Malden Catholic is on the verge of history.
Aboubakar Nimaka scored 20 points while Matt Gaffney added 14 points as Malden Catholic advanced to its fourth straight Div. 2 State final with a heart-pounding 62-61 overtime win against No. 4 Oliver Ames on Monday night at the Clark Athletic Center Gymnasium on the campus of UMass Boston. The Lancers are looking to become the first boys basketball team since Charlestown (2000-2003) to capture four consecutive state championships.
Lancers coach John Walsh is in pursuit of becoming the first boys basketball coach with seven championships.
“Our guys are used to these types of games,” said Walsh. “They are 19-0 in the tournament the last four years. They know when they have to step up and what it means to close the deal and they did that tonight.”
The Tigers (21-5) carried a 44-39 advantage into the final stanza and Hockomock League Davenport MVP Cole Craffey buried a three-pointer to up the advantage to 47-39. Mamadou Camara answered with four points and two minutes later, Nimaka scored at the rim to cut the Tigers lead to one. After Gaffney buried a triple to even the score, Oliver Ames looked poised to snatch a massive upset when Craffey finished at the rim and the Lancers had an empty possession.
Oliver Ames, however, missed two free throws and Camara connected on a put-back to tie the game at 54 and send it to overtime. In the extra frame the teams traded leads with Craffey hitting on a trey only for Gaffney to drill a foul line jumper to tie the game at 59. Trailing 61-60 with 57.7 seconds left, Nimaka hit two free throws to put the Lancers on top and at the other end Oliver Ames had a pair of empty trips to send Malden Catholic to the finals.
“Matt is just a real steady kid,” Walsh said. “We did not do a good job of getting him the ball in the first half and that is on me. But he hit the key three in regulation and then the shot in overtime. Kid is just a winner.”
On the heels of two three-pointers from Seun Sorinmade and Jacob Lok, Oliver Ames grabbed a 15-11 lead after one. The hot shooting continued for the Tigers in the second quarter as Grimaldi buried the Tigers seventh three pointer of the game around two tough finishes from Craffey to give the Tigers a 31-25 lead at the half.