Vineyarders tame wildcats 70-48, move on to quarter finals

The victory propels the boys into the south sectional finals Saturday in Wareham.

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Alex GordonBeck makes an offensive move in the paint. — Photo by Michael Cummo

Updated Friday, February 27 at 1:35pm

The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School boys basketball team came out firing on all cylinders Thursday at the Sancy Pachico gym in Oak Bluffs and trounced the Westport Wildcats, 70-48 to move on to the south quarter finals in Division 3 state sectional play in the first round of the MIAA Division 3 South tournament.

Coming off a first round bye, the MV boys hoopsters (13-5) were rested and ready for their MIAA tournament round two match-up against visiting Westwood. The numbers tell the story. The Vineyarders jumped ahead 8-0 and by the end of period one enjoyed a 25-5 lead. This one was never in doubt.

The keys to MV’s victory included a smothering zone defense, relentless rebounding on both ends of the court, and a ball movement offense that invariably resulted in close, open shots and balanced scoring.

Throw in the Vineyarders’ depth—eight players seeing significant first half action—and a serious dose of “senior urgency,” and you have the ingredients of a dominant performance. Regarding the latter, both Coach Mike Joyce and senior forward Alex GordonBeck cited the unusually strong senior presence—eight altogether—as a driving force behind this team. “We want to go out on top,” said GordonBeck after the game.

Next up for the Vineyarders is the quarter-final contest against a strong Wareham team (17-5) to be played at Wareham Saturday, February 28 at 1:30.

The Vineyarders shut down Westport’s offense by playing zone defense. Forward Tim Roberts had a team high 16 points while Alex GordonBeck contributed 13 and Mac Sashin added 10. The junior varsity played the entire fourth period.

A fan bus will operate from the Woods Hole Steamship Authority terminal at approximately 12:45 pm on Saturday February 28. Those intending to ride the bus should plan to take the 12 pm ferry from Vineyard Haven to Woods Hole. The bus is scheduled to depart the game in Wareham in time for the 3:45 pm return ferry to Vineyard Haven.