Algonquin and St. John's players struggle for the ball in last night's game.
Photo credit: Bret Matthew

NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. — The Algonquin Boys Varsity Basketball team fell to the #1-ranked St. John's Pioneers last night in a tough matchup at Algonquin Regional High School, 56-33.

Things were looking promising in the first quarter for the Tomahawks, who got off to an early 11-7 lead thanks to their ability to effectively recover rebounds. Algonquin played a cautious offense, taking their time setting up their shots around the strong Pioneer defense.

The Pioneers, meanwhile, were effective in setting up shots but had trouble making them for most of the quarter.

Whatever was ailing them at the beginning of the game, however, fell away once the second quarter got underway. After Algonquin Freshman Mike Stamas hit a three-pointer, the Pioneers scored 12 points in a row to take the lead. By the end of the half, they were up 19-14.

They furthered this lead in the third quarter, all while their defense managed to keep Algonquin scoreless for several minutes. The Pioneers also took advantage of multiple free-throw opportunities brough on by Algonquin penalties. By the fourth quarter, the Tomahawks were unable to close their point deficit.

One bright spot for Algonquin was team captain Senior Vik Kozica, the game's top scorer with 17 points. The high scores for St. John's were spread evenly among several players: Senior Matt Palecki (10 points), Junior Ken Harrington (10 points), Freshman Davon Jones (10 points) and Sophomore Charlie Murray (nine points).

After the loss, Algonquin falls to 6-7 overall. St. John's, which has now won nine of its last ten games, advances to 12-5.