MANSFIELD — What’s the best way to get rid of a pesky hornet once and for all?
You squash it.
That’s exactly what the Masconomet Regional boys basketball team did Friday night in the Division 2 state quarterfinals, coming into Mansfield’s home gym and stunning the second-seeded Hornets. Never trailing, the Chieftains built an early lead that grew steadily over the first three quarters, then withstood a furious comeback attempt by the hosts to prevail, 63-55, before a vociferous wall-to-wall at Mansfield High.
With their lead sliced to four and under 15 seconds remaining, Masconomet (now 21-1) got back-to-back layups from junior guard Cal Weidman, the second of those off of a steal with just seven seconds remaining. In doing so, it meant that the Chieftains not only have won three postseason games for the first time ever, but that they’ve also reached the state’s Final Four for the first time in program history.
“Our goal is the state championship,” said junior guard Jimmy Farrell, who scored a team-high 18 points. The 6-foot-1 captain is averaging 19 in three playoff games. “This is just one step closer.”
Next up is No. 6 seed Somerset-Berkley, which routed third ranked Pope Francis, 88-60, Friday night, in the Division 2 state semifinals (date, time and location TBA).
“The atmosphere was amazing on both sides,” added Chieftains senior captain Devin O’Brien, who finished with 14 points. But when that final buzzer went off and we were still alive … that was just amazing.”
First-year head coach Jaycob Morales, whose squad has now won 17 consecutive games, has preached team culture all season.
“It’s not a me thing, it’s a we thing. I totally embody that saying,” said the 32-year-old Morales, who played at Lawrence Central Catholic and Wheaton College before getting into coaching. “Our kids have accepted the coaching I brought in here; they accepted the standards I wanted to set; and they’ve shown up all year, every practice and every game, showing up with the same mentality: stay together, play together and play for one another.
“The culture I’m setting here is that these guys play for each other,” he added. “It’s not just something we say; we don’t break huddles until we say ‘together’ … When you want to be a family, you have to stick together as a family.”
The Northeastern Conference champions led 15-6 after one quarter and 29-16 at halftime. Crisp ball movement, confidence in going to the basket and an aggressive defense helped Masconomet jump out ahead of the favored Hornets (20-5) while forcing them into poor shot selection; the hosts made just 2-of-24 three-point attempts and didn’t bury their first one until the fourth quarter.
Farrell led the offense over the first 16 minutes, scoring 13 points while canning a pair of long-range shots.
“I saw open gaps (in the defense), and you have to take advantage of that,” said Farrell. “I try to get to the hole every time, and when they stop me, I pull up. That’s my game.”
The Chieftains’ lead grew in the third quarter despite Mansfield coming out and pressing and trapping every time the locals got control of the basketball. A runner by sophomore Thomas Denton (11 points before fouling out) saw the Masconomet lead swell to 21 points (38-21), then again later in the quarter after Hunter Rossi took a terrific feed under the basket and laid it in.
But that offense was germinated from Masconomet’s ability to lock down the Hornets offensively.
“That was all the coaches’ scouting report,” said O’Brien. “We knew every move they were going to make, from the first guy to the last guy in their rotation. Our length was something Mansfield wasn’t ready for.”
Desperate to keep their season alive, Mansfield made its push in the fourth quarter. By drawing contact and making their free throws (23 from the stripe, as opposed to just 15 shots from the field), head coach Mike Vaughn’s club cut a 17-point deficit down to 10 with 3:12 remaining, then kept whittling down the single digits.
But Farrell made 3-of-4 freebies and Weidman drained the two abovementioned layups in the final seconds, sending their squad to a place no Masconomet boys basketball player has ever been previously.
“We definitely have a lot of work to do that we picked up on tonight, especially taking care of the ball and not allowing teams to dictate the way we play,” said Morales, whose Chieftains committed 14 second half turnovers after having just six before halftime.
“But when we stick together and play hard, there’s no stopping us.”
Masconomet 63, Mansfield 55
Division 2 state quarterfinals
at Mansfield High
Masconomet: Jimmy Farrell 6-4-18, Cal Weidman 4-0-8, Devin O’Brien 5-3-14, Thomas Denton 5-0-11, Jamason Vella 3-0-6, Hunter Rossi 2-0-4, John Green 1-0-2, Ryan Richardson 0-0-0. Totals 26-7-63.
Mansfield: Sean McCoy 0-3-3; Riley Sigman 6-5-18, Nate Creedon 1-2-5, Thomas Vallett 4-0-8, Gabe McIntyre 2-0-4, Mason Bordieri 1-6-8, Davon Sanders 0-7-7; Brody Billone 0-0-0, Matas Gutauskas 1-0-2; Justin Curtis 0-0-0. Totals 15-23-55.
Halftime: Masconomet, 29-16.
Three-pointers: Masco, Farrell 2, O’Brien, Denton; Mansf, Sigman, Creedon.
Records: Masconomet 21-1; Mansfield 20-5.