Holliston Youth Travel Basketball Week 5 Recaps – UPDATED
As we start to move into the middle part of our season, we have 2 remaining
undefeated teams. The teams are continuing to compete and play their hearts out each and
every game. Great work by the players and coaches alike. Now….Let’s go Panthers!
4 th Grade Boys (White)
The Holliston 4th grade (white) boys traveled to Parkway (White) on Sunday. The first quarter
was tight, but after that Parkway pulled away and won 40–19 thanks to great rebounding and
defense. Holliston was led in scoring by Jesiah Varghese with 6 pts, Ayen Hemaratne with 5
pts, and Tyler Crean and Darian Harris each had 4 pts. Holliston had some really nice passing
that led to open shots, but countless shots rimmed out. Holliston will host 3-3 Westwood
(Green) Saturday at 3pm.
4 th Grade Boys (Red)
The Holliston 4th grade boys (red) team took to the Robert Adams Court against Hopkinton after
a four-week layoff and flew out to an early first quarter lead 8-4. However, the shorthanded
Panthers could not muster much offense over the next two periods and fell behind 14-29 by the
end of the third. But this resilient group never gave up, fought to the end, and dialed up the
defensive intensity in the fourth quarter and tied the Hopkinton squad 6-6. Ultimately it was not
enough, and the squad fell 35-20. The game was not without its highlights. Harrison Cirillo
dropped another 10 points and picked up another 5 rebounds. Trevor Lyskowski had his best
game of the season picking up his first points, pulling down 4 rebounds, and tying up the visitors
for multiple jump balls. Finally, Sam “cucumber” Wagner (as in “cool as a cucumber”) stepped to
the line and drained two free throws after a driving attempt for a layup. The Holliston 4 th grade
boys (red) team takes to the road this week and takes on Westborough at noon.
5 th Grade Boys (Red)
The scheduling gauntlet continued for the Holliston 5th grade boys (Red) this past Sunday
night. Going into the weekend, the team’s opponents had a combined record of 12-1. Despite
the tough competition, the team battled hard but ultimately lost to Brookline 38-17. Holliston’s
scoring was led by Declan Aldredge who had a solid game with 9 points. Anderson Langlois
ran point for a good portion of the game, adding 4 points and an assist. Will Finneran was a
spark off the bench and scored his first bucket of the year. George Floeckher rounded out the
scoring with 2 points but also led the team in rebounds (6) and steals (2). The team’s scrappy
and relentless defensive continues to give teams a tough time. Strong defensive performances
by Timmy Klaus, Paul Antony, and Ty Looney helped create a number of turnovers and keep us
in the game in the first half. Overall, it was a great team effort. Next week the team hosts
Walpole at home.
5 th Grade Boys (White)
The Holliston 5th Grade Boys team (White) got their fourth consecutive win of the season on
Sunday afternoon at home against Milton 32-31. Holliston got off to a hot start, jumping out to a
14-4 lead after the first quarter. Milton made a strong comeback in the second half, taking a 31-
30 lead with less than a minute to go in the game. On the next possession, Joe Sgarano
drained a jumper with 45 seconds left, which ultimately decided the game. Six Holliston players
scored, with Ryan Baker leading the way with 9 points. Owen Jacquet scored 7 points and hit a
key free throw down the stretch. Logan McDonough and Joe Sgarano chipped in with 6 points
each. Owen Callahan grabbed key rebounds. Holliston looks to keep their winning streak alive
in Weston on Sunday morning.
6 th Grade Boys (Red)
Holliston’s 6th Grade Boys (Red) team remains undefeated on the season registering a
convincing 41-23 win over Milford (white) going 5-0, in season, and 8-0 including the
preseason. Austin McGuire turned in a dominant performance in the paint with 17 points and 5
rebounds. Joseph Lawendi chipped in 9 points while providing excellent defense. Devon Doray
had 4 points to go along with 4 steals in the win. The entire team contributed to the win, with
the boys playing great defense (led by Nathan Eppinger) and fantastic offensive ball
movement. The boys will try to keep the winning streak rolling next week with a game against
another Milford team (Red) from a higher division.
