Boys varsity basketball wins 62-41 against Framingham
The boys varsity basketball team won 62-41 against the Framingham Flyers on Tuesday, Jan. 31 at the Schluntz Gymnasium, making their record 8-6. Head coach Johnny Williams said the whole team played well and contributed to the victory.
The boys varsity basketball team faced off against the Framingham Flyers on Tuesday, Jan. 31 at the Schluntz Gymnasium. The Warriors beat the Flyers 62-41, making their season record 8-6.
The game started off strong with sophomore and forward Alan Shi winning the jump ball for the Warriors and allowing them to gain an initial lead of two points.
The Warriors spent the majority of the first quarter on offense due to strong defensive plays that caused many turnovers from the Flyers.
The Warriors used both short and long range strategies and a number of three-pointers, with senior and guard Jaylen Haynes leading the charge. The Warriors led the Flyers by nine points by the end of the first quarter, with a score of 19-10.
Junior and forward Chris Sillice said that Brookline got off to a strong start.
“We came out of the first quarter with a decent lead,” Sillice said. “Going into the second quarter we were just trying to lock down our game even more and keep doing what we were doing.”
The Warriors widened their lead to 23-10 within the first three minutes of the second quarter due to a series of breakaway rebounds. In the last three seconds of the second quarter, junior and guard Shabar Peterson-Davis rebounded and put two more points on the board.
Head coach Johnny Williams said the Warriors performed well in the first half, doing well across all aspects.
“We played, we got to where we needed to go, we got the ball to the shooters, we had a lot of rush shots, we made them [Framingham] miss their shots and overall we did good on defense and offense,” Williams said.
With the Warriors leading at the start of the third quarter, the Brookline crowd came alive, cheering after each play and joining the players on the bench in chanting “defense” when the Flyers got the ball. According to Williams, team spirit has been great throughout the season and this game was just a continuation of that spirit.
“It [team spirit] has been great. Everybody has their head in the game and with their team. That’s how we win, everybody has to work together,” Williams said.
In the third quarter, while Brookline still focused on defense, the team focused less heavily on three-point attempts on the offensive side. Though the quarter passed with relatively little upset, there was tension when a Framingham player drew contact on a rebound and inflicted a penalty on Brookline that saw possession turned over to Framingham.
The Warriors had built up their lead to be 56-37 by the middle of the fourth quarter. After a missed Framingham three-pointer, senior and forward Caetano Drinkwater ran the ball down the court and put two on the board before Framingham’s defense could get in position. Brookline finished the game with a show of victory, dribbling out the clock for the last 15 seconds of the game while letting the score rest at 62-41.
Williams said Brookline’s strategy throughout the game mainly relied on defense.
“Our strategy is definitely defense. All season we have just been trying to lock down on defense so we can get turnovers and score some points,” Williams said.
Williams said the Warriors’ victory was not due to a single player; the whole team contributed to the victory.
“It’s a team thing; it’s not up to an individual. We have a great defensive unit but we all have to be together, we all have to be on it [their game],” Williams said. “We don’t have one singular star player like a Marcus Smart or Jayson Tatum type of player—we play together or we don’t play at all.”
