Westford Academy Boys’ Basketball beat Tewksbury Memorial High School in a six-period long scrimmage on Tuesday, Dec. 10 by winning three periods, tying one, and losing two. As the match was a scrimmage and not an actual game, the score was reset after each of the six periods.
The match demonstrated the high energy and eagerness of both teams to perform their best, with the ball having a lot of motion throughout the entirety of the game. WA kept up the energy into the later periods despite Tewksbury upping their game as the scrimmage progressed.
“I think it was like Jekyll and Hyde,” head coach Christopher Bramanti said. “We had moments where we were pretty good […] and then we had moments where we were messy.”
A few minutes into the first period, Tewksbury scored, leaving WA trailing 3-0. However, after hard work on the defensive end and several baskets from WA – including a few free throws made by junior forward Teddy Hirbour – WA managed to pull ahead before the period ended with a final score of 15-8 Ghosts.
The second period began with senior forward Alex Wilson scoring, giving WA a two point lead going into the period. Offensively, WA continued to perform well throughout, scoring eight more points and keeping the Ghosts in the lead. Tewksbury eventually managed to slip past defense and score three separate times, shortening WA’s lead and bringing the score to 12-10. WA defense did not let Tewksbury gain a single point for the rest of the period and Wilson made another basket, ending the second period with WA leading 14-10.
The third period boasted a strong, early WA lead as senior forward Jesse Moran scored twice, resulting in the new score of 4-0. As the quarter continued with the ball traveling back and forth between teammates, both teams made baskets. The score became 10-4, Ghosts still leading, with just under five minutes left in the quarter. WA kept up a strong front both defensively and offensively, finishing the quarter with a score of 20-12 in the Ghosts’ favor.
As the fourth period started, Tewksbury quickly managed to get a basket, leaving WA behind by two points. WA scored five more points, but Tewksbury caught up, leaving both teams tied at 5-5. They remained tied for a large portion of the quarter, advancing the score to 9-9 with four minutes left on the clock. Both teams then moved up to another tie at 11-11. Eventually, Tewksbury pulled ahead, making several baskets and leaving WA trailing 18-11.
The extra fifth period brought an early WA lead with a score of 6-0. However, Tewksbury was not deterred, keeping WA defense on their toes. Both teams made baskets back and forth, making the fifth period intense and extremely unpredictable. With just seconds left in the period, Tewksbury was able to gain a small lead of 14-12, but senior guard Shreyas Gowda scored a three-pointer, tying the score at 15-15.
Another extra period, the sixth and final, contained a similar series of events as the period before it. Tewksbury achieved a larger lead of 13-5 – which was reduced when junior guard Jack Bussey scored a three-pointer. However, WA was not able to catch up to Tewksbury, eventually losing the period 15-10.
“I think for myself and as a team, the scrimmage definitely showed what we need to work on to be ready for our regular season opener,” Hirbour said.
This is the second boys’ basketball scrimmage of the season, with their first official game being on Thursday, Dec. 12 in the Westford Academy main gym at 4:30 p.m. against Nashoba Regional.
“I think overall we performed pretty well today,” Gowda said. “Hopefully we can keep improving between now and our first game.”
