TAUNTON — Some matchups may seem like a David and Goliath situation on paper, but looks can be deceiving.
With leaders like Gavin Martin, no challenge is too great. The senior erupted for 19 points, as No. 20 Old Rochester (15-9) stunned top-ranked St. Mary’s (Lynn) to return to the Div. 3 boys basketball championship for the second straight season with a 70-63 win.
“It means everything,” Martin said. “They’re the one seed, and we just didn’t care. We didn’t care at all. We kept fighting. We love to do it, we love to be doubted. We love it. We love the position we’re in. Every game, we always have a chance to win, no matter what. And I just love this team. I love how we just kept fighting, and never doubted each other.”
The semifinal showdown at Taunton High School was a rematch of the 2023 Div. 3 semifinal. In a very similar fashion, the schools engaged in a nail-biter to start. Jake Fortier got the Spartans (24-1) off to a hot start, scoring seven points in the opening frame. However, his team found itself locked in a 19-18 thriller at the end of one.
After Brody Hiles sank a layup in transition to cut it to a one-point deficit again at 24-23 for Old Rochester, St. Mary’s coach Dave Brown utilized a timeout.
The Spartans proceeded to close the half on a 12-2 run, seizing a comfortable 36-25 lead at intermission. JJ Martinez drained a layup in the final seconds to give his team some breathing room.
However, once the second half got underway, Old Rochester turned the game back into a dogfight. Martin and Brody Hiles each caught fire in the third quarter, as the Bulldogs erased the 11-point deficit to jump back in front with a 47-46 advantage headed into the final stanza.
“I think it was one possession at a time,” said Martin. “It started on defense. We started on a 5-0 or 6-0 run, and we just kept going off that momentum we had.”
Instead of wilting under the pressure, the Bulldogs kept turning up the tempo, and forced the Spartans into submission with suffocating defensive play. With about five minutes left in regulation, Grady Oliveira sank a shot through contact, drawing a foul as he roared for the crowd.
He drained the following free throw, and Old Rochester began to pull away with a 54-49 lead. St. Mary’s had one final charge, but Martin closed the game from the free throw stripe. His classmates soon enveloped him at the final buzzer, as the Bulldogs pulled off another incredible win.
Senior guard Finn Kavanagh also had a big night for Old Rochester with 18 points, while Oliveira added 13. Martinez (18 points) and Fortier (12 points) shouldered the load for St. Mary’s.
The victory sets up a Div. 3 title bout with undefeated Norwell for Old Rochester.
“Good for (Norwell coach) John Willis,” said Old Rochester coach Steve Carvalho. “I’ve been following them, but they’re on the other side, so I’ve been spending some of my time elsewhere. But we’re going to approach them how we’ve approached everybody. Worry about them, have them well scouted, but also keep playing Bulldog basketball.”