Hendricken holds off Shea for state title

By Matt Metcalf
Posted 3/21/17

The Hendricken basketball team stretched its winning streak to 18 games on Sunday, using smothering defense and efficient second-half scoring to down Shea, 66-55, at The Ryan Center to help the Hawks capture their second

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Hendricken holds off Shea for state title

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The Hendricken basketball team stretched its winning streak to 18 games on Sunday, using smothering defense and efficient second-half scoring to down Shea, 66-55, at The Ryan Center to help the Hawks capture their second consecutive state crown.

After a strong start from Shea early in the first half, Hendricken was able to trim its deficit to three at the halftime buzzer when Bobby Fiorito banked in a deep 3.

And the Hawks were able to carry that momentum into the second half, as Fiorito netted 16 of his game-high 21 points and T.J. Weeks scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half to help secure Hendricken’s third state title in the last four years.

“I think we pulled this one out because we worked on these situations all year,” Fiorito said following the win. “I just wanted to get this one for Justin (Mazzulla) and the rest of my seniors.”

“What’s been the key to our success was our defense,” Hendricken head coach Jamal Gomes said. “We wore them down in the second half with the press and we were able to get out in transition. I’m just so thankful.”

The Hawks had a tough time containing Shea standout freshman point guard Erickson Bans and senior forwards Malik Muhammed-Hester and Abdulbasit Ajia over the first 10 minutes of the first half.

Bans was driving into the paint at will and making plays, while Muhammed-Hester and Ajia used their size to score down low and create misses at the defensive end.

Bans scored on a strong take with 10:03 left in the first half, before swishing a 3 a minute later to give the Raiders a 14-4 lead.

The Shea lead got as big as 12, before Hendricken began to settle in.

Fiorito scored on a transition layup with 6:33 to go in the half to cap a 5-0 run for the Hawks, cutting the Shea lead to 16-9.

Hendricken slashed the Raiders’ lead down to three in the final minute when Mazzulla found Isaiah Mylers open under the basket for a layup.

Gerald Soe answered with an and-1, but Fiorito sprinted the length of the court and banked in a deep 3 to make it a three-point game at half.

Going into the locker room, the Hawks knew that if they wanted a chance to win, they had to slow down Bans. That’s exactly what they did, as Fiorito went on to shut down the freshman and hold him to just five points on a desperation 3 and a layup in the second half.

“In a high school game or any other basketball game, basketball is basketball,” Gomes said. “Your defense will always allow you to survive those nights when the ball isn’t falling. If we didn’t preach defense all year, we wouldn’t have been down just three points at the half.”

Luckily for Hendricken, it started to find its offensive groove in the second half, using its full-court press to force turnovers and get good looks at the offensive end.

Fiorito and Weeks led that charge.

A floater from Fiorito gave Hendricken its first lead of the evening, 34-33, with 9:49 to go.

Shea fought back, but Hendricken had an answer for everything.

Weeks used a fadeaway jumper in the paint to up the Hawks’ lead to nine with 7:23 left.

The Raiders made one final push when Bans and Ajia hit 3s to cut the Hendricken lead to two, but Chris Hindle knocked down a pair of corner 3s to give Hendricken a boost off the bench.

Fiorito stole the ball and converted an uncontested layup near the four-minute mark to make it a six-point game, and Shea never got any closer than that.

Weeks and Fiorito sank their free throws in the final two minutes to lead Hendricken to the 11-point victory.

Fiorito added a steal and three rebounds to his 21-point effort, while Weeks posted 20 points to go along with 11 rebounds and five blocks, sparking the defensive effort down low.

“In the first half, our defense kept us in the game,” Gomes said. “In the second half, when we were able to extend the defense and really put the pressure on, our defense got us some offensive opportunities.”

At the end of the season, Hendricken was the last team standing once again because of the team chemistry and togetherness that it displayed.

Because of that chemistry, the Hawks were able to put together an impressive 18-game winning streak, defeating every team that crossed their path since Jan. 13.

“This whole thing is about love and the relationships we have with each other,” Gomes said. “You saw the last eight or nine minutes what that was all about in how we played.”

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