By Russ Waterman
MaxPreps.com
WORCESTER, Mass. - On a championship Saturday that saw 13,963 fans (paid) go through the DCU Center turnstiles in Worcester (traveling from as far away as Andover and Northampton and as close as Millbury and Shrewsbury), only the Archbishop Williams girls in Division 2 successfully defended a state basketball title. And there would be no late-game dramatics in any of the six games.
New champions now reign on the girls' side as Northampton in Division 1 and Wellesley in Division 2 both brought home state title trophies for the first time ever.
There was a long-delayed hoop déjà vu for all three boys titlists: Division 1 Central Catholic grabbed its first state crown since 1999; Catholic Memorial won Division 2 for its first state title since capturing a Division 1 crown in 1969 and Frontier took 21 years to gain another state title, doing so in Division 3.
A cautionary note to all rivals for next year: Many underclassmen return from these 2008 Bay State finalist rosters and it won't be surprising if at least a few of these squads make strong and successful bids to get this far again in 2009
BOYS
Division 1: Central Catholic 68, St. John's 47
Amidst a sea of red on both sides, Central Catholic (25-2) made a convincing late-game charge to put away upstart St. John's Prep, 68-47, and win the Division 1 finale. And with victories over former No.1 teams Charlestown, B.C. High (the 2007 state champion) and Lowell along the tournament way, the Raiders made a bold statement with an exclamation point for being the MIAA's top team this season.
St. John's (21-7), which had won more close games than any boys or girls team in this year's tourney, appeared primed for another game on the brink after tying the game early in the third quarter. Then the Raiders' blitz began and in a 13-minute span overwhelmed the Central Mass. champions, 36-15, to firmly secure their first state championship in nine years.
"It all started with our defense," said Central coach Rick Nault. “I think this is the third time now in the state tournament where we played zone in the third, going into the fourth, and completely shut down the opposing team."
The Raiders defense was keyed by 6-9 sophomore center Carson Desrosier (five blocks and six rebounds), who consistently bottled up 6-9 Matt LaBove before fouling out; 6-5 forward Adrian Gonzales with 14 rebounds, two blocks and four steals; and Wilfredo Pagan, the indefatigable 5-9 slightly-built point guard who harassed burly Pioneers' guard David White from start to finish on the 94-foot floor.
And the Central Catholic offense fed off the defense, especially the Bentley-bound Gonzales, who was immense from start to finish with his variety of moves, resulting on 28 points on 11-of-15 shooting, and Pagan, who had a season-high 21 points and dished off six assists.
No need to feel too badly for St. John's, however. Besides the junior LaBove, who did manage to score 15 points, other returnees are 6-3 freshman forward Richard Rodgers, 6-6 sophomore Chad LaBove (Matt's brother) and White, who finished with 12 points.
Division 2: Catholic Memorial 74, Tantasqua 56
Perfection denied. With devastating speed and quickness, Catholic Memorial (23-4) snapped a 49-game win streak and denied defending state champion Tantasqua (24-1) its second chance at perfection at the Knights expense, running away from the Warriors, 74-56.
While the Knights had impressive numbers offensively – 6-4 forward Julian Colarusso had game-high totals of 24 points and 13 rebounds while Brendan Monteiro added 16, Allen Harris 11 and Jeff Tagger 10 – it was their unrelenting pressure that crippled any Warriors chances to repeat.
Attacking the hoop on nearly every possession, mostly on quick strikes off 23 Warrior turnovers, the Knights would go on to make 24 of their total of 27 baskets in the paint. The Eastern Mass. champs did trail early, but pressing all over the court in run-and-jump pressure Louisville-style, they broke the game wide open in a sizzling 31-4 run, building a 42-26 lead by halftime off 16 turnovers.
Brian Vayda, Tantasqua's 6-5 star forward, ended up with 21 points and counted for 11 of the team's 13 points in the third quarter, when it made just a one-point dent in the lead. But it wasn't nearly enough for the two-time Western Mass. champions, who had won their first state title ever last year but never could cope with the Knights speed.
“We’ve played quick teams before, but I have to be honest we haven’t played a team that quick,” said Tantasqua coach Jeff Child. “We knew they were going to press and we worked extensively on breaking the press this week, but it is what it is. Monteiro, Tagger, Lincoln Wright - those guys are good guards.”
Division 3: Frontier Regional 79, Scituate 65
It is pretty simple to analyze why Frontier Regional (24-1) emerged as the Division 3 champion, 79-65, over Scituate (22-3) for the first time since 1987.
A combined 27-point performance from the 6-4 Clark twin brothers, Brian with 24 and Dan with 23, were two major factors. But overall team defense, especially inside against 6-9 Sean McCarthy by undersized but burly 6-2 center Jon Pepyne and support from other Red Hawks players, were also keys.
Indeed, when one of the Red Hawks' 'Big Three' – Jamie Bell, averaging 18 ppg, went down after a knee injury and could only contribute three points – Frontier's vital signs were shaky and needed a mighty defibrillator boost. They got it from Gary Grandico, as the Red Hawks junior guard scored 17 points, including 14 after halftime and 11 alone in the last quarter.
