By Russ Waterman
MaxPreps.com
Wareham was tantalizingly close to making history, having won a record-tying 44 consecutive South Coast Conference victories by fast-breaking its way to an 81 points per game and eight straight wins behind five juniors and one sophomore.
Fairhaven, the league's only other undefeated team, worked its way to a share of the top (7-0) with a disciplined offense that uses most of the clock and employs clinging man-to-man defense that allowed just 36 points per game.
So something had to give in the mid-season encounter between the two starkly contrasting and successful styles of two solid Division 3 clubs.
What fell was one of the state's longest league win streaks and what was gained was sole possession of first place. Fairhaven 5-foot-10 senior guard Ian Andrade (15 points, 6 assists), made big play after big play down the stretch, pushing the Blue Devils past the hosts, 52-51, at the Vikings’ Jim Brogioli Court.
Jordan Rezendes, game-high scorer with 21 points, put the Vikings ahead with a layup, 47-39, halfway through the final quarter. But only Darren Gray and Patrick Murphy (15) would score the rest of the way for the Vikings who either misfired or turned the ball over at crucial moments.
The Blue Devils dug in and fought back with Nyles Perron-Soyik canning two straight three's, Brendan Rossi scoring from 12 feet and making a free throw and Andrade stealing the ball and driving in for a layup to trim the score to 51-50, with 56 seconds left.
Andrade forced another turnover in the backcourt and after a block by Viking center Ryan Pina (5 points, 12 rebounds) and wild scurry underneath for the ball, Fairhaven gained possession. Andrade slipped inside the lane again for a follow-up to a missed shot to make the game-clinching basket with 9.6 seconds remaining.
It was a stunning end to the contest for the Vikings and for head coach and former hometown star Kevin Brogioli, who has directed the program to six conference titles the past 11 years. The court is named for his father who won 404 games in a superb 28-year coaching career and it would have been sweet to make history then and there.
"We made some uncharacteristic mistakes down the stretch and I am not sure if it was the pressure or not," Brogioli said. "Nothing came easy tonight. We had some good looks and missed them at the end and had some turnovers. But you have to credit Fairhaven for that. We will just have to start over and begin a new streak."
Boys Basketball Highlights
* Ellis Cooper had 17 points and Jesse Coulan and Bill Frothingham added 16 each as Northampton (7-1) defeated Westfield, 79-65. The Blue Devils pulled away in the second half with a 50-point outburst, with Frothingham connecting five times beyond the arc.
* Sci-Tech (7-1) had its lowest scoring total of the season and scored just seven points in the fourth period but that was just enough to carve out a 43-39 road victory over Longmeadow. Tyron Wiggins was the only CyberCat in double figures (10).
* In a battle between two of the top teams in central Massachusetts, Kyle Dobson had 18 points and Hamed Akanni added 17 for unbeaten (7-0) Fitchburg in a 61-58 overtime nailbiter over Wachusett (4-2).
Girls Basketball Highlights
* In one of the biggest upsets in the state in several years, Division 4 Carver (9-1) toppled previously undefeated Division 1 New Bedford (9-1), 53-50, storming back from a 47-35 deficit with just under four minutes left with a dramatic 18-3 surge. The Crusaders, who made 25 free throws to 10 for the Whalers, were led by Mari Meserve with 14 points and Chelsea Pilling with 13 points and 18 rebounds.
* Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir of New Leadership Charter School (Springfield) is within 140 points of the all-time career point total in girls basketball (2,710) held by Rebecca Lobo of Southwick, who went on to star for Connecticut and in the WNBA. The 5-3 senior guard, who has signed with Memphis, poured in 45 points in a recent 61-53 loss to Belchertown.
* Jaclyn Lyons was game-high scorer with 17 points and teammate Catherine Carey scored 15 – all on 3-pointers – to keep the win streak alive for Reading (7-0) in a convincing 54-24 win over Belmont.
* Durfee is now the only unbeaten team in the Big Three after defeating Dartmouth, 61-34, behind the game-high effort of Lauren Fiola (23) and contributions by Kate McDonald (12) and Julianne Plasski (11).
