By Allison Goldsmith
 |
Photo by Jim Powers
Josh Butler takes the shot in the first half of Whalers game against Chatham in the Cape and Islands Christmas Classic tournament at Upper Cape on Friday, Dec. 29.
|
I&M Sports Editor
The boys basketball team swept two games in the annual Cape & Islands Christmas Classic last week at Upper Cape Tech. The Whalers defeated Mashpee 61-51 on Thursday and Chatham 62-47 on Friday.
This year’s tournament marked the first time head coach Beau Almodobar’s team has won both games and the first time in at least six seasons that the Whalers have wrapped up the month of December with a winning record.
“It is great to keep playing over the holiday. Some teams don’t play over the holiday and sometimes you stay sharper if you do. We had everyone there and that was great and that shows the commitment that we have,” Almodobar said.
At 5-1 overall, the Whalers will look to keep the five-game winning streak rolling as they open up the new year. Avon, which handed Nantucket its only loss so far this season, was scheduled to be on-island for a rematch yesterday, too late for this edition of Sports.
The varsity squad will open up Lighthouse Conference play next Thursday, Jan. 11 at home against Cape Cod Academy.
Devil of a time
The Whalers clashed with Chatham for the second time this season in a rematch of the 68-48 trouncing in Nantucket’s winning home opener earlier in the month.
In the second game of the Christmas Classic on Friday, the Blue Devils responded with a tougher defense and a stronger inside game to keep the score close until the final minutes.
 |
Photo by Jim Powers
Jordan Ferreira takes the ball past Chatham's Jeremy Flynn during Friday's 62-47 win. |
“They were playing unbelievable defense. They are a big team. They were getting the ball inside easily and they were getting second shots off their rebounds. We weren’t boxing out and we weren’t being aggressive as we usually are,” Almodobar said. “It sounds like we blew them out by a lot but it wasn’t that way. It could have went both ways down to the last four minutes.”
The score was tied 31-31 at the half and Chatham took the lead with the first basket out of the break, but it would be the last time they would be on top. Andriquez Farmer reeled of seven straight points to keep the Whalers in front. Nantucket led 47-46 at the four-and-a- half-minute mark before streaking on a 15-1 run to end the game.
Farmer and Delroy Lawrence (16 rebounds) each knocked down 19 points for the Whalers in the win. Jordan Ferreira scored 14 points, including the basket to kick off the final run. Evan Hourihan and Kevin Stanton each scored three points, while Eric Lowell and Adam Spencer chipped in with two points each.
The Whalers were 9-for-19 from the free-throw line and turned the ball over 18 times. Dylan Flynn led the Blue Devils with 18 points. Lowell and Chatham’s Evan Williamson earned the tournament’s Sportsmanship Award for their respective teams.
Opening win
The Whalers were off and running in the opening game of the tournament on Thursday afternoon. Nantucket took a 20-9 lead on the Mashpee Falcons en route to the 10-point victory. But the win did not come easily for the Whalers, who were forced to handle a tight press defense from the Falcons in the second half.
Mashpee picked off a number of Whalers passes, stripped the ball carriers on the full-court press and ran a fast-paced game. Nantucket turned the ball over 11 times.
 |
Photo by Jim Powers
Andriquez Farmer takes the ball down the court during the second half of Whalers game against Chatham in the Cape and Islands Christmas Classic tournament at Upper Cape on Friday, Dec. 29. |
“That’s a concern, but we are young and we are going to make mistakes. Especially when we try to push the ball. We are always pushing them to go and to make better decisions,” Almodobar said.
The Falcons tied the score at 40 with 9:32 remaining in the game before the Whalers offense let loose with a barrage of three-pointers. Hourihan nailed three and Ferreira hit one in the final minutes of the half. Mashpee was forced to rely on its free-throw shooting, converting seven of 12 attempts and making one field goal over the same stretch.
Lawrence paced the Whalers
with 15 points, 18 rebounds and seven blocks. Hourihan scored 14, while Ferreira scored 10 points and pulled down six rebounds. Farmer (seven points), Lowell (six points), Jordan Beans (four points), Spencer (three points) and Josh Butler (two points) all contributed in the scoring column for the Whalers.
Reach Allison Goldsmith at sports@inkym.com |
