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The initial plan was to have the bus drive by and then meet the fans in the auditorium, but the fans were having none of that. They wanted to see their champions now – and to the delight of everyone, the stars got off the bus carrying their trophy to the chant “MVP, MVP, let’s go Milton, let’s go Milton.” Marcus McDermott was overwhelmed as he held the trophy high above his head.
“This is so good for our high school and the town of Milton,” said Milton High Principal John Drottar.
In the auditorium, assistant coach Billy Donovan introduced the players to the cheering crowd and then gave the mic to the Wildcats head coach Sean LoPresti. An emotional LoPresti responded to the roaring crowd, “We could not have done this without you. You supported us when we needed support, and for that we thank you.”
On the court at Worcester’s DCU Center, the Wildcats (22-4) were all business. They were on a mission to bring home the state championship. The last time the Wildcats won the state championship was back in 1996 when the team went 25-0. Donovan was on that team as a freshman and now he was here as an assistant coach.
McDermott, with his dazzling style, would charge up his team right from the start by scoring the first 7 points. They took the early lead and never relinquished it. This new level of play was a coach’s dream. LoPresti would substitute throughout the game and systematically wore down the Hurricanes into a mild breeze.
“I have been saying all year, we are a very deep team,” LoPresti said after the game.
How right he was. Everyone on the team would score except for one player. Not only were all the players at the top of their game, they were enjoying every minute.
What more can you say about McDermott (20 points) and Manny Hutcherson (11 points)? McDermott has to be the best all-around high school basketball player in the state, if not in the country. Hutcherson’s quality of play was superb; he would not be denied as he out-muscled everyone from Hoosac Valley on the boards. The fans went wild when Hutcherson performed his signature stuff of the ball early in the first half.
Three-point shots were falling for Tim Potts and Tom Ranton, who each made two, and for Gabe Blanchette, McDermott, Cody Clark and Owen Flanagan, who each hit one. And when the Wildcats weren’t scoring, they were snatching the ball out of the hands of the Hurricanes.
When the buzzer sounded it was pandemonium and Milton High School and their wonderful Wildcats just had their finest hour.
Edging Woburn
But the Wildcats’ march to the championship wasn’t without its nail-biting moments.
After easily beating defending champion Catholic Memorial High School on March 7 for the Division 2 South Championship, the Wildcats needed one more win on March 10 to play for the state championship. For the seniors, this was their dream; it was now or never.
Woburn High played Milton to the brink of elimination and the Wildcats came back and won a game they will remember and talk about all their lives. This all took place in the TD Banknorth Garden, the home of the Boston Celtics.
The game started off fast and explosive as both teams ran up and down the court, checking each other’s offense and defense. Early on, McDermott would jump for a rebound and ended up landing with a thud as his head bounced off the floor. He was quickly to his feet, none for the worse, launching his body down the court. This was high school championship basketball at its best.
Woburn held an early lead, something the Wildcats had not experienced for quite some time. No one was panicking, but this game was not going to be a walk in the park. Hutcherson was being challenged for every rebound against several much bigger players. His jump shots were off and he seemed to have trouble finding his normal rhythm. The boards were fierce and Woburn was strong with several accurate shooters. LoPresti had that serious look on his face; Milton needed to get into its groove.
Then help came from the most unlikely of heroes. That would be Rene Castro, a freshman player who a month ago was on the junior varsity team. With poise and pure determination, Castro led the Wildcats back into the game.
As the game was winding down, Milton had the ball and McDermott, seeing the mismatch on Castro, passed him the ball. “Win or lose it” was now in the hot hands of the freshman who moved left, then right, then spun around and sunk the ball with a one-handed shot. The shocked Woburn fans gasped; Milton had the lead 70-69 with nine seconds on the clock.
It was now Woburn’s ball and their star shooter was 10 feet from the net and about to shoot the game-winning shot. But Blanchette, in the right place at the right time, stole the ball and threw it to Hutcherson, who was preparing to do his signature dunk when the buzzer sounded. Milton went home with the win while several Woburn players sat on the Garden floor in tears.
Castro led the team scoring with 23 points, followed by Hutcherson (17), McDermott (15) and Potts (10).