Somerset Berkley boys hoops nearly stuns the state, but falls in Final 4 to powerhouse
BOSTON — It was there for the taking.
The fourth-seeded Somerset Berkley boys basketball team had two-time defending state champion No. 1 seed Malden Catholic on the ropes twice with 2:34 remaining in Monday's Division 2 Final 4 game.
When Lancers forward Benjamin Howard IV missed a pair of free throws, the Raiders had one last opportunity to force overtime or win it with 10.9 second left. But as was the case for much of the evening, SBR did not get the lucky bounce.
"When it left my hand, I thought I put too much on it," Raiders senior captain Mason Medeiros said on the final shot as Malden Catholic hung on to beat SBR, 50-48, at UMass-Boston. "It looked like it might go off the glass but I did not put enough on it."
Not to be denied: Next play mentality lifts Somerset Berkley boys basketball to Final 4
Medeiros, who was responsible for helping SBR erase an early 14-point deficit, scored 12 of his game-high 16 points in the second half to keep the Raiders afloat until the final play. He also grabbed seven rebounds.
"I've been saying it every game, we come to play hard," Medeiros said. "We don't care who's on the court. We're not scared of them. We wanted to go out and win. We played hard tonight."
Malden Catholic (15-9) hasn't lost a postseason game in four years but appeared to be rattled when junior guard Brendan McDonald (12 points) knocked down a deep 3-pointer to get the Raiders (21-3) within two at 50-48. Medeiros then came up short on a contested 3-pointer as time expired.
SBR outscored the Lancers 17-8 in the fourth quarter but were snake-bitten on a lot of shots they normally hit, especially from downtown. Defensively in the second half, the Raiders made key stops which enabled them to climb back in.
"I think tonight was a lot of luck for us," Malden Catholic head coach John Walsh said. "We missed a ton of free throws and we turned it over stupidly. We did ourselves no favor. We did not play well."
Howard IV, who scored a team-high 15 points for the Lancers, said he was surprised with the play of SBR.
"I was very impressed with them," he said. "They are well-coached and a very good team."
Medeiros began the winter season with a different role. He averaged just 10.9 points per game and was looking to provide the team with leadership instead of scoring.
"I was the only senior that had the most experience," he said. "I could tell in the beginning with the younger players in the game that they were getting nervous and not ready for the moment. So I thought someone needed to set the tone and it was me."
When the postseason arrived, Medeiros stepped up his game big time and became the team's leading scorer at 17 points per game.
"Mason is an outstanding young man," a choked up SBR head coach Bob Slater said. "I think we wanted more it more tonight as a team for him. I just think the world of him and I'm going to miss him. Everything what he did [for our team] this season speaks volumes about him."
Junior center Finn Bjork, who averaged a career-best 15.2 this season, said he knew his team was going to make a final push in what turned out a season to remember in school history.
"We were ready to go in the second half," Bjork said. "We showed we really wanted it in the second half. This year has been a huge jump for me. I'm proud of the team. Next season, we'll give it another go."
As for Medeiros, its has been a great ride this winter.
"There is not another team I'd rather do it with than this team," Medeiros said. "I'm proud of everyone in the locker room. I thanked them for buying in with me and playing with me."
Coaches corner
"We started a little too late and struggled in the first half," Slater said. "We're very proud of our kids and we have nothing to be ashame of. We're not going to let this game define us. We are too good for that. We've faced a lot of adversity all year. Our kids don't fold. They're really tough mentally. Malden Catholic is a very tough team and they took us out of our offense in the first half. We flip the script in the second half and played more of our game."
Stats
Both team had a rough go from the charity stripe, combining for 14 misses ... Somerset Berkley started the game just 2-of-13 from the field in the first quarter ... Bjork finished with nine points and grabbed seven rebounds ... Dom Taylor had six points ... Massiah Johnson-Occeus (12) and Drexler Pierre (10) finished in double figures for the Lancers.
Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette sports editor Steven Sanchez can be reached at ssanchez@heraldnews.com. You can follow him on Twitter @Chezsports
This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Somerset Berkley boys basketball falls to Malden Catholic in Final 4
