WA defeated Cambridge Rindge and Latin 44-40 at home in the semifinal round of the DCL Playoffs on Monday, Feb. 14.

Prior to the game starting, WA was already at a disadvantage, as senior captain point guard Ethan Ewing was out for the game due to a sickness, forcing them to play without one of their star players.

Right from the opening tip off, WA and Cambridge were locked in a defensive battle. Both teams struggled to find their footing on the offensive end in the first quarter, setting the tone for a low-scoring affair.

Seniors Griffin Eddy and Luke Krikorian provided the limited spark on offense WA had in the first eight minutes, with Eddy tallying 6 points and Krikorian adding 4. For Cambridge, Peter Loutsenhiser contributed to the majority of their offense early on, nailing two 3-pointers in the first quarter.

The highlight of the first quarter however came from senior guard Will Bramanti, when he drained a 3-pointer in the corner as time expired, handing WA a 13-10 lead after the first frame.

Heading into the second quarter, WA was able to build off their impressive defensive performance, and gain some momentum on the offensive side. Eddy continued to stay hot by hitting a three pointer, which was followed by five straight points by Krikorian, extending WA’s lead out to 21-15. Before WA could get comfortable, Loutsenhiser went on a run of his own, tying the game once again at 21 points apiece.

With Cambridge up 23-21 and 10 seconds remaining on the clock, they were looking for the last shot of the half. However, Bramanti made a clutch steal with five seconds left, sprinted coast-to-coast down the court, and swished a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, giving WA a 24-21 lead, and momentum, into the half.

Out of halftime, senior Jake Aylward executed a stretch of great defensive plays, two of which led to layups by seniors Eddy and Rohun Voruganti, putting WA up 32-25. Yet again, Cambridge responded with a run, with Aidan Olivier-Louis scoring back-to-back threes, cutting WA’s lead to just 32-31 with 4:30 left in the third. Only four points scored throughout the rest of the third quarter, and WA held a 36-31 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

With a 5-point lead for WA and a spot in the DCL Championship game on the line, tension started to rise in the Scollan Gym. Loutsenhiser hit yet another deep 3, and after an easy layup, Cambridge took a 38-36 lead with 4:41 remaining.

Eddy and Bramanti responded well for the Ghosts by both hitting layups, giving WA the separation they needed to pull the game out. Cheers filled the gym as the final buzzer sounded, with WA earning a 44-40 victory over Cambridge. Bramanti was proud of WA’s grit throughout the game, and is now setting his sights to the championship game.

“We definitely had people doubt us and think it was only a fluke that we beat them [Cambridge] the first time we played them this season,  so we knew we had something to prove,” Bramanti said. “We made them play our game, and it ended up working in our favor.”

WA’s next game is Wednesday, Feb. 16 on the road against Newton South in the DCL championship.