Franklin dazzles in D1 semi win vs. CM
When the Franklin boys’ basketball team is locked in offensively, it’s a dizzying experience for opposing defenses. The Panthers space the floor, whip passes around to open shooters or cutters, and pile up points in the blink of an eye.
In Tuesday’s Division 1 state semifinal, third-seeded Franklin wowed a capacity crowd at Taunton High with their offensive execution, earning an impressive 66-52 win over No. 2 Catholic Memorial to punch their ticket to this weekend’s state final at Tsongas Center.
Senior guard Henry DiGiorgio, who scored 13 points and sank three 3-pointers, described the Panther’s offense like a chain reaction.
“When everything is going our way, it’s unreal,” said DiGiorgio, a Northeasternbound shortstop. “We used multiple actions on offense, back cut, and just fed off the atmosphere from there.”
Franklin (25-1) was particularly potent in the third quarter.
Senior guard Andrew O’Neill opened the frame by draining consecutive 3-pointers. Two-time Hockomock MVP Sean O’Leary followed with a spin-move to the cup before senior Bradley Herndon attacked the lane for three layups. Junior guard Caden Sullivan capped the dominant sequence by soaring in from the left wing and tipping the ball home as Franklin’s student section erupted.
In just six minutes, the Panthers rattled off 20 points and took a commanding 53-37 lead.
“I see them moving the ball and being aggressive,” said Franklin coach CJ Neely. “We’re not the team that plays isolation ball. We’re aggressive and we like to attack.”
All five Franklin starters scored in double figures, with O’Leary (15 points), DiGiorgio, and Herndon (11) leading the way. The Panthers’ continuity began in fourth grade when this group started playing travel basketball together. Nearly eight years later, it has resulted in a storybook winter that includes an undefeated record against in-state competition, and now a trip to the program’s first state final since 2018.
Franklin awaits the winner of Wednesday’s Worcester North/Xaverian semifinal at UMass Boston. “We got one more to win,” said Sullivan. Freshmen Aiden Pires and Josiah Adamason led Catholic Memorial with 17 points each.
The Catholic Conference champions cut the deficit to 59-52 with two minutes left, but O’Neill denied any chance of a comeback with his third and final 3-pointer.
It was a microcosm of the game. The Knights (19-5) could not slow down Franklin.
“They were a tough matchup because they have so many shooters,” said Catholic Memorial coach Denis Tobin. “They played really well tonight and it just wasn’t our night.”
Division 4 State
Wareham 67, Millbury 65 (OT) — Antoine Crosson wasn’t aware of the time.
“I knew I just needed to get a shot up,” the Wareham senior forward said after catching a pass from Ajay Lopes underneath the basket with seconds left in overtime.
Crosson held the ball for a brief moment, then rose for a lefthanded shot amid a crowd of defenders. It banked off the glass and fell through the net at the buzzer, triggering a frenzied celebration by the topseeded Vikings (22-3) at Taunton High.
The shot was released in the nick of time, banked off glass, and fell through the net at the buzzer, setting off a frenzied celebration at Taunton High after the top-seeded Vikings secured a thrilling overtime win over No. 4 Millbury.
After his heroics, Crosson pounded his chest twice as his teammates spilled from the bench onto the court.
It was a moment Wareham coach Steve Faniel described as “complete jubilation.”
“It’s frustration, relief, and jubilation,” said Faniel. “We had heart, grit, and determination tonight.”
Crosson’s bucket sent the defending state champions back to the state final, where they’ll look to repeat this weekend at Tsongas Center against South Coast rival Bourne, a 71-60 winner over Burke in the other semifinal at Bridgewater-Raynham.
“I’m real happy we won,” said Crosson. “This is a big accomplishment. We’ve worked hard all year for this and I’m glad we’re going to back to the state final.” Bourne 71, Burke 60 — Junior center Nate Reynolds, who went 2 for 9 from the field in the first 24 minutes, found his touch down the stretch with eight of his 14 points coming in the fourth to lead the second-seeded Canalmen to a semifinal victory at Bridgewater-Raynham.
“Right when he scored those four [points] in a row right there, I knew,” said Mike Dankert, who had 23 points and 17 rebounds with a few assists and couple steals mixed in for good measure. “He just turned it on.”
Leo Andrade was 6 for 9 from 3-point range on his way to a game-high 26 points.
“Leo makes a lot of tough shots,” said Burke coach Joe Chatman. “Watching it on film is one thing, but seeing it live. He’s making two-dribble pull-ups, those are like college-level, pro shots, and he hit two big threes when we went zone, when we went small.”
The Canalmen (23-1) will face top-seeded Wareham, an overtime winner over Millbury, for the state title. While Wareham left the South Coast Conference before the start of this year, the rivalry remains.
“Forget records. Forget what happened during the regular season. It’s Bourne-Wareham,” said Bourne coach Scott Ashworth, whose club prevailed on the road, 71-61, on Jan. 26.
“It’s not Bourne-Wareham for the South Coast Conference. It’s Bourne-Wareham for the whole thing and it should be fun.”
Bourne was a perfect 10 for 10 from the foul line while Burke was just 5 for 12.
Malik Adamson scored eight of his 15 points in the fourth quarter, sharing teamhigh honors for Burke (19-5) with Jaeshawn Rogers. while Jaeden Roberts added 12.
The Bulldogs led by as many as 7 in the first quarter, but after averaging 92 points over the first three tournament games, went cold in the second quarter with just four field goals and 9 points.
Division 5 State
Hoosac Valley 76, Mahar 44 — Joey McGovern (29 points) and Tre Moynihan (21 points) paced the top-seeded Hurricanes (22-2) sailed past No. 5 Mahar (18-6) in the semifinals at West Springfield High School.