The state tournament qualification process had dragged on for Boys Basketball. After winning 8 games out of 9 (the one loss being to Milton by one point), the Rebels looked poised to lock up their tournament spot a little more than halfway through the season. Then, after a 91-48 victory over Alex Hilger and Natick that Coach Dave St. Martin called “the best game [he] had ever [coached] as a part of Walpole” it looked almost certain that Walpole would lock up their tournament spot against Wellesley — whom they beat earlier in the season — or take some vengeance against Milton.
Then — when neither opportunity was seized — the process for securing a spot against Dedham did not come easily. At the half, the Rebels were down 37-32; it went until the end of the third quarter before Walpole finally took a 54-53 lead before the start of the fourth quarter. On senior night, February 13, Boys Basketball finally did what they could not do against Milton, Weymouth, Braintree, and Milton again: finish a close game, and qualify for the state tournament.
Seniors Ryan Fogarty and Adam Quinlan led the charge for the Rebels with 27 and 21 points, respectively, as Walpole pulled away in the fourth quarter to win the game by 10 points, 76-69. Fogarty did most of his business at the line, going 17 for 21, while Quinlan did not feature in the game until the second half, in which he had 17 of his 21 points. Down the stretch, the two seniors took over the game — with a little help from senior Scott Arsenault knocking down a big three — and led the Rebels to their second tournament berth in as many years.
“I thought [Fogarty] was awesome tonight. When he plays that aggressive it gets our offense going,” said St. Martin. “[Quinlan] was also big for us in the second half and — like Fogarty — when he is aggressive it gives us a spark offensively.”
Dedham played the role of spoiler for the majority of the game, as the Mauraders raced out to a 14-10 lead after the Senior Night Festivities. Quinlan — who is usually the spark plug of the offense early in games — was stifled, only scoring 4 points in the first half and going 0 for 2 from the free throw line. Senior big men Nick Cordopatri and Will Bolster added a few buckets to Fogarty’s offensive output (17 in the first half) but for the most part, Dedham’s defense took care of sharpshooters Arsenault and senior Ryan Gulley and rebounded well down low.
However, the Rebels staged a comeback in a large part due to the work ethic and defense of Bolster, who had his best game of the season. The varsity quarterback was all over the floor diving for loose balls, closing down the Dedham shooters, and deflecting loose Marauder passes to his teammates. Ending the game with 10 points, Bolster energized a Rebel offense that had looked lackluster through three quarters and a defense that was porous on the transition.
“Bolster was awesome for us tonight. We have a deep team and I always tell the kids to be ready and tonight was his night. If he can give us that energy off the bench it will be big for us come tourney time,” said St. Martin.
Coach St. Martin put out a starting lineup of 5 seniors — Corey Waite, Gulley, Cordopatri, Fogarty, and Bolster — and let all the seniors dress for the game, including team manager Ryan Cisternelli. There were only two standing ovations during the game, when Cisternelli’s name was announced and his parents came out to take their picture with him, and when Cisternelli saw his first minutes of the year, with 25.5 seconds left in the game. Up by 8, Coach St. Martin decided that it was Cisternelli’s time to make his first career varsity appearance and the whole crowd rose to welcome the senior onto the court. After the game was over, the seniors came out and congratulated Cisternelli — a tear jerking moment for most of the parents and students in the gymnasium.
“[Cisternelli] has been a big part of our team for a few years now and the fact that he got into the game and that the kids were happy for him is what coaching is all about,” said St. Martin. “This is something we will never forget.”
“[Cisternelli] just loves Walpole Basketball so much,” said co-team manager senior Jon Rockwood. “As one of his best friends, it was so awesome to see him be able to play the game he’s been watching for a couple years now. Just a special moment for everybody.”
Despite the trouble getting into the tournament, the Rebels look to win out in their three remaining games and improve their seeding for the state tournament. Like Boys Soccer, this is Boys Basketball’s first year in the Division II tournament, which eliminates the possibility of playing perennial powerhouses like Catholic Memorial or Newton North but presents different challenge, like Westwood and Milton.
“I think we have the potential to go far this year. We have the pieces to make a run at the state title,” said St. Martin. “It won’t be easy but if we can get on a roll we will be tough to beat. We have had a tough schedule this year so we will be battle tested.”
Whatever the rest of the regular season holds, qualifying for the tournament is a big monkey off Coach St. Martin and the Rebels’ back as they shift their focus the post season and advancing past the first round for the first time in at least three years; the wait for the next Boys Basketball playoff win has dragged on about as far as the wait for securing a spot in this year’s tournament did. And just like against Dedham, the Rebels want to fix that.
