Spartans fend off Gryphons in tourney
ASHBURNHAM >> Underdogs by seeding only, Greater Lowell Tech had a shot at shocking host Oakmont Regional Friday evening.
The 25th-seeded Gryphons gave No. 8 Oakmont all it could handle in their Division 3 round of 32 matchup, sticking with the Spartans from start to finish.
In the end, it was host Oakmont that did just enough to win, emerging with a 65-59 victory in Ashburnham.
The Spartans (16-5) advance to face the winner of Saturday evening’s game between No. 9 Hanover and No. 41 North Reading in the Sweet 16. The Gryphons close the season at 15-8.
With Oakmont clinging to a 63-59 lead in the final 10 seconds, Greater Lowell’s Terrell Offutt drove to the hoop, only to be tied up in the paint with Spartan guard Brandon Hulecki. A jump ball was called and after being fouled on the inbounds play, Hulecki sealed the win with a pair from the charity stripe with 4.9 seconds remaining.
Hulecki — who went 8-for-8 on free throws — finished with 14 points, while twin brother Ryan had a game-high 21 to lead the Spartans. Seven Pridgen added 10 points in the win.
Offutt led the Gryphons with 20 points, Martin Drejaj added 16 and Kevin O’brien had 10 in the loss.
After the Gryphons cut Oakmont’s lead to 53-51 on an O’brien 3-pointer with 5:06 left in the game, Jordan Pantojas drained a shot from behind the arc to push the Spartan lead to five.
But Greater Lowell refused to fold, pulling to within one at 56-55 with 3:12 to go after a pair of free throws from Offutt. Again, Pantojas answered with a 3-pointer, draining a shot from the corner.
Offutt made it a twopoint game with a drive and foul with 46.2 seconds remaining, but missed the ensuing free throw. The Spartans closed out their scoring by going 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final minute.
Oakmont held a slim, 22-18 lead after first quarter and took a 37-31 lead to the halftime break. Early on, the Gryphons struggled to keep possession of the ball, turning it over nine times in the opening 16 minutes before settling down after the intermission.
After leading briefly in the first quarter, Greater Lowell only led once in the second half, despite hanging around on the scoreboard for the duration. Drejaj put the guests ahead 42-41 with 4:41 left in the third, but Oakmont responded with a bucket by Pridgen and never trailed again.
Both teams had their chances from the freethrow line. The Spartans finished 15-of-22, while Greater Lowell was 13-of19 from the charity stripe.