Danvers Boys Just Keep on Winning

Despite a last minute scare, the Danvers boys’ basketball squad held onto its lead for a win and major upset over No. 2 seed Wayland in Saturday’s quarterfinal round.

With a game-sealing free throw from sophomore Eric Martin, the No. 7 Falcons defeated Wayland, 50-46, in the Division 3 North Sectionals at Regis College in Weston. The victory advances Danvers (13-9) to play No. 3 Watertown (16-5) on Tuesday in Woburn.

“We do a lot of things that are not ‘basketball like’ like not hitting the front end of one-on-ones,” said Danvers coach John Walsh. “Our kids are young. They are starting to strive and they make up for it in tough places like loose balls.”

Facing a 49-43 deficit with 45.5 seconds remaining, Wayland’s Tim Hanifin (a senior) hit a top corner 3-pointer to bring the game within one. A missed one-on-one would give the Warriors one more shot, but an under pressure three-point attempt by sophomore Jaleel Bell missed off the rim.

Martin then sealed the game for the Falcons with his free throw.

“We were just trying to spread the floor, set some screens and get guys clean looks,” said Wayland coach Dennis Doherty. “Most tournament games come down to two to three possessions and that is what happened tonight.”

A four-point run by senior Jay Saltmarsh had brought the score to 40-38 four minutes earlier, but the Falcons were able to quickly pull ahead by six points again. After scoring a tipped basket by junior George Merry, Danvers senior captain Sean Mahegan stole the ball and forced two points off free throws to maintain the margin.

Mahegan had three steals and six points in the final quarter.

“He had five steals overall, which is unbelievable,” said Walsh. “He just knows how to read a basketball play.”

The Warriors began the game strong with a 10-5 run, which ended with a turnaround layup by Saltmarsh at 2:20 in the first quarter. Despite a three-minute Falcons’ run to tie the game, Wayland did not trail for the first 12 minutes of the game.

The Warriors' lead was maintained through a baseline 3-pointer from Hanifin.

“We got some good looks throughout the night, but it is really hard to beat a tournament team by scoring 46,” said Doherty. “We had a bunch of shots that just did not fall.”

A blocked shot followed by a short jump shot from Merry gave the Falcons their first lead of the game, a 20-19 margin at 3:45 in the second quarter. Beginning the third quarter up 24-22, Mahegan scored a deep 3-pointer and a jump shot off his own rebound to put Danvers up by seven points.

“We were doing a little bit of a junk defense against Mahegan,” said Marsh. “We started in a zone then came down and fronted the big man, but they won the rebounding battle.”

Mahegan lead the game in scoring with 19 points, Saltmarsh and teammate junior Tyler Mordas lead the Warriors with nine points. Merry had 10 points, 10 rebounds and six blocked shots.

“George was incredible down the stretch,” said Walsh. “He started getting blocks and moving out on the outlet, which allowed us to get a run going. These kids deserve it.”