 – Final – The Bombardiers scored 20-plus points in the first and third quarters to pull away for a big bounce back win. Eight players got on the score sheet for Attleboro in the win. It was a quick start for the visitors, as Kayla Goldrick and Avery James each scored six points and Lily Routhier added four in a 20-11 quarter. Ava McKeon tried to keep North in the game with seven of her team-high 15 in the opening quarter. Attleboro scored 14 in the second, while holding North to just six. Vanessa Ellis was held scoreless for the first half, but she got things going with nine points in the third and then added another eight in the fourth to finish with a game-high 17. The Rocketeers tried battle back in the fourth with 17 points as a team, including six more from McKeon and all five of Ella McLaughlin’s points in the game. Goldrick would finish with 12 points, Routhier would have nine, and James scored eight. Sam Sweeney added 10 points for the Rocketeers.
Mansfield, 47 @ Canton, 33 – Final – Mansfield put in a strong defensive performance to secure a home win in the Hockomock finale. The Hornets didn’t allow Canton to reach double digits in the first three quarters and opened up an 18-point lead. The visitors jumped out to a 16-9 lead after one and doubled up Canton 12-6 in the second to make it a double-digit game at halftime. Abby Wager, Kara Santos, and Hallie Popat combined for 19 points in the first half. Wager would go on to score eight of Mansfield’s 10 points in the third and the Hornets held Canton to just five to break the game open. The Bulldogs had their best offensive quarter in the fourth, scoring 11 points, including four from Erin Beatty and Emily McCabe’s second three of the night. Wager led all scorers with 14, while Santos finished with 10 and Popat added eight. Fatima Sidibay was Canton’s top scorer with seven points, while Beatty and McCabe each totaled six.
Milford, 24 @ Franklin, 58 – Final – Franklin had 13 different scorers, none with more than eight points, to close out the league campaign with a big win. The Panthers held Milford to just nine points in the first half, going into the locker room with a 24-point lead. Katie Peterson scored all eight of her points in the first quarter, as the Panthers scored 24 in the opening eight minutes. The Hawks would play even in the third, as Brooke Ferreira scored eight of Milford’s 10 points. She finished with a dozen on the night. Franklin’s depth was too much. The Panthers got contributions up and down the roster. Norah MacCallum scored seven, while Elle Bonacci and Kyra McSweeney each chipped in with six. Aliza Syed had five points for the Hawks, all in the first quarter.
Taunton, 38 @ King Philip, 56 – Final – Emily Sawyer exploded for 16 points in the fourth quarter and had a career-high 34 points, powering KP to a bounce back win in the final home game of the regular season. Jackie Bonner chipped in with 14 points and four threes for the Warriors. KP grabbed the lead in the first, as Sawyer and Maddie Paschke each scored four and Bonner knocked down her first triple. The Warriors extended the lead to 25-18 at halftime, as Sawyer and Bonner had all 11 of KP’s points in the second. Cali Melo kept the Tigers close with 10 of her team-high 16 in the opening half. Sawyer and Bonner had all of KP’s points in the third quarter as well, combining for 14 to add another six points to the lead. In the fourth, the Warriors continued to feed Sawyer in the post and the 6-foot-3 center, and league’s leading scorer, had 16 of KP’s 17 points to put the game out of reach. Paschke added her fifth point of the night in the fourth. Taryn Campbell added seven points and eighth grader Raya Horton chipped in with six for the Tigers.
Stoughton, 56 @ Sharon, 59 – Final – Rachael Hager nailed the game-winning three, one of several big plays she made down the stretch, to lift the Eagles to a sweep of the season series. Hager finished with 16 points. Jasmine Davis continued to dominate in the paint, scoring a game-high 26 points for Sharon. Kirsten McKay was Stoughton’s top scorer with 15 points and grabbed four boards. Raina Tat continued her run of double-digit games, scoring 12 points, while Leah McCarty had eight points and four rebounds and Katrina Varnum scored seven and grabbed a dozen boards.
Boys Hockey
Taunton, 6 @ Everett/Revere, 2 – Final
Girls Hockey
Canton, 2 vs. Norwood, 1 – Final – Ellie Bohane scored the game-winner with 40 seconds left in regulation to earn the Bulldogs a big win against another Div. 2 title contender. Audrey Koen scored Canton’s first goal before Bohane popped up with the late winner to extend the Bulldogs’ unbeaten streak to 11 games (7-0-4).
Boys Basketball
Taunton, 58 @ Attleboro, 60 – Final – Attleboro’s Spencer Sherck made a huge defensive play and Hayden Crowley sank two free throws both with under 10 seconds left as the Bombardiers held on a late run from Taunton for the win. Attleboro led by as much as 12 points early in the fourth quarter and again at 56-44 with 2:18 left to play following a three-pointer from Michael Beverly before Taunton’s full court pressure sped the game up and got the Tigers a 9-0 run in 50 seconds of action, capped by a deep three from Troy Santos to make it 56-53. A steal and layup from Chris Volcy got the visitors within a point before Attleboro freshman Connor Houle hit a pair from the line to make it 58-55. Santos used a nice move to get to the line again and hit another two with 41.1 seconds to go. Taunton got another stop but so did Attleboro as Sherck stepped stepped in and took a charge with 7.8 seconds to go. Crowley sank two free throws to extend Attleboro’s lead and the Bombardiers were able to hold on for the win. Beverly tied a career-high with 19 points to lead the Bombardiers while Jaiden Outland added 12 points. Crowley finished with 8 points while Houle, Neo Franco, and Justin Hanahran each had 7 points. Santos dropped a game-high 22 points, half of them coming in the fourth quarter. Tyson Carter added a career-high 17 points and Chris Perault finished with 10 points.
Oliver Ames, 45 @ Canton, 47 – Final – Canton scored the go-ahead bucket off a broken play with just seconds seconds to go and held on as OA’s attempt at a game-winner was off the mark to secure a hard-fought league win and season sweep of the Tigers. Oliver Ames staked a two-point lead after a quarter (13-11) and a four-point advantage at halftime (27-23) but the Bulldogs held the visitors to single digits in the third and pulled even (34-34) going into the fourth quarter. With just under 20 seconds to go, Oliver Ames nearly intercepted a pass but the deflection bounced to Canton sophomore Anthony Diletizia and he alertly fired a bounce pass to Jeremiah Predin and he kissed one off the glass to put Canton up 47-45 with 12.2 seconds to play. Zaza Francoeur had a big block on OA’s first look and then the Tigers launched a three at the buzzer but it was off the mark. Jamaal McConnell had a team-high 13 points for Canton, Caden Mirliani added 12 points and Predin and Francoeur each finished with 8 points. OA sophomore Cole Craffey had a game-high 16 points and freshman Soren Lolonga added 12 points in the win.
Stoughton, 59 @ Foxboro, 76 – Final – Foxboro erupted for 22 points in the opening quarter and never looked back, scoring a season sweep of Stoughton with a wire-to-wire win on Friday. Seniors Sam Golub (13 points) and Ryan LeClair (9 points) each hit a pair of threes inside the opening eight minutes while classmate Alex Penders added another and a total of eight of his game-high 28 points as the Warriors jumped ahead 22-15. Senior Andrew Finn added another triple in the second while junior Ryan Cotter and sophomore Ryan Kelley both had a pair of baskets to help Foxboro extend its lead to 39-26 at halftime. Penders kept it going with 10 more points in the third and sophomore Nolan Gordon took his turn with all seven of his points in the frame for a 56-42 lead going into the fourth. Stoughton’s Jayden Costa-Haywood had a team-high 18 points while sophomore Matt Greenspoon chipped in with 12 points.
North Attleboro, 49 @ Franklin, 67 – Final – Franklin sank four of its 11 three-pointers in the opening eight minutes to stake an early lead and the Panthers never looked back in a big win over visiting North Attleboro. Andrew O’Neill hit a pair, Justin Allen had one of his four triples, and Nick Scala tossed another in to take a 16-7 lead after one, and the Panthers never surrendered that lead. Bradley Herndon got going in the second with six of his 11 points and junior Sean O’Leary had a third of his 12 points in the second as Franklin took a 31-15 lead into the locker room. Allen had a team-high 14 points, O’Neill and O’Leary finished at 12 points apiece, and Herndon had 11 points. North senior Jack Munley and sophomore Jonnie Obuchowski each had nine points.
Milford, 82 @ King Philip, 66 – Final – Milford had an offensive outburst on the road to earn its fifth straight win, pouring in 26 points in the second quarter and 27 more in the third quarter en route to beating King Philip. Senior Wyatt Zagami, who had a season-high 18 points, was a huge spark for the offense, draining a trio of three-pointers in the second quarter to jump start the Hawks’ offense. Milford built a 14-11 lead after a quarter but really turned it on in the second with Zagami and sophomore Andrew Rivera, who had a career-high 28 points, each hit three three-pointers, and sophomores Jack Buckley and Luca Testa each added points as Milford ended up with a 40-30 lead going into halftime. The break couldn’t cool the red-hot Hawks as Rivera added nine more in the third, freshman CJ Farrell got going with nine of his 18 points in the frame, and Testa, Zagami, Nick Aruajo, and Tyler Ballard all hit shots from the floor to the tune of 27 points and a 67-47 advantage going into the fourth. Senior Will Laplante led KP with 20 points, sophomore Jack Assini added 13 points, and sophomore Tommy Kilroy chipped in with 11 points.
