These 'Cats have been wild this winter: Weymouth boys, girls basketball headed to playoffs

WEYMOUTH – On Dec. 9, the Weymouth High boys basketball team kicked off its season with a near-upset of mighty Catholic Memorial. The Wildcats, who dug out of a 19-point hole to briefly take the lead in the fourth quarter, came up just short, losing 71-68 in their own gym.

No heads were hung after that one, though.

"We're bringing a new culture to Weymouth," junior forward Edric Louissaint declared at the time. "We're going to fight hard. That's how we're coming this year. You can believe it or not, but Weymouth, we're going to be on the map this year. People are going to have to watch out for us."

"It means a lot for Weymouth," junior guard Gill Dolan said of the better-than-expected showing in the opener. "Coming off a tough season last year, it's showing everybody that we're back. We're ready to compete."

It's not boasting if you can back it up.

And the Wildcats have done just that.

"I told y'all," Louissaint said with a smile last Monday night after Weymouth won its sixth straight to conclude a 13-9 regular season.

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Here we are, 11 weeks later, and the Weymouth boys are, in fact, headed to the MIAA playoffs.

So are the girls.

It's been a rewarding bounce-back winter inside the Weymouth gym, where a double dose of postseason basketball hasn't happened since 2012, the last time the girls qualified. The boys made one more appearance after that, winning a preliminary round game in 2014 before falling to Mansfield.

Now, the season for both teams once again will be extended.

"It's never happened since I remember, so it's really exciting," said girls star Meg Doyle. "A new step for the programs. It's very validating of all the hard work that we've put in (as a team) and that you've put in (individually)."

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"That's really cool," senior center Cam Nordstrom said of the girls'/boys' revival. "We've been doing something at the school trying to form a culture change in sports. We have our Weymouth Athletic Leadership Club and we have captains from all sports, and prospective captains (getting together) to try to make a difference. Our boys hockey team made the state tournament, too, so they're having a strong season. All around the school we're trying to make a difference."

The boys earned the No. 30 seed in Division 1 and will host No. 35 Lexington in a preliminary round game on Tuesday at 7:15 p.m. The girls, the No. 25 seed, will host No. 40 Everett on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.

Both teams staged their final regular-season tune-up last Monday, competing in their respective finals of the Weymouth Family Invitational Tournament. Here's a look at both squads, each of which has a "new" coach:

Weymouth boys

Record: 13-9

Latest MIAA power ranking (as of Feb. 17): No. 32 in Division 1

Who's in charge?: Jim Dolan (no relation to Gill) returned to coach the boys team this season for the first time since ending a 13-year run in 2015. He was back in the gym coaching the Weymouth girls program for the previous three seasons, adding to a varied resume that has seen him coach boys high school basketball (Hull, Winchendon School, Archbishop Williams), men's college basketball (Bunker Hill Community College), high school baseball (Weymouth, Archies) and college baseball (Lasell University, Quincy College).

Last Monday's result: The Wildcats dug out of an 18-point first-half deficit (down 28-10 midway through the second quarter) to beat North Attleboro, 58-49.

How it happened: The Wildcats locked it down defensively. Trailing 22-8 after the first quarter, they outscored the Red Rocketeers (1-19) by a 50-27 count the rest of the way, including a 20-8 margin in the fourth quarter. Defense was Weymouth's calling card in this one as the Wildcats slapped on a full-court press that led to a blizzard of NA turnovers, especially in the second half.

"We were lacking," junior forward Will Savage said of Weymouth's early defensive effort. "We let up 22 points in the first quarter. We weren't having that again."

"It all came on defense," said Louissaint. "That's when our offense started playing better, when we were playing hard on defense. Just pride."

Louissaint was named tournament MVP. He had 17 of his career-high 28 points in this one in the second half, including 11 in the fourth quarter. He also threw down a pair of dunks. The 6-4 junior forward has averaged 22.3 points per game in the six-game winning streak. He had 21 in the first-round win over Boston Latin.

"He's a special player, man," Jim Dolan said. "He's real good. He's playing right at the right time, I guess."

Nick Neary (9 points), Nordstrom (8) and Gill Dolan (6) also chipped in. Savage was named to the all-tournament team.

Playoff outlook: Division 1 is loaded, but having a certifiable star such as Louissaint is a nice boost. Weymouth is deep and can get scoring from other sources, too – witness Gill Dolan's career-best 33-point effort against Newton South in the playoff clincher last Friday.

"We figure we're playing with house money at this point," Jim Dolan said.

Louissaint – surprise, surprise – is thinking bigger. "Going in with six (wins) in a row," he said, "I think whoever matches up with us should be worried."

Weymouth girls

Record: 11-9

Latest MIAA power ranking (as of Feb. 17): No. 20 in Division 1

Who's in charge?: Doug Kirby, an assistant under Jim Dolan last season, has taken over the reins. He previously was a boys assistant at Scituate (two stints under Matt Poirier) and Plymouth North. The Halifax resident has taught in Weymouth (eighth-grade algebra and pre-algebra at Chapman Middle School) since 2012. He didn't play basketball in high school or college but did pick it up during a six-year hitch in the Navy.

Last Monday's result: The Wildcats got off to a slow start – down 9-4 after one and 22-12 at halftime – and could never recover, even with a 19-point third quarter, in a 52-40 loss.

How it happened: It was a spirited effort from Hingham (10-11), which will keep its collective fingers crossed about making the Division 1 field as well. The Harborwomen were No. 37 (outside the automatic qualifying cutoff line) last week, but they've won twice since then and finished the season with five straight wins.

"We've been hit with the injury bug a little and we've been inconsistent, but the most consistent we've been is over these last weeks," coach Roland Millien said. "They knew time was dwindling down to have an opportunity to make the tournament and they came into every single practice ready, focused, ready to move the ball, ready to do the little things -- defend and box out."

Senior forward Sarah Holler was named tournament MVP. She had 10 points in this one and drew a key charge on Doyle that fouled out Weymouth's star with 7:20 left. "That was huge," Millien said. "I said during the huddle I need one person to take a charge (against Doyle). She took two."

Colette Haney led Hingham with 13 points, and Ellie Savitscus chipped in 10. Ainsley Weber paced Weymouth with 11 points. Doyle had 8.

Playoff outlook: The Weymouth girls also have a star in Doyle, a 6-foot-1 junior forward who is committed to playing lacrosse at Yale. She had a triple-double (19 points, 12 rebounds, 10 steals) in a recent win over Needham and went for 19/12 against Braintree and 17/13 against Rockland. "Megan is the heart and soul (of the team)," Kirby said. "She's really doing a good job of figuring out, with her new teammates, how to get everybody involved."

Weber, a sophomore guard, also has been sharp. She had 19 points in a first-round win over Boston Latin. "She never gives up," Doyle said, "and you can always count on her for a defensive steal."

Like Jim Dolan, Kirby is going to let the playoff chips fall where they may.

"I like the way we match up," he said. "I like who we are as a team. ... Just getting the kids in the tournament was the goal. Who we see in the tournament doesn't really matter because the girls are excited to get in there and play (a playoff game). We'll figure out (who we play) on Saturday."

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Weymouth girls, boys basketball teams celebrate ending playoff drought