By Jim Stout
MaxPreps.com
And then there was one.
Fifth-ranked Tantasqua Regional had to go on the road to do it, but the Warriors brought plenty of fans and Brian Vayda showed plenty of poise in the end, allowing Tantasqua to remain the only undefeated boys basketball team in Central Massachusetts.
Vayda scored a game-high 29 points and clinched the victory by converting two free throws with 1.6 seconds to play as Tantasqua (17-0) scored a 63-59 win over previously unbeaten and second-ranked Milford on Friday before a sellout crowd in Milford.
"Brian was phenomenal tonight," Tantasqua coach Jeff Child told the Worcester Telegram. "He's just a great all-around player. He crashes the boards and he's got some great post moves. He stepped up big for us when Andrew (Kazanovicz) got into foul trouble."
Besides operating effectively in the post, Vayda displayed a deft shooting touch from outside, especially early in the game, when he scored Tantasqua's first eight points. Vayda hit two 3-pointers for the Warriors during that opening stretch, validating that Tantasqua would not be intimidated by the Milford crowd.
He closed out the game the same way he opened it, with poised and veteran aplomb.
"I knew that I had to step up and make (the final two foul shots)," Vayda said. "We practice those all the time and I just (blocked) the crowd out and concentrated on making both of the shots."
While the free throws sealed the game for Tantasqua, Milford was never able to warm up at the foul line, going just eight-of-27.
"As a team, when you're not making baskets, the other team is going to send you to the line," said Milford coach Steve Manguso, who was honored prior to the game for his recent 350th career victory. "And when you're at the line, you need to convert."
Milford still had a shot to win it late despite trailing most of the game as senior guard Bryant Johnson (11 points) hit a 3-pointer with 19.7 seconds left to cut the deficit to 61-59.
Paul Seaver (19 points) hit five 3-pointers for Milford, including two in a span of 30 seconds. That jump-started a 16-4 Scarlet Hawks run that put Milford ahead for the first time all night, a short-lived 42-38, with 10 minutes remaining.
"He (Seaver) is a great kid and I'm very proud of the way he played," Manguso said. "He worked hard for us all night and will continue to do so."
Miranda Law: No Mark Without Mom
As expected, Kevin Miranda became the first player in Avon history to score 2,000 career points during his team's 91-52 romp over Bristol Aggie.
But the manner in which he proceeded was the last thing anyone expected.
Miranda had to refrain from hitting the magic mark midway through the first half because his mother was late in arriving at the game. He didn't want her to miss it.
Maria Miranda eventually fought her way through heavy traffic on the trip from her job in Boston. Kevin Miranda then had to get clearance from his coach, Rich Gifford, to record his final three points in the quest for 2,000 via a 3-point goal.
"That's the first time I've done that; I broke all the Gifford rules," Gifford told the Globe. "I looked over at my buddy, my assistant coach, and told him, 'I'm going to do something I've never done in 30 years of coaching.' Timeout. (Miranda) calls his mother. He gets 14 points and he wants to make 17 on a 3-pointer; that's the only thing he asked me. Timeout again."
Miranda, who scored 14 points in the first 2:28 of the game, finished with 10-of-18 shooting from the floor, including 7-of-11 on 3-point tries, for 31 points. He added six assists, three rebounds and three steals.
Lexington Locks Up Middlesex Again
Lexington High, the No. 3 team in Eastern Mass, clinched its second-consecutive Middlesex League title on Friday, defeating Reading, 66-53.
That was the easy part of the week.
To get to Friday and their 13-point league-clinching victory, the Minutemen (16-0) had to outlast No. 9 Watertown, getting six consecutive free throws from guard Sean Sullivan with 14 seconds left in regulation to secure a 77-73 win.
Sullivan took full advantage of a flagrant foul and a technical against Watertown coach Steve Harrington in the waning seconds to turn a 71-70 lead into a 77-70 advantage.
"I knew that I hadn't had a great game (to that point) so I knew that I had to do something for the team to step up," Sullivan told the Lexington Minuteman. "I just knew that I was going to hit them."
BC High Eagles Still Soaring
Nick Schmiemann scored 21 points and Andrew Yanulis recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds as No. 2 Boston College High (15-0) rolled to a surprisingly easy 82-44 victory over Andover at McNeice Pavilion.
"We played extremely well," BC coach Bill Loughnane told the Boston Herald. "I think our big guys really played well down low. We had a height advantage and we were able to take advantage of it."
BC High jumped out to a 12-2 lead and stretched the margin to as many as 17 points in the first eight minutes.
