Explosive first quarter powers Algonquin boys’ basketball past Marlborough

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Explosive first quarter powers Algonquin boys’ basketball past Marlborough
Jason Short wrestles for possession with Algonquin’s Ethan Cosgrove after a battle for a rebound.

By Dakota Antelman, Contributing Writer

Marlborough – Algonquin Boys Basketball Head Coach Brian Doherty was slapping chairs in the final seconds of his team’s 79-39 Dec. 27 blowout of Marlborough on the road.

His team had jumped to an early lead. They had held that lead throughout the game. But the Panthers raked up some points late and Doherty was frustrated.

“If we execute, we’re a good team,” he said. “But we got to focus, and we lose our focus sometimes.”

Holding a lead briefly in the first quarter, Marlborough head coach Scott Bauman was proud of how his team started.

“We started out well defensively,” he said. “They just knocked down a lot of shots.”

Indeed, Marlborough ended the first quarter trailing 27-14. By the end of the half, they were down 42-21.

“We like to play up-tempo,” said Doherty. “[In the] first quarter we did that. We came out and played hard and smart.”

Algonquin did all this behind standout performances by starters Pat Freeman and Todd Brosna who scored 27 and 13 points respectively.

Marlborough countered led by a double-digit scoring outputs from Stevie DeGregorio but never did overcome that early deficit.

Their win-loss record now falls to 0-5 while Algonquin’s climbs to 2-1, putting them in fourth place in the MidWach A division.

Still early in the season, both teams had their eyes on the future. Marlborough matched with Westborough on Friday after a brief break in action. For Algonquin, the foot remained pinned to the gas pedal as the Tomahawks were back in action on Monday Dec. 30, and back at practice soon after.

Doherty after all, said his team has work to do.

“It’s all about that execution,” Doherty said. “We’re a young team we have to work on that constantly.”

Explosive first quarter powers Algonquin boys’ basketball past Marlborough
Algonquin’s Pat Freeman dribbles the ball up the court in the first quarter.
Explosive first quarter powers Algonquin boys’ basketball past Marlborough
Marlborough’s Stevie DeGregorio works the ball up the court in the second quarter.
Explosive first quarter powers Algonquin boys’ basketball past Marlborough
Mattheus DeSouza dribbles the ball into the paint against an Algonquin defender.
Explosive first quarter powers Algonquin boys’ basketball past Marlborough
Algonquin’s Ethan Cosgrove body checks a Marlborough defender in hopes of creating space to charge towards the basket.

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