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Talking Whitman-Hanson athletics with AD Bob Rodgers

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A question and answer with Whitman-Hanson AD Bob Rodgers.

The suspense and unknowns are two aspects of a new year that Whitman-Hanson Regional High athletic director Bob Rodgers can’t get enough.

From state titles to Patriot League championships to major milestones, he’s seen it all in his previous eight years as the school’s AD, and he’s setting a lofty goal for year No. 9.

The Express chatted with Rodgers about what to expect going into the fall.

Q: What gets you most excited for a new year of athletics?

A: “Students grow so much in the offseason, both mentally and physically. It’s exciting to see that improvement and growth. You never know which students will come back and have all-star seasons. It’s also exciting to feel the energy that high school sports brings to the entire school climate.”

Q: What’s your favorite part of the school year and why?

A: “I love it all, each season has its special qualities. My favorite is whatever season we are in. I will admit there is something special about the fall though because everyone is refreshed and excited for the new beginning.”

Q: How do you feel playing a sport benefits students?

A: “The self-discovery students enjoy by playing sports is invaluable. Young people (if those around them will allow it) get the opportunity to navigate adversity and solve problems in a safe environment. I believe this truly helps shape their ability to do the same later in life. All of the personal qualities of work ethic, discipline, dedication, sacrifice, teamwork, loyalty and all of the other components of character are allowed to grow through the high school athletic experience.”

Q: What are the highs and lows of being an AD? 

A: “The highs are all about the kids. Seeing them pursue their goals and enjoy the journey is so rewarding. Knowing they are creating memories they will have for a lifetime is really special. In terms of lows, I don’t really look at it that way. But I will say sometimes the negativity gets me down. When people are highly critical of one of our programs without cause gets me disappointed. Usually that negativity comes from a misinformed place.”

Q: For those who don’t know, what goes into the role of an AD?

A: “It’s a great job and I love it, but the demands are tough. Most ADs work all year and are available seven days a week and often late hours. We handle finance, human resources, scheduling, policy implementation and creation, working with our league and state association, public relations and culture development as well as coaching education and training.”

Q: When you look back on last year, what moment(s) stick out? 

A: “It’s so hard to pick one moment. Truthfully every team is special in its own way and each one has special moments I enjoyed.”

Q: Have there been any improvements in athletics for this upcoming year?

A: “This will be our first full year with the new scoreboard and we are hoping that every team that plays on that field will be using it.”

Q: Are there any teams at W-H that you have your eye on to make a deep postseason run or perhaps surprise some people?

A: “The best part of going into the season is that no one knows how teams will do as so much of it depends on how the kids trained when none of us were looking.”

Q: Are there any dates that fans of W-H athletics should mark down on their calendars for any reason?

A: “That entire first week of games will be a blast.”

Q: What are you hoping to see as the year gets underway?

A: “I hope we break the record for student participation this year once again. We have seen our numbers increases each of the last three years. My dream would be to have every student in the school join a team so they could learn how truly special it is to be on a team.”

Season Review: Boys’ basketball courts success

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Photo by: Sue Moss

The boys’ basketball team finished the year 18-7, including a pair of playoff wins.

Once again, the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ basketball team was tasked with replacing its entire starting five at the outset of the season. Once again, it was no problem as the Panthers marched to their 11th straight tournament appearance.

“It sets the foundation for future teams to build on,” said 19-year head coach Bob Rodgers, whose team finished the year 18-7. “It’s now an expectation that we’re gonna make the state tournament.”

However, unlike last season, the Panthers advanced in the tournament, winning their first two games as the eight seed. In the first round of the Div. 2 South playoffs, they knocked off ninth-ranked Dennis-Yarmouth, 60-57, followed by a win over top-seeded Randolph, 60-51, in the quarterfinals.

“I didn’t really know what to expect going into the season,” Rodgers said. “It was really a case of a really balanced team. We didn’t have anyone who scored 15 or 20 points per game. I couldn’t be more happy than what this team accomplished and how we grew from the beginning of the year to where we were at the end.”

In their third trip to the semifinals in the past four seasons, they succumbed to second-ranked New Mission, 79-70, in overtime.

The Panthers were indeed led by a balanced effort on offense with five players contributing 5.5 ppg or more.