"I think that's the worst loss we've had in my 18 years here," said Andover coach David Fazio, whose team (13-5) suffered its third straight loss following a 13-2 start. "We just couldn't do anything against them."
By the end of the night, BC's precision ball movement had recorded 22 assists on 28 baskets, with reserve point guard Brian Mahoney leading the way with eight assists.
Lawrence Saves Face vs. Lowell
Thirteen-ranked Lawrence bounced back from a 76-44 trouncing by Merrimack Valley rival Lowell earlier in the season to record a 61-54 win over the No. 18 Red Raiders on Friday.
Fifth-year senior Alex Oviedo made two steals on back-to-back Lowell possessions to seal the win for the Lawrence (13-5, 9-3).
"The first time we faced (Lowell), we didn't think they were that good; we didn't take them seriously," Oviedo told the Boston Globe. "We came out tonight wanting to play tough defense and get some stops and our defense came through."
Lowell (13-6, 9-3) could have clinched at least a share of the Merrimack Valley Large title with a win. With Friday night's outcome, there is now a three-way tie atop the MVC Large between Lawrence, Lowell and Central Catholic (Central Catholic beat Haverhill 74-52 Friday night).
Matt Welch scored a game-high 23 points pulled down 13 rebounds for Lowell.
Still, Lowell coach Scott Doyle found plenty of other problems.
"We took way too many jumpers in the first half and we didn't learn our lesson," said Boyle, whose team went 10 for 29 from the floor in the first half. "We were selfish with the ball, we settled for outside shots and we didn't get back on defense. We got what we deserved tonight."
Westfield Rolls On in Valley Wheel
Westfield upped its Valley Wheel mark to 6-0 on Friday as four players reached double figures in a 69-50 victory over visiting Chicopee Comp.
"We played probably as good as we have since the Commerce game," Westfield coach Bill Daley told the Springfield Republican.
Westfield beat Commerce 73-56 in the fifth game of the season. The Bombers (12-3, 6-0) are 2-1 against Valley League opponents. They've also won their last six games.
"We have four guys that can score a little bit, which makes us tough some times," Daley said.
Westfield also has two players who can rebound. Alex Frazier had 10 points and 10 rebounds and Kevin Gabryel scored 12 points and had 10 boards.
Nate DiSessa led the Bombers with 25 points and eight assists. Adam Rivera scored 13 points.
Comp (9-7, 3-3), a win from qualifying for the Western Massachusetts tournament, was led by Keith Hart with 14 points, Frank Madero with 11 and Elmer Cornier with 10.
Patriot League Goes to Rockland Again
Rockland wrapped up its third Patriot League title in four years by knocking off Pembroke for the second time this season, 57-43.
Rockland (9-7, 7-3) was recovering from a loss earlier in the week to Middleboro.
"This is especially good after Tuesday night (against Middleboro); Tuesday was a complete debacle." Rockland coach Fred Damon told the Brockton Enterprise.
"We did a lot of soul searching on Wednesday, to say the least, and we had a good practice on Thursday. It's a very nice win and I'm proud of our kids."
Damon was especially proud of his defense. For the second time this season, Rockland held Pembroke to under 50 points and held it to less than 20 in a half (18 points in the first half).
"I thought the difference was our defense," said Damon. "We tried to contain (Bobby) Holt because he's the key to me. He makes (Corey) Donahue better and runs their offense well."
Wilmington Moves Closer to Another Title
Junior center Matt Bibeau led four players into double figures as the Wilmington, the five-time reigning Cape Ann League champs, broke a three-way tie for first place with an 82-47 romp over former co-leader Masconomet.
The victory was the 11th straight for the Wildcats (15-2, 11-1); the champion will be determined on Tuesday, when Wilmington travels to North Andover, also 11-1 league, in the final Cape Ann game for both teams.
Pittsfield Nails Down Tourney Berth
Pittsfield went on a 6-0 run in the second half and held on to beat Drury, 53-49, at home Friday night. Its reward was a berth in the Western Mass Tournament.
Matt Squires led Pittsfield (10-6, 6-4) with 17 points and Kris McLaughlin had 16. Rob Sykes hit a pair of 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to expand Pittsfield's lead from 42-36 to 48-36.
"In a game the way this one was, you knew it was going to be a tough lead to come back from," Pittsfield coach Ron Wojcik told the Berkshire Eagle. "(Drury) fought back into it and we were able to hold them off down the stretch."
Jim Stout is the MaxPreps Master Photographer for the Massachusetts/Rhode Island area and a Northeast Region columnist. He may be reached at 203-563-2297 or at j.stout@jmstout.org.
