By Paul Vozzella
Hometown Weekly Sports Reporter
The Raiders were able to end its season on a high note on Monday night with a 66-57 win over Wayland. After starting the year 2-7, the team finishes with a 8-12 record but does not qualify for playoffs.
Following a slow start, Dover-Sherborn found itself in a back-and-forth affair for the majority of competition. After trailing by four points at the start of the second quarter, the Raiders came out firing and went on a 10-0 run to gain the lead.
“Our zone gave us some good energy and allowed us to get some stops,” said Head Coach Rick Grady on what sparked the run. “Then we started to hit some shots of our own, so I think we just started to play with a bit more confidence.”
Wayland eventually chipped away at the Raiders’ lead and led by a point going into halftime. Ultimately, a great defensive effort and clutch shooting paved the way to victory in the back half.
“[It was] our defense,” said captain Thomas Churney. “In the first half we weren’t talking well on defense [and] didn’t have that much energy. In the second half, we rallied on the defensive end and shoutout to Ryan Frigiani – huge threes at the end of the game [and he] really pulled it out for us.”
Frigiani wasn’t the only player producing behind the arc, either. The Raiders’ three-point barrage was a team effort with six players hitting a shot from deep, tallying twelve total.
“I think just trying to play good, smart team basketball,” said Grady on the three-point shooting success. “[We tried] to swing the ball from one side to the other, making sure that the ball doesn't stick in anyone's hands too long.”
Frigiani led the way with 20 points, but Churney played just as big of a factor in the win. The frontcourt senior ended his career with an 18-point double-double.
“A lot of off-ball movement was really key to my game today,” said Churney. “Also just off of swing passes, I was able to rip to the hoop and get a bunch of pretty open layups.”
Churney joins a group of seniors including captains Theo Allan and Grant Sullivan, along with Thomas Wyatt, Sean Rooney and Zayan Akram that all ended their respective high school basketball careers with the win. Grady had plenty of praise for the group.
“Our seniors are a great group,” said Grady. “[The captains] did what you're looking for your captains to do – represent our program on and off the court. They’re great kids. They're great role models for the other kids in our program, so I'm glad they could end things with a win.”
Moving forward, the Raiders have several key contributors returning next season. Seven players on the roster will be back including Frigiani and guard Giulian Mariano, who are both freshmen.
