By Tim DeLouchrey
Sports Editor
Pictures by Kai-Lou Yue and Natasha Singh
News Editor and Staff Writer
Storify by Kathleen McAleese
Editor-in-Chief

WA Boys’ Basketball took on Putnam Vocational in the State Semifinals on Tuesday, March 10 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts. The Ghosts were defeated by a final score of 60-44 after a hard fought match.

Putnam won the initial jump ball, but that was not the story of the first minutes. WA senior captain Eric McCord exited the game almost immediately with an apparent injury. Shortly after, Putnam senior guard Ty Nichols hit the floor hard, but after laying down for a minute, returned to the game. McCord would also re-enter after consulting with WA trainer Billy Bombaci for the first half of the opening quarter.

WA junior Scotty Callahan scored the first points in the game after a two minute drought to start, hitting a mid range jump shot that he has been hitting all year to get the Ghosts going. With 4:35 remaining in the first quarter, WA called a timeout leading just 2-1, as neither team could get shots to fall. McCord came right out of the timeout and put down a layup, marking his first score of the evening.

Putnam junior 1,000 point scorer Tyonne Malone answered with a layup of his own, but WA junior Pat Coffey fired back with a crisp two-point jumper. Putnam reserve Justin Stewart hit a three-pointer just after however, as the teams began to find their groove. Putnam scored again, pushing their run to 7-0. The quarter ended with Putnam leading 10-6 in a period characterized by turnovers for both teams.

WA junior Nick Fiorillo came out of the break with a three-pointer off a pass for Coffey, bringing the lead back within one. On the ensuing possession, McCord went to the line after drawing a foul on Malone. He hit one, tying the contest at 10. Putnam kept attacking the basket however, scoring a layup and on the following possession, creating space for a three-pointer, putting them up 5.

Head coach Christopher Bramanti said before the game, “they’re a quick, athletic, and long team.” This proved true, as Putnam used their athleticism to chase down loose balls and get a step ahead on offense.

Malone got fouled on his next drive, but made the layup anyway. He would miss the free throw, however. Coffey scored on another jump shot after a WA timeout, but Putnam answered with a three-pointer, creating a 20-12 lead. McCord got fouled on the offensive end once again by Malone, marking his second foul with just 2:11 remaining in the half. McCord made both free throws this time, bringing WA within 6. McCord came down on the next possession and was fouled again, this time making the additional layup off a gutsy pass from senior reserve Jimmy Ward. He hit the free throw, making it one possession game; 20-17. Stewart hit another three for Putnam, which was quickly answered by a three-pointer from Coffey.

The half ended 23-20 with Putnam in the lead after an intense 30 seconds at the end of the quarter with both teams hustling hard, but unable to score. Coffey and Stewart both had 9 points at the half, leading all scorers. As a team, WA hit 7 of their 19 shots at halftime, while Putnam made 9 of 25, including 4 of 11 from the three-point line.

McCord scored the first basket in the second half on a patient layup with multiple pump fakes. Putnam fired back with another three-pointer, pushing the score to 26-22 in their favor. WA used crisp ball movement to help Cornelius score a layup in retaliation. Malone rejected shot after shot for Putnam all game, including a ferocious block on a runner by senior Dan Cornelius.

“They played to their strengths” Bramanti said. “They made it hard to cut through [the middle].”

Putnam continued their brief run, which was ended by another layup by McCord. Malone responded with a three-pointer off of an isolation play which gave Putnam a 7 point lead.

“They hit a lot of their outside shots” Bramanti said after the game. “Give them credit, they haven’t done that all season.”

WA finally began to gain traction with another three-pointer from Coffey and a solid defensive stop afterward. After several empty possessions by both teams, Malone scored on another three-pointer. McCord responded with another patient layup after a Putnam defender bit on a steal attempt. Malone and Nichols then both scored on strong layups in the final minute of the quarter. WA trailed 39-31 heading into the final period.

The fourth quarter opened with a WA miss, followed by Malone’s third three-pointer on the night, pushing the Putnam lead to double digits. Sophomore John Glidden responded after WA’s timeout with a three-pointer. A WA player was fouled underneath the basket as well, so WA retained possession and put it to use, as McCord scored another layup after a convincing pump fake. WA’s mini-run was ended by a layup from Nichols, bringing the game back to an 8 point difference. Putnam scored again on a fast-break, prompting Bramanti to call another timeout with the Ghosts trailing 46-36.

Glidden fired another three-pointer after the timeout, converting once again to bring life back in the Ghosts. Putnam and McCord traded layups afterwards, making the score 48-41. Coffey fouled Malone on the following possession, who made one of his two attempts. With just 3:06 remaining in the final period, WA trailed by 8.

After a Putnam timeout, Glidden knocked in another huge three-pointer, which was followed by another athletic score inside from Putnam. With just over two minutes remaining, Malone hammered down a thunderous dunk, followed by a tough layup from another Putnam player, giving the Putnam fan section an eruption of momentum. Malone converted a free throw after an intentional foul, pushing his total on the game to 20. Coffey fouled on the ensuing possession, marking his fifth and final foul.

With WA trailing 56-44 with under a minute remaining, the WA fan section began a “thank you” seniors chant. McCord finished with 18 points in his final game as a Grey Ghost.

“He’s just been doing what he’s always been doing” said Bramanti in regards to McCord. “He did a great job giving some head fakes… He’s just been steady for us all year.”

To add insult to injury, Nichols threw down a wide open dunk with just a second remaining. He finished with 13 points.

After the game, McCord commented on the season as a whole, saying “it was a great run and a lot of fun but we couldn’t have done it without all 14 guys on this team. Everyone worked so hard every day at practice pushing the next guy to get better too.”

He went on to say “I’m so proud of this team. We knew we had the skill and capability to make a deep run in the playoffs and compete with anyone in the state as long as we worked hard and executed.”

This game marks the end of the longest playoff stretch the Ghosts have made since 1968.

Putnam will advance on to play Catholic Memorial on Saturday at the DCU Center.

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