There is no other way to describe the basketball game that took place Tuesday night on Nantucket between the Whalers and Cape Cod Academy Seahawks other than to say it was two of Div. 4’s best teams duking it out until the final buzzer. It was an instant classic.
The Seahawks were ultimately able to secure the win 67-65 behind a 32 point, 13 rebound night from their superstar point guard, Jaeden Greenleaf.
The Whalers got an excellent effort from their own superstar point guard, senior Justin Bloise, who finished with 21 points of his own.
“I am so proud of these kids and how they played,” Whaler head coach Willis Ferreira said. “We played hard as hell. There were no antics. I wish for them they won because they deserved to win. I’m just proud of the effort. They never quit or got down on themselves.”
“I thought overall we did a good job on Greenleaf but that kid is tough. He’s a great player. I thought we rebounded better and JJ (Bennett) was great. He was a beast.”
Bennett caused problems for the Seahawks all night long on the glass, finishing with 11 rebounds. He also finished with six blocks.
The Whalers led 39-30 at halftime. The Seahawks leaned heavily on Greenleaf, who scored 16 of their 30 first half points. The Whalers kept two defenders on him for most of the game.
Going into the final quarter of play, Nantucket still led, but the Seahawks had cut the deficit to four. Bloise and Greenleaf each had 20 points after three quarters and were putting on a show for the packed gymnasium.
But the Seahawks were able to take a lead late in the fourth quarter thanks to some key shots from none other than Greenleaf. The Whalers had an opportunity to win with the final possession, but the last shot came up just short and hit the front of the rim. Ferreira said this was his team’s best game of the season.
“Overall from the tough schedule, to what happened on Sunday, it just seemed like the whole world was falling apart. And I am just so proud of how they responded, handled themselves, and just worked. These guys worked so hard. They are down a little bit, as they should be, but CCA is a great basketball team. But so are we. These are the games you want to be in and hopefully we get a chance to play them again in the tournament.”
The Whalers will travel to Nauset to take on the Warriors on Friday at 3:30 pm.
