This past Friday, the Chieftains (10-1) defeated the Fishermen in all aspects of this contest, winning 74-39.
This score may come as a surprise to many, as Gloucester gave Masco quite the battle the last time these two teams faced, ultimately losing by seven. They also took down a tough opponent in Beverly, but tonight it was all Masco.
Fishermen senior guard Nick Deleon hit the first shot of the game on a stepback three, but that was all she wrote for Gloucester in quarter one. The Chieftains proceeded to go on a 27-0 run into a few minutes of the second quarter before the Fishermen scored again.
That statistic speaks to the tenacious defense Masco was playing, the shots they were knocking down, and the dominance asserted on the glass.
Coming as no surprise, it was junior point guard and captain Jimmy Farrell who led the Chieftain charge with 17 first-half points, finishing with 19, bolstering the lead to 43-11 at the break. Farrell has been the go-to guy all season for Masco and is undisputedly one of the best players in the area, averaging 17.0 points to go along with six assists and 3 steals a game.
Junior big man Jamason Vella was a beast on the glass, racking up 13 boards to go with his 13 points and played nice help defense down low. Vella has been Masco’s leading rebounder all season, averaging 9.4 rebounds and currently sitting at third in the North Shore among average rebounds.
“We killed their energy off the start. We knew coming in they were a good team but we came in with the killer mentality from the last few wins,” said Vella. “We want everyone to know we are coming for the NEC.”
The game didn’t get better for Gloucester as it went on, with Masco applying the pressure on both sides of the floor.
“Our boys came to play tonight. We smacked them in the mouth in every aspect of the game offensively and defensively which was huge for us,” said head coach Jaycob Morales. “We have gotten good at sharing the ball leading to continuously having multiple guys in double-figures and that’s a true testament to our motto we’ve been trying to take on all year: it’s a we thing, not a me thing. We are focusing on building a strong culture within our community and program, therefore, setting the foundation for what we think we can do throughout the season. ”
Masco sophomore Thomas Denton drilled three trey balls, logging 12 points for the Chieftains, and senior captain Devin O’Brien added nine points of his own.
The defensive play from the guards of Chieftain juniors Ryan Richardson, Cal Weidman, and Farrell is tough for the opposing ball handlers to deal with for the entirety of the game, and it was no different for the Fisherman. Having these strong and disciplined guards on defense will continue to be an elite strength of the Chieftains come playoff time.
One of the coolest moments in the game came late in the fourth when off a rebound and an outlet pass, Chieftain senior forward John Sanger flew down the court, slamming the dunk with two hands for his first-ever in-game dunk.
“I saw the lane and thought to myself ‘I’ve got to get up there,’ so I went up with two hands and it was crazy,” said Sanger. “Great overall team win and I’m really proud of the way we played tonight.”
Masco then looked on to play Chelmsford on Sunday, crushing them as well 78-41, and tonight faces a very tough Swampscott team at 7 pm in the Swampscott High School gym.