“Gary really stepped it up when Jamie went out with an injury,” Frontier coach Marty Sanderson said. “Gary has been one of our starters and a consistent player all season, but he had been slowed by a sprained ankle. He did what he did on a leg-and-a-half.”
Meanwhile, Scituate's excellent tandem of point guard Rodney Beldo (23) and 6-6 Blaine O'Brien (20) had superlative performances again as they had all season, but no other player scored in double figures for the Eastern Mass. champions, ending an unprecedented run for Sailors program that had never before made a state finals appearance.
GIRLS
Division 1: Northampton 50, Andover 37
Northampton, like Division 2 champion Archbishop Williams, prided itself on defense, holding opponents to 38.8 points per game in the post season, with its signature win being a 60-49 triumph over defending state champion Springfield Central in the Western Mass championship.
And in this meeting between two clubs whose forte was defense, each holding opponents to under 40 ppg during the season, the better defense and the victory belonged to Northampton, 50-37, over Eastern Mass. champion Andover.
Alanna Driscoll-Sbar, with a double-double effort of 20 points and 10 rebounds, and teammate Brighid Courtney, with 15, provided almost all the points the Blue Devils (25-2) would need for a program that celebrated its first state title in the school's history.
Driscoll-Sbar, especially in transition, was nearly unstoppable throughout. If the 5-11 junior forward wasn't making lay-ups on coast-to-coast forays or penetrating inside, she was getting fouled and made 10 of 11 free-throw attempts as a result. Nor can the defensive efforts of Jamie Bell be underestimated as the 5-9 junior caused havoc on the perimeter against Golden Warrior guards
Meanwhile Andover (23-4), which had averaged 58 points in its four previous playoff games, never got untracked against the Western Mass. champs. Only Laura Renfro, with six 3-pointers and 20 points, was effective against the Raiders defense.
The aggressive drives to the hoop by Blue Devil players also provided another cushion. Northampton made 18 free throws compared to just one for the Golden Warriors.
"We are going to have a little parade, go back to the school, open up the gym and cut down the nets," said Northampton coach Tom Parent following the victory.
Division 2: Wellesley 65, Millbury 44
Wellesley throttled a young and talented Millbury squad, 65-44, to win the Division 2 title, the first in the school's history in its first-ever state final appearance.
The Raiders (23-3) had already shut down several premier teams and many standout players, including top seed Bishop Feehan and defending state champion Lincoln-Sudbury, in its five previous tourney wins, allowing just 40 points per game. The finale followed a similar script as only one Millbury player – Sydney Bloomstein, with 11 points – scored in double figures for the Woolies, the Central Mass champions.
The gaudy stats of Raiders 6-1 senior center Lindsay Sydness (18 points, 7 rebounds, 7 blocked shots) along with 6-foot junior forward Jesse Miller (15 points, 9 rebounds) still didn't fully explain how dominant this Raiders duo was inside, for they also altered others' shots.
And when Wellesley needed some perimeter leadership, sophomore point guard Mary Louise Dixon came through with all of her 10 points, including two shots from beyond the arc in the second half, as did freshman shooting guard Blake Dietrick, who air-mailed in eight more points, also canning two treys.
But Woolies fans won't be feeling blue for long for their club, which finished at 20-4. With five players – all underclassmen- in the finale scoring seven points or more and accounting for all but two of their total, they lose just one senior and have an excellent chance to return to this finals center stage
"It wasn't that I didn't expect them to be that big; I didn't expect them to be that fast," said Millbury coach Steve Reno. "They came out and they played fast, and in the Lincoln-Sudbury game they didn't; it was a slow-paced game."
Division 3: Archbishop Williams 69, Quaboag 47
It was fitting that the Bay State's two Division 3 titans of recent years would meet:
Quaboag (24-2) looking to earn its third state title in five years and Archbishop Williams (22-2) aiming to make it two straight.
But it would be the Bishops, with superior play at both ends, that overcame the Cougars, 69-47, to claim the title this time. Senior guard Casey Capello ended her career with a game-high 19 points and four 3-pointers; 6-3 sophomore center Valerie Driscoll out-dueled her 6-2 pivot counterpart, Meghan O'Keefe, with 18 points and 12 rebounds and senior Christine Duffy contributed 11 points.
All anyone needs to know about how this game played out was to look at the effect the Bishops' defense had on O'Keefe. The Cougars junior center did score 13 points but six of those came on the perimeter on a couple of 3-pointers and she only did damage in the third quarter, scoring 11 points, before fouling out.
"The second quarter made the whole game," Quaboag coach John Vayda said of an eight-minute span in which they were dominated, 20-3, and were down 32-19 at halftime. "Their 2-3 zone gave us a lot of problems and we had a lot of problems finding girls open, and we had a hard time moving through the zone."
Russ Waterman covers Massachusetts, Rhode Island and the New England Preps for MaxPreps.com. He may be reached at rwathoop3@aol.com.
