2012 - 2013 Season
Seniors Erupt in Westwood Playoff Win
Monday, February 25, 2013
WESTWOOD---While Senior Night in Bader Gym for the Westwood boys basketball team may have officially been a few weeks ago, Monday night was definitely the night of the seniors. In what was the final home game in the high school careers of seven Westwood players, the Wolverines emerged from their MIAA Division 3 South tournament preliminary round matchup with a 66-64 thrilling win over the Hanover Indians. A conventional three-point play from senior captain Jonathan Allegrezza with 36.4 seconds remaining gave the Wolverines the lead for good, 64-61. The 20th-seeded Hanover team, which qualified for the playoffs by winning both games in the Abington Tournament over vacation, came out firing, making 5 of their first six shots from the field, including two three-point attempts and took an early 17-7 lead. By the time the first quarter ended, the lead had been cut down to 21-16, but only because the Indians’ leading scorer, senior Sean McNally (24 points), was forced to the bench with two early fouls. The second quarter was much of the same, with Hanover knocking down difficult shot after difficult shot, led by McNally and junior Ryan Kelleher (13 points, 3-4 3PA). The 13th seeded Wolverines got a few key baskets from senior Joe Lally (20 points), who did just enough to keep the Wolverines from being run out of their own gym before the horn sounded at the end of the first half. The teams went into the locker room with Hanover holding a commanding 39-27 lead. The second half immediately saw a change in momentum, however, with Westwood scoring the first six points, cutting the lead in half. Hanover’s McNally, however, remained calm under pressure hitting another key three to push the lead back to nine. At that point, however, Westwood went on another run of its own, sparked by a few key plays on both ends of the floor from another senior, Graydon DeCamp. This time, the Wolverines rally brought them all the way back. After a steal and a layup by junior Bo Berluti, whose defense on Indians’ point guard Domenic DiPietro prevented Hanover from setting up their offense consistently in the second half, Hanover’s lead was cut to one. After McNally split a pair of free throws to get the lead back to two, Westwood would get its first lead of the game on a Lally three, 45-44. By the time the third quarter came to an end, the Wolverines had opened up a 52-47 lead. Just when it seemed like Coach Steve St. Martin’s team would cruise to a win in the fourth and send the packed Bader Gymnasium home without breaking a fourth-quarter sweat, the Indians battled back yet again. McNally and junior Jack Buckley (17 points) continued to make contested shots and brought Hanover all the way back to tie the game at 58 in the closing minutes. With 1:39 remaining, McNally made a difficult fade away jumper from the right elbow over the outstretched arm of Westwood senior Casey McQuillan to give Hanover the lead back, 60-58. McQuillan would get his revenge, however, on the next possession when, as Bo Berluti made a driving layup to tie the game, McQuillan was fouled away from the ball. Berluti’s basket counted and McQuillan was sent to the free-throw line for a one-and-one opportunity. He calmly sank the first free throw to give Westwood a 61-60 edge. On the other end, Hanover’s Buckley was fouled on a layup attempt and made the first free throw to tie the game with 58.5 seconds remaining. After Buckley missed the second attempt, Westwood went back to the player that had led their attack all night long, as Allegrezza converted the three-point play to give the Wolverines the lead for good, 64-61. Berluti free throws and a Hanover free throw and layup accounted for the final points in the 66-64 final. The combination of great play from Westwood seniors was a fitting way to end their home careers. In addition to Allegrezza, who finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds, Lally, DeCamp, and McQuillan, John Gebhard, Alex Berluti, and Eric Burgess also made key defensive contributions, taking charges and helping to tire out McNally throughout the night. The win earned the Wolverines the right to advance to the first round of the MIAA Tournament and pay a visit to the fourth-seeded Rockland Bulldogs (18-3) on Wednesday night. |
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Westwood Wins Thriller Over Medfield
Thursday, February 7, 2013 WESTWOOD--- For a while, it looked like Steve St. Martin's Westwood Wolverines were in for another crushing loss at the hands of the Medfield Warriors. Earlier in the season, Westwood blew a 15-point halftime lead and lost on the road against their Tri-Valley League rival. Heading into the locker room on Thursday, Westwood once again had a comfortable 11-point halftime lead, only to see Medfield come all the way back and take a 3-point lead into the final mintues of the fourth quarter. On this night, however, Westwood would not send its fans home disappointed. In front of a packed Bader Gymnasium, the Wolverines showed true resolve and held off the Warriors to earn a thrilling 52-49 win. Senior captain John Gebhard made two free throws with 7.6 seconds remaining to put Westwood up by 3 and Medfield's Matt Pembroke rimmed out a three point attempt in the final seconds to seal the win for the Wolverines, prompting the crowded student section to storm the court in celebration. Trailing 47-46, Westwood sophomore Will Jessup knocked down a three pointer from the corner in front of the Wolverines bench to put Westwood up for good, 49-47. While Westwood struggled from the free-throw line all night, shooting just 10-21 from the stripe, Jessup (5 points), who had made two free throws just moments earlier to tie the game at 46, and Gebhard (12 points) made the big shots when it mattered most. The Wolverines' interior defense down the stretch also played a critical role, forcing Medfield into several bad shots and turnovers. Medfield was led by junior Drew Shea, who scored 16 points off the bench and helped lead the Warriors' furious third-quarter comeback, which included a 15-4 run to give them a one-point lead heading into the fourth. Westwood was led offensively by senior captain Joe Lally, who scored 16 of his game-high 24 points, including 4 three point field goals, in the first half. After the game, Westwood got more good news with word that the first-place Norton Lancers had lost to Holliston. Norton's loss, combined with the Westwood victory, placed the Wolverines' fate in their own hands. Westwood can now clinch a share of the TVL Championship with wins next week over Norton and Hopkinton, both of whom are currently tied atop the standings. |
