The Panthers are winding down with just two final games to make their cases for a top seed in the upcoming Metrowest Basketball Tournament.  The teams are looking to gear up to make some deep runs come tourney time.  Keep an eye on some of these shining stars as the hardwood action heats up for March Madness.  Colin Doherty led the 8^th grade boys (white) team with 45 points in their 2 huge wins over this past weekend.  Mia Faletra, who has been on fire all season, dropped an all too easy 17 points against Everett in the 8th grade girls team victory.  John Gebski racked up 16 points in the 6^th grade boys upset of Norwood.  Not to be out done 5th grader George Floeckher aka the chairman of the boards led the team with 13 big rebounds over the weekend.  Keep reading below as the beat reporters caught many more stars in action.  Great work kids!

Now let’s go Panthers!

4^th Grade Boys (Red)

The Holliston 4th grade boys (red) team faced off against a very tough team from Dover-Sherborn on Sunday afternoon. The boys played hard in the first half; however, they were not able to keep up with the exceptional pick and roll play of DS. At the half Holliston fell behind by 20, 32-12. In the second half the boys came ready to play and really dialed up the defensive intensity. Emerson Vail (3pts), Harrison Cirillo (6 pts), and Max Cohen (2pts) made sure that the pick and roll was held at bay and played exceptional man to man defense. The star of the second half was George Taylor who poured in 10 of his 14 points in the second half. George made an adjustment to his shooting location in the second half and went 5 for 7, all while playing some exceptional defense. The scoring was rounded out by Sam “big time” Wagner (2pts), Yamori Richardson (2 pts.) and Quin Duffy (1pt.). The second half the boys were able to hold DS to 19 while scoring 18. The final score was 51-30. The boys hit the road this week taking on Lexington on Sunday, February 18th at 1pm.

4^th Grade Boys (White) 

Holliston started the day on Sunday traveling to Concord-Carlisle.  The game was very physical and close the entire way with the lead shifting back-and-forth. Ultimately, Holliston came up just short 23–20.   Once again, Darian Harris led the way with 14 points, 6 steals, and took an elbow to the face which will likely allow him to sport a black guy for the next week or so.  Grady Gum tossed in 4 points along with 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 blocks.  Andrew Levasseur had 2 points and 3 rebounds.  Tyler Crean had several shots rim out but managed 9 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 blocks.  Cade Burke had a big steal and Lucas Zhang grabbed a rebound and played tight defense. 

The second game was at home against Westborough and was similar to the first. It was a neck and neck game but ultimately Holliston came up short 20–15.  Tyler Crean led the way with 8 points.  The entire team, contributed on the boards and tied up the ball on defense more than a dozen times.  Jack Donahue played great help defense and had a big rebound and assist.  Shalm Kollu played nice defense and grabbed a big rebound.  Jake Looney played solid defense and had a block and a steal.  Despite feeling a little under the weather, Jesiah Varghese scored a bucket and had 2 steals and a block.  Ayen Hemaratne played scrappy defense and had a steal and a block. 

Sunday, Holliston will host a very strong Wellesley (White) team for the second time this season. 

5^th Grade Boys (Red) 

The Holliston 5^th grade boys (Red) had a great win this weekend against a tough Medway team.  After going down by 7 the team rallied back and ended up with a 29-26 win.   The team went 7-12 on free throws which turned out to be the deciding factor in the game.   Anderson Langlois had a fantastic game, scoring 8 points, 2 assists, and grabbing 6 rebounds.  Timmy Klaus brought excellent defense and energy, scoring 5 points (3-4 from the FT line) and ultimately making a steal to seal the game.  Ty Looney and Declan Aldredge helped move the ball on offense and each contributed 6 points.  George Floeckher continued to own the boards, bringing down 13 rebounds and adding 4 points.  Team defense was a huge part of the win and held Medway to under 30 points for only the 2^nd time this year.  The team will try and string two wins together as they head on the road this Sunday to face Concord-Carlisle.  

5^th Grade Boys (White) 

The Holliston 5th Grade Boys team (White) lost two tough games over the weekend. On Saturday night, Holliston lost a heartbreaker to Waltham 43-41 in overtime. The game was close throughout, with the teams ending regulation tied at 37. Waltham hit clutch free throws in overtime to seal the win. Holliston worked hard on the boards, with 10 players grabbing at least 1 rebound. Ryan Baker led Holliston with 23 points, including a clutch 3 to end the 3rd quarter. Cole Dennison finished with 8 points. Austin Cordero had 5 rebounds and 2 steals. 

