By Jeff Slovin, Contributing Writer
Worcester – The Marlborough High School Panthers boys basketball team fell to the Danvers High School Falcons by a score of 52-49 in the State Division 2 Finals March 14. The game was played at the DCU Center in Worcester. Danvers has now won the Division 2 state championship three times in the past four years. This was Marlborough’s first trip to the state finals.
Danvers started the game strong and held a 33-15 lead at halftime. Marlborough refused to give up, and fought back in the second half. By the end of the third quarter, Marlborough had closed the gap to 41-32 and with 1:47 remaining in the game, pulled to within two points. The Panthers had several opportunities to tie the game in the remaining seconds, but Danvers managed to hang on for the win.
“Our kids have a lot of character and a lot of heart. We had a good run but came up just a little bit short. They represented Marlborough very well and we are very proud of them,” said Marlborough head coach Brian Riley after the game.
Marlborough freshman Chris Doherty led all scorers with 16 points and teammate Brian Short was right behind him with 15 points. Devan Harris was the top scorer for Danvers with 12 points.
Danvers completed its season with the Division 2 State title and a perfect 27-0 record. Marlborough concludes its season with a 21-4 record, after winning just four games last year.
