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By Michael Flanagan
Hometown Weekly Sports Editor
The Walpole High varsity boys basketball team tipped off their 2016-2017 season on Tuesday night at home in front of a packed crowd against non-conference opponent Bishop Feehan. After jumping out to an early lead, tight defensive play and ball control allowed the Rebels (1-0) to pull away late and start their season off with a 60-50 victory over the Shamrocks.
The Rebels were led by the stellar defensive efforts of junior guard Trey Wilkes, as well as some clutch three-point shooting by senior shooting guard Jordan Washburn on the other end of the floor.
“Trey is an incredible defender,” said Walpole head coach David St. Martin. “I couldn’t even tell you how many charging calls he drew in that first quarter, he did an incredible job. He’s so tough defensively and he really makes it hard on us to take him out of the game because he is our best defender and he’s our go-to guy when it comes to putting somebody on our opponent’s top offensive weapon.”
Despite being outsized, the Rebels were still dominant on the boards, swiping rebound after rebound, with power forward Brett Von Klock making a name for himself in the paint on both the offensive and defensive ends.
“We never really got to see Brett at 100% last year because of his leg issues,” said St. Martin. “It was awesome to see him play such a big role for us on defense and produce for us in the post. He’s strong and possesses some great skill, and we’re going to need him to step up this season in order to make up for our size disadvantage.”
With time winding down in the first quarter and the Rebels ahead by six, point guard Luke Esty drove the ball up the floor and fed a pass to Washburn in the right corner. Washburn fired up a three and nailed it at the buzzer to extend Walpole’s lead to nine at the end of the first. St. Martin praised the offensive efforts of Washburn following the win.
“That shot that Washburn made at the end of the first really fired the guys up and set the tempo,” said St. Martin. “This group worked really hard this offseason and the guys feed off of each other when one of them succeeds. I thought that was a big moment in the game and it showed the type of close team we have.”
The Shamrocks (0-1) fought back and cut the Rebel lead to 29-25 midway through the second quarter of play. A timeout by St. Martin allowed his team regroup and make the proper adjustments to Feehan’s quick ability to move the ball up the floor, and the Rebels were able to preserve a 33-31 lead at the half.
Walpole regained the momentum early in the third quarter with Isaiah Shephard drilling a couple of three pointers to extend the Rebel lead to 43-36. Esty and Von Klock connected on several successful pick-and-role plays which led to easy baskets for the Rebels, and Walpole again found their rhythm on offense. St. Martin’s bunch also tightened up defensively, as Wilkes and Von Klock locked down the paint and forced the Shamrocks to navigate to the outside and force up some tough shots.
Through their stellar offensive efforts and tight defensive play in the second half, the Rebels were able to build a 12-point lead in the game’s final minutes, and hung on for the 60-50 victory to start the season with a tally in the win column.
