BOYS:
4th Grade Boys (Red) Coach: Flannery
The Holliston 4th Grade Boys squad (red) wrapped up their 1st season together in thrilling fashion this past Sunday. Despite bowing out of the playoffs with a 33-28 loss to Parkway, the boys can hold their heads up high knowing they fought to the end and nearly mounted a comeback for the ages. Down by 13 going into the 4th quarter the boys clawed their way back to make it a two-score game. If the game had been two minutes longer the outcome would have most certainly been different.
Holliston was led by James Eaton’s colossal effort. James finished with 5 points, 2 steals and 9 huge rebounds before fouling out. James “emptied the bucket” and left everything he had on the court. He should be proud of that and use the disappointment I know he felt as fuel for the fire to improve for next season! Declan Langlois capped off an excellent season with another big day finishing with 6 rebounds, 2 points and 3 steals. Declan also showed no fear or regard for his body, hitting the court multiple times for loose balls, scraping for every possession. We expect Declan to go on the Jaylen Brown offseason workout regiment and come back next season ripped. No one will want to go diving for loose balls with him then. JT Barry had a big day offensively finishing with a season high 8 points. Aside from mastering the Eurostep and having sweet dance moves , JT’s game has improved leaps and bounds from the start of the season. I know JT wears #23 and that got this reporter thinking. Maybe 40 years from now a kid will wear #23 in honor of JT and not MJ? Keegan Flannery got the Holliston fans out of their seats with a late three pointer off the fast break. Keegan finished with 11 points and 2 rebounds. The years of battling his much larger older brother in the backyard are starting to pay off for Keegs. Keep that chip on your shoulder and keep working hard young man and you will be just fine! Tommy Baker was the heartbeat of the squad controlling the tempo and energy of the team from the point guard spot all season. He’ll continue to grow and be a leader for this group for years to come. Jameson Drake improved his defense and gained more confidence in his offense throughout the season. More importantly, Jameson far and away has one of the best attitudes of any kid to ever wear a Holliston uniform. Win, lose or draw Jameson keeps things in perspective and is just a positive spirit. Keagan Shaw played some great minutes on Sunday off the bench. Keagan always was one of the most attentive players and one of the best teammates on the squad. He far and away led the team in breaking us out of huddles demonstrating Holliston Pride. Robert Chung emerged as the “Knockout” King in practice…normally quiet and unassuming Robert would morph into a killer basketball version of Rasputin (inside team joke) come Knockout time and lay waste to the rest of the team. Keep working on that shot Robert, you have a crown to defend! Cam Chiantera played great defense on Sunday and has a growing role looking towards next year. He’s got a great set of tools which I know he’ll continue to improve on. He also is one of the funnier players on the squad which is great for keeping spirits up…although I’m not sure if all the “jokes” are intentional or if that’s Cam just being Cam. Henry Paine was missed on Sunday. Henry brings a lot of physical play to the team and is one of our best listeners and most coachable players. We expect big things next season out of Henry. The 2024-2025 season concludes with a loss, but their future is bright and we can’t wait to see what the next four years brings for this group in Metrowest play.
4th Grade Boys (White) Coach: Peterson
The 4th grade boys Panthers (white) saw their season end on March 9, in a tough playoff-loss to Dedham by a score of 36-17. While this reporter wasn’t able to be present at the game, reports from observers say that the boys played with the same heart and determination they had all year. While the team ended the year winless, they gained skills, experience, and the opportunity to be a part of a team, all of which are victories in-and-of themselves. I can confidently speak on behalf the other coaches, that we have had a great season!
The season-long effort award goes to David Girgis, Isaac Doss, Jayce Sweet, Oskar Peterson, Leo Patka, Aaron Wang, Youssef Lahiani, Max Burian, Charlie Ogoreuc, and Benjamin Leach!
