By: Derek Cordon – Administrative Assistant for the Recap Directors
There are 4 Holliston teams at the 6th grade level made up of 46 players – 23 boys and 23 girls. RJ Arsenault is tasked with leading one of the girls’ squads with Tiffany Polny and John Hayes as the assistants. The other female team is headed up by Brian McDonald with Jessica Kerchner and Jason Dufault at his side. Mark Peterson, Chris Ennis and Steve Rebello work with head coach Matt Negri to handle one of the boys’ teams, while the other boys’ group has Kevin Furey at the helm with Fil Firmani and Eric McGrath as assistant coaches. A big thank you to all the 6th grade coaches for volunteering your time and doing everything you can to keep the player enrollment numbers high moving forward.
Let’s find out how the Holliston teams did on the parquet floor:
Girls’ 4th Grade
The Holliston 4th grade girls team fell to Lincoln-Sudbury 38-7 on Sunday in a home-match up at the fabled Adams Gymnasium. The Panthers witnessed the emergence of Center Aarya Sharma as she notched a team leading 4 points and 6 rebounds. Ellie Brown also got in on the action with a sweeping lay up from the right side during the second quarter. Fierce defensive efforts came from Bridget McAuley and Lexi Chek, but Lincoln-Sudbury proved to be too much for the Panthers. The team is back on the road this weekend for a showdown with the Clockers of Ashland.
Girls’ 5th Grade (Red)
The Holliston 5th grade girls (Red) team continued their scoring onslaught again this week. The Panthers hopped out to a 16-4 first quarter lead and cruised to a 35-15 victory at Norwood. Ella Bennett dropped an amazing 20 points for the 2nd consecutive game while driving through multiple Mustang defenders. Avery Palma was everywhere on the court while she filled up the stat book with 6 points, 2 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Addy McAdams continued her gritty inside presence on her way to 4 points, 2 assists and 3 rebounds against the much taller Norwood front line. Holliston’s defensive spark, Louisa Bigelow, shut down the Mustang perimeter players and added 2 points to go along with 3 steals and 2 rebounds. The 4-1 Panthers are on the road this week against 4-1 Freetown-Lakeville.
Girls’ 5th Grade (White)
The Holliston 5th grade girls (White) team played their most physical game on the road this Sunday. The game was neck and neck throughout. The team implemented and ran their offensive plays relatively mistake free. Izzy Napoli assisted the offense with her strong screens for the point guards. Reese Leverone’s aggressive defense shut down Winchester’s key player in the fourth quarter. Each player endured the physical nature of the game. Winchester’s foul trouble in the second half led to opportunities for foul shots by Danika DoRosario and she buried the 1 and 1 free throws to seal the ultimate win 21-19. Holliston will cross the town line for a match up with Dover Sherborn on Sunday and then a make-up up game on Monday against Westborough.
Girls’ 6th Grade (Red)
This week the Holliston 6th grade girls (Red) team hosted Lincoln Sudbury. Maybe it was the extended break, but the girls opened the game a little sluggish as Lincoln Sudbury opened with a 6-0 lead. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for the girls to step up their energy and tie the game by halftime, 6-6. From there, aggressive team defense took over and the girls won the game, 16-10. Chelsea Dufault and Caroline Coughlin led the team in scoring with 4 points each. Chelsea Dufault also led the team in rebounds with 9 while Riya Yedugani had 6. Mackenzie McDonald led the team with 5 steals and a special welcome back to Emma Arsenault who has returned from her injury and contributed with 5 rebounds and 2 points. Next week, the girls have two big matchups. They travel to Weston on Saturday and host Wayland on Sunday. Both games should be exciting.
Girls’ 6th Grade (White)
Sunday was the toughest loss of the season for the Holliston 6th grade girls (White) team. Outplaying the Southboro team all game and up by five points late in the second half, the girls lost on a last second buzzer beater in excruciating fashion 21-20. The team played hard, controlled the pace, and hit several big shots but came up just short. Sage Passier contributed 4 critical points and led the defensive effort in her first game back after recovering from a fractured wrist. Emma Starr got the Hoops on track early with 2 buckets from long range. Kaylin Hayes and Violet Polny controlled the middle of the Hoops zone and ripped down the boards all game. Next up is a road contest on 1/22 @ 12:50PM against Natick at the Natick Community Center.
