From: Derek Cordon – Supply Chain Director (Recap Division)

Welcome back HYBA families and friends.  We hope everyone had a great holiday season.  Please see below the recaps for information about the upcoming free throw competition.

The 5^th grade has 42 basketball players in the program (21 boys and 21 girls) making up 4 teams.  This bodes well for the future of basketball in Holliston.  On the boys’ side, Greg Magoon leads a team with Charlie Eppinger and Grant Gannaway as assistants.  Jon Kanavich runs the other boys’ squad with Erin Mack as the assistant.  Scott McAdams, with help from Kate Malvey, coach one of the girls’ teams.  While Jacqueline Miranda gets assistance from Alden DoRosario for the other team of girls.  Thank you to all the 5^th grade coaches for your time and effort in developing our young players.

How did our teams do returning to the hardwood after the holiday break?  Let’s find out…          

Boys’ 8^Th Grade

The Holliston 8th grade boys team participated in the Vertical Hoops Championships at Mohegan Sun.  It was a great weekend for the players and families.  The boys played two games on Saturday.  In the first game against Terryville, CT, the boys played well as a team with 14 assists on 23 field goals to defeat Terryville 52-18.  Thomas Dipippo led the Panthers on a run in the second half with a 3-pointer then connected on a mid-range shot.  Ethan Suhajda led all scorers with 15.  Jake Brodsky was cleaning up on the boards with 10 rebounds.  Later in the day the boys faced another Connecticut team, Groton-Mystic, who pressured the boys with a full court press.  Holliston worked together to break the press with 3 full court passes for layups.  Jack McDonald led the team in scoring with 21 points.  Cal Leverone scored 9 points along with Ethan Suhajda.  Ben Dufault and Luke McHugh added 7 points to win 63-47.  The boys then faced a familiar opponent, Hopkinton, in the semi-finals the following day.  The two teams know each other well and the game was close throughout.  Hopkinton advanced to the finals with a 49-44 victory.  Ethan Suhajda had 14 points, Jack McDonald had 12 points, and Luke McHugh added 8 points for Holliston.  Jake Brodsky once again led the team in rebounds with 6.  The two teams have played twice this season with each team winning once.  The teams will meet again at Adams on January 21^st   but not before Holliston has a pair of games this weekend against Medfield and Medway.

Boys’ 7^th Grade (Red)

The Holliston 7th grade boys (Red) team won a nail-biter against a well-coached Newton team, 51-49.  The boys were led by forward Nick Flannery who paced the squad with 22 points, including three clutch 3-pointers down the stretch.  Guard Gavin McGann chipped in 7 points and added 3 steals on the defensive end.  Forward Grayden Vaughn was a passing wizard with 5 assists, most often to center Sean Sullivan who finished with 13 points.  Guard Jacob Lawendi came off the bench playing tough defense, including a steal and conversion on his fast break layup. Next up for the undefeated squad is a home game against Medway on January 15th at 3:20PM at the Adams Middle School.

Boys’ 7^th Grade (White)

The Holliston 7th grade boys (White) team fought hard against an undefeated Milford squad and with a strong second half and stifling defense (held them to 5 points in last quarter) took the win 38-35.   It was the highest point total for the season for Holliston.  Jesse Brodsky had 10 points and was a whirling dervish on the court.  Will Dietrich played his 2nd game of the season, shaking off injury, surgery, and wisdom teeth removal for a solid 8 points.  Nathan Varghese also had 8 points and Max McFayden had 6 points.  Jake Rosenfeld chipped in 4 points while George Kuttab netted 2 points to round out the scoring.  Brady Hastings, Bradyn Cotting and Aidan Khoury played stellar defense throughout to assist the team defensive effort and Kolby Sweet had a nice save at the end of the game to keep the team with the ball as the clock ran down to the final buzzer.  Next up is a hike to Taunton for a game on Sunday.

