Case Hosts a Block Party, Sends Falcons Home

Be sure to check out our highlights here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36sRRyBXV04 The game was filled with big plays worth seeing.

Dighton-Rehoboth's boys’ basketball team visited Case on Wednesday night for a first round MIAA playoff matchup. The story of the evening was the Cardinal swat team of Matt Plante, Zachary Correll, and associates. Behind their excellent defensive effort, the Cardinals emerged with a 52-49 victory.

The contest was played in front of roughly 1,200 people. A ravenous group of Case students and boosters occupied most of the gymnasium, while a sizable contingent of Dighton-Rehoboth fans made the trip as well.

“Their shot blocking and their length was the difference in the game,” said Dighton-Rehoboth head coach Bill Cuthbertson. The coach pointed out that despite having 10 of their shots blocked, the Falcons had a chance to win on the final possession. Unfortunately for DR, Ben Roache’s attempt to tie the game at the buzzer was rejected as well.

The Cardinals made a Herculean effort defending, particularly against Ryan Walsh, DR’s all-conference guard and one of the top handful of scorers in the league. Walsh scored only 12 points on 4-12 shooting, including a pair of three-pointers. All-South Coast Conference guard Josh Ferreira picked up much of the slack for the Falcons.

After the contest, Case coach Tim Plante explained his team’s plan for stopping Walsh. “He’s a great player. You can’t let him get any shot open because he’ll make that shot. But then the other guard took over, and our big guys weren’t coming up to push him out enough.” The other guard left dangerously alone by the Case big men was Ferreira, who led all scorers with 22 points. Ben Roache was the only other Falcon in double figures, with 10.

Dighton-Rehoboth gave the Cardinals all they could handle. Throughout the contest, the Falcons erased Case leads of nine, eight and eight (in a defensive battle like this one, these leads seemed insurmountable at the time). The Falcons held a one-point lead for 15 seconds in the second quarter. It was their only lead of the game.

On the Case side, Taylor Furtado led the Cardinals with 14 points. Matt Plante’s 13 points made him the only other Cardinal in double digits. The Cardinals will now square off with another familiar foe, the Wareham Vikings. That game will take place at the #1 seeded Vikings 7pm Friday evening.

Dighton-Rehoboth’s season comes to an end with a final mark of 13-8. Ferreira and Walsh will graduate this summer, along with starting forward Keith Mikkelson and several role players. Roache appears to be an early favorite to lead the scoring next season.