Boys’ hoop team stung by Hornets, tops Southeastern Regional

The CHS boys’ basketball team met Mansfield last week — one of the top teams in the Hockomock’s large division and one of the finalists in last year’s Division 2 Eastern Mass. championships — and found the Hornets to still be a formidable opponent.

Senior captain Colby Gavigan (Mike Barucci photo)

Despite losing six seniors last year, Mansfield appeared to be in top form against the Bulldogs, showing a great shooting touch as well as exceptional passing, defense and rebounding en route to a 73-56 blowout win last Friday night at Mansfield High.

The Hornets improved to 3-0 in the league and 4-3 overall, while the Bulldogs, who beat Southeastern Vo-Tech earlier in the week, fell to 3-2 overall.

Mansfield led for most of the game, posting a 17-12 lead at the end of the first quarter and 39-24 at the half. The Hornets then dominated play in the third quarter to take a 60-36 lead. The Bulldogs played hard in the fourth quarter and reduced the lead to 17 by the end of the game as both coaches emptied their benches.

Mansfield shot over 50 percent for the game and hurt the Bulldogs inside, led by junior forward-center Kevin Connor with 13 points. Freshman forward Brendan Hill contributed 12 points, and senior guard Brian Hershman added 11 in a balanced attack.

For Canton, senior forward Joe McCabe scored a game-high 17 points, while sophomore forward Sam Larson chipped in with 14 points. Senior center Colby Gavigan added eight points and sophomore guard Tristan Mullen saw his most minutes of the season, scoring five points, including a three-point shot.

The game was decided in the second quarter when Mansfield, holding a seven-point lead with just under four minutes remaining, went on a 13-7 run to close out the half with a 15-point lead.

Canton head coach Ryan Gordy, a Mansfield High alum, said he was proud of his team’s willingness to compete in the face of a large deficit.

“We looked at the fourth quarter and said, ‘Let’s win the quarter and end on a positive note.’ We did that,” said Gordy. “We came out, fought hard and competed. Mansfield is a deeper team and it showed. But a game like this will help us play better in the state tournament.”

Mansfield coach Mike Vaughn was surprisingly not happy with his team, claiming that his squad didn’t show enough energy at the beginning and end of the game.

“I give Canton credit,” he said. “They played hard, full of energy and refused to quit. We lacked energy at the beginning of the game and at the finish. We have to be more consistent.”

Gordy said the Bulldogs dominated the tempo and controlled the paint in their 48-36 win over Southeastern last Tuesday. Canton led throughout the game, posting leads of 14-10 at the end of the first quarter, 26-18 at the half, and 40-22 at the end of the third.

McCabe was the high scorer with 19 points, followed by Larson and Gavigan with seven points each and Chris Murray with six. Gordy said Gavigan dominated the boards, pulling down 14 rebounds.

The Bulldogs now embark on a busy schedule, which began Tuesday at home against North Attleboro. They will travel to King Philip on Friday, host Blue Hills Regional on Monday, January 16, and then travel to Oliver Ames on Tuesday, January 17.

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Posted by Mike Berger on Jan 11 2012. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.