Red Raiders Win One, Lose One in Durfee Classic

The holiday lay-off didn't seem to bother the Red Raiders one night, then the next night the tables were turned.

On the heels of a 67-47 drubbing of the host B.M.C. Durfee High Hilltoppers on Thursday night, the Barnstable boys basketball team took a tough, 65-53 loss last night at the hands of LaSalle Academy, a private school in Rhode Island. The Red Raiders fell to 4-1 on the still young season with the loss in what was the championship game of the 2nd Annual Thomas "Skip" Karam Holiday Classic Tournament.

But Barnstable came out with all cylinders clicking last night and held a 14-13 lead after the first quarter, only to watch that lead evaporate with just two minutes remaining in the first half as LaSalle rattled off 11 unanswered points to go up 36-25.

Charlie Rice sank the first three shots he took at the outset of the affair, but once LaSalle took a lead in the second quarter, it would prove a lead the Rams would not relinquish as junior All-Tournament Team guard Michael Clark buried virtually every shot he took, including five buckets off the bench in the second quarter alone.

Clark proved difficult to guard throughout the affair, but it was Barnstable's 22 team turnovers that seemed to stymie any real chance the Red & White had to build an offensive rhythm and momentum. In essence, LaSalle controlled the tempo of the game in spite of some scrappy efforts by Charlie Rice (15 pts.), Nick Peabody (10 pts.) and Everett Walsh (14 pts.) as well as four steals from Jake Kipnes.

LaSalle's Thomas A. Hunt, a deadly outside shooter, earned All-Tournament team Most Outstanding Player honors. Durfee's John O'Neil and Fitchburg's Abi Akanni earned All-Tournament Team honors as did Barnstable's Rice and Peabody. Fitchburg defeated Durfee in the consolation game that preceded Barnstable's loss to LaSalle last night, and LaSalle had beaten Fitchburg the night before.

It was Peabody the night before, however, who poured in a season- and career-high 17 points to pace the Red Raiders in their 67-47 win over host Durfee.

Junior forward Dylan Morris also netted a career-high 10 points on the night and Jason Eddy turned in 10 points as well. All nine Barnstable players who saw action versus Durfee scored, with Rice having 9 pts. as well as 12 rebounds, Travis Kendrew and Tedaro France turned in five points apiece, Walsh had six points, Ty Adams had four points and Kipnes added one from the charity stripe but also had six assists from the point.

Barnstable hosts the Sandwich Blue Knights on Tuesday, Jan. 3, then welcomes East Boston on Saturday, Jan. 7, for a 3:00 p.m. tilt in Hyannis. The first Old Colony League match-up for the defending OCL Champion Red Raiders is Tuesday, Jan. 17 at home versus Taunton.