BROCKTON, Mass -- When a team possesses the backcourt talents of Marcus Middleton and Aaron Calixte it is understandable that other aspects of the game, like post defense and rebounding, can be overlooked. Yet the difference between the 2011-12 Stoughton Black Knights and other Stoughton teams since their last trip to the sectional finals in 2004 is the strength at the rim that they possess with Antonio “Nuke” Ferreira and Steffan Jackson.
The two forwards offer the Knights strength on the offensive and defensive glass and crowd-inspiring defense at the basket. Tuesday night in the Division 2-South Sectional semi-finals, Ferreira played arguably his best game of the season, scoring 16 points (10 in the first quarter alone) and pulling down 15 rebounds including 11 on the offensive end. His play neutralized Oliver Ames big man Jeff Babbitt on both ends of the court.
Not to be outdone, in just his third game back after three weeks out with an injury, Jackson pulled down 13 rebounds of his own and notched four points. After the 68-42 win, as Jackson walked to the locker room with a big smile on his face and an equally big bag of ice on his ankle, you could only wonder if he had been available the last time the two teams met if OA would have pulled out the win.
Stoughton head coach John Gallivan was full of praise for his big men after the game.
“It’s huge,” he said. “Steffan missed the last game against these guys and that’s a big part of our team. He’s been the missing link the last couple of games.
"He got his points when we were having trouble getting them," Gallivan said of Ferreira. "Early on they scored a couple of quick runs and he gave us some room to breathe and get our legs under us.”
Do not try and tell Ferreira that he is an offensive weapon, as the senior modestly deferred to the star man Calixte and was stunned when he was told that he finished with 16 points.
“I just play defense,” he said. “I let him [Calixte] score all the points. I didn’t know that I had 16, that’s crazy.”
An underrated impact that Jackson and Ferreira can have is the amount of pressure that Middleton and Calixte can put on opposing guards knowing that the rim is protected behind them. Like a hockey team with a hot goalie, the defenders know that they can take extra risks that could lead to easy offense because behind them the door is shut. In the first half, Stoughton’s pressure on the ball and gambling for steals forced 10 turnovers – many of which led to lay-ups on the offensive end.
The Black Knights will need to have all aspects of their game clicking on Saturday at UMass-Boston for their tilt with sixth seeded Hopkinton, but with the giant wingspans of Ferreira and Jackson down low Stoughton has the post game to match their killer backcourt.