Taunton boys basketball claims share of Hockomock title with win over Mansfield
TAUNTON — Basketball is a game of momentum, and that was on full display Tuesday night at the Rabouin Field House.
After Taunton came out of the gates hot, Mansfield took over and took control for over half the game before momentum swung again fully in favor of the hosts and, for the second year in a row, Taunton will have at least a share of the Hockomock League’s Kelley-Rex title.
The Tigers (16-2) came from behind to beat the Hornets (15-4) at home 56-46 Tuesday night to claim at least a share of the Kelley-Rex crown, with the ability to win the title outright Friday night against Milford.
"It’s huge," Taunton coach Charlie Dacey said. "It’s huge for the student body, it’s huge for these guys. They’ve been working hard all year long. We push them in practice, we really do push them, and they’ve responded."
Senior Trent Santos led the way with 27 points, including five three-pointers, while fellow senior Faisal Mass scored 12.
"It feels amazing," Santos said. "The atmosphere was crazy in here and that fourth quarter, it was really fun to play basketball."
In particular, Santos said it was the Tigers defensive effort to keep the Hornets at bay in the fourth quarter that really sealed the deal.
"It was really the defense in the fourth quarter," Santos said. "We really all locked in and committed to rebounding and getting in on the break and then we hit some big shots and that ended up giving us the run to win the game."
This marks the first season in which Taunton has beaten Mansfield on both occasions since first joining the Hockomock League back in 2012.
"Never done it, honestly never even thought of doing it," Dacey said with a laugh. "Getting (the win) out there is nearly impossible. Here we play better obviously and they don’t play quite as well, but out there is huge."
The Tigers now have the chance the win the league outright for the first time in school history Friday when they host Milford (2-17) in their final league game of the season.
"We’re going to take it very seriously and I think (the players) will too," Dacey said. "They can taste it. If there’s any sort of a letdown, I’d be surprised considering what’s at stake."
How It Happened
Santos opened the scoring by hitting a three-pointer to give the hosts an early 3-0 lead, but Mansfield wasted little time in responding as three straight baskets from senior Anthony Sachetti, senior Matt Hyland and junior Chris Hill put the Hornets on top by a point, only for a field goal from Santos and a three-pointer by Mass to put the Tigers back in the lead.
Taunton made it out of the early back-and-forth first quarter up 15-13 and carried that momentum into the second quarter as a three-pointer by sophomore Troy Santos followed up by a pair from Trent Santos gave the Tigers a 24-18 lead a little over halfway through the quarter. However, those would be the last points the hosts scored in the half, as sophomore Trevor Foley and Hyland flipped all momentum Mansfield's way as they combined for 13 unanswered points to give the Hornets a 31-24 lead at the half.
The Tigers struck first in the third quarter as Troy Santos hit his second three-pointer, but momentum was still with the visitors as they kept Taunton at arms reach before beginning to build on their lead. Three straight baskets that were capped off by a Foley layup saw the Hornets earn their biggest lead of the evening at 44-33, but Mass quickly responded by sinking a three-pointer and momentum looked to be shifting back into the host's favor as the two sides headed into the final quarter with eight points separating them.
Momentum fully shifted in favor of the Tigers, backed by a loud student section, as back-to-back threes from senior Tristan Herry and Trent Santos made it 44-42. The Hornets called timeout to try and regroup and slow their opponents' roll, but it did little as sophomore Cyrus Morrissette tied things up before Trent Santos hit a breakaway three-pointer to put Taunton back on top 47-44, a lead they'd never surrender.
From there, the Tigers only allowed a Foley field goal for the remainder of the game while Trent Santos hit another three to thunderous applause and the Taunton defense blocked and stopped Mansfield on all attempts, sealing the season sweep and at least a share of the Hockomock Kelley-Rex title.
Dacey on the importance of the league title
"It’s always Mansfield or Franklin and then us, and this year, it’s us, Mansfield and Franklin. It’s good for the kids. It’s good for the psyche of the school. We’re not used to winning championships and then we get one. Softball capitalizes and we get one and it’s good for the whole student body."
Trent Santos on facing Mansfield
"It’s my eighth time playing them and I get more sick of it every single time, but they do such a good job of moving the ball and forcing us in the quick shots and then get us tired on defense and that’s how they win, so for us to really commit and lock in and finish strong in the fourth quarter is what really won us a game."
Stats
In addition to the 27 points from Trent Santos and 12 from Mass, Troy Santos scored eight and Herry had five.
For Mansfield, Hyland led the way with 15, while Foley scored 10, Sacchetti had nine, senior Jack Lasbury-Casey had six and Hill had four.
Taunton Daily Gazette sports reporter Cameron Merritt can be reached at cmerritt@tauntongazette.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @CamMerritt_News. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to the Taunton Daily Gazette today.
This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Taunton boys hoops claims share of Hock title with win over Mansfield
