8th Grade League Leaders – Sunday June 21, 2015

Girls
Herbert, Sharon 17
Julia Kleczowski, North Attleboro 13
Eliza Dion, North Attleboro 12
Taylor Buther, King Philip 11
Julia, Mansfield 10
Maher, Mansfield 9
Liz Buron, North Attleboro 8
Katie Courtney, Franklin 8
Kelly, Mansfield 8
Lyons, Medfield 8
Hottleman, Mansfield 7

Boys
Bryant Ciccio, Attleboro 15
Chris Edgehill, Franklin 15
Drew Plunkett, Medway 14
Garzon, Millis 13
Giffen, Mansfield 13
Katz, Westborough 12
Matt Achin, Mansfield 12
#23, Medway 12
Eustay, Canton 11
Gomez, Attleboro 11
Richmond, Westborough 11
#00, Attleboro 11
Jason Comeau, Mansfield 11
Elon, Hopkinton 11
Mors, Franklin 76ers 11
Michael O’Neil, Mansfield 11
Badger, Westborough 10
Cameron, Attleboro 10
Ellis, North Attleboro 10
Gasabarro, Cumberland 10
Kayberry, Cumberland 10
Pacheco, Franklin 10
Bryant, North Attleboro 9
#20, Franklin 9
#14, Franklin 9
#35, Franklin 9
Patrick Spellman, Mansfield 8
Cunningham, Franklin 8
#1, Medway 8
Fitzgerald, Canton 8
McGowan, Canton 8
#23, Mansfield 8
Lucas Ascoli, Mansfield 7
Maffion, Hopkinton 7
Young, Cumberland 7

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Varsity Girls
Meghan Reen, Norwood 19
Sarah Deyo, Attleboro 18
Francesca Calabrara, Oliver Ames 17
Tess Sussman, Needham 16
Emily Peters, North Attleboro 15
Michelle Brincklow, Norwood 13
Caroline Maher, Mansfield 12
Kaylin Reen, Norwood 12
Ruzio, Franklin 11
Shannon Smally, Foxboro 11
Grace Tamulionis, Foxboro 11
Sam Madden, King Philip 10
Caroline Maher, Mansfield 10
Morse, Franklin 10
Amy Caple, Attleboro 9
Sam Pierce, Attleboro 9

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Varsity Boys
Timberlake, Braintree 22
Jason Proccacini, Foxboro 19
Christian Weber, Mansfield 17
Koneski, Dighton-Rehoboth 16
Chad Peterson, North Attleboro 16
Reed, Dighton-Rehoboth 16
Paul Mahon, Franklin 15
Williams, Medfield 15
Brasco, North Attleboro 14
Brewster, Dighton-Rehoboth 14
Giovino, Westwood 14
Lahart, Xaverian 14
Milliken, Attleboro 14
Von Klock, Walpole 14
Gill, Xaverian 13
Outlette, Westwood 13
Tim Prunier, Franklin 13
Berlyns Abraham, Attleboro 12
PJ Adams, Millis 12
Costello, Braintree 12
Stephen Hanashi, Attleboro 12
Matt Peterson, Norton 12
Robbie Lowey, Foxboro 12
John Gouvalaris, Mansfield 11
Jon Friberg, North Attleboro 11
Mello, Dighton-Rehoboth 11
Brent Doherty, North Attleboro 10
Kyle Gaumond, North Attleboro 10
Ike Shephard, Walpole 10

Mass Premier Courts held its annual Club Championship on June 6-7. Below are the results.

