Marlboro Uses Big Third Quarter to Pull Away from Westboro

By Jason Siegel (@jasiegel1821)

Marlborough, Mass. - For the first two-and-a-half quarters of Friday night’s Mid-Wach B battle between the Westborough Rangers and the Marlborough Panthers, it appeared that the game would come down to the wire, as Westborough kept fighting its way back and preventing the Panthers from pulling away.

The previous meeting between these two teams also came down to the wire before Westborough pulled out a 6-point win in a game that was not played by Marlborough star center, and Notre Dame commit, Chris Doherty.

Doherty proved to be the difference on Friday night in Marlborough, as he scored 7 of his game-high 19 points during Marlborough’s 18-4 run over the final 5:15 of the third quarter, handing the Rangers a deficit they could not come back from, en route to a 76-58 victory for the Panthers.

With the win, Westborough (7-4, 4-2 Mid-Wach B) and Marlborough (11-2, 4-2 Mid-Wach B) are tied now for first place in Mid-Wach B.

Chris Doherty Scores 1,000th Point as Marlboro Holds Off St. John's (Shrewsbury) Comeback

By Jason Siegel (@jasiegel1821)

Marlborough, Mass. - Tuesday night’s matchup between the St. John’s (Shrewsbury) Pioneers and the Marlborough Panthers featured two teams trying to reach milestones.

Marlborough star senior Chris Doherty was looking for his 1,000 career point, and St. John’s head coach Bob Foley, who is already the winningest coach in the history of New England boys high school basketball, was vying for his 900th victory.

Only one of those achievements was reached on Tuesday night, however, as Doherty scored his 1,000th point early in the fourth quarter to help the Panthers hold off the Pioneers, 65-64, at Marlborough high school.

Marlboro Shuts the Door on Shrewsbury

By Jason Siegel (@jasiegel1821)

Marlborough, Mass. - Tuesday’s game between the Shrewsbury Colonials and Marlborough Panthers was an example of why teams need to play hard for all 32 minutes to earn a win.

Marlborough (6-2, 1-2 Mid-Wach B) did just that on Tuesday night against Shrewsbury (3-3, 1-2 Mid-Wach A) to pick up a 55-49 victory at Marlborough High School.

Marlborough head coach Scott Bauman was happy with his team’s ability to close out the game.

Westboro Outlasts Marlboro in Early Mid-Wach B Clash

By Jason Siegel (@jasiegel821)

Westborough, Mass. - The Westborough Rangers, using a balanced scoring attack and a stout defense, defeated the Marlborough Panthers, 54-48, on Tuesday night in Westborough.

The Rangers (3-1, 2-0 Mid-Wach B) had four players score in double figures.

Marlborough (4-2, 0-2 Mid-Wach B) was playing without the services of star big man Chris Doherty, who was present in street clothes. Doherty had been ejected after a receiving two technicals in Marlborough’s thrilling victory over Algonquin last week.

Marlboro Hands Algonquin First Loss in 2OT Thriller

By Jason Siegel (@jasiegel1821)

Marlboro, Mass. - The CMass basketball showdown between border rivals Algonquin and Marlborough had it all, including a technical against Algonquin during the pregame, two overtime periods, and 199 combined points.

When all was said and done on Thursday night in Marlborough, the Marlborough Panthers (3-1) outlasted the Algonquin Tomahawks (3-1), 103-96 in double overtime, to hand the T-Hawks their first loss of the season.

Marlborough head coach Scott Bauman said that the game was a learning experience for his team.

Marlboro Tops St. John's (Shrewsbury) for Central Mass Statement Win

By Jason Siegel (@jasiegel1821)


Ed. Note- Check out some awesome photos from the game here.

SHREWSBURY, Mass. - Without a doubt, Marlborough senior Chris Doherty, who will play at Notre Dame next year, is the most well-known player on Marlboro's boys' basketball team.

But on Friday night in Shrewsbury, the Panthers proved they are more than a one-man team, as guards Stephen Digregorio (10 points), Jordan Oliveira (10 points, 4 rebounds), and captain Kevin Short (team-high 15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals) all scored in double figures to lead Marlboro (3-1) past CMass rival St. John’s (Shrewsbury), 52-47.

Marlborough head coach Scott Bauman came away from Thursday's game thrilled with Marlboro's guard play.

PHOTO GALLERY: Marlboro Basketball vs St. John's (Shrewsbury)

Photos by Ryan Bowman (@_ryanbowman_)

Shrewsbury, Mass. - We will have a full recap of Marlboro's big win over Central Mass rival St. John's (Shrewsbury), but for now, enjoy these images from our Ryan Bowman.

