Week 6 Basketball Recap
Week 6 – A great week for Holliston youth basketball with a couple of big wins for our teams namely the 6th grade girls (white) and 5th grade boys (red). Great job Panthers! This week saw many great performances by Holliston Panthers. Spotlight of the week goes to 8th grader, Nick Flannery, who scored a whopping 32 point in the 8th grade (Red) team’s victory and Danika Do Rosario who went for 30 points in 2 wins for the 6th grade girls (Red). Now let’s go Panthers!
4th Grade Girls (Red)
Holliston 4th Grade Girls (Team King – Red) lost a tight one to Westwood last week. While there wasn’t a ton of scoring, the defense was stellar as the girls held Westwood to 13 points! Brooke McGrath, Millie Guellnitz and Josie Brower stood out for Holliston with their outstanding help defense. The girls have been back at work this week at practice with a focus on finishing under the hoop, making solid passes, and playing with intensity! Back at it on Sunday vs. KP!
4th Grade Girls (White)
Holliston’s 4th grade girls (White) had a rough start to their game vs Caton on Sunday. However, after a little pumping up and a shift in attitude, the team really started playing some great basketball. The entire Holliston team played with heart and came alive on the court in the second and third quarters of the game. Each and every player pushed themselves to be more aggressive on defense and put-up shots whenever they got the opportunity. Even though Holliston did not walk away with a win, the team played hard and should be proud of themselves. Both Katelyn Klein and Amelia Parker put up 6 points each. Olive Bennett helped the team with 2 more points and Olivia Wing added another point with her successful foul shot. The girls played a very challenging, solid team that made most of the shots they put up, but Holliston never gave up! The team will continue to work on their basketball skills and hopefully come out on top next time.
5th Grade Girls (Red)
Holliston 14, Parkway (W. Roxbury) 12. This was surely the game of the weekend, from tip-off to the last whistle these teams were fighting tooth and nail for the win; Holliston has this W! Ellie Brown provided 4 points and equally impressive can handle the ball during some heated steals, helping to slow Parkway’s defense. The second quarter saw team veteran Sam Baweja sink a 10-foot shot, there was a hush in the crowd as this ball was all net – the team needed these points to secure their lead moving into half time and long into the 4th quarter. Gwen Rosen led the team to finish with 8 points and 7 rebounds – each week improving their offensive skills. The defense by Becca Lindros and Aarya Sharma helped the team with turnovers and inbound passing, setting up impressive team plays. Lauren de Vlaam and Ruby Smith provided defense and multiple rebounds, passing off to Holliston for quick down court plays. Kendall Hanlon continues to be the most versatile player as she pivots from point guard to forward with ease, however while diving for a loose ball in the 4th quarter she ended up on the DL for the rest of game (confirmed she’ll be back for the next game). The play of the game was owned by Rosen, while tied at 12 to 12, they were welcomed to the foul line for two shots – easily sinking both. Holliston is home at Adams on 28 January, stop by to see this impressive team.
5th Grade Girls (White)
A road trip to the Dana Barros Basketball Center for the Holliston 5th Grade Girls (White Team) did not slow the Panther’s down to start the game against Canton. The Panthers jumped to a 6-2 lead on early buckets from Molly Starr and Emma Sochanek, who both finished the game with 4 points each. Strong team defense by Cora McGillicuddy and Mary Toohey kept the game close heading into halftime with the Panthers down 16-14. Canton came out strong to start the half, but Ailla Howden immediately put a stop to the opponent’s 3rd quarter surge by registering 3 points, with one coming from the foul line. Ryckie Reichheld led the Panthers with 6 rebounds and Brooke Sawicki came up with a big 4th quarter steal to begin a late game run, which ultimately came up short with Canton winning 30 to 23. Brianna Cooper added 10 points to go along with 4 assists for Holliston, who have a weekend home double header Saturday and Sunday.
