Mustangs Keep Playoff Hope Alive, Top Malden

MALDEN--No matter what the standings say, and no matter what the sport, when Malden High and Medford High play each other, it’s always a knock-down, drag-out battle and one of the biggest games of the year for both schools.

That was the case last night at Roy G. Finn Gymnasium, as the Greater Boston League rivals proved how much they wanted the border-war triumph in a contest that went right down to the wire before ultimately being settled at the free throw line, with the Mustangs emerging with a 72-67 win--a victory that brings them to within striking distance of a trip to the MIAA North Sectionals.

Sean Doncaster paced the Mustangs with 19 points--including 11 in the fourth quarter--as Medford went a combined 12-for-15 from the free-throw line down the stretch, while the Golden Tornadoes (4-11) shot a paltry 3-of-8 from the charity stripe during the final frame. Maurice Magras added 17 points--including three 3-pointers.

Malden was led by Teddy Francois, who logged 20 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, while Morton chipped in with 19 points--17 of which came during the second half. Witchie Exilhomme contributed an impressive performance with 12 points and 10 rebounds and Ryan Donovan collected 9 points as well.

Trailing 63-56 with 1:42 left to play, Morton (12 fourth quarter points) converted a layup, and Exilhomme sniped the inbounds pass and did the same, getting fouled in the process.

Moments later, it was Francois who pulled out a three-point play of his own and Medford’s lead had ebbed all the way down to 65-64. After forcing a Medford turnover, Donovan was fouled and hit one of his two free throws, tying the score at 65 with 1:03 in the game.

A pair of poorly-timed fouls sent Doncaster and Keating to the free throw line, and both Mustangs converted their free throws, giving Medford a 69-65 lead. After Francois missed a pair, and Magras went two-for-two making it 71-65 with just over 20 seconds to play, the die was cast, and the Mustangs held on to win the closely contested GBL matchup.

“I went with a closing group of guys we have who are good free-throw shooters,” said Medford head coach Anthony Faradie. “We figured out how to pull it out ... we’ll take it.”

Maurice Magras and Larry Keating were both 4-for-4 from the line in the fourth, while Doncaster was 3-of-4.

“Obviously the kids really came to play,” said Malden High head coach Don Nally. “It’s Malden versus Medford; you throw the records out the window, it’s about pride.”

These two teams played just six days earlier, on Feb. 11, with Medford (8-9) running out with a 74-54 win, and after the Mustangs jumped out to an early 11-4 lead last night, it appeared they were poised to repeat their performance. That feeling was brief however, as Malden recovered quickly and went into halftime down just 26-23.

“We came out sluggish,” said Faradie. “We missed some easy shots, they’ve got some tight rims here ... it’s not an easy gym to shoot in.”

Malden was hurt early on by the withering full-court press that has become a staple of the Mustangs game this season, but created some turnovers of their own as well. 

“We made an adjustment at halftime, which was huge,” said Nally. “They really do come at you fast ... we knew what to expect with them.”

Morton and Francois teamed up to collect 7 steals on the game.

“The problem was that we turned the ball over too much,” said Faradie. “I think we caused enough, we just gave it back too many times.”

After leading by as many as 11 during the third quarter, Medford was ahead 49-40 at the start of the fourth, setting the stage for the thrilling final frame.

With the win, the Mustangs must now win two of its last three games in order to qualify for the postseason. They face Billerica tonight at home, and then Stoneham on Monday, ending the season with the long bus ride to Sharon on Wednesday.

“Right now, our focus is on getting into the state tournament,” said Faradie. “We’re under the gun right now, every win is extremely big for us.”

None of their remaining opponents have winning records, and while that is extremely deceptive with a team like Billerica, who slug it out in the Merrimack Valley Conference with the likes of powerhouses like Andover and Central Catholic, two out of three seems decidedly doable.

Medford and Billerica gets underway tonight at 7pm.