MANSFIELD, Mass. - Last Wednesday, Mansfield suffered a bitter regular season ending loss to Weymouth. One week later with that in mind, the Hornets looked to take out their revenge against the Wildcats on Wednesday evening and they came out firing and never looked back as they grabbed their first win in the state tournament with a 72-52 victory.
The first eight minutes of the game started off as a tight battle between both teams. It appeared as if the game was going to be reminiscent of last week's contest. Mansfield and Weymouth swapped baskets back and forth until the Hornets began to separate themselves. With the score, 8-7, in favor of Mansfield, the Hornets would go on a 12-4 run to end the quarter. Rocky DeAndrade led the team during the run as he made two three-pointers. Michael Boen and Ryan Boulter also joined in on the three-point party as they made one three-pointer a piece to help the Hornets create a 20-11 lead going into the second quarter.
The second quarter was the decisive factor and it spoiled Weymouth's hope of beating Mansfield two times within the past week. The Hornets' three-point barrage continued and they just proved to be too much for the Wildcats. Mansfield went on 11-3 run which turned their nine-point lead into a 17-point lead with the score 31-14. Ryan Boulter was the key as he chipped in seven of the points during the run. Weymouth struggled to gt their offense going but Noah Fluery was a bright spot for the team as he scored eight points during the quarter. DeAndrade made three more three-pointers as he helped Mansfield cruise to a 42-22 lead at halftime.
Mansfield head coach Mike Vaughan explained what the difference was between last week's and this week's games between Weymouth.
"We are a much different team when we make shots,” he said. “Today we made 10 threes in the first half. It makes a big difference. It's tougher for them to match up and to stay in the 3-2 zone which they do a good job with. They're long at top so they cut down a lot of passing lanes.
"I thought we took care of the ball better and defensively I thought we played better. If we're hitting shots and able to defend to a 10 point quarter or less, we're very difficult to beat."
The third quarter offered lots of scoring for the Hornets and Wildcats. Ryan Boulter scored nine of his game high 28 points for Mansfield during the quarter. Weymouth tried to gain momentum by going on a 7-0 run to cut Mansfield's 49-25 lead to a 49-32 lead. However, Mansfield wasn't phased and shut Weymouth's door of a possible miraculous comeback. The Hornets led 61-41 going into the fourth quarter.
Mansfield held onto their lead throughout the final eight minutes of play. The Hornets scored 11 points during the quarter including a beautiful dunk by Michael Boen on a sweet bounce pass from DeAndrade. The Wildcats matched Mansfield with 11 points but it just wasn't enough. The Hornets picked up the 72-52 victory.
The Hornets shot 24-46 from the field and 13-22 from three-point land. Coach Vaughan commented on his team's excellent offense, "I'd say that's a good day. I always say that the game before where you don't shoot well that the next game typically goes in our favor in terms of hitting shots.
"Guys stick with it, we had a good couple days of practice. The guys were up for the game and excited. It's just a matter of sticking to the game plan and eliminating turnovers. We rebounded better on the defensive end and you can tell by the result."
Ryan Boulter and Rocky DeAndrade (25 points) combined to score 53 of Mansfield's 72 points. Vaughan offered his insight if the loss last week bothered the two Hockomock league all stars. "I think it did. We didn't talk about it that much. We were just focused on playing our best come tournament time." He added, "I know for them that if they would've won, it could have given the most wins in a regular season. I think in back of their mind there was a bit of disappointment with all the different things the win could've counted for."
Vaughan also stated that he wants to find a new way to score when his team isn't having that great of a night shooting.
"Like I said last year, we learned a valuable lesson in the tournament that if you don't shoot well, a team could beat you in a 43-40 fist fight. I want to find other ways where we can score when we're not shooting well
"It's going to take some work from Kevin, Ryan getting to the rim which I think he did a good job today, and getting Michael and Kyle going a little bit. Then try to complement the three-point shooting with the outside stuff."
Mansfield hosts Brookline on Friday night in the quarterfinals of the D1 south tournament. Brookline won in a thrilling 84-82 double overtime contest over Taunton on Wednesday evening.
"I think we're ready,” Vaughan said. “At this point of the season, everyone's going be good. There will be no easy games or an easy night off. We just have to be ready."
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