Strong start lifts Hollis Brookline boys basketball to win over Coe-Brown

HOLLIS – Mike Soucy knows that when the Hollis Brookline High School boys basketball team is at its best, the offense is finding ways to score inside and on the perimeter.

The Cavaliers were able to find success in both areas of the floor in Friday’s season opener against Coe-Brown Academy, hitting shots from the outside to loosen up the inside. And when the defense clamped down, HB went back outside and led throughout for a 70-49 win over the Bears in a Division II game.

Nick Fothergill led all scorers with 21 points, including five 3-pointers, while Matt Simco and Matthew Dowling did most of the damage inside, putting up 18 and 17 points, respectively.

HB (1-0) went on a 16-3 run in the first quarter to take control, and despite a few stretches where Coe-Brown put together a string of points, the Cavs cruised. Stephen Giaconia was also in double figures for HB, adding 11 points, with two 3s.

“It’s important to get a good start, no matter what happens,” Soucy said. “You want to get the game going in the right direction and find your rhythm, and then everything falls into place from there. If you struggle early, it’s hard to get traction, it’s hard to get rhythm. (Friday) we found it early and we were able to roll with it.”

It was a struggle early for the Bears (0-1), as they missed layups and turned the ball over six times in the first quarter. Some of the misses came after Coe-Brown had forced HB into miscues or missed shots, which eventually snowballed on the Bears.

“Not what we’re capable of, but give a lot of credit to Hollis, they’re a good team,” Coe-Brown coach David Smith said. “Early on, we had opportunities, and you can’t squander opportunities against a good team in their place early in the game.

“That kind of set a tone. We missed a couple of layups. We got a couple of turnovers with our press, but we couldn’t capitalize. We had to do things a little different and then we got into foul trouble, so it became a difficult evening.”

Scott Spenard led the Bears with 16 points, 12 of which came in the second half, while Sam Lupinacci had 14 points.

The Cavs started to hit from long range in the first quarter, making three 3-pointers, including two by Giaconia in the final two minutes to give HB a 14-point lead. Coe-Brown got it down to 10 early in the second, but a 3 by Fothergill made it 22-9 early in the frame, and started to open up the inside for Simco and Dowling.

“We came out and executed, which was good for our team, to get out to that quick start,” Fothergill said. “We hit a couple of outside shots, so we could get the ball in, and when they doubled inside, we kicked the ball back out. Two-way game, we could finish either way, and that helps.”

The Bears hung around, getting back within eight on a 3 by Lupinacci, but the Cavs ended the first half on a 14-3 run, including a pair of putbacks from Simco and Dowling and two 3s by Fothergill, that put them up 36-17 at halftime.

HB led 51-28 going into the fourth, and eventually led by 26 points, when the Cavs started to take the foot off the gas. Coe-Brown went on a 10-2 run, including two deep 3-pointers from Spenard, to make it an 18-point game with 3:54 to play.

“I think at some point they start to relax and they start to play to the scoreboard and they stop executing,” Soucy said. “You saw that, when (Coe-Brown) came down and knocked down a 3, we turn it over, and they knock down another 3, we turn it over again and they get a layup. I had to call a timeout and we’re up 26, I shouldn’t have to call a timeout. We’re trying to get the kids to maintain their focus regardless of the score for 32 minutes.”

The Cavs were able to focus enough down the stretch to keep the Bears from getting any closer and made a couple of free throws at the end to wrapup the win.