Dighton-Rehoboth enters playoffs on hot streak

SEEKONK - Both the Falcons and Warriors have big reasons to be optimistic about next season after Wednesday’s night’s boys basketball rivalry game.

The good news for Dighton-Rehoboth is next season starts next week with the MIAA playoffs. The bad news for Seekonk is next season doesn’t start until after Thanksgiving.

Both teams were led by juniors and sophomores on Wednesday night as Dighton-Rehoboth scored the first six points of the game and never trailed en route to a 59-49 victory in the regular-season finale for both teams. Sophomore Ryan Ouellette and junior John Marcille combined for 32 points to lead the Falcons while junior Nathan Carke capped his outstanding season with a team-high 19 points for the Warriors.

“It’s always great to get a win at Seekonk. It’s a very intense rivalry,” Dighton-Rehoboth coach Bill Cuthbertson said after the game. “I’m glad we got out of here with a win. Seekonk is a very talented team.”

“We played hard the whole game, like we always do,” Seekonk coach Alex DaLuz said. “We made a few mistakes that snowballed into big plays for the other team.”

The Falcons opened the game on an 11-3 run but the Warriors battled back to trail by only six at the end of the first quarter, 18-12. Seekonk went punch-for-punch with D-R in the second and closed the gap to five, 28-23, with two free throws from Kam Casala late in the quarter, but two quick buckets from D-R point guard Pat Palazzi in transition extended D-R’s lead to nine (32-23) at the break.

Marcille and Shane Mello had strong second halves for the Falcons as D-R led by 13 at the end of the third. Marcille got the visiting crowd from D-R on its feet early in the fourth with a dunk that capped a 9-2 run and gave the Falcons a 20-point lead (53-33) early in the fourth quarter. Like they have all season long, the Warriors rallied back with a 14-2 run to close the gap to eight (57-49) before Cuthberton called a timeout with 1:39 left in the game. The Falcons settled down and controlled the ball for the duration to come out with a victory.

“There were times when we were moving the ball with six, seven, ten passes and getting open looks,” Mello said. “On defense, we were really communicating, knowing where everyone was.”

Dighton-Rehoboth finishes the regular season 14-6 while Seekonk ends the season 6-14.

REPORTERTODAY.COM MVP: Ouellette led the Falcons with 17 points, and the sophomore forward/center did it inside and outside. He hit two three-pointers from the outside and had tough buckets inside to go with seven made free throws after getting fouled in the paint. “Ryan’s a very versatile player,” Cuthbertson said. “He’s really just scratching the surface. He can be a high-level player. Right now, he’s just growing and developing.”

CLARKE COMES THROUGH: Clarke led the team in scoring again, and it was no surprise to DaLuz when asked about it after the game. “He was aggressive,” DaLuz said of Clarke, who was fouled three times on made buckets in the paint. “He looked like he was ready for the moment in front of a big crowd against our rival. Hopefully for him, it’s something we can build upon for next year.” Clarke scored 11 of his team-high 19 points in the second half and contributed on the glass and on the defensive end as well. “He’s been a bright spot for us all season,” DaLuz said.

PLAYOFF TIME: The Falcons enter the postseason on a hot streak with an 8-2 record in the second half of the season, and likely locked in a home game in the First Round by winning Wednesday night and finishing the season 14-6. “Coming in, we knew we needed a win to try to get a home game in the playoffs,” said Mello, a senior captain. “We feel good going in. We need to work hard in practice and lock everything in. We need to stick together. If we stick together and have trust in each other, hopefully we can get as many wins as we can in the playoffs.” The Falcons will play in the Div. 2 South tournament, which is a change of pace from the South Coast Conference that features mostly Div. 3 schools (Somerset Berkley being the other Div. 2 school in the SCC). Tournament seeds and matchups will be announced by the MIAA Friday morning, but if the Falcons are going to make a run at a sectional championship, the road will likely go through some of the top teams in the division, including Whitman-Hanson (19-1), Dennis-Yarmouth (19-2), Westwood (18-2) and Scituate (18-2). “Div. 2 South is a very tough tournament,” Cuthbertson said. “There are a lot of really good teams. We’ll see who we draw. The competition is at a very high level in that tournament. Whoever we draw, we’re going to have to play our A game to have a chance.”