6th Grade Girls (Red)
The 6th Grade Girls (Red) looked to avenge their first loss of the season with two games over the weekend. On Saturday, the Panthers travelled down Rt. 126 to Milford to face the Hawks. The team was on a mission and won convincingly 24-12. Ella Bennett drilled two deep 3 pointers on her way to 8 points, a team leading 4 steals and 2 rebounds. Danika Do Rosario continued her strong offensive output this season, leading the team with 14 points to go along with 4 steals and 4 rebounds. Avery Palma continued to play excellent defense, adding in 4 rebounds and 3 steals to help pace the Panthers. Aahana Kulkarni was a defensive stopper helping slow the Milford guards by snagging 2 steals and 2 rebounds.
In the second contest of the weekend Holliston battled back-and-forth with the Norton Lancers. Down three at half time the Panthers took the court determined to pull out the win. The team collectively had 22 steals in the game. The 2nd half press left Norton exhausted as Holliston turned the 3 point deficit to a 4 point lead going into the 4th quarter. Holliston hung on in the end for a 24-20 win moving the Panthers to 1st place in their division. Dankia Do Rosario led Holliston with a dazzling 16 points and also added 5 steals. Addy McAdams continued to lead the team in rebounding again with 6 to go along with 4 points and 2 steals. Mia Malvey was a thorn in the Hawks players side all day leading the team with 6 steals combined with 3 rebounds. Jackie Schiavoni had multiple rebounds on the inside and held the Milford front court at bay. Louisa Bigelow had another strong afternoon cleaning the glass with 4 rebounds. Holliston will be off this next week.
6th Grade Girls (White)
Bright and early on 1/21 Holliston 6th grade (white) faced N. Quincy at RAMS. From the first whistle on Holliston players were off to the races. All the hard work and team development was evident throughout the entirety of the game as every player had their best game of the season (so far!) and Holliston captured their first win 28-15! Domenica Bellamy (2 points) and Elle Lessard (4 points) dominated the steals with 4 and 6 respectively, while the whole team was on their top defensive game, with boards led by Kennedy Black with 6 (and 4 points). Many players contributed to the total points including Mila Szabatura (4), Chloe Roche (2), and Sophya Texeira with a game and season high of 12 points! The team did a remarkable job breaking presses, keeping up a fast-paced offensive game while introducing new plays, and playing solid defense. Of note, Lindsey Walsh kept guards from driving in while Selah Tetrault and Lindsay Haynes kept N. Quincy’s passing to a minimum in the paint. All around a fabuolous and fun game to watch! Holliston plays two games this coming weekend. Come cheer us on Saturday 1/27 at 4:30 in Needham (Blue) and at home on Sunday 1/28 at 4:40 vs. Dedham.
7th Grade Girls (Red)
The seventh-grade girls, team red, hosted Bridgewater in a highly anticipated matchup of two teams with identical records, and parallel wins and losses to each of their common opponents. Bridgewater caught everyone’s attention early opening with a made three-point shot, but Holliston tightened up its defense and held a 15-7 lead after the first quarter. From there, the girls played lock down defense, holding to Bridgewater to four additional points in the following three quarters. Meanwhile, the girls distributed the ball as well as they have all year, leading to a runaway 40-11 victory. As its been all year, scoring was distributed fairly evenly. Riya Yedugani scored 9, Mackenzie McDonald 8, Sedona Cicciarella 7, and Brooklyn Lessard 6. Evidence of the team’s unselfish play includes Olivia Kerchner’s 5 assists and 4 for Mackenzie McDonald. Caroline Caughlin led the team in rebounds this week with 5. Next week the girls play a double header, hosting Milford and traveling to Milton.
7th Grade Girls (White)
Date: Saturday, 1/20
Location: Holliston (Adams)
Opponent: Bedford
Result: 17-13 Win (Overtime)
Total team effort as the Holliston girls pulled out their second win of the season in an overtime thriller. Ashten Arsenault led the way, pacing the defensive effort with several key steals and a huge bucket in overtime to seal the game. Lucy Downin was a force in transition using her speed to consistently push the ball up the floor and with a huge bucket in overtime. Olivia Yang was a key contributor off the bench with several assists and steals from the point guard position.
