Contributed Article
The holiday vacation for TVL boys basketball teams sure didn’t help league teams pad their records for qualifying for postseason play. In fact, league teams finished 4-10 while venturing outside the confines of TVL play, with no team winning their tourneys and only Bellingham and Medfield reaching the championship game. In addition, four teams played only a single opponent, with all losing to very stiff competition. Norton lost a home game to a very tough Old Rochester squad. Dedham travelled to Bishop Feehan and lost a tight one to the Leprechauns. Millis lost to a good Fenway squad just a fly ball away from the famed bandbox. And Hopkinton battled a very strong Westboro team to a standstill before finally caving in over the last 8 minutes. The Hillers play the league’s final non-league vacation foe when they face a veteran Grafton (3-1) squad on Wednesday at the Indians’ home gym.
Three huge tilts kick off 2018 league play, starting with first-place TVL Large Norton visiting Ashland. The snake-bit Clockers have lost four straight tight contests, including single digit losses to both Dedham and Medfield. The Lancers started the season 4-0 but have lost their last two by a total of three points. This one should be another tight contest, with the winner building momentum for a strong January surge.
On Wednesday, Large Holliston visits Small Medway in a rematch of their Dec. 22 thriller, which the Panthers won 75-72. Both teams are hovering around .500, with the winner poised to make a run at first place in their division.
And also on Wednesday, Large 2nd place Medfield makes a drive up Harding Street to visit Small 2nd place Dover-Sherborn. This game pits the TVL’s highest scoring team in the Warriors versus the TVL’s stingiest defense in the Raiders. At this point in the league season the two teams share only one common opponent, Westwood, with D-S beating the Wolverines, and Medfield coming up short. This should be a battle worthy of a Thanksgiving Day game!
