LYNN — Just like the snow — in the way and leaving no breathing room — Chicopee Comprehensive seemed to never go away Friday night.
After trailing by 14 points at halftime, Chicopee clawed its way back against host St. Mary’s and made it a one-possession game late. But in the end, top-ranked St. Mary’s defeated the No. 8 Colts 57-56 to advance to the Division 2 semifinals.
“I think it’s a resilient group and they’re committed,” said first-year coach Josh Keilty, whose Spartans (22-3) next face No. 4 Plymouth South (20-3). “It wasn’t pretty and we definitely didn’t play our best game, but I think we’re in that mentality of playing every possession one at a time.”
After outscoring St. Mary’s 13-6 in the third quarter, momentum favored the visitors. Chicopee kept getting shots to fall, but three times in the fourth quarter, Rolky Brea-Arias (20 points) responded to Chicopee baskets with a layup.
“We worked very hard for this moment,” Brea-Arias said. “We’re excited.”
“He’s our leader and such a warrior,” Keilty said. “With possessions being so crucial, he had some big buckets, big rebounds, and big stops.”
After two missed free throws from St. Mary’s, a loose ball was fought for and couldn’t be controlled by either side in the final seconds. Time expired on Chicopee’s (19-5) season.
From the opening tip-off, Jake Fortier set the tone for St. Mary’s. He scored a basket, recorded a steal, and drew a foul within the first minute before the Spartans jumped ahead 19-11 after one quarter.
“We always want Jake setting the tone. He’s the fastest guard I’ve ever seen and we want him pushing the pace and getting going immediately,” Keilty said, “he did a good job at that tonight.”
The second quarter saw Jason Perry score a flashy spin-and-score layup for the home faithful. He followed with a basket — plus the foul — to help put St. Mary’s ahead 41-27 at halftime. John Chareas buried consecutive 3-pointers during the second quarter.
Chicopee put together a 7-1 run to start the third quarter, one in which the Spartans scored just six points. Rowan Merryman (14 points) scored back-to-back layups to provide some breathing room for St. Mary’s.
When asked about St. Mary’s playing its best basketball, Merryman was quick to respond.
“When we’re moving the ball as a team, communicating on the court. We’re a pretty good team, so as long as we’re doing that stuff, I feel like we can take on the world,” Merryman said. “It was a team effort. We all played hard, especially at the end.”
Keilty spoke highly of Chicopee.
“So much respect for them, coming after a two-hour bus ride and battling like they did. Hats off to them. It was a great high school game and we were lucky enough to just make one more play.”