6 th Grade Boys (White)
The 6 th Grade Boys (White) Panthers dropped a tough game to undefeated juggernaut
Westborough 18-52. The team now sits at 3-5 of the season. Leading the team in points were
dynamic duo of “Leo” Leo Wagner and Leo DeFazio with 6 points a piece, followed by John
Gebski (4), and Laksh Khatri (2). Micah Baltisoto led the team in rebounds with 7, followed by
Lincoln Daniels (4), Leo Wagner (2), John Gebski (2), Kirill Stotski (2), Laksh Khatri (2), Noah
Keller (1), and Leo DeFazio (1). Earning the teams “Silver Swoosh” award was Micah Baltisoto
for his hustle, effort, and rebounding which helped keep the Panthers in the game. The
Panthers travel to Arlington Sunday the 21st for a 3:40 pm tip off.
7th Grade Boys (Red)
The Holliston 7th Grade Boys (Red) team fell this week to a big Everett team – 46-37. William
Hayes was on fire dropping 20 points, including 5 from behind the arc. Ben Furey (6), Quinn
McErlean (6), Jack Firmani (3 – with a trey of his own!) and Charlie Bowser (2) rounded out the
scoring. Andrew Ferguson was a beast on defense, pulling down 4 rebounds and a steal.
Charlie Bowser also pulled down 3 rebounds. Next week we’ll host Stoughton and hope to get
back on the winning track.
7th Grade Boys (White)
After last weekend’s contest against Belmont was canceled due to the snowstorm, the 7th Grade Boys (White) team played Watertown at home, winning 29-20, improving to a record of 4-1 for the season. After going down 0-6 in the first 2 minutes with two three pointers by the opponent, the Panthers began their full court press, holding Watertown to only 14 more points for the rest of the game! As we ring in the new year, this reporter will focus this writeup on giving thanks for the defensive and team-based accomplishments in this game. To Charlie Peterson, thank you for covering and shutting down Watertown’s intimidating 6 foot center. To James Negri, thank you for epitomizing our team-first defensive mindset with a holistic effort that included tenacious 1:1 coverage, pressing, ball handling, and rebounding. To Aaron Javier, who was one basket away from a double-double, thank you for pulling down 12 rebounds and setting the tone for our team in our huddles. Next week, wish the Panthers luck as they travel to Southboro to play a division rival!
8th Grade Boys (Red)
It was a dominant weekend for the 8th Grade Boys Red team as they had two decisive victories, first
Friday a 52-32 drubbing at Brookline’s home court, then on Sunday hosting Belmont and serving up a 46-
20 performance. In the Friday game Max Colletti dominated the glass with four rebounds, while Jacob
Lewendi chipped in with an assist, a rebound, a block, and a couple of well-timed steals. In Sunday’s
game, Nayan Alluri was an absolute terror defensively, with two defensive rebounds and four steals, and
using his athleticism against an overmatched Belmont squad. Grayden Vaughn used his next-level court
vision to carve up the Belmont zone with quick interior passes leading to good shots by his teammates.
Nate Howell worked hard on both ends of the court, despite getting triple teamed every time he touched
the ball in the paint on offense. He pulled down three boards and added an assist for good measure.
Next up for the boys is another double dipper weekend, with a road game Friday at Dover at 6:45pm, and
a home contest on Sunday at 4:40pm (back-to-back with the 8th grade girls 3:20).
8th Grade Boys (White)
The Holliston Boys 8 th Grade White Team had a busy weekend playing two games within twelve hours.
On Saturday night, Holliston travelled to Mass Premier in Foxboro to play a talented North Attleboro team. After a tough first half, Holliston played a better second half and finished the game strong. Holliston was led by Colin Doherty’s 12 points, Will Dietrich chipped in 6 points, Bradyn Cotting had 2 points and numerous steals, while Alex Cataldo did a great job rebounding against a much bigger team. Aden Khoury played a great floor game with excellent defense and passing. The 8th grade white team didn’t have much time to stew on the loss as they returned to action bright and early on Sunday morning against Norwood. Holliston jumped out to a strong start before Norwood took a 13-point lead in the second half. The resilient Holliston squad cut it to 4 points in the fourth quarter but could not get any closer, losing 40-29. Doherty led with 17 points: Brady Hastings had a great game with 5 points and numerous steals on Holliston’s full court press. Jake Rosenfeld also played great defense on Holliston’s press and had multiple assists. Bior Ayuen had his best rebounding game of the season. Aiden Brauer continues to improve each game on both ends of the court. Holliston has two games ahead again this weekend hosting Hopkinton on Saturday night and then travelling to Medfield for a Sunday afternoon tip-off.
