By Bill Gilman
FITCHBURG -- The Fitchburg High boys' basketball team took care of a little unfinished business on Wednesday, slamming Holy Name, 70-53 before an overflow crowd at the Academy Sttreet Brickyard. The victory in their season finale avanged the Red Raiders' only loss of the season, which came nearly three weeks ago in Worcester.
"This capped the season for us. It allowed us to take care of that one loss," said FHS coach Doug Grutchfield, whose team enters the upcoming Division 1 playoffs as the No. 1 seed with a 19-1 record. "Holy Name did a nice job against us again tonight. Whoever faces them in the playoffs is going to be in for a fight."
For Fitchburg, the best things in life were free. The Red Raiders set a new team record with a perfect 19 for 19 night from the free throw line. Leading the way was sophomore center Jon Gauvin, who hit all eight of his free throws on his way to a career-high 12 points, all of which came in the second half.
But leading the Fitchburg attack, as always, was junior guard Ricky Morales who poured in 28 points, including 19 in the first half. Ray Gonzales added 15 and the two bombers combined to hit seven three-pointers.
The offense was flashy but the game was won with defense. By using an assortment of aggressive defenses, Fitchburg was able to keep the tempo at a brisk pace, something they were unabe to do against the Naps the first time. The Red Raiders held Holy Name scoreless for an eight minute stretch in the first half, while building a 23-7 lead.
"The first time we played these guys we didn't come out and play," said Morales. "We didn't change anything, we just came out to play. We played hard defense tonight -- not as hard as usual because we had played real hard on Monday."
To its credit, Holy Name (12-8) was able to claw its way back into the game. The Naps trimmed a 31-20 halftime deficit to 40-36, as Kareem Tatum scored 10 of his team-high 17 points within the first six minutes of the second half.
But Fitchburg had an answer and that came in the person of the 6-7 Gauvin (five rebounds) who showed flashes of the aggressiveness he will need if he wants to develop into a premier player. Gauvin's strong inside play was complemented by the outside shooting of Gonzales. The pair had all of Fitchburg's points in the 21-5 run which pushed the lead up to 20 (61-41) and blew the game open.
"Gauvin did a really nice job. This was his best game so far at Fitchburg," said Grutchfield. "It was good that we were able to regain the momentum after we had lost it."
Matt Mmartunas added 14 points for Holy Name. Dan Schneider had 7 for Fitchburg. The Red Raiders now enjoy a well-deserved nine-day vacation. The playoff pairings will be announced Friday and it is unlikely that Fitchburg would play before the following Friday.