Sports

Watertown Takes Care of Business in First Round of Boys Basketball State Tournament

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Watertown junior Will Carty led the Raiders in scoring against Oakmont in the State Tournament win. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Not all winning streaks are created equal. Some teams go on a roll, pile up the wins, but something may be amiss with regards to their play — and eventually they get exposed. In other instances, and this is where we are with Watertown boys basketball, a team finds its way and puts together an impressive run. On Jan. 22, the Raiders woke up having lost two in a row including a home loss where Wakefield pushed them around in the second half, and at Winchester where they gave up their high for the season in a 87-62 loss. But, starting on Friday, Jan.

Sports

Watertown Girls Basketball Rolls Past Previously Unbeaten Oakmont in State Tourney

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Watertown senior Caroline Andrade led the Raiders in scoring against Oakmont in the Round of 32 State Tourney game. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

On paper. A common-used phrase when analyzing a game that has yet to occur is “on paper,” as in the Oakmont High School Girls Varsity Basketball team, on paper, should be feared. They won 20 in a row, and only a loss in their last game kept them from being undefeated. And so, despite  coming into tonight’s Round of 32 MIAA Div. 3 State Tournament game against Watertown as the  18-seed, perhaps “on paper” Watertown, the 15-seed, should be worried- and the underdog? The MIAA determines seeding based on strength of schedule, a.k.a. quality of opponent, margins of wins and losses, and record. As far as Watertown was concerned, they knew they earned their 13-8 record, 11-5 in a very competitive Middlesex League. Oakmont, located west of 495, plays in the Mid-Wachusett League, and clearly the MIAA didn’t believe their record alone, while impressive, was enough to warrant a higher seed. Well, boys and girls, the MIAA got it right. Watertown came out of the gate strong, played an almost-flawless first quarter on the way to a 19-5 lead after one, and never looked back.  Watertown came away with a 63-43 win in a game that got unnecessarily chippy at the end, but fortunately no one got hurt.

Sports

Watertown Boys Basketball Has Eye on Tournament After Closing Regular Season with a Win

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Watertown junior Will Carty and the Raiders look for a tournament run after beating Excel in the final regular season game. Here he celebrates during the Raiders’ victory over Shawsheen in a 2024 State Tournament game. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

When something ends, invariably something else begins. What ended on Thursday afternoon Feb. 20th at the Victor J. Palladino Gymnasium at the Watertown Middle School was the Boys Varsity Basketball’s regular season. What begins is hopefully a long run in the MIAA Div. 3 Tournament that gets under way next week.

Sports

Watertown Girls Basketball Closes Regular Season on High Note, Waits for Tourney Seeding

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Watertown senior Adrianna Williams helped the Raiders close out the regular season with a win against Ursuline Academy. Here she dribbles against Newburyport in the 2024 State Tournament. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Who doesn’t love nostalgia? Young people, of course, because they’re too young to know anything. But someday seniors Adriana Williams, Alani Garey, Victoria Dicker and Caroline Andrade will look back and remember putting together a pretty darn good season on the hardwood for Watertown High School. On Wednesday night Feb.

Sports

Watertown Girls Basketball Finish 2nd in the League, Take Arlington Catholic to OT

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Senior Caroline Andrade led the Raiders in scoring against Arlington Catholic. Here she plays against Old Rochester in the 2024 State Tourney. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Watertown Girls Basketball went into Saturday’s matinee with Arlington Catholic (AC) feeling pretty good about itself. Coach Mike Tempesta’s squad had won seven of nine, including two of the the last three on the road, and that included a convincing wire-to-wire win over the team ahead of Watertown in the Middlesex Freedom, Wakefield, on Tuesday, Feb.11.  

Watertown finished league play on Thursday Feb. 13 at Melrose with a win, and finished at 11-5, and in second place behind Wakefield at 13-3. Saturday’s non-league opponent AC came into the game 8-12, and 1-7 in the Catholic Central. Watertown continued to adjust to life without injured senior starter and co-captain Victoria Dicker, who injured her knee versus Burlington on Jan.

Sports

WHS Basketball: Boys Victorious in OT, Girls Grab Senior Night Win

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Will Carty shoots in a 2024 State Tournament Game. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Watertown Boys Basketball defeated Wilmington Tuesday night in the late game of a doubleheader inside the Victor J. Palladino Gymnasium at the Watertown Middle School. The final score on Senior Night was Watertown 59, Wilmington 55 in overtime. Watertown moves to 8-5 in the Middlesex League’s Freedom Division and tied for second place with Wilmington.  Burlington is in first at 9-4. Well, if high school basketball could always be this good! Tuesday night pitted two very good basketball teams in a rematch of a January 3rd game at Wilmington, which the Raiders lost in OT by 3.  This was a great basketball game, back and forth and intense right from the opening tip-off.  Through numerous lead changes, Watertown led by two after one quarter, and after a 15-15 second quarter went into the locker room ahead 32-30 at the half

Wilmington went cold in the third, while Watertown played a solid quarter and stretched the lead to ten.  That’s when things went sideways.  

Wilmington started trading three pointers for Watertown 2’s, and whittled the lead to 3. Then it got crazy. Senior Olivier Labossiere, who had 13 on the night, made a great steal at the defensive end, then drove the length of the court only to miss a layup. Wilmington couldn’t capitalize. Then Senior Aiden Didovic made a great move in a half-court set, drove to the basket and – yup, missed the layup. Wilmington couldn’t capitalize.