By John Orrell, Contributing Writer
Marlborough – First-year head coach Scott Bauman takes the reins of a Marlborough High boys’ varsity basketball squad that has come tantalizingly close to achieving the highest of high accomplishments in recent years.
Two seasons ago, there were trips to Springfield’s MassMutual Center and Worcester’s DCU Center with clashes in state competition, and last year was a painful jettisoning by Concord Carlisle in the Central Mass. Division 2 championship round played at Fitchburg State University. Those oh-so-close encounters are far from lost in the minds of returning players who know that time is running out in accomplishing the ultimate goal.
There’s no time like the present to go for it all say senior captains Owen Cappadona, Joao Mendes, Connor McCabe and junior captain Chris Doherty. And if the team’s dominant 67-48 performance over visiting Fitchburg High on Jan. 3 is an indicator, few would doubt that this year could indeed be very special.
“We’re a bunch of returners from last year and we all have the same goal,” said Cappadona. “We had a tough loss last year in the finals. But we came back motivated and we’re ready to go this year. We’re just looking to come back to where we came from.
“We’re relaxed on the court. We push the pace which is great with our team. We all have guys that want to run. Chris (Doherty) gets the ball for rebounding and we’re already in our outlet passes. We’re trying to get as easy buckets as we can. We just have a great team and have a great time.”
“Everyone on the team has a goal to get back where we’ve been and even to win a state championship,” added Mendes, who is ranked fourth in Midland B scoring averaging 14 points per game. “We come in day and night and practice hard to be where we want to be. The fast start we’ve had (5-1) shows people that we’re capable of what we’re doing.”
Marlborough’s opening minutes versus Fitchburg were slightly sluggish by Panther standards. The hosts led 34-21 as Doherty closed out the half with a pair of free throws before blocking a shot with authority on a Red Raider attempt at the buzzer much to the liking of the home crowd. The Panther offense came alive and then some with an 11-0 run after the break that put this one away. Doherty led all scorers with 20 points while Mendes added 18 and Cappadona hit for 13.
“Getting off to a fast start is important because it sets the tone for the rest of the season,” said McCabe, of his team’s season-opening start and look to the future. “Slow starts can lead to mistakes and can keep you out of the playoffs where you want to be. We want to keep going hard and get the wins and do what we do.”
One of the state’s most recognized players at the high school level is 6’8” power center Doherty who currently leads all scorers in Midland B with an average of 22 points per game. Doherty’s ability to protect the paint and control the rebounding game gives a huge edge to the Panther lineup, but don’t expect a one-person show each night. There is plenty of talent across the roster to complement his game, but still he and teammates will take nothing for granted when it comes to wins and losses.
“Our league is tough from top to bottom. There are no games off,” said Doherty. “We have to bring it every game and come out with high intensity. We’ve been coming out a bit slow and flat to start games but as the year goes on we’re going to get stronger.
“The chemistry on this team is great. We all know where we are on the court. When times get tough, we know we’re never out of the game. We always find a way to fight back and get the job done.”
“These guys are such competitors. They love to fight to win,” said Bauman who joins the team this season after coaching the last four years at the collegiate Division II and III level. “They have a ton of heart and they go after it.
“We’ve got depth at pretty much every position. We’ve got guys with more experience than others so you see that show sometimes but I love the bench we have. We have guys that can come in and play different roles and be a sparkplug whether it be a defensive guy or a guy who can stretch the floor.”
Members of the 2016-2017 Marlborough High boys’ varsity basketball team are seniors Owen Cappadona, Evan Schmidlein, Ethan Kirsch, Joao Mendes, Connor McCabe, Paul Wydom, Dan Evangelista; juniors Chris Doherty, Jordan Oliveira, Alex Santos and Kevin Short along with sophomore Michael Villodas.