Boys
Overall Club Champion: Boston Warriors
4th Grade: ASA Hoops
4th Grade: Mass Premier Courts
5th Grade: Rise Above
6th Grade: Rhode Island Warriors
6th Grade: Franklin Falcons
6th Grade: Boston Warriors
6th Grade: Rise Above
7th Grade: Cobras
7th Grade: ASA Hoops
7th Grade: Mass Premier Courts
7th Grade: Boston Warriors
8th Grade: Franklin Bandits
8th Grade: Mass Premier Courts (Fischer)
8th Grade: Mass Premier Courts (Steele)
9th Grade: Mass Premier Courts (Vine)
9th Grade: Mass Premier Courts (Dicruttalo)
9th/10th Grade: Mass Premier Courts (Rodgers)
11th Grade: Lone Wolf

Girls
Overall Club Champion: MT Elite
4th Grade: Mass Mavericks
5th Grade: Mass Royals
5th Grade: Boston Showstoppers
5th Grade: MT Elite
5th/6th Grade: Boston Bobcats
5th/6th Grade: Mass Premier Courts
7th Grade: Team BSB
7th Grade: MT Elite (Domnarski)
7th Grade: MT Elite (Traversi)
7th Grade: Boston Showstoppers
8th Grade: Mass Bearcats
8th/9th Grade: Mass Premier Courts (Kepaa)
8th/9th Grade: Mass Premier Courts (Musco)
9th Grade: Team BSB
10th/11th Grade: Bay State Jaguars
10th/11th Grade: ASA Hoops

Monday, June 15, 2015 Scoring Leaders

Varsity Girls
Emily Houle, Attleboro 25
Maddie Murphy, Worcester Academy 17
Abby Phelan, Norton 15
Kate Irwin, Milford 14
Sarah Deyo, Attleboro 13
Laina Dowd, Worcester Academy 13
Cassidy Harrison, Foxboro 13
Lauren Rudolph, Franklin 12
Luke Esty, Walpole 12
Kiera Fernandes, Worcester Academy 11
Lexi Hackett, Worcester Academy 11
Kate Morse, Franklin 11
Kaylin Reen, Norwood 11
Michelle Brincklow, Norwood 11
Maya Davis, Milton Academy 10
Riley Lahiff, Milton Academy 10
Brett Van Clock, Walpole 10
Kenny Uhlar, Walpole 10
Meg Nichols, Norton 9
Francesca Calabraro, Oliver Ames 9
Newell, Mansfield 8

Varsity Boys
Nick Baskin, Mansfield 29
Keyshaad Dixon, Braintree 27
Ben Smith, King Philip 18
Tim Prunier, Franklin 17
Timberlake, Braintree 15
Kyle Lowey, Foxboro 15
Rishi Jambunathan, Canton 14
Koneski, Dighton-Rehoboth 14
Conor Maroney, Oliver Ames 13
Brent Doherty, North Attleboro 12
Paul Mahon, Franklin 12
Berlyns Abraham, Attleboro 12
Kyle Gaumond, North Attleboro 11
John Friberg, North Attleboro 11
Alex Dubrow, Foxboro 10

Already planning for the year ahead. Here's a glimpse of what is coming soon.

Summer
- Nightly blogs from MPC varsity games
- Nightly blogs from MPC 8th grade travel games
- Game of the week - Varsity and 8th Grade
- MPC Girls Super Week coverage

Fall
- MPC Swish expansion
- Fall AAU League (HS)
- SH Fall Challenge
- SH Proving Grounds (Individual Combine / Showcase - Middle School Boys/Girls)
- MPC #BeSeen College Showcase

Winter
- Expand power rankings to include entire state (6th-8th)
- MetroWest Game of the Week
- MLK Classic Single-Elimination Tournament
- SH Showcase (8th Grade All-Star Game)
- MA Middle School State Tournament

Spring
- MPC Swish Expansion
- SH Spring Shootout
- MPC Club Championship
- NEAAU State Tournament / Super Regional Coverage

If you have any other suggestions, please e-mail me at [email protected]

On Monday night, Jim Gallivan was fired as Walpole's girls varsity basketball coach after two seasons. Gallivan was hired after decorated long time coach Stacy Bilodeau was controversially and unexpectedly fired. He was chosen to succeed Bilodeau and all he did was succeed. 

During his tenure, the Rebels qualified for the state tournament each year and won post season games before losing to Duxbury (D2S powerhouse, and reigning D2 state champion) both seasons. This past season, Walpole won the Bay State League - Herget division and had the league MVP Summer King.

