Wilbraham's man-to-man defense carried the Titans to the quarterfinal win.
WILBRAHAM – The Wilbraham and Monson Academy’s boys basketball team just couldn’t get into an offense flow Thursday in its New England Prep School Athletic Council Class AA quarterfinal against Worcester Academy.
The Titans’ defense, on the other hand, for the most part, flowed for all 32 minutes.
Wilbraham’s man-to-man defense kept the hosts in the lead all game as the Titans beat Worcester Academy 63-52 before an energized full house.
“We’re excited,” said Springfield’s Kamali Bey, a junior. “We beat Worcester but we’re not satisfied 100-percent. We want to beat Tilton and win a championship.”
Coach Chris Sparks and his team will play Tilton Academy Friday in a semifinal at 6:30 at the Groton School. The winner advances to the final, which is set for Sunday at Endicott College at 2 p.m.
Wilbraham lost to Tilton at the City of Palms Tournament in 63-47.
“We have one goal: win the championship,” said junior Jaylen Brantley, also of Springfield. “We’ve been fighting all season and now it’s starting to pay off. We’ve got a rematch against Tilton and we’re going to show people what we’re made of.”
The Titans showed people what their defense was made of against Worcester. With the exception of the first two minutes of the second half, Wilbraham made it very difficult for Worcester to score in its half-court offense.
“Our goal was to come out and play good, aggressive defense on Rene (Castro) and contain him because he had a very good game against us the first time,” Brantley said.
Brantley (20 points) and Bey (four) didn’t have stellar offensive games. Brantley was slowed by a cramp in his left calf, and Bey wasn’t himself after getting hit in the head in the first half. That combination made the effort on the defensive end that much more important.
“Our defense was the key,” Sparks said. “I thought we did a terrific job on (Castro). And Kamali and Jaylen, they didn’t have their best offensive games, but they led in other ways. I think that was huge for us.”
Freshman Djery Jean Baptiste was also huge for the Titans as the 6-foot-10 freshman controlled the paint. He blocked a handful of shots and altered a dozen more.
“This is his first time playing American basketball,” said Brantley of Baptiste. “He’s from Haiti. He’s getting better and better every day. His defense is tremendous. He’s the X-factor and he’s why we won this game today.”
Maodo Lo, who hit two big 3-pointers late in the first half to help give Wilbraham a 10-point lead at the break, finished with 14 points. Robinson Vilmont added eight despite batting foul trouble.
Wilbraham 63, Worcester 52
WORCESTER ACADEMY – Betle 6, Madison 8, Castro 21, Scocca 2, McCauley 2, Harris, Severin 4, Rivard 3. Totals: 21-8-52.
WILBRAMAM & MONSON – Brantley 20, Vilmont 8, Lo 14, Baptiste 5, Pettaway 4, Bey 4, O’Connell 1. Totals: 23-13-63.
3-pointers: Betle, Castro; Brantley 2, Lo 2.
Halftime: Wilbraham, 28-18