FOXBORO – Leave it to a good cause to produce a poetic victory.
With another showing of growth and evolution since the original Wally Seaver HS Invitational boasted 16 basketball teams in the spirit of fundraising to fight ALS, the 12th annual edition wrapped up Sunday night having hosted over 120 teams from six different states between two facilities. But as the level of competition raised to an all-time high with more juggernaut programs joining in, it was a program that’s just one of four to play in all 12 invitationals that would win the title in this year’s top bracket.
Behind 17 points from Boston Herald All-Scholastic Sean O’Leary, the Franklin boys surged past newcomer North Andover to win its first Blue Division title, 62-55, at Mass Premier Courts.
Considering Seaver coached the Panthers for a decade in the 1990s before moving on to other opportunities, and eventually passing from ALS, it was only fitting the Franklin junior varsity team won the Gold Division.
“It’s really cool,” O’Leary said. “Playing for a good cause, especially since he coached at Franklin, it’s definitely great to win it. Our younger team won it, too. We’ve just got a great program, top to bottom. All our guys put in the work day in and day out.”
Invitational director Paul Seaver – one of Wally’s sons – is optimistic that this year’s turnout, when paired with his fundraiser walk to Fenway from months prior, raised over $15,000 for the ALS Association in what could mark the tournament’s largest donation. But aside from the obvious financial goals of raising as much money as possible to help fight the debilitating disease, what pleases Seaver is how passionately the community wants to be a part of the invitational.
Not just because of what it represents, but also the opportunity to get non-AAU summer reps against fellow established programs.
The premier division’s final in 2021 saw perennial contender Mansfield take on a powerhouse from Rhode Island. Newton North, another constant state tournament threat, won it last year in the Tigers’ first year participating. Franklin had to beat Newton North in the semifinals on Sunday, only to face North Andover – a Div. 1 Final Four team last winter – in the final.
Factor in the strong teams relative to their school’s size in the lower divisions of the invitational, and this year’s edition was a hotbed of elite competition.
“We’re getting some high-caliber teams … there’s a lot of good appeal, good basketball and just tons of talent,” Paul Seaver said. “There’s really nothing like it. … That’s a testament to the players, the coaches, the referees, the scorekeepers. Just everybody involved who makes this event super special every single summer.
“You see guys working hard and having fun, that’s what my dad would’ve wanted.“
That development over the last couple years didn’t go unnoticed for North Andover All-Scholastic Zach Wolinski, who took the opportunity to light up the scoreboard from deep in his team’s debut.
“Right when we heard about it, we were invited, we said, ‘Absolutely, we’ve got to take advantage of this,’ ” he said. “We took it like the state tournament, we took it like it was the most important thing. Very competitive basketball … with the team you’re going to be playing with (next season). It was a lot of fun.”
“We definitely got balanced, there’s a lot of great teams here in this tournament,” O’Leary added. “It’s really cool to see all these talents come to this one gym, see all the rest of the players.”
Chicopee Comp beat Merrimack (N.H.) for the Green Division title on the next court over. Old Rochester defeated Pembroke in the Black Division, Norton won the Navy Division over Stoneham, and Monty Tech topped David Prouty for the Maroon Division crown. Fontbonne won the girls’ Pink Division.