From a colleague's perspective, Gallivan was very well liked amongst league coaches, fought for his kids to make all-star/MVP at post season meetings, was very diligent in his scouting and went out of his way to follow his kids progress during the off season (most recently seen watching AAU games two weekends ago at Mass Premier Courts).

Walpole returns a lot of quality players, has an 8th grade class that just won the MetroWest D1 title and beyond that has quality teams at all the younger grades. On paper, this would be a great job. However, after firing two successful coaches coming off league titles in the past three seasons, what coach would make Walpole happy?

The inaugural NEAAU Girls Super Regional tournament wrapped up this past weekend (April 18-19) at Mass Premier Courts in Foxboro, MA. This tournament format is exactly like the NEAAU state tournament. Teams played two pool games and were then seeded for bracket play. The results are below:

11th Grade
Champion: Honey Badgers
Final: Honey Badgers 68, Boston Showstoppers 40
Final Four: Honey Badgers, Boston Showstoppers, MPC Swish, Boston Showstoppers

10th Grade
Champion: MPC Swish
Final: MPC Swish 67, MT Elite 42
Final Four: MPC Swish, United Conquerors Basketball, MT Elite, Team BSB

9th Grade
Champion: Boston Showstoppers
Final: Boston Showstoppers 46, RI Breakers 36
Final Four: Boston Showstoppers, United Conquerors Basketball, RI Breakers, MPC Blue Fire

8th Grade D1
Champion: KSC Ducks
Final: KSC Ducks 52, Mass Gym Rats 49
Final Four: Team Providence, KSC Ducks, Mass Gym Rats, Saratoga Sparks

8th Grade D2
Champion: Mass Attack
Final: Mass Attack 49, MV Roadrunners 46
Final Four: Mass Attack, Lady Elite Basketball, MV Roadrunners, MT Elite

7th Grade D1
Champion: KSC Thunder
Final: KSC Thunder 49, KSC Ducks 42
Final Four: KSC Thunder, Team Providence, KSC Ducks, Honey Badgers

7th Grade D2
Champion: MV Roadrunners
Final: MV Roadrunners 42, Mass Attack 31
Final Four: MV Roadrunners, MT Elite, Evolution, Mass Attack

6th Grade D1
Champion: MPC Harney
Final: MPC Harney 33, Bay State Jaguars 30
Final Four: Evolution, Lady Elite Basketball, MPC Harney, Bay State Jaguars

6th Grade D2
Champion: MV Roadrunners
Final: MV Roadrunners 28, Boston Lady Stars 21
Final Four: MV Roadrunners, Boston Lady Stars, Next Level Athletics, Galaxy Girls

5th Grade D1
Champion: MPC Swish (Reen)
Final: MPC Swish 47, Mass Attack 40
Final Four: MPC Swish, Mass Gym Rats, Mass Attack

5th Grade D2
Champion: Mass Huskies
Final: Mass Huskies 30, MT Elite 21
Final Four: MPC Coupal, MT Elite, Mass Huskies, MV Roadrunners

By Joe Dicruttalo (@JDicruttalo)

8th Grade Championship - Westboro 66, Brookline 59

The stage was set for a great match up in the finals between Brookline and Westboro. Brookline was undefeated throughout the regular season and advanced to the finals with strong showings versus Sharon, Wellesely and Arlington.

Westboro played a great season with only one loss in December to Brookline. Westboro had a great tournament with double digit wins over Southboro and Canton, and an impressive win in the semi- finals over Newton. The top two teams in the 8th Grade Division 1 throughout the year met up for what could have been the best game of the 2015 season.

With a couple hundred fans looking on, Brookline and Westboro put on a show all night, going back and forth in a very high level, competitive basketball game.  From the opening possession Mike Doherty would look to attack the rim and was very successful doing so. Brother Matt picked his spots as well, and the twin brothers combined for 10 of Westboro's 14 first quarter points. The Doherty brothers would outscore Brookline 8-0 to start the game, and forced them into an early time out. After the first quarter Westboro would hold a 14-12 advantage over last year's Metrowest champions.

