Cindy and Bill Tilden’s Girls’ Track team captured their sixth straight SCC Championship as they knocked off Dighton-Rehoboth and Fairhaven on Wednesday night to finish their regular season 9-0. Boys’ Track lost to D-R but wound up 8-1 for the year, second in the SCC to the Falcons. Meanwhile, Boys’ Basketball stayed undefeated at 11-0 with a huge victory over the Bourne Canalmen, and Girls’ Swimming and Boys’ Ice Hockey captured meaningful wins in an eventful week.
Boys’ Basketball: Home for both games this week, the Bulldogs first took on Fairhaven on Tuesday. Seniors Evan Santos (10 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists) and Will Santos (15 points, 5 rebounds) led the way in a 54-41 victory. The game was close at the half as the ‘Dogs were just leading 29-27, but they played great defense in the second half, limiting Fairhaven to just 14 points. On Friday, they played the Bourne Canalmen, the second-ranked team in the SCC. Junior center Matt Valles stepped up with a big game, scoring 17, while fellow junior Jacob Cafarella broke into the spotlight with 14 points. Cafarella added great defense and two more juniors, Grant Reuter and Russell Noonan, combined for 25 points in breakthrough performances. Next week, the Bulldogs will have two games on the road: one against Case on Tuesday and the other against Apponequet on Friday.
Girls’ Basketball: The girls started off the week away against Fairhaven on Tuesday. Despite holding a 31-24 lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Lady Bulldogs ultimately fell to the Lady Blue Devils 44-40 in overtime. Junior Emma Collings led the team with 12 points, while fellow juniors Sophie Church and Olivia Labbe each added 9 in the tough loss. On Friday, the Lady Bulldogs’ game against Bourne’s Lady Canalmen resulted in a 52-41 loss. The team will be home for both of its contests this week, as they look to play Case on Tuesday and Apponequet on Friday.
Boys’ Track: On Wednesday, the boys returned to action to run against D-R and Fairhaven at the Walter Janiak Field House at GNB Voc-Tech in their final meet of the regular season. The Bulldogs made short work of Fairhaven, winning that meet 83-3, but were handed their first loss of the season by D-R (51-38). Juniors Danny Renwick and Eli Spevack were among the stars of the evening, as Renwick won the High Jump (5-10) and 300m (40.5) in both meets. Spevack was the double winner in the 55m hurdles (8.2). The Bulldogs got wins against Fairhaven in the 55m (Sophomore Harry Smith, 7.0), and the shot put (Senior James Estudante, 41.375). Distance runners Ryson Smith (Jr.), Adam Sylvia (Fr.), and Evan Tilley (Soph.) won the 600m, 1000m, and 2 mile against Fairhaven, respectively. Renwick jumped 6 feet on Sunday, competing at the MSTCA Coaches’ Elite Meet at the Reggie Lewis Center. This week, various athletes will compete at a Freshman-Sophomore meet at GNB Voc-Tech on Saturday and a ‘Last Chance to Qualify’ meet at the Reggie Lewis Center on Sunday.
Girls’ Track: The girls ran against Dighton-Rehoboth and Fairhaven at GNB Voc-Tech on Wednesday in their final regular season meet. The Lady Bulldogs earned commanding wins against both Fairhaven (83-3) and Dighton-Rehoboth (69.3-16.6). Senior Zoe Smith won the High Jump (5-0) and the 55m hurdles (8.8) to solidify the Bulldogs’ victory. Sophomore Maggie Adams took victories in the shot put (28.125) and the 55m dash (7.5) to complete an impressive showing. Other wins came from senior Madeline Meyer in the 2 mile (12:13.3); senior Nicole Mattson in the 600m (1:47.5), sophomore Samantha Ball in the 1000m (3:27.7), and senior Morgan Middleton in the 300m (46.5). The 4×400 team of Middleton, Mattson, senior Nina Bourgeois and sophomore Madisen Martin also emerged victorious. On Saturday, Middleton finished in second place at the MSTCA Coaches’ Invitational at the Reggie Lewis Center, jumping 4-11. Meets scheduled for this week include the Freshman-Sophomore meet at GNB Voc-Tech on Saturday and the ‘Last Chance’ meet at the Reggie Lewis Center on Sunday.
Boys’ Swimming: Swimming’s only meet this week was home at the NBHS pool against Dighton-Rehoboth on Tuesday. Freshman Tyler Kulak won the 200m medley in 2:25, and junior Adam Perkins was victorious in the 50m freestyle (26.8). The Bulldogs also got a win from reliable senior Nate Wentworth in the 100m breaststroke (1:24.7), but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Falcons, as they lost the meet 87-44. Next week, the Bulldogs are away at Apponequet on Tuesday as they continue to search for their first win.
Girls’ Swimming: The Lady Bulldogs’ lone event this week was another home meet at New Bedford High against D-R on Tuesday. It was a tight meet, but the girls came out with a close win, 91-90, that allowed them to elevate their position in the SCC. Freshman Claire Noble-Shriver won the 200m medley in 2:37.5 and was aided by sophomore Megan Field, who had a big night winning the 200m freestyle (2:19.3) and 500m freestyle (6:19.8). Sophomore Madison Carvalho was the top-ranked diver on the night, which was key to the team’s win. The girls are away against Apponequet this Tuesday.
Boys’ Ice Hockey: On Monday, the Bulldogs/Blue Devils squared off against the Dartmouth Indians at Hetland Rink in New Bedford. They wound up losing 4-0 against a tough Dartmouth team despite strong play from junior Chase Cunningham in the net. On Wednesday, the Bulldogs & Co. faced off against the Apponequet Lakers at home. They responded with a 7-2 victory spearheaded by a pair of goals from both ORR’s Kam Silvia (Sr.) and Fairhaven’s Ryan Raphael (Soph.). ORR’s Chase Lapworth (Fr.), Landon Gougen (Jr.), and Tayber LaBonte (Fr.) all scored a goal in the triumphant win. On Saturday, the boys were back at home at the Travis Roy Rink at Tabor Academy to take on non-conference Pope John Paul II. They won a close 3-2 battle to improve to 7-3-4 overall. The Bulldogs/Blue Devils will stay at home to play conference rival Bourne on Monday.
Girls’ Ice Hockey: The BMWORR team began the week against Nauset Regional at home at the John Gallo Ice Arena in Bourne on Wednesday. They took a 6-4 loss. Bourne sophomore Tannah O’Brien, ORR freshman Elsie Buckley, and Bourne senior Natalia Gordon all scored, and Bourne junior Jess Ballard had two assists. On Saturday, the girls were scheduled to be at Armstrong Skating Arena in Plymouth to face off against Plymouth North; however, the game was postponed due to inclement weather and will be played at a later date. Their only game this week is another home match against Pembroke, on Saturday, although they could also make up their matchup against Plymouth North.
Below are the overall winter team records, followed by the conference records in wins, losses, and ties as of January 25.
Boys’ Basketball: (11-0-0)(11-0-0); Girls’ Basketball: (3-9-0)(3-8-0); Boys’ Track: (8-1-0)(8-1-0); Girls’ Track: (9-0-0)(9-0-0); Boys’ Swimming: (0-6-0)(0-5-0); Girls’ Swimming: (2-4-0)(1-4-0); Boys’ Ice Hockey: (7-3-4)(4-0-1); Girls’ Ice Hockey: (2-8-0)(2-7-0).
By Patrick Briand