Girls’ 7th Grade
Game 6 was a nailbiter as the Holliston 7th grade girls battled Westwood on the hardwood in an 8am Sunday morning matchup. Coming up short by a bucket, the team took the loss, 41-39. With a game this close, there were plenty of highlights. Mia Faletra drained three 3-pointers as the lead scorer with 17 total points. Lucy Mancuso netted 11 points, but even more impressive were her 16 steals. Skylar MacDonald dropped in 8 points. The team plays at home at Robert Adams Middle School, this Saturday, January 21st at 4:30pm when they face Lexington.
Girls’ 8th Grade (Red)
The Holliston 8th grade girls (Red) team came out fast out of the gates against Brookline on Sunday. The team quickly jumped out to a commanding 16-3 lead and never looked back. The team was on fire from deep, hitting a season high 5 three pointers including 3 by Grace Gorham and 2 by Callie Dietz. Adrianna Bulmer added some tough inside defense and 4 rebounds to help guide the Panthers to a 41-25 win. Grace Gorham led all scorers with 15 points and Callie Dietz followed with a season high 8 points. Katie Joslin contributed 7 points while continuing to attack the basket. Campbell Harris dominated the paint with 8 points and 5 rebounds. The 3-2 Panthers are on the road next week versus Rochester.
Girls’ 8th Grade (White)
The Holliston 8th grade girls (White) team hosted Natick on Sunday and fell 44-14. Despite what the scoreboard said, the Holliston squad never gave up. Ari Carbino had 5 points and Kadence Lynch dropped in a bucket of her own. Addie Snow showed strong hands on the defensive glass and limited some of Natick’s second chance shots. Next up, Holliston takes a trip to Walpole for a match up on Sunday.
Boys’ 4th Grade (Red)
On Saturday night the Holliston 4th grade boys (Red) team faced a tough Framingham team on the road. Framingham got off to a hot start, but Holliston stayed in the game. Ultimately Framingham went on a run in the 4th quarter to pull away for a 40-21 win. Logan McDonough led the way with 11 points and 5 rebounds. Joe Sgarano chipped in with 2 points and 3 rebounds and Will Finneran played tough defense and snagged a rebound. Holliston looks to bounce back on Sunday afternoon when they take on Canton at the Adams Middle School.
Boys’ 4th Grade (White)
Sunday afternoon the Holliston 4th grade boys (White) team hit the road to play the North Attleboro silver squad down at the Mass Premier Sports complex in Foxboro. Holliston started out matching up well thru the first quarter but slowly fell behind the scoring machine of North Attleboro, ultimately losing 35-22. Declan Aldredge hit for 14 points while Owen Jacquet sunk a couple buckets to help out with 4 points. Ty Looney and David Blackerby each chipped in with a bucket a piece. The boys are on the road again this weekend in Dedham on Sunday morning.
Boys’ 5th Grade (Red)
The Holliston 5th grade boys (Red) team lost to Lincoln-Sudbury at home this weekend, 44-23. Nathan Eppinger was the team’s leading scorer with 10 points, with Ryan Magoon and Gavin Bausch adding 6 points each. The team gets back at it against Lexington this Sunday at 4:40 at the Adams Middle School.
Boys’ 5th Grade (White)
The Holliston 5th grade boys (White) team closed out a 25-18 win over Parkway at home this past Sunday. The team improves to 3-5 on the season. Led by the hustle of Brody Stanley, the Panther’s played their best defense of the year, holding Parkway to 0 points in the fourth quarter. Additionally, Stanley tallied 8 rebounds, along with Joseph Lawendi (10), Noah Keller (4), Logan Kanavich (2), and Austin McGuire (2). Nolan Burke, Dylan Perrett and Laksh Khatri also grabbed a rebound each. Point Guard, Joseph Lawendi led the team in scoring with 13 points and was joined by Brody Stanley (4), Austin McGuire (2), Nolan Burke (2), Noah Keller (2), and Dylan Perrett (2). Nolan Burke was awarded the team’s “Silver Swoosh” chain for his hustle, effective decision making, disruptive defense, and improvement. The team returns to the paint next Sunday against Bridgewater at the Adams Middle School at 2:00 pm.
