RallyNorth.net

Fri, Feb 29, 2008 07:00 PM @ Bedford

Team	Final
Playoff Game Division 3 North - Quarter Finals
Newburyport	52
Bedford	71

Newburyport eliminated from tournament by Bedford

Friday, February, 29 By Dan Guttenplan
Sports editor

There will be no more magic for the Newburyport boys basketball team.

Three nights after a last-second layup saved the Clippers' season with a two-point victory over Lynn Tech, No. 6 Newburyport's tournament run came to an end with a 71-52 loss to No. 3 Bedford.

For Newburyport, there was no shame in losing to a Bedford squad that lost three games all season | all of which came against Division 1 opponents.

In outscoring Newburyport in each of the four quarters, Bedford proved it may be the team to beat in Division 3 North.

"They're a very, very good team," Newburyport senior Richie Burke said. "It was the best atmosphere I've ever seen in the three years we've made the tournament since I've been here. That always makes it more fun and gets us hyped up."

Gerald Cohen led Bedford (19-3) with 18 points. Joshua Kalenderian and Terrance Favors added 17 each.

Chris Barry, who was the only Newburyport starter who stood taller than a single Bedford player in the starting five, led all scorers with 26 points. Joe Clancy added 11 for the Clippers (14-8). Ben Brink scored eight.

Newburyport got a taste of an high-stakes tournament atmosphere, playing before a Bedford High crowd that packed the bleachers to capacity. Five minutes after tip-off, the Bedford Police Department closed the entrances to all late-comers and declared the game a sell out.

An overflowing Bedford High student section inhabited one quarter of the bleachers; all students dressed in blue T-shirts and stood for the entirety of the contest. Whether it was the constant stream of chants coming from the Bedford fans or the unwavering full-court press from the players, Newburyport struggled to gain composure in the first half. Fifteen Clipper turnovers resulted in a 35-21 halftime deficit. Bedford never trailed by less than 10 the rest of the way.

"It was a great atmosphere," Newburyport coach Tom L'Italien said. "Our kids deserved to play in that atmosphere. We did a lot of things to get to this point, and they deserved every minute of it."

Newburyport's 14-win season comes on the heels of a year in which the Clippers missed the EMass. tournament for the first time since the 1990s. Last year's Clippers went 9-11, and the lone Cape Ann League all-star, Evan Arnold graduated.

This year's Clipper team burst out of the gates by winning its first four games before encountering an extended difficult stretch at midseason. After going 3-4 in games five through 11, Newburyport closed its season with wins in six of its last seven games.

"The credit goes to the kids," L'Italien said. "I'm the same coach as I was last year when we won nine games. The kids bought into it. They stayed together during the tough times, and they worked hard enough to have a fantastic season."

The squad's opening-round tournament win over Lynn Tech may go down as the most exciting game of the winter sports season for any local team. With the game tied and 2.1 second remaining, Brink threw a full-court pass to Clancy in the paint. Clancy deflected the pass closer to the basket where Barry was positioned alone. He quickly gathered the ball and converted a layup as time expired.

"This was the most special season," Burke said. "Being my senior season, I didn't want to leave anything behind. Making it this far, I'll always remember this."

The Clippers will lose Burke, Brink, Barry and Sam Melanson to graduation. L'Italien said each of the four will be missed.

"They were our foundation all year long," L'Italien said. "They made sure everyone else worked hard in practice. They made sure our enthusiasm was where it needed to be. I told the guys, 'We got through a lot of tough times on the basketball court, and all of that equates to them being able to get through tough times in life.'"