HF Boys Basketball Season in review
This past Tuesday, February 20th, the HF Boys Basketball season came to an unfortunate end. The #6 seeded Tornadoes were bounced in the 2nd round at the hands of the #2 seeded Westhampton Hurricanes, a team that defeated HF twice already this year. The boys did not go down without a fight however, only losing the game by a final score of 60-57. Westhampton sealed the victory when Mike McDermott fired a backdoor pass that was a bit too hot for fellow junior Jordan Robinson to handle. With under a minute left, the Hurricanes resecured possession up by 1 with under 60 seconds to go, which was enough to secure the “W”.
Despite going home earlier than they had hoped, HF still had an extremely impressive 2017-2018 campaign with first year head coach Darin Ford. The green and white had multiple question marks coming into the season, but it became clear right off the bat that this year’s squad was ready to compete. Juniors Pat Williamson and Mike McDermott were the only players on this year’s roster that saw significant time last year, but you wouldn’t know it after watching them play. The usual starting five consisted of the two aforementioned players, as well as Ryan Rittberger, Luca Cordova, and Tim Carr Jr. This squad proved to be a force to be reckoned with in Suffolk League V, even though they did not have the most experienced roster.
The Tornadoes finished the year with an 11-5 league record, much higher than some expected heading into the year. Their roller coaster of a season consisted of a 6 game win streak, and 7 games that were decided by 5 points or fewer. If there was one big takeaway from this year, it’s that McDermott and Williamson are capable of being the “go-to” options for their senior campaign. Expect big things from the duo that averaged 16.8 and 13.6 points per game, respectively. Practice player Sam Puccio described this year as “promising”, he told me, “Our juniors proved they have what it takes to lead next year’s team in their final season. We have big goals in the league and if all goes well, expect a further playoff run next year.” Puccio’s optimism is reflected within the Harborfields community as a whole, as the JV program has plenty of talented athletes that could see significant minutes next year.
On this year’s basketball calendar, Harborfields has already closed the book. But you can be sure that opening day in November of 2018 has already been circled. Some would say that this year was the “getting to know you” process. An early playoff exit lit a fire under them, and now Ford’s squad is looking for vengeance. It’s full steam ahead for the Tornadoes.