Nauset Boys Basketball Cruises Past Monomoy In New Gym Debut

NORTH EASTHAM – After eking out a win at Martha’s Vineyard in its season opener Dec. 17, the Nauset boys basketball team left no doubt when it hosted Monomoy on Friday in the Warriors’ first game at Nauset’s new gymnasium. 

 Senior Joey Berardi exploded for a game-high 27 points, including five made 3-pointers, and junior Braden Decker (9 points) and senior Laith Zaineth (7 points) helped aid the offense as Nauset cruised to a 67-43 victory over visiting Monomoy in front of a packed crowd.

 “It was fantastic,” Nauset’s second-year coach Kevin Harrigan said. “That was our first-ever home game, and the atmosphere was really cool. 

“Obviously Monomoy has a great crowd that travels with them and they fill up their own gym all the time, so to get the game in right before Christmas when all of the alumni are back had that gym full of people and the energy was really, really nice.”

The Warriors (2-0) never faltered throughout, building a 12-5 lead at the end of the first quarter before taking a 32-18 advantage into halftime. Berardi was the driving force behind the fast start with three 3-pointers during the second quarter. 

Monomoy (0-3) was led by junior Liam Flood, who was the only Shark to reach double figures after finishing with a team-high 11 points. Senior Braden Burke added seven points for the Sharks, and sophomore Alex Connell chipped in seven. 

The win was a dominant showing by the Warriors, who escaped Martha’s Vineyard with a 65-61 victory three days prior.

“Last year we started off 0-3 and it was hard the whole year playing from behind,” Harrigan said. “Obviously it’s everyone’s goal to make the state tournament and then see what happens. 

“We didn’t play our best game at Martha’s Vineyard in the first game, but we were able to sneak out on the ferry with a win and then beat Monomoy, so starting off 2-0 is very important to us. I think it gives the kids a lot of hope that all of the hard work we’re doing is paying off.”

Although Berardi and fellow senior Jon Bienvenue serve as the team’s captains, Harrigan said there is plenty of talent and veteran leadership among Nauset’s eight seniors. 

“A lot of them have been playing together since they were in the fifth grade, not just in town basketball but also club,” the coach said. “They all really love it and they are close friends. If you go to numerous outdoor courts around the Lower Cape, you’ll probably see them during the summer or after school — they really do love the game and playing with each other. 

“They really all sort of lead by committee. There’s not a clear hierarchy in terms of personality within the group.”

After opening the season with a pair of victories, Harrigan and the Warriors are setting their sights on what they are hoping to accomplish this winter: a return to the state tournament. 

With a stacked Cape and Islands League slate and a nonleague schedule that includes matchups with Hingham and two-time defending Division 4 state champion Wareham, Harrigan hopes a challenging regular season schedule will help prepare the Warriors for the postseason.

“Since the invention of the power rankings, I think we wound up with the hardest strength of the schedule over the past couple of years,” Harrigan said. “I think this year we’ll beat that. We scheduled some really tough out-of-conference games that I think are going to challenge us. Hopefully they will get us in a position where if we can get to 10 [wins] and get in the tournament, we’ll feel ready to hopefully win some games.”