Advantage Tigers: Taunton boys basketball beats Mansfield in key Hockomock showdown

MANSFIELD — On Friday night, the Taunton boys basketball team did something few road teams do: went into the James Albertini Gym and came away with a win.

And with that win, the Hockomock Kelley-Rex title now goes through Taunton.

The Tigers (8-1, 8-0 Hock) beat Mansfield (8-2, 6-1 Hock) 59-56 in a back-and-forth battle of the division's reigning co-champions in a game that may very well have implications on determining this year's winner.

"We hit some clutch shots," Taunton coach Charlie Dacey said. "Defensively we had some stops. It was a real choppy game, but (Mansfield) makes you play that way. You have to fight for everything."

After being held scoreless in the first half, Taunton senior guard Trent Santos erupted in the second half with 17 points, including five three-pointers, to lead the Tiger offense.

"It’s a tough gym to play in and they played really good defense, but a couple (of shots) went in and out and I just tried to stay confident and I know I work really hard, so I had to stay confident and keep shooting and eventually they (started) falling," Santos said. "My teammates do a really good job getting me open, setting a screen and making good passes and pushing the ball up, so it’s also a credit to them because I wouldn’t be able to get any of those shots without them."

Fellow senior guard Tristan Herry scored 16 for Taunton, including a pair of three-pointers, while senior forward Faisal Mass scored eight and made some important defensive plays, including a charge in the final seconds to deny a potential game-tying shot by the Hornets.

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"This win feels good," Mass said. "We’ve been working hard all year and it’s finally paying off. This is one of the best teams in the league and we’re showing our dominance and showing what we can really do to be one of the top teams in the state."

The win marks the first time the Tigers have beaten Mansfield on the road since 2016, something which makes Dacey feel more confident about his team's chances in the rematch when the Hornets travel to the Joseph Rabouin Field House.

"I’m optimistic because now we get them at our place," Dacey said. "We have trouble here for obvious reasons; hopefully they’ll have trouble over there. Winning in an away gym in this league is tough, it’s tough, and to get one here is quite an achievement."

With the win, the Tigers hope to show the rest of the league, and the rest of the state, that they are a force to be reckoned with.

"It’s definitely a statement win for sure that we’re coming," Mass said. "We don’t care who you are, we’re coming after you guys."

"They haven’t been really saying stuff about us (as a top team), but hopefully this will make them notice," Herry said.

Still, the Tigers know they can't just sit back and revel in their success so far, and that if anything, they need to work harder to prove that they are a top contender.

"This one’s over now, we’ve got to move on to the next team and get back in the gym and get ready for next week," Santos said.

Taunton returns to action Tuesday as they travel to North Attleboro (2-6, 2-5 Hock), while Mansfield will look to get back in the win column Sunday as they visit King Philip (3-6, 1-5 Hock).

How It Happened

The Hornets came out of the gates hot, getting out to an early 11-4 lead thanks to a series of layups from junior forward Chris Hill and senior guard Matt Hyland. Following a time out, the Tigers began to claw back into it thanks to back-to-back threes from Herry and Troy Santos which brought them within a point before a Mass layup gave them their first lead of the evening as they closed out the opening quarter up 12-11.

Both teams looked evenly matched in the second quarter as they traded leads five times with Hyland and Hill leading the charge for Mansfield while Herry led the response for the visitors. After a Hill three-pointer put the Hornets up 24-20, back-to-back buckets from Herry drew Taunton back even with the hosts, but a free throw from the line by Hyland would give Mansfield a 25-24 lead heading into the break.

The third quarter played out very much like the second, with both teams trading leads as they went up and down the court. A Troy Santos steal helped set up a Trent Santos three-pointer for the senior's first points of the game and Taunton's biggest lead of the night to that point, 31-27, but a pair of layups from Hill and Hyland quickly brought the Hornets back even and a pair of free throws by sophomore forward Trevor Foley put Mansfield up 33-31, only for Trent Santos to hit another three to put the Tigers back up 34-33. The lead changes continued for the rest of the quarter, with Troy Santos hitting a late three to give Taunton a 40-37 lead heading into the final quarter.

Hill kicked off the fourth quarter with a three pointer to tie things back up at 40, but another three from Trent Santos gave the Tigers a lead they would never relinquish, despite Mansfield's best efforts. A layup by junior forward Matt Small gave Taunton their biggest lead of the evening at 52-44, but a quick three baskets by the Hornets brought the hosts back within two. Trent Santos hit his fifth and final three of the night to put the Tigers up 55-50, but again the Hornets refused to back down as Hill went down court and delivered a two-handed dunk to bring Mansfield back with three.

Mass had another layup to make it 57-52, but again back to back baskets by Hyland and Hill brought the Hornets within a point. Trent Santos added a free throw to make it 58-56 in the closing seconds, and with the Mansfield heading back down court, Mass took a charge and blocked the Hornets scoring attempt, all but securing the win for his team before Trent Santos added one more free throw to make it 59-56 in favor of Taunton and secure them their biggest win of the season to date.

Dacey on the challenge of facing Mansfield

“They just don’t beat themselves. You hope for a mistake and you just don’t get it. They got a good, solid shot every time down the floor and that’s about all you can ask for from a high school team. Good solid shots, they don’t rush the clock, they grind and they grind and they grind. If you make a defensive mistake, they make you pay.”

Stats

In addition to the 17 points from Trent Santos, 16 from Herry and eight from Mass for Taunton, Troy Santos scored eight points, including a pair of three-pointers, while Small scored six.

For Mansfield, Hyland scored 17 points while Hill had 16 points including a pair of three-pointers.

Taunton Daily Gazette sports reporter Cameron Merritt can be reached at cmerritt@tauntongazette.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @CamMerritt_News. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to the Taunton Daily Gazette today.

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Taunton boys basketball beats Mansfield in key Hockomock showdown