BROCKTON, Mass -- Lately, the Black Knights have done everything they could to strike fast and never let up. Even with a double-digit lead in their 68-42 win against Oliver Ames in the semi-final round of the MIAA Division II South Sectional Tournament in Brockton Tuesday night, Stoughton refused to let up against the Tigers.
“We lost one game this year; we were up 13 going into the fourth quarter and these kids never want it to happen again,” Stoughton head coach John Gallivan said.
OA’s only lead of the night would come early in the first when the Tigers started the game with a 6-3 run off a basket from Andrew Reardon and a putback from Jeff Babbitt. Another basket from Babbitt tied the game at 13 with less than a minute to play in the opening quarter, but turnovers from OA and great defense by Stoughton led to five fast points by Marcus Middleton to give the Black Knights a five-point lead after the first frame.
Turnovers continued to be the killer for the Tigers, as Stoughton star Aaron Calixte took advantage of the errors to score easy baskets and pad the lead well into the second quarter.
“We talked about the defense getting us some easy baskets and we hadn't had any in a while,” Gallivan said.
Antonio Ferreira continued to be a dominating force inside the paint for the Black Knights. With 10 points alone in the first half, the Tigers had no answer for Ferreira who had 11 offensive rebounds by the end of the night. Steffan Jackson also chipped in with 13 rebounds in just his third game back from injury.
“That’s a big part of our team,” said Gallivan of Jackson. “He’s been the missing link the last couple games so having him back is huge.”
With no way to respond, the Tigers struggled to get baskets in the second half. Despite the team’s best effort, the inside game of the Black Knights prevented any easy buckets for the Tigers, while the team of Calixte and fellow junior Marcus Middleton forced more turnovers out of OA.
“We don’t have control over all the little things that they do,” OA head coach Don Byron said of Stoughton. “Athleticism is a great thing and they got it all over the place.”
Calixte led the way with 22 points for the Black Knights. Ferreira ended the night with a double-double off 16 points and 15 rebounds. Middleton had 12 points and Jackson racked up 13 rebounds and four points.
Nick Bruha was the leading scorer for Oliver Ames with 18 points. Babbitt finished with 9 points and 8 rebounds.
The 19-4 Black Knights move on to the Division II South Sectional finals, where Hopkinton awaits them. The 17-6 Hillers snuck past Wellesley, 64-62, to get to the championship round. The finals will be played at UMass-Boston on Saturday, March 10 at a time to be announced.