The Somerville High Boys' Basketball Team is off to a strong 5-1 start heading into GBL play.

Won five of six

By Mike Rubin

Not long ago, Somerville boys basketball expected a rebuilding season. Instead the Highlanders have pulled off a miraculous 5-1 start.

While there’s optimism circling the squad, coach Mark Antonelli is well aware of the challenges that await the Highlanders.

“We haven’t accomplished anything yet,” said Antonelli. “We’re heading into league play right now, and there’s still a lot of work left to be done. We’d like to make it to the tournament, but we can’t even think about [10 wins] right now because of the challenges that await us.”

Despite a slow start, the Highlanders battled to a 64-59 win over Jeremiah Burke High School last Wednesday. In one of the roughest first quarters of the season, the Highlanders were outscored 26-10 before establishing a bit of a run to close the gap to 33-31 in the second.

“We played really no defense in the first quarter, and we let them take it to the basket,” said Antonelli. “We had to make some adjustments in the second quarter, and we were able to get a run going. We were able to cut the deficit to (33-31) in the final couple of minutes before they got a (4-0) run to take a (37-31) halftime lead.”

Led by some solid defensive pressure, the Highlanders were able to mount a 16 to 2 run to start the third quarter and managed to grab an 11 point lead midway through the fourth quarter. A run by Burke managed to close the gap within three before the Highlanders secured the win with several key baskets down the stretch.

“It was a huge win for us,” said Antonelli. “To go into a city school and to come away with a win in their gym is a tremendous accomplishment. They have some very talented athletes over there and we were able to contain them for the most part.”

Leading the way for the Highlanders was Skerby Odivin, who recorded a game high 23 points while Billy Bonnett added 19 in the win. Other key catalysts for the Highlanders included Kevin Silva with seven while Johnson Thomas and Gustavo DeMoura added five apiece.

“We got a lot of contributions from everyone,” said Antonelli. “We’re playing well right now, but now we’re going to face some tough competition in the league. Every game is going to be a dog fight and we’re going to have to be ready.”

Antonelli is also quick to point out last year’s experience when the Highlanders also got  off to a good start, winning four of their first five, but then suffered a five game losing streak. As a result, the Highlanders fell to out of tournament contention.

“We’re going to have our work cut out us these next few weeks. The GBL is one of the toughest leagues around, and the records go out the window,” he said.

For the Highlanders to continue their winning ways, Antonelli stressed that strong defensive stops along with limiting turnovers can lead to success.

“Everyone in the GBL has a tremendous amount of height,” said Antonelli. “We have to find ways to work around it, and it’s not going to be easy.”