5th Grade Boys (Black) Coach: Gum
Holliston’s 5th grade boys (black) took their 7-4 regular season record into the playoffs on Saturday against a solid Milford team, who dropped down a division for the playoffs. Holliston came out strong and controlled the game in each quarter with great passing and solid defense to finish with a nice 40-30 victory. Ronan Ojha, Grady Gum, and Darian Harris each had 8 points, Jack Donahue had 6 points, Andrew Levasseur had 4 points, and Cade Burke chipped in 2 points. Darian Harris had an impressive 7 steals and led the team with 7 rebounds. Holliston finished with a season high 12 assists, led by Grady Gum with 4 assists and Yamori Richardson with 3 assists.
On Sunday morning, Holliston had a rematch against a tough Bellingham (9-3) team who beat Holliston by 21 points 5 weeks earlier. Holliston came out tough and this game was truly a heavyweight defensive battle. Holliston trailed by just 2 points at halftime. The game was called extremely tight with many traveling violations called on each team and Holliston was whistled for an astounding 25 fouls with 3 players fouling out. Holliston took a 2 point lead in the 3rd quarter but Bellingham was just too much and pulled out a gritty 29-22 win. Darian Harris led Holliston in scoring with 8 points, Grady Gum had 6 points, Ronan Ojha had 4 points, and Yamori Richardson and Jack Donahue each chipped in 2 points.
Holliston improved enormously throughout the season and finished 8-5!
5th Grade Boys (White) Coach: Lyskowski
The Holliston 5th grade boys (white) took on Parkway for their first playoff game and put on a solid showing, outscoring their opponent 41-30. Dylan Mallet had his best game of the season scoring an impressive 15 points including a clutch three pointer. Tyler Crean and Jesiah Varhese both had an impressive game as well, scoring 12 points each. The entire team put on an aggressive defense which helped keep their opponents scoring in check, and were able close out the game in good spirits. They will take on Milton in the final four this Wednesday (3/12).
6th Grade Boys (Red) Coach: Sgarano
The Holliston 6th Grade Boys Team (red) lost their playoff game to Westwood on Saturday night in Hopkinton, 28-27. It was a low scoring affair, with both teams struggling to get things going on offense. Westwood took a 15-8 lead at the half, but Holliston played hard, did not give up and ultimately fell just short in the fourth quarter.
Ryan Baker led Holliston with 10 points. Logan McDonough added 6 and Anderson Langlois added 4. Every player grabbed at least one rebound.
Coach Joe Sgarano would like to thank the team and parents for making this season so enjoyable. All 11 players worked hard, improved their basketball skills, and most importantly were good teammates. A special thank you to Assistant Coaches Scott McDonough and Will Floeckher and to all of the parents who volunteered to keep the scorebook and scoreboard. Your help was greatly appreciated.
7th Grade Boys (Red) Coach: Magoon
The Holliston 7th Grade Boy’s (red) season came to an end on Friday night, falling by a score of 35 to 25 against Dedham. The boy’s great play throughout the season resulted in their being elevated up a division for the playoffs, which seems to be both an honor and a curse. The game was sluggish at first, with the score only being 11 to 7 at the half. Both teams turned on their scoring in the second half, with Dedham pulling away in the final minutes, fueled by two late three pointers. Nate Eppinger was the player of the game, scoring 7 points, followed by Ryan Magoon with 5 points. The scoring rounded out with Joseph Lawendi chipping in 3 points, Gavin Bausch, Nick Gorham, Brody Stanley each scoring 2 points and Devon Doray and Austin McGuire each adding a point. Sharp eyed folks will note that doesn’t equal 25, but Dedham scored an “own goal” to round out the total. John Gebski didn’t break into the scoring column but provided great defense against some huge kids. All in all it was a very good season with each player showing improvement in all elements of the game. Most importantly, the boys continued to develop the intangible parts of the game (and life!) by managing their emotions throughout the season, repeatedly demonstrating good sportsmanship and teamwork and always being open to feedback and coaching (well, as much as you’d expect 13 year olds to be open to feedback and coaching!). We are all sad with how the season ended but everyone seems to be looking forward to getting back on the court in the fall.
