Video: Vineyarders Fight Clean, Advance to MIAA Semi Finals

The boys basketball team handily beat Wareham High School in front of a raucous crowd Friday night with a mix of sportsmanship and skill.

Wareham brought it’s A game and an arsenal of rowdy fans to the MIAA quarter final state tournament match, but in the end could not intimidate the second-seed hometown heroes. They have yet to lose a home game this season.

Wareham students hurled insults at the Vineyarders throughout the game, at turns calling them “goofy white boys” and “purple pansies,” as the two teams battled neck-and-neck.

The Vineyarders maintained their composure, even as Wareham secured temporary leads and the crowd grew wild.

MVRHS principal Steve Nixon, who was watching the game with his family, left his seat in the third quarter to insert himself between Wareham fans and a group of Martha’s Vineyard students who were growing agitated by the provocations.

Three situated themselves at the base of the Wareham cheering section. They later removed a Wareham student from the crowd who, they said, was hurling profanities at the principal.

Undeterred by the spectacle, the Vineyarders put their money where their mouths were not in the final quarter. The team surged ahead with a series of successful free throws and a full-court press, with senior Randall Jette and junior Peter Keaney taking center stage.

The Wareham crowd grew quiet in the final minutes of the game as the Vineyarders ran out the clock. The final score was 83 to 71.

The Vineyarders now advance to the semi finals of the state tournament against third-seed Cardinal Spellman on March 8. The game will be held at 6 p.m. at Sandwich High School.