Boys B-Ball Season Ends, While Girls Have a Chance at States

While the boys basketball season ended with a loss to Acton earlier this week, the Lady Tomahawks have a shot at qualifying for the state basketball tournament if they win on Friday.

The girls team, which beat Franklin to earn a spot in the finals, will have to outscore an undefeated team to advance; they take on Holy Name at 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 23. Currently, the lady Tomahawks are 12-8 and Holy Name is 20-0.

"The high school state tournament starts next week," said Ron Jones, who is in his 19th year coaching the team. "We have qualified but don't know when or who we will be playing yet."

Last year, the girls varsity team won 18 and lost 6, and won the Central Mass Division 1 championship, losing the state semifinals in overtime at the Worcester DCU Center.

This is the 13th year in a row that the team has qualified for the state tournament.

Led by senior captains Emily Bourke and Carly O'Connell, Jones said, "We are a balanced team, and have five girls averaging between 6 an 10 points a game. This year, we started slow but have won five of our last six games against some of the top teams in central Massachusetts."

On Sunday, the guys played in the Acton-Boxborough Tournament, which comprises four teams. Taking on Somerville High School, the Tomahawks won 67-52, with Vik Kosica swishing 19 points and grabbing nine rebounds, and AJ Brodeur landing 23 points and eight rebounds. 

"We played great defense to keep an athletic team under control," said Coach Chris Foy.

After the Somerville win, the Tomahawks record was 9-10 (ten wins are needed to qualify for districts).

On Tuesday, the boys meet with Acton, which has a record of 18-1. Acton is ranked fifth in the state and "features a strong front line," according to Foy.

"We started out well, as we kept it close in first period, 15-13," said Foy, "then Acton's strength and skill wore us down and finished strong to the finish where the final score was 66-39. We played hard but could not sustain the effort for the whole game. No districts for us this year, but it was a good effort by the boys, who improved from a 2-18 record last year to a 9-11 finish this year."