February 11, 2025 – Story by Caitlin Patten, photos by Joshua Ross
On Friday, February 7th, the boys varsity basketball team took on the Plymouth South Panthers on their home court. The Harbormen starting lineup for Friday night’s matchup consisted of forward Gabe Tesler (0), forward J.T Reale (1), guard Cole Palek (4), guard Jake Varholak (11) and center Matty Cummings (35).
At the start of the game, Plymouth South began the scoring but Tesler quickly answered with a basket. The Harbormen were able to keep the game close with high energy and quick ball movement. At 4:42, Reale hit a three, then shortly after, got another basket, tying the game at 9-9. Cummings then capitalized on this and pushed the Harbormen to take an 11-9 lead. However, the Panthers began to hit more shots and the Harbormen were unable to answer later on in the quarter, leaving them trailing 11-20 at the close.
In the second quarter, Hingham tried to get something going. Cummings went to the line twice and made all free throws but ultimately the team could not hold onto the experienced Panther’s offense. Too many turnovers and missed shots allowed Plymouth South to take control of the game and turn it into a 35-23 score by the half.
The third quarter opened up strong as Palek sank a three, but the Panthers quickly responded. The Harbormen seemed to struggle finishing their plays, unable to capitalize on fast breaks, and unfortunately, this led to some sloppy and preventable turnovers. However, Tesler went to the line and made both his free throws and Palek scored on a big transition moment as well. At the end of the quarter, Hingham trailed 40-62.
However, the energy definitely went up in the last quarter of the game. Varholak made both his free throws, and junior Cavan Nicholas made 3 late game baskets to end the game 56-71. Although the Harbormen definitely have things to fix this offseason, the team can look forward to improvement in future seasons with a young roster and a dedicated coaching staff.
