By James Kinneen
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Down two with a chance to play Malden Catholic on the line, on the final possession of their game against Nauset, the Westwood boys’ basketball team missed what would have been a game winning three, as well as what would have been a game-tying put-back at the buzzer. Ultimately losing 56-54, the loss ended Westwood’s season and sent the Nauset Warriors to play the tournament’s number one seed, Malden Catholic.
Reflecting the playoff atmosphere, the den was packed with red, white and blue-adorned Wolverines, while Nauset had brought their cheerleaders from all the way down the Cape. Nauset started out with a three-quarter-court press, where they were trapping anytime a Westwood player got the ball near the corners. Although Coach Ryan Douglass noted they’d seen it on tape, Westwood initially struggled with this odd defensive strategy, going down 12-5 early on. However, even though they weren’t initially hitting their shots, all the double-teaming was leaving Westwood’s shooters wide open. Finally, the Wolverines started making their shots when Max Jacobson and Eli Ifrah hit back-to-back threes to make it a 12-11 game. But while it looked like they were about to get going, Westwood went cold. After a 7-2 run, Nauset led, 19-13, after one.
In the second quarter, Nauset was cruising, up 25-13 with six and a half minutes left. But after Russell Dolabany drew a charge, then hit back-to-back threes (he finished the game with thirteen points), it was a 25-19 game. Kyle Murray drove for two and Westwood had all the momentum, down just four at 25-21. Nauset dropped out of their trapping defense and into a more traditional 2-3 zone, but after Brendan Donegan (who led Westwood with fourteen points) pulled in an offensive rebound and found a cutting Kyle Murray, it was a one-possession game. Dolabany’s defense caused an over-and-back call, Donegan hit a midrange jump-shot and it was a 27-27 game with about a minute left in the half. After a Nauset timeout, Dolabany drove, was fouled, and hit both to give Westwood a 29-27 lead. Nauset responded, but a one-and-one free throw and late “and-one” opportunity off an offensive rebound by Kyle Murray had the Wolverines, who were down by as much as twelve points in the second quarter, heading to the locker room up, 33-29.
While you’d have expected Nauset to abandon their trapping defense after Westwood had fifteen minutes to dissect it in the locker room, Nauset stuck with it. Ratcheting up their defensive pressure, Westwood had a few turnovers that led the visitors to regain their lead, 35-34. An RJ Cawley drive stopped the bleeding at 38-36, but after Kyle Murray knocked into a Nauset player on an alley-oop, the Warrior converted with a midair layup despite the foul, and Westwood was down 44-36. Oliver Gannon added two more before the buzzer, but after three, Nauset was in charge, 44-38.
But Nauset wasn’t in charge for very long. To start the fourth quarter, Michael Noone hit a three, then drew a charge. Russell Dolabany was fouled, hit both free throws, then got a steal that led to Brendan Donegan being fouled. Donegan hit one of two, and just like that, it was a 46-46 game and Nauset needed a timeout. A very strong competitor, Dolabany drew another charge, then missed a three -- but Brendan Donegan got the rebound and hit a put-back. But a pair of Westwood live ball turnovers gave Nauset a 51-48 lead with 3:27 left. Some clutch Oliver Gannon free throws had it a 51-50 game with about 2:54 left, when Nauset came back to a set play they’d run earlier in the quarter, with a handoff leading to an uncontested layup the first time. This time, while Coach John McCarthy said the idea was that since the defense would likely overplay the handoff and they’d kick it out to a shooter -- but Nauset’s player felt he had a step, so he took the handoff and was fouled. He hit both, and Nauset led, 55-54, with 45 seconds left in the game. After a deep three attempt from Eli Ifrah that missed, Westwood fouled a Nauset player, who hit one of two. Westwood brought the ball past half-court, called a timeout and set up a play, down 56-54 with twelve seconds left.
In what was his final game as a Westwood Wolverine, Michael Noone put up a three but missed, only for fellow senior Kyle Murray to wrestle for the rebound but miss the put-back. Still fighting for the rebound, the buzzer sounded with the ball tipped into the air, and Nauset celebrated their victory.
With Coach Douglass still consoling his heartbroken team, Nauset coach John McCarthy was happy to break down his team’s big win on the road. When asked if his team’s base defense was their trapping zone, he said they’re usually a man-to-man team, but thought his team’s athleticism could cause Westwood fits.
“With our athleticism, size and length, we wanted to try and get traps just over half court and extend it to the corner, so it wasn’t a full court press -- it was like a three-quarter court press -- but we wanted to try and continue to trap, even in the half-court. We had a lot of success putting that on and taking it off. We usually play man-to-man, but occasionally we will run this, depending on the matchup. We felt like this was a matchup where we could extend our pressure, to try to create a lot of traps and see if we could get deflections to try to make some plays in transition.”
McCarthy said he wasn’t expecting Westwood to take a three on the final possession, as, since they were playing at home, he figured they’d play it relatively safer and go for the tie. Still, he explained: “Westwood had a great look, and then another great look, so it was a crazy game. A great game. They played their hearts out, but we did too, and I’m just excited for my guys to have gotten the win.”
After declaring how excited he was for his guys to get the chance to play the one seed, and for him to have the opportunity to draw up some plays that could potentially throw Malden Catholic off its game, Coach Mcarthy left with his team, while coach Douglass stayed with his in the locker room.
As the janitors covered the gym floor in a tarp, Coach Douglass was kind enough to leave what must have been a very emotional locker room to speak with Hometown Weekly.
“It was a great game,” he acknowledged. “Nauset was ready to play. As cliché as it is to say, it was a game of streaks. Unfortunately, we had the ball for the last look, but the shot didn’t fall our way. Then we had a few offensive rebounds, but it didn’t fall our way. I just have to thank my guys for all the work they put in all season long to even put us in that position. Our seniors are an incredible group of guys. The only thing that makes this sad is that we don’t have practice tomorrow.”
Coach Douglass applauded Nauset’s game-plan, and noted while the team had seen Nauset’s defense before, they were more aggressive with it than he’d seen on tape and did a great job dropping in and out of it to confuse the Wolverines.
As for the final play, Coach Douglass said they hadn’t decided to go for the three and the win, but that it was an option within the play that he was fine with them taking.
“No, but it’s an option. We went five out and tried to get a drive. We were in the double bonus, so obviously, a foul would have worked out for us and going to the lane for a layup would’ve worked for us. But if they help off the shooters, we’ve had knockdown shooters all year, so I’m not disappointed with how that last possession went, at all.”
Douglass wasn’t disappointed with his team’s performance either. Noting how much the team fought this year and how well they battled despite a lack of playoff experience. Douglass declared: “they’re going to be better people because of it.”