Girls Basketball
Attleboro, 69 @ Taunton, 40 – Final – Attleboro stormed out of the gates, bombing away from three, and jumped out to a 43-13 lead by halftime, ensuring that the Bombardiers will head into Tuesday’s showdown with Franklin down just a game in the Kelley-Rex standings. The visitors had no problem finding the range in the Rabouin Field House, knocking down 10 three-pointers as a team. Sarah Maher got Attleboro off to a strong start with seven of her nine points coming in the first, while Kayla Goldrick added five and Vanessa Ellis and Lily Routhier (eight points) scored four apiece to open up a 26-7 lead after one. Rylie Camacho buried three from beyond the arc in the second, while Molly Moore and Goldrick both knocked down shots from the outside, as Attleboro’s lead grew to 30. Moore would hit a pair from three in the third and scored eight of her 11 points in the quarter, as Attleboro didn’t let off the gas. Moore, Goldrick, Ellis, and Camacho all finished with 11 for the Bombardiers. Eighth grader Rayah Horton scored a career-high 13 points for the Tigers, including seven in the fourth. Cali Melo also scored seven of her 13 points over the final eight minutes and Skylar McCrohan added six points for the hosts.
Foxboro, 79 @ Stoughton, 26 – Final – Kailey Sullivan continued her hot streak, scoring a game-high 25 points, including four three-pointers. It’s the third straight game that Sullivan has scored at least 23 points (with one game of 31). Camryn Collins and Addie Ruter also reached double digits, scoring 15 points apiece. Nine different Warriors got on the score sheet. Stoughton was led by Kirsten McKay with 10 points, five boards, and two steals.
Franklin, 66 @ North Attleboro, 48 – Final – Click here for a Photo Gallery from this game. Katie Peterson scored a career-high 28 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and dished out three assists to lead Franklin to the road win that keeps the Panthers atop the Kelley-Rex by a game heading into Tuesday’s showdown with second-place Attleboro. Peterson got the visitors off to a strong start, burying a pair of threes and scoring 10 points in the first. Bridget Leo and Chloe Fales also knocked down threes for Franklin, which took a 24-8 lead after one. Peterson hit her third three and had four points in the second to help the Panthers extend the lead by two, 35-17, going into the locker room. After scoring only 17 points total in the first meeting, North found another gear offensively in the third. Despite Peterson scoring another eight points, North cut the lead by a couple, scoring 18 in the quarter. Maryellen Charette had five points and Ava McKeon, Sam Faria, and Ella McLaughlin each drilled threes for the Rocketeers. Peterson added six more in the fourth, including a drive midway through the quarter to set her new high mark. Sam Sweeney matched Peterson with five in the final eight minutes. Caelyn Leonard scored 11 (going 6-of-7 from the line), Bridget Leo added nine points and four assists, and Chloe Fales had six (all in the first). Sweeney and Charette each scored 10 and McLaughlin had nine, while McKeon and Katie Corsetti both finished with eight points for North.
Sharon, 47 @ Mansfield, 81 – Final – Natalya Gill scored a career-high 21 points, knocking down seven three-pointers, and the Hornets set a new program-high for points in a game. This is the second time this season that Mansfield has scored 80 or more points in a game. Gill and Abby Wager each scored six points in the first to help the Hornets take a 14-8 lead. The Mansfield offense found a second gear in the second quarter, as the Hornets scored 25 points. Gill continued her hot shooting with three from beyond the arc, Wager chipped in with seven more, and Ella Palanza (eight points) scored four. The Eagles were hanging around behind Jasmine Davis, who scored 14 of her game-high 23 in the first half. The third quarter was nearly even, with the Hornets adding one point to their lead. Davis added another seven points and Rachael Hager, who missed much of the season with injury, scored five points. Mansfield ensured there would be no comeback with 25 points in the fourth quarter. Gill hit another couple of threes and Bridget Hanley scored four of her eight points to help put the game away. Hager added another five and finished with 10 for the Eagles, while Eva Poulton had six. Wager scored 20 points in the win.
Boys Basketball
Attleboro, 47 @ Sharon, 57 – Final – Attleboro rallied to get within two possessions with just under a minute to go but the Eagles got a big stop and hit enough free throws to hold on for the win. Senior Matt Baur had his best game of the season as he poured in a game-high 24 points along with six rebounds while junior Nate Katznelson added 12 points and eight boards for the Eagles. Sharon took a seven-point lead into halftime (26-17) but a 19-point third quarter pushed the Eagles’ advantage to 45-32 going into the fourth quarter. Baur had eight points in the third while Katznelson, Ryan Brown, Jacob McLoughlin, Dante James, and Tyler Goodman (10 points, including two threes in the fourth quarter) each added a bucket to give Sharon a double-digit lead. Attleboro made it interesting int he final three minutes with a 9-0 run. Jaiden Outland (14 points) hit two free throws, Hayden Crowley got a floater to fall and followed with a three-pointer off an offensive rebound, and Outland added a tough reverse finish with 46 seconds left to make it 53-47.
King Philip, 51 @ Canton, 55 – Final – Canton had a double-digit lead going into the fourth quarter but had to hold off a late push from visiting King Philip before securing the win. Senior Matt Chafin (team-high 16 points) dropped in three three-pointers in the first half while Zaza Francoeur and Caden Mirliani each added one in the third to give the Bulldogs a 38-27 lead going into the fourth. Julius Hicks had five points in the fourth while Chafin, Jeremiah Predin (11 points), Jamaal McConnell, and Ashton Cetoute all contributed to the scoring column in the final quarter to keep Canton ahead. Tommy Martorano and Will Laplante each had 15 points to lead the way for the Warriors, who had 24 points in the fourth quarter after scoring just 27 points through the first three.
North Attleboro, 47 @ Foxboro, 63 – Final – Foxboro doubled its lead in the third quarter and then pulled away for good with its best offensive stretch in the fourth quarter. Ryan Kelley hit a pair of threes in the first half and Nolan Gordon, Andrew Finn, and Alex Penders each had one — plus eight points from Ryan Cotter — as the Warriors staked a 31-27 lead at halftime. Ryan LeClair added a triple in the third while Foxboro’s defense held North in check in the third with just eight points allowed to make it 43-35 going into the fourth. Penders finished with 14 of his team-high 17 points in the second half, Sam Golub had seven of his 11, and Gordon added two more buckets on his way to a career-high 12 points. Givany Carney had five of his team-high 15 points in the second, Derek Maceda (15 points) added two buckets, and both Austin Clemente and Chase Frisoli hit threes in the second to kept North close at half.
Milford, 63 @ Stoughton, 73 – Final – Buoyed by a big third quarter, Stoughton snapped a three-game skid with a win over Milford. Sophomore Matt Greenspoon hit three of his five three-pointers in the first half and freshman Anthony Alessi dropped in two more as the Black Knights staked a 32-28 lead at half time. Greenspoon added two more threes in the third, Liam Pearl had four of his 12 points, Tagh Swierzewski sank a triple, and senior Jayden Costa-Haywood got going offensively with nine of his team-high 24 points in the third as the Black Knights won the quarter 25-12. Milford sophomore Andrew Rivera hit four threes and finished with a team-high 19 points, sophomore Luca Testa added 14 points, and freshman CJ Farrell also had four threes and finished with 12 points.
Taunton, 46 @ Oliver Ames, 43 – Final – Oliver Ames put up 30 points between the second and third quarters to take a lead into the final frame but the visiting shorthanded Tigers from Taunton limited the hosts to just seven points in the fourth and held on for the win. Junior Troy Santos scored 11 of his team-high 17 points in the second half, helping his side cut a seven-point halftime deficit (24-17) down to just three (36-33) going into the fourth. Tyson Carter (nine points) and Al Morisseau each had four points in the fourth quarter to help Taunton close it out. Jakari Innocent and Chris Volcy had six points apiece for Taunton. OA freshman Soren Lolonga tied a career-high with 21 points, including 16 in the first half. Sophomore Cole Craffey added 10 points while Nick Asiaf and Chris Elias each had a three in the third to keep OA ahead. OA had a couple of looks at the tying three in the last minute but couldn’t get a shot to fall.
Girls Basketball
Sharon, 51 @ Attleboro, 73 – Final – Lily Routhier scored a career-high in points and recorded a triple-double to power the Bombardiers to a bounce back win over Sharon. Routhier finished with 26 points, 10 steals, and 11 rebounds, allowing the Bombardiers to overcome a 35-point, 21-rebound performance from Sharon forward Jasmine Davis and stay within a game of league-leading Franklin. Davis dominated the first half, scoring 20 points and Tess Letendre (five rebounds) added seven of her nine before the break to send the Eagles into the locker room ahead 32-29. Attleboro held Sharon to 11 points in the third, nine of them from Davis, to take the lead and the hosts carried that momentum into the fourth quarter, outscoring Sharon 26-8 to earn the big win. Routhier sparked the big final quarter, knocking down a trio of three-pointers and scoring 11 points. Avery James added a pair from beyond the arc and eight points in the fourth for Attleboro. James finished with 17 points and Kayla Goldrick added 12. Vanessa Ellis and Sarah Maher also chipped in with six points apiece in the win.
Canton, 43 @ King Philip, 47 – Final – Jackie Bonner scored 13 of her 18 points in the fourth quarter, allowing KP to hold off a late charge by the Bulldogs and secure a fourth straight win. Emily Sawyer also scored 18 for the Warriors, eight of them coming in the first quarter as KP took an early 9-6 lead. She added five more in the second and Bonner had three to open a 23-16 advantage at the break. The deficit stayed the same through three quarters, but Samya DaSilva sparked a Canton comeback in the fourth. She scored 10 of her game-high 21 in the final eight minutes and Mercia Kolokithas (six points) knocked down a three to chip away at the KP lead. Bonner kept the Bulldogs at bay, burying three shots from beyond the arc. Sawyer added another three points in the quarter as well and KP hung on. Maddie Paschke provided six points for the Warriors, while Canton got five points apiece from Han Hong and Erin Beatty.
