The Whaler boys basketball team won their home opener 66-34 Tuesday afternoon over the Barnstable Red Hawks. They improved their record to 2-1 this season. The Whalers got off to a sloppy start, falling into a 9-0 hole less than two minutes into the game, but Whaler head coach Willis Ferreira was happy with the effort from his players.
“They bothered us a little early with some pressure,” Ferreira said. “We haven’t really seen that yet. I thought we came out a little timid to start the game but we settled in. I felt like the moment, for whatever reason, was just a little too big for us at the beginning there.”
The Whalers climbed back into the game behind nine points in the first quarter by senior guard Justin Bloise, who led the way offensively for Nantucket in the game with 18 points, but they still trailed 16-12 after one quarter.
“Justin looked like Justin today,” Ferreira said. “He really helped lift us up and got us back to normal. He took control of the game by getting to the rim and scoring a bunch. He was huge.”
Sophomore guard JD Heneke set the tone to begin the second quarter with a block. Sophomore guard Carlos Aguilar picked up the loose ball and found Heneke up the court for an easy two points. The Whalers were able to build a 30-21 lead going into halftime.
The third quarter is when the Whaler’s defense took over the game. Nantucket outscored Barnstable 19-4. Bloise and sophomore forward Jayquan Francis, along with junior forward Karson Wellington, senior guard Makai Bodden and Aguilar did most of the damage.
Francis played a stout defensive game for all four quarters while chipping in eight points, nine rebounds, and two blocks.
“Jayquan was really good today,” Ferreira said. “Defensively he and Karson, I mean, that is what they do. They aren’t really offensive guys yet but that will come as they get older. They do a little bit of everything for us. They can defend, they make great decisions, and they are always in the right spot. Jayquan really gives us someone who can guard anyone defensively.”
That group of five in the third quarter was also the Whalers starting five to begin the game. Their potential and upside was shining throughout the duration of that quarter through their athleticism, team speed, and team defense. They put the game out of reach with a 49-25 lead entering the final quarter.
The Whalers built their lead even more in the final quarter. Ten different players scored points for Nantucket in the game.
Sophomore forward/big man Jack Halik showed off his tremendous upside in limited minutes during his season debut with four rebounds and five points capped off with an emphatic dunk at the end of the game.
“I think Halik’s upside is tremendous,” Ferreira said. “We really want to just ease him into the lineup since this was his first game. I want to see more out of JJ (Bennett, center) but I know that will come. I think JJ is going to get into his groove sooner rather than later. I believe in him. He is a great player.”
Ferreira said he was also happy with the performance of junior guard Treyce Brannigan off the bench.
“I really thought Treyce came in and played really well for us too,” Ferreira said. “You need to believe in players and trust them when you put them on the court and I definitely have a lot more trust now after today. Treyce is a really good defender and plays really hard. You may not think you are getting much offensively from him but then he comes in today and he gets a bucket, a steal, a rebound, and is just all over the place.”
“Overall I thought we played hard all the way through. Moving forward it is just a matter of figuring out the rotation and minutes because we have a bunch of guys who can play.”
The Whalers next game will be on the road against the Dennis-Yarmouth Dolphins at 3:30 p.m.
