Vineyard basketball teams split their games Tuesday afternoon, with the boys defeating league opponent Bishop Feehan 68-59 at home thanks in large part to the hard work of senior captain Izak Browne, and the girls taking their first loss of the season against Feehan 73-63.
The boys now move to a 7-2 record, while the girls are 7-1.
For the girls’ squad, Bishop Feehan is “always the toughest team in the league,” head coach Lisa Stewart said on Wednesday. Senior Maggie Riseborough scored 29 points with 14 rebounds, and junior Kat deBettencourt notched 19 points. Senior captain Katie Stewart scored 13 points with 10 rebounds.
In their first league matchup against Bishop Stang last Friday, the girls held off a late Stang rally to win 62-60. As in the boys’ games, the Vineyard was shakier than usual behind the free throw line, making for a close, hard-fought game. Riseborough again led the scoring with 22 points and 12 rebounds, while her five blocks contributed to the Vineyard’s standout defense. Stewart landed 14 points and deBettencourt scored 11. Senior Alayna Hutchinson had a stellar game on defense, shutting down Stang’s leading point guard.
Last Friday the boys faced off against Bishop Stang for a 60-49 home win, with senior DeShawn James leading the team in scoring with 18 points. Senior captain Jack Roberts hit three three-pointers en route to 11 points, and senior Brandon Watkins had 12 points. The strength of the Vineyard defense was once again on display and the offense was able to take advantage of Stang’s struggles at the free throw line.
During Tuesday’s home game against basketball powerhouse Feehan, it was the Vineyard who struggled at the line, shooting just over 53 per cent. Still, the team was able to overcome the shooting deficiencies with another tough defensive effort led by senior captain Izak Browne. Browne scored 17 points, including an impressive dunk in the third quarter, and had eight rebounds.
“It was a lot closer than it needed to be because we were so bad from the line,” head coach Mike Joyce said. But the Vineyard played aggressively to match the hard-playing style of the Shamrocks, relying on height and athleticism to nab rebounds and beat Feehan downcourt. Roberts hit two three-pointers and scored 18 points total to lead the offensive attack. Eight different Vineyarders scored for the team.
The boys play Somerset at home on Friday at 4:30 p.m., and host Lexington on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
League play continues Friday for the girls with an away game at Somerset. They return home the next day for a 2 p.m. matchup against Norton.
Comments
Comment policy »