Saccone Wins All-State Championship

Here is a look at the eleventh week of scheduled games for ORR winter athletics.

            Boys’ Basketball: The boys finished their regular season this week playing two of the toughest teams in the area. The Bulldogs started off their week with a tough 76-64 loss to non-conference Bishop Stang, to whom they previously lost earlier this season. Though the Bulldogs managed to make a strong comeback in the fourth quarter, they were simply unable to match the accuracy of the Spartans, whose shots could not seem to miss. On a brighter note, however, the Bulldogs finished off their regular season with an exciting 66-62 victory over Wareham, which kept them undefeated in the conference and gave them the No. 1 seed in the state tournament. The game was a close one, as it was tied 59-59 with 1:07 left to play, until senior captain Jordan Menard hit a clutch three-pointer to all but secure the win for the Bulldogs. Freshman Noah Fernandes played very well, recording a team-high 23 points. With the win, the Bulldogs finish their season with a 17-3 record. Their first state tournament game will be held on Thursday, February 26 at 6:30 pm at ORR against the winner of the Apponequet/Mashpee game.

Girls’ Basketball: The Lady Bulldogs closed out their regular season in a less than desirable fashion, losing tough games to both Bishop Stang and Wareham. The girls suffered a 59-34 loss to non-conference Bishop Stang, and then proceeded to lose to Wareham in a 39-38 nail-biter. With just seconds left in the game, Wareham was ahead by four points, but sophomore Sophie Church hit a clutch three-pointer to cut the lead down to one. However, it would not prove enough, as the Lady Vikings managed to inbound the ball and run down the clock to defeat the Lady Bulldogs. Though their regular season did not end on a high note, the ORR girls have the opportunity to make a run in the state tournament, where they received the No. 9 seed, where coincidentally they will face off against No. 8 seeded Wareham in the opening round Wednesday night.

Boys’ Track: This week, a select few athletes from the ORR track teams competed in the All-State Meet, where the best athletes from all divisions compete for the title of state champion. The boys had one lone representative in senior Kevin Saccone, who had an incredible day at the Reggie Lewis Center. Saccone won the long jump with a leap of 22’1.25”, claiming his first indoor state championship and subsequently qualifying for the New England Championship Meet. Saccone also placed second in the 55-meter hurdles, narrowly missing the gold by just .05 seconds. On the day, Saccone earned 18 points, which was enough for the ORR team, comprised of only Saccone, to place 7th overall among teams with incredible talent and depth.

Girls’ Track: The girls’ track team also had several talented athletes compete in the All-State Meet. Junior Zoe Smith had a great day, placing tenth overall in the high-jump (5’2”) and twelfth in the competitive hurdles field (9.03 seconds). Teammates Elexus Afonso and Morgan Middleton both competed in the long jump, with Middleton placing 17th overall (16’2”) and Afonso placing 19th (15’11.75”). The girls’ 4×800-meter relay, comprised of Shannon O’Malley, Haily Saccone, Nina Bourgeois, and Sam Ball, placed 30th overall.

Ice Hockey: The ORR/Fairhaven Bulldogs started their week out strong with an 8-4 blowout over Somerset Berkley. The 1-2 combo of Jeremy Lawton and Sam Henrie provided most of the offensive manpower for the Bulldogs, with Lawton scoring four goals and Henrie recording a hat trick. The Bulldogs then unfortunately suffered two tough losses to Plymouth South on both Wednesday and Friday to break a 10-game winning streak and close out their regular season. Luckily, the losses don’t count towards the Bulldogs’ conference record, which remains at 8-1, good enough to secure the SCC title.

Below are the overall winter team records, followed by the conference records in wins, losses, and ties as of February 22.

Boys’ Basketball: (17-3-0) (16-0-0); Girls’ Basketball: (12-8-0) (10-6-0); Boys’ Track: (8-1-0) (7-1-0); Girls’ Track: (9-0-0) (8-0-0); Boys’ Swimming: (1-5-0) (0-5-0); Girls’ Swimming: (2-4-0) (1-3-0); Ice Hockey: (15-5-1) (8-1-0).

 

By Michael Kassabian

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