On Sunday morning, Holliston lost to Wellesley 39-35. Wellesley got off to a hot start and led throughout. Holliston made a valiant comeback in the 4th quarter, scoring 11 points and holding Wellesley to just 4. Logan McDonough led Holliston with 17 points. Owen Jacquet added 13. Donovan Vail also scored for Holliston. Holliston looks to get back to their winning ways this weekend with road games in Ashland and Southboro.

6^th Grade Boys (Red) 

The Holliston 6th Grade (Red) Boys played a tremendous game against Wayland and came away with a 47-42 win.  Playing shorthanded, the boys fought a back and forth battle against a much bigger team seated in a higher division, eventually securing the win in the fourth quarter.  Joseph Lawendi was the player of the game, scoring 17 points and playing tremendous defense.  Ryan Magoon continued his relentless defense while also chipping in 10 points.  Devon Doray scored 7 points and secured two critical turnovers in the final minutes of the game.  Gavin Bausch (5 points), Austin McGuire (6 points) and Nathan Eppinger (2 points) rounded out the rest of the scoring and frustrated the heck out of Wayland with their defense.  Brody Stanley and Dylan Perrette contributed huge defensive stops leading to Holliston points.  Everybody had a hand in the win.  The team is now 8-2 (11-2 including preseason) and take on Walpole next.

6^th Grade Boys (White)

The 6th grade Panthers (5-7) shocked the Norwood Mustangs (6-3) Saturday by a score of 32-23.  Capitalizing on the teams strong ball movement and unselfish play was John Gebski who netting 16 points which included an 3 pointer which sealed the win for the Pathers in the closing 30 seconds.  Following Gebski’s career high of 16 points were Nolan Burke (6), Laksh Khatri (4), Leo DeFazio (2), Micah Baltisoto (2), and Logan Kanavich (2).  Laksh Khatri stoically commanded the paint with 15 rebounds, followed by Jackson Gannaway (5), John Gebski (5), Logan Kanavich (3), Noah Keller (3), Nolan Burke (2), Leo Wagner (2), and Micah Baltisoto (1).  The team’s “Silver Swoosh” award too was given to John Gebski for his hustle and aggressive play.  The team returns to Robert Adams Middle School on Sunday to square off against cross-town rival Milford at 12:40 pm. 

7th Grade Boys (Red)

The Holliston 7th Grade (Red) Boys team lost a tough matchup against an outsized team from Arlington this week.  We started out slow in the first quarter, but with tough defense and good free throw shooting, won the 2nd and 3rd quarters, but ultimately fell short in the end, falling 42-31.  We knew we’d be up for a tough game when we walked into the gym and saw our opponent’s size, but we held our own and were very proud of how the boys played.  Chris Baker had an outstanding game, leading all scorers with 9 points. Ben Furey (7), Will Hayes (4), Jack Firmani (3), Quinn McErlean (3), Marcus Burian (2), Orson Daniels (2) and Eli Boggess (1) all chipped in offensively as well.  Eli and Andrew Ferguson were stars on defense, but really the entire team played a tremendous 2-3 zone, locking up the paint and forcing them to beat us with three-point shooting (unfortunately they hit them!).  This team is really growing as a group and is a lot of fun to watch.  Next week we are travelling to Wellesley.  

7th Grade Boys (White)

This past week, the Holliston 7th Grade boys (white) team traveled to Westboro for one of their toughest challenges of the season.  Down by 8 points after a first quarter in which their opponent ran a stifling 1-3-1 trapping defense, the Panthers countered with a zone press in the second quarter, held their opponent to 0 points, went up 10-8 at the half, and never looked back.  Charlie Peterson had one of his best games of the season, attacking the basket for 10 points and 9 rebounds.  Point guards Colton McGrath and Liam Forbes played stellar defense and stabilized the team’s offense against the trap, helping the team score 20 points in the second half – with inbound passes to the paint that broke the back of the opponent’s 1-3-1.  A year ago, our Panthers traveled to Westboro and suffered a stinging defeat, while the opponent full-court-pressed and did their signature chants all game.  This year, the gym fell silent as Holliston shocked Westboro by a final score of 30-24.  8-1 on the season, the boys play back-to-back games next weekend against Belmont and Dedham.

8th Grade Boys (Red)

The Kansas City Chiefs weren’t the only team this past weekend that pulled out a close victory in overtime.  The 8th Grade Boys Red team found themselves tied at 50 at the end of regulation and pulled out a W with a 53-52 overtime win against a very competitive visiting team from Chelsea.  Nick Flannery did it all on both ends of the floor with 22 points, seven rebounds, four steals, and three blocks.  Anthony Faletra chipped in with nine points and six rebounds, and Grayden Vaughn rounded out the scoring with seven points, including a very timely bucket in overtime.  Connor McDonough complemented his six points with a team-high four assists.  The squad is back in action on Sunday with their final home game as a part of Holliston Youth Basketball against a “TVL” team from Millis. 