4 th Grade Girls (Red)
Holliston’s 4th grade girls (red) put in a strong effort and hustled throughout the game, but unfortunately, lost to Medway on Sunday. Amelia Parker’s forceful drives to the hoop led to 2 baskets. Katelyn Klein and Willa Drummey both worked hard and put up 2 points each. In the second half, the team really came alive and everyone played hard and aggressively. Richa Yedugani and Olive Bennett both had some great attempts at putting more points on the board, but unfortunately shots were just not falling. Olivia Wing, Vera Finn and Olivia Darling all played tough defense. The team hopes to take what they learned from the game, practice hard and come into next Sunday’s game with a strong start!
4 th Grade Girls (White)
The 4th Grade Girls (white) fell to Medway this past weekend, and despite the score, play was actually quite even! The Holliston girls struggled a bit to put the ball in the hoop but worked hard defensively and even successfully executed 2 out of bounds plays that resulted in two baskets! It was great for the team to see their hard work at practice translating in the game. Strong players from this weekend’s game included Millie Guellnitz who played great help defense, grabbed a bunch of rebounds, and ran the point! Brooke McGrath also stood out for her excellent defense. She dropped a few dimes to teammates who successfully scored on the plays after receiving strong passes. Maggie Mulik also played scrappy defense for Holliston. The team looks forward to a quick turnaround for a make-up game against Canton on Thursday! Best of luck to all teams in their upcoming games!
5 th Grade Girls (Red)
The thrill of victory was felt not once but twice this weekend, as Grade 5 Girls Red had two games (one
makeup). The first game was Saturday night at home, within 16 hours the team was on the road for
their second game of the weekend. Ashland 10, Holliston 25. The team learned only minutes before tip-off there would be only six players available to play – giving them only one sub. The team had to quickly prioritize players and change course on the fly. The first half was slower than usual for these six, ending with a 5 to 4 score (Holliston up). After halftime the team came out like gangbusters – immediately scoring 4 points in the first minute of play. Gwen Rosen tallied 3 rebounds, 2 blocked shots, and 10 points just in the third quarter alone (12 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks total). This gave the team the edge they needed to continue to bring the ball down to the Holliston end. Standout point guard Kendall Hanlon keenly moved the ball through Ashland’s strong defense to execute each play, her knowledge of player location leading to unbelievable passing. Ashland was held at only 10 points all game while Holliston totaled 20 points in just the second half. Key contributions were Ruby Smith’s 9 rebounds (+2 points), Lauren de Vlaam’s 3 rebounds and Aarya Sharma’s 4 points and 4 rebounds. Becca Lindros played almost the whole game with only one sub, her court energy never faltered, giving the team 2 points and setting several picks. Medfield 6, Holliston 21. The first game on the road proved successful for this team, the team was able to add 2 players back to the roster giving the team plenty of subs. Ellie Brown and Gwen Rosen each had 4 points in the first quarter giving Holliston the edge, the second quarter the team gathered over 13 rebounds total holding Medfield to only 2 points. Entering the second half the team had a comfortable advantage as they were leading by 8 points. This half proved to be about defense and rebounding by the three tall towers: Sharma, Rosen, and Smith. Charley Marcuard’s quick hands provided over 8 steals, 3 rebounds, and 3 points; she will not waver giving into a jump ball, these key turn overs helped the team keep their comfortable lead. Total points were Rosen 10, Brown 8, and Marcuard 3.
5 th Grade Girls (White)
The Holliston 5th Grade Girls (White) lost to the Flyers of Framingham 27-12 in a Saturday afternoon
matinee at the Adams School. The Panther’s Molly Starr came out with vengeance sinking an early
bucket to set the tone. Starr, who is known for her lock-down defense, wasted no time to get the
Panthers on the board early in the 1st quarter. Emma Sochanek and Emma Whitehead each scored two
points in the first half, helping keep the game close going into halftime. The Flyers proved to be too
strong in the second half, but Mary Toohey engineered 4 steals leading to 3 fastbreaks in the 4th quarter
which gave the Panthers a chance. Bridget McAuley contributed with a strong game on both ends of the
court and Brianna Cooper chipped in with 6 points. The Panthers are on the road this Sunday at Canton.
