LOWELL, Mass. — John Chareas was shaking in the huddle. With six seconds remaining in the Division 2 title game, with his team up by one, the St. Mary’s senior was even a little bit petrified as he prepared to make a championship-winning defensive stop.
“I don’t even remember it. That was the scariest moment of my life,” Chareas said. “I had to guard the kid I knew was taking the shot.”
As expected, the play went to Masconomet star Jimmy Farrell, who took two dribbles to his right toward the baseline. Chareas got a hand in his face as the shot went up, as did helping defender Rolky Brea-Arias. Time seemed to stand still as a championship hung in the air before finally grazing off the back of the rim. There was no putback as the buzzer sounded.
Relief, then euphoria as the Spartans wildly celebrated on the Tsongas Center floor.
“It was almost like a 50-pound weight was off my shoulders,” Chareas said.
St. Mary’s prevailed, 59-58, over Masconomet in one of the most thrilling MIAA state title games in recent memory. It took everything for the Spartans to capture a state championship in their first season in Division 2. They blew a 13-point second-half lead. There were four lead changes in the final 1:34 of the fourth quarter. It could have gone either way as both teams showed championship-level resilience.
“This was a fight,” Chareas said.
Brea-Arias’ score off the low block with 12 seconds remaining gave the top-seeded Spartans (24-3) the 59-58 lead it wouldn’t relinquish. But it was Chareas who may have made the most important shot. St. Mary’s had just lost the lead for the first time when Farrell made a pair of free throws to put Masco up 56-54 with 1:34 to go.
But about 15 seconds later, Chareas found himself all alone on the left wing. The senior had missed all of his 3-point attempts in the Spartans’ ugly semifinal win over Plymouth South, but no one – including him – lost faith. He drilled it to put St. Mary’s back up one.
Friday before the game, Chareas said he was in the gym with St. Mary’s assistant Nick Privatera. They talked about how mental the game is.
“Basketball is 90 percent mental, 10 percent skill,” Chareas said. “That’s what I really believe. I know I’m a fully capable shooter, that was one of my worst games shooting. …
“I was taking a long time meditating, I was praying a lot this week, and when the shot came, I was ready for it. I felt loose. I felt like it was just meant to be, so I was ready.”
The shot proved vital as it helped them stay in position to win, even after Masco’s Thomas Denton made a pair of go-ahead free throws with 27 seconds left. It took that and more.
St. Mary’s led by as many as 13, holding a 45-32 lead midway through the third quarter. But they knew it wasn’t over. They even expected a run from Masco, which had clawed back from a double-digit halftime deficit to win its semifinal. The third-seeded Chieftains (21-4) engineered a 15-2 run to tie the game. Cal Weidman, who hit two huge 3-pointers in the rally, was big on both ends. Masco relied on one of the best defensive units in the state to crawl back in.
All the momentum was with Masco, behind a big, loud student section. St. Mary’s faced sudden adversity, and a response was required.
“We kind of felt like that was coming, it’s the state championship game,” said first-year St. Mary’s coach Josh Keilty. “No one’s gonna quit. We knew they were going to make a run, the run lasted a little longer than we would have wanted, but to the kids’ credit, they just kept fighting.”
The Spartans retook the lead with Rowan Merryman’s 3-pointer, then took a five-point lead on two straight scores from Brea-Arias. The latter – a ridiculous right-handed poster dunk over Denton – electrified the crowd.
“I’ve never seen anything like that, he’s a freak of nature,” Chareas said. “That was the momentum shifter. If that hadn’t happened, we wouldn’t have won.”
Masco’s Ben Linehan drilled a 3 as the Chieftains responded with a 7-0 run to retake the lead. But St. Mary’s was never fazed. Keilty credited their regular-season schedule – which he believes was one of the state – and rock fight tournament victories over Chicopee and Plymouth South that tested their toughness, character and mettle.
“I felt like it was fitting,” said Keilty, who became the first coach to win consecutive championships with different teams after coaching Georgetown to last season’s Div. 4 title. “It’s been like that every game. It hasn’t been easy for us this whole tournament, but that’s fine. I think if we didn’t have those games leading up to this one, I don’t think we win this one tonight. …
“These kids are ready for these moments. We’ve been in tight games, and they were very confident in that timeout.”
Brea-Arias led St. Mary’s with 14 points, while sophomore point guard Jake Fortier finished with 13 and Merryman added 10. Senior Jason Perry was a huge spark off the bench, contributing 10 points including several second-chance buckets.
Friday’s championship victory was the culmination of a new-look group that came together. Brea-Arias, a 6-foot-5 transfer from Lynn Classical, and Chareas, a transfer from Manchester Essex, fit in seamlessly with their new teammates and first-year coach Keilty. From the jump, Chareas felt welcomed.
“We built so much chemistry through the summer and the fall,” Chareas said. “We did so much together. I think it was six days a week we were together with these guys.”
On the biggest stage and in the biggest moments, it all paid off.
“What a journey with these guys,” Keilty said. “I just felt like they got better as the year went on, they came together and they just got so much tougher as the year went on.”
