WINCHESTER, Mass. — Just north of Boston, inside Middlesex County, one of the most slept-on teams in the state is starting to make some noise.
Winchester took one big step closer to claiming a Middlesex League title with a 63-55 victory over Arlington on Friday night inside a fully raucous home gymnasium, and one of the best environments I’ve seen in MIAA this winter. The Red & Black led by 10 at halftime before the Spy Ponders went on a 13-1 run out of halftime, but behind sophomore Jack Charchaflian and senior Alex Casey, they regrouped and made enough plays to squeeze out the win.
After falling to Arlington (11-4) on an overtime buzzer-beater on Dec. 20, Winchester (13-1) has now reeled off 12 consecutive victories after taking Friday’s rematch. And with a 10-1 mark in the Middlesex, they now hold a two-game lead over Arlington in the Liberty Division. At No. 7 in the MIAA’s latest Division 1 power rankings, Winchester is looking dangerous as the calendar turns to February.
“It’s huge for us,” Winchester head coach John Fleming said. “The Middlesex League is super tough, I think, kind of underrated. But to beat a team like Arlington who beat us early in the year is great for us. We still have a long way to go in the regular season, both in the Middlesex League and a couple tough ones to finish. But it gives us a chance, it gives us an opportunity to have some really competitive games down the stretch.”
