Dedham Boys Rally Past Milton on the Court

After a promising start, the boys basketball team simply ran out of gas against a strong Dedham squad.

Dedham senior Dan O’Connor erupted for a game high 24 points and Carmen DelloIacono added 16 points and 15 rebounds as the Marauders kept their tournament hopes alive with a 64-53 win over the Wildcats in Thursday night’s Bay State Conference match-up at the Copeland Field House.

With the loss, the Wildcats ended their season at home at 5-12 in the midst of  a six-game losing streak while the Marauders improved to 8-9.

Should the Marauders defeat Weston on Saturday, they’ll qualify for the Division 3 South tournament by virtue of the Sullivan Rule. The Sullivan Rule allows teams, who finish the regular season with a losing record, to be tournament eligible if they manage at least a .500 mark against Division 3 teams.

“We’ve been through a lot of injuries, and we were able to make some adjustments as the game went on,’’ said Marauder coach Ed Hickey. “We’re still in our own destiny to qualify for the tournament. The guys came through in the second with some key rebounds as well as second and third chance points.”

In the opening minutes, both teams traded baskets before the Wildcats erupted with a 9-0 run to close out the first quarter.

Senior co-captain Skyler Abrams knocked down a three-pointer, increasing the lead to 15-10 before fellow co-captain Khiry Marchman followed with another three en route to the 18-10 edge. Capping the run, Aaron Sanchez drained another three pointer from the right arc as the Wildcats rolled out to a 21-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Throughout the first half, the Wildcats maintained their hot hand as Garith Christopher’s runner maintained the edge at 23-12 before the Marauders answered with a 5-0 run on a three point play by Jeremy Clifford.

Another three pointer by Josh St. Fort increased the lead to 29-20 before the Marauders battled back with a jumper by Jake Reid and pair of free throws by DelloIacono.

Boxing out and out rebounding down in the post, the Marauders slowly chipped away at the Wildcat lead as a three-point play by DelloIacono closed the gap to 31-28 before a pair of DelloIacono free throws brought the Marauders within 34-30 at the half.

“We started out strong, but the bottom line is that they outworked us and out rebounded us,’’ said Milton coach Sean LoPresti. “They made some adjustments, and we couldn’t find a way to counter. They came out and dominated the second half and we just couldn’t respond.”

Trailing 37-32, the Marauders executed a 12-2 run that spanned throughout the final 5:26 of the fourth quarter. After a put back by DelloIacono, the Marauders closed the gap within one on a jumper by Mike Ryan before three consecutive putbacks by Rohit Kunar and Ryan paved the way for a surprising 42-39 lead. Cam Clifford capped the run on another put back as the Marauders closed out the quarter with a 44-39 edge. Offensively, the Wildcats were held to just five points and only one field goal.

“We had a horrible third quarter,’’ said LoPresti. “They finished out the quarter with some rebounds as well as second and third chance points. We’ve just been having trouble finishing out games.”

As the Wildcats started the fourth quarter on a 5-0 run, a jumper by St. Fort closed the deficit to 44-41 before a three pointer by Marchman tied the contest.

Regaining momentum, the Marauders increased the lead to 50-46 on jumpers by DelloIaccono and O’Connor before the Wildcats closed the gap to 52-49 on a Marchman put back.

With the game hanging in the balance, the Marauders secured the win on a 12-4 run. After a jumper by Kumar and a three pointer by O’Connor, the Marauders closed out the contest as Iaccono, O’Connor and Nick Tarantino nailed seven out of eight free throws.

“This was a huge win for us because it keeps alive in the hunt for the tournament,’’ said Hickey. “We came out and played a great second half, and we were able to keep them off balance. We forced some turnovers and we were able to keep them out of their comfort zone after they were shooting lights out in the first quarter with the three pointers.”

The Wildcats close out the season with a road game against Hingham on Saturday before participating in the Quincy Vacation tournament next Monday and Tuesday.