In the second quarter, Brookline would look to 6'3’ power forward Chris Camille to keep them in the game. Camille attacked the rim, controlled the glass and finished with ten points in the second quarter. Westboro, trailing by six, relied on its well-rounded attack and was able to answer the impressive 2nd quarter run of Brookline with a strong counter attack of their own. Dominic Caspariello and Jake Hughes would start warming up and provided big shots for Westboro, ending the quarter on a Westboro 7-0 run. Westboro took a narrow lead into halftime, 27 to 29.

The second half began where the first half left off with a back and forth battle. Brookline's Christian Andrews was a major factor throughout the second half on both the offense and defensive end. Andrews caused several turnovers as Brookline picked up its half court pressure, and forced Westboro into poor decisions. Brookline gained momentum throughout the remainder of the third quarter taking a 44-43 lead into the final frame.

Down the stretch Westboro would again rely on their well balanced attack as Caspariello would score 10 4th quarter points and Jack Hughes hit a big 3-pointer to put Westboro up by five with just under two minutes to play. Westboro would force Brookline to foul them as they held the ball with two minutes to play, and would hit eight free throws out of ten down the stretch.

Behind strong free throw shooting and great team defense down the stretch, Westboro would hold on to defeat the defending Metrowest champions, 66-59.

Dominic Caspariello led Westboro with a team high 18 points. Matt Doherty (17), Mike Doherty (14) and Jake Hughes (13)all notched double digits in the win.

It would take a total team effort to defeat such a talented Brookline team who has only lost one time in the past two seasons. Brookline's Chris Camille finished with a game high 20 points and Christian Andrews finished with 14 points (10 in the second half), and Mark Barrett added 11.

Both teams competed hard from start to finish, and it was very good to see their hard work and season long commitment to excellence result in both teams squaring off for the division- 1 8th grade title. Congratulations to both teams on a great season and a great Metrowest career.

MVP(s)
Matt and Mike Doherty (Westboro) - Having watched every game of the D1 State tournament it was clear to see these two young men were without a doubt the most valuable players in the tournament. Mike and Matt scored 15 & 16 points per game, respectively, to go along with impressive rebounding numbers. With continuous strong takes to the hoop, and a very powerful pull-up game, the brothers were able to control each and every game they played in the tournament. One of the best things about both young men was their commitment to their teammates, their continuous hard work and their overall toughness. Playing through injuries, and doing whatever it took to help lead their team to a championship - these two were nothing short of special throughout their playoff run.

All-Tournament Team
Alex Stoddard (Wellesely) - If hitting the game winning runner in a first round upset over West Roxbury wasn't enough, Alex would finish the tournament with 16 points per game and 6 assists per game. He was able to rally his team in an impressive second half run against Brookline in the Elite 8, cutting what was a 16 point lead to two with just a couple minutes to play. This 6'2 Guard has a lot of poise and skill, and was a big reason his team was only a few possessions away from a Final 4 appearance.

Jake Erlich (Easton) - One of the most competitive athletes throughout the tournament, Jake led his teams in points and rebounds and was also a force to be reckoned with on the defensive end. He drew the task of guarding Mansfield's Khristian Connor in Easton's opening round game, then was asked to cover Arlington's big man James Gascoigne in the Elite 8. He held each player to their lowest totals of the tournament. He was able to get to the free throw line at will throughout the tournament as well as knock down his go-to 15-footer game after game.

James Gascoigne (Arlington) - Very skilled athlete who has excellent body control and toughness around the basket. He can finish at the rim and looks to be balanced more than any other big body around. He has soft hands, good vertical jumping ability and is a strong competitor. He was a crucial factor in the win over Easton. He played very hard in a tough match up versus Brookline despite coming up short to last the defending champs.

Chris Camille (Brookline) -  A 6'3 power forward was game in and game out one of the most impressive athletes in the field. He sat out in the opening round versus Sharon, but he was able to bounce back strong in their next three match-ups throughout the tournament. He played very big down the stretch versus Wellesely and was his team’s leading scorer in all three games he played. He scored a game high 20 points in the championship game, and was in double digit rebounds throughout the playoffs as well.