Date: Sunday, 1/21
Location: Holliston (Adams)
Opponent: Winchester
Result: 24-14 (Loss)
A tough loss for the Holliston girls against one of the better teams in the league. Sage Passier was the key to the defensive effort, putting pressure on the Winchester guards with several key steals. Riley Whitehead and Kaylin Hayes controlled the boards and made several key assists to set up buckets in transition. Finally, Emma Starr was a force in the paint, challenging the taller Winchester team and pulling down several key rebounds.
8th Grade Girls
The Holliston 8th grade girls have won two out of their last three games, most recently a Sunday afternoon victory 45-20 over our neighbors from Milford. Skylar MacDonald got the action started with 6 first half points and 2 key steals. Corinne Bailey picked it up from there and had a dominant game at both ends of the floor, finishing with 12 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks. Gianna Sgarano played a tough game underneath with 10 rebounds to go along with her 4 points. Sasha Wang notched some solid minutes, grabbing 3 rebounds and setting textbook screens to free up point guard Mia Faletra (17 points). The girls draw a Saturday afternoon game at RAMS vs. a tough Lexington squad next week.
4th Grade Boys (White)
Boys 4th Grade (White)
The Holliston 4th grade 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.
4th Grade Boys (Red)
The Holliston 4th grade boys (red) team hit the road this week to take on Westborough. During the first half offense was hard to come by, with the boys only scoring 1 point off a made free throw. However, tight defense sent Holliston to the locker room for halftime only down 8-1. In the second half, the defensive intensity didn’t drop off. Emerson Vail ramped up the defense causing multiple turnovers and pulling down some key rebounds and Quinn Duffy once again brough the energy. Finally, George Taylor invited everyone to the block party late in the third with three huge blocks on one possession. Offensively, the story of the game was Konnor d’Anjou who poured in a season high 7 points to go along with a handful of rebounds. Scoring was rounded out by Harrison Cirillo (2) and George Taylor(3). However, with all the defensive promise this week, and Holliston winning the second half, ultimately the team dropped a hard-fought game 16-12. The boys will look for their first win of the season this weekend with a pair of home games against Bellingham at 8pm Saturday night and Bedford 3:20pm Sunday afternoon.
5th Grade Boys (Red)
The Holliston 5th grade boys (Red) got their first win this past Saturday night vs. Walpole 31-23. Although the team found it difficult to make shots consistently, there were plenty of second chances with 18 offensive rebounds, and 40 rebounds overall. Scoring was led by Teddy Miller (12), Ty Looney (6), and Declan Aldredge (6). Anderson Langlois added 5 points and Jacob Snow grabbed a key bucket in the second quarter. The team’s “chaos” style defense is giving other teams fits and this game was no different with double digit steals and blocks. The effort was relentless and key contributions by Paul Antony, Connor Lydon, and Wyatt Chamberlin helped keep the other team off balance. Overall, it was a well-earned victory and a full team effort. In their next game, the team hosts Parkway at home this Saturday evening.
5th Grade Boys (White)
The Holliston 5th Grade Boys team (White) got their fifth consecutive win of the season on Sunday morning against Weston 33-17. Holliston played hard from the start, getting out to a quick 8-2 lead in the first quarter and they never looked back. Ryan Baker led Holliston with 19 points. Donovan Vail had a basket and 3 steals. Owen Jacquet had 4 points and 4 rebounds. Logan McDonough and Joe Sgarano each had a basket and 2 steals. Max Metivier played tough defense to secure the win. Holliston looks to keep their winning streak alive against Parkway on Sunday morning at Adams Middle School.
6th Grade Boys (Red)
Holliston 6th Grade (Red) Boys’ winning streak came to an end on Sunday, with a 40 to 20 loss to Milford (Red). Despite the score, the boys played a great game considering they played up a division for the first time. Ryan Magoon and Joseph Lawendi were the leading Holliston scorers, both with 4 points in the loss. Dylan Perrett was the player of the game for Holliston, providing great defense, excellent ball movement while demonstrating a “play hard to the end” mentality. The boys try to start another streak against Dedham next Sunday.