Foxboro, 71 @ North Attleboro, 30 – Final – North Attleboro ran a triangle-and-two to try and limit Foxboro’s backcourt scoring, but sophomore center Addie Ruter continued her strong season and scored a game-high 17 points to help the Warriors secure their 10th win. Foxboro is the first of the league’s girls basketball teams to clinch a postseason berth. The Warriors continued to play their league-best defense, holding North to 11 points in the first half to build a 20-point lead going into the locker room. Despite the attentions of North’s defense, Camryn Collins finished with 16 points and Kailey Sullivan added 15. Erin Foley also got to double digits, scoring 10 for the visitors. Freshman Ella McLaughlin was North’s top scorer, knocking down four threes to finish with a dozen points.
Stoughton, 45 @ Milford, 47 – Final – Milford rallied in the fourth quarter, overturning a three-point deficit and pulling out a second league win of the season. Emily Croteau sparked the rally by scoring seven of her 11 points over the final eight minutes, with freshman Katelyn Kearnan chipping in with three more and Aliza Syed adding her lone basket of the night. Kearnan scored a career-high 14 to lead the Hawks, knocking down a trio of three-pointers. Brooke Ferreira scored a dozen points, six of them in the third. Katrina Varnum was Stoughton’s top scorer with 14 points and added 16 rebounds and four blocks, Kirsten McKay added 12 points in the loss, and Leah McCarty had eight points, 12 rebounds, and a pair of blocks. Varnum and McCarty combined for 10 in the second quarter, as the Black Knights outscored Milford 18-12 to take a 26-21 lead into the locker room. Kearnan and Ferreira would help the Hawks chip away at the deficit, combining for 11 points in the third to bring Milford back within three.
Oliver Ames, 63 @ Taunton, 32 – Final – OA continued its strong recent form, winning its fourth straight game. The visitors turned the game on its head right from the start, outscoring Taunton 19-3 in the first to build a big lead that it would carry to the final whistle. Kamryn Derba, Kaydance Derba, and Sarah Hilliard combined for 17 of those 19 in the first. Taunton rallied in the second to cut the deficit to 11, as Chelsea Bousquet and Lexi Haywood scored 11 points together in the quarter. OA put the game out of reach with a 17-6 third. The same trio again stepped up for the visitors, combining for 13 in the frame. Kamryn Derba finished with a game-high 16 points, while her older sister added 13 points, including a trio of triples. Hilliard also finished in double digits with 10 points. Bousquet led Taunton with eight, Haywood scored seven, and Tarynn Campbell added six.
Swimming
Franklin @ King Philip, 7:00
Sharon @ Mansfield, 7:00
Boys Basketball
King Philip, 74 @ Attleboro, 67 – Final – King Philip built a big lead, survived a rally from Attleboro, and held on for a key win on the road. The Warriors used a 20-point first quarter to establish a double-digit lead carried that advantage into the fourth quarter with a 58-46 lead after three quarters. A quick 6-0 surge — back-to-back threes from Tommy Martorano (19 points) and Tommy Kilroy — to start the fourth pushed the lead to its peak at 64-46 less than a minute into the final frame. But from there, it was a big run from the hosts as the Bombardiers rattled off a 17-2 run over the next five minutes as Jaiden Outland hit a 10-foot jumper to make it a one-possession game. Attleboro forced a turnover but KP got it right back on a steal and score from Tommy McLeish (career-high 15 points) with two minutes to go. A pair of free throws from Outland got the hosts within three again but missed on two chances to cut into the deficit. Trevor Clyde (11 points) converted a layup on the other end, KP got a stop, and Grant Kinney laid in a transition bucket to pull away in the final minute. Will Laplante added 17 points for KP while Outland led Attleboro with a game-high 24 points. Neo Franco added 15 points and freshman Connor Houle chipped in with a career-high 11 points for the Bombardiers.
Canton, 59 @ Stoughton, 54 – Final – Canton got off to a strong start in the first quarter and never trailed the rest of the way, securing a key Davenport division win on the road at Stoughton. Matt Chafin (15 points), Jamaal McConnell (11 points) and Caden Mirliani (10 points) each hit a three in the opening frame to help the Bulldogs build a 17-8 lead after eight minutes. The Black Knights battled to get back into it, trailing by three (34-31) at halftime but Canton kept the advantage through three (46-40) and throughout the fourth quarter. Zaza Francoeur added 13 points for the Bulldogs, scoring eight in the second half. Stoughton had four players reach double figures with Jayden Costa-Haywood leading the way with 13 points. Matt Greenspoon added 12 points and both Tagh Swierzewski and Jarred Daughtry had 11 points.
Taunton, 53 @ Franklin, 61 – Final – Franklin erased a first quarter deficit with a big second quarter, nearly pulled away in the third quarter, and then held off a late comeback bid from Taunton to stay undefeated on the year. Taunton senior Chris Perault (16 points) hit a pair of first quarter threes to give the Tigers a 14-8 lead after one but Franklin’s offense cashed in for 18 points in the second as junior Sean O’Leary started to get going. O’Leary had 10 of his career-high 34 points in the second to jump start the offense and Franklin also got points from Andrew O’Neill (10 points), Bradley Herndon, Justin Allen, and Hansy Jacques to stake a 26-21 halftime lead. An 8-1 start to the second half presented the Panthers with their first double-digit edge but the Tigers clawed back into it got it down to 47-38 going into the fourth. Taunton rallied with a 9-2 run inside the final four minutes and cut the deficit down to five in the final moments but Franklin pulled away for the win. O’Leary finished 10-for-14 from the line and hit 11 field goals — nine from 2-point range. Taunton junior Troy Santos scored 15 of his team-high 22 points after the break to keep the Tigers close.
Oliver Ames, 41 @ Mansfield, 58 – Final – Mansfield built a big lead with an impressive second quarter and then blew the game wide open with a dominant third on its way to a victory over Oliver Ames. The Hornets led by just three (10-7) after eight minutes but exploded for 19 points in the second as Trevor Foley scored eight of his 20 points (tied a career-high) in the second and Chris Hill (10 points), Eddie McCoy, JT Veiking, and Davon Sanders each chipped in with points to give Mansfield a 29-14 halftime lead. Mansfield’s offense continued on but the defense really impressed in the third, holding the Tigers to just four points — one field goal and two free throws. Foley added 10 more in the period as the lead ballooned to 47-18 going into the fourth. Sophomore Cole Craffey led OA with 13 points.
North Attleboro, 44 @ Milford, 58 – Final – Milford got off to a great start with 18 points in the first quarter and opened the second half with 19 points in the third quarter and never looked back in a win at home over North Attleboro. Luca Testa paced the Hawks early on, dropping 10 of his 13 points in the first quarter to help Milford stake an early 18-6 lead. North’s Givany Carney had nine of his team-high 16 points in the second to help the Rocketeers keep pace going into halftime (30-18) but Milford had five players contribute to the scoring in a big third quarter to pull away for good. Sophomore Andrew Rivera had 7 of his team-high 15 points in the third, Gus Coutinho added five more, and Testa, CJ Farrell, and Nick Araujo all added to the scoring.
Girls Basketball
Attleboro, 58 @ King Philip, 44 – Final – Attleboro broke the game open with a 15-6 third quarter, pulling out a big road win that leaves the Bombardiers alone in first place in the Kelley-Rex through a quarter of the league campaign. Lily Routhier scored seven of her team-high 15 points in the first, as Attleboro jumped in front 19-13. Emily Sawyer helped KP cut into the deficit by scoring 10 of her team’s 12 points in the second, making it a five-point game heading into the locker rooms. Sawyer would finish with a game-high 18. Kayla Goldrick scored 14 for Attleboro, including 11 in the second half, while Avery James added 13 and Vanessa Ellis had 10 points. The Bombardiers knocked down 10 three-pointers as a team, with James and Routhier each hitting three. Maddie Paschke joined Sawyer in double digits for the Warriors, scoring 12 points, and Jackie Bonner and Taylor Regan each scored seven.
Stoughton, 25 @ Canton, 50 – Final – Canton’s defense locked down the Stoughton offense, allowing no more than eight points in any quarter and only three points over the final eight minutes, to even its record at 2-2. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 29-14 lead at halftime, added a point to their lead in the third, and then outscored the Black Knights 12-3 in the fourth to put the game away. Samya DaSilva scored a team-high 11 points for Canton, including eight in the fourth. Erin Beatty scored nine points, all in the first half, and knocked down a pair of threes. Mercia Kolokithas had six, also with a pair from beyond the arc, and Ava McCoole and Emily McCabe each scored five points in the win. Freshman Kirsten McKay led all scorers with 12 points, 10 of them coming before the break. Leah McCarty added six points and Alyssa Edwards finished with five, including an and-one that was all of the Black Knights’ points in the fourth.
Foxboro, 89 @ Sharon, 40 – Final – Kailey Sullivan buried eight three-pointers and scored a career-high 30 points to lead the Warriors to a big road win that keeps them alone atop the Davenport division. Camryn Collins added 18 points and Addie Ruter had 16 for Foxboro, which had all 10 players get on the scoresheet.
Franklin, 59 @ Taunton, 39 – Final – Franklin got off to a strong start, jumping out to an 18-8 lead after one quarter, extended the lead to 15 at halftime and handed Taunton its first league loss of the season. Chloe Fales scored a career-high 19 points to lead the Panthers. She scored 13 of her points in the first half and went 8-for-10 from the line. Katie Peterson added 13 points, eight in the first half, and Lizzie Newman and Caelyn Leonard each scored seven for the Panthers. Taunton was led by Cali Melo, who scored all 11 of her points in the first half. Taryn Campbell chipped in with six points for the Tigers, who also got five points apiece from Jillian Doherty and Aaliyah Yera.
