Thomas Drops 24 as Highlanders Edge Medford

Having sealed a spot in the North Sectionals last week with a win over Malden, the Somerville High basketball team has moved its attentions to the next order of business on the agenda: trying to stay alive in the Greater Boston League title race.

The Highlanders welcomed neighbors and GBL rivals Medford High to Brune Field House last night, and when the dust had settled, the Mustangs went home on the wrong end of a 78-68 scoreline, in a game that was a wildly exciting and hotly contested affair.

Somerville got 24 points and 15 rebounds from junior captain Johnson Thomas and 18 from Billy Bonnet (7 assists). Gustavo DeMoura also added 8 points and 9 rebounds for the Highlanders. Sophomore Sean Doncaster dropped 18 for Medford--including four three-pointers--and Maurice Magras chipped in with 12. 

The win pushes the Highlanders’ record to 11-2 overall and 4-1 in the GBL, meaning that with three conference games left--including two against league-leaders Cambridge-Somerville could claim the crown by winning out. However, beating the miserly Falcons’ defense twice in one season surely must rank among the tallest orders in Massachusetts high school basketball.

Meanwhile, the loss drops the Mustangs to 4-8, leaving them tenuously clinging to their playoff lives. Medford must now win six of its last eight games to qualify for the postseason, starting tonight on the road against Cambridge.

While the Highlanders completed the season sweep of the border war with Medford last night, the Mustangs made it anything but easy for them, and the score was even as late as the last minute-and-a-half of the final frame.

“You can’t get any closer than that,” said Medford head coach Anthony Faradie. “It’s a tough one ... that was a dogfight. It’s one of those things where one or two possessions make the difference in the game, and I think we fell one or two possessions short.”

Somerville took the definitive lead with 1:08 left to play when senior guard Skerby Odivin--SHS’ leading scorer this year at 12.8 points per game--hit a shot that seemed to roll around the rim for an extra moment or two for dramatic effect before finally falling to make it 70-68 in favor of the home team. 

“We were playing a team that was fighting for their playoff lives,” said Somerville head coach Mark Antonelli. “They’re also a very dangerous team when they shoot the ball ... they shoot close to fifty three’s a game.”

Indeed, the Mustangs came out firing from beyond the arc, knocking down eight three-pointers during the first half on 8-for-21 shooting. Doncaster dropped 11 of his 18 points in the first two frames as well, helping Medford carry a 40-29 advantage into the locker room at halftime.

Given their opponents lights-out shooting, Somerville knew that the road back into this one would be a hard one.

“I told them at the half: it’s going to be tough, it’s going to be like playing at the YMCA shirts and skins again,” said Antonelli. “Don’t make such a big deal of the traps and stuff, act like your playing pick up.”

Somerville closed the gap in the penultimate stanza by outscoring Medford 25-10, and heading into fourth quarter, trailed only 52-50.

“I think they got to a couple more loose balls than we did,” said Faradie. “They did a number on us on the offensive glass, and that was the difference in the game.”

Especially effective to this end was Thomas, who in addition to collecting 14 second-half points, was a beast on the boards as well.

“(Thomas) did a tremendous job for them,” said Faradie. “We couldn’t keep him off the glass.”

The Mustangs long-range shooting touch largely abandoned them in the second-half, as the 3-for-22 clip they produced wasn’t nearly enough to negate all the second chances given the Highlanders.

“We gave up too many second chance opportunities,” said Faradie. “We can’t afford to do that.”

The Mustangs did win the turnover battle though, forcing Somerville to cough it up 32 times compared to doing so themselves on only 17 occasions. This is something that Medford must try and replicate tonight if they are to have any hope of getting something out of their tough tilt with Cambridge.

“We’ve got to get back to business (tonight),” said Faradie. “We don’t have any time to sulk about this one. Our backs are against the wall.”

The Highlanders are in action tonight as well, hosting fierce GBL rivals Everett to Brune Field House as they look to consolidate their position in the conference standings. Both games have tip-offs of 7 p.m.