Boys’ basketball found itself just shy of the 2025 state title, falling short to Franklin with a 55-52 final score in the MIAA Division One Championship at UMass Lowell’s Tsongas Center, Sunday, March 16.
Franklin was seeded first going into the tournament, while North was seeded third. According to head coach Paul Connolly, given the two teams were very similar to each other, it was a tight competition.
Connolly added that both of the team’s captains, seniors Nicky Spinelli and Teagan Swint, acted as changemakers for the whole team, calling them “front row guys.”
“When we have meetings, they sit in the front row. Their eyes are right there. When you go to the classroom, they’re front row guys,” Connolly said. “So, that kind of leadership, that kind of character that they have is pretty awesome.”
Throughout the course of the tournament, under Spinelli and Swint’s leadership, the Tigers had fought off formidable opponents, including seventh seed Springfield Central and 11th seed Braintree. North’s record going into the tournament was 24-2, and the team was prepared for the competition ahead.
The Tigers started with aggression, making threes and boxing out for rebounds. The team’s aggression, however, also led to fouling both offensively and defensively early on, allowing Franklin to catch up. At the quarter, the two teams were tied at 17.
“We went up on them early,” Connolly said. “Thank god we had a good start.”
Early into the second quarter, sophomore Bryson Mercedes received his third foul of the game, leaving him at risk of fouling out. This forced Mercedes, a starter, to be careful and take a step back in the game.
“I was constantly trying to keep my hands up so I wouldn’t get subbed for foul trouble,” Mercedes added, “but my teammates did a great job staying composed and just playing the way we have all year.”
The second quarter also marked an increase in Franklin’s defense, including multiple impressive blocks and steals. This forced the Tigers to speed up their game. Franklin generated a three-point lead at the end of the half, despite a valiant effort from North shooters, notably Swint and junior Mathaios Stamm.
Coming back from the half, North entered a scoring drought. Franklin thus established a game-high 11 point lead.
Spinelli hit a three with five minutes left in the quarter, effectively providing a much-needed splash of water to end the drought. This, combined with North’s stellar defense, brought the Tigers back into the game.
North continued to close the point gap. In the fourth quarter, the team, led by Spinelli and Swint, raked in buckets. Swint impressively had a fast break and dunked. With minutes left, the Tigers were only down by a basket.
Mercedes said when Swint dunked, “it gave the whole team the surge of momentum that we had been looking for.”
By the seven second mark, both teams had entered the bonus. A series of fouls and free throws ensued, eventually resulting in a 55 to 52 lead for Franklin. With no time on the clock, North went in for a buzzer-beater three-pointer, but tragically fell short.
Swint said, “I know it sucks to end it this way, but we’re proud of what we did.”
“It was a terrific season,” Connolly added. “This team reached their potential a while ago, and then everything else we’ve had was great.”