Milford, 29 @ North Attleboro, 43 – Final – North Attleboro put in a strong defensive performance to pick up its second win of the season. The Rocketeers held Milford to just 10 points in the opening half to build a double-digit lead. Milford rallied several times in the second half, but each time North was able to find a way to stymie the comeback. Sam Faria knocked down five from beyond the arc and finished with a career-high 20 points, powering the North offense to its third-highest scoring day of the season. Maryellen Charette gave North a post presence, finishing with 10 points.
Boys Swimming
King Philip @ Attleboro, 7:00
Canton @ Foxboro, 7:30
North Attleboro, 60 @ Milford, 76 – Final – Corey Rattray, Stefano Bonito, and Josh Anderson each won three events to lead the Hawks to the league win. Rattray took first place in the 100-free, as well as being part of the winning 200 medley an 200 free relay teams. Bonito was also part of both relay wins and also claimed the top spot in the 50 free. Anderson was on the 200 free relay and grabbed individual wins in both the 200 and the 500 free. Oskar Khoury also had a pair of wins for Milford, as part of the 200 medley relay and in the 200 IM.
Oliver Ames @ Sharon, 6:00
Girls Swimming
King Philip @ Attleboro, 7:00
Canton @ Foxboro, 7:30
North Attleboro, 82 @ Milford, 79 – Final – North Attleboro got a big day from Vivian Racine to pull out a close win over Milford. Racine took first in four events on Friday afternoon, finishing tops individually in the 100 breast and 200 IM. She was also part of the winning 400 free relay, along with Hannah Liang, Gianna Leco, and Sophia Roukhadze, and the 200 medley relay, with Cassie Hobson, Megan Atwood, and Liang. Leco also took first in the 100 fly. Milford kept it close from start-to-finish, thanks in large part to the three first-place finishes for Sarah Wengel. She was the top swimmer in the 50 free and the 100 free, and was part of the winning 200 free relay, joined by Caitlyn Bangert, Vedi Raval, and Madelyn Stochaj.
Boys Basketball
Canton, 67 vs. Bishop Feehan, 65 – Final (OT) – Canton’s Matt Chafin hit a late three to help the Bulldogs force overtime and both Zaza Francoeur and Julius Hicks connected from downtown in the extra period in a win over Bishop Feehan. With the Shamrocks up by a point, Chafin (18 points) hit a corner three with under 10 seconds to go to make it 53-51. Feehan hit a layup at the buzzer to force overtime. Jamaal McConnell (18 points) opened the extra period with a traditional three-point play and then hit Francoeur (14 points) for a three on Canton’s next trip up the court. After Feehan closed the deficit down to two, Chafin drove to the layup for a bucket late in the shot clock. Hicks added a three on Canton’s next possession to push it to 64-59. Chafin added a key free throw in the final seconds to ice the win.
Foxboro, 82 @ Hopkinton, 80 – Final (OT) – Foxboro senior Sam Golub erupted for a career-high 40 points to help the Warriors topple the Hillers on the road. The Warriors staked a lead after the first quarter after connecting on five threes in the opening eight minutes, including three from Golub. But Hopkinton rallied to take the lead at halftime (33-31) and increased it to 60-52 going into the final quarter. Golub hit three more three-pointers in the third to keep the Warriors close, and Foxboro held the hosts to just 10 points in the fourth to rally back. Golub had seven more in the fourth while Ryan LeClair (11 points), Ryan Cotter (11 points), and Alex Penders (11 points) also scored to bring Foxboro back in it. In overtime, Golub stayed hot with four field goals, including one more three for a total of eight for the game, and Penders had a big block in the final seconds to preserve the win.
Oliver Ames vs. Cardinal Spellman, 6:30
Stoughton, 59 vs. Medway, 55 – Final – Trailing by two with under a minute to go, Stoughton finished off its comeback with a 7-1 run over the final 50 seconds to take down visiting Medway. Jarred Daughtry (11 points) cut the deficit to one with a free throw, and off a miss from the line, Tagh Swierzewski kept the play alive and Jayden Costa-Haywood, who scored a team-high 23 points, converted the putback for the lead. Stoughton got a stop on defense and Liam Pearl hit two from the line with 24.1 seconds to go to extend the lead to 57-54. Medway was off the mark on two free throws on their end and sophomore Matt Greenspoon iced the game with two more free throws with 1.6 seconds to go. Costa-Haywood scored 11 points in the fourth while Swierzewski, Greenspoon, and freshman Anthony Alessi each had a three in the final frame.
Taunton, 61 vs. Dartmouth, 57 – Final – After letting a halftime lead slip away in the third quarter, Taunton finished strong with 22-point fourth quarter to pick up the win and snap Dartmouth’s unbeaten start to the season. The Tigers cashed in from the free throw line in the fourth, going 9-for-13 from the line over the final eight minutes. Junior Troy Santos scored 13 of his team-high 17 points in the second half while junior Tyson Carter gave Taunton a huge boost with a career-high 14 points. Chris Perault had nine points all in the first half and freshman Jakari Innocent added nine points, including five in the fourth quarter.
King Philip, 59 vs. Leominster, 51 – Final – King Philip played its best defensive game of the season to hand Leominster its first loss of the season. The Warriors held the Blue Devils to just nine points in the second quarter as KP turned a one-point deficit at the end of the first quarter into a five point halftime lead. KP kept its distance with a 40-33 lead going into the fourth and then went 9-for-12 from the line in the final eight minutes to ice the win. Senior Will Laplante hit four three-pointers and poured in a game-high 25 points to pace the KP offense while Tommy Martorano tossed in a trio of triples and finished with 14 points. Sophomore Tommy Kilroy had five points but also played outstanding defensive game for KP. King Philip will take on Framingham at 4:00 on Thursday.
Girls Basketball
Franklin, 70 vs. Carlsbad (Calif.), 54 – Final – Franklin had five players score in double figures and dominated on the glass to overcome 32 points from Carlsbad star Madison Huhn and pick up a non-league win and hand head coach John Leighton his 300th career victory. The Panthers jumped out to a quick start, scoring 21 points in the first and building an 11-point lead. Huhn, who is committed to Miami (Ohio), caught fire in the second, with 18 of her team’s 21 points to cut the lead down to five at the break. After a nearly even third quarter, the Panthers exploded for 21 points in the fourth to break things open and seal the win. Katie Peterson was the top scorer for the Panthers with 21 points, including seven in the first and eight in the third quarter. Sophomore Chloe Fales added 13 points, knocking down three from beyond the arc, including a pair of triples in the fourth to help Franklin pull away. Bridget Leo scored 11 points, six of them in the first, and Lizzie Newman and Caelyn Leonard each added 10 points.
King Philip, 34 @ Framingham, 71 – Final
Oliver Ames, 29 vs. Walpole, 49 – Final – OA was held to only four points in the second quarter and six in the fourth, as the Tigers fell in the opener of the Sue Rivard Tournament. Walpole led by three after one, but a 12-4 second quarter opened up a double digit advantage (24-13) at halftime. The Tigers had a solid start to the second half, but Walpole built the lead back to 12 after three and didn’t look back. Sarah Hilliard led OA for the second straight game, scoring 12 points and grabbing five rebounds. Maddie Homer chipped in with six points and 10 rebounds. OA will face Bishop Fenwick in the consolation round.
Sharon, 61 vs. Silver Lake, 58 – Final – Jasmine Davis was unstoppable on Wednesday, scoring 34 points and grabbing 26 rebounds to lead the Eagles to the final of the Quincy Holiday Tournament. Davis also dished out three assists and had a pair of steals and blocks. In the closing seconds, her two free throws sealed the win for Sharon. Carmen Leonardi (six points, three boards, and two assists), Eva Poulton (six points), and Thea Caproni (five points) also gave the Eagles solid all-around performances. Sharon faces the host team in the tournament final.
Boys Hockey
Attleboro, 2 @ Norton, 9 – Final – Attleboro scored once in the first period and once in the third but the Bombardiers weren’t able to recover from four goals in the first seven minutes by Norton. Nick Fernandes scored off of an assist from Michael Lachance with three minutes to go in the first period while sophomore Austin Bessette scored his first career goal just over three minutes into the third with assists from Colin Flynn and Owen Parker.
Canton, 4 @ Westwood, 1 – Final
Franklin, 1 vs. St. Mary’s, 2 – Final
Mansfield, 4 vs. Shrewsbury, 5 – Final
Taunton, 5 @ Middleboro, 7 – Final
Girls Hockey
Canton, 0 @ Notre Dame Academy, 3 – Final
Hockomock Stars, 0 vs. HPNA, 7 – Final
Wrestling
Lowell Tournament (Foxboro, Franklin, Milford), 12:00
Marshfield Holiday Tournament – Taunton had one champion and two finalists and finished third as a team while Sharon had three finalists to earn fifth overall at the Marshfield Holiday Tournament. Taunton’s Ethan Harris was the top seed in the 182 bracket and used a pair of falls and one decision while Sharon’s Cormac Horlbogen, the second seed, had two decisions and one fall to each reach the final. Harris took the individual bracket with a 16-2 major decision in the final. Taunton’s Ben Mandeville (145) and Logan Frank (220) and Sharon’s Ashmith Yeruva (106) and Cam Birnbaum (126) all reached the finals. North Attleboro was 18th overall with Austin Dean (160) taking fourth, Mansfield was 22nd with Colton Johnson taking first in the 220 bracket, and Oliver Ames finished 27th with Nathan Lipski (145) finishing sixth.
Gymnastics
Mansfield, 126.25 @ Oliver Ames, 130.50 – Final
Attleboro @ Oliver Ames, 130.50 – Final
Stoughton sophomore Matt Greenspoon goes up for a layup against KP junior Tommy McLeish in the third quarter. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
STOUGHTON, Mass. — Stoughton’s offense wasn’t quite where head coach Evan Taylor wanted it to be through its first two games, but it all came together on Friday night.
The Black Knights had four players reach double figures in the scoring column, two more hauled in double-digit rebounds, and dictated play by controlling the tempo.
