Sophomore big man Jack Halik started Thursday night’s boys basketball game off with an emphatic dunk to give Nantucket the first lead of the game. It was a fitting start to a game that many expected to be filled with excitement and intensity with the 14-5 Whalers hosting the 16-3 Nauset Warriors in the regular season finale. The game turned out to be a nail-biter, but the rest of the game following Halik’s two-handed slam would be a defensive slugfest with very few fireworks.
The Whalers were ultimately able to pull out the 52-50 victory, with Nauset proving to be a very worthy opponent. Senior big man JJ Bennett was once again the star of the night for Nantucket, finishing with 10 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks, and two steals.
“I’m so proud of JJ,” head coach Willis Ferreira said. “You know, he was down and out there a little bit mentally. He wasn’t playing much, but he kept with it and when he got his opportunity he ran with it and has been great ever since.”
This wasn’t a game where Nantucket’s stars were going to walk away with a glossy stat sheet.
Senior guard Justin Bloise (9 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists) and senior guard Makai Bodden (7 points, 4 assists, 6 steals) may have had better days from an offensive standpoint this season, but both were tenacious on defense and played with tremendous energy that helped guide Nantucket to a win.
“Justin is always around the ball doing something,” Ferreira said. “But I thought they all had moments. Karson had some too. Makai did also and was great defensively.”
The game started out with plenty of turnovers. Nantucket couldn’t get much of anything going against the Warriors and fell into an 11-8 hole. Nauset began to press two players on whoever was handling the ball for Nantucket, which caused the Whaler’s fits all game. Nantucket went into halftime leading 28-24, with sophomore sharpshooter JD Heneke leading the Whalers with eight points.
Nantucket took a 38-32 lead into the final quarter, but the game never felt like it was out of reach for the Warriors. Nauset was eventually able to take the lead back and was up 46-45 with 3:14 to go in the game.
“That is the second time we lost a lead to Nauset in as many games against them but we just seemed to make just enough plays to pull it out each time,” Ferreira said. “We missed a couple foul shots there at the end of the game that could have iced it, but that game is kind of who we are. We are going to turn it over every now and again, but ultimately we are going to make plays when we should.”
The Whalers went on to score five of the game’s final seven points after a couple of lead changes to head home with the win. Ferreira also applauded the effort from sophomore guard/forward Jayquan Francis as well, who he said played a vital role in Nantucket’s win even if that stat sheet doesn’t say so.
“I thought Jayquan had some really great moments tonight,” he said. “He made a big hoop, had some big rebounds, and he just keeps the ball alive. It is great to see him play well. He’s worked hard to regain that confidence too. We are happy to have him on our side.”
Continue to follow our page for updates on who Nantucket will play in round one. All indications point to the Whalers having to be road warriors in the tournament. We will post updates on our Nantucket Current Sports Instagram page.