Boys’ 6^th Grade (Red)

The Holliston 6th grade boys (Red) team put on a show against the visitors from Winchester.  The boys were aggressive with the full court press from the opening tip to start off on a 16-2 run.  From there the boys were able to slow the play down and give a great team effort on their way to a 61-30 victory.  11 players got in on the scoring action, led by Jack Firmani with 13 points and Eli Boggess with 10.  Chris Baker, Nathan Chiantera and Charlie Bowser had breakout games with 5, 4 and 4 points, respectively.  Chris also chipped in 3 clutch free throws down the stretch.  Ben Furey led the team with 6 assists, including a SportsCenter Top 10 behind the back pass to Jack Firmani, who nailed the 8-foot jumper in stride.  It was a fun game for all, and they hope to carry the momentum into Westboro next week, where they will be looking to avenge a narrow loss from the pre-season tournament.  

Boys’ 6^th Grade (White)

The Holliston 6th grade boys (White) team picked up in the new year with a doubleheader over the weekend against Watertown and Belmont, racking up their first win of the season on Saturday in a game that came down to the final seconds!  Against yet another full-court press, the Panthers retaliated with their own press and physical play.   With 7 points and 10 rebounds, Tristan Snyder pulled down every rebound in sight, and it was the constant pressure defense of Liam Forbes and Zach Ennis that sealed their first win, beating Watertown on their own home court, 30-28.  On Sunday, Holliston hosted Belmont, losing 36-28, in another extremely competitive game, marked by frantic press defense, gritty play, and 6 rebounds and 4 points by Cameron Baker.  After the game, the Belmont coach noted it was the most physical game they’ve played all season.  Next up is a trip to Newton on Sunday.

Boys’ 5^th Grade (Red)

The Holliston 5th grade boys (Red) team dropped its home-opener to Lexington, 32-25.  The boys brought tremendous effort in the loss, demonstrating a very physical defense with all-out hustle.  Leo Wagner seemed to make about 100 steals, applying relentless pressure on both ends of the court.  Nathan Eppinger led the team’s scoring with 7 points.  Next up is a home game against Lincoln-Sudbury at 5:45 on Saturday at the Adams Middle School.

Boys’ 5^th Grade (White)

The Holliston 5th grade boys (White) team dropped a close game to Milton 25-20, moving to 2-5 on the season.  Despite trailing by 11 at the half, the Panthers battled back to bring the game within 5 in the closing minutes. Joseph Lawendi led the team in scoring, netting 11 points, followed by Devon Doray with 7 points, and Jakai Antoine with 2 points.  Noah Keller, Brody Stanley, and Laksh Katri lead the team in rebounds with 3 apiece. Logan Kanavich and Nolan Burke also pulled down some rebounds.  The Panthers are home versus Parkway on Sunday 1/15 at 10:00AM at the Adams Middle School.

Boys’ 4^th Grade (Red)

The Holliston 4th grade boys (Red) team returned to action against a tough Medfield team on Sunday, ultimately falling just short 29-27. The teams battled back and forth the entire game, with Medfield scoring the winning basket with under 30 seconds left to play. Logan McDonough finished with 6 points and 5 rebounds. Anderson Langlois finished with 4 points and 4 rebounds. Paul Antony hustled and played tough defense. The team looks to bounce back with a Saturday match up in Framingham. 

Boys’ 4^th Grade (White)

The Holliston 4th grade boys (White) team hosted Easton Sunday morning in a hard-fought game that came down to the wire, but the Panthers came up short losing 24-22.  Declan Aldredge led the scoring for the Panthers with 10 points, while Owen Jacquet chipped in 8 points and Teddy Miller with 4 points.  David Blackerby led the rebounding effort and added a few blocked shots on defense while Jacob Snow, Tommy Ogoreuc and Bauer Black all contributed with their hustle on the court.   This weekend the boys travel to North Attleboro in hopes to grab a big win on the road.

Girls’ 8^th Grade (Red)

The Holliston 8th grade girls (Red) team travelled to Connecticut this weekend to play in the Vertical Hoops Championship at Mohegan Sun. The Panthers took on some of the top 8th grade girls’ teams in the region for their three games.  Holliston played hard but came up short in all three contests.  The team almost pulled off the upset in the finale, however, lost by a single point. The combination of Krispy Kreme donuts, Mystic pizza and late-night fun proved to be an opponent they couldn’t overcome. The girls look forward to some healthy eating, sleeping, and taking on Brookline next weekend in Holliston. 

