Spartans fall in first round of Clark Tournament
By Sean Sweeney Journal Correspondent

No one could accuse Oakmont's Max Shenk of sitting down on the job as he scored seven points in the opening round of the Clark Tournament. Unfortunately the #1 seed Oakmont team was upset by Uxbridge, 59-50, on Monday, Feb. 19.

WORCESTER - This was not the way that Oakmont boys' basketball head coach Gary MacEwan wanted to end the regular season.

After starting the 2006-07 campaign with 10 wins in their first 11 games, it appeared the Big Green Machine would roll right into the Division 2 Sectional Tournament, set to start early next week. But Oakmont has now dropped five out of its last nine games, including Monday, Feb. 19's, 59-50 loss to upset-minded Uxbridge in the Clark Tournament Large School quarterfinals at the Kneller Athletic Center.

Oakmont drops to 14-6 and will find out who they play in the Sectional today when the Central Mass. Tournament Pairings Meeting is being held at MIAA Headquarters in Franklin at noontime.

The key to Monday night's loss was a size disadvantage. While the South Ashburnham Warriors of Sparta won the battle of the rebounds (34-29), it was the small stature of Uxbridge's guards - and their 3-point shooting ability - which helped seal the deal. Uxbridge's Derek Silbor hit four trifectas in the first half, while Kyle Allaire added two in the second half. All six of the treys were wide open, as the Capron Street Warriors of Sparta's mobility was key in getting the shots off without a defender nearby to put a hand in their face.

Oakmont Senior John Griffin makes a strong move to the hoop, scoring two of his six game points in the Clark Tournament. Journal Photos/Nancy Bakanowsky

And if that wasn't enough, both Silbor and Allaire hit 3-pointers from 28 feet away on opposite ends of the court.

"When you hit that many threes, it's not luck. They had confidence and they're very good at it," said MacEwen. "They're quick; we had a little mismatch on the guards, because of their quickness. They're coming off screens and if we're not making that go call and not communicating, they're going to have some open looks."

Uxbridge (15-5) hit a total of nine 3- pointers on the night, shooting 56 percent from downtown Worcester. Oakmont had four trifectas on the night, with four different players hitting them.

The Big Green Machine only had one lead in the entire game, after Greg Beaudoin hit a shorty off the Plexiglass 28 seconds into the game. Uxbridge then ripped off 10 of the next 12 points, with Silbor parking two of his treys to help the Uxbridge cause.

With just under seven minutes left in the first half, Oakmont was able to get the game to within two points on several occasions following a Blake Sheldon basket and a 3-pointer. Two minutes later and trailing by four, John Griffin was going strong to the hole and hit the shot, but he was whistled for travelling, negating it.

It was the second basket that Oakmont scored that was waved off for too many steps at that point: had both of those baskets counted, it would have been a tied game.

"Any turnover is bad, any turnover is a lost possession. When you're going up to score and you throw the ball away or you travel, it's a lost possession. You do that back-to-back, it's a four-point swing," MacEwan said. "In the Clark Tournament, you can't afford any kind of swing, whether it's a four-point, eight-point or 16-point swing. Every possession you have to value the basketball, and make sure you don't turn the ball over and make sure you get a great shot, and we weren't able to do that tonight."

The Spartans were able to keep it close in the second half, cutting Uxbridge's lead down to three at one point, after Kyle Anderson (team-high 12 points) converted on old fashioned three-point play and Beaudoin scored off the window. With 5:40 remaining, Oakmont got the lead down to two points, as Max Shenk was able to take an inbound pass in the corner with two seconds remaining on the shot clock, then helping the ball caress the nylon as the buzzer sounded to make it 45-43.

But foul trouble cost ORHS from that point on, as it sent UHS to the line eight times over the last 5:26. Uxbridge took advantage of their time at the charity stripe, as it hit 14-of-16 to keep Oakmont at bay.