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Westwood Gets Come From Behind Win Over Bellingham
Friday, January 25, 2013 BELLINGHAM--- Nothing is coming easy these days for Steve St. Martin's Westwood Wolverines. After getting out to a quick 9-0 lead, Westwood trailed host Bellingham 25-23 heading into the locker room at the half. The second half featured a spirited effort from the Wolverines' bench, led by junior Dan Roache's 8 points and 8 rebounds, as the visitors snuck away with a 64-52 win over the Hawks. Westwood was led by senior captain Joe Lally's 23 points, but it was the play of Roache and sophomore Matt Allegrezza, who pulled down 6 rebounds off the bench, that put the Wolverines ahead to stay in the third quarter. The win ended the Wolverines' mini two-game losing streak and brought their record on the season to 7-5. Next up for Westwood is a battle with rival Holliston on Tuesday night in Westwood. |
Westwood Splits the Home and Home
Friday, January 18, 2013
WESTWOOD--- After defeating Dover-Sherborn on the road 58-44 on Thursday, Westwood returned home, trying to complete the sweep of the Raiders on Friday night. Unfortunately, the Raiders were too much to handle the second time around, hanging on for a 52-47 road win. On Thursday, Westwood was led by hot shooting from junior Paul Calobrisi (15 points), who knocked down 5 three point field goals to bust Dover-Sherborn's zone. Westwood also got 14 points and 10 rebounds from senior Jonathan Allegrezza and 13 points from senior Joe Lally, playing in his first game back since injuring his ankle in Holliston back in December. On Friday, Dover-Sherborn (6-6) got out to a lead in the first few minutes that they never gave up. Trailing by as many as 18 points in the fourth quarter, Westwood (6-4) fought back to cut the deficit to 4 in the final minute, but when Joe Lally's runner off the glass didn't fall, the comeback bid was foiled. The Raiders made their free throws down the stretch to hang on for the victory. Lally led the Wolverines with 23 points on the night. Senior Eric Burgess sparked the Westwood comeback coming off the bench with a spirited effort on both ends of the floor. |
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Westwood Loses to Medfield in a Tale of Two Games
Tuesday, January 8, 2013 MEDFIELD--- It was the best of halves. It was the worst of halves. In 58 minutes, the Westwood Wolverines went from storming into the locker room ahead 32-17 at the half, to losing a devastating 53-44 league contest to the Medfield Warriors. Westwood came out hot at the start, taking a 22-10 lead at the end of the first quarter behind hot shooting from junior Paul Calobrisi (6 points) and outstanding play from senior Alex Berluti, whose slashing to the basket resulted in all 10 of his points for the game coming in the first half. The second quarter was much of the same, with senior forwards Jonathan Allegrezza (11 points) and John Gebhard (9 points, 10 rebounds) dominating inside on both ends of the floor. When the first 16 minutes of the game ended, it appeared certain that the Wolverines would get a tremendous road win. On this night, however, it was the Warriors who came out fighting in the second half. Medfield's stifling man defense held Westwood to just 4 points in the third quarter and the Warriors came all the way back to cut the deficit to 2 at the end of the frame, 36-34. The fourth quarter saw Weswtood continue to struggle on both ends of the floor, as Medfield (5-2, 6-2) pulled away for a 53-44 win. Westwood (4-2, 4-2) finished the second half with only 12 points and had few answers for Medfield's spirited attack. |
Westwood Knocks Off Holliston
Friday, December 21, 2012
HOLLISTON--- Senior captain Jonathan Allegrezza was a dominant force on both ends of the floor as the Westwood Wolverines went into Holliston and defeated the Panthers, 70-53. Westwood received key contributions from junior guard Bo Berluti and sophomore guard Eric Bamford, both of whom had to step up their role after senior point guard Joe Lally left the game in the third quarter with an ankle injury. It was the Panthers (1-2) who made many of the key shots early on, but once again, the depth of Steve St. Martin's squad tired Holliston in the second half and allowed the Wolverines (2-1) to pull away. |
Wolverines Roll Over Bellingham
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
WESTWOOD--- Coming off a disappointing loss in their season opener, the Westwood Wolverines opened up the home portion of the schedule with a convincing victory over the Bellingham Hawks, 63-35. After falling 65-62 on Friday at Medway, Coach Steve St. Martin's team hoped to change their fortunes against a young Bellingham squad. The Hawks hung around in the first half, capitalizing on some sloppy play by Westwood. The Wolverines proved to be much too deep, however, for Bellingham. Weswtood got some key offense early on from junior Paul Calobrisi and relied on dominant inside play from senior captains John Gebhard and Jonathan Allegrezza. The second half featured strong play from Westwood senior Joe Lally and sophomores Eric Bamford and Will Jessup. |