Girls’ 8^th Grade (White)

The Holliston 8th grade girls (White) team took a trip to Somerville on Sunday morning.  Holliston had some issues shaking off the holiday rust and dropped the contest 31-19.  Eliza Gebski and Ari Carbino led the offense with 6 points each.  Kadence Lynch dropped in 3 points while Kaitlyn Cordon and Elena Hoffey each added a basket as well.  Holliston will welcome Natick to the Adams Middle School on Sunday at 4:40PM.

Girls’ 7^th Grade

The Holliston 7th grade girls’ team had their bench, coaches, and fans on the edge of their seats as they earned the win in double overtime!  The team gave it their all to come out on top of Brookline, 25-23. Lucy Mancuso dropped in more than half the team’s total points netting 13, many coming from her speed and skill on fast breaks that she won from a battle on defense. The team really came together to support each other through every second, that counted towards their win. The team is back at it this Sunday, January 15th for an early start when they take on Westwood at 8AM at Westwood High School.

Girls’ 6^th Grade (Red)

The 6th grade girls (Red) team had a bye week this weekend.  They will get back to it next Sunday when they host the team from Lincoln-Sudbury.

Girls’ 6^th Grade (White)

Another tough loss for the Holliston 6th grade girls (White) team where the final score (Holliston 11 – Framingham 31) was not a good indication of how close the game was and how tough the girls played.  Framingham ran a difficult 1-3-1 trap in the first half that gave the girls problems before narrowing the deficit to single digits early in the third quarter.  Emma Starr led the effort with 3 points and 5 rebounds, controlling both the offensive and defensive ends of the court.  Riley Whitehead pushed the pace, making several key defensive stops and facilitating the transition offense.  Shamili Potturi did a great job creating turnovers and initiating several fast breaks from the top of the Holliston zone.  Next up is a game on 1/15 @ 8:40AM against Southboro at the Adams Middle School.

Girls’ 5^th Grade (Red)

The Holliston 5th grade girls (Red) team kicked off their post-holidays play with a victory against Berkley. The teams aggressive play led to a 12-point lead at halftime. Holliston’s stellar defense continued with 13 steals holding Berkley to only 12 points for the game. Emily Spurway’s defense disrupted play, leading to key turnovers for some easy Holliston baskets. Ella Bennett led the team with 22 points with Louisa Bigelow adding another 6 points for her season high.  Sophya Teixeira and Addy McAdams each chipped in 4 points as well.  Audrey Mancuso’s tough center presence came down with 3 rebounds and added a team high 2 assists to showcase solid all-around team play leading to a 36-12 win. Holliston faces off against Norwood on Sunday, Jan. 15 on their turf.

Girls’ 5^th Grade (White)

It was an intense four quarters for the Holliston 5th grade girls (White) team who prevailed over Arlington at home 32-27.  The girls came out of the gate with aggressive defensive and rebounding.  Offensively the girls continued to box out and rebound leading to first game baskets for Stella Alexis, Izzy Napoli, and Jackie Schiavoni.  Aahana Kulkarni kept the momentum going with her late third quarter steal leading to a full court break and basket.  The game ended with Danika DoRosario charging the basket and drawing fouls resulting in free throw points to put the game out of reach.  Keep an eye on this team at their next game on the road against Winchester.

Girls’ 4^th Grade

The Holliston 4th grade girls team traveled to Dedham for a tough battle on the road.  The Panthers could not buy a bucket in the first half but settled in for 10 second half points in the 21-10 loss.  Gwen Rosen led the second half scoring with 6 points, while Emma Sochanek and Brianna Cooper each contributed a basket.  Vivian McCarter led the game in minutes played which proved instrumental with the Panthers having a short bench.  During the 4^th quarter, the team ran a textbook stack play which saw a crisp inbound pass from Ruby Smith to Rosen for the easy layup.  The team returns home this weekend to play Lincoln-Sudbury at the Adams Middle School. 

Please note the St. Mary’s Holliston Knights of Columbus Council #14224 item posted on the Holliston Reporter Home page about their 12th Free Throw Contest. All Holliston boys and girls ages 9-14 as of January 1^st are eligible to participate. 

If you have any questions, please contact Don Marden at 508-429-1363 or email youthbasketball.holliston@gmail.com .  We look forward to seeing you on the 28^th!