The boys’ varsity basketball team ended its two-game losing streak with a hard-fought 56-50 win on senior night over the Framingham Flyers at Schluntz Gymnasium on Tuesday, Feb.10.

The game started with a tight first quarter, but the Warriors were able to gain a spark of momentum after senior Mason Stern made a fadeaway shot from half-court, invigorating the crowd.

Stern said he was able to take the shot from a deflection that came to him after a long attempted shot from Framingham.

“They tried to set up a long shot, and the ball deflected to me, and I just threw up a prayer,” Stern said.

In the second quarter, the Warriors took control of the game with help from senior Ramses Smith Jr.’s consistent floater game inside the paint. The Warriors also had effective ball movement and spacing, leading to open mid-range and three-point shots. This helped the Warriors build a 30-17 lead by halftime.

The third quarter featured a strong start from the Warriors, helped by acrobatic finishing from junior Caleb Haynes. Late in the third quarter, Haynes scored a contested layup through contact. This earned him a trip to the free-throw line and furthered the Warriors’ momentum.

On his tandem with Smith Jr., Haynes said the two have a good relationship and that their different offensive styles complement each other.

“I feel like [Smith Jr.] and I have a good relationship,” Haynes said. “I feel like him and me, our games complement each other because he likes to get in the post and shoot midrange shots, and I like to get to the paint and finish at the rim, so I feel like it’s a good mixture between each other.”

The early and middle parts of the third quarter featured long, effective passes from the Warriors, keeping the Framingham defense on its toes. However, late in the third quarter, Framingham stormed back, cutting the score to a three-point Warriors’ lead at 41-38 with one quarter remaining.

The Warriors were able to play stout inside defense and forced many missed three-pointers from Framingham, taking advantage of a shooting cold spell.

Once again, Haynes delivered for the Warriors as he hit another off-balance layup, giving them a 45-40 lead. However, Framingham soon tied the game at 45-45 with just under three minutes to go.

Haynes said he stayed resilient after the deadlock by focusing on speeches from head coach Johnny Williams, which occurred at halftime and during a crucial timeout.

“We had a conversation during halftime that we weren’t taking the game seriously and joking around, so once they started to come back, we really realized that what our coach was saying was true,” Haynes said. “So we called a timeout, and we had a talk, like let’s just stay focused, let’s just try to pull through and win the game.”

With the crowd anxiously watching, Haynes took over, leading the Warriors to a quick eight points, taking the game to 53-45 with one minute left.

Haynes said the team’s defense ultimately helped them win.

“I just feel like the defense set the edge at the end of the game, and it helped us finish out the game,” Haynes said.

Williams credited the team’s late surge to the successful implementation of their full-court press trap defense.

“We kinda picked up full court, and we were implementing our trap defense that we work hard on during practice,” Williams said.

Williams said that this was an important win for the team because it could help their spirit and momentum.

“It’s just getting us back in the winning column, getting the spirits going,” Williams said. “Sometimes a win is wonderful for a team for momentum.”