Division 3 roundup: Old Rochester boys' basketball continues stunning run by taking out No. 1 St. Mary's in semifinals

Boston Globe

12-03-2025

With nothing to lose as the 20th seed, the Bulldogs roared out of intermission and stamped out the Spartans with a 38-15 run, resulting in a 70-63 semifinal victory at Taunton High that sends Old Rochester (15-9) to a second straight state title game, this time against No. 2 Norwell (24-0) at Tsongas Center in Lowell (TBD).
'This is an awesome feeling. I can't believe it,' said ORR senior Gavin Martin after finishing with a team-high 19 points, 16 of which came in the second half.
'Since the start we knew we could do it. We have a special group. We didn't care what other people thought.'
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20th seeded Old Rochester is headed to Lowell for the Division 3 state championship vs Norwell after defeating No. 1 St. Mary's 70-63
— Brendan Kurie (@BrendanKurie)
The Bulldogs, who fell to St. Mary's in the 2023 D3 semifinals, are among the most improbable repeat finalists. Not only are they the lowest seed to reach a basketball championship game since the inception of the statewide tournament, they were 9-9 after getting stomped by 32 points at home by Somerset Berkley on Feb. 4 and needed a win in their final two games just to qualify for the postseason. But over the past five weeks, ORR has ripped off six straight victories, including four in the playoffs.
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'Our confidence comes from all the doubters, everyone saying we can't do it,' Martin said. 'We can do it. It all comes from us and coach [Steve] Carvalho. He's a great coach.'
Old Rochester's Grady Oliveira celebrates with fans after scoring 16 points in the Division 3 semifinal.
MARK STOCKWELL FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE
This marks Carvalho's third trip to the title game in 10 years, following a state championship in 2015 and a 61-40 loss to Charlestown last year.
'This gym has been good to us,' Carvalho said. 'We were fortunate enough to get there last year, but this team is different. I'm not going to call them the Cardiac Kids, but what they have done in this tournament after an up-and-down year and dealing with adversity? I'm proud of all my teams, but this is really a special group.'
Old Rochester's Gavin Martin (left) celebrates his team's win over St. Mary's.
MARK STOCKWELL FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE
St. Mary's (24-2) appeared to be pulling away with a 15-5 run in the second quarter spurred by 3-pointers from Jake Fortier, Devell Pamplin, and Marlon Estrella, sending the Spartans into halftime up 36-25. Fortier, a freshman, had 14 points in the first half to lead the charge.
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But the Bulldogs countered in the third quarter with 3-pointers from Finn Kavanagh, Henry Berry, and Martin, who scored the final 5 points of the quarter, putting ORR ahead, 47-46, for the first time since it was 12-11.
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The Bulldogs defense held Fortier scoreless in the second half and Donel Kabongo Mutombo, who had 7 points in the game's opening four minutes, had just 1 point over the next 28. JJ Martinez did yeoman's work to keep the Spartans in it, finishing with a game-high 22, but even a brief surge that closed the score to 64-60 on a Vasquez 3-pointer with 36 seconds left sputtered out as Martin and Grady Oliveira (16 points) hit their free throws down the stretch.
'The whole year we've been getting better and better and better and now we're clicking at the most perfect time,' Martin said. 'There is no doubt in us.'
Old Rochester's Gavin Martin, left, and June Vasquez of St. Mary's chase after a loose ball.
MARK STOCKWELL FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE
Norwell 65, Taconic 46
— Nick Fein raced up the court, collected a pass from Ronan Coffey, and snuck in a layup just before the halftime buzzer.
It was part of back-to-back-to-back transition baskets by Norwell, following a layup from Coffey and a 3 from Keegan O'Hare to open a 37-25 lead at the half, and the No. 2 Clippers (24-0) kept No. 6 Taconic (19-5) at arm's length the rest of the way for a semifinal victory at North High in Worcester.
It's the first time in program history Norwell is a boys' basketball finalist.
'It's incredible,' said 31-year coach John Willis. 'It's something you dream about. It's an unbelievable feeling, but we still have one more game to play.'
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65-46 is the final and
— AJ (@aj_traub)
Coffey (18 points) delivered seven free throws in the fourth quarter, also collecting three steals at the end of the first, which added 4 points.
The senior didn't know almost no time was left in the half when he passed ahead to Fein (7 points), but brought the Clippers bench to its feet.
'You have to keep going all 32 minutes,' he said. 'When it gets to those end of quarters, you tend to get a little lackadaisical, but you have to play until the whistle because that's where the big moments are.'
Senior Nick Adams scored 9 points, and sophomores Charlie Williams (11 points) and Jack Luccarelli (8) combined for 16 first-half points.
'It felt great,' said Williams, who sank three triples in the first half. 'I think it gave us all a little bit of confidence, knowing we can compete with them, especially because we lost to them [in the Round of 16] last year.'
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Taconic senior Ceasar Santos scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half, trying to rally the Thunder, but the Clippers were there on the boards, pressing for steals, and keeping the gap double-digits.
'This is a really special group of kids,' Willis said. 'It's been a three-year journey.
'These kids just play hard and they've met every challenge along the way.'
AJ Traub reported from Worcester State.
Brendan Kurie can be reached at