Wayland Boys Upset In Quarterfinals

While a well-timed three pointer by Timothy Hanifin brought the game within reach for Wayland boys' basketball, the Warriors' game-tying bucket never came in the quarterfinals Saturday night.

After turning a seven-point deficit into a one-score game in the final two minutes, the No. 2 Warriors' comeback fell short as they were elimination from the Division 3 North Sectionals after losing 50-46 to No. 7 Danvers (13-8) at Regis College in Weston.

“I thought we started off well and were executing offensively,” said Wayland coach Dennis Doherty. “We had some turnovers they took advantage of and once we were down it was like we were running uphill.”

Facing a 49-43 deficit with 45.5 seconds remaining, Hanifin (a senior) hit a top corner three-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.

The Falcons would seal the game with a free throw by sophomore Eric Martin.

“We were just trying to spread the floor, set some screens and get guys clean looks,” said 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 sophomore 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 Danvers coach John 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 would not trail for the first 12 minutes of the game.

The Warriors' lead was maintained through a baseline three-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 three-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 Doherty. “We started in a zone then come 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 led 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.”

The loss finishes a 15-6 season for Wayland in which it won the DCL small.

“We lost nine very good basketball players last year to graduation,” said Doherty. “People did not know what to expect of this group. They just showed up and worked hard every day.”