When the seeds were released for Division 1 South, there were more than a few people that noticed Mansfield and Taunton could meet in the semifinals.
And here we are.
Mansfield took care of New Bedford in the first round and then went on to edge Brookline in the quarterfinal. Taunton had an explosive fourth quarter in a win over Needham and then needed overtime to take care of Quincy in the quarterfinal.
These two teams are far from strangers from one another. The Hornets swept the season series, coming away with a nine-point win on January 9th and then a 27-point win on February 6th. In the first meeting, the Tigers held a seven point lead after three quarters but Mansfield won the fourth quarter 21-5. In the second meeting, Mansfield didn't wait very long to get going, pouring in 32 first quarter points for a 21 point lead. The other three quarters were nearly even.
Taunton enters the game - as they did in the previous meetings - as the top scoring team in the Hockomock League. Meanwhile, Mansfield comes in as the best defensive team, giving up just 49.9 points per game.
Although this is Taunton's first time running in a Hockomock League opponent in the playoffs since the school joined, this is far from foreign territory for Mansfield.
"We’ve been fortunate that we used to do this Franklin every other season so we’re familiar to what its like to play in the same league and play a team a third time," Mansfield head coach Mike Vaughan said. "Ironically, in those games the first two games were never telling of the third game. We’re treating this as we’re 0-0. We know Taunton is very good, we know they’re going to be hungry.
"I know Charlie will have his guys ready with a great game plan," Vaughan added. "We’ve made some adjustments and some tweaks from the first two games that will hopefully give us a competitive advantage. We’re treating this like every other opponent as if we’ve never played them. I’ve watched film, I’ve gone through scouting reports and we’re doing everything we do to prepare as if we haven’t played them."
In both games against the Hornets, Taunton gave up an average of 80 points per game, which is over 20 points more than they give up on average. Unsurprisingly, this is something Taunton head coach Charlie Dacey said his team is working on.
"I think we’re going to have to do two things - we’re going to have to defend better, which is easier said than done and then we’re going to have to be much more patient on offense than we were the second game against them," Dacey said. "We were OK for a chunk of the first game but we broke down in the fourth quarter and we weren’t patient."
The last time two Hockomock teams met in the sectional semifinals was in 2012 when Stoughton and Oliver Ames squared off after splitting the season series. Stoughton ended up walking away with a comfortable win. In 2013, Franklin and Mansfield met in the quarterfinal after splitting the season series and the game went into overtime.
When asked if all the pressure was on Mansfield because they had already beat Taunton, Dacey had a simple answer.
"At least as far as Mansfield is concerned, they seem to be so even-keeled," Dacey said. "I haven’t seen them rattled at any point and time playing them. I don’t know whether they perceive pressure, maybe playing some people but they don’t seem to react adversely to pressure so I don’t think that is a factor."
Mansfield (22-2) and Taunton (19-4) will tip off at 6:30 on Tuesday night at Durfee High School.
And here we are.
Mansfield took care of New Bedford in the first round and then went on to edge Brookline in the quarterfinal. Taunton had an explosive fourth quarter in a win over Needham and then needed overtime to take care of Quincy in the quarterfinal.
These two teams are far from strangers from one another. The Hornets swept the season series, coming away with a nine-point win on January 9th and then a 27-point win on February 6th. In the first meeting, the Tigers held a seven point lead after three quarters but Mansfield won the fourth quarter 21-5. In the second meeting, Mansfield didn't wait very long to get going, pouring in 32 first quarter points for a 21 point lead. The other three quarters were nearly even.
Taunton enters the game - as they did in the previous meetings - as the top scoring team in the Hockomock League. Meanwhile, Mansfield comes in as the best defensive team, giving up just 49.9 points per game.
Although this is Taunton's first time running in a Hockomock League opponent in the playoffs since the school joined, this is far from foreign territory for Mansfield.
"We’ve been fortunate that we used to do this Franklin every other season so we’re familiar to what its like to play in the same league and play a team a third time," Mansfield head coach Mike Vaughan said. "Ironically, in those games the first two games were never telling of the third game. We’re treating this as we’re 0-0. We know Taunton is very good, we know they’re going to be hungry.
"I know Charlie will have his guys ready with a great game plan," Vaughan added. "We’ve made some adjustments and some tweaks from the first two games that will hopefully give us a competitive advantage. We’re treating this like every other opponent as if we’ve never played them. I’ve watched film, I’ve gone through scouting reports and we’re doing everything we do to prepare as if we haven’t played them."
In both games against the Hornets, Taunton gave up an average of 80 points per game, which is over 20 points more than they give up on average. Unsurprisingly, this is something Taunton head coach Charlie Dacey said his team is working on.
"I think we’re going to have to do two things - we’re going to have to defend better, which is easier said than done and then we’re going to have to be much more patient on offense than we were the second game against them," Dacey said. "We were OK for a chunk of the first game but we broke down in the fourth quarter and we weren’t patient."
