Table of Contents
Sometimes it’s not bad to lose a game every now and then, and that happened to the Winchester High boys basketball team on Jan. 20 at home, 57-54. The loss dropped them from the unbeaten ranks after 12 straight wins.
The latest Division 1 power rankings came out prior to the Burlington game, and the Winchester boys were seeded 15th. Burlington was 8-2 coming into the game, and was ranked sixth in Division 2.
Winchester’s last four triumphs before the Burlington nailbiter were against Reading (58-51, Jan. 9), Methuen (66-53, Jan. 11), Watertown (76-63, Jan. 13) and Belmont (62-60 in overtime, Jan. 16).
Coach John Fleming knew that Reading Memorial was a much better team than its record (2-10 as of Jan. 16) would indicate, and it was no surprise to him that it was a competitive game, even at home.
“(Reading) gave us all that we could handle,” said Fleming. “But we finally put together a good run in the fourth quarter after catching up to them (on the scoreboard).”
After the game, Fleming singled out Carson Sarpong for his 14 points and 11 rebounds. The coach said that he was the difference maker for his defensive prowess around the net, and his ability to putback his own offensive rebounds for two points.
“Those second chance opportunities are so big for momentum, especially in close games,” added the coach.
Harrison Burbine also factored significantly in the final winning results with 18 points, 8 rebounds and 5 steals. Dawson English accounted for 11 points, 6 rebounds and four assists.
The Red & Black then took on visiting Methuen, a tough, scrappy, defensive-minded team, according to Fleming, who thought his big three of Jonathan Cutler, Declan Ross and Sarpong did a nice job on the Rangers’ center. They gave him different looks on defense to keep him off balance, while also tiring him out.
English (22 points) and Burbine (21 points, 12 rebounds) led the way on offense against the Rangers. The aforementioned big three combined for over 10 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks and 3 steals, which contributed to another win.
Host Watertown was next up to begin a new week, and, according to Fleming again, the Raiders played really well, especially two of their players, who combined for seven threes in the first half alone.
But despite their hot shooting, the Winchester visitors were still able to keep up on offense, before their defensive intensity took over in the second half, particularly in the fourth quarter, where easy offensive opportunities were created against Watertown’s zone defense.
Fleming specifically mentioned sophomore guard Evan Wilson, who had another good shooting game that helped open things up for his teammates. He ended up with 13 points that included three threes.
English (22 points, 7 assists) and Burbine (17 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists) also turned in solid, all-around performances to help secure the team’s 11th straight victory.
The road game against Belmont was a tale of two halves.
“We played a great first half at both ends of the court, but then followed it up with our worst quarter of the season,” said Fleming. “Our 15-point halftime lead was gone before the start of the fourth quarter, as Belmont clearly gained its confidence, which resulted in a battle down the stretch.”
But Fleming added that he thought his players showed “resiliency to gut out a win like that in overtime.”
Burbine (15 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists) hit a huge three to tie it up at the end of regulation, and then he hit another big three in overtime to help account for the win. English poured in 26 points, while also coming up with three steals. Senior guard Adam Fiorentino chipped in with nine points against the Marauders.
After the heartbreaker against Burlington, the Red & Black will be looking to get back into the win column, when Arlington comes to the new gym on Friday, Jan. 23, for a 7 p.m. game. They will then be at Wilmington on Tuesday night, Jan. 27, to take on the Wildcats, also at 7 p.m., before returning home for a Friday night doubleheader (Jan. 30) against Woburn. The boys game will begin at 5:15 p.m., followed by the girls clash at 7.
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.
