Tritons Make First Playoff Appearance

Their coach told them to go out and make some noise, and that’s exactly what they did.

The Atlantis varsity boys basketball team played Holbrook in the first round of the MIAA tournament. It was Atlantis’s first-ever high school playoff berth.

“I just wanted our team to focus on being competitive, and, oh boy, we went out with a bang,” said Coach Logan McNamara, or “Coach Mac” as he’s known to his team. “Atlantis had its best game of the year. We got the gym rocking, most notably after sophomore Jamani Alves threw down a thunderous slam dunk, and the playoff environment was in full effect.”

Atlantis faced Holbrook twice during the regular season, losing by some 20+ and 30+ points each game, so the idea of facing Holbrook again in the playoffs could have seemed daunting. But rather than let their nerves get the better of them, the Tritons gave it their all. They played a competitive game, staying within 5 points of Holbrook for most of the game, even taking a one-point lead in the final minutes of the game.

Sophomores Sean Murphy and Jamani Alves led the way. Alves finished the game with 26 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks and 4 threes.  Murphy had 18 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 6 steals.  The team played good defense, holding Holbrook to only 60 points. Noah Napert, Rayzel deJesus and Jacob Farias all came off the bench and made an impact on the game on the defensive end.

In the end, Holbrook was too much and pulled away by making their free throws to win 60-50.

“It hurt that we came so close,” McNamara said. “In the locker room after the game, I emphasized how proud I was of the team and congratulated them on how hard they played.”

This was the team’s third year playing, and only the second season playing at the varsity level. The team finished the regular season with a 9-7 record, earning them a 10^th-seed in the tournament.

“I thought this team was going to be above .500 this season,” said Atlantis Athletic Director Chad Gormly. “I saw a lot of talent in last year’s freshmen players. They had some growing pains last season, but I knew they would learn from their mistakes and come back stronger and better this season, and they did.”

Four seniors on the team will graduate in June, but the younger players plan to return next year, and both McNamara and Gormly predict Atlantis will have many good seasons ahead of them.

“Teams like Holbrook and Cohasset have solidified themselves as successful programs,” McNamara said.  “But we proved that we can play with them, which is a great accomplishment so early on in the development of our program.”

“No one expected us to be as good as we were this year,” Gormly added, “but these boys worked hard all season and helped put Atlantis on the map.”

The winter sports season may be over, but spring sports are now getting under way.  Atlantis will offer boys varsity baseball, girls junior varsity softball, and the first high school track team if there is enough student interest.  Spring sports signups and tryouts are expected to begin this week, weather permitting.