The result was a runaway 66-49 win over King Philip in a Hockomock League crossover clash.
“We were working harder for better shots tonight,” said Stoughton head coach Evan Taylor. “We were settling a lot in the first two games, averaging something like 30 three-point attempts a game, and I don’t think we did that tonight. I think we attacked the basket a lot more and we started to take the shots we wanted, not just the shots they were giving us.
“The guys were playing tougher on defense, getting up on their guys. We knew they could shoot so that was our game plan going into it. And we started to really move the ball around better on offense, attacking the rim, getting some open shots, and getting to the free throw line.”
Stoughton’s efforts to get to the rim were apparent right from the start. The Black Knights attempted more than twice as many two-point field goals as they three-pointers. That trend continued again in the second quarter, and that success translated into some open looks in the second half, where the Black Knights went 5-for-9 from downtown.
Costa-Haywood finished with a game-high 16 points and eight rebounds, Daughtry had a career-high 14 points and six rebounds, Greenspoon had a strong all-around game with 13 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, and Pearl had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
On the flip side, King Philip ended up with more three-point attempts total than twos, going 7-for-35 from the three-point line. The Warriors hit seven threes in the third quarter alone on Tuesday against OA, and got off to a good start with a trio of them in the opening quarter on Friday, but managed just two more in the second and two total in the second half.
“We were settling for too much instead of trying to get some drive and kick action,” said King Philip head coach Dave DeStefano. “Even if we could get some shots out of paint passes, we could have been more in the flow of the offense. They did a good job of getting us outside of the paint and making it hard for us. I don’t think we’ll as bad as we did tonight in other games but we still need to get it in the paint a lot more.
“They controlled the tempo right off the bat and we decided that we weren’t going to match it. I’ll take the blame for it, our practices the last couple of days could have been harder to prepare for this team. Stoughton historically is physical, they play tough, they play aggressive and I should have done a better job preparing them for this game.”
A strong start offensively gave Stoughton a 19-12 lead after a quarter. KP closed the gap to three after back-to-back buckets from Collin Peck and Trevor Clyde, but that would be the closest they’d get the rest of the way.
Sophomore Tommy Kilroy (16 points, seven rebounds, three assists) drained a three with just under two minutes to go but Stoughton surged ahead with a 9-0 burst to end the half. Daughtry drove the lane for two and then leaked out on the break for two more. Pearl found freshman Anthony Alessi in the corner for three with 30 seconds to go, and after another stop, Greenspoon set up Alessi for a long two just before the buzzer for a 37-24 lead at halftime.
Stoughton got hot from three-point range in the second half. After shooting 54% from two-point territory in the first half, the Knights connected at a 56% clip from three-point range in the second half.
Costa-Haywood, Daughtry, and Greenspoon each hit a three to balloon Stoughton’s lead to 19 points midway through the third.
Pearl opened the fourth by shaking his defender to hit an open three, Greenspoon hit another triple after an offensive rebound from Swierzewski, and Pearl cashed in on a KP turnover and Stoughton’s lead peaked at 24 points, 60-36.
“Our staff preached it all week, we wanted them to be determined to get rebounds. In the first two games, we were kind of backpedaling instead so we wanted them to attack the ball and get more possessions for us.”
Stoughton boys basketball (1-2 Hockomock, 1-2 overall) has four more home games in a row, including a pair of non-league games over break. The Black Knights will host Medway on Wednesday while King Philip (1-2, 1-2) will take on Leominster at Framingham on the same day.
Boys Basketball
Stoughton, 60 @ Attleboro, 69 – Final – Attleboro got off to a strong start with a 21-point first quarter, build a double-digit lead at halftime, took a 21-point lead into the final quarter, and then held on after a late surge from Stoughton to secure a 69-60 win. Junior Neo Franco poured in a career-high 29 points, hitting one of Attleboro’s four first quarter three-pointers. Franco had 15 points by halftime while Michael Beverly scored all of his career-high 19 points in the first three quarters. Jaiden Outland and Hayden Crowley also had first quarter threes for Attleboro, which led 38-24 at halftime and 55-34 after three quarters. The Bombardiers limited the visitors to just five points in the second and 10 in the third to grow their big lead. Jayden Costa-Haywood dropped a career-high 25 points for the Black Knights, hitting five three-pointers, and sophomore Matt Greenspoon drained four threes and finished with 16 points.
Canton, 47 @ Taunton, 59 – Final – Taunton took the lead in the second quarter and built on it with a big third, improving to 3-0 on the season with a win over visiting Canton. The Bulldogs jumped out to an early lead (17-12) with a strong first but the Tigers clawed back and carried a 31-25 lead into halftime. Taunton carried that momentum into the second half, exploding for 21 points in the third quarter to push the lead to 52-37 going into the final eight minutes. Chris Perault scored six points in the second and added a three in the third, finishing with a game-high 19 points for Taunton. Tyson Carter added a three in both of the middle quarters, freshman Jakari Innocent scored 12 of his 14 points between the second and third, and Troy Santos had seven of his nine in the same stretch for the Tigers. Canton hit three threes in the opening quarter but only had two more the rest of the way. Jamaal McConnell led Canton with 13 points while Zaza Francoeur chipped in with 10 points.
Oliver Ames, 50 @ King Philip, 63 – Final – King Philip caught fire in the third quarter, sinking seven three-pointers inside eight minutes to pull away from Oliver Ames for a 63-50 win. The Warriors scored 10 points in the first and 13 in the second, but Oliver Ames held a two-point lead at 25-23 at the break, thanks in part to Nick Asiaf scoring all nine of his points in the second. In the third, senior Will Laplante hit four threes and had 13 of his team-high 21 points in the third. Tommy McLeish added a pair of triples and Tommy Kilroy hit another as the Warriors exploded for 31 points in the third, flipping a two-point halftime deficit to a 54-37 advantage going into the fourth. Kilroy added another three in the fourth and Tommy Martorano finished with 14 points for KP. OA sophomore Cole Craffey scored a career-high 24 points to pace the Tigers.
Mansfield, 50 @ North Attleboro, 33 – Final – Mansfield used a 9-0 run in the second quarter to build a double-digit lead and did enough to keep North Attleboro at arm’s length the rest of the way, grinding out a tough win. The Hornets’ defense limited the Rocketeers to single digits offensively in each of the first two quarters to stake a 27-13 lead by halftime. Caden Colby scored eight of his team-high 11 points in the second quarter, hitting a pair of threes to help the Hornets establish their lead. JT Veiking had eight of his 10 points and Eddie McCoy scored half of his 10 points in the second half to keep Mansfield ahead. Sophomore Chase Frisoli scored a team-high 11 points for the Rocketeers.
Sharon, 71 @ Milford, 54 – Final – Sharon set the tone defensively early and had a strong overall showing, taking home a 71-54 win from Milford. The Eagles limited the hosts to just one field goal in the first eight minutes and the offense fed off that energy as Ryan Brown (11 points), Jacob McLoughlin (21 points), and Nate Katznelson (20 points) combined to give the Eagles and 18-2 lead. Anthony Piron and Jaden Segal added buckets in the second as Sharon established a 39-17 lead at halftime. McLoughlin added eight more in the third and both Zach Wise and Dante James contributed baskets to help the Eagles stay in front. Luca Testa scored all of his team-high 11 points in the second half while Jack Buckley and CJ Farrell each chipped in with 10 points for Milford.
Girls Basketball
Attleboro, 59 @ Stoughton, 29 – Final – Attleboro locked in defensively, allowing Stoughton just 11 points in the opening half, and then pulled away with a dominant third quarter to earn its third straight win. The Bombardiers led 13-4 after one and 26-11 at the break, but scored 21 points in the third to break the game wide open. Vanessa Ellis continued her strong start to the season with a game-high 21, including eight in the third quarter alone. Lily Routhier added 16, half of those coming in the third. Attleboro also got eight points from Avery James and seven from Kayla Goldrick. Stoughton was led again by freshman Kirsten McKay, who finished with 12 points. She had eight of those in the second half. Katrina Varnum added four points and nine rebounds, while Caleigh Clark, Raina Tat, and Avery Hobbs each scored three points for the Black Knights.
Taunton, 56 @ Canton, 52 – Final – Taunton turned up the defensive pressure in the fourth quarter, holding Canton to just seven points over the final eight minutes, and rallied from seven points down to pick up its third win in a row to start the season. The game was tied at 24-24 at the break, but Canton stepped up on offense to win the third 21-14, led by Samya DaSilva with seven points and Erin Beatty with six. Taunton responded in the fourth, staying unbeaten under new coach Gretchen Rodrigues and in a first-place tie atop the Kelley-Rex. Aaliyah Yera scored six points in the fourth, while Cali Melo added four and Jillian Doherty added four free throws. Freshman Taryn Campbell led the way for the Tigers with 13 points, including eight of Taunton’s 14 in the third. Doherty and Melo each finished with 11 and Yera had nine, all of them from beyond the arc. DaSilva was Canton’s top scorer with 14, while Beatty chipped in with eight and Emily McCabe had seven for the Bulldogs, who knocked down nine threes as a team.
Franklin, 50 @ Foxboro, 55 – Final – Camryn Collins scored 20 points for the second straight game and Foxboro rallied from 11 points down in the second half to end Franklin’s 44-game league win streak. The first quarter was tight, as both teams came out firing. Collins had 10 of Foxboro’s 16 and Katie Peterson had 11 of Franklin’s 15. The Panthers locked down in the second, holding Foxboro to just two points to go into the locker room leading 27-18. Foxboro rallied early in the third, cutting the lead to just two, but then Franklin put together a run to extend the lead out to as many as 11. Sasha Tracey knocked down a pair of threes for the Panthers and had all six of her points in the quarter. Down nine heading to the final eight minutes, the Warriors found another gear on both ends of the floor and pulled out a 25-11 fourth quarter to secure the victory. Kailey Sullivan caught fire and scored 10 of her 12 points in the fourth, while Ava Hill added three of her seven and Collins scored seven points in the frame, including a clutch pull-up jumper to put Foxboro in front. Peterson would finish with 19 for the Panthers, 15 of them in the first half, and Lizzie Newman scored seven points.
