Boston Latin Steals the Spy Ponders' Home Opener

For the Spy Ponders the home opener came with a lot of hype, but it also brought a lot of disappointment. fell to 0-1 on the season while the Boston Latin Wolf Pack start the season off 1-0, after only winning two games the previous season.

Right from the get-go both teams came out with a defensive prowess, both squads were aggressive on the boards while double teaming all shot opportunities. The Spy Ponders in particular, looked overly excited in the team's first game, with four turnovers before two minutes had passed.  In the first quarter the Spy Ponders would turn the ball over six times, and would commit a total of 21 in the first half.

The scoring drought ended when Wolf Pack guard Jack Duggan knocked a pair of free throws. Duggan finished the first half with 12 points and led all scorers with 19 for the game.

Tied at two with four minutes to go in the first quarter, Khareel Abdul Jabbarr followed up his own miss with an offensive rebound, hitting an easy layup to give the Wolf Pack a 4-2 lead, scoring the first field goal of the game.

In this hard-fought game, there were hard fouls, putting the Spy Ponders in a one in one situation with 3:30 left in the first quarter. Once drawing that seventh foul, Arlington High School struggled to get back to the line, while the Wolf Pack caused pressure. Boston Latin scored eight of their 12 points in the paint, ending the quarter with a 12-6 lead.

To start the second quarter the team traded off baskets. Abdul Jabbaar hit an uncontested layup and Jeremy Lee hit a three, setting a different tempo for the second quarter. Coming off a steal by Brandon Castro,  Lee would pull up for a spot up jump shot and score five points in a row, while leading the Spy Ponders with seven points for the evening.

Just like the first quarter, both teams were extremely physical as Boston Latin had committed 10 fouls with five minutes left in the second half, and Arlington had committed nine. Either team could have won the game at the free-throw line, but it was Boston Latin's shooting that prevailed. Boston Latin shot 12-18, through two quarters while the Spy Ponders shot below 50 percent at the charity stripe.

With four minutes left in the half and the Spy Ponders down by four, Rylon Spence made his presence felt. Spence knocked three of four free throws, while staying aggressive on the boards' with three consecutive rebounds in a row. Spence finished with 12 rebounds in the game, representing the only inside presence for Arlington.

After trading baskets, the Wolf Pack would finish the second quarter strong.  In the last two minutes of the half Boston Latin outscored the Spy Ponders 8-2, taking a nine point lead in the locker-room.

To start the third quarter both team swapped baskets, changing the tempo of the previously sloppy offensive game. The entourage of turnovers continued and the Wolf Pack pounced on the Spy Ponders with an 8-0 run, giving them a 34-19 lead.

Coach Bowler called a timeout to stop the pace of the game, but the juggernaut of Boston Latin was too much. When the third quarter was over the Wolf Pack led 44-27 lead leaving the Spy Ponders with a lot of catching up to do.

Coming into the fourth quarter with little breathing room, Boston Latin supplied the pressure on defense leading to easy points. Miles Wright scored two easy baskets off Arlington turnovers in what was part of a 6-0 run before a minute had even gone by.

Castro ended the scoring drought with a layup, but it was back to Wright who dominated the 4^th quarter on the inside. Wright scored six of the first eight 4^th quarter points for the Wolf Pack in the quarter as he finished with eight points

With four minutes left in the game Boston Latin lead 55-32 in a game that had clearly gotten out of control. The Wolf Pack continued to pound the ball inside,  using their clear height and weight advantage, overpowering the smaller Spy Ponders.

Before the game, Arlington Coach John Bowler told his players not to underestimate their opponents who went 2-21 last season. He made his team fully aware that this was a different Boston Latin team.

''Last season they played seven sophomores, they were a young and inexperienced team," Bowler said.  "This year, they will likely end up in the state tournament, and are team everyone should keep an eye out on.''

It was obvious tonight; they aren't that team from a year ago. Boston Latin defeated Arlington 68-38. The Spy Ponders next game is on the road at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School on December 17.