Note that you can click any image to enlarge and launch a slideshow.

St. John's (Shrewsbury) Sneaks By Marlboro

By John McGuirk (@patsfan1313)

SHREWSBURY - Say what you want, but this was the type of game St. John's (Shrewsbury) needed to experience before it hit the postseason running.

All throughout the regular season, the Pioneers have barely been tested, averaging just over 50 points per game. For some of them, the basic thinking was that things were coming way too easy. But now, St. John's might alter its attitude some, knowing it cannot simply waltz through the playoffs and expect a free ride to Gillette Stadium for the Division 3 Super Bowl.

Thanks to a solid fight put forth by Marlborough, the Pioneers now realize they can be vulnerable too. The Panthers gave St. John's everything they handle for four quarters, before finally succumbing 24-21 Saturday at Pioneer Field.

Nashoba Grinds Out Win Against Marlboro

By John McGuirk (@Patsfan1313)

MARLBOROUGH - Things were not going well for Nashoba Regional during the first half of its crucial Mid-Wach B encounter against Marlborough. Averaging nearly 30 points per game in their first three outings, the Chieftains found the road a lot tougher to navigate against a resilient Panther defense.

Accumulating just 42 yards of offense over the first half was certainly not going to get it done. But, Nashoba made some quick adjustments at the half, and saw the running game show vast improvement, with the defense following suit, as they managed to escape Kelleher Field with a dramatic 14-13 triumph Thursday night.

Central Mass Lax Power Rankings: Week 2

Tantasqua's senior attack trio of Anthony Law, Ben Beaudry and Mike Frio is off to a hot start.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

As you might expect, there was tremendous movement from Week 1 to Week 2 in our Power Rankings. Only top-ranked St. John's is ranked in the same spot as last week, as a slew of upsets and close calls shook up our Top-10.

Check out this week's rankings below.

Central Mass Lax Power Rankings: The Start of 2017

Grafton is coming off back-to-back district titles and state championship game appearances, but with plenty of talent gone to graduation, the Indians will need to find new stars in 2017.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Ah, it's that time of year.

The weather is going back and forth from beautiful to horrid, and I now get to pretend I know how the Central Mass lacrosse season will go.

This year is especially tricky as, outside of St. John's, it seems like every team is losing multiple star players. But, at the same time, many of the best players in the region are back, and nearly all of them will have to carry even bigger loads in 2017.

I'd love to cop out and wait a few weeks to do my first Power Rankings, but that's way too easy. So, with many teams across the region set to open their schedules today, here are my first Power Rankings of the year, which I'm sure will look silly in a few weeks.

Shrewsbury Staves Off Marlboro's Upset Bid in Double OT

By Nick Beaudoin (@beaudoin91_)

FITCHBURG, Mass. – The first period of tonight’s Division 3 Central semifinal did not go as planned for the Shrewsbury Colonials.

But, despite a Herculean effort from Marlboro goalie Owen O'Brien, Shrewsbury came out on top, 2-1 in double overtime, thanks to a game-winner by Anthony Quinlivan.

The top-seeded Colonials seemed to have momentum through the first 8 minutes of the game, as Marlboro had not produced a shot on goal until the 7:30 mark of the first period. Marlboro came into the game with defense on their minds, and it showed. The Panthers continued to dump and chase, forcing the Colonials into mistakes, then capitalizing on them.

Arlington Hands Marlboro 4th Consecutive Loss at Comcast Tournament

By Jason Siegel (@jasiegel1821)

MALDEN, Mass. -The Arlington Spy Ponders advanced to the finals of the Division 2 bracket in the 2017 Comcast I.A.A.B.O. Board 27 Basketball Tournament by taking down the Marlborough Panthers, 59-54, in overtime on Sunday afternoon at Malden Catholic high school.

With the win, Arlington (18-1) extends its winning streak to ten games, while Marlborough (12-7) has now lost four straight contests. The Panthers have not picked up a win since they clinched the Midland-Wachusett B regular-season title on February 3rd with a win over division rival Nashoba.

St. John's (Shrewsbury) Continues Roll Against Marlboro

By Jason Siegel (@jasiegel1821)

Marlborough, Mass. - In the previous meeting between the St. John’s (Shrewsbury) Pioneers and the Marlborough Panthers this season, Marlborough found a way to win a nailbiter by just one point.

Since that game in late December, St. John’s has won 10 consecutive contests, while Marlborough has clinched its second consecutive Mid-Wach B regular season title.

