SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Finn Brennan drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing with 1:09 remaining, and he tasted championship victory.
By then, the NEPSAC Class B Small championship win was already wrapped up for Holderness but then the moment became real.
With a timeout called, Holderness’ starters headed to the bench. But not before Brennan shared an emotional embrace with teammates Andre Langley and Jayvian Cruz. Their hard-earned title was moments away.
“That’s when we all came off the floor for the last time,” Brennan said. “It really hit me there, that we just won the championship.”
Cruz scored 17 points, Brennan added 12 and Mason Paquette poured in 23 points as second-seeded Holderness set the tone early and raced away for a 74-52 victory over No. 1 Kingswood Oxford to win Sunday’s Class B title game. Paquette was named the MVP.
MORE BOYS CHAMPIONS: Class AAA — Newman beats Hoosac | Class AA — Cushing beats Cheshire | Class A — Hotshkiss beats Phillips Andover | Class B Large — St. Mark's beats Canterbury
One of the preseason favorites in the new Class B Small, Holderness (19-7) impressed the region throughout the winter with signature victories over Rivers, St. Paul’s and Tilton. The Blue Bulls saved their best for last this week, erupting for big offensive performances and shutdown defensive efforts.
It was a well-earned moment for this group, which features several veteran members. Langley, a senior, and Cruz, a junior, are both four-year players in the program.
“It’s a lot of work that goes into it,” Holderness coach Woody Kampmann said. “You don’t do it unless the group is really tight. We lost three in a row in January and, after that, our group changed. We played our best basketball this week.”
It was rarely in doubt on Sunday for Holderness, which jumped out to a 20-6 lead midway through the first quarter behind Cruz’s dynamic playmaking and tough finishing at the rim, and creating turnovers with active hands and effort.
The Blue Bulls held K-O at arm’s length for the rest of the afternoon, but did need to respond in a critical moment early in the second half.
K-O had cut its deficit to 38-31 after a steal and three-point play from Stryckland Whittley-Ligon (Avon, Conn.), and momentum looked like it was going to go the Wyverns’ way.
But Holderness responded like a champion. Paquette drilled a 3, then pocketed a steal and made a cut for a bucket to restore the lead back to 12. Moments later, he grabbed an offensive putback for a bucket, and the rout was on.
Holderness led by as many as 25 in the final minutes of the second half.
“All the hard work we put in practice pays off now,” Langley said.
“It’s the culmination of all the time. We’ve been in the gym together since the NEPSAC showcases, through the fall open gyms, this has been our goal the whole time,” Brennan said. “It’s just an awesome accomplishment.”
