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It was the third meeting this year between Middlesex League boys basketball rivals Lexington (16-5, 11th seed) and Winchester (17-4, 22nd seed). They split the first two during the regular season, thus making this Round of 32 postseason matchup the impromptu rubber game of this year’s series, with the winner continuing its quest for a long Division 1 state tournament run.
Despite identical 16-4 records, the Minutemen had the decided edge in the power rankings for some reason, and as a result were the home team last Friday night (Feb. 27), but the Red & Black weren’t deterred. They went on to beat the home team, 65-59, and will now head to Bridgewater-Raynham tonight (March 3) to face the Trojans (17-4), the sixth seed, in a Sweet 16 game, starting at 6:45 p.m. B-R defeated Lawrence (11-11), the 27th seed, in its Round of 32 game, 63-41.
Winchester Coach John Fleming was thrilled with the way his club controlled the proceedings from beginning to end, never allowing Lexington a chance to establish its gameplan.
“I thought our guys played great from start to finish,” Fleming said after Friday night’s Lexington clash. “It was important that we were able to set the tone early, and not let them jump out to a big lead at home. The (Lexington) gym was sold-out. It was a great environment for a high school game. The game was (close) throughout, and if (a team) had a four-point lead, it felt huge.”
Fleming knew that going into the game that they’d have to defend against the three-point shot, while also slowing down Lexington’s transition game by controlling the boards.
When on offense, the Red & Black had to withstand Lexington’s pressure defense, while drilling threes consistently.
“Across the board, our guys really played within themselves and stuck to the gameplan,” said Fleming. “I was really impressed with our poise in pressure moments. We hit big-time free throws down the stretch, got timely rebounds, hit big shots and finished at the rim. It truly was a great team win.”
The Winchester boys lost to Lexington on that court early last month on Feb. 3, 69-62.
“That was a tough loss, but this time we were without the services of senior Harrison Burbine, who was injured against Belmont. But it was great to see our guys step up in his absence, elevating their games,” said Fleming.
The veteran Winchester coach singled out Adam Fiorentino, who had one of his best games of the year, while coming up with 11 points. Max Phillips was huge off the bench, also pouring in 11. Sophomore Evan Wilson hit timely threes as a starter for nine points.
Captain Dawson English was the leader on offense once again with 22 points, while anchoring the defense. Junior guard Devon Ryan chipped in with eight points. Captain Carson Sarpong dominated the boards with 10 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 and is currently its Sports Editor. He can be reached at editor@winchesternews.org.
