MIAA Crowns Champs

New England Recruiting Report | Saturday, March 19th, 2011

From the very first day of the pre-season St. John’s Prep and New Mission were anointed as the overwhelming favorites in the MIAA.  That prediction came to pass on Saturday at the DCU Center as both programs captured state championships. 

Whitinsville Christian Takes D3

Whitinsville Christian made big free-throws down the stretch and came away with a state title, ending Watertown’s latest run 42-36. 

Hans Miersma led the way for Whitinsville with a double-double of 12 points and 14 rebounds while Taylor Bajema scored a team high 14 and Colin Richey added 12.  Watertown was led by Marco Coppola and Cory Donahue who both scored 15. 

Watertown is typically one of the premier shooting teams in the MIAA but went through a dry spell on Saturday, going just 6-39 from behind the three-point line. 

Whitinsville Christian finishes with a record of 23-2 while Watertown ends at 19-6. 

D2 Belongs to New Mission

Head Coach Cory McCarthy’s group fulfilled the fate many predicted in the pre-season by capturing their latest state championship and first in division II. 

Balance continued to be a key as Darius Davis, Samir McDaniels, and Kachi Nzerem scored 17, 16, and 15 respectively for the champions in leading them to a 67-57 win over Northridge. 

Defense was the real story for New Mission as they pressured the entire length of the court and held Northridge to 17-45 shooting from the field. 

This is the second consecutive state title for New Mission who dominated division four last year with a blow out win over Boston Cathedral.  They finish the 2010-2011 season with a 22-4 overall record. 

St. John’s Prep Captures First Title in D1

In a battle of the two St. John’s programs, Prep outdueled Shrewsbury 72-57 to take the first state title in school history. 

The run was the culmination of a tremendous career for Notre Dame bound forward Pat Connaughton who finished with 25 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals, but once again it was Steve Haladyna who also stepped up big for Prep, scoring a game high 29 points. 

Shrewsbury was led by Richard Rodgers who scored 26 points and 10 rebounds while Matt Harrington and Matt Palecki contributed 17 and 10 respectively. 

The game was a story of tempo as Shrewsbury controlled the first half with both teams heading into the locker room while still in the 20’s, but Prep was able to open the game up in the second utilizing their full court defensive pressure. 

Prep finishes the year with a record of 24-1 while Shrewsbury ends at 22-3.