The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School boys varsity basketball team began their winter season this weekend at home with a 76-47 win Friday against Dorchester’s Community Academy of Science and Health (CASH).
On Sunday, the team lost 73-61 to Dedham. Small but vocal crowds egged on the fresh Vineyard players as they took to the high school’s gym to test their mettle as a team.
“I’ve been very pleased with the effort my kids have been putting out,” Coach Mike Joyce told The Times. “Both games they played hard, and against Dedham really fought hard till the end. We are young, and that inexperience also showed up in both games as well, and Dedham really hurt us on the boards.”
Nick Bond played a fine offensive game against CASH on Friday, shooting 71 percent from the field to lead his team with 23 points, and stealing the ball five times. The Dorchester team arrived in a foul mood after missing their bus, and the Vineyard successfully exploited 28 free throws for 20 points. CASH made only 6 out of 20.
Against Dedham on Sunday the team shared the load more evenly, with Chase Silvia netting 16 and Nick Bond, Ricardo Andrade, and Dylan Araujo each making double digits. Although they played hard and streaked within reach of the other team’s lead, the Vineyard shot only 29 percent from the field against Dedham’s 48 percent, and they were outpaced 12 points by the fourth quarter.
Coach Joyce told The Times, “We will need to do a better job boxing out and rebounding, and continue to work on our consistency, especially on offense. I expect this team to keep getting better as the season progresses and they start to get a feel for playing together. Hopefully by the time league play rolls around after winter break, we will be playing our best basketball.”
The team plays Dennis-Yarmouth away on Monday. The next home game is Wednesday, Dec. 23, at 4:30 pm against Sandwich.
