By Russ Waterman
MaxPreps.com
Ryan Spencer raced down the floor and scored on a layup with 2.5 seconds left to clinch a dramatic come-from-behind 61-59 victory for Franklin over visiting East Boston before a near-capacity crowd at the Franklin High School fieldhouse.
The Hockomock League leaders had their hands full with the defending Boston City League champs, who led for all but four minutes. The Jets – almost all sophomores – took a 23-17 first quarter lead behind Dimitri Colonel's 12 points and led by three at the half, 37-34.
East Boston went ahead by 10 in the third quarter. But after three minutes of the final period the Panthers connected on three-straight treys, including two by Ryan Spencer, to pull within one, 55-54.
Both teams’ defenses clamped down in the final minutes to set up the dramatic finish. Nick Colson blocked a shot, retrieved the ball and passed it to Spencer for the clinching hoop.
Matt Palazini led the Panthers with a game-high 24 points with Spencer adding 14.
Colonel had a team-high 18 points, Elijah Chisholm 13 and Orlando Zayas 8 for the Jets.
Under 10th-year head coach Dean O'Connor, the Panthers (12-1) have won three Hockomock League titles and compiled a record of 155-63, including eight straight years of postseason play, averaging 15 or more wins.
"We always like to mix defenses so the offense can't get into the flow," O'Connor said. "We usually create 20 turnovers a game because I believe that you win most games from making easy baskets, transition layups and foul shots. We get a lot from points from transition shots off steals."
Spencer, a 6-5 senior forward, and Palazini, a 6-2 junior guard, each average 15 points per game. Matt Dean, a 6-3 junior guard, adds 13 points per game, to form a solid scoring trio.
Colson as well as Tim Casey, who hit a big 3-pointer in the fourth quarter, and sophomore Kyle Gibson (recovering from an injury and averaging 13 points per game) are other solid contributors.
"We go eight or nine deep but because we have a lot of guys about the same size and they are interchangeable and can play multiple positions so it seems like we play more people," O'Connor said.
O'Connor credits great support for athletics in the community for one of the reasons for his decade-long success.
"The students really get into it, too," he says of a student section under one basket which stood the entire game against East Boston.
O’Connor expects a dogfight in Division 2 and is preparing more for upcoming league play than the playoffs. Defending state champion Catholic Memorial beat them three times in 13 days last season, including the first game of the playoffs. But O'Connor also mentions HL rivals such as Stoughton, Mansfield and Oliver Ames, as well as non-conference teams such as Dartmouth and Duxbury as being division contenders, too.
For East Boston third-year head coach Malcolm Smith and his young squad, despite another road trip loss it was a positive experience.
"No one travels like us," Smith said. "I just read where we play the toughest schedule in the entire state.”
The Jets have lost just four games by a total of 12 points, including a double overtime, two-point loss to Wareham. They play New Bedford, Lawrence and Lawrence Academy in the coming weeks.
"Most of my players are just a year-and-a-half from middle school," Smith said. "But this type of schedule has definitely helped us mature and to bond together. We don't get crowds like this when we play at home so this will make us tougher."
Boys Basketball Highlights
* Duxbury remained unbeaten with a 61-47 victory over Quincy behind 24 points by Mark Brust.
* With Richard Rogers scoring 19 points and Matt LaBove contributing 18, St. John’s (Shrewsbury) defeated Worcester North, 57-42, ending the Polar Bears' eight-game win streak.
* Jon Copeland and Stefan Forsberg each scored 17 points to keep Sutton undefeated, 66-51, over Hopedale in a Dual Valley Conference contest.
* Jarell Byrd had a quadruple-double- 18 points, 10 assists, 14 rebounds and 13 blocks- to thrust Lynn Classical past St. John's Prep, 77-61.
Girls Basketball Highlights
* Blake Dietrick had 20 points and 11 rebounds and Mary Louise Dixon added 10 points to lead unbeaten Wellesley to a 41-32 win over Brookline in a Bay State Conference contest.
* Beatrice Atkinson scored a game-high 22 points and Sabree Rodrigues added 12 points for Brockton to overcome previously unbeaten Bridgewater-Raynham, 55-42. Sam Marrotta led B-R with 20 points.
* Cohasset won its 34th consecutive game after defeating Carver, 45-37, for the second time this season in a matchup of the South Shore League's best squads. In double figures for the Skippers, defending Division 4 state champions, was Meredith Kelly with 14 points and sisters Sammi and Tori Lehr with 12 and 11, respectively.
* Julie Frankian scored 18 points and Chelsea Perkins 17 for unbeaten Millbury over Northbridge, 61-47. By scoring 10 points, Cailin Bullett also became the second Woolies girls player to score 1,000 career points.
* Sharon guard Grace Rehnquist scored 35 points and rained down seven 3-pointers in a 66-57 victory over Attleboro to surpass 1,000 points.
