MALDEN, Mass. — As the final seconds ticked away Wednesday night, Matt Gaffney knew the moment demanded a celebration. Malden Catholic’s captain walked down the bench, high-fiving everyone. Gaffney made sure to recognize every single member of the team – players and coaches included – to let them know the importance of what they had just accomplished.
The Lancers, with their 69-53 victory over BC High, clinched the Catholic Conference outright for the first time since 2021. For Gaffney, and the rest of his senior class, this league title in one of the toughest conferences in the MIAA meant even more. Almost unbelievably, this group that has won three consecutive Division 2 state championships, with a player as decorated as Gaffney, had not won its conference yet. Until Wednesday.
They made sure to soak it in. Moments after the game ended, the team posed at midcourt at Doherty Gymnasium for a photo. The Lancers certainly have dreams of another state title, but this was their first goal.
“It’s like a championship,” Gaffney said. “We haven’t done it yet, so it’s a really big deal. We’ve won three state titles and we haven’t won the Catholic Conference, so it’s a really big deal. So I kind of let everyone know that it’s a big deal. It’s a hard thing to do. …
“It kind of feels like a full circle moment because I haven’t done it yet. It’s really good for the guys because they’ll look back at this year and they can always look back at the banner and see 2025 Catholic Conference champs.”
In many ways, this just felt like MC’s time to win the league. In 2022, Gaffney’s freshman season, BC High rolled through a historic undefeated season. The last few years, the Lancers – though they ultimately won those state titles – suffered some frustrating league losses that prevented them from claiming Catholic Conference glory.
But this winter’s group is seasoned, experienced and deep. Gaffney, as the leader, was fixated on accomplishing the one thing missing from his decorated high school resume. The Navy commit has set an example every day, treating league games like they've been state tournament games, and his teammates have followed.
The Lancers (14-1) lost one conference game, an 80-74 road defeat to Catholic Memorial on Jan. 21. They started conference play on Jan. 7 by erasing a nine-point deficit entering the fourth quarter to win at Xaverian. But they otherwise cruised, winning the rest of their league games by double digits. They clinched the title with one conference game left, a home rematch against Catholic Memorial on Friday.
Gaffney led the way with 26 points and five assists in Wednesday’s win as he continued to demonstrate his growth as a scorer and facilitator, knowing exactly where to get to his spots for his improved pull-up game while also understanding the attention he demands creates easy shots for others. But as great as Gaffney is, the strength of this MC squad has been its depth and versatility. Senior Colin Mannke has provided shot-making, brothers Abe and Mamadou Camara have had big impacts, and Aboubakar Nimaka has stepped up on both ends, among others. The Lancers’ pace and length have made them a matchup nightmare.
“I think our athleticism is really good,” Gaffney said. “We’re really fast, so we can push the ball. … We can pressure on defense and then push the pace on offense. When we knock down shots, we’re really tough to beat.”
Defensively, Malden Catholic showed its potential in Wednesday’s win. The Lancers held the Eagles to 22 points in the first half, Nimaka posted six blocks in the victory, and their press, rotations and activity were effective in generating turnovers. But they aren’t satisfied; they let off the gas some in the second half on Wednesday, and while they like how they’ve played well overall, they know more consistency is needed as the biggest games of the season loom.
“Defensively, we have to get better, we still have a ways to go,” MC head coach John Walsh said. “But we’re getting there. There’s a lot of young kids and they’re learning, they play really hard, but like any other team, we go through lulls and stuff like that, but we’re getting there.
“Defensively, they’re starting to get better. You have to be good defensively, especially in the state tournament.”
It’s almost easy to forget, given how the Lancers have been mostly dominant this season, that they’re still missing one of their best players. Senior center Ben Howard, who averaged a double-double last season, has missed the entire season to date while recovering from a torn meniscus he suffered during football season. He was in layup lines this week, and Walsh is hopeful he’ll return in time for the beginning of the state tournament later this month.
Nimaka has played admirably in Howard’s absence with his rebounding and defense, but the Lancers know his return is important for their state title aspirations.
“He’ll be huge, because he’ll bring a presence inside that we don’t really have at the moment,” Gaffney said. “We’re really athletic, but we don’t have a big, physical presence that we should have and kind of need a little bit, but he’ll be big once he comes back.”
MC has four more regular season games remaining, including two at the annual Spartan Classic at St. Mary’s Lynn, before the state tournament. The Lancers certainly enjoyed and celebrated their long-awaited conference title, but plenty of work remains as they chase a historic MIAA four-peat that hasn’t been done since Charlestown from 2000-03. Gaffney understands the mindset required as March looms, and how important it is to continue building on Wednesday’s accomplishment.
“We have to treat the next couple of games like state tournament games, because once we get to the tournament, we can’t really flip a switch,” Gaffney said. “We have to keep the intensity going throughout practice throughout the week, because once tournament time hits, if you have a bad night, you’re gone, you’re done. So we can’t afford those. The next few weeks we really have to be focused on preparing for the tournament and fixing everything we’re doing wrong.”
