By Russ Waterman
MaxPreps.com
Excellent all-around play by speedy Durfee guards sparked the Hilltoppers to successive victories in the 13th annual BABC/Stop and Shop Chelsea Tournament at Chelsea High School.
Constant pressure applied on offense and defense, especially in the backcourt by slashing seniors Mike Rivera and Johnny Pavao and juniors Ramone Mejia and Matt Bodden, proved too much to handle for successive opponents in the tourney.
Against Brookline in a 79-59 triumph, Rivera (23 points) and Rivera (17) led the way. In their second win of the tourney, 64-62 over Cambridge Rindge and Latin, it was Bodden, a former Cambridge guard, who paced Durfee scorers with 15 points. Rivera added 13 points and Corey Laliberte 11.
"We play four guards in a dribble drive motion attack like Memphis," Durfee third-year head coach Jeff Caron said. "I think at least three of our guards could start at the point on any other team in the state."
Other contributors in the Hilltopper rotation include Ruddy Joseph, Cory Cross and Sonny Mello.
But Caron stakes his team's hopes for doing well in the Big Three Conference against preseason favorite Brockton and improved New Bedford, as well as hopes for a deep playoff run, on another important factor.
"We need to get lots of offense from our defense," Caron said. "That’s going to be very important for us."
New Bedford delivered its first win of the season, 69-61, over Springfield Cathedral, in the Chelsea Tourney behind 19 points and 8 assists from Jesse Vicente. The Whalers also got help from Ryan Santos, who added 14 points, and Mitch Tetrault's double-double effort of 13 points and 13 rebounds
Anthony Hatwood finished with 21 points for Springfield Cathedral while teammate Pat Gooden had 17 points, including five three-pointers.
Stoughton also won two straight in the Chelsea Tourney after edging out New Bedford, 60-59, in an exciting finale. Dartaye Ruffin, a 6-foot-8 senior center committed to Drexel University, scored 16 points to lead the Division 2 Black Knights, now 5-0. In an earlier 60-43 win over Brookline, Ruffin led the way again with 17 points followed by Edwin Saladin with 12 and Kris Joyce with 11.
Wareham features balance in 5-0 start
The latest win by undefeated Wareham, 93-46, over Apponequet ran the Vikings' South Coast Conference win streak to 39. Jordan Rezendes had a game-high 21 points followed by Pat Murphy with 19, Jules Tavares with 12 and Chris Prien with 11 for the Vikings, who also made nine 3-pointers.
Wareham, defending SCC champs, has also posted a 82-70 victory over Division 1 New Bedford
Central Catholic gaining momentum again
Defending Division 1 state champion Central Catholic hasn’t missed a beat. The Red Raiders have roared out of the gate to a 3-0 start following a 64-35 win over Pinkerton Academy at the Greater Lawrence Christmas Tourney in Lawrence.
Carson Desrosier, the Red Raiders 6-11 junior center, had 16 points and Will Marsden had 21 points. The Red Raiders allowed just 39 points a game in its first three outings, including wins over Billerica (79-42) and Lowell, 78-39.
Other games
* Undefeated Needham won the Braintree Lions Basketball Tournament by defeating host Braintree, 63-48, behind 21 points by P.J. Douglas and 15 points and 10 rebounds by Bobby Ernst. Needham upset BC High, 64-61, to reach the final.
* Mary Nwachukwu almost had a triple double – 23 points, 18 rebounds and nine blocks – for Dighton-Rehoboth who pulled away from Case to win 59-36. Nwachukwu, a 6-2 senior center, has signed a letter of intent to play at Boston College next year.
