As the NEPSAC season nears the playoffs in a few weeks, Cushing is playing its best basketball of the season.
The Penguins have been one of the best teams in New England this winter, and now they have a championship to show for it. Cushing was crowned the 2024-25 champion of the New England Basketball League (NEBL) with Saturday’s 66-65 victory over New Hampton; it’s a significant accomplishment given the high-level competition of the NEBL, and for head coach James Cormier, it’s a testament to how connected his group has become over the last three-plus months.
“I’m super proud of the guys, just the way they’ve come together and the way they’ve grown,” Cormier said. “I think from the start of the year until now, our team has taken pride in the better every day mantra. We’re significantly better than we were at the start of the season.”
Cushing’s growth and connectivity was shown in the way it won this championship. The Penguins went 6-0 in NEBL play, which included three wins that came by four points or less. Cormier thinks the way his team thrives in late-game and close situations has come down to a handful of factors.
Cormier said his group has developed a strong chemistry, which has shown throughout the winter. He credited assistant coach Fabian Lara for doing an “unbelievable job” with scouting opponents, and the team has developed a great trust in him and their preparation, especially on the defensive end. And the addition of dynamic point guard Ryan Moesch has opened up their late-game possibilities. Moesch has the ability to score or facilitate big buckets late in games, which he showed in Cushing’s win over Newman at TD Garden, but he also demands so much attention that the Penguins have used to their advantage. In their NEBL wins over CATS and New Hampton, the winning play was made with him as a decoy, as he opened driving lanes for others.
“The best thing about it is he’s cool with being that guy and the trust that he has,” Cormier said. “Having a player like him is just such a luxury in how he’s willing to be a great teammate and makes so many things happen.”
Senior guard Ryan Ward (Swampscott, Mass.), a University of Chicago commit, made the game-winning free throws on Saturday against New Hampton, and it was fitting in several ways that it was him. It was Ward who scored the winning bucket in overtime over CATS on Nov. 17, on a terrific backdoor play and pass from Jacob Davis. Ward didn’t play much as a sophomore, only played about 12-15 minutes as a junior, but has emerged as a key piece for Cushing this season. Cormier was happy to see him rewarded.
“Just having confidence in him to go out there and make plays late in the game, that’s the trust he’s been able to instill in our coaching staff and vice versa,” Cormier said. “It’s good to see kids really just fight and earn rather than go to a bigger school and be a bigger fish in a smaller pond. The kid knew that Cushing was the right fit initially and he trusted the process, and sure as heck, it paid off.”
Cushing moved up to No. 1 in this week’s NEPSAC Boys Top 10 after its NEBL championship win. With about two weeks left in the regular season, here’s where the rankings stand.
1. Cushing (19-4)
Previous ranking: 2
Next game: at Wilbraham & Monson, Feb. 19, 6 p.m.
It’s worth noting that Cushing beat New Hampton without starting center Theo Edema, who was at NBA All-Star Weekend in San Francisco participating in the league’s Basketball Without Borders camp. Plenty of others stepped up, including Davis, who had 14 points and seven rebounds as he continued to show his great potential at the next level.
2. New Hampton (22-4)
Previous ranking: 1
Next game: vs. Vermont Academy, Feb. 19, 5 p.m.
Sandwiched around New Hampton’s tough loss to Cushing were three impressive victories over St. Paul’s, Worcester Academy and CATS. Jayden Harrington came up big in Sunday’s win over CATS, as he went 4-for-6 from 3-point range, including a massive 3-pointer that put the Huskies up six with 90 seconds to go.
3. CATS (21-5)
Previous ranking: 3
Next game: vs. Hoosac, Feb. 19, 6:30 p.m.
CATS earned a good home win over Darrow, but had a tough weekend to close its NEBL slate with a blowout loss to Putnam Science before a close loss to New Hampton. The Griffins caught some brutal injury news, too: Starting guard Jaxson Terry (Acton, Mass.) suffered a wrist injury, and he’s expected to be out indefinitely. His absence will certainly impact the Class AA title race depending on how long he’s out, but credit to CATS for submitting a strong performance against New Hampton without him.
4. Newman (24-7)
Previous ranking: 4
Next game: at Hoosac, Feb. 20, 6 p.m.
The Cardinals have now won six in a row after NEBL wins over Brewster Prep and South Kent, where they were without star Lucas Morillo, who was also at the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders camp. They got big contributions from Reggie Grodin – 14 points, eight assists vs. Brewster and 20 points, eight rebounds vs. South Kent – and Jalen Harper, who had 24 points, five rebounds and five assists vs. Brewster, and 13 points and seven assists against South Kent.
5. Darrow (23-7)
Previous ranking: 5
Next game: at Vermont Academy, Feb. 22, TBD
The Ducks responded from their loss to CATS by sweeping the season series against St. Thomas More with another victory on Thursday and then picking up wins over Bridgton and Hoosac. It’s looking more and more likely that they’ll earn a home playoff game in their first NEPSAC Class AAA season.
6. St. Thomas More (21-8)
Previous ranking: 6
Next game: vs. Bridgton, Feb. 19, 4 p.m.
The Chancellors are now 5-6 in their last 11 games following last Thursday’s loss to Darrow. They have four more Class AAA games – three of which they should be favored in – to try to find some consistency heading into the playoffs.
7. St. George’s (20-2)
Previous ranking: 7
Next game: vs. Milton Academy, Feb. 19, 3:30 p.m.
The Dragons went 4-0 last week, but avoided a close call with a two-point win over Roxbury Latin. They remain on top of the ISL with an important game against St. Mark’s looming on Saturday.
8. Worcester Academy (18-7)
Previous ranking: 8
Next game: at St. Andrew’s, Feb. 19, 5 p.m.
The Hilltoppers earned a tough win over a shorthanded Phillips Exeter team, before dropping back-to-back games to New Hampton and Wilbraham & Monson, the latter by 10. They face an important week in the fight for a top-four seed in the Class AA playoffs, with games against St. Andrew’s, Tilton (a rematch of an overtime loss in the Blackburn Classic in December) and CATS.
9. Williston Northampton (18-1)
Previous ranking: 9
Next game: at Loomis Chaffee, Feb. 19, 3:30 p.m.
The Wildcats went 3-0 last week, but still stay at No. 9 for now after their head-to-head loss to Worcester Academy a few weeks ago. Their 63-62 win over Choate – a top-four team in Class A – was their highlight of the week. Preston Edmead’s 3-pointer in the final minute gave Williston the lead and proved to be the difference.
10. Phillips Exeter (16-2)
Previous ranking: 10
Next game: at Tilton, Feb. 19, 5 p.m.
In the immediate absence of star point guard Tyler Bike – who will miss the rest of the season with a torn labrum – Exeter understandably struggled. But the Big Red seem like they’re starting to figure some things out after an encouraging road loss to Worcester Academy and then a blowout victory over Deerfield on Saturday.
ON THE RADAR: Vermont Academy, Northfield Mount Hermon, Choate, Dexter Southfield, Tabor
