AHS fans at Wakefield High to watch Brighton game March 7. / Scott Zwick photo
“Losing isn’t always the end, sometimes it’s the beginning.” — Joseph Duffy
As the opposition trotted to the free-throw line with 7.6 seconds left in the fourth quarter, senior captain Colin McNamara took a moment to wipe sweat off his brow and glance up at the clock. He looked down and shook his head, as the realization that the season and his basketball career at AHS, was nearing the end. There would be no practice tomorrow.
The No. 1-seed Spy Ponders’ dream of their first state title will have to wait at least one more season, as they fell to Brighton (20-5, No. 5 seed) in the D2 North quarterfinals, 71-64, before a raucous herd of Arlington supporters in Wakefield on Tuesday, March 7. The team ended the season at 21-2.
From the opening tip, it was obvious that Brighton possessed the one thing that makes Arlington look vulnerable — size. Jordan Diaz (6’5″), and Jarrod Clark (6’5″, who was recently offered a football scholarship to Coastal Carolina) were as big as they were strong, and provided the Spy Ponders with all they could handle on the glass and it wasn’t long before they created a seven-point lead for the Bengals.
Fortunately, the Spy Ponders had the one thing that makes every basketball team on the planet nervous — the best player on the court. McNamara (30 points) was wheeling and dealing early and often and when the smoke cleared from a battlefield where only one of the two teams season wouldn’t end, Arlington was only down two.
In the second half the talented City League tournament champs continued to punish the Spy Ponders inside and out with physical play, and it wasn’t long before they pushed the lead to 14.
Facing their largest deficit of the season, the Good Guys began to dig out of the hole. A dribble drive by McNamara, a putback by Dom Black (17 points), a rebound by Jayden Dotten a steal by Bensley Joseph, and the Spy Ponders had the puzzle figured out.
Ponders did their best
E Pluribus Unum — or “many as one,” for those who don’t read Latin or look at money — would have to get it done tonight. With the lead down to four, Brighton beginning to wilt under the onslaught of determined cohesion, McNamara snapped a pass to a wide open Joseph on the wing, and he confidently rose to take a shot from behind the arc. The Arlington fans braced for the anticipated explosion. The ball hit both sides of the rim, went halfway through and cruelly popped out.
It wasn’t going to happen tonight.
Brighton regained its composure: Senior Tyrone Perry (23 points) scored on two dribble drives, senior Jordan Galloway found unique ways to lob passes to Diaz who gently pushed three of them through the basket, and soon the lead was back up to double digits.
The Ponders never quit, cut the lead enough to give the faithful hope a few more times, but soon the clock began to dwindle below the minimum threshold of time needed to score more points than the opposition and the outcome was decided. This would not be the year Arlington would win its first state title.
Only one team in the tournament-style playoffs can end their campaign with a win, so judging the success of the season requires one to reflect on the entire body of work. With a roster of only two seniors, captains Daniel Kim and McNamara, the Spy Ponders won 21 games, went undefeated in league play and were the Middlesex Liberty Division champions.
They won the prestigious Comcast tournament-made sweeter by defeating Malden Catholic in the final, getting revenge on the team that had eliminated them last season. Maybe more impressive than the tangible achievements was the ability of these players to trust each other, act unselfishly, work hard, and comport themselves with pride and dignity.
Successful season
By any reasonable measure this season was a resounding success.
But is it the end? Junior Black averaged 16 points per game and grabbed seven rebounds per game; freshman Joseph’s averaged 12 points and three steals; and sophomore James Gascoigne added 14 points and 10 boards per contest. Sophomore Dotten improved dramatically as the season wore on, where tonight he was asked to defend the opposition’s best player in the most important game of the season.
Sophomore Nick Koralis, was a rock of consistency all season long and one of their best three-point shooters. Sophomore Joey Pazzia and junior Ben Wasco were a dynamic one-two punch off the bench and a strong inside presence.
That doesn’t sound like a sad end to me. It sounds like a great beginning.
But they will move on without McNamara, who exits the program as the most prolific winner in school history. He finished his career with a 178-18 varsity record. He won 49 out of 56 games his junior and senior year. The astounding win loss percentage is a reflection on both his talents and those around him, something the soft spoken point guard repeated often during postgame interviews. He has been at the center of a run of success that propelled Arlington to an elite status in the area with the potential for future greatness, always comporting himself with class and nobility.
He will continue to play basketball next season at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. McNamara will begin something great there.]
Stay tuned for the rebroadcast of this game, and thank you to the players and coaches for treating the Arlington community to an exciting season of action packed team oriented basketball.
March 6, 2017: Zwick: How Ponders topped New Mission — just barely
This news summary by Scott Zwick of ACMi is republished published Wednesday, March 8, 2017, from his Facebook site with his permission.