7th Grade Boys (Black) Coach: Keller
Holliston’s 7th grade boys seemed primed and ready for a playoff run, but unfortunately ran into a version of a Hopkinton team very different from the one encountered in the regular season. While a back and forth affair throughout the game, the height, speed and deep bench that Hopkinton added to their roster proved too much as Holliston started the game with just seven players and finished with six. Laksh Khatri led all scorers with 16 followed by Leo Wagner with 14. Leo DeFazio, Kirill Stotski along with Leo Wagner went the entire game while Danny Levens, Tanyin Holley, and Noah Keller played stellar defense, logging significant minutes given our short bench. The boys came up short, losing 34-30. We are extremely proud of the team on this day and throughout the entire season.
7th Grade Boys (White) Coach: Kanavich
The 7th grade boys (white) team finished 1-1 in the post season by avenging their first loss of the season defeating Northboro 26-25 in the final minutes of the game, and losing 29-23 to Parkway. The Panthers finished 7-7 in league play and 8-12 overall. The entire team showed tremendous growth and improvement over the course of the season. The coaching staff are extremely proud of the boys’ competitive spirit and positive attitude throughout the whole season.
8th Grade Boys (Red) Coach: Ennis
The 8th grade boys team (red) demonstrated significant Improvement, showcasing their dedication and perseverance. It was a pleasure to coach such a spirited and enthusiastic team. Each week, the boys demonstrated a willingness to enhance their skills and contribute to the team’s success. Their eagerness to practice and perform at their best was evident in every game.
Our playoff game against Dover-Sherborn was a testament to their hard work. The boys started strong, maintaining a close lead throughout the game. Despite their valiant efforts, they ultimately fell short against the D/S team.
Jahan Haider led the team with 5 points and 2 rebounds, while Paul Kuttab contributed 4 points and 2 rebounds. Sam Peters emerged as the team’s top scorer with 10 points, followed by Vinny Lima with 3 points and 2 rebounds. Zorik Sahakyen led the team in both scoring and rebounding with 8 points and 10 rebounds, while Zach Ennis added 5 points and 5 rebounds.
8th Grade Boys (White) Coach: Negri
Holliston’s 6th grade Panthers (white) lost to Millis by a score of 34-21 this past Saturday, abruptly ending another fantastic season that was just picking up steam. Watching the final seconds of this game, I couldn’t have been prouder – the way the team battled in the closing seconds down an insurmountable 13 points, for competing in a higher division this season, and even knocking off a 10-0 team! Playing a style of basketball that would have made the 1985 Celtics proud, Holliston High School basketball has no idea what they are getting with this class.
Thank you to the parents and families – hauling back and forth to Stoughton, being so supportive of the kids and coaches, and bringing such excitement to every game (and even being my security protection from fans of other teams). Special thanks to the coaches – Steve Rebello, Mark Peterson, Eric McGrath, and David Javier; thank you for coming to every practice, every coaches meeting, for running full court, holding pads, and doing whatever it took to make the boys better ball players. The kids were lucky to have you there every week.
To the boys, to see you develop these last three years has been, without a doubt, the most rewarding coaching experience. From where we started in 2022, coming out of COVID not having played much organized basketball, you grew to be a selfless team that could deploy complicated defenses, break suffocating presses, and make that “extra pass” on offense. To Aaron, Colton, Jack, and Jake – you added so much energy and drive to this team, I am so grateful you joined us! To the original nucleus of Ben, Cam, Charlie, James, Liam and Nick; you collectively built a culture of effort, teamwork, and fun that brought so much regular season and playoff success! And lastly to James, getting a front row seat to watch you grow as a player has been a father’s privilege and an honor. I leave you all with one final request as your coach….”BOX OUT!!!!”