SEEKONK HONORS SENIORS: Wednesday’s finale was the last game for Seekonk’s five seniors, who all started the contest: Casala, Kevin Moszkowicz, Aidan Culpan, Matt Norris and Elijah Leonard. “I’m going to miss it for sure,” said Leonard, a team captain with Casala and moszkowicz who is also a reigning SCC All-Star. “Everybody’s been great. We really appreciate everyone coming out to the games and coach (DaLuz) has been great to us.” They were honored before the game with family and received a loud ovation from the home crowd. “It was nice that the seniors got to play a lot together tonight. They played hard and they played for each other,” DaLuz said. “They’ve been a great group to coach. They’ve all contributed. Elijah has been an immense player for us for three years. I thought Kam and Kevin, with their leadership and how hard they play, that really rubbed off on the their teammates. Matt Norris is our most improved player, and Aidan started the season on the injured list but fought back to being healthy and was a great teammate. I was glad to see the seniors go down swinging.”

QUICK HITS: The D-R boys team will be joined in the playoffs by the girls team, which finished the season 11-9 and will also find out its seed and matchup in Div. 2 South on Friday morning. The Seekonk girls team is also headed to the playoffs in Div. 3 South after finishing the season 10-10. … Leonard joined Clarke in double figures for Seekonk with 12 points, including two three-pointers. … D-R point guard Pat Palazzi can fly like the wind on the cort as his speed forced a few turnovers and allowed him to get buckets in transition. “Patrick is an exceptional athlete; his speed, quickness, playing strength,” Cuthbertson said. “He needs to put his imprint on the game with his athleticism. That’s what he does best.” Palazzi and Mello give the Falcons a solid backcourt with speed and defense heading into the playoffs. … Clarke will lead a core of seniors next season for the Warriors that includes guards Kyle Blanchard and Jake Barreira, who both played big roles for Seekonk this season. … The Falcons, who won the SCC Blue Division with a 7-1 division record, will be joined in the playoffs by fellow SCC schools Old Rochester, Somerset Berkley, Wareham and Fairhaven. “I think they’re the best team in the South Coast Conference,” DaLuz said of the Falcons. “They’re a well-rounded team with good depth and balance. We wish them luck in the Div. 2 tournament.” … Cuthbertson pointed to the conference for the reason why Seekonk did not qualify for the playoffs. “They’re disappointed they didn’t qualify, but I think it speaks to how tough our league is when a team of Seekonk’s caliber doesn’t qualify. They have a lot of nice pieces.” … D-R won the junior varsity game. … Culpan (one) and Moszkowicz (two) hit big three-pointers during Seekonk’s run in the fourth quarter. … The student sections of Seekonk’s gymnasium were filled Wednesday night during the school vacation contest. Both crowds were loud throughout in what felt like a playoff atmosphere. … DaLuz is one of the nicest and most positive coaches this scribe has come across in more than a decade covering high school sports in Southeastern Mass. Seekonk High School is lucky to have him.

DIGHTON-REHOBOTH 59, SEEKONK 49
Dighton-Rehoboth 18 14 14 13-59
Seekonk                   12 11 10 16-49
Scoring
Dighton-Rehoboth: John Marcille 15, Shane Mello 12, Ryan Ouellette 17, Pat Palazzi 12, Shayne O’Neil 3.
Seekonk: Kyle Blanchard 2, Will Smith 1, Kam Casala 2, Kevin Moszkowicz 6, Tyler Sceeles 2, Nathan Clarke 19, Aidan Culpan 3, Matt Norris 2, Elijah Leonard 12.
3-Point Goals
Dighton-Rehoboth: John Marcille 2, Shane Mello, Ryan Ouellette 2, Shayne O’Neil.
Seekonk: Kevin Moszkowicz 2, Aidan Culpan, Elijah Leonard 2.