8th Grade Boys (White)

The Holliston 8th grade boys’ white team had a great weekend with two exciting wins at RAMS over Concord-Carlisle (53-46) on Saturday night and Natick (47-35) on Sunday morning. Concord-Carlisle was in control of the game holding a 33-22 lead before Holliston launched a strong comeback to hold on for the victory. Colin Doherty returned from injury to lead Holliston with 24 points and strong floor game against Concord-Carlisle’s pressure defense.  Will Dietrich added 9 points, while Leo Pasquariello chipped in 6 points and 9 rebounds. 7th grader Bior Ayuen scored his first basket of the season on a nice 15-foot jump shot, which helped propel the comeback for Holliston. Bradyn Cotting and Aden Brauer each added 2 points and played excellent defense.

On Sunday morning, Holliston pressed the entire game against a tall and physical Natick team.  Doherty led with 21 points while Dietrich added 9 points. Brady Hastings scored 5 points and had numerous steals on Holliston’s full-court press. Alex Cataldo had 2 points and rebounded well throughout the game. Jake Rosenfeld made one of two free-throws and had another outstanding defensive game. Aden Khoury also played well on both ends of the court for Holliston. Sunday marked the team’s final home game of the season as they head to Mass Premier/Foxboro on Sunday morning to play Mansfield.

4^th Grade Girls (Red) 

The 4th Grade Holliston Girls (Team King) traveled to Canton for the second time this season to play a very tough team. Despite the loss, the Holliston girls fought hard and played one of their best defensive games. Millie Guellnitz sold out for strong offensive and defensive play. Bella DiPippo had a great three-point play, finishing a layup and sinking the free throw, and Maggie Mulik played solidly across the board creating a number of jump balls and grabbing a few steals.  Brooke McGrath continues to play great perimeter and help defense, and the team continues to progress and grow against strong competition. The girls look forward to two games this weekend against Walpole and Westwood to kick off the February break!

4^th Grade Girls (White)

The Holliston 4th Grade Girl’s had an incredibly close game yesterday vs Canton. Unfortunately, the game ended in a loss for Holliston, but only by 1 basket!  It was a tough loss as the girls played their hearts out and everyone showed pure determination and drive the entire game, start to finish.  Katelyn Klein did a tremendous job handling the ball and moving aggressively to the hoop.  Nora Corcoran and Willa Drummey both play terrific, strong defense. Olive Bennett, Amelia Parker and Olivia Wing all put up some great shots and worked hard to get the ball into the paint. Richa Yedugani did a great job boxing out which resulted in multiple awesome rebounds. Vera Finn’s positivity and enthusiasm kept the team pumped up and focused on trying their best.  The team really came together for this game, and it was disappointing for all to not walk away with a win, but if the girls play their next game with the same drive and determination, we will hopefully be able to come out on top!

5^th Grade Girls (Red)

The 5th Grade Girls Holliston Panthers White team traveled to Newton for a tough matchup against the much larger city opponent.  In a hotly contested back and forth game, it may take the Panthers a few days to shake it off, after narrowly taking the 24-23 loss.  In a game that saw 7 lead changes, the Panthers were down 3 points with 1:24 remaining when Molly Starr got fouled on a three-point shot and proceeded to hit 2 out of 3 free-throws.  Down 1, Holliston’s quickly entered into a full court press producing 3 turnovers in the last 1:24, but could not find the bottom of the net, including a good look with 6 seconds left in the game.   Although this one will sting, the team held their heads high speaking to reporters after the game.  Emma Whitehead (4 points) told reporters “This is a building block game for our team.” Ryckie Reichheld had 2 points and 5 rebounds and Brianna Cooper added 12 points and 4 assists.

5^th Grade Girls (White)

Holliston 21, Medway 39:    Medway came out hard and fast, putting up 10 points in the first quarter with Holliston trailing by 4. The second quarter drew crowd applause to de Vlaam for adding 2 much needed points to the Holliston boards. Throughout the game Rosen was reminiscent of Bill Russell’s domineering rebounding skills, totaling 15 rebounds and 10 points. Brown added 5 steals, 6 rebounds, and 8 points – giving her the edge during the second half of the game. Medway continued their shooting to outscore Holliston by the end of the game. Sharma was taken to the foul line and scored a basket for her team. Nobel efforts by Hanlon, Marcuard, Lindros, Baweja, and Smith added several jump balls and rebounding to the competition. The team has another road game this weekend heading up to Winchester to claw back a win. 

