Red Raider Boys Are Undisputed OCL Champions

Basketball is, without question, a team game.

And not since 1981, has the Barnstable High School boys varsity basketball team won back-to-back league titles, but tonight, the Red & White did just that, devouring an overwhelmed Dartmouth High Indians team, 71-53, thanks in large part to a massive double-double performance from senior captain Charlie Rice and an entire host of BHS hoopsters.

Rice poured in a season-high 24 points, combined with 15 rebounds, while junior front man Nick Peabody buried 17 points combined with seven rebounds to help lead Barnstable past a young albeit talented Indians' squad.

But it was not easy in the early going.

The Red Raiders were up 20-15 after the first quarter, but found themselves ahead by a hair at halftime, 29-27. In the third quarter, BHS leaped ahead by a 48-40 margin, and then, when it seemed that Dartmouth might have a shot at coming back, turned on the defensive and offensive jets to completely overwhelm the guests.

Travis Kendrew and Everett Walsh were singled out to guard Dartmouth's hot hand, Nick Simonetti, just a sophomore, but both BHS men handled the task with admirable hustle, even in spite of Simonetti's team-high 23 points.

What it all boiled down to was superior ball movement on offense, patience, and feeding the rock inside to the likes of Rice and Peabody that spelled victory for the Red Raiders as Rice appeared on a mission, while Peabody looked no less ready for any challenge. Combined with the Barnstable dynamic duo's 41 points, Barnstable received offense from Walsh (6 pts.), Jake Kipnes (6 pts.), Jason Eddy (6 pts.), Kendrew (5 pts.), Justin Alvaran (5 pts.) and the scrappy, no-holds barred Dylan Morris (2 pts.).

With eight (8) men adding offense on the post-game balance sheet, it was a huge step-up for the Red Raiders after a tough home loss Tuesday night versus archrival Falmouth.

It was not likely Walsh was going to play much, if at all tonight, due to a severe sprained ankle in practice two days ago, but the usually starting senior guard offered a superlative, gutsy effort tonight off the bench. As a team, the Red Raiders improved their shooting percentage from the floor (17-45) as well as from beyond the arc, with Kipnes burying two downtown treys, Kendrew and Walsh each adding one, Peabody wetting the net with one of his own, and Eddy lacing it like pure, melted butter.

The Red Raiders, now 14-4 on the regular season, will head into a post-regular season tournament at Mashpee High School, before getting into MIAA Division 1 South Sectional Tournament play.

Interestingly, Barnstable has not boasted back-to-back league titles since its JV coach Dennis Fisher's older brother, Kevin Fisher, played for Dick Segura and then BHS assistant coach Gerry McDowell. McDowell, the head coach for BHS from 1983 to 1988, and also a Red Raider Hall of Famer and former two-time league and one-time state champion as a player, returned to Barnstable after an illustrious 11-year career as the Wesleyan University (CT) head coach in 2008. McDowell's Red Raider five has captured back-to-back Old Colony League championships thanks to all concerned, but in particular, to Rice, Kendrew, Alvaran, Walsh, Tyler Adams, and the point-man, Kipnes, who all played considerably on last year's squad as well.

A job well done.