SHS Basketball Moves in the Right Direction

Although this basketball season didn’t end the way the girls’ and boys’ basketball teams had hoped, they still had their fair share of triumphs. The boys’ basketball team was led by their senior captains: Mike Vegnani, Jordan Aylesworth and Garrett Mullen. Senior Sean Rezendes and junior Dylan Brady rounded out the starting lineup as Scituate went 13-7 in the regular season.

The season included a marquee 63-58 win against undefeated Whitman-Hanson. Freshman standout Aidan Sullivan also had a huge year as he surprised many with his All-Star caliber play in his first year for the Sailors. Coach Porier’s team was able to gain a close victory against Westwood 59-55 in the first round of the 2016 MIAA Boys’ Basketball South Division 2 tournament. The run would end, though, in the quarterfinals as Whitman-Hanson got their revenge with a 75-43 win against the Sailors.

Despite the sting of the defeat, this year’s playoff victory was a major step forward as the team last year failed to achieve this feat. Many expected this year’s team to do worse than their predecessors. Senior Sean Rezendes claimed, “While we are obviously not satisfied with losing, we are proud that we were able to prove both our own and other people’s expectations wrong throughout the season.”

As for the Scituate girls’ basketball team, they also finished the regular season 13-7 and advanced to the 2016 MIAA Girls Basketball South Division 2 tournament with a 10-seed. The team was led by senior captains Gabby Otto, Belle Otto and Rachel Sullivan. Sophomore Skylar Rojik and juniors Melanie Stewart, Allie Lopes and Bridget Grant also regularly contributed to the Sailors’ efforts.

The Sailors’ tournament run ended sooner than they hoped, as they fell to 7-seeded Notre Dame Academy in their first tournament game. With a final score of 44-38, this was a heart-breaking loss for the team. That being said, the Scituate girls’ basketball team exceeded expectations by making the tournament for the first time in four years. This was coach Sarah Tondorf’s first season, and the end result will give her a jumping-off point for next year and the years to come.

While neither Scituate High School basketball team was able to take home a state championship this year, they proved many of their critics wrong, exceeded expectations, and set a foundation for a title run in the future.