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Going into the annual Bob Bigelow Tournament at the new Winchester High gym, the Red & Black boys basketball team was 4-0 after defeating Stoneham in the home opener on Dec. 12, 56-54, followed by wins over Melrose (57-52), Woburn (66-53) and Lexington (77-74).
The Bigelow Tournament got underway for the host team on Monday, Dec. 29, against TechBoston Academy, and proceeded to make it five in a row with a 64-33 lopsided victory over the Dorchester public school. The Winchester boys then beat Franklin late in the championship tilt the very next day to secure the title, 46-36.
Coach John Fleming was thrilled with his team’s defense in the Bigelow opener.
“Our defense led the way again for us, limiting Tech to just 16 first half points,” he said after the game. “We were able to extend the lead in the third quarter with a balanced attack. It was nice to see all 12 boys, who dressed, make some plays, in particular those who came off the bench. They were all terrific. Michael (McDonough) moved the ball around nicely to find his teammates in good spots, while Max (Phillips) rebounded well, and Sam (Christmas) did a great job cutting and finishing plays around the hoop.”
Senior captain Dawson English was the team’s top scorer against Tech with 12 points. He also had five rebounds. Senior guard Harrison Burbine had a fine, all-around game with 10 points, four assists and four steals. Gibby Ketterer and Christmas accounted for eight points each. Senior captain Carson Sarpong did the dirty work with nine rebounds and two blocks. Phillips pulled down six rebounds, and McDonough picked up six assists.
In the championship game against Franklin, the hometown team prevailed once again, despite it not being an artistic success, according to Fleming.
“This game was not our prettiest (effort) to date, but once again we did enough to find a way to win,” said Fleming. “We were able to get some good looks at the basket, but had difficulty finishing at the rim, as well as capitalizing on open three-point shots. But the good news was that our defense was pretty locked-in. We held Franklin to just 13 halftime points, and then only nine in the fourth quarter. We got on a mini run in the second half that helped separate us from (the Panthers).”
Fleming specifically singled out Burbine, the tournament MVP, afterwards for getting out in transition to make plays. The coach also mentioned that Sarpong got in foul trouble, but Declan Ross came in for him and played really well.
“(Ross) also did some good things (in Monday’s game against Tech), but this one against Franklin was his best (effort) of the season,” the veteran coach added. “Overall, we got good defense and some rebounding that led to a (clutch) finish.”
Harrison was the offensive leader against Franklin with 17 points. Dawson, who made the all-tournament team, was next in line with 15.
Early season recaps
In the opener against the Spartans, Sarpong turned in a fine all-around performance with nine points, four blocks and 12 rebounds. Burbine was the team’s top gun in this game with 23 points, while also coming up with five steals and seven rebounds. English chipped in with 10 points. Junior guard Devon Ryan ended up with nine points and five thefts.
The Red & Black then began a new week on the road against Melrose on Dec. 16. English and Burbine led the way on offense with 16 and 15 points, respectively. Burbine, the backcourt specialist, also factored into the win with seven rebounds, four assists and five steals. Junior forward Jonathan Cutler was credited with seven points. Sarpong blocked two shots.
The Winchester boys then traveled to Woburn to face the Tanners on Dec. 19, where English powered the attack with 30 points and six steals. Burbine netted 17points. Sarpong was the team’s defensive star with 14 rebounds and two steals.
Following their third straight win, the Red & Black came home to get ready for Lexington on Dec. 22, the last game before the Christmas break.
English paced the attack against the Minutemen with 24 points. He also dished out five assists. Burbine was next in line with 21 points to go along with four steals. Sarpong accounted for nine points and nine rebounds. Senior guard Adam Fiorentino poured in nine points, while Ryan grabbed seven rebounds.
Joe McConnell is a longtime, award-winning sports editor for numerous North Shore publications. He began covering Winchester sports for the News in November 2024.
