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The Medfield 7th grade boys travel basketball team capped an amazing playoff run with a championship victory over Watertown in the Division 5 Metrowest basketball tournament on Sunday night, March 11, at the Mass Premier courts in Foxboro.
Medfield, who sported their away Warrior blue uniforms as underdogs in every game, took care of their first round opponent, Hopkinton, by a score of 40-33. The win put them in a rematch in an unfriendly environment: Bellingham High School against rival Dover-Sherborn, who beat Medfield by 4 points earlier in the season. Bellingham is where Medfield's playoff run ended just last year.
Medfield was not to be denied in this rematch, as the Warriors more than doubled up on DS by a score of 39-18. Their second playoff win in as many days moved Medfield to the semifinals and a date with top-seeded Framingham.
After being down 9-0 early, Medfield went on an 11-0 run to take the lead. Their much bigger opponents were held to just three total points in the second and third quarters.
Down by eight points with six minutes left in the game, Framingham mounted a fierce comeback. Framingham hit two free throws with five seconds left, closing Medfield's lead to just one point, 32-31. Colby Hatch was then fouled on the inbounds pass and hit both clutch free throws with 1.5 seconds left to ice the victory. Nine of Medfield's 11 players scored in the game.
The following night, Medfield faced Watertown (who had bested the Warriors earlier in the regular season) in the Division 5 Championship game. In Sunday’s Division Championship, Medfield trailed for most of the game, but kept the score close. A key block by Noah Taube-Perrotta with 7 minutes left sparked a 7-0 Medfield run. During the run, Jack Robertson hit a key three-pointer, which tied the game. On the ensuing inbound pass, Medfield stole the ball and converted on the layup to take the lead for good. With Medfield up 29-25 and the seconds winding down, Watertown launched a desperation 3-pointer. Hatch grabbed the rebound and held on tightly as the buzzer sounded and the celebration began.
The four game playoff sweep was truly a team effort and the result of the hard work the boys put in all season.
