By Bill Gilman
FITCHBURG -- For the past two weeks, the Fitchburg High boys' basketball team has been aiming at one game -- its season finale rematch with Holy Name on Wednesday, which will give the Red and Gray a chance to avenge their one loss this season. In the meantime, the Red Raiders have been treating opponents like so much garbage to be disposed of. Monday night's compost was Worcester Doherty, which Fitchburg cleaned out of the Academy Street Brickyard, 90-50.
"This was a good tune-up with the Holy Name game coming up on Wednesday," said Fitchburg coach Doug Grutchfield, whose club is 18-1 and has clinched the top seed in the Division 1 Central Mass. playoffs. "Its kind of appropriate that we end the season with Holy Name. It gives the kids a chance to even the slate."
"We have been trying to pick up our intensity and play every game like it is a tournament game," said senior point guard Kevin Keenan who played another sparkling game on both ends of the floor with 11 assists and eight steals to go with six points. "I think our defense really dictates our offense, whether it's with steals or just wearing them down on the other end of the floor."
Fitchburg's overplay man-to-man defense, which has replaced the traditional zone as the defense of choice with this year's team, did wear down the Highlanders. Doherty's run and gun playground style played right into the hands of the Red Raiders, who ball-hawked all over the floor and created 24 turnovers.
Forward Keith Reed led Doherty with 14 oints and 11 rebounds. But Fitchburg center Dan Schneider did a nice job of holding Reed and 6-4 powerhouse Jorge Jiminez (seven points, six rebounds) in check. The Highlanders made a brief surge midway through the first half which cut the Fitchburg lead to 26-16 with 7:00 to play. But the Red Raiders answered. Gonzales capped a 10-4 run by scoring off a sweet feed from Keenan to push the lead to 36-20 and the hosts never looked back.
The lead hovered around 20 points for much of the second half before Gonzales and Morales sparked a 15-0 run which built the lead to 77-41 before Grutchfield emptied his bench with 5:20 to play.