NORTH EASTON, Mass – It almost seemed like déjà vu for the Oliver Ames.
The Tigers again used a strong third quarter to give them separation on their way to an 82-77 win over Walpole.
On Thursday, OA used a press and a 10-0 run to pull away from Southeastern. On Sunday afternoon, the Tigers switched to a box-and-one and turned a 41-39 halftime deficit into a 67-54 lead going into the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter was a bit of a different story, as Walpole clawed their way back into it. With just 17.6 seconds left, Walpole’s Adam Quinlan found himself wide open up the basket to cut OA’s once 15-point lead only a 3-point lead at 80-77.
The Tigers were able in inbounds the ball and sophomore Ryan Carney made both free throws. Walpole’s next trip came up empty to give the Tiger’s consecutive Muscato Holiday Tournament titles.
Carney garnered tournament MVP honors, picking up a career-high 38 points (13-24 FGs, 4-9 3PT, 8-13 FTs) and seven rebounds.
“He’s a complete package on the offensive side,” Oliver Ames head coach Don Byron. “He’s a very, very good kid.”
“That was like a coming out game for him,” Byron said. “He did some things on the offensive side that we always thought he was capable of.”
When OA switched defenses into the box-and-one, heavy responsibility fell onto Saint Clair Ryan, who manned up defensively on Walpole’s Ryan Fogarty. Fogarty had 12 points in the first half, but was limited to just two points and two shots in the third.
"Saint’s made for that," Byron said. "He’s really wired for somebody to take a challenge on like that. He’s a tough match and he did a terrific job. We talked about trying to win the first four minutes of the period which we always do and that was a big part of it."
Walpole was led by Quinlan, who had 21 points while Fogarty finished with 20. OA senior captain Andrew Reardon (13 points), Ryan (11 points) and junior Nick Cidado (8 points, 9 rebounds) also contributed offensively for the Tigers.