6th Grade Boys (White)
Despite trailing by as close as 5 points in the third quarter, the 6B panthers lost 23-50 to Arlington. The Panthers move to 3-6 (2-4 in division) for the year. The team was led by the aggressive play of John Gebski (8 points) and Leo Wagner (7 points). Also contributing was Logan Kanavich (2 points), Leo DeFazio (2), Laksh Khatri (2), and Nolan Burke (2). Leading the team in rebounds was Laksh Khatri (14), followed by John Gebski (4), Logan Kanavich (4), Kirill Stotski (3), Noah Keller (2), Micah Baltisoto (2), Leo DeFazio (2), Leo Wagner (2), Nolan Burke (1), and Lincoln Daniels (1). Earning the teams “Silver Swoosh” chain was Laksh Khatri for his rebounding prowess and aggressive play in the paint. The team returns to Adams Middle School on Sunday at 2:00 pm.
7th Grade Boys (Red)
The Holliston Boys 7th Grade (Red) team got back to their winning ways on Sunday with a 48-42 win at home against a formidable Stoughton team. The boys got back to what made them successful early in the season – good ball movement and solid defense. They also did a great job breaking down Stoughton’s full court press late in the game, which had been a thorn in our side in recent weeks. Quinn McErlean was awesome on offense, dropping 14 points. Ben Furey netted 6 and Orson Daniels, Will Hayes and Chris Baker each dropped 5 of their own. Sam Israel had a key 3 pointer and played solid defense all game long. Our centers (Charlie Bowser, Orson Daniels and Tristan Snyder) did a great job containing #22 – a big presence in the paint who they tried to rely on all game. Not on their watch! It was a great team win and rejuvenated the boys confidence as we head into a double header next weekend – Concord Carlisle on the road and Dedham on our home Adams court.
7th Grade Boys (White)
The Holliston Panthers (7th Grade Boys White) triumphed over Southboro with a 46-30 victory, showcasing their signature full-court press defense and tenacity. Jake Miranda and Liam Forbes delivered standout one-on-one defense (and all-around exceptional play), effectively neutralizing Southboro’s sharpshooter. Offensively, Cameron Baker led the scoring with 13 points, while Charlie Peterson pulled down 10 rebounds. A highlight was James Negri’s out-of-bounds save and pass to Ben Rebello, setting up Baker for a critical layup in the fourth quarter. With this win, the Panthers’ record climbs to 5-1, as noted by the Southboro coach who praised the team’s physicality and defense. The Panthers now set their sights on their next challenge in Framingham this Saturday.
8th Grade Boys (Red)
The Holliston boys 8th grade (red) squad had another double dipper weekend, going 2-0 in the process. In the Friday game at Dover-Sherborn, forward Nick Flannery was absolutely unstoppable, carving up DS for a whopping 32 points, leading the boys to a 59-44 victory. Aiding the cause was guard Anthony Faletra who earned himself a double-double by scoring 14 points and ripping down 12 rebounds. In the Sunday home tilt against Natick, guard Gavin McGann scored 13 points, shooting 3 for 4 from beyond the three-point line, and had four steals and three rebounds for good measure. Forward Grayden Vaughn chipped in with seven points, three rebounds, and two assists. Nayan Alluri was a very strong contributor with smart plays at both ends of the floor who has gained skills and confidence in his first season on the hardwood. The boys will travel to Newton for a Sunday morning matchup.
8th Grade Boys (White)
The Holliston 8th grade boys’ white team had another busy weekend with two games. The weekend started out with an exciting 42-23 home victory over Hopkinton. Holliston jumped out to an early lead and held onto through the end. Holliston was led by Colin Doherty’s 21 points. Brady Hastings added 8 points and numerous steals on Holliston’s full-court press. Will Dietrich and Leo Pasquariello chipped in 4 points each and Bradyn Cotting had 3 points and played a great floor game on both ends of the court.
On Sunday afternoon, Holliston headed to Medfield for an afternoon tip-off. An early game injury sidelined Doherty for the remainder of the game. But the team held strong before falling 33-21. Dietrich led Holliston with 7 points. Jake Rosenfeld scored 2 points, had some great passes and a strong defense game. Bior Ayuen had a good rebounding game. Aden Khoury and Aiden Brauer played tough defensively. Holliston heads back on the road to Raynham bright and early for a 9:15am tip-off.