On Friday night, the Pioneers (14-2) avenged that earlier loss to their emerging Central Mass rival, receiving a complete team effort and prevailing over the Panthers (12-5), 59-44, at Marlborough high school.

Short-Handed Marlboro Holds Off Nashoba for Mid-Wach B Title

By Jason Siegel (@jasiegel1821)

MARLBOROUGH, Mass. - Even with one of their best players sidelined, the Marlborough Panthers used tight defense and sharp three-point shooting to knock off the Nashoba Chieftains, 54-50, on Friday night in Marlborough.

With their second win over Mid-Wach B and Division 2 Central rival Nashoba (12-3, 4-3 Mid-Wach B), Marlborough (13-3, 7-1 Mid-Wach B) clinched its second consecutive Midland-Wachusett B regular-season title.

Marlborough head coach Scott Bauman called winning Mid-Wach B “a great accomplishment.”

The Panthers had to play their division rival without the services of star junior center/forward Chris Doherty, who has now missed two straight games due to the flu, according to Coach Bauman.

Mendes and Cappadona Lead Marlboro Past Groton-Dunstable

By Jason Siegel (@jasiegel1821)

MARLBORO, Mass.- With four teams in Mid-Wach B (Nashoba, Westborough, Groton-Dunstable, and Marlborough) having at least eight wins, the best way to separate them is to see the results when two of the teams go head-to-head.

On Friday night in Marlborough, the Marlborough Panthers (9-2, 4-0 Mid-Wach B) added a 66-48 victory over the Groton-Dunstable Crusaders (8-2, 2-2 Mid-Wach B) to their résumé.

In a game where Marlborough led from start to finish, the Panthers were paced by starting guards Joao Mendes and Owen Cappadona. Mendes led all scorers with 22 points, while Cappadona contributed 19 points and 8 rebounds.

RADIO: The Local Sports Lunch Box

Photo by Ryan Bowman

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

It was a hoops-tastic episode of "The Local Sports Lunch Box" on WPKZ, as I welcomed in Tom Flanagan of the Telegram & Gazette, and chatted with Marlboro basketball star Chris Doherty.

Flanagan broke down Inter-High for us, along with the best Catholic Schools in the area, and explained why Division 2 may be better than Division 1 for boys hoops this year in Central Mass. Doherty, meanwhile talked his team's chances of bringing home a state championship this year, and his many college suitors.

If you love local basketball, you don't want to miss this episode. Continue below for more from Flanagan and Doherty, plus our weekly awards.

Marlboro Outmuscles Nashoba for Top Spot in Division & League

By Jason Siegel

MARLBOROUGH, Mass. – Marlborough’s dominant defense and relentless rushing attack propelled the Panthers past Nashoba 27-7 Friday night, in a battle for the top spot in both Division 2A Central, and Mid-Wach B.

The offense and defense both received notable contributions from senior Owen Cappadona, who rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown to go along with two tackles for a loss on defense. 

Algonquin Defense and O-Line Power T-Hawks Past Marlboro

By Jason Siegel

Algonquin’s defense and offensive line helped the Tomahawks take down the Marlborough Panthers 17-7 at Kelleher Park in Marlborough Friday night.

Algonquin’s (2-0) victory over Marlborough (1-1) is the T-Hawks' first win over the Panthers since 2001.

“We were just happy to fight, and to do the little things that we needed to do,” Algonquin head coach Justin McKay said after the game.

Although their defense was not as dominant as it was in their Week 1 win over Nashoba, Algonquin's defense made plays when it counted.

Postgame Blog and Highlights: Tantasqua Outlasts Marlboro

Tantasqua's junior attack trio of Anthony Law (17), Ben Beaudry (24) and Mike Frio (19) combined for eight goals and eight assists in Tuesday's win at Marlboro.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Behind an offensive explosion, Tantasqua won a playoff shootout with Marlboro 18-16, advancing to the second round of the Division 2 Central/West tournament.

The visiting Warriors (15-6) used precise passing to find holes in Marlboro's (15-4) defense all day, led by junior Ben Beaudry, who finished the day with four assists and a pair of goals.

The game was a back-and-forth affair at first, with the teams tied at four early in the second quarter. But, a pair of mid-game Tantasqua runs would push this thing out of reach. First, the Warriors went on a 5-0 run until the final minutes of the first half, then opened the second half on a 5-0 run as well.

In all, Tantasqua outscored Marlboro 10-1 over 12 minutes of game time from the mid-second to mid-third quarter, and turned a tie game into a 14-5 advantage.

Now, here are a few of my rambling thoughts, along with some video highlights below.