For the past half-decade or so, there has been high expectations for the Mansfield boys’ basketball team.
Pundits, students and others outside of the team have routinely predicted that they will be crowned Hockomock League Kelley-Rex champions and make it far into the Division 1 state tournament.
However, this year was a little bit different. After last year’s senior class that included the trio of Kevin Connor, Kyle Wisnieski and Rocky DeAndrade graduated, some wondered how Mansfield would fare among top D1 South contenders.
But thanks to two talented seniors and a support cast that grew all season, all doubt was erased and Mansfield won the league and advanced to the D1 South Sectional Finals.
“I couldn’t be more proud to be a Hornet,” Mansfield head coach Mike Vaughan said following the Hornets' loss to Catholic Memoiral. “If you asked me on December 1st if we were going to be playing the South Sectional championship and win 23 games with the team that we had in front of ourselves, with what we have gone through in the last year with injuries, I don’t know if I would have said we got there.
“I didn’t think we were deep enough but we had guys step up, we had sophomores play big minutes and make big plays today. Nick Baskin has been great, we got guys that played roles, guys that have been practicing and never got off the bench but gave us good looks. At the end of the day, we gave a valid effort and no one would leave the gym and say that we didn’t try.”
The loss of last year’s seniors did impact this year’s Hornets team but nowhere near as much as people believed it would. This year’s senior class was just as good with the likes of superstars Michael Boen and Ryan Boulter to go along with role player Ryan O’Neil, who hit a pair of key three's in the first half against CM.
Also not to forget, Brendan Hill, who was unfortunately unable to play these past two years due to a knee injury sustained while playing football, had an impact on this year’s squad. The seniors were key catalysts to the team’s remarkable run including knocking off rival Franklin to win the Kelley-Rex and being seeded number one in the D1 South. With all of the successes and the accomplishments that they have earned, this year’s senior class will deservedly go down as one of the best senior classes in Mansfield history.
Boen has been part of the varsity team ever since his freshman year and developed into a star in these past two years. In his sophomore year, he earned a spot in the starting lineup and he has hold onto that starting spot ever since. Boen played an important part in the team’s journey to earning the state runner up trophy as the Hornets fell to Putnam in the State Championship in an instant classic. Boen made an immense jump in his junior year and transformed into one of the top players in the league. He averaged over 10 points per game in addition to collecting rebounds, picking up assists and playing tenacious defense.
This year, as a senior, Boen showed why he was named captain and what captains are supposed to be like. The senior forward routinely picked up double doubles and sometimes came close to recording triple doubles. Boen always stayed poised and never let the pressure of big games get to him.
“It was amazing to play for Mansfield. The coaches, the fans, the community were just awesome,” Boen said. “Everyone just worked so hard and we all had one goal and that was just to win and nothing else. It was all about the team and that's why I believe we have been so successful over my three years”
“He’s a special player and he will go down as one of the best players to ever a Mansfield uniform and he’s not even going to have his name on a banner since he isn’t a 1,000 point kid. He found a way since his freshman year to get on the floor and do little things to all the way up to his senior year where he could showcase his talents. He’s been phenomenal and he’s been just a great kid,” Vaughan said of his senior captain. “He wears his heart on his sleeve. He has a lot of emotion and talk about a great, great kid. He will be greatly missed with what he brought to the table for the last four years.”
Unlike Boen, Boulter’s first varsity season came when he was a sophomore. Boulter proved to be a lights out shooter as he found himself with some games over 20 points. Boulter became known for his shooting around the league. One of the more memorable highlights in Boulter’s high school career came in the state championship. The Hornets trailed by three with seven seconds left and Boulter was fouled shooting a three. The sophomore routinely sunk all three foul shots and forced the game into overtime.
Boulter came up big in the overtime as he drained important three pointers but Mansfield would fall short. In his junior year, Boulter became a starter and shined. His lights out shooting propelled him into being considered as one of the best players in the state. As a senior, Boulter turned into a complete player. He started driving to the hoop and his defense also improved. Boulter achieved the 1,000 point milestone and was named Hockomock League MVP.
“The past years have been amazing,” he said. “I got to play with some great teammates and play for some great coaches. I got to achieve a lot of accomplishments. I really worked hard on my game over the years to become the player I am today so I could help the team achieve these goals. It's been an awesome experience and the most fun I've ever had playing basketball because of who I got to play with and who the coaches were.”
“If you’ve watched him in the last 5-6 games, not only was he shooting which everyone knew he could, not only was he going to the rim which he’s been doing since day one of this season but now he’s playing with emotion, he’s playing with passion, he’s getting involved in the game. He’s been defending the team’s best players on a consistent basis the last four games. Here’s a kid who even three months ago I would say is solid and a great offensive player but when the game gets tough, is he really going to step in but now I can say that he is the exact player that you want when this is all said and done.”
People will always wonder how good the Hornets could have been if Brendan Hill was healthy. It would have been a treat to see Hill play alongside Boen and Boulter but unfortunate luck with his knee prevented him from a return. Hill started in his freshman year and was a force.
However, he became a household name in his sophomore season. Hill was an absolute vital part of the Eastern Mass. Championship team and was named Hockomock MVP after his sophomore year. With the injuries he faced, Hill wanted to still be part of the team in some way so played a coach-like role on the team these past two seasons.
“Not being able to play with these guys for the past two years was definitely the hardest thing I've had to do. But despite my injuries they played their hearts out and had great runs both years,” Hill said. “Not being able to redeem our sophomore year state championship loss was tough but I learned a lot about myself in these last two years and just how special being a part of high school sports is.”
“I haven’t said this all year but you have to remember that but we had one of the best players in the state sit on the bench for the last 45-50 games. That’s amazing to think that Ryan and Michael could do what they have done with this team in the last two years with the help of guys like Rocky and Kyle,” Vaughan said. “To think that we had one of the best players to ever wear a Mansfield uniform who hasn’t played in the past two years to sit on the bench with us because of an unfortunate injury – I think that speaks volumes of what this team is made of and our character.”
O’Neil became part of the team as a junior. He played a good amount of minutes and knocked down several important three pointers during the season.
“It was amazing. Being able to play with players like Michael and Ryan is every player's dream. They are great,” O’Neil said. “This team battled extremely hard every game and every practice and I am so proud of all of my teammates. There is nobody else who I would want to go to battle with.”