Cape Tech Boys Basketball Energy, Effort Shows In Clash With Regional Rival

PLEASANT LAKE – Before the Crusaders faced Upper Cape Tech on Monday in what was their second meeting in nine days, head coach Kevin Furey pulled the team into a classroom.

They watched film, and Furey spoke to the boys basketball team about how they can’t play down and scared. Cape Cod Tech had lost the previous game by 20 points. They had played scared, junior Anthony Bartlett said — which is why Furey drilled the idea that if they played up and to their abilities, they could beat anyone.

That message was clearly received and demonstrated after tip-off Monday. The Crusaders came out with energy on both ends of the court, generating an 18-8 lead after the first quarter. Upper Cape came back in the second, and the two teams proceeded to dogfight for the duration. Down two points with 6.5 seconds left, junior Daniel Handville knocked down a 3-pointer to put Cape Tech ahead, only for the Rams to hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer of their own to take the nailbiter 57-55.

Despite the heartbreak, Cape Tech knew they had played hard, the hardest in any of their four games so far this season. It was just the type of game — an instant classic — in which someone had to finish on the losing end.

“I wanted 32 minutes of straight effort, and they finally did that tonight,” Furey said. “They really did. It's just one shot, but they stuck with them the whole way, and the guys really battled and now they showed what they can do. And now the standard is there, and I expect that, day in, day out.”

Sophomore Sean Harden could hardly miss from beyond the arc coming off the bench in what was still one of his first few varsity appearances. He hit five 3-pointers — four in the first half and a crucial make in the fourth quarter that brought the Crusaders within a point with a minute remaining — in a 17-point night.

“He practices that way,” Furey said. “He's a great shooter. This is only his fourth varsity game, but once he kind of got used to it, got his feet wet, playing at a faster, stronger level, he found his rhythm, and he showed out tonight, and I expect big things moving forward.”

Junior Anthony Bartlett put in 13 points and senior Brian Amaru had 7. Handville also had 13 points, all in the second half. He hit a trio of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, including what appeared to be, momentarily, the game-winner. He wasn’t afraid to take, and make, the big shot at the end to put Cape Tech back ahead. 

After the basket, Upper Cape advanced the ball, called timeout with 2.8 seconds remaining, then Sam Reynolds hit the finisher from the right wing, his ball arcing as the final buzzer sounded.

“We might have not came out with the win, but I really think it's a big, big W for our team,” Bartlett said.

The Crusaders are a different group from last year’s 11-9 squad that narrowly lost a preliminary game in the Division 5 state tournament. They have shooters, athleticism and size. The defensive piece, however, was missing in their first three games, Furey said. That changed in the rematch against Upper Cape.

“They had each other's backs and they played for each other, and that's the mentality: play for others, play for your teammates,” Furey said. “Pick them up when they're down and just keep playing. Keep fighting.”

Bartlett said the team wants to be defined by, and takes pride in, their defense. Anchoring the unit at center behind Cape Tech’s perimeter pressure Monday was Amaru, who grabbed several rebounds and tallied a few blocks. Handville took a momentum-swinging charge right after hitting his second three in the game’s last minutes

“Everyone on our team is hyped up for a stop,” Bartlett said. “We love it. We all do.”