Boys’ 6th Grade (Red)
The Holliston 6th grade boys (Red) team traveled to Westborough this week, and unfortunately lost 55-19. Quinn McErlean and William Hayes led the game offensively with 6 and 5 points, respectively. The team was able to pull some positives out of this lop-sided game. The boys were very aggressive defensively, pulling down 32 rebounds and 15 steals as a team. Eli Boggess and Ben Furey led all rebounders with 6 each. Andrew Ferguson (5), Quinn McErlean (4) and Sam Israel (3) led the team in steals. Next week the team will host Medway at the Adams Middle School.
Boys’ 6th Grade (White)
The Holliston 6th grade boys (White) team went into Newton and played a tough game against the division’s top team, losing 47-23, in a game that was close for three quarters. Buoyed by the return of Ben Rebello from injury, the Panthers played an ever-changing defensive scheme throughout the game, cutting the lead to 6 after three quarters. Showing a well-balanced offense, 9 different players scored in the game, led by leading scorer Liam Forbes (6 points). Next week, the boys are home against Hopkinton at the Adams Middle School.
Boys’ 7th Grade (Red)
The Holliston 7th grade boys (Red) team suffered its first defeat of the regular season, 41-26, to a very tough Medway team. Medway got off to a hot start in the first half, using their size and interior presence to open up a huge lead going into the half. The third quarter, however, was dominated by Holliston as the boys were able to cut the lead to 9 before the game got away. Sean Sullivan led the way with 14 points and 4 rebounds. Nate Howell had a huge game as well, playing aggressive against an opponent that was tougher than most. Max Coletti provided some valuable minutes and some good tough defense, corralling 3 rebounds on the defensive end, and Jack Whitten gave the opponent fits as the top of our dreaded 1-3-1 defense causing the other team some difficulties bringing the ball up the court. The boys are back at it in an early morning home game on the 22nd against Wellesley at 8:40am at the Adams Middle School.
Boys’ 7th Grade (White)
The Holliston 7th grade boys (White) team took a long road trip to Taunton and unfortunately lost the game 34-27. Will Dietrich led the Panther’s scoring with 11 points. Jesse Brodsky and Nathan Vargese had 6 points each in the contest while Max McFayden contributed 4 points. Next game for Holliston will be hosting Easton at the Adams Middle School in a Saturday matchup.
Boys’ 8th Grade
The Holliston 8th grade boys played Medfield on Saturday which featured both teams at 3-0 to start the Metrowest season. Medfield is one of the top teams in the Metrowest league with an average margin of victory of 20 points entering the contest vs Holliston. Medfield was relentless on defense with an aggressive 2-3 trap. The boys played well together to break the press and executed well with their own brand of team defense holding Medfield to their lowest offensive output of the season, 34 points. They were averaging 53.5 points entering the game. Holliston kept the game close as Cal Leverone hit a 3-pointer from the corner and Holliston had a couple of opportunities to tie towards the end of the game, but Medfield prevailed 34-32. Jack McDonald led a balanced Panther attack with 11 points, Cal Leverone added 8, and Luke McHugh scored 6 points.
The boys returned to Adams to face Medway on Sunday. The two teams played a great game last season with the Panthers winning by 1 point. In this contest, the two teams played a close first quarter with Holliston ending the first period with a 2-point advantage. The pace of the game increased significantly in the second quarter with the Panthers implementing a press defense leading to multiple steals to end the first half with a 6-point lead. Medway kept the game close throughout shooting 9-9 as a team from the free throw line and their leading scorer connecting on all 6 of his 3-point attempts including one that cut the lead to 2 points with under 30 seconds to play. Medway then put Luke McHugh on the free throw line. Luke connected on both free throws to seal the victory 51-47 for Holliston. Jack McDonald led Holliston in scoring with 12 points, Ethan Suhajda added 10 points, and Ben Dufault scored 8 points for the Panthers who improved to 4-1 on the season.
Next up for Holliston is another pair of home games this weekend at the Adams Middle School against Hopkinton on Saturday and Bedford on Sunday.
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