King Philip, 52 @ Oliver Ames, 48 – Final – Emily Sawyer scored a career-high 28 points and the Warriors held on down the stretch to pick up an important, early-season road win. Sawyer was dominant in the first half, scoring six in the first quarter and 10 more in the second. Jackie Bonner added a pair of threes to help KP jump out to a 26-18 lead heading into the locker rooms. OA rallied in the second half, winning the third quarter 13-10 to cut the deficit to just five (36-31). The Tigers took the lead in the fourth, but KP was able to make the plays it needed down the stretch to secure the win. Jordan Bennett scored five of her seven points in the fourth and Sawyer added six more to help the Warriors hang on late. Sarah Hilliard made her season debut for OA and scored 11 and grabbed seven boards in the loss. Avery Gamble added nine points, including seven in the fourth, and Maddie Homer (12 rebounds, including nine offensive) and Kamryn Derba each chipped in with six.
North Attleboro, 41 @ Mansfield, 72 – Final – Mansfield tied a program record with 72 points, remarkably scoring 18 in each of the four quarters, and clamped down on defense in the second half to secure its first win of the season. Abby Wager tied a season-high with 22 points, including 16 in the first half, to lead the Hornets. Kara Santos scored 17, eight of them in third, and Olivia Salisbury scored seven. Mansfield led 36-24 at halftime, but the Hornets pulled away after the break, holding North to 17 points in the second half, and started to dominate on the glass. North was led by freshman Ella McLaughlin, who hit three from beyond the arc and finished with 12 points. Ava McKeon chipped in with nine and Sam Sweeney scored eight, including a pair from outside.
Milford, 45 @ Sharon, 48 – Final – Sharon rallied from eight points down in the fourth quarter and Olivia Landstein (five points and four steals) buried a late three to secure the Eagles their first victory under first-year coach Matt DellaBarba. Jasmine Davis continued to dominate in the paint, scoring a season-high 25 points and pulling down 19 rebounds. Rachael Hager had a solid all-around game for the Eagles with eight points, nine rebounds, four steals, and three assists.
Boys Indoor Track (@ the TRACK at New Balance)
Mansfield, 53 @ Oliver Ames, 46 – Final
Sharon @ Canton, 4:30 – Sharon picked up it first the league win of the season on Tuesday. For Canton, Josh Richards took first place in the shot put and Jimmy Podgurski came in third. Luke Darling won the 600 and Dan Kraslynkov took first place in the 300 with Christian Hanlon finishing third.
Foxboro @ Stoughton, 4:30
King Philip, 30 @ Attleboro, 70 – Final
Franklin @ Milford, 4:30
Taunton @ North Attleboro, 4:30
Girls Indoor Track (@ the TRACK at New Balance)
Mansfield @ Oliver Ames, 4:30
Sharon, 37 @ Canton, 63 – Final – Canton got three PRs and swept the shot put, as the Bulldogs pulled out a win against Sharon. Emma Massih took first with a new personal best of 30’75”, Jess Brathwaite took second with a PR of 25’7.5”, and Taylor Kernen also set a new personal mark with a throw of 23’3” to take third. Canton also won both the 4×200 (Diana Tambi, Katie Oliver, Jayda Proffit, and Syriah McCruse) and the 4×400 (Tahlia Weaver, Lexi Piazza, Lianna Camille, and Nora Giannacopolous) relays.
Boys Basketball
Milford, 55 @ Attleboro, 63 – Final – Attleboro sank four of their nine threes in the fourth quarter to pull away from visiting Milford for their first win in their new gym. Jaiden Outland, who had a game-high 15 points, had one of those threes and scored seven points in the fourth while Hayden Crowley (nine points), Michael Beverly (14 points), and Neo Franco (10 points) also hit from downtown in the frame. Franco had a steal and a layup with just under two minutes to go to push Attleboro’s lead to 59-51 but a jumper from Andrew Rivera (at 1:26) and a layup from Luca Testa (with 45 seconds) brought the Hawks within four, at 59-55. Justin Hanrahan, Beverly, and Outland hit free throws down the stretch, and Spencer Sherck drew a charge to help the Bombardiers close out the win in the final minute. Attleboro head coach Mark Houle praised Sherck’s defensive effort against Milford, who were without two rotation players. Freshman CJ Farrell led Milford with 15 points, Ryan Franklin added 12 points, and Testa finished with 11 points.
Mansfield, 59 @ Foxboro, 50 – Final – Mansfield built a 12-point lead at halftime and opened the second half with a 12-0 run to surge past Foxboro in their first showdown as division rivals. After a back-and-forth first quarter that ended with a halfcourt buzzer beater from Trevor Foley (nine points, seven rebounds), Mansfield locked in defensively and limited the Warriors to just two field goals, outscoring the hosts 14-6 to build a 33-21 lead at halftime. Caden Colby (career-high 14 points) hit one of his four threes, Davon Sanders drove to the bucket for two, and Eddie McCoy (nine points) had back-to-back baskets, including a three, and Chris Hill (17 points, eight rebounds) finished a tough layup in transition as the Hornets pushed their lead to 45-21 with 4:30 to go in the third. Foxboro closed on a 13-0 run over the final three minutes to get to the final score. Alex Penders led Foxboro with 16 points while both Ryan Kelley and Sam Golub had eight points apiece.
Franklin, 58 @ King Philip, 50 – Final – Franklin finally pulled away in the fourth quarter, shaking an upset-minded King Philip squad, to grab a 58-50 win on the road. The Panthers led by two at the end of the first quarter (13-11) and halftime (24-22), and carried a three-point lead into the fourth quarter (40-37). Justin Allen hit a pair of key three-pointers in the fourth, Hansy Jacques had six of his 10 points in the frame, and the Panthers got a bucket each from Bradley Herndon, Ben Harvey (13 points), and Sean O’Leary (14 points) to close out the win. After a quiet first half, King Philip senior Will Laplante scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half while Tommy Kilroy added a career-high 12 points.
North Attleboro, 51 @ Taunton, 69 – Final – Buoyed by a 20-point second quarter and a 26-point third quarter, Taunton ran away with a big win at home over visiting North Attleboro. Chris Volcy exploded in the second half, netting 18 of his career-high 20 points to help the Tigers pull away. Senior Chris Perault added a career-high 19 points, knocking down all three of Taunton’s three-pointers. The Rocketeers and Tigers were locked in at 11-11 after eight minutes but Taunton established a 31-20 lead by the break as Troy Santos scored seven of his 11 points in the second quarter. Jonnie Obuchowski and Derek Maceda each scored nine points for the Rocketeers.
Stoughton, 45 @ Oliver Ames, 50 – Final – A see-saw back and forth battle ended with Oliver Ames holding on for a 50-45 win over neighboring Stoughton. With under two minutes to play and locked in a one-possession game at 43-40, Oliver Ames got a pair of big baskets from a pair of underclassmen. Sophomore Cole Craffey drove to the basket for a layup and freshman Soren Lolonga drained a three just before the minute mark to push the Tigers’ lead to 48-40. Stoughton freshman Aiden Wideout answered with a bucket down low off a feed from Liam Pearl, but Craffey was able to work his way through the defense with 20 seconds left to make it 50-42. Matt Greenspoon knocked down a three with 5.7 seconds left to close the gap to 50-45 but OA held on for the win. Chris Elias scored 10 of his team-high 15 points in the second quarter while Lolonga had all 15 of his points in the second half. Stoughton’s Jayden Costa-Haywood finished with a team-high 19 points while Greenspoon added 16 points for the Black Knights, who led 19-18 at halftime.
Girls Basketball
Attleboro, 56 @ Milford, 35 – Final – Attleboro had three players score in double figures and jumped out to a 20-point lead by halftime to secure its second straight win. Kayla Goldrick and Lily Routhier led the Bombardiers with 13 points apiece. Goldrick helped the visitors get off to a good start with six in the first and Routhier helped build a 36-16 lead at the break with a pair of threes and nine points in the second. Vanessa Ellis scored nine of her 11 points to help break the game open early. Merry Bosh added seven in the win. Milford was led by Erin Michelson’s nine points, all coming in the second half. Aliza Syed scored eight and Olivia Baglione chipped in with six for the Hawks.
Foxboro, 67 @ Mansfield, 31 – Final – Foxboro made it two straight wins to start the season with a dominant road win over fellow division title contender Mansfield. Camryn Collins powered the Warriors on offense with 24 points. Addie Ruter had 13 to continue her strong start to the season with another double-digit scoring night. Erin Foley chipped in with 10.
King Philip, 43 @ Franklin, 54 – Final – Thanks to a strong first half, Franklin picked up a second straight home win to start the season and kept alive its league win streak to 44 games. The Panthers jumped out to a 19-6 lead after one quarter and extended it to 31-15 going into the locker room. Sophomore Chloe Fales (career-high 16 points) and Katie Peterson (14 points) combined for 15 in the opening half and Caelyn Leonard buried a pair of threes and scored all eight of her points in the first. KP picked up its offense in the second half, and cut the lead to as little as seven points, but Franklin held on to secure the victory. Emily Sawyer scored 16 points, including eight in the third. Jackie Bonner had 13 points and Maddie Paschke added 11 in the loss.
