Westborough 54, Marlborough 48: Rangers hang on late to top Panthers

Tuesday
Jan 2, 2018 at 10:46 PM Jan 2, 2018 at 10:46 PM

Even though Westborough bent, it didn't break, and after leading Marlborough by more than 20 points in the third quarter the Rangers were able to hang on and close out a 54-48 Mid-Wach B victory.

By Jared KeeneDaily News Correspondent

WESTBOROUGH — Come season's end, the Westborough boys basketball team knows it's not going to contend for a league title and/or make a deep postseason run unless it challenges itself.

Part of that challenge will come from the schedule the Rangers are playing this year, which not only includes dangerous league opponents Marlborough and Groton-Dunstable but also includes the likes of Algonquin, Wachusett, North Andover, and state power Needham.

Tuesday night came the first league challenge for Westborough, as the Rangers welcomed a Marlborough squad that was playing without star forward Chris Doherty. Yet despite being without the talented 6-foot-6 senior, the Panthers still showed they can compete with or without him.

Marlborough, which trailed by 17 at the half and 14 after three quarters, used a big fourth quarter to get back in the game and found itself down just three with 1:12 to go. But even though Westborough bent, it didn't break, as the Rangers were able to hang on and close out a 54-48 Mid-Wach B victory.

“Marlborough is a great team with and without Chris,” Westborough coach Brian Willar said after his team improved to 3-1 overall, 2-0 in the league. “We were lucky enough to find out three days ago that Chris wasn't going to be playing, so we kind of changed our game-plan going in. Early on, we did a great job against their zone and knocked down some shots. But I think we got tired. To me, that's a learning experience. We were up by 17 at the half, got it over 20 in the third, but they just kept coming and coming, and we knew they were going to.

“Marlborough is well-coached and they have great players. But when it came down to it, my guys showed some poise late in the game. My guys are learning how to close games out and I think that's what happened tonight, so I was very happy to see that,” Willar said.

The Rangers held a 46-32 lead heading to the fourth quarter and appeared as if they were going to grab a relatively easy victory, but the Panthers (4-2, 0-2) had other ideas.

With Westborough up 49-38 following a 3-pointer by junior tri-captain Jake Hughes, Marlborough went on an 8-0 run over a span of 3:43. Two free throws by sophomore Angel Strange (14 points) cut the Marlborough deficit to nine before a pair of Alex Santos free throws made it 49-42.

Kevin Short (13 points) then swished a 3-pointer before Jonah Hintz went to the line for two free throws. Hintz made the first to make it 49-46, but an offensive foul was called on the Panthers on Hintz's second attempt.

That sent Dom Casparriello to the free throw line, where he made one of two to make it 50-46 with 1:12 to go. From there, Westborough was able to finish off Marlborough thanks to a Matt Doherty (14 points) putback and two Mike Doherty (12 points) free throws.

“We let them back in the game, but it was good that we were finally able to close it out,” Hughes, who finished with 14 points, said. “We weren't hitting our shots in the second half like we were in the first half. We let down on certain plays because we thought we had a comfortable lead, so we've got to be prepared next time that happens to not let our opponent get back in the game.”

Panthers coach Scott Bauman was disappointed afterwards, primarily with his team's first-half performance, which ultimately forced Marlborough to play from behind for a majority of the game.

“Tough loss, but it's a tough loss because we put ourselves in those situations early,” he said. “Westborough is a good team, they're well-coached, and they've got some great players offensively, and you can't give good teams a big lead. I'm proud of the way we fought, but when you dig a hole like that, you spend so much energy — mentally, emotionally, and physically — to where it's tough against good teams to overcome that. Unfortunately, tonight we weren't able to.”

The two teams were tied 12-12 in the first quarter, but the Rangers used a 13-0 run over the last 2:30 of the opening frame and the first 24 seconds of the second quarter to take a 25-12 lead. Westborough also finished the first half with a 9-2 run, with layups by Hughes and Alex Badger over the final 11 seconds giving the Rangers a 40-23 at the half.

Two Mike Doherty layups to open the third quarter gave Westborough its largest lead at 44-23.

