WORCESTER – As its offense dried out for much of the second quarter and Pittsfield’s athleticism built up a run, the Old Rochester boys basketball team’s halftime lead in its Div. 3 state semifinal Monday night wasn’t nearly as comfortable as it could’ve been.
But then, John Butler and Zack Mourao simply took over.
Behind a game-high 27 points from Mourao and 26 more from Butler, the second-seeded Bulldogs (21-4) avenged their state semifinal loss last year to St. Mary’s of Lynn with an 82-72 win over the No. 3 Generals (18-6).
The two combined for 30 of the team’s 46 points in the second half, building a lead as large as 22 points in the fourth quarter. Butler also finished with 11 rebounds and four assists, while Chase Besancon (17 points, 11 rebounds) matched a late charge from Pittsfield.
Old Rochester advances to its first state title game since 2015 and awaits Wednesday’s winner between No. 1 Charlestown and No. 4 Taconic.
“It’s not easy to get back,” said Bulldogs head coach Steve Carvalho. “Getting by this round, especially against a very athletic Pittsfield team, is very rewarding. I’m proud of the kids. We played our basketball and they did a great job today.”
Starting out in a 2-3 zone on defense is a bit unique for Old Rochester, but Carvalho felt it was the best way to match overwhelming athleticism from Malachi Perry (21 points, seven rebounds, three assists) and the Generals. Pittsfield struggled to produce points in the paint against it, and the Bulldogs’ 2-2-1 press created chaos for a 12-point lead early in the second quarter.
Old Rochester then went 0-for-6 from deep in the second, scoring just 11 points to allow the Generals to pull within five on a Makai Shepardson layup. Leading by just eight points entering the half, though, a flip switched for Butler and Mourao.
Mourao’s and-one layup off a steal started the third quarter on a 7-0 run for a 43-28 lead. The Generals fought back, but Mourao and Butler hit consecutive 3-pointers to boost it to 16 points. Butler went on to score the next eight points for Old Rochester, pairing with another Mourao triple and a layup from Gavin Martin (seven points, five assists) to head into the fourth quarter up 60-42.
“We all try to preach next play and things like that,” Carvalho said. “Kids can get flustered in an environment like this and I thought my kids were composed, and hung in there enough.”
Its own length and rebounding presented problems defensively, and the scoring punch kept coming in the final frame. Robert Spenard hit a mid-range jumper and Butler nailed a 3-pointer for a 65-44 advantage early on. Butler again converted from from deep and assisted another 3-pointer from Mourao for a 71-49 advantage midway through the quarter.
Pittsfield fought back with a 23-11 run over the last four minutes of play, anchored by 13 of Da’Sean Brown’s 16 points. But the Generals’ pressure on Butler and Mourao left Besancon open by the basket and he converted eight points over the last few minutes to finish off the win.
“That combination (of Mourao and Butler) was a little too much for Pittsfield (in the second half), along with their other teammates,” Carvalho said.