At the start of the 2017-2018 boys’ basketball campaign, Old Rochester head coach Steve Carvalho wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from his team. Bulldog fans had become accustomed to star-studded teams that included the likes of Noah Fernandes and Matt Valles, among others. The depth eliminated most, if not all, the concern.
Except for Bennett Fox and Jason Gamache, who were both named South Coast Conference All-Stars in their senior season, there was some initial uncertainty regarding the other members of the ORR team. So finishing the regular season 17-3 did come as a bit of a surprise.
“Not to take anything away from our talented players, but the word ‘overachieve’ does come up,” Carvalho said. “To go 17-3 in the regular season, with a couple of veterans and all-stars, dealing with an injury of such a good player like Jason for seven games, collectively they did a heck of a job on both ends of the court.
“We’re always shooting for the stars, but you got to have the horses, too. And we weren’t sure, I knew we would be able to compete, I felt like we could get this team in the tournament – I felt strongly about that – but I wasn’t penciling seventeen wins back in November.”
The seven-game stretch without Gamache was possibly the most surprising run throughout the regular season, where the Bulldogs somehow managed to go 6-1 without one of their two best players. As much as they would’ve liked Gamache on the court for every game, that stretch did force some players to contribute more, which in turn made them a more dynamic team.
“[Bennett and Fox] certainly played the two big roles, but the next one was Jake Asiaf,” Carvalho said. “He didn’t even play his junior year. You talk about a diamond in the rough, an unsung hero. That kid made plays down the stretch, Mr. Clutch. No one expected it. He came up on both ends of the floor; he had some double-figure games. But when the game was on the line, he made some big defensive plays. He’s very instinctual.”
Colin Fitzpatrick, Jake Yeomans and Joey Mckay are the other seniors who graduated and all made contributions throughout the season.
But there’s no question things started and ended with Fox and Gamache, and their presence will certainly be missed in 2018-2019.
“Obviously Jason has a lot of ability, but his steadfast determination, the way he comes to work today, we knew he could at least score fifteen points a game,” Carvalho said. “But his defensive prowess, his hustle, I think he ranks up there with a lot of [former Bulldogs] over the years.
“Bennett is very passionate about the game. In a lot of ways, he did it all for us this year. This was a kid who averaged eighteen points a game, he was one of the top-five or six scorers in the area,” Carvalho continued. “When Jason went out I kind of joked with him, I used to kind of put it in quotes with my fingers and say, ‘Hey Bennett, I need you to do it all out there.’ And I’d say it subtly, not to put pressure on a teenage kid. But in a lot of ways as a 6-3 point guard, a kid who had to play in the middle of my zone at times, because we weren’t that big and as a experienced there, and someone who could shoot the three and go to the basket, he did it all for us and for a good part of the season.”
Old Colony
The Cougars had another big year in the Mayflower Athletic Conference Small Vocational Division, winning both the boys’ and girls’ basketball regular season titles, while also winning the Vocational Tournament Championship – marking back-to-back Vocational titles for the girls.
Abby Cioper was named the conference’s Player of the Year, also reaching the 1,000-point mark in her senior campaign. Savana Halle and Katherine Kirby were each named Mayflower All-Stars. And for the second year in a row, Craig Lincoln was named Coach of the Year after coaching his team to a 16-4 regular season finish and winning the first round matchup in the MIAA Division 4 South Sectional Tournament 49-36 against Sacred Heart.
Jake Jason was once again named the boys’ conference Player of the Year, with Zach Soucy and Jeff Bechtold also being named league All-Stars. Matt Trahan also repeated at the conference’s Coach of the Year after leading the Cougars to a 14-6 regular season record and a first round 64-50 win over Diman in the MIAA Division 4 South Sectional Tournament.
High School Sports Update
By Nick Friar