Despite having no home gym to speak of this winter, Arlington has become the ultimate road warrior.
Bolstered by returning Middlesex League MVP James Dingman alongside a deep roster of scoring threats, Arlington sits atop its league at 11-2 and in the top 10 of the MIAA Division 1 power rankings. The Spy Ponders have been unable to play on their home court due to new school construction, causing them instead to use the old Waltham High School gymnasium and Ottoson Middle School.
That adversity has done little to slow head coach Jack Woods’ veteran group, who won eight straight before falling to Watertown on Friday.
“I knew we had a lot of returners from last year so I thought we were going to be in competitive games night in and night out,” Woods said. “We scheduled 22 games as a result with the hopes of getting a better chance of a higher seed in the power rankings. I felt confident this group would rise to the occasion.”
So far, the Spy Ponders have rewarded that confidence. One of their two losses is by one point to Catholic Memorial, ranked No. 14 in the Boston Herald’s latest Top 25 poll and number 10 in the latest MIAA power rankings.
At six-foot-three, Dingman scores in all three levels and averages just under 20 points per game. Jack Zambardino is on the opposite wing and provides the Spy Ponders with an additional perimeter threat. Peter Cloherty serves as the team’s veteran point guard and is a high level facilitator.
Sophomore Jabari Williams has impressed with his inside scoring and rebounding at both ends. Defensively, Alexi and Niko Trapotsis have led the charge while serving as “glue guys” on offense.
“Those guys give James a lot relief,” Woods said. “As much as James gets the focus, a lot of our guys are comfortable playing basketball together. It’s not like James has to do it all himself. The last few weeks we have had four-five guys in double figures almost nightly. It’s been impressive.”
While Arlington understandably has its eyes on a deep tournament run, there are other tasks at hand first. For starters it has its eye on a league championship that will not be easy to attain. Winchester has just one loss on the season, coming at the hands of Arlington when the two met on Dec. 20. The rematch is Jan. 31.
“We want to have a chance at the league title,” Woods said. “Winchester and Lexington are right behind us. The second half of the year we are going to get those guys again. We want to compete for that league title and build towards postseason success.”
Notre Dame-Hingham star Ava Orlando entered the record books Friday night. With a 31-point performance, Orlando became the 82nd player in Massachusetts high school state history to reach the 2,000-point plateau for her career. Her play for the evening helped lead the Cougars to a commanding 79-44 non league win over Longmeadow. The Cougars are 11-1.
On the boys side, intriguing races for league championships are beginning to take shape. In the Hockomock Kelley-Rex, Franklin holds a one game lead over Attleboro although the Panthers have a tough crossover matchup with Mansfield on Wednesday. The Catholic Conference showcases a tie at the top with Catholic Memorial and Malden Catholic each with a loss apiece as the second time through league play begins.
Both the Patriot League Keenan and Fisher divisions appear set to come down the wire. The Keenan is deadlocked between Marshfield (9-1) and Whitman-Hanson (9-1) while the Fisher sees a tie between Plymouth South (8-2) and North Quincy (8-2).