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By Michael Flanagan
Hometown Weekly Sports Editor
It’s always a great atmosphere when two arch rivals such as Medfield and Dover-Sherborn meet on any playing surface, but Thursday night’s pre-holiday grudge match on the basketball court was a classic bout in a playoff-like atmosphere, with fans from both sides filling the gym at Medfield High School. Despite DS battling back and hanging tough for the majority of the match, Medfield pulled away late for the 63-44 victory.
Right from the opening tip, Medfield came out flying, outscoring the Raiders 17-4 in the first quarter thanks in large part to the play of senior center Christopher McGory. The Warriors were able to keep feeding McGory the ball in the post, and in return, McGory produced at a monster rate (13 points, 10 rebounds).
Along with McGory messing around and accumulating a double-double, the Warriors were also led by a tandem of guards in junior Jake Dubbs (14 points, eight assists, four rebounds) and senior Steven Loranger (14 points, five rebounds, four assists, one steal).
After falling behind by 13 at the end of the first quarter, the Raiders responded by going on a run of their own in quarter two to cut the deficit to 24-19 at the half. The DS run was thanks to the stellar play on both sides of the ball by senior power forward Eric Levine and senior guard Luke Turo, who were both able to move the ball around, contest shots at a premium, and rebound with efficiency. Meanwhile, sophomore John Muckstadt and Turo were each able to knock down shots from beyond the arc.
The two rivals continued to battle in quarter three, matching each other blow for blow as the Warriors took a 45-36 lead into the fourth.
McGory may have had the best statistical night for the Warriors, but the deciding factor in the game for Medfield ended up being senior guard Jack Fitzgerald (11 points), whose clutch three-point shooting late in the fourth quarter allowed Medfield to pull ahead by double digits.
The Warriors will enjoy the holiday break before returning to action on December 30 at Millis, while the Raiders will look to right the ship on December 27 at Nipmuc Regional.
