WORCESTER – The lull between Christmas and New Year’s Day didn’t stop the Colonials from marking their calendars.
In the latest chapter of the always-spirited “Battle of the ’Bury,” Shrewsbury and Saint John’s competed in the semifinal round of the 20th annual Laska Yuletide Invitational at Assumption University on Dec. 27. The Colonials stunned the Pioneers in overtime en route to winning last year’s Yuletide tournament, and this year’s contest featured similar levels of Shrewsbury success.
With a come-from-behind 61-54 win, Shrewsbury proved to be the better basketball team from the 01545.
“Saint John’s and Shrewsbury – it’s the biggest rivalry. Two schools that are not even a mile apart from one another. When the kids grow up, they’re sitting there and they’re looking forward to playing Saint John’s in every sport. I don’t have to worry about getting my guys up – they’re up,” Shrewsbury Head Coach Adrian Machado told the Community Advocate.
“[Saint John’s has] a great team. It took a lot of grit, a lot of energy, a lot of hustle. But, we pulled through. We did last year, and that’s what we wanted to do. We spent the last week practicing for this. It was one of the top games on our schedule, and we managed to pull through. I could not be prouder of my guys out there,” said Shrewsbury junior Jack Christopher.
Though Shrewsbury couldn’t have asked for a better start to the game – the team jumped out to an early 7-0 lead – the Pioneers eventually regained their bearings, settling in and making the contest 12-12 after the first quarter. Will Hedstrom’s 8-point second frame, which included two 3-pointers, helped Saint John’s build a 29-23 lead prior to halftime.
But that didn’t seem to bother Shrewsbury, which worked its way back into the game. The teams traded shots, but with 2:47 remaining in the third quarter, the Colonials finally pulled ahead 35-34. Christopher led the way for Shrewsbury, tallying 18 points. Jesse Osafo, who grabbed 16 points and countless rebounds, powered the Colonials in the second half.
Shrewsbury also limited Saint John’s offense, holding the always-dangerous Nick Barnes – who dropped 20 points for the Pioneers during the last intra-’Bury meeting – to just two points, both scored on first-quarter free throws. Jackson Fournier’s 19 points led the Pioneers.
“I think we’re a second-half team,” said Christopher. “We don’t give up. We’ve got a lot of hard, gritty guys in there. When we come into the locker room and we’re down … six points, it doesn’t mean anything to us, because we’re going to come out and dominate.
“We knew Saint John’s was a good team. It’s a well-coached team. [Saint John’s John] Ginnity is a hell of a coach, and I have the utmost respect for him. I knew they were going to come out and play hard – Nick Barnes is a hell of a player. I told my guys that basketball is a game of runs, and we just had to make sure that we didn’t fall into our lows. We fell into a little low there in the second quarter, but we were able to come back and make some plays. My seniors played big today,” said Machado.
And contributions didn’t just come from Christopher and Osafo. Jackson Handley – who continued to be a scoring threat for Shrewsbury despite playing with an injured knee – added three crucial late-game free throws. Nathan McQuade added 12 points, including playing tough defense and going 4-for-4 on late-game free throws of his own.
McQuade’s impact couldn’t be described on the stat sheet, insisted Machado.
“Nathan McQuade was amazing today. He’s a kid that has been in and out of my rotation – he’s a true leader, a senior, he plays hard. Today, he played maybe 28 minutes, and he’s a main reason why we were able to come back into this game and ultimately win the game. Kudos to him for being patient and trusting the process,” he said.
The Colonials have multiple student-athletes capable of dropping 10-plus points on any given night. That flexibility, Machado emphasized, will make a difference as the season progresses.
And as the looming Feb. 14 rematch with Saint John’s nears.
“It’s huge. We can’t just be a team that relies on one guy to put the ball in the basket.”
