March 28, 2024

Dighton-Rehoboth still perfect in SCC with win over Apponequet

Boys Basketball: D-R 65, Apponequet 57

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DIGHTON - Apponequet came out strong, but it was Dighton-Rehoboth that made plays at the biggest moments.

The Falcons pulled away in the fourth quarter and did all the right things down the stretch to notch a big 65-57 South Coast Conference victory over Apponequet Friday night.

“It’s an excellent win against a very good team,” coach Bill Cuthbertson said. “The big thing down the stretch was we took care of the ball. A year ago (against Apponequet), we had a seven-point lead with 30 seconds left and lost. Today, we did a better job managing the game, hitting our free throws and playing really good defense. This was really a tremendous effort by our guys tonight.”

The Lakers came out of the gates hot with 21 first-quarter points, including five three-pointers, for a 21-16 lead after one, but the Falcons battled back hard in the second. D-R scored the first 14 points on the second quarter with back-to-back three-pointers from Shane Mello and Shayne O’Neil highlighting the run.

Apponequet outscored D-R 15-10 in the third and went ahead 43-42 early in the fourth, but the Falcons kept their composure in the tight game. Ishmael Christmas hit a big three-pointer, and sophomore Ryan Ouellette made a nice inside pass to O’Neil for two as the Falcons took the lead back 47-45. Apponequet guard Mike Henricksen hit two free throws to tie the game at 47, but Ouellette made two free throws to put the Falcons back ahead 49-47, a lead they would never relinquish.

Patrick Palazzi, Mello, Christmas and O’Neil all had big buckets down the stretch as D-R made 8 of 11 free throws in the fourth to pull away for the eight-point victory.

“I give D-R a lot of credit,” Apponequet coach Jim Cabucio said. “They made shots when they needed to make shots. They made free throws when they needed to make them.”

The win moves the Falcons to 4-2 on the season, 3-0 in SCC play and 1-0 against SCC Large Division teams. D-R will be back in action Tuesday at home against SCC Large rival GNB Voc-Tech at 6:30 p.m.

REPORTERTODAY.COM MVP: Christmas checked all the boxes for the Falcons Friday night. He led the team with eight points in the fourth quarter and was very active on the glass and on the defensive end. The senior forward also made one of the biggest plays of the night halfway through the fourth quarter. The Falcons beat the Apponeuqet press and Christmas got the ball and drove to the hoop for a layup and drew a foul. “That was one of the biggest plays of the game,” Cuthbertson said. “He was able to finish that drive and avoid an offensive foul that would have been his fifth. That’s huge, it would have been a four-point swing if it went the other way.”

PLAYING SHORTHANDED: The Falcons were playing without junior all-star John Marcille, who missed the game with an illness. Cuthbertson said the wing should be back soon. “We were obviously short-handed today but the kids responded well,” Cuthbertson said.

CAPTAIN LEADING THE CHARGE: Mello finished with a team-high 18 points and Cuthbertson said he made an impact on the game on and off the court. “He gave us great leadership,” Coach said. “Without John here, he gave us real leadership not only on the court, but in preparation for the game. Tonight, he did a great job handling the ball, running and offense and defending.” His play on the court wasn’t lost on Cabucio either as the Apponequet coach called him a “very good player and a tough matchup.” Mello finished with six two-point field goals, one three-pointer and was 3-of-5 from the free throw line.

BATTLING IN THE PAINT: With Marcille out with illness, the Falcons went more to O’Neil and Ouellette inside and got good production as they combined for 22 points (15 for O’Neil, seven for Ouellette). “I think we did a good job getting the ball inside,” Cuthbertson said. “We were patient on offense and the shot selection was good. Once we got a sense we could go inside, we went there and it was bearing some fruit.”

QUICK HITS: The student section at the D-R gym, the Falcons Nest, was rocking and gave the Falcons a big home-court advantage. At one point, the students faked an Apponequet player into rushing a shot by loudly counting down the shot clock 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 when in reality there was about 10 seconds left on the shot clock. He air-balled the shot to the delight of the fans. “It was a great atmosphere in here,” Cuthbertson said. … Henricksen led the Lakers with a game-high 21 points. “I’m very pleased with the intensity the kids brought,” Cabucio said. “The kids were grinding all night. We came out strong then D-R did a nice job coming back to take the lead. I’m proud of the kids the way they came back in the second half. This is always a difficult place to play.” … The Lakers were 11-for-16 from the free throw line while the Falcons were 18-for-29. … Apponequet started to full-court press late in the fourth but the Falcons handled it with ease, breaking the press every time and committing only one turnover down the stretch. “Taking care of the ball has been a real issue for us, so it’s good to see them handle it well tonight,” Cuthbertson said. … Palazzi finished with 10 points and was making plays all over the court. He had a nice offensive rebound and putback for a bucket late in the fourth quarter, and dove to the floor a few minutes later for a steal that led to a free throw by Christmas. It was one of two steals by Palazzi down the stretch. … Cuthbertson and Cabucio have been facing each other for literally decades as both have been coaching basketball and baseball at their respective schools for longer than their current players have been alive. “Jimmy and I are great friends. He does a great job with his team. They’re very talented and are going to win a lot of games,” Cuthbertson said. … Dighton-Rehoboth won the JV game 62-43. … The Falcons will see the other three SCC Large teams over the next three weeks with Tuesday’s game against GNB Voc-Tech, a Jan. 10 road game at Somerset Berkley and a tough Jan. 21 road game in Mattapoisett against Old Rochester.

DIGHTON-REHOBOTH 65, APPONEQUET 57
Apponequet 21   4 15 17-57
Dighton-Rehoboth 16 16 10 23-65
Scoring
Apponequet: Patrick White 7, Aiden Lehane 4, Colman Moynihan 10, Tyler Desrosiers 3, Neil Goodwin 2, Jake Generazio 2, Mike Henricksen 21, Josh Farrel 8.
Dighton-Rehoboth: Ishmael Christmas 15, Shane Mello 18, Ryan Ouellette 7, Patrick Palazzi 10, Shayne O’Neil 15.
3-Point Goals
Apponequet: Colman Moynihan, Tyler Desrosiers, Mike Henricksen 4.
Dighton-Rehoboth: Ishmael Christmas, Shane Mello, Shayne O’Neil.

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