LOWELL — Stars Jaylin Williams-Crawford and Jaylen Hunter-Coleman flashed big smiles. Their coach, Hugh Coleman, struggled to hold back tears of joy. Charlestown’s mission was complete.
Williams-Crawford racked up 26 points, 13 rebounds, and six steals while Hunter-Coleman tallied 18 points, seven rebounds, and five steals to lead No. 1 Charlestown to its first boys basketball state title since 2005 with a 61-40 win over No. 2 Old Rochester on Saturday afternoon at the Tsongas Center.
It’s Charlestown’s seventh championship in program history. Six-time champion Jack O’Brien, who coached Coleman at the school, was in attendance Saturday.
The win culminates a mission by Coleman to return his alma mater to prominence after he won a pair of championships at Brighton in 2013 and 2017. With his son Hunter-Coleman and nephew Williams-Crawford at the forefront, Charlestown was one of the top teams in Eastern Mass. throughout the 2023-24 season. It dropped just a pair of contests and defeated all five of its tournament foes by double figures.
“I know what the kids are going through so I just wanted to be a person that could show them that life can be as good as you want it to be no matter how it starts,” Coleman said. “That’s everything I believe in. I look at the community. Not just Charlestown but also Boston. I look at everybody, and it means a lot.”
Throughout the first 20 minutes, the Bulldogs (21-5) managed to get the tempo to their liking. They deployed a zone press to slow the Townies’ attack while also showcasing an ability to attack the rim. After trailing by 10 at the half, Joe Butler drilled two triples to help pull the Bulldogs within 28-23 with 4:15 left in the third.
From that point forward it was all Charlestown. Williams-Crawford converted two of his steals into buckets and Hunter-Coleman went fearless to the cup as part of a 17-7 run that put Charlestown up 45-30 in the fourth. The Townies left little doubt in the final stanza as Williams-Crawford and Hunter-Coleman had four transition buckets around a layup from Trevari Andrews to go in front 23 with just over two minutes remaining.
“It’s amazing to be part of the (Charlestown) legacy now,” Hunter-Coleman said. “Being with my uncle and my dad and knowing what they did – knowing my name is going to be on a banner like theirs was, it just feels great.”