GIRLS:
4th Grade Girls Coach: Cooper
The 4th Grade Girls Holliston Travel Basketball Team was on the road for a playoff matchup against Watertown. Holliston began the game with a put back layup from Reagan Taylor to go up 2-0, but it was Watertown’s game the rest of the way beating Holliston 25-13. The team received scoring contributions from Catherine Levasseur (4 points), Madeline Cooper (2 points) Addie Cicciarella (2 points), Harper Sochanek (2 points) and Lily Ennis (1 point).
It was a coming-of-age season for the 4th grade girls’ team from Holliston. Coach Cooper commented to the Holliston Reporter “these kids stepped into the bright lights of the Adams gym on the first day and never looked back. The team’s hard work, dedication, and team camaraderie make this a team I will never forget.” Alaina Chaufty led the division in rebounds in only 4 games before her season ending injury. Reagan Taylor utilized her Kevin McHale low post moves for easy points in the paint. Addie Cicciarella’s smooth dribbling was a site to watch and often ended with a swished jump shot. Lilah Rowe used her speed and quickness to regularly leave defenders in the dust. Lily Ennis utilized her signature back-em down move for easy layups all season. Brighton Swenson was the energizer bunny constantly crashing the boards and badgering the opposing team on defense. Anna Maria DellaRocca took on multiple on court responsibilities and shined in all of them. You did not want to get in Sadie Adamson’s way or else you were probably going to get run over, continually powering through defenders. Harper Sochanek through the leg dribbles would make the Harlem Globetrotters proud. Madeline Cooper’s tough defense and all-around play brought a stabilizing presence to each game. Catherine Levasseur was a site to watch routinely dropping buckets and matching up against opposing teams best players.
Coach Cooper also added in the post-game interview, “I was extremely lucky to have such dedicated assistant coaches, Amy Lavasseur and Andrew Swenson, and the season would not have been the same without them.”
5th Grade Girls (White) Coach: King
The 5th grade girls (white) basketball season came to a close this past Saturday in a first round playoff match-up against a very talented Milton team. While the final score was 24-11, the girls worked hard and never gave up. Unfortunately, Holliston was outmatched from the start. Sometimes you just run up against a brick wall! The Milton defense packed the paint and at the 5th grade level, 3 point shooting hasn’t been a point of emphasis yet which made it very tough to score. Despite a massive size differential, the Holliston girls worked very hard defensively, holding Milton scoreless in the 3rd quarter! Even with strong box outs by Holliston players, the Milton trees were able to grab rebounds right over the girls’ heads. Despite the loss, Holliston had strong defensive performances by all members! Congratulations to every member of this team on an outstanding season—it’s tough to swallow such a tough first round playoff match-up after going 10-0 on the season and earning a Division Championship, but the girls held their heads high, are excited to put in work in the offseason, and can’t wait to get back on the court next year! Shoutouts go to: Josie Brower, Izzy Bartels, Maggie Mulik, Bella DiPippo, Millie Guellnitz, Signe Strand, Nora Corcoran, Olive Bennett and Lennon King (the pipsqueaks), Richa Yedugani, and superfan Vera Finn who was injured halfway through the season but came to practices and games to cheer on her team! A big thank you also goes out to the Assistant Coach of the Year, Crystal Bartels, for her eternal optimism and comic relief and to Kevin Brower, aka Special K, who kept a meticulous book all season long. Best of luck to any teams still in the hunt! Go Holliston!
5th Grade Girls (Black) [2 GAMES] Coach: Wing
The Holliston 5th grade girls (black) played two games playoff games this past weekend. In their first game, the girls faced Medfield for a Friday afternoon game. The girls walked away victorious (34-32) due to an amazing come back in the second half of the game – everyone played their heart out!
Unfortunately, Holliston did not advance after their second game against Norwood losing 23 to 43. The Panthers were neck in neck for the first half of the game, but ran out of fuel in the second half. It was a disappointing loss, however the girls should be very proud of how well they played against the number 1 team in a higher division!
The girls had an awesome season! All of the players demonstrated much improvement over the basketball season and we are beyond pleased with each and every players growth.
Looking forward to next season!
