For the Old Rochester Regional High School basketball teams, this winter is all about redemption.
Last year, the boys’ basketball team put on one of the strongest showings in ORR history, placing second in the South Coast Conference and advancing all the way to the Division 3 South Sectional Semifinal, where they were eliminated by eventual state champions Cardinal Spellman. But with all of the highs that came last season, there is one low that the returning varsity squad cannot shake off.
“It was really tough to lose to Case in the last game of the regular season,” said senior captain Jordan Menard. “With that loss, we lost the SCC Championship to Wareham, but we’re definitely going to build on it. We’re really motivated since we came so close.”
This would certainly be the year for the Bulldogs to win their first conference championship in over a decade. This past summer at the Old Colony basketball summer league, the Bulldogs defeated Wareham, perennially the toughest team in the SCC, in the championship round by over 20 points. Despite this large victory, Menard admits that it may not be as easy in the season.
“Even though we beat Wareham in summer league, we can’t write them off,” noted Menard. “They will definitely have improved because of pre-season practice versus just entering the gym at Old Colony and playing.”
After losing four of the five starting players, it might seem as if the Bulldogs are entering a rebuilding year. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Even though Menard is the only returning varsity starter, he is joined by Ryan Beatty, Raekwon Phillips, Evan Santos, and Will Santos, all who got valuable playing time last year and ought to join Menard in the stating lineup. Though the official team has yet to be announced, it also looks as if freshman Noah Fernandes will make a big impact on the court as well.
Menard said the ultimate goal for the Bulldogs is to win states, but they are also gunning for an outright conference championship as well. Standing in their way, however, is height.
“We definitely aren’t the biggest team this year, so we’ll need everyone to help rebound,” said Menard.
The Lady Bulldogs are also driven this season to redeem themselves after a less-than-ideal winter last year. The girls finished their season last year with a 6-15 overall record and a 6-10 conference record, which failed to qualify them for the state tournament. At the helm this year are returning veterans Ashley Pacheco, Morgan Browning, and Kaleigh Goulart. Senior captain Pacheco cites the team’s amount of returning players and their speed as major assets for the Lady Bulldogs.
“We have a number of varsity returners this year, so it makes the transition a lot easier than starting from a new team,” said Pacheco. “Along with that, our speed on the court will be our biggest asset. We have a number of girls who are very quick on their feet and can get up and down the court.”
Like the boys, it seems that the Lady Bulldogs’ biggest challenge to overcome will be its lack of height.
“We have maybe two or three girls who are over 5’6” and there are some teams who have multiple players around 5’8,” Pacheco pointed out. “Last year we were very timid and weren’t sure of ourselves, which caused a lack of offensive scoring, so we will need to work on being aggressive and not being afraid of this height disadvantage. Working together will be the key.”
Joining the team for the first time are freshman Madisen Martin and New Bedford transfer-student Devyn Antunes. Martin is expected to provide a strong presence underneath the basket, while Antunes is a good outside shooter. Emily Hiller and Katelyn Bindas, both sophomores moving up from the JV squad, are also expected to play well both on offense and defense.
Also like the boys, the Lady Bulldogs have their sights set on a playoff berth.
“Our major goal for this season is to ultimately make it back into the state tournament,” said Pacheco. “Last year we failed to qualify and we want to qualify this year to show our growth over the past year and how much hard work we have put in.”
The boys’ basketball team kicks off their season against Case on Tuesday, December 16 at 6:30 pm at ORR. The girls face off against New Bedford on Saturday, December 13 at 6:30 pm at ORR.
By Michael Kassabian
