'I feel loved in this town.' Hudson's Jackson O'Brien scores 1,000th career point
HUDSON – Mike Notaro Jr. reversed a somber moment into a display of appreciation and pride.
The Hudson boys basketball coach – after what he later called a “devastating loss” - took the microphone and presented the program’s newest member of the 1,000-point club with the game ball and a T-shirt. Senior Jackson O’Brien was on the receiving end and gave his coach a hug while Notaro Jr. brought two of Hudson’s other quadruple-digit members (there are six total) out of the crowd for more wishes of congratulations.
The Hawks had just dropped a 58-57 decision to Northbridge in the CMADA semifinals, but earlier in the evening, O’Brien’s layup early in the second quarter gave him 1,001 points. The game was stopped, and O’Brien celebrated with his teammates and his older brother, Chris, on the court before running high into the stands to hug his parents – Jen and Ken – before play resumed.
“They supported me throughout my whole entire basketball career, whether it be AAU or town (league), they were with me,” O’Brien said of his family. “They did whatever it took to get me where I am today. I’m forever grateful to them.”
Nick DiBlasi (Class of 2009, 1,045 points) and Tim Person (Class of ‘19, 1,034 points) joined O’Brien on the court after the game. Jason Blackburn (‘98, 1,130), all-time leading scorer Jake Loewen (‘14, 1,278) and Steve Chimelski, (‘71, 1,017) have also scored 1,000 points for the Hawks.
O’Brien needed 10 points to reach the milestone and missed his first two field goal attempts. But he set up Owen Murphy for a corner 3-pointer before converting a three-point play for his first points of the evening. After sinking two free throws, his putback and runner in the lane pushed his total to nine heading into the second quarter.
His breakaway layup soon put him over the magic mark.
“I always hear, ‘don’t think about it, don’t think about it. It will come,’” O’Brien said. “Coming into this game, it was like, ‘you can’t think about it in this moment. Let the game come to you.’ My coach said, ‘eventually you’ll get it. You just have to keep playing your game.’ That’s all that really stuck in my head.”
Notaro Jr. called O’Brien “a coach’s dream” during his postgame speech. “I don’t know what we’re going to do without him.”
O’Brien scored a game-high 20 points, but Northbridge came back in the final 90 seconds to secure the victory.
“I’d love nothing more than for him to score a thousand and get a Central Mass. championship, but it didn’t work out that way,” Notaro Jr. later said in an interview. “I’ve said it before, there’s never going to be another Jackson O’Brien. He’s the heart and soul of the team. He’s the best player on the team but he’s also the hardest worker.”
Northbridge erases double-digit to defeat Hudson
O’Brien had 18 points at halftime and helped the Hawks (9-10) to a 43-31 lead. Hudson led by seven after three quarters and was seemingly in front comfortably before the Rams made a late run.
Trailing 57-52 after Jake Attaway’s putback and a runner by Nico Giorgi Woodford with 2 minutes, 17 seconds remaining, Northbridge used a 3-pointer by David Scichilone to begin its comeback. Marcus MacLeod then drove the lane and set up Tyrese Holder-Hinds for a layup with 32 seconds left for the winning margin.
Adam Flauto scored a team-high 19 points for the Rams (9-10) and Holder-Hinds totaled 15. Attaway finished with 18 for Hudson.
The Hawks didn’t get the win, but many still left the gym smiling.
“It means a lot to me,” O’Brien said of his milestone. “Growing up in Hudson, I feel like I got to know a lot of people. Having everyone come down here and show their support and show that they’re family to us, just means a whole lot to me. It really makes me feel loved in this town.”
Tim Dumas is a multimedia journalist for the Daily News. He can be reached at tdumas@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimDumas.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Hudson's Jackson O'Brien scores 1,000th career point vs. Northbridge
