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Hillies enter postseason with win

Wednesday, February, 20 By Jeff Hamrick

HAVERHILL – Having already clinched its first postseason berth in six years, Haverhill decided at halftime of its regular-season finale it would be best to enter the regional with a winning record.

The young Hillies overcame a nine-point intermission deficit with a strong third quarter then needed a last-minute bucket and a strong defensive play before taking a 68-67 victory over Lowell Catholic. It was the second one-point victory over the 15-5 Crusaders in less than two months for Haverhill (11-10), which had only one senior (DJ Cunningham) on its nine-man roster with Daejon Pendelton-Mills sidelined by an ankle injury.

“We struggled because we didn’t have Daejon, he’s usually our ball handler,” Haverhill coach Souleymane Wane said. “At the half we talked about how we wanted our guards to be more aggressive because we rely on Daejon so much to create. He’s been battling an ankle injury, so we rested him today to hopefully be ready for the playoffs.”

After having only one 20-point scorer (Zach Guertin) in the first 20 games, the Hillies were led by sophomore Jeremyah Phillips, who scored a season team-high 22  and junior Brandon Donald, who added 20.

During a game-turning third quarter in which the Hillies equaled their season-high of 23 points, Donald recorded eight points in a 14-4 run that provided a 47-46 lead with 3:30 left. It was Haverhill’s first lead since a 13-12 advantage late in the firast.

“We never let people get down on themselves,” said Donald, who has scored 97 points while helping Haverhill win six of its past seven. “We just wanted to give each other good energy because we played pretty sloppy (in the first half).”

The second half saw three ties and 11 lead changes, including two in the final 90 seconds. A three-point play by Caleb Scott with just over a minute left gave Lowell Catholic a 67-66 lead. But a driving turn around by Phillips provided the game’s final points with 60 seconds remaining.

Phillip Cunningham had the defensive play of the game, forcing a turnover on a tie up with 43.5 seconds remaining. A Donald three missed the mark but DJ Cunningham grabbed the offensive rebound and was fouled with 10.3 ticks remaining.

Tough defense the final 10 seconds forced an off-balance, three-point attempt by Alex Lafierre on his first shot of the game.

 “We begin every season with a goal of making the playoffs and putting Haverhill on the map again,” said Wane in his third season at the school. “I think the boys did a good job of that this year, working hard in practice and believing in themselves, which we haven’t had in a while.”

The victory wrapped up a huge turn-around season for the Hillies, who lost their first five and were 5-9 at one point.

“We were stuck on five (wins) for a little bit,” Wane said. “Then we got number six and then seven and then you could just see it in their eyes when they came to practice.”

This marks the first time since the 2012-13 season Haverhill has advanced. In those six years, the Hillies won 32 games, including nine while falling a game shy of the 2017 regionals.

“I remember carrying over 19 players, and through hard work in practice the kids bought into it,” Wane said of the early struggles. “Obviously, we have a smaller group now, so we were able to find a good group that has stayed together. They’ve worked hard, and this is the best team chemistry since I’ve been here.”

No matter how the postseason turns out, the Hillies have laid the foundation needed for future optimism.

“The chemistry is awesome, especially the last four weeks,” Wane said. “We’re excited about the playoffs. We know we’ll be an underdog, but the boys are ready, and they’ve talked about going out and playing at a high level.”