Tuesday
Jan 2, 2018 at 10:46 PM Jan 2, 2018 at 10:46 PM

Even though Westborough bent, it didn't break, and after leading Marlborough by more than 20 points in the third quarter the Rangers were able to hang on and close out a 54-48 Mid-Wach B victory.

By Jared KeeneDaily News Correspondent

WESTBOROUGH — Come season's end, the Westborough boys basketball team knows it's not going to contend for a league title and/or make a deep postseason run unless it challenges itself.

Part of that challenge will come from the schedule the Rangers are playing this year, which not only includes dangerous league opponents Marlborough and Groton-Dunstable but also includes the likes of Algonquin, Wachusett, North Andover, and state power Needham.

Tuesday night came the first league challenge for Westborough, as the Rangers welcomed a Marlborough squad that was playing without star forward Chris Doherty. Yet despite being without the talented 6-foot-6 senior, the Panthers still showed they can compete with or without him.

Marlborough, which trailed by 17 at the half and 14 after three quarters, used a big fourth quarter to get back in the game and found itself down just three with 1:12 to go. But even though Westborough bent, it didn't break, as the Rangers were able to hang on and close out a 54-48 Mid-Wach B victory.

“Marlborough is a great team with and without Chris,” Westborough coach Brian Willar said after his team improved to 3-1 overall, 2-0 in the league. “We were lucky enough to find out three days ago that Chris wasn't going to be playing, so we kind of changed our game-plan going in. Early on, we did a great job against their zone and knocked down some shots. But I think we got tired. To me, that's a learning experience. We were up by 17 at the half, got it over 20 in the third, but they just kept coming and coming, and we knew they were going to.

“Marlborough is well-coached and they have great players. But when it came down to it, my guys showed some poise late in the game. My guys are learning how to close games out and I think that's what happened tonight, so I was very happy to see that,” Willar said.

The Rangers held a 46-32 lead heading to the fourth quarter and appeared as if they were going to grab a relatively easy victory, but the Panthers (4-2, 0-2) had other ideas.

With Westborough up 49-38 following a 3-pointer by junior tri-captain Jake Hughes, Marlborough went on an 8-0 run over a span of 3:43. Two free throws by sophomore Angel Strange (14 points) cut the Marlborough deficit to nine before a pair of Alex Santos free throws made it 49-42.

Kevin Short (13 points) then swished a 3-pointer before Jonah Hintz went to the line for two free throws. Hintz made the first to make it 49-46, but an offensive foul was called on the Panthers on Hintz's second attempt.

That sent Dom Casparriello to the free throw line, where he made one of two to make it 50-46 with 1:12 to go. From there, Westborough was able to finish off Marlborough thanks to a Matt Doherty (14 points) putback and two Mike Doherty (12 points) free throws.

“We let them back in the game, but it was good that we were finally able to close it out,” Hughes, who finished with 14 points, said. “We weren't hitting our shots in the second half like we were in the first half. We let down on certain plays because we thought we had a comfortable lead, so we've got to be prepared next time that happens to not let our opponent get back in the game.”

Panthers coach Scott Bauman was disappointed afterwards, primarily with his team's first-half performance, which ultimately forced Marlborough to play from behind for a majority of the game.

“Tough loss, but it's a tough loss because we put ourselves in those situations early,” he said. “Westborough is a good team, they're well-coached, and they've got some great players offensively, and you can't give good teams a big lead. I'm proud of the way we fought, but when you dig a hole like that, you spend so much energy — mentally, emotionally, and physically — to where it's tough against good teams to overcome that. Unfortunately, tonight we weren't able to.”

The two teams were tied 12-12 in the first quarter, but the Rangers used a 13-0 run over the last 2:30 of the opening frame and the first 24 seconds of the second quarter to take a 25-12 lead. Westborough also finished the first half with a 9-2 run, with layups by Hughes and Alex Badger over the final 11 seconds giving the Rangers a 40-23 at the half.

Two Mike Doherty layups to open the third quarter gave Westborough its largest lead at 44-23.

Choose the plan that’s right for you. Digital access or digital and print delivery.

Learn More