By Russ Waterman
MaxPreps.com
Featuring squads that could go a long way in the postseason, Durfee, East Boston and Brockton emerged as winners in the third annual Big Three vs. Boston City League Challenge held at Brockton High School.
Tim Young and Jarrad DeVaughn each scored 17 points, Louis Montes 11 and Micheal Neufville 10 for No. 2 Brockton who starred in the challenge's most impressive team performance, a 93-50 victory over O'Bryant.
Brockton surged ahead, 46-23, at the half as O'Bryant center Ike Azotam, averaging 19 points per game, experienced early foul trouble (ended with eight points). Guard Marco Banegas led O'Bryant with 11.
But it was Young, a whippet-quick 5-foot-10 senior guard, who shined the most in the second half, grabbing key steals, going coast-to coast on drives and burying a 3-pointer.
"Tim could score 25 points a game if he played the whole time," Boxer head coach Bob Boen said.
Stanley Green had 16 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, and Orlando Zayas added 13 points and 13 rebounds for East Boston which snapped a three-game losing streak against New Bedford, 73-61.
The Jets outscored the Whalers, 23-14, in the third quarter and held off the Big Three opponent in the final period.
With a balanced scoring attack and constant pressure defense, Durfee subdued Madison Park, 73-59, in the event's opening game. Guards Ramon Mejia and Johnny Pavao each scored 18 points and Matt Boden scored 11 while forward Sonny Mello battled inside for 14 points.
Girls Basketball: Wellesley will be hard to unseat
Last year, the Wellesley girls won the school's first basketball state championship. This year the Division 2 Raiders don't look like they want to relinquish the title.
In their latest Bay State League game, 6-0 senior forward Jesse Miller had a dominating effort inside the paint with 15 points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots to lead the unbeaten Raiders (12-0) to a 47-35 road win over Dedham. Annie Hughto and Blake Dietrick also contributed 10 each.
Jill Moses, Dedham's standout senior forward who recently scored her 1000th career point, had a team-high 13 points for Dedham. Nicole Savi added 11 and four assists and Kelli Timmins had nine.
By halftime, Miller ruled the paint with 11 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots to help the Raiders surge ahead 28-21.
Both squads tightened up on defense in the second half. The hosts closed to within two, 28-26, following a 3-pointer by Nicole Savi and two free throws by Timmins.
Meanwhile, Miller was being shut down by the Marauders' defense.
But the Raiders were even stingier, allowing just four baskets after the break with Dixon hounding the crafty Savi from baseline to baseline and Moses being contained inside.
"No win ever comes easy in our league," 12th-year head coach Kristion Cieri said. "But I thought we did a good job on Moses who has such a nice touch around the basket. Blake did a great job on playing defense in not allowing her to get the ball easily."
Cieri says that Dixon, a 5-6 junior point guard, and Dietrick, a 5-9 sophomore guard (both averaging 14 points per game), are benefiting greatly from experience gained last season.
Among the Division 2 squads Cieri mentions as standing out thus far are Dighton-Rehoboth, Bishop Feehan, Foxboro, Walpole and Oliver Ames.
"If you do well in the BSL you feel very confident in state tournament," Cieri said. "The coaches are outstanding and there is very good competition from top to bottom."
No team can focus solely on the talented backcourt tandem of Dixon and Dietrick to stop Wellesley. Miller accounts for about 10 points, and senior captain Corley Stone and Hughton are also proving to be offensive threats.
Such balance is not surprising considering the disciplined offense the Raiders run, placing a premium on cutting, timing and passing and many other variables. Three-pointers are not always encouraged.
"The experience we had last year really helped us so they understand what they're doing more this year," Cieri said. "But we still have a long way to go where we want to be and where we were last year. We need to develop depth from other places and if we can bring that along we might be able to click like we did last year once we got into the playoffs."
Girls Basketball Highlights
* Lowell Catholic used a balanced attack and, led by Chelsea Rafferty's 17 points, won its seventh game in a row, 66-44, over Marian, in a Catholic Central game.
* In the highest scoring girls game this season, Siobhan Carnell scored 34 and Kathleen Lynch added 24) to lift North Quincy (11-4) past Duxbury, 89-85, in double overtime.
