By Max Clifford
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Medfield High School Boys’ Varsity Basketball finished their regular season strong, winning their sixth straight game and earning the championship trophy from the annual Warrior Classic hosted by Foxboro High School. The Warriors of Medfield faced off against the hosts in the final last Tuesday afternoon, trouncing Foxboro by a final score of 69-47.
Doubling up Foxboro after the first quarter of play, Medfield was far from finished on the offensive end. Jack Iovino missing the back half of a pair of free throws was a blessing in disguise for the visitors as an offensive rebound set up Peter Kumar for a three-pointer, swinging the lead from 18-9 to 22-9 in a matter of one play.
A corner three for Foxboro helped the hosts cut their deficit to 11 with a minute to play before halftime. Luke Lisciandra, however, swung all the momentum back in favor of the visitors before the clock hit zero, stealing a Foxboro pass and slamming home an emphatic dunk in transition. At the break Medfield maintained a 29-16 advantage.
With just under five minutes to play in the third quarter, a three-pointer and a drive to the basket from Foxboro cut the Medfield lead from 38-22 to 38-27. A timeout called by head coach Herb Grace led to a Medfield basket that interrupted the run. The Warriors of Foxboro, however, went right back on the attack, putting down a pair of baskets to pull within double-digits for the first time since the opening quarter, 40-31.
Feeling the pressure from the hosts, Medfield quickly regained their stranglehold on the scoreboard. Powered by corner threes from Kumar and Rowan Tracey as well as big plays on both ends from Iovino, the Warriors finished the third quarter on a 10-0 run, taking a 50-31 lead into the final frame.
Medfield put the finishing touches on their dominant win in the fourth quarter, sealing the 69-47 win and the Warrior Classic championship title. Lisciandra’s high-flying highlights earned him tournament MVP.
The Warriors will take their six-game winning streak and an overall record of 16-4 into the MIAA Division III tournament, where they are ranked as the sixth overall seed. They will host the winner of a preliminary game between Worcester Tech and Boston Latin Academy in their home gym on Thursday night.
When asked about how raising a trophy at the Warrior Classic will help his team heading into the state tournament, Grace said “It gives us some confidence, gives us some momentum. We really took it on the chin when we went over to Hopkinton a couple weeks ago. The team took that kind of personally and since then we’ve been playing our best ball.”
