Boys’ lax headed to playoffs after beating Abington
By Jay Turner
Junior JC Marcone scored a team-high 4 goals against nonleague Abington. (Mike Barucci photo)
The Canton High boys’ varsity lacrosse team continued its redemption tour last week by beating nonleague Abington 13-7 at home to clinch a spot in the upcoming Division 3 south sectional tournament.
The game against the unfamiliar South Shore League opponent was Canton’s last of the season against a D3 team and thus its last shot at a postseason berth. And the Bulldogs proved to be more than up for the challenge, overcoming an early 2-0 hole en route to a dominating win that was every bit as convincing as the score would suggest.
Led by junior attackmen Pat Ward and JC Marcone, the hosts methodically turned a two-goal deficit into a 7-4 halftime lead, and then they “blew the doors off” the Green Wave in the third quarter, according to head coach Bill Bendell.
The positive vibes continued for the Bulldogs in the final frame as they added two more goals to take a commanding 13-5 lead. Abington would add a pair of goals in the final 60 seconds to make the score more respectable; however, by that point the damage had already been done.
“It was a big win for us,” Bendell acknowledged after the game. “I’m very happy we made the tournament, and I’m proud of our guys for playing hard and overcoming a lot of adversity this season.”
Marcone and Ward, who have been on a tremendous roll as of late, both finished with a game-high four goals in the victory, while senior captain Matt Malloy had another all-around good game, finishing with two goals and one assist.
Rounding out the scoring were juniors Kurt Leavitt, Matt Lennon, and Nick O’Connor, who also had a pair of assists. Senior goaltender Devin Costa also played well in the win, finishing with 14 saves.
The Bulldogs have now won five of seven and are just one game under .500 after going 1-5 to open the season. And Bendell likes the team’s chances going forward, noting that last year’s squad, which was “basically the same team,” finished 12-7 before winning its first tournament game and playing well in a loss to the eventual state champions.
“We know that we have some talent, so I think we’re encouraged,” said Bendell. “We’re just kind of peaking at the right time.”
This week the team was due to host Foxboro on Monday and Sharon on Wednesday before traveling to Milton on Saturday, May 19. The squad will then wrap up the regular season with the Hockomock crossover game, scheduled for Monday, May 21, at a site to be determined.
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Posted by Jay Turner
on May 17 2012. Filed under High School, Sports.
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