Despite No. 20 seed, Old Rochester boys basketball proved it belonged in state final
LOWELL — The Old Rochester boys basketball team nearly pulled off another tournament upset as the No. 20 Bulldogs pushed second-seeded Norwell to the brink in the MIAA Div. 3 state final on Friday night at the Tsongas Center.
It took a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by the Clippers to force overtime as Norwell escaped with a 64-61 victory to capture the program’s first state championship.
“We had them,” said Old Rochester senior guard Gavin Martin. “I think we played our hardest. It was just a tip away, a rebound away. It’s just tough. I’m not disappointed. I’m happy.”
Even though the Bulldogs came up short of winning it all, they made history with their second straight finals appearance and third overall.
“It’s amazing and something I’ll remember forever from last year’s team to this year’s team,” said Martin of back-to-back trips to Lowell. “The bond we had this year was incredible. I’ll never forget this team this year. It’s probably the last time I’m playing basketball because I have football, but I’ll never forget.”
On the 10-year anniversary of the Bulldogs’ first and only state championship – a 61-47 win over Hoosac Valley on March 14, 2015 — Old Rochester head coach Steve Carvalho reflected on how far his program has come over the past decade.
“We’ve worked hard to put a competitive team out and not just in the South Coast Conference, but statewide,” Carvalho said. “I think we’ve done a pretty good job.
The Bulldogs reeled off four playoff wins with three coming over higher seeded teams, including top-seeded St. Mary’s in the state semifinals.
“Down the road, they’ll remember what they did this year and remember they were in this building this year,” Carvalho said. “This is who we are and who we’ve been. We just came up short tonight.”
HOW IT HAPPENED
Neither team led by more than seven points as it was a battle from start to finish.
Norwell led 10-6 after the first quarter and 25-22 at halftime thanks to eight first-half points from senior Ronan Coffey.
A 3-pointer in front of Old Rochester’s bench by Martin put the Bulldogs ahead 34-33 with 2:50 left in the third but a pair of free throws by Coffey gave the Clippers a slim 41-40 lead entering the fourth.
“It’s not shocking,” Norwell head coach John Willis said. “We didn’t have any illusions that we were going to roll through this by any stretch because of the job (coach Steve Carvalho) does.
“I’ll tell you I’m a big Old Rochester fan. I love Steve. He’s one of the great coaches in Massachusetts and they’re one of the great programs in Massachusetts.”
Coffey sank a 3-pointer — one of six for him on the night — to extend Norwell’s lead to 50-45 with 5:15 left in the fourth quarter, but Old Rochester responded. The Bulldogs went on a 9-1 run, which included a 3-pointer from sophomore Grady Oliveira and a pair of layups and two free throws from Martin to go out front 54-51 with 26 seconds remaining.
Norwell’s ensuing 3-point attempt was off the mark, but sophomore Charlie Williams got the rebound and kicked the ball out to Coffey, who drained the tying 3-pointer to send the game into overtime.
“He’s one of the best players I’ve ever coached and it couldn’t happen to a better kid,” said Willis. “I’m thrilled for him. He’s going to be tough to replace.”
Coffey scored 8 of Norwell’s 10 points in overtime to seal the Clippers first state title.
“They’re a well-balanced, good team,” Carvalho said. “I give them credit and coach Willis credit. For his first state title, this team never quit. They got down five or six late and they came back and took a three-point lead.”
Willis added, “It feels pretty good. It’s been a long time coming for us. It’s a great group of kids.”
After Norwell went out front by four, Martin gave ORR some life when he converted a 3-point play to pull within 62-61 with 8.5 seconds left in overtime.
“He’s our best player and the ball needs to be in his hands at critical times and he delivered,” Carvalho said. “He still gave us a shot even at the end there being down four.”
Norwell answered with a pair of free throws from Coffey to close out the game.
BRIGHT FUTURE FOR ORR
Of Old Rochester’s starting five, three — Oliveira, junior Noah Thorell and sophomore Hunter Horsey — will return.
“We’re going to use this as motivation, use how we feel right now to go out and play even harder next year,” said Oliveira, who finished with 14 points. “We want a state chip next year.”
The Bulldogs graduate Martin and fellow seniors Zach Mourao, Finn Kavanagh and Ayden Monteiro.
WHAT IT MEANS
The loss ended a six-game win streak for Old Rochester, which wrapped up a 15-10. … Norwell completed a perfect 25-0 campaign.
Norwell 54, Old Rochester 51, OT
Old Rochester
Noah Thorell 4, Grady Oliveira 14 (2), Brody Hiles 2, Henry Berry 4, Gavin Martin 27 (1), Hunter Horsey 10 (1).
Norwell
Oliver Rice 2, Ronan Coffey 30 (6), Nick Adams 12, Will Bostrom 2, Nick Fein 6 (2), Jack Luccarelli 12.
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Old Rochester boys basketball loses to Norwell in Div. 3 state final
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