The Chieftains (15-1) soared above the Falcons on Tuesday night, defeating them 92-46 and winning their division for the first time since 1997.
To provide context, this win over the Falcons certifies they will, at the very least, split the NEC champion title with Beverly. A win for the Chieftains over the Panthers tonight OR a win over Salem next week means they will be the sole winner of the NEC.
“These boys should be proud,” said head coach Jaycob Morales. “It took 27 different teams and almost three decades worth of games for Masconomet to be able to flourish and be confident that they are league champions at the very least.”
Knowing the importance of this game, fans could tell just how hungry these Masco players and coaches were for victory right as the first quarter began.
To the Falcons’ credit, they limited the Chieftains’ scoring in the first and found ways to get good looks on offense, leaving them only down four at the end of one.
However, after the first tick of the second quarter, it was all red and white. Masco scored a season-high 29 points in the second quarter alone and boosted that lead to 24 at the break.
The captain duo of junior ace Jimmy Farrell and senior sniper Devin O’Brien was clicking in this one. O’Brien’s 19 first-half points and Farrell’s 13 first-half points ultimately led to the demise of the Falcons’ hopes. O’Brien finished as the game’s highest scorer with 22, hitting four from deep and adding eight boards. Farrell had 16 of his own, with a couple of assists and steals.
With junior Jamason Vella, the NEC’s leading rebounder, out with illness, others needed to step up and protect the glass. It was senior Hunter Rossi who got the start in place of Vella and he shined, dropping a career-high 13 points (nine in the third quarter) and seven rebounds while also playing good help defense.
“Everyone did their role and played their part nicely as a team,” said Rossi. “We got open shots and good looks all night due to a strong team effort. Now we got to prepare, practice, and go hard all this week to prepare for Beverly.”
6-foot-5 sophomore stretch-forward Thomas Denton had his second double-double of his young high school career, logging his career high of 16 points and 10 rebounds.
“On offense, it was nice to get the big-men going down low, because it felt that pretty much every time, they were wide open,” said Denton.
As only a sophomore, Denton is averaging an impressive 10 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
“Our main focus now is for Friday night. We will have two great practices this week with high intensity and high energy to prepare correctly and hopefully get the job done Friday,” he said.
Even as the bench players went in for the fourth quarter, the Chieftains’ offense didn’t skip a beat. Junior guards Colin Doherty and Danny Karas and sophomore forward Jonathan Pinelli all nailed triples, keeping the defense honest from beyond the arc. Senior guard Jack Rollins, junior forward John Green (five rebounds), and sophomore guard Mateo Stefanelli all continued going downhill, getting buckets by attacking the basket.
Something peculiar about this game was that the Danvers coach substituted his starters with around four left in a 50-point game, while Masco’s first eight guys were on the bench. This didn’t faze the Chieftains in the slightest, but it showed how deep this team goes.
“The job isn’t done,” said Morales. “We had multiple goals this year and one of them was winning the league, but out-right winning the league is the second part. More importantly, the third part was to ensure we go out there and make a statement not just in the league, but in the community.”
One of the best games in the state takes place Friday night as the Chieftains look to sweep the Beverly Panthers and emerge the lone winner of the Northeast conference. If you enjoy watching high school hoops, seven o’clock in the Masco gym is the spot to be.
Score by quarter:
1st: M 17 D 13
2nd: M 29 D: 9
3rd: M 24 D: 14
4th: M 22 D: 10
Masco leading scorers: Devin Obrien 22 pts, Jimmy Farrell 16 pts, Thomas Denton 16 pts, Hunter Rossi 13 pts
Danvers leading scorers: Sillars 13 pts, Ahern 8 pts,