“We didn’t have any inside presence, in terms of pounding it into a post player, but we really got to the hoop really well,” Rodgers said. “We had a lot of guys that could drive and knock down the 3 really well.”

The Panthers certainty did knock down the 3 ball really well. After connecting on just 149 triples last season, one that Rodgers coined an apparition, they sunk around 200 this year.

Junior Ben Rice scorer led the 3-point barrage with around 50. He also led the team in scoring with over 11.6 ppg.

“Ben is an absolute gym rat,” Rodgers said. “He’s always in the gym working on his shot. He had steady improvement in his game in terms of becoming a better defender and becoming someone we can rely on to do more than just shoot the ball.”

With an ability to get into the lane for a quick two and knock down a shot from beyond the arc, sophomore Cole LeVangie produced close to 10 ppg, which was good for second on the team.

“He can handle the ball and can shoot it,” Rodgers said. “He’s very unselfish and plays a total team basketball game.”

Junior Stevie Kelly was a sparkplug at the point for the Panthers’ offense, delivering over 130 assists on the season and averaging right around 8.3 ppg.

“He’s just a hard-nosed, tough player who can affect the game on both ends of the court,” Rodgers said. “He’s a terrific defensive player. He’s physically stronger than most guards he goes up against. He was an outstanding player for us this year.”

Rodgers said he knows exactly what he is looking for from his players this offseason.

“It’s going to take the entire group to committing to getting stronger and basically playing the game together, and still improving our shooting and still improving our basketball skill,” said the coach. “It’s going to depend on which guys are bringing guys into the gym with them, not just going into the gym themselves.”

Pair of Panther hoop teams headed to postseason … again

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Both Whitman-Hanson basketball teams will play in the tournament.

For the third straight season, Whitman-Hanson Regional High’s boys’ and girls’ basketball teams have clinched playoff berths.

This is also the fourth time in the last six years both W-H basketball programs have earned a spot in the postseason.

11 STRAIGHT FOR THE BOYS

Photo by: Sue Moss

It’s almost always a sure bet veteran coach Bob Rodgers will have his team in the postseason no matter who it’s tasked with replacing at the season’s outset.

The boys clinched their spot on Jan. 29 with a 67-57 victory over Scituate at home, giving them their 11thwin of the season.

“I’m always happy for the kids when we clinch a tourney spot because it’s such a special experience,” said Rodgers.

Senior captain Joey DePina paced the Panthers (16-6) with 16 points, while junior point guard Stevie Kelly tossed in 11.

“Joey DePina has been the heart and soul of our team,” Rodgers said. “His leadership has been instrumental in our teams success. He is such a great teammate who is loved and respected by everyone on the club.

“Stevie Kelly has been the driving force behind our team this year. He has grown so much as a player and as a person. We are very proud of him.”

The Panthers have been buoyed by a balanced attack all season.

“Our depth is definitely our advantage,” Rodgers said. “We play more kids than most teams and while some may criticize that approach, we feel like having as many kids as possible contributing we create a culture where everyone has motivation to practice hard every day.”

Rodgers said his club knows exactly what it has to work on.

“Overall our team toughness and rebounding is an important part of the game that we have to improve,” said the coach.

The Panthers will aim to keep it simple in the playoffs.

“The only goal is to win that first game,” Rodgers said. “You can’t get too far ahead of yourself. Every team in the tournament can beat anyone, so you just have to stay focused on the game in front of you.”

GIRLS HEADED BACK

Photo by: Sue Moss

It’s taken a complete team effort for the girls’ basketball team to clinch a spot in the tournament for the third year in a row.

Jenna Olem’s club (12-8) picked up its 10th victory Feb. 13 with a 53-44 triumph over Silver Lake behind a monster 18-point, 15-rebound effort from senior captain Kathryn Dunn.

“Every team sets out to clinch a tournament spot,” Olem said. “As the season wore on I knew it was definitely within reach and it was just a matter of when.”

After losing senior captain and point guard Erin Leahy in the first practice of the year, the Panthers have been piecing it together.

“A big thing at beginning of season was stressing our depth and players filling in necessary roles when called on,” Olem said. “We’ve had big nights from a different players at different points in the season. When different players are able to stand out on different nights, it is a strength to our team.”

