Dale Samuels netted his 1,000th career point as Holland Tech (Burke) defeated New Mission 50-45 to advance to a fifth straight Boston City League boys basketball championship.
Samuels, who scored 11 points, reached the milestone in the fourth quarter after knocking down two free throws.
“All the hard work, all the long days nobody sees,” said Samuels.
The rubber match between the top-seeded Bulldogs and the No. 4 Titans turned out to be a battle of attrition. The teams split their regular season matchup, with New Mission winning their first meeting 65-61 followed by a 67-58 Bulldogs win in the rematch.
In the first half, both teams traded blows, with the largest lead being seven by the Bulldogs. With the game being tied at 25 the Bulldogs went on a 7-0 run to take a 32-25 halftime lead.
“When we play unselfish, I think we’re the best team in the state,” said senior Ian Piper.
New Mission, as its done all season, responded with a quick 6-0 run to begin the second half, thanks to Manny Valentino, who scored a game-high 18 points.
“Manny got it going in the third quarter, that’s how they were able to cut the lead,” said head coach Joe Chatman.
Needing to change things around, Chatman switched to a zone defense to slow down the New Mission attack.
Up 40-38 in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs’ defense held New Mission to seven points, despite the offense only mustering 10 points in the fourth. The defensive execution in the fourth quarter keyed the top seed to victory.
“The zone really stifled them; we just couldn’t make a shot on the offensive end,” said Chatman.
Down the stretch, it was the leadership of Piper, who notched a double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, helping the Bulldogs hold off a late rally by New Mission.
“Toughness, rebounding, staying together, and not being down on each other helped us win this game,” said Piper.
The Bulldogs now set their sights on winning back-to-back Boston City League championships and their fourth in five years.
“We want to be the last team standing and if we can do that then this will be the first time since those Jack O’Brien Charlestown team’s, where a city team wins four out of five,” Chatman said.
In the second game, Charlestown’s rally was not enough as Boston Latin Academy advanced to the championship with a 71-66 victory over Charlestown.
In 2024-25, Boston Latin Academy had Charlestown’s number. The Dragons eliminated the Townies in the opening round of the Boston City League tournament before proceeding to eliminate the Townies out in the Div. 3 tournament.
On Wednesday, they continued that trend, building a lead as large as 15 over the Townies.
“Krem Amparo has been a beast, he played with a lot of want today,” said BLA head coach Dan Bunker
After Jerry Brown scored the first basket of the game, BLA went on a 9-0 run. Charlestown then responded with a 9-0 run of their own to tie things up at 11.
Leading 32-27 at the half, the Dragons opened the second half with a 13-4 run to build a 15-point lead.
Down 13 going into the fourth quarter, the Townies needed a spark. They got just that from junior guard Jerry Brown, who scored 17 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter to get the Townies within two points.
“Jerry Brown lit it up in the fourth,” said Bunker
Leading 65-63 late in the fourth Liam Hurley knocked down a big corner triple to give BLA a five-point cushion.
“These kids in the seventh grade came to this game, dreaming about playing in the city championship game,” said Bunker. “It’s a great event.”
