Andy Dunn

Staff Writer

Westford Academy’s Boys’ Varsity Basketball Team took on Concord-Carlisile and won by a final score of 53 to 50 in the first game of the season for WA and also WA’s first home game of the season.

Throughout the game both teams played extremely tenacious defense and it was a low-scoring battle. Both teams opened their season with this game, and this statement win for WA gives them a nice start to a possibly great season.

At halftime WA was losing, 24-22. CC was as tough as ever coming into the second half, but WA stepped it up a notch and slowly turned a 2 point deficit into a 3 point win in the second half due to some fantastic play.

Not only did WA defeat one of the better basketball teams in the league, they closed out the game without co-captain Matt Ellis due to a calf injury.  In the final few minutes, which were very close, they held onto a 2 or 3 point lead throughout the end. Without their co-captain Ellis the team turned to the other co-captain, Mark Cornelius. Cornelius delivered in the end in the absence of Ellis, ending the game by making 1 of 2 free throws to make it a three point game, and then sprinting down the court immediately after blocking CC’s 3-point attempt with 6 seconds left to hold on for the win.

Sophomores Justin Mount and Troy Faretra both played relatively large roles in the victory. Mount was the starting shooting guard for the game and played a good amount of time, and Faretra also played a big role at the end by coming up with multiple steals and an array of shots that helped lead the team to victory with the absence of Ellis at the end.

Guard/forward Faretra and shooting guard  Mount are the youth of Head Coach Ed Scollan’s program, and are expected to learn immensely under the wings of a very experienced upper-class team.

This win sets an important precedent for the varsity team and a strong message to all other challengers; even without their co-captain and heart of the team, Ellis, they are still a powerhouse to be reckoned with.

The youth of the program stepped up in the absence of Ellis in addition to Cornelius’ and Imbriaco’s contributions as well.

The team looks very promising in the long-run, with DCL All-Stars Mark Cornelius and Matt Ellis leading the team. Also returning to the team are Ryan Imbriaco, Ryan Jann, Mike Bibinski, and Alex Preckol all are returning to the team this year.

According to Scollan, he expects co-captains Cornelius and Ellis to be extremely valuable and the leading scorers of the team. Along with these high expectations, they are also expected to have a major leading role in the team.

The varsity team looks incredibly promising and could go deep into the playoffs this year, but it’s integral for the team to focus on each upcoming game individually. Their next game is home vs. Lincoln-Sudbury at 5:30 on December 21.