By Dean Geddes
I&M Staff Writer
The boys varsity basketball team put an end to its five-game losing skid with a decisive 54-46 road win over Cohasset on Monday.
Team captain Wesley LaMotta led the team with 16 points and six assists, while 6-foot, 7-inch junior center Kevin Stanton made an immediate impact underneath the basket in his return to the court after being sidelined with an ankle injury since the beginning of the season. Stanton’s presence in the paint altered numerous Cohasset shots, head coach Beau Almodobar said.
Stanton’s return also took pressure off sophomore Adam Spencer, who snagged eight rebounds after returning to his natural power forward position.
The 2-5 Whalers (0-0 Lighthouse Conference) will look to keep up their winning ways when they return to the hardwood today at home to play their first conference game of the season against Cape Cod Academy at 4:45 p.m.
Against Cohasset, the Whalers got a huge boost from their reserves as a total of nine Nantucket players scored in the game. Joey Gangemi was the spark plug off the bench, scoring seven points and hauling in six rebounds. Jay Egan and Josh Stone also contributed four points each off the bench.
The Whalers got off to another slow start, trailing early in the game, but later took a 13-10 lead and never looked back.
“We never trailed by less than six, but we weren’t able to blow it wide open,” as Cohasset remained within striking distance for the entire second half, Almodobar said.
The Whalers ran more of a motion offense on Monday and their ball movement looked much crisper than in past games.
Caio Correa led the team with five steals, helping the Whalers get out on the fast break.
“We scored a lot of fast-break points, and also managed to get back on defense,” Almodobar said.
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