For the second season in a row, the West Tisbury Hawks swept the middle school basketball championships held at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School’s Pachico Gymnasium.
West Tisbury’s girls and boys teams both played against the Oak Bluffs Blazers in the championship games on Friday. The girls team won 48-38. and the boys won 79-72, both teams taking home the trophy for the second consecutive season.
The girls game kicked off at 6:15 pm on Friday, and the Hawks defeated the Blazers in a close matchup for the title. After being neck-and-neck the first three quarters of the game, West Tisbury started to establish a small lead late in the third, heading into the fourth quarter with a 30-25 advantage. The Blazers tried to mount a comeback in the fourth, but the Hawks responded with baskets of their own, pulling away with the lead for a 48-38 victory. West Tisbury student Izzy Keats (No. 1) was a dominant force on the court for the Hawks throughout the game.
After the girls game finished, the West Tisbury and Oak Bluffs boys teams took the court for another intense game.
Oak Bluffs stunned the gymnasium full of Island families at the end of the first quarter with a buzzer beating half-court shot to take the lead 18-17. The two teams continued to clash throughout the second quarter, tying the first half 35-35. The Hawks gained control in the third quarter, taking a 57-48 lead going into the fourth. Despite a desperate attempt to comeback, with multiple consecutive three-pointers from Oak Bluffs players late in the game, the Hawks maintained their advantage, quelling the Blazers spirited effort to finish the game 79-72.
Last season, the West Tisbury girls team defeated the Oak Bluffs Blazers for the title 35-33, and the boys dominated the Edgartown Eagles 73-52.