On Wednesday, February 3, the Westford Academy Boys’ Varsity Basketball team crushed their opponents from Lincoln-Sudbury.

Westford Academy started the game well. Junior Declan Morse scored the first points of the game, giving Westford Academy a three point lead. After Declan’s basket, senior Adam Scaramuzzo scored a three-pointer.

As the first quarter persisted, Westford Academy stayed drastically in the lead, although Lincoln-Sudbury was able to claim a few baskets. Many three-pointers were scored as the offensive plays were strategically planned out, allowing for the ball to be passed around smoothly in order for it to be properly and accurately shot into the net.  

The first foul by Westford Academy was made by Scaramuzzo against Lincoln-Sudbury, due to Scaramuzzo trying to stop the ball. Lincoln-Sudbury was able to score two points as a result of the free-throws they were given.

At the end of the first quarter, the score was 17-10, with Westford Academy in the lead. Both teams had two fouls each.

As the second quarter started, Lincoln-Sudbury stepped up their game, scoring the first points of the game. However, Westford Academy was still going strong. Junior Jake Barisano made the first basket of the second quarter for Westford Academy.

Many rebounds were made by junior Ayush Purandare. He was able to catch the ball while it was in the air, allowing for Westford Academy to take control of the ball and score points for their team.

As the game progressed, Westford Academy stayed ahead of Lincoln-Sudbury by a large amount of points. Senior Ben Lawrence scored a large amount of the points for Westford Academy. At the middle of the second quarter, the score was 25-13, Westford Academy in the lead.

As the second quarter progressed, Lawrence tripped over a Lincoln-Sudbury player and fell to the ground. The crowd watched attentively as Lawrence stood up quickly and resumed playing the game.

Before half-time, Morse wrapped the second quarter up by shooting a three-pointer with seconds left on the clock. The quarter ended with a score of 37-15, Westford Academy in the lead. The total fouls for the first half of the game was seven for Westford and four for Lincoln-Sudbury.

During half-time, the Boys’ Freshman Basketball team came out to practice their skills as the varsity team prepared for the second half of the game.

The third quarter began with Lincoln-Sudbury having control of the ball. Westford Academy quickly stole the ball, allowing Ben Lawrence to score the first three-pointer and basket for Westford Academy in the third quarter. Soon after Ben Lawrence’s three-pointer, Scaramuzzo and senior Scott Beattie score three-pointers for the team, respectively.

The quarter progressed with Westford Academy having a substantial lead. Scaramuzzo, Lawrence, and Morse make a considerable amount of baskets for the team. From Lincoln-Sudbury, #10 played good defense, trying hard to keep Westford Academy from scoring. Four fouls are made by Westford Academy during this quarter, two of which were made by Purandare.

At the end of the third quarter, the score was 57-27, with Westford Academy in the lead. So far, the fouls for the second half were four fouls for Westford Academy and two fouls for Lincoln-Sudbury.

Westford Academy started the fourth quarter without lagging in energy. Morse shot the first basket of the fourth quarter, giving Westford Academy three more points.

The game started to move slow during the middle of the quarter, when both teams started to lose momentum. However, the ball slipped causing both teams to pile on top of each other in order to get the ball, picking up the pace of the game.

The quarter ended with Lawrence scoring the last points, allowing Westford Academy to steal the game 71-38. The total fouls for the second half were nine fouls by Westford Academy, five of which were Purandare’s, and five fouls by Lincoln-Sudbury. Throughout the game, senior Ernie Barber-Mingo played a strong defense against Lincoln-Sudbury.

Parents and friends were thrilled with how the game played out. Coach Chris Bramanti was happy with how his team played.

“Westford Academy led wire to wire in a 71-38 win over DCL Large rival Lincoln-Sudbury.  The win marks the end of the season for the Grey Ghosts as it finishes its difficult season out of the tournament at 9-11,” Bramanti said.

Even players were happy to finish their season with a win. Beattie was content with finishing his high school basketball career with a win.

“It was our last game as a team. The whole team wanted to end on a strong note, the juniors wanted to play for the seniors and the seniors wanted to play for each other. So, we went out there and gave it our all,” Beattie said.