6 th Grade Girls (Red)
The Holliston 6th Grade Girls (Red) travelled to Medfield to take on the Warriors. Holliston came out
with 2 quick steals from their full court press and jumped to a 4-0 lead. It looked like Medfield was in
trouble, but they quickly recovered and ripped through the Panthers signature press. The game was a
back-and-forth battle which Medfield ultimately won 26-21. Holliston was led by another strong effort
from Danika Do Rosario who contributed 12 points including a late 3 pointer to pull the game within 4 as
well as 3 rebounds and 2 assists. Louisa Bigelow added 4 rebounds, 2 points and 2 steals while playing
excellent defense. Ella Bennett helped the team with 4 points, 3 rebounds and a steal while playing
point guard. Holliston gets a chance at redemption with 2 games this weekend vs Norton and Milford.
6 th Grade Girls (White)
For their fifth game of the season, Holliston 6th grade girls (White) team was on the road to face a very
strong Westwood team, but ultimately lost 10-36. Holliston worked hard to move the ball quickly down
court looking for teammates under the basket, but Westwood was very strong on defense and kept
Holliston to the periphery for much of the game. Despite the large lead set early in the game by
Westwood, Holliston did not give up. All players contributed to solid teamwork and support of one
another’s efforts and were in constant motion to the very last second of the game. Kennedy Black kicked
off the game with a solid basket in the paint and added 4 rebounds. Lindsay Haynes and Elle Lessard
contributed three solid rebounds each. Sophya Teixeira and Lindsay Haynes grabbed three steals apiece,
and Sophya contributed 4 points with both two terrific baskets taking place in the second half.
Domenica Bellamy and Chloe Roche added in a bucket a piece in the second half, and Domenica and
Chloe, along with Lindsay Walsh, and Elle Lessard worked very well together pressing Westwood and
forcing turnovers. Mila Szabatura and Selah Tetrault moved well between the blocks, and as Holliston
turned up the heat in the second half, both stepped up to block Westwood from quick rebounds.
Holliston comes home on 1/21 to take on North Quincy at 8:40am. Bring your coffee and see you at
RAMS!
7 th Grade Girls (Red)
After a lengthy layoff, the seventh-grade girls, team red, traveled to Sharon to play another strong
opponent, who has run up some high point totals this season. The key to their success was apparent as
one of the Sharon players scored 19 of the 23 points Sharon put on the board in the first half. In
response, the girls implemented the box and one defense for the first time, holding the Sharon scorer to
two points in the second half. Both Shamili Potturi and Olivia Kerchner were a thorn in her side
shadowing her tirelessly. Meanwhile, the rest of the team battled in a very physical game. Chelsea
Dufault led the team in rebounds once again with nine and a distributed scoring
7th Grade Girls (White)
Team: Holliston 7GG
Opponent: Framingham
Location: Holliston
Result: 18-13 Loss
The Holliston girls gave Framingham all they could handle in a narrow loss that went down to the wire. Riley Whitehead led the Holliston team, pushing the pace in transition and facilitating the fast break offense as the girls faced an intense full court press all game. Sage Passier was a defensive star of the game with several key steals to spark Holliston on the defensive end. Finally, Olivia Yang played a great game on both ends of the court, with key steals at the top of the zone and several key assists from the point guard position.
8th Grade Girls
The 8th Grade Girls went on the road this weekend on Sunday afternoon. They started out with a strong win against Westwood. The team executed a trapping defense and some quick transition baskets to jump out to a 17-2 lead at the half. The Panthers worked in the second half on running their offense and making some sharp passes to conclude with a 33-19 win over the Wolverines. Team highs for the game included Lily Ingoldsby, Skylar MacDonald, and Gianna Sgarano with 7 boards each, while Lucy Mancuso snagged 11 steals. Mia Faletra dropped 17 points in the win. Keira Brannigan’s hustle at both ends of the floor helped the Panthers in the victory.
The girls and families then traveled over to Watertown for a late afternoon matchup. The girls faced a couple of players who were two of the tallest they have seen this season. They stayed strong despite having only six players on the floor for the game. Holliston stayed within single digits of Watertown for most of the game but couldn’t quite pull it off, finally falling 44-31. Lucy Mancuso had 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 steals, while Mia Faletra’s 13 points, 5 steals, and floor presence from the point position were key. Skylar MacDonald’s 6 points, 6 rebounds and ability to play all positions was valued greatly during this game! Gianna Sgarano, Drew Andreola, and Sasha Wang all played hard for MANY minutes to round out the Panther lineup.
The girls have a home matchup with Milford on Sunday afternoon at 3:20 in back-to-back games with the 8th grade boys (4:40pm start).