6^th Grade Girls (Red)

Despite playing with only 7 girls, the lack of subs wouldn’t slow down the red-hot Panthers.  They quickly jumped out to a big lead against North Quincy and didn’t look back onto a 39-16 victory.  Gwen Miranda was a force inside the paint netting 11 points and 5 rebounds.  Danika Do Rosario was brilliant yet again, scoring 15 points, grabbing 5 rebounds and a season high of 3 assists.  Ella Bennett was superb with 7 points, 3 rebounds and 2 steals on the afternoon.   Aahana Kulkarni was a defensive superstar with 4 steals, 3 rebounds and countless defensive stops.  Mia Malvey once again was everywhere finishing with 5 rebounds, a team leading 5 steals, 2 assists to go along with 4 points.  Sitting at 7-1 and in first place in their division Holliston gets this weekend off to prepare for their finale at Parkway (West Roxbury).  The division title will be on the line.

6^th Grade Girls (White) 

On 2/11 Holliston 6th grade girls travelled to Norwood to take on a very strong team on their home court. Norwood’s bench was deep, and the stands were packed with hometown fans, but none of the hype affected Holliston’s mindset. Even though Norwood’s lead started early and remained for the rest of the game, Holliston kept up with tenacity, pace, and phenomenal team play.  Holliston had many score attempts as players got open multiple times through consistent use of strong offensive strategies and lots of movement, but the shots just wouldn’t stick! Never have there been so many balls that teetered on the rim and then defied physics and popped right back out. All the players had good shots from the paint and well beyond, but the only basket that stuck was a free throw shot by Elle Lessard landing the only point of the game for Holliston. Elle also led the team in steals with 8, with more steals from Selah Tetrault, Kennedy Black, Sophya Teixiera, and Lindsay Haynes. Lindsay also led the team in rebounds with 3, along with contributions from Mila Szabatura, Lindsey Walsh, and Chloe Roche. Holliston kept up the energy and speed from tip-off to buzzer, and the second half was even more on fire than the first with a faster pace and spot on passing up the court play after play for Holliston. Although Holliston lost 1-38, they did so without giving up and with sportsmanship to jump right into the high-five line post buzzer to thank Norwood for a good game. Of note, one official stopped after the game to say how much she was impressed by Holliston’s team play, attitude, drive, and persistence. Now you’re your turn to support this amazing team! Stop in to Dover-Sherborn high school on 2/18 at 11am to support our Holliston players second to last league game. We’d love to see you there!

7^th Grade Girls (Red)

The seventh-grade girls, team red, traveled to Medway this week.  For the second week in a row, they played a rematch against an early season opponent with a player who scored most of the the opponent’s points in game one.  As was the case a week ago, the team’s goal was to contain that player the best we could.  Again, Shamili Potturi, Emerson Harrington, and Olivia Kerchner led the charge in our box and one defense, holding Medway’s leading scorer to 13 points.  Unfortunately, slowing her scoring wasn’t enough to carry the day as Holliston lost the game 36-18.  On the offensive side, Caroline Caughlin’s 4 rebounds contributed to her leading the team in scoring with 8 points, and Brooklyn Lessard contributed an additional 4 points.  Next week Holliston travels to Medfield for its third rematch in three weeks.

7^th Grade Girls (White)

The Holliston team, playing the best team in the division, played an unbelievable game against a tough Brookline team.   Riley Whitehead led the Holliston team with a strong defensive effort and a huge three at the end of the first half to bring them within three points of Brookline at the half.  Kaylin Hayes was a force in the middle of the zone pulling down many key rebounds against a much taller Brookline team.  Finally, Lucy Downin led the defensive effort with constant pressure at the top of the zone giving the Brookline guards fits all game.

8^th Grade Girls

The 8th Grade Holliston girls traveled to Everett early Sunday morning. Thankfully, the girls were awake and came out on top with a 38-19 victory.  Drew Andreola hit two 3s in the game, including one at the buzzer to end the 3rd, to go along with 5 boards. Keira Brannigan was huge on the boards with 9 to go along with her 5 points, while Sasha Wang came off the bench to grab a solid 8 rebounds. Mia Faletra kept the offense running, with 17 points and 4 assists, while snagging 5 steals. The 8th grade girls have two regular season games left in their Holliston Youth Basketball careers. They are rising to the occasion, winning four out of their last five games. Next up is Westwood on Sunday at noon. Here we go, girls!