WORCESTER, Mass. – It wasn’t pretty, but being pretty doesn’t always win you sectional titles.
Milford grinded out a 56-54 win over St. John’s in the D1 Central Final, snapping St. John’s five year streak of winning the title. It’s also the first time since 2005 that a public school has won the Central.
The Hawks took over in the third quarter behind nine points from senior Scott Van Buskirk. Milford gained their first lead of the second half – and only second lead since being up 5-4 in the first quarter – when senior captain Michael Titlebaum pounced on a loose ball. Instead of calling a timeout, he looked up and saw a teammate running the floor and lobbed it high and forward. Van Buskirk was on the receiving end and laid it in for two, putting Milford up 35-33.
“I saw somebody running and I knew if I got the ball before the other guy did, he was going to have an opportunity to catch it and finish it,” Titlebaum said.
On Milford’s next possession, Titlebaum hit a three – his first points of the game – to extend the Hawk’s lead to 38-33.
“I just wanted to step up and hit a shot for my team,” he added. I knew we needed a spark.”
St. John’s kept it interesting in the fourth quarter, tying the game at 43, but a Michael Tracey field goal off an offensive rebound capped an 8-2 run for the Hawks. But St. John’s responded with a quick 5-0 run and Milford’s lead was down to 1 at 51-50. Hawks center David Mercier scored the games next 4 points to give Milford a little bit of breathing room.
St. John’s answered with a quick layup to get within three, and after Mercier missed the front end of a one-and-one, St. John’s Davon Jones’ quick layup brought St. John’s within one at 55-54. Titlebaum was fouled with just over eight seconds left. He made the first free throw but missed the second. Jones ended up with the ball and darted up the court. As he cut to the basket, he tossed up a shot as he fell, and as the rebound came down, the buzzer sounded, giving Milford a 56-54 win.
“It means so much,” Mercier said. “We knew they were coming in with all the pressure. We were a little public school that came in and beat St. John’s.”
Titlebaum, who is one of eight seniors on Milford, agreed with his teammate Mercier.
“It’s unbelievable, it’s a surreal feeling,” Titlebaum said. “We worked forever to get to this point. We got here and we’ve accomplished our goal, it’s the best feeling in the world.”
Mercier finished with a team high 15 points while Tracey added 12 and Van Buskirk had 11. Aaron Anniballi, who has been out of action since February 1st with a shoulder injury, returned to the court for the first time. He scored 6 points, including a team-high 4 points in the first quarter.
“We love Aaron,” Titlebaum said. “He’s the voice of the team. To have him back on the court is great.”
Milford will now play Putnam in the D1 State Semifinals on Tuesday at 7:45 at the DCU Center.