Mashpee Boys' Hoop Slips Past Norwell

By: Rich Maclone
Published: 01/18/13

Norwell did everything it could to make Mashpee’s night a very disappointing one, but the Falcons avoided a disaster on Tuesday night. The Mashpee High School boys held a seemingly commanding lead late in the game, but the Clippers exploded in the final minutes to make things too close for comfort.

Mashpee was able to hold on in the end, surviving a legitimate scare with a 61-57 win over the home team. The Falcons had held a 20-point lead entering the fourth quarter, only to see the Clippers light it up in the final minutes and make things too close for comfort. Norwell’s TJ Dakin came in off the bench and began to deliver 3-pointers like they were lay-ups, knocking down three in a row. Along with a couple of other baskets, and misses by Mashpee, Norwell closed the gap and had a fleeting chance at the end.

“We were in control the whole way, until the end,” MHS Head Coach Rick Boulrisse said. “We got a little lackadaisical on defense, and they made a run at us.”

Norwell’s comeback attempt came with a turn of events that all worked in their favor. The Falcons backed off a bit with the big lead, and pulled big man Nakia Hendricks (15 points, 11 rebounds) from the contest after he rolled his ankle and was hobbled a bit. MHS appeared to become a little too laisez faire too soon, and Norwell didn’t quit.

Thankfully for the Falcons, the clock expired before disaster could strike. “Other than three minutes, late in the game, I felt like we played excellent basketball,” Boulrisse said.

Mashpee was bolstered by the return of Cody Hendricks to the lineup. The shooting guard had been suspended for the two prior games, but played like he had not missed a beat as he led the team with 19 points in the game. Hendricks scored all of his points before halftime. Norwell focused on him in the second half, using a triangle-and-two defense that focused on the two Hendrickses, but that opened things up for his teammates.

“He was red hot shooting the ball in the first half,” Boulrisse said. “He gives us another offensive threat. He can create his own shot and he’s our best player in transition.”

Dean Feliciano continued to be a nice contributor for the Falcons. He had nine points in the game. Justin Mccartney-Peters had seven and Scott Matoian had six, including a 3-pointer at the third quarter buzzer that put the Falcons on top by 20 at the end of that period.

Once again Mashpee was forced to play without its full complement. The team has been dealing with several players contracting the flu in recent days. In a 20-point loss to Cohasset last Friday the Falcons had only eight players dressed for the game. Against Norwell they were without Malik Lee because of illness and Kevin Frye played, but has also been sick.

Boulrisse said that the victory was a big one for his team, as they improved to 9-2 overall and 6-2 in the South Shore League. It ended a two-game slide. “It kept things from snowballing on us,” the coach said. “It’s a good confidence builder, and now we’re coming back around for the second time through the league and it’s still anyone’s (championship to win).”

MHS is currently in a tie for second place in the South Shore League. First place Rockland lost its first game of the year on Tuesday night, dropping a 63-58 home game against Monomoy (5-5).

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