Taunton, 46 @ North Attleboro, 32 – Final – Taunton put in a strong defensive performance to make it two wins from two games under first-year coach Gretchen Rodrigues. The Tigers held North to just 10 points in the first half (building a 13-point lead at the break) and then just six in the third quarter to pull away. Jillian Doherty led the way with 14 for the Tigers, including eight of the team’s 12 points in the first. Cali Melo added nine points, while sophomore Chelsea Bousquet had eight and freshman Taryn Campbell added seven. On a tough shooting night as a team, North was led by Ava McKeon’s 15 points. She scored 12 of North’s 16 in the fourth as the hosts tried to mount a late comeback. Freshman Ella McLaughlin added eight points in the loss.
Oliver Ames, 79 @ Stoughton, 42 – Final – OA carried over momentum from the second half of its opener against Franklin and exploded for 79 points on Friday to even its record after two games. The Tigers jumped out to a 21-5 lead after one quarter, extended it to 45-17 at halftime, and added another 22 points in the third. Freshman Kamryn Derba knocked down five three-pointers and finished with a game- (and career-) high 20 points. Classmate Avery Gamble added 14 points (on 9-of-11 from the line) and the duo combined for 25 points before the break. Freshman Maeve Horsman had 12 points, Kaydance Derba scored 11, and Annie Reilly had nine for OA. Stoughton also got an impressive performance from a freshman, as Kirsten McKay scored eight of her career-high 15 points in the third. She added five rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Raina Tat chipped in with 10 points and Alyssa Edwards added eight. Katrina Varnum pulled down 14 rebounds for the Black Knights.
Wrestling
Silver Lake Quad (Franklin), 4:00
Boys Swimming
Foxboro, 40 @ Milford, 69 – Final
Oliver Ames @ Mansfield, 7:00
Stoughton, 58 vs. Bridgewater-Raynham, 85 – Final
Girls Swimming
Foxboro, 71 @ Milford, 87 – Final
Oliver Ames @ Mansfield, 7:00
Stoughton, 32 vs. Bridgewater-Raynham, 84 – Final
Attleboro has consistently been in the hunt for the Kelley-Rex division in recent years, and if the Bombardiers are going to be there again this year, they will have to do so with a lot of new players to the varsity level.
Not only did the Bombardiers graduate a sizable senior class, but the majority of them were also key pieces in longtime head coach Mark Houle’s lineup and rotation. Add in the transfer of promising 6’5-forward Trevor White, and Attleboro has very few pieces left from last year. But that’s not to say Attleboro is without talent. Junior Neo Franco is coming off a very successful first year with the team, earning HockomockSports All-Underclassmen Team honors. Jaiden Outland saw more and more minutes as the season went on and he showed what he’s capable of with a career-high 18 points in Attleboro’s win over Durfee in late February last year; he could be poised for a big year. Senior Michael Beverly is the third returner for the Bombardiers after picking up some minutes last year while newcomer senior Justin Hanrahan could be a key piece right away.
Another reason for optimism is that most of the new faces in the lineup this year played for the Bombardiers’ JV squad last season, which posted an impressive 19-2 record. Seniors Spencer Sherck, Zyeem Charles, Nathan Hodson, and Michael Alfonso will provide key leadership for Houle this year. Junior Max Crawford will join sophomores Dante Monestime, Hayden Crowley, and Brady Erwin as potential contributors for the Bombardiers.
“We need to continue our commitment to be a highly competitive defensive team, our communication, and understanding of defensive concepts is a priority and is a reason we were one of the top defensive teams in the league last year,” Houle said.
2021-2022 Record: 9-11 Coach: Eric MacKinnon
Canton surprised a lot of people on the outside of the program with a nine-win season that certainly was good enough for a playoff spot, but the Bulldogs have put that seeding drama in the rearview mirror and are now focused on surprising people again this year.
In order to do so, the Bulldogs will need new players to step up as second-year head coach Eric MacKinnon only has one returning starter from last year. Matt Chafin emerged as a top perimeter option, averaging 8.8 points per game last year (reaching double figures in just under half of the games). Although he isn’t returning from last year’s lineup, Julius Hicks provides a big boost for MacKinnon and Bulldogs, coming back after missing all of last season with an injury. Hicks would have certainly been in the rotation last year and will be a vital piece this year. Junior Zaza Francoeur is an athletic wing player that can impact the game on both ends of the floor for the Bulldogs.
Defense emerged as one of Canton’s strengths a season ago as the Bulldogs bought into MacKinnon’s game plan. Canton allowed the least amount of points against in the Davenport division at 50.6, and they will look to replicate that again this year.
“With our personnel and style of play we have the ability to score from the perimeter and play inside-out at times,” MacKinnon said. “Our length and athleticism should allow us to get out in transition.”
Foxboro is one of the few teams in the league that has more familiar faces returning than not, and after only missing out on the Davenport title by one game last year, the Warriors are aiming to compete with defending champs Sharon and division newcomer Mansfield for the top spot this season.
The Warriors boast one of the better senior classes, anchored by HockomockSports First Team selection Alex Penders. Penders, a 6-foot-5 forward who averaged 16.3 points and 11.7 rebounds per game last year and recently committed to play at Ithaca next year, is joined by classmates Sam Golub, Ryan LeClair, and Andrew Finn. Golub and LeClair played a lot of minutes for head coach Jon Gibbs last season and both improved as the season went on. Having three experienced players will certainly give the Warriors an advantage, especially on the defensive side of the ball where Gibbs always has his teams prepared.
Penders can score in a variety of ways and will be a matchup problem for most teams in the league. Golub is a proven shooter that can get hot at any time while LeClair is a pesky defender, and as seen by his performance on the road at Stoughton last year, is a capable scorer. Penders will certainly be the focus of the offense but he’s a very unselfish player and Foxboro should have a good balance in the scoring column. While the Warriors have a strong senior class, they’re still a relatively young team. With only two juniors, the rest of the roster is filled by six sophomores and two freshmen. Junior Ryan Cotter and sophomores Ryan Kelley and Nolan Gordon will be names to keep an eye on.
“This is a very hard-working and coachable group that is improving on a daily basis,” Gibbs said. “We have a very exciting blend of experienced veterans and newcomers who are hungry to contribute. If we can defend and rebound at a high level, the potential is there for a very successful season.”
2021-2022 Record: 21-4 Coach: CJ Neely
Entering the past two seasons, there was a lot of unknown for the Panthers after graduating a large senior class each year. It’s the opposite this year as Franklin graduated just three players and has the majority of last year’s squad that went 21-4 back in the fold.
After a third-place finish in the Kelley-Rex last season, Franklin could be the team to beat this go around. Junior Sean O’Leary highlights a talented and experienced group of long, athletic players. O’Leary, a 6-foot-4 forward that can score from anywhere on the court and was named to the HockomockSports All-Underclassmen Team last year, will be one of the top players in the league this year. Junior Andrew O’Neill (8.8 points per game) is another returner and head coach CJ Neely will lean on a small but talented senior class that features Ben Harvey (HockomockSports All-Defensive Team), Justin Allen, Geino Scaringello, and Hayden Morandi.
Juniors Hansy Jacques, Bradley Herndon, and Andrew Benoit were all on the team last year and could see increased minutes this season. There will be more opportunities on offense for players to step up with the graduation of Sean Vinson (12.8 ppg) and last year’s leading scorer and HockomockSports Underclassman of the Year Henry Digirogio (16.1 ppg) has opted not to play this year. And promising sophomore Caden Sullivan, who likely would have been in the rotation, will miss significant time due to injury.
“The preseason has been very competitive at practice,” Neely said. “We have a great group of guys who really care for each other. While we do have a good amount of returning players, there is a lot of playing time up for grabs and it will be a daily challenge for guys to earn roles. I have been most impressed with how committed and focused the players have been each day on the court and in film sessions to always look for ways to improve as a group. It will be fun to watch them grow and compete all year.”
2021-2022 Record: 6-16 Head Coach: Dave DeStefano
King Philip brings back a good portion of its roster and is looking to book a spot in the tournament and contend for the Kelley-Rex division title.
The Warriors are one of the few teams in the league that brings back their leading scorer from a year ago in Will Laplante, a seasoned veteran that has averaged over 16 points per year in each of the last two seasons. Laplante is joined by senior Grant Kinney, who had some breakout games last year, and Tommy Martorano, who showed that at his best (a career-high 36 points) that he can score with the best players in the league. That trio is three of KP’s top five scorers from a year ago. Senior Colin Peck, a 6-foot-2 forward, will likely see an expanded role after playing some valuable minutes last year.
Juniors Tommy McLeish and Trevor Clyde, both 6-foot-3 forwards, have made a big jump from last year and will be key pieces for head coach Dave DeStefano this year. New additions Danny Silveria and Peter Cataldo, both juniors, look to factor in as key defensive pieces for the Warriors. Sophomore Tommy Kilroy didn’t see a ton of minutes early on last year but his role expanded as the season went on, scoring in double figures against Mansfield and in a win over Xaverian. Fellow sophomores Brandon Nicastro, Drew Laplante, and Jack Assini will all looking to contribute this season as well.
“The boys have really committed this offseason,” DeStefano said. “The limited practices so far have been really competitive. It’s no secret that our defense has to drastically improve to be competitive in the league. We want to make our opponents uncomfortable and focus on working together to get stops. On offense, we are looking to have a balanced attack and create great scoring opportunities as a team.”
2021-2022 Record: 21-5 Coach: Mike Vaughan
Mansfield had its incredible streak of nine straight Kelley-Rex division titles come to an end last season, and now the Hornets start a new chapter as they begin their first season in the Davenport. Expectations remain sky-high for the Hornets, who are an immediate favorite for the division crown.
The Hornets have two of their best scorers back from last year in senior Chris Hill (12.5 ppg) and junior Trevor Foley (8.2 ppg), but Mansfield did graduate its leading scorer in Matty Hyland and lost five of its top seven scorers. That means there’s a lot of opportunity for new faces to step up. Hill has probably played more varsity minutes than anyone else in the league and he can compete at a high-level night in and night out. Foley really emerged as a top player by the end of the season, averaging over 16 points per game in March.
