The Mustangs, under first-year coach Jerry McCullough, topped The Learning Center for the Deaf 67-59 to advance to the semifinal round.
GRANBY – The MacDuffie School boys basketball team has challenged itself by playing some of the big boys in the prep ranks this season.
In Class D, MacDuffie is a big boy, and by the end of the weekend, the Mustangs hope to be the biggest boy of them all.
MacDuffie, the top seed in Class D, beat The Learning Center for the Deaf of Framingham 67-49 in a New England Prep School Athletic Council quarterfinal Wednesday.
The Mustangs (12-9) advanced to the semifinal round, where they will play either New York Military Academy or Boston Trinity Academy Friday at a site and time yet to be announced.
MacDuffie’s success this season is impressive considering the amount of transition it’s faced. The school moved from Springfield to Granby, there was an influx of international students, and the boys basketball team landed a new coach – New York City native Jerry McCullough, who played for the University of Pittsburgh from 1991-95 under Paul Evans.
“We started out sloppy but as the season went on all the chemistry came together and it’s starting to feel like family and like a team,” said senior Khiry Marchman, of Milton.
And from the start, McCullough has challenged his team. He scheduled some New England prep basketball heavyweights, including St. Andrew’s School and Vermont Academy, which both made the Class AA tournament.
“I always want to play against the best,” said McCullough, who played with Darren Morningstar, Mark Blount, Sean Miller and Kevin Willard at Pitt. “And our players, that’s what they want.
“We have players with Division I aspirations, and in order to do that you have to play the teams that have Division I players, and that’s what I’m trying to provide for them.”
The Mustangs didn’t beat any of those top teams, but they had the courage to play them, and even stayed close with a few. MacDuffie went undefeated against Class D competition.
“In the long run, looking ahead, this team is going to be really good,” Marchman said. “This is our first time playing up and we’re competing with the top schools.”
“The effort is there night in and night out, against the big teams and against the little teams,” McCullough said. “I’ve never seen us not give 100 percent. We’re a young team so we make mistakes, but our biggest strength is our effort, and we want to win.”
Josh Jones led MacDuffie to the win over The Learning Center, scoring 19 points. Steve Kearns scored consecutive baskets with less than six minutes to play to put the Mustangs ahead 54-39. Kearns scored 15 points, and James Nelson (13) and Sani Kohen (12) were also in double figures.
“Last year we didn’t make it to the playoffs,” MacDuffie senior Matthew McRobbie said. “It was kind of a bummer. My senior year, this is huge for me. I was ready all day for this game. This is the best way to end my senior year.”
“We’d love to win a championship, but whether we win it or lose, I’m proud of them because they’ve given their all,” McCullough said. “We’re all on the same page and I didn’t have a problem with anyone. They’ve responded to what I’ve said and they’ve tried their best to do what I’ve asked. We’ve had zero confrontations.”
MacDuffie 67, The Learning Center for the Deaf 49
LEARNING CENTER – M. Velez 18, A. Velez 3, Stevenson 5, Letendre 3, Yalartai 3, Verdie 4, Morgan 12. Totals: 21-6-49.
MACDUFFIE (12-9) – Marchman 4, Nelson 13, Jones 19, Jordan 1, Kohen 12, Kearns 15, Pace 1. Totals: 25-10-67.
3-pointers: Stevenson; Jones, Kohen 2, Kearns 3.
Halftime: MacDuffie, 30-28