6th Grade Girls (White) Coach: Smith
If the yardstick of points were measured in effort this Holliston team would have been in the W column. Holliston was up in the first and second quarters with Becca “A for Effort” Lindros using all her skills to lead the scoring of the game, with eight points. She had 4 points in the first quarter with one all net at the 0.4 second mark. Emma Whitehead provided more dramatic steals, cross body rebounds, and breakaways giving this game Oscar worthy entertainment. Ruby Smith put in a bucket going into the second quarter to secure a nice lead for Holliston. Elise “the screener” Ferguson and Smith both had five rebounds during the game, providing nice passing both on the defensive and offense. Ferguson gave a nice back door cut to Aarya Sharma, Sharma was fouled and provided 1 out of 2 points at the line in addition, Sharma delivered 2 beautiful blocks and 4 rebounds. The surprise of the game came from Brooke Sawicki, granted to play just 12 hours before from the team doctor, she laced up her sneakers and played a terrific game with 4 steals and running that ball like she owned it. Lauren de Vlaam had her best quarter of the year with taking in 3 rebounds in just the 4th quarter alone, she was following that ball like no-other. Sam Baweja used her moves to provide rebounds to Holliston making nice passes to the power forwards. Belmont got a bit ahead moving into the last quarter, this tennis match game of a game proved if there were 2 minutes left it would have been Holliston’s game. Tears were left on the court as the team gave all they could; the offseason came one game too early in their eyes.
6th Grade Girls (Red) Coach: Cooper
The season came to an end for the 6th Grade team (red) with a playoff loss to Belmont, 33-14 in a well-played game in which the score was not reflective of the game, with multiple Holliston shots rolling in and out on the day. It was that type of day for the 6th Grade Red Team, but it sure was not that type of season. In fact, the team won 4 games and many other close score losses. In the playoff game, Gwen Rosen led Holliston scorers with 5 points, while Ellie Brown (4 points), Ryckie Reichheld (3 points) and Molly Starr (2 points) each contributing baskets.
The season was widely seen as a huge success by coaches and parents, and the team has much to be proud of. Rebecca Lindros recorded over 200 rebounds on the season. Molly “the glove” Starr took her defense first attitude into each game and often found herself in the scoring column. Ailla Howden improved her jump shot as the season went along and continued her willingness to play multiple minutes a game. Speaking of jump shots, Emma Sochanek’s pure form jump shot would make Caitlin Clark proud and Sochanek stepped up the defense this season. Ellie Brown proved to be a dribbling machine and was responsible for running the offense each game. Kendall Hanlon’s confidence shined on all aspects of the court and was routinely relied upon to hit a big shot. Ryckie Reichheld made her athletic presence known each week and applied the full-court pressure all season. Gwen Rosen was a scoring machine and as Gwen went, the team went. Lastly, it would be remiss not to mention the season ending concussion Brianna Cooper suffered at the end of January. Cooper, a heart and soul of the team, was a piece felt missing each week.
The Holliston Reporter would like to point out the outstanding assistant coach of this team, Sean Hanlon, who brought energy and old man basketball expertise all season long.
8th Grade Girls (Red) Coach: McDonald
After an impressive 8-4 finish to their regular season, the 8th grade girls, Holliston Red, received word that their playoff matchup was once again against neighboring Ashland. Ashland eliminated Holliston from the playoffs a year ago, after finishing the regular season with several more wins than Holliston. Feeling like the league delt them a short straw, Holliston did what you would expect from this team and they appropriately prepared showing up ready to play. Holliston opened with a full court press spearheaded by Emerson Harrington, Brooklyn Lessard and Emma Arsenault, creating havoc for Ashland and giving Holliston a quick 19-10 lead at the half. From there, Holliston extended their lead to 15 before slowing the pace of the game and cruising to a 33-27 win. Chelsea Dufault led the team with 14 points and 10 rebounds, Olivia Kerchner had 8 points and 3 steals, Mackenzie McDonald had 6 points and 7 rebounds. The girls are on to the elite 8 with their next matchup against Norwood. Good luck girls!
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