Games of the Week - 1/18/13
Breakdown
By Ryan Lanigan
When the season started, I'll be the first tell you to admit that I wasn't sure where the Davenport Division was going to end up. You had Stoughton, who was coming off winning the D2 South but also losing one of the league's best players in Aaron Calixte. We had Sharon ranked in our preseason Hock 5 before they dropped their first three games. Milford was relatively unknown, beyond the fact they had a strong senior class.
Fast forward to the present and both the preseason ranking for Sharon and the strong senior class have been proved to be true for each team. Since losing their first three games, the Eagles of Sharon has stormed back to win seven straight to improve their record to 7-3. Milford shocked most by jumping out to an impressive 9-0 record before falling for the first time on Tuesday to Taunton. Sharon will be looking to continue their impressive winning streak while Milford will surely look to get back on the winning road.
Players to Watch
If you take the rosters of Sharon and Milford, and had to only pick one player from the entire group, it wouldn't be a hard decision. Sharon's Brian Mukasa will be the most talented player on the court on Friday, but basketball is played 5 on 5 for a reason. Milford has proved all season that their depth is nothing to mess with. In any given game, David Mercier, Michael Soares, Michael Titelbaum, Michael Tracy, Aaron Anniballi, or Chris Davis can take over. On top of that, you can add Joe Atkinson and Chris Trafecante as difference makers for the Hawks.
But by all means, Milford isn't the only deep team in this contest. Sharon just recently started playing with their "starting five." It's not just print that hypes the Eagles as senior Ian Beach proved on Tuesday with 16 points. We saw earlier this season that guard Jimmy Fritz is a great compliment to Mukasa and can take important shots when needed. Toby Modebelu has emerged as a force for the Eagles but the biggest question mark for Sharon will be the status of Kevin Bartas. Bartas' length will be key to guard the size of Milford.
By Ryan Lanigan
When the season started, I'll be the first tell you to admit that I wasn't sure where the Davenport Division was going to end up. You had Stoughton, who was coming off winning the D2 South but also losing one of the league's best players in Aaron Calixte. We had Sharon ranked in our preseason Hock 5 before they dropped their first three games. Milford was relatively unknown, beyond the fact they had a strong senior class.
Fast forward to the present and both the preseason ranking for Sharon and the strong senior class have been proved to be true for each team. Since losing their first three games, the Eagles of Sharon has stormed back to win seven straight to improve their record to 7-3. Milford shocked most by jumping out to an impressive 9-0 record before falling for the first time on Tuesday to Taunton. Sharon will be looking to continue their impressive winning streak while Milford will surely look to get back on the winning road.
Players to Watch
If you take the rosters of Sharon and Milford, and had to only pick one player from the entire group, it wouldn't be a hard decision. Sharon's Brian Mukasa will be the most talented player on the court on Friday, but basketball is played 5 on 5 for a reason. Milford has proved all season that their depth is nothing to mess with. In any given game, David Mercier, Michael Soares, Michael Titelbaum, Michael Tracy, Aaron Anniballi, or Chris Davis can take over. On top of that, you can add Joe Atkinson and Chris Trafecante as difference makers for the Hawks.
But by all means, Milford isn't the only deep team in this contest. Sharon just recently started playing with their "starting five." It's not just print that hypes the Eagles as senior Ian Beach proved on Tuesday with 16 points. We saw earlier this season that guard Jimmy Fritz is a great compliment to Mukasa and can take important shots when needed. Toby Modebelu has emerged as a force for the Eagles but the biggest question mark for Sharon will be the status of Kevin Bartas. Bartas' length will be key to guard the size of Milford.
The Pick:
HockomockSports.com Picks | ||||||||||
Ryan Lanigan |
Josh Perry |
Dan Libon |
Andrew Cyr |
John Botelho |
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HockomockSports.com Staff | ||||||||||
Sharon vs. Milford Friday, 6:30 |
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Season Total | Lanigan 3-0 | Perry 3-0 | Libon 2-1 | Cyr 2-1 | Botelho 2-1 |
Local Experts:
Brendan Hall, ESPNBoston.com: Sharon
Danny Ventura, The Boston Herald: Sharon
Brendan Hall, ESPNBoston.com: Sharon
Danny Ventura, The Boston Herald: Sharon