LYNN — After his team battled to a gritty, 59-55 victory Wednesday night over St. Mary’s in the final of the Spartan Classic, Springfield Central coach Darryl Denson requested an audience in the home team’s locker room.
“That was a true test for us,” Denson said to the Spartans’ players and coaches. “Thank you for helping us win Western Mass., because that’s what we’re going to do now. Y’all gave us everything you had, and we gave you everything we had. Win a [D3 state] title, please.”
St. Mary’s finished the regular season with a stellar 20-3 record and earned the top seed in the Division 3 North bracket. Springfield Central (17-3) will have to navigate a tough field in the D1 West and Central brackets to fulfill Denson’s promise that he believes facing St. Mary’s will get his young squad ready for the challenge.
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“[The Spartans] right there, in Western Mass., they’re a Division 1 team,” Denson said. “They compete, they have size, and shooters. Nothing to take away from Western Mass., but we don’t see teams like that on a regular basis. Coming out here for two days was great for us.”
Central was led by 6-foot-8-inch center Hason Ward, who had 16 points, 16 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots to be named tournament MVP.
Early on, Ward struggled to stop Spartans 6-6 forward Joey Abate-Walsh (27 points, 9 of 11 from 3-point range). Given daylight, Abate-Walsh made six of his first seven attempts from long range to help St. Mary’s open a 36-18 lead late in the second quarter.
But Central dug in defensively and went on a 16-2 run to nearly erase the deficit. After holding St. Mary’s to 5 points in the third quarter, the Golden Eagles trailed, 43-39, heading into the fourth quarter.
The Spartans kept the lead behind a pair of 3-pointers from Marcus Brunson-Perez (9 points, 4 assists) off feeds from Jalen Echevarria (12 points, 6 assists, 6 steals). But Central responded as junior point guard Jon Martinez (9 points, 7 assists, 5 steals) set up Andy Rosario (14 points) for two 3-pointers to eventually tie it, 52-52.
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Ward was intentionally fouled on Central’s next possession. The senior hit both free throws and Central was able to hold on from there.
“The guys are a little heartbroken by the loss,” said St. Mary’s coach David Brown, “But when you look at the big picture . . . three months ago when I set up this schedule I had no idea we’d be 20-2 as a Division 3 team facing Division 1 programs and competing every night.
“These guys can realize that we can compete against anyone in the state.”
Brown, a Westfield State alum, offered Central and Denson the opportunity to come play in the Spartan Classic, and both coaches were thrilled with the result.
“For [Denson] to come in [the locker room] and say what he said, it shows you what type of class act he is,” Brown said. “It shows you what high school basketball is all about. Granted we all want to win as many games as possible, but at the end of the day we’re teaching young boys how to become men.”