Here is a look at the fifth week of scheduled games for ORR winter athletics.
Girls’ Basketball: After staring off the season with five consecutive losses, the Lady Bulldogs looked to turn their luck around in their two games this week. Thanks to the return of several key players who had missed previous games due to injuries, the girls won their first two games of the season. The girls defeated Dighton-Rehoboth 55-32 thanks to a strong debut by freshman Olivia Labbe, who scored 11 points to lead the Lady Bulldogs. Senior co-captain Isabelle Riley also scored 11 points, with Kaleigh Goulart and Michaela Bouvette each pitching in with 10 points apiece. Later in the week, the girls beat Seekonk 33-30 to earn their second win of the season. Freshman Sophie Church was the lead scorer for the night, scoring 10 points. With these victories under their belts, the girls should have more confidence to compete in the competitive South Coast Conference.
Boys’ Basketball: The boys also had a great week, blowing out all three teams they faced. After a 55-41 win over Pope John Paul, the boys returned to their home court and easily defeated the DR Falcons with a score of 63-43. Raekwon Phillips played excellently, recording 13 points and four rebounds while co-captain Mikey Pruchnik notched seven rebounds to lead the Bulldogs defensively. Jeremy Bare and Jordan Menard also played well, scoring 13 and 14 points respectively. The boys did not stop there, however, as they came back to blow out the Seekonk Warriors 83-42. The boys got out to a quick 17-8 first quarter and outscored the Warriors 48-23 in the second and third quarters to clinch their fourth SCC win of the season.
Swimming: The girls swim team had a good week, notching their second victory of the season against Dighton-Rehoboth, 98-66, thanks to double winner Cate Feldkamp (200-individual medley, 2:38.93; 500-freestyle, 6:18.85) and wins by Julianne Mariner (50-freestyle, 29.5) and Avery Nugent (100-backstroke, 1:14.60). Feldkamp, Mariner, and Nugent teamed up with junior Chloe Riley to win the 200-medley relay with a time of 2:13.75. On the boys’ side, despite wins by Derek Marshall (50-yard freestyle, 26.94) and the 200-medley relay of Marshall, Matt Bourgeois, Nate Wentworth, and Troy Sjahfiedin, the boys still lost to Dighton-Rehoboth by a score of 86-62. The team’s other meet for the week against Apponequet was postponed to an undetermined date.
Boys’ Track: The boys suffered their first loss of the season to DR this week, losing 49-37 in a hard fought loss. Mike Wyman was a double winner for the Bulldogs, claiming both the 1,000 meter run and the two mile, while Kevin Saccone captured the 55-meter-hurdles. Despite the loss, the boys came back the next day to run in the Division 5 State Relays, where they placed second as a team against some of the best teams in the state. Wyman, Kiernan Besse, Ben Dion, and Chris Demers teamed up to take the sprint medley title, setting a new meet record in 3:47. The boys got four second place finishes in the 4×200, the shuttle hurdles, the shot-put relay, and the shuttle dash to earn their second place finish behind winner Newburyport.
Girls’ Track: The girls’ team, unlike the boys, managed to defeat Dighton-Rehoboth in their SCC meet with a score of 63-23, thanks largely in part to double winners Paige Santos (high jump and hurdles) and Morgan DaSilva (dash and 300). Like the boys, the girls also managed to place second in the D5 Relays, an impressive feat for coaches Bill and Cindy Tilden. The girls’ best finish of the night came in the shuttle dash, where DaSilva, Arden Goguen, Lauren Ovian, and Sam Allaire placed second with a time of 26.45 seconds. The girls lost by a mere 6 points to winner North Reading.
Ice Hockey: The boys’ ice hockey team defeated the GNB Voc-Tech Bears this week, 2-1, thanks to quick first period goals by Jeremy Lawton and Shane Matthews. Despite an impressive game by the Bears’ goalie, who made 44 saves, the ORR/Fairhaven offense was able to sneak some shots by to claim their fifth victory of the season and third conference win. Cam Sylvia and Colby Serpa are accredited with assists for the Bulldogs.
Below are the overall winter team records, followed by the conference records in wins, losses, and ties as of January 12.
Boys’ Basketball: (6-2-0) (4-2-0); Girls’ Basketball: (2-5-0) (2-3-0); Boys’ Track (4-1-0) (3-1-0); Girls’ Track (5-0-0) (4-0-0); Boys’ Swimming: (0-2-0) (0-2-0); Girls’ Swimming: (2-0-0) (2-0-0); Hockey: (5-3-0) (3-0-0).
By Michael Kassabian