WORCESTER - Maybe Newburyport should let its opponents take a double-digit lead every game.
After overcoming a 15-point halftime deficit Tuesday to defeat Cardinal Spellman, the Clippers rallied from an 11-point hole to defeat Hopedale, 50-43, and capture the MIAA Division 3 state championship at the Worcester Centrum yesterday.
Newburyport (22-2) struggled out of the gate, falling behind the Blue Raiders, 11-0. The Clippers finally got on the board midway through the first half when Chris Sheehan connected on two free throws. But their shooting woes continued. The Clippers were 0 for 10 from the field to start the game and hit only three field goals in the first half. Their free-throw shooting and defense, however, were much better.
Led by Benjamin Babcock's 6-for-6 free-throw shooting, Newburyport made 9 of 12 free throws to close within 1 point, 16-15, at halftime. The Clippers' defense held Hopedale to 5 points in the final eight minutes of the first half. The Blue Raiders (21-4) had controlled the tempo of the game early on, but once Newburyport began scoring, the momentum swung.
"We wanted to play up-tempo, but couldn't press because we couldn't score," Newburyport coach Kevin Lucy said. "I told the kids `hang in there and just get us one basket.' We finally scored and then we started running."
The Clippers' momentum carried over into the second half. Sheehan scored 5 of his 11 points in the opening minutes, as Newburyport pulled ahead, 26-21. Hopedale tied the game at 26 after a 3-pointer by Jon Tosches and a jumper by Dan Thiffault, but couldn't stop the Clippers' attack.
Harley Davis capped a 15-1 run with a layup that pushed the score to 41-27. The Clippers pushed the lead to 17 with a minute to play. Hopedale managed to cut the lead to 7, but ran out of time as the Clippers completed a magical tournament run.
"We knew we weren't out of the game after going down 15 in the last one," Davis said. "So we stayed positive, got the fast break going, and that's how we win our games."
Despite early foul trouble that kept him on the bench in the first half, Davis finished with a team-high 14 points, including 10 in the second half. For Hopedale, Paul Kampersal had 15 points before fouling out.
"They're a great transition team,"Kampersal said. "Once they started running, it blew the whole game open."
For Lucy, the state championship was the culmination of a 21-year coaching career. But he was happier for the kids than for himself.
"This is thrilling for the school and thrilling for the kids," Lucy said. "No matter what they do, they'll always have these memories, they are etched in stone. And all other [future] teams will be compared to this
Division 3 boys
John McGuirk, Globe Correspondent
March 18, 2000
After starting the season 2-3, few gave Hopedale much of a chance. But the Blue Raiders refused to listen to such pessimism as they rolled off 20 straight victories, including a 60-44 triumph over Western Mass. champion Pioneer Valley in Wednesday's state semifinal. Making its first state final appearance, Hopedale (22-3) will meet 21-2 Newburyport today at 12:30.
The Blue Raiders possess a nice balance of quickness and height. Senior guard Jon Tosches runs the floor. He is aided by a trio of 6-3 seniors: Paul Kampersal, Brian Bacon, and Dan Thiffault. Kampersal and Bacon combined for 36 points in the win over Pioneer Valley.
"The kids have worked very hard all season long," said Hopedale coach Tony Cordani. "They'll be up for the game. We've had a decent size advantage on a lot of teams this year. I don't know if we'll have any great advantage over [Newburyport]. It's going to be a good game between two good teams. We're playing for a state title and those opportunities don't happen very often."
Added Bacon, "Our goal was to win Central Mass. Anything beyond that is frosting on the cake."