The last time two Hockomock teams met in the sectional semifinals was in 2012 when Stoughton and Oliver Ames squared off after splitting the season series. Stoughton ended up walking away with a comfortable win. In 2013, Franklin and Mansfield met in the quarterfinal after splitting the season series and the game went into overtime.
When asked if all the pressure was on Mansfield because they had already beat Taunton, Dacey had a simple answer.
"At least as far as Mansfield is concerned, they seem to be so even-keeled," Dacey said. "I haven’t seen them rattled at any point and time playing them. I don’t know whether they perceive pressure, maybe playing some people but they don’t seem to react adversely to pressure so I don’t think that is a factor."
Mansfield (22-2) and Taunton (19-4) will tip off at 6:30 on Tuesday night at Durfee High School.
Q & A Preview
Both Mansfield and Taunton played Kelley-Rex foe North Attleboro twice this season. We caught up with North head coach Sean Mulkerrins to get his thoughts on how Tuesday night's semifinal will play out.
HockomockSports: What does Mansfield do that makes them so hard to beat?
Sean Mulkerrins: Mansfield’s ability to shoot the ball better than most teams is very well documented. However, what I think sets them apart is their mental toughness. Night in and night out they get each team’s best. Coach Vaughan and his staff have the team very well prepared which contributes to their success.
HockomockSports: Does the fact that Mansfield is 2-0 against Taunton already benefit the Hornets or the Tigers? Why?
Mulkerrins: I think it can be very difficult to defeat a team three times in a season. On the other hand, Taunton has to come in believing that they can win, despite the regular season results.
HockomockSports: What does Taunton have to do to win the game?
Mulkerrins: For Taunton to win they must dominate inside and make Mansfield work for their points. Both teams can score in bunches but Taunton can’t be having empty possessions on their end and then giving up easy 3’s on the other.
HockomockSports.com: What does Mansfield have to do to win the game?
Mulkerrins: For Mansfield to win they must commit to playing great defense. When they are at their best they are focused on their defensive assignments and rebounding. If they defend and box out that can help them establish a tempo that works in their favor.
HockomockSports: What are some of the X-factors, or are there even any?
Mulkerrins: One X-factor might be either team’s bench. If either team can force the other team to go to their bench earlier than they want, it could be a factor.
HockomockSports: What does Mansfield do that makes them so hard to beat?
Sean Mulkerrins: Mansfield’s ability to shoot the ball better than most teams is very well documented. However, what I think sets them apart is their mental toughness. Night in and night out they get each team’s best. Coach Vaughan and his staff have the team very well prepared which contributes to their success.
HockomockSports: Does the fact that Mansfield is 2-0 against Taunton already benefit the Hornets or the Tigers? Why?
Mulkerrins: I think it can be very difficult to defeat a team three times in a season. On the other hand, Taunton has to come in believing that they can win, despite the regular season results.
HockomockSports: What does Taunton have to do to win the game?
Mulkerrins: For Taunton to win they must dominate inside and make Mansfield work for their points. Both teams can score in bunches but Taunton can’t be having empty possessions on their end and then giving up easy 3’s on the other.
HockomockSports.com: What does Mansfield have to do to win the game?
Mulkerrins: For Mansfield to win they must commit to playing great defense. When they are at their best they are focused on their defensive assignments and rebounding. If they defend and box out that can help them establish a tempo that works in their favor.
HockomockSports: What are some of the X-factors, or are there even any?
Mulkerrins: One X-factor might be either team’s bench. If either team can force the other team to go to their bench earlier than they want, it could be a factor.
HockomockSports.com Staff Picks | ||||||||||
Ryan Lanigan |
Josh Perry |
Jeffrey Pickette |
Jarett Leonard |
Alex DaLuz |
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Game of the Week Staff | ||||||||||
Hockomock Sports |
Hockomock Sports |
SMAC |
Hockomock Sports |
Select Hoops |
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Boys Basketball |
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#5 Taunton vs. #1 Mansfield Tuesday, 6:30 (@ Durfee) |
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Boys Basketball Record | Lanigan 28-8 |
Perry 32-4 |
Pickette 30-6 |
Leonard 24-5 |
DaLuz 23-7 |
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Girls Basketball |
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Girls Basketball Record | Lanigan 30-6 |
Perry 32-4 |
Pickette 27-9 |
Leonard 24-6 |
DaLuz 26-4 |
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Hockey |
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Hockey Record | Lanigan 16-3-1 |
Perry 16-3-1 |
Pickette 11-8-1 |
Leonard 12-3-0 |
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Total | Lanigan 75-17-1 |
Perry 81-11-1 |
Pickette 69-23-1 |
Leonard 60–15 |
DaLuz 49-4 |