Westford Academy Boys’ Basketball fell 7-9 on the season on Friday, Feb. 9, losing 51-38 at home against Lincoln-Sudbury on senior night due to the second half being littered with offensive struggles for the Ghosts.
Senior night is always an emotional night for everyone involved, and this year was no different. Seniors Jonathan Coughlin, James Farley, Nick Russo, and Tarun Sreekanth were all celebrated during the pregame ceremony for their efforts over their last four years within the WA Basketball program.
“It gets emotional for sure,” head coach Christopher Bramanti said. “Whether I have known them for a short period or long period of time, it definitely gets emotional.”
Oftentimes teams come out flat on senior night due to the high emotions pregame, but this was not the case for WA. The Ghosts came out strong in the first quarter, scoring a quick five points thanks to a putback from junior Vishal Rampur and a three from senior Jonathan Coughlin off of a great dish from senior Tarun Sreekanth.
LS was able to match WA’s energy early on, leading to a first quarter that went back and forth. LS answered WA’s hot start with seven quick points of their own, giving LS an early 7-5 lead. However, two free throws from Rampur and another three from Coughlin gave the lead right back to WA and forced LS to take an early timeout.
LS was able to convert an and-1 out of the timeout, tying the game back up at 10 a piece. Once again, WA was able to answer as junior Nate Pitts hit back to back layups to give WA the lead with two minutes remaining in the quarter.
Another Rampur jumper following great hustle from Pitts extended WA’s lead to 16-12, but LS refused to go away, scoring a quick five points at the end of the quarter to take a 17-16 lead over WA at the end of the opening frame.
The back and forth nature of the game continued into the second quarter as the teams continued to trade buckets. A made layup from LS on the opening possession of the quarter extended LS’s lead to three, but Pitts tied it right back up with a three of his own. Rampur then came up with a big block on the other end of the floor to give WA a chance to take the lead and the Ghosts took advantage. Coughlin knocked down a free throw to give WA their first lead of the quarter.
The next two minutes were littered with turnovers for both teams, but finally LS ended the scoring drought, retaking the lead with four minutes remaining in the half. A key steal from junior Jesse Moran followed by a three from junior Andrew O’Brien gave WA a much needed boost on the offensive end, tying the game at 23-23.
Coughlin nailed his third three of the half with 30 seconds remaining to give WA a 26-23 lead, but a bucket from LS on the other end cut it back to a one point game. WA was able to hold onto their 26-25 lead going into the locker room.
LS came out of the break strong, going on a 9-0 run and forcing a WA timeout. Four straight buckets from LS along with four empty possessions for WA caused head coach Christopher Bramanti to want to talk it over.
After the timeout, LS continued to dominate, knocking down a layup and converting an and-1 on back to back possessions to extend their lead to 39-26 with four minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Rampur then finally ended LS’s run and got WA on the board in the second half by drilling a three and finishing a layup on consecutive trips down the court. A bucket from junior Teddy Hirbour cut LS’s lead down to just six points, but LS then hit a three to extend their lead back to nine, holding onto a 42-33 advantage as the third quarter came to a close.
The first two minutes were a defensive battle, with neither team letting the other convert on the offensive end before WA was able to take advantage of a three on two fast break. LS then scored three quick points of their own after a successful trip to the line and a bucket in the paint.
The next two minutes once again featured offensive struggles from both teams, keeping the score locked at 45-35 with just three minutes remaining. LS then got to the charity stripe three times over the next two minutes, extending their lead to 48-35 with just one minute remaining in the contest.
Rampur knocked down a three with 45 seconds remaining, but it was too little too late for the Ghosts. Two more trips to the line for LS sealed the game at 51-38, giving WA their ninth loss of the season.
The Ghosts’ next game will be on Thursday, Feb. 15 at home against Waltham.
“We have to win,” Bramanti said. “Our goal is to get to the state tournament. If we can do that, you never know what can happen.”
