By Tim DeLouchrey
Sports Editor

WA Boys’ Basketball secured the sectional title on Friday with a 68-51 victory over St. John’s Shrewsbury at WPI. Senior captains Eric McCord and Dan Cornelius finished with 26 points and 13 points respectively.

The game opened with a statement block from Cornelius, who swatted a St. John’s layup to open the game. Junior Scotty Callahan puts the Ghosts on the board first with a deep mid range jump shot. The team maintained a balanced scoring attack and thanks to a three-pointer by Cornelius, went up 9-6 early. Cornelius followed up that possession with another score, but junior Patrick Coffey picked up a foul on the defensive end on the following possession. WA kept battling hard on defense however, getting in the way of an attempted dunk from St. John’s to set the defensive tone for the game. Sophomore reserve John Glidden chipped in with a three pointer with just twenty seconds remaining in the quarter. McCord hit a fade away jumper to end the quarter, putting WA up 18-10.

McCord opened up the next quarter with another lay-in off of a smooth feed from Cornelius. The Ghosts were leading 20-10 then, when Cornelius came up with a steal on the defensive end, leading to a free throw from McCord. Cornelius followed up the play with a fading jump shot from mid-range to put WA up 23-15. McCord picked up his second foul shortly after, getting him into foul trouble. The Ghosts offense ran through Cornelius, who hit another jump shot to put WA up 27-19. St. John’s scored a couple of back to back baskets to bring the team within four at the half. Cornelius and McCord had 9 and 7 points respectively.

The second half opened up with a free throw from McCord, followed by two layups he made as well. St. John’s went shot for shot with WA, keeping the score within five points. McCord continued to dominate the third quarter, scoring eight straight points for WA, including an athletic spin layup, pushing his total for the night to eighteen points. The rest of the quarter was defined by turnovers on both ends, but the Ghosts led 44-34 going into the fourth.

In the remaining quarter, WA continued to execute smoothly in transition, with McCord continuing to be a force on the offensive and defensive glass. Senior reserve Jimmy Ward also helped out with scrappy offensive rebounds and a three-pointer late in the fourth.

Head coach Christopher Bramanti said after the game, “McCord was dominant all the night. He was always the answer.”

After his much heralded performance, a humbled McCord said, “We defended well… Our guards did a great job applying pressure to their guys.”