Fitchburg loses first of season

Hot Milford stops Red Raiders

Wednesday, January 21, 1998

By Steve Farley
Correspondent

Milford 82 Fitchburg 73
MILFORD-- Mike Laramee and Joe Colelli aren't very imposing physically, but Milford's veteran guard tandem is arguably the top backcourt in the Mid-Wach A.
         Laramee matched a career high with a game-high 32 points while floor leader Colelli added 7 points, 10 assists, and nearly 32 minutes of stifling defense to lead the Scarlet Hawks to an 82-73 win over previously unbeaten Fitchburg.
         It was Milford's eighth straight win and gave the hosts sole possession of first place in the Mid-Wach A with a record of 5-0. The Scarlet Hawks are 9-1 in the league.
         “I think Steve (Manguso, Milford's coach) has a really good team there. His guards are excellent. His inside game is excellent. I think they took it to us tonight,” said Red Raiders coach Doug Grutchfield, whose team fell to 10-1, 4-1. “It's a long season. We get them once again, but the way they're playing, they're the team to beat. They're playing great ball.”
         Milford scored a season-high 56 first-half points and never trailed.
         Tied, 2-2, Laramee buried his first of a career-high six 3-pointers to give the Scarlet Hawks a 5-2 lead. The Scarlet Hawks led by as many as 11 early on, but the Red Raiders clawed back, cutting the deficit to 17-14 on a Giounis Gracino (26 points) 3-pointer.
         Laramee, however, ignited a decisive 12-2 run with a pair of free throws and a 3-pointer. The 6-foot senior guard, who nailed his fourth 3-pointer with 32 seconds to go in the half to make it 54-37, posted 22 of his 32 points in the first 16 minutes. Senior forwards Maurice Briscoe and Brian Macchi finished with 14 and 12 points, respectively.
         “We were real excited for this game,” said Laramee, who like his coach felt his team needed a statement win despite an impressive record. “We went at it with all we had. We were hoping (for a blowout) with the way we've been playing. We were hoping to press them and get a lot of steals out of it. We were able to cash in, scoring a lot off them.”
         Laramee, who also scored 32 points against Wachusett last season, said: “The guys picked me up earlier in the year, but what we've been trying to prove is that you can't just concentrate on one guy.”
         Milford increased its lead to 20 to start the second half. How, you may ask. You guessed it: a Laramee 3.
         “We've seen him get like that some days in practice,” said Manguso, who says his club hadn't beaten Fitchburg in at least six years. “He's automatic. He shoots the ball very well. Joe really controls things. He does a nice job for us.”
         The Scarlet Hawks led by as many as 24 just over midway through the second half. Fitchburg scored 13 of the game's final 15 points to narrow the final margin to nine.