Senior Caden Colby was part of the rotation last year and will see a bigger role this year while classmate JT Veiking is a 6-foot-5 forward that can score on the perimeter or down low. Senior Michael Creedon rounds out the senior class and can provide a spark with increased minutes this year. Junior Eddie McCoy is poised for a breakout year, an athletic wing player that can attack the rim and cause problems for opposing defenses. Juniors Brandon Jackman and Davon Sanders should see time in the Mansfield backcourt this year.
“This season will be our tallest team in my tenure, it will be fun to see what different things we can do on the defensive end,” Vaughan said. “Offensively we should have plenty of power to put points on the board but the big question mark will be how quickly we can find our max compete level.”
2021-2022 Record: 2-21 Coach: Paul Seaver
Milford had an entirely new team last season and was the youngest team in the league. With just four seniors gone from last year, the Hawks are still a young team but head coach Paul Seaver believes his group learned a lot last year and is trending in the right direction.
The Scarlet Hawks have three of the top four scorers from last season back in the fold, including junior Jake Soares (8.0 ppg), sophomore Andrew Rivera (7.8 ppg), and senior Wyatt Zagami (7.1 ppg). Zagami, who can really fill it up when he’s on a hot streak, is joined by classmates Guy Saintyl, Jacob Ligor, and Joe Buckley to round out a small senior class for the Hawks. Soares was probably Milford’s most consistent player for the first two months before an injury ended his season early, and Rivera showed some glimpses of high-level play throughout the year.
Having a year of experience will be key, especially as a lot of other Hock teams are featuring a lot of first-year varsity players. Sophomore Luca Testa is another young player that saw a lot of minutes for the Hawks last year and will be a key piece during this campaign. Sophomore Gus Coutinho is a dangerous shooter and freshman CJ Farrell could be an impact player right away as well.
“Last season we were very young and very inexperienced,” Seaver said. “We learned how to compete while playing a tough schedule. Now with double digits returnees, we not only aim to improve on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball – we aim to improve in all aspects. Our goals and expectations will be what we make them and what we do with the opportunities that are given to us. I have a great crop of kids who are committed, hard-working individuals who continue to climb the ladder and do things the right way.”
2021-2022 Record: 5-15 Coach: Sean Mulkerrins
North Attleboro battled through an up-and-down season last year that featured some impressive wins — like a double-digit victory over Foxboro and a sweep of Stoughton — as well as some tough losses, like to Foxboro in overtime and to rival Attleboro by just three points. The Rocketeers graduated their two leading scorers from a year ago but return the majority of a roster that was playing their first varsity minutes last year.
Besides its four seniors last year, the rest of the Rocketeers were brand new to the varsity level. That means this year’s group will feature a bit more experience, albeit North is still on the young side. Givany Carney is North’s most experienced player and will be one of the go-to options on the offensive end of the court. Carney is a crafty player that does well getting to the rim with a good combination of speed and size. Senior Jack Munley is a tone-setter and can change the momentum of a game with his effort while senior Derek Maceda showed glimpses last season as a potential go-to guy offensively, both on the perimeter and attacking the basket.
Sophomores Ryan Bannon and Chase Frisoli both played some valuable minutes as freshmen and should see increased roles this year. Bannon is a solid defender and can be a contributor on the offensive end while Frisoli is a high-IQ player with range. Junior Chris Hanewich is another player that head coach Sean Mulkerrins is relying on to contribute on both ends of the floor. With some good experience, North will be looking to establish itself as one of the hardest-working teams in the league, which starts on the defensive end.
“We have a roster of kids who are working hard to improve and learn our system,” Mulkerrins said. “Our practices have been very competitive. We are very focused on building and maintaining our team culture so we are prepared to compete against the talented basketball programs in the Hockomock League.”
2021-2022 Record: 10-12 Coach: Oliver Vil
Oliver Ames is going to have a new look this year under second-year head coach Oliver Vil. The Tigers lost the majority of the team that won a preliminary playoff game last season and missed out on the Davenport division title by just a game.
Not only will the lineup feature new faces, but it will also feature a lot of new faces as the Tigers have a deep group this year. Senior captains Chris Elias and Ari Spiliakos are two returners that will be leaders for the team both on and off the court. Senior Nick Asiaf is a capable ball handler and can attack the rim while seniors Nick Rhodes and Jaden Graham provide key depth. Sophomore Cole Craffey played some meaningful minutes a year ago and will be one of the Tigers’ go-to options offensively this year. He’s very confident with the ball and can score inside and out.
With seven of their top eight scorers from a season ago gone, there will be plenty of opportunity for new players to step up. Freshman Solen Lolonga was in the starting lineup for the Tigers’ season-opening win over Southeastern and had a strong showing with 19 points. Vil also has a deep junior class that features Jake Willard, Daniel Casey, Andrew Sullivan, and David Rodgers, who all played in the win.
“Our strength this season on offense will be our ability to move the ball and create shots for one another,” Vil said. “We will have the same defense approach as last season, forcing our opponents into taking difficult shots and limiting transition offensive baskets. We now have minimal room for careless mistakes to compete in an already difficult conference. I am extremely excited to battle a plethora of well-coached disinclined teams every night we step on the floor to play a game this season.”
2021-2022 Record: 12-9 (Davenport division champions) Coach: Andrew Ferguson
Sharon won its first Davenport division title in eight seasons last year and with its top three scoring options back in the mix this year, the Eagles will be in contention to repeat that feat again this year.
Senior Matt Baur and juniors Jacob McLoughlin and Nate Katznelson give Sharon one of the top trios of players in the league. Baur, who earned HockomockSports First Team honors last year after averaging 15.1 points and 6 rebounds a game, is the heart and soul of the team. He leads by example both on and off the court and is the engine of the team. He doesn’t have to fill up the scoring column to have a big impact on the game. Both Katznelson and McLoughlin emerged as top players in their first season and will be vital pieces this year.
Senior captains Jack Bates and Tyler Goodman both came off the bench as key pieces for head coach Andrew Ferguson last year and will see increased responsibility this year. Bates is a pesky defender and a good floor general while Goodman can provide a spark with his shooting. Senior Dante James, an athletic wing player, comes over from Mansfield and should give the Eagles a big boost with their depth. Juniors Ryan Brown, Anthony Piron, and Cam Sherman provide backcourt depth while juniors Zach Wise, Jaden Segal, and sophomore Sam Letendre provide physicality to the Eagles’ frontcourt.
“With a small senior class, this team is blending experience with youth and has already begun to form a tight bond both on and off the court. Our practices have been super competitive and we look forward to competing against a very strong schedule.”
2021-2022 Record: 9-11 Coach: Evan Taylor
Last season, Stoughton entered the final stretch of league games right in the mix for the Davenport division title but ended up on the outside looking in finishing in a tie for fourth and just missing out on the postseason. With just a few returners back in the mix, the Knights will be looking for a new group of players to lead them into the tournament and contend for the division crown.
Stoughton has two major challenges to address this year, one on each side of the ball. The Black Knights lost their three top scorers from last year with Connor Andrews (19.9 ppg) and Cash Mathurin (5.9 ppg) graduating, and Rayan Sablon (18.3 ppg) transferring out. Head coach Evan Taylor will lean heavily on his four returning players to try and fill that void. Senior Jayden Costa Haywood played some meaningful minutes a season ago and has taken a big leap and the Knights will look for him to provide an offensive punch. Junior Liam Pearl (5.2 ppg) also worked his way into the rotation and made some key shots in clutch moments, including at Foxboro and at home against Canton. Sophomore Matthew Greenspoon (5.6 ppg) is the top scorer back from last year and will look to build on a strong debut season as a freshman.
The other challenge for Stoughton will be on the defensive end as the Knights look to make a drastic improvement after allowing over 60 points per game last year. On top of the returners, Taylor is looking for senior Tagh Swierzewski and junior Jarred Daughtry to make an immediate impact on the defensive side of the ball. Other newcomers include senior Obioma Dike, juniors Elijah Connor, and Nathan Figaro, sophomore Mykel Thomas, and freshmen Anthony Alessi and Aiden Rideout.
“Defense has been the main focus at the start of this season,” Taylor said. “Our goal is to be a top three defense in the league with a lot of great on-ball defenders and high IQ players on the
floor.”
2020-2021 Record: 19-3 (Kelley-Rex division champions) Coach: Charlie Dacey
This season will mark a new chapter in the storied history of Taunton basketball. After back-to-back Kelley-Rex championships, including the program’s first outright title a year ago, the Tigers will have a lot of new faces in the lineup this year.
The biggest challenge will be replacing the production from one of the best trios in the Hock in recent history in Player of the Year Trent Santos, Faisal Mass, and Tristan Herry, who combined for just under 75% of the team’s scoring last year. One of the familiar faces returning to the starting group is junior Troy Santos, who has the most career points of anyone on the roster. Santos showed some flashes last year but will have a lot more looks this year. Seniors Chris Volcy and Alvinsky Morisseau, and junior Tyson Carter are also returners from last year and figure to see increased minutes this season.
Senior Chris Perault could be the biggest addition for the Tigers, a player that can score both from the perimeter and attacking the basket. Santos will factor in as one of the top shooters both on the team and in the league while Volcy has really improved from last year and could be a top scoring option for the Tigers. Longtime head coach Charlie Dacey is looking for Dimari Brown and Travis Johnson to provide a spark on the low block, plus some more faces to step up off of the bench.
“This year’s Taunton team will be very different from last year. This edition will be faster without a singular scorer, points can come from a variety of styles,” Dacey said. “Speed and aggressive defense will be the key to Taunton’s success this year.”