W-H has relied heavily on its defense (allowing 41 ppg), as its offense has been inconsistent at times, averaging 53 ppg in wins and 35 ppg in losses.

“[We’re working on getting off to better starts offensively in the first quarter, knowing how to close out teams when we have a lead late and rebounding,” Olem said.

The goal?

“Pull an upset in the first-round tournament said,” Olem said.

Kelly sparks Whitman-Hanson boys’ basketball to win

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Stevie Kelly calls out a play.

The junior scored 10 points to go with six rebounds and six assists in the comeback win.

Whitman-Hanson Regional High junior Stevie Kelly is known for his defensive prowess on the soccer field, but he’s making a name for himself on the hardwood at point guard. 

Kelly opened up his whole toolbox Friday night and the Panthers needed every bit of it to fend off Patriot League foe Silver Lake, 56-54.

“It was a pretty big win,” Kelly said. “Every Patriot League game is big for us.” 

In a fourth quarter that the Panthers (8-2) entered down, 40-37, it was the 5-foot-10 Kelly, who scored five of his 10 points in the final frame to complement six rebounds and six assists on the night, right in the middle of the comeback.

With 7:33 remaining, Kelly drained a triple from the top of the arc, evening the score at 40.

After senior Cole Lewis (10 points) shot the Panthers ahead, 49-47, with a pair of 3-pointers, the Lakers (3-5) would pull even before Kelly passed to a streaking Rian Schwede inside the lane and he laid it in for two.

Clinging to a one-point lead late, Kelly jump cut into the lane for two, giving the Panthers a 55-52 lead, which was enough. 

“He’s a tenacious player for sure,” said W-H head coach Bob Rodgers of Kelly. “He really gets after it. He’s a tremendous defender and a great leader on the floor. He had some big buckets for us down the stretch.”

With the help of six points in the first quarter from sophomore Cole LeVangie (team-high 16 points), the Panthers jumped out to a 18-10 lead after one. 

The Lakers proceeded to outscore W-H, 18-8, in the following quarter to claim a 28-26 halftime edge. 

Kelly sparked the Panthers out of halftime, motoring to the hoop for two, while picking up a foul in the process. His free throw put the Panthers up, 29-28. 

Stevie Kelly

Later in the frame, Kelly drove into the lane and kicked it out to a wide-open Ben Rice on the right side, who drained a three, giving the Panthers a 37-35 lead. 

“It helps (me) with all the shooters we have,” Kelly said. “They work really hard in the offseason.”

The Panthers will visit Hanover next Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. 

“We just got to get tougher around the hoop and play harder,” Kelly said. 

Season Preview: Boys’ basketball team aims to form own identity

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The Panthers during practice. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Panthers are tasked with replacing all five starters for the second time in three seasons.

Another season, another opportunity for the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ basketball team.

It’s a chance for it to make its own mark in the history of a program that, over each of the past six seasons, has won at least 16 games and has qualified for the last 10 Div. 2 South Sectional tournaments, while making a pair of trips to the TD Garden for the state semifinals.

After the graduation of all five starters from last season’s 16-5 team, the starting lineup – similar to 2016 – is blank after the first week of practice, just waiting for five players to emerge.

“We graduated everybody off of that [2015]-2016 team,” said 19-year head coach Bob Rodgers. “The only kids that had any kind of experience at all were [Luke] Tamulevich and Nikko Raftes, and both of those guys, their minutes were in a very complementary role.”

That team went on to win the league title and compete in the state semifinals at the TD Garden.

“It’s just a matter of getting the guys on the same page and trying to figure out what we have in terms of assets,” Rodgers said.

Also similarly to the 2016-17 team, Rodgers said he expects the Panthers to return to being a good shooting team from inside and outside the arc. Last season’s team struggled with its ability to knock down shots.

“I think you always have to go with whatever your personnel strength is,” Rodgers said. “Last year going inside was something that was an advantage for us. This year we do have a lot more shooters, more guys that can hit the outside shot, so it’s something where we’ll look a lot more like the teams of 2016 [and] ’17 than 2018.”

Sean Leahy, now playing at UMass Dartmouth, willed the Panthers to many victories last season, averaging nearly 20 points and 10 rebounds a contest en route to Patriot League Keenan Division MVP honors. Fellow senior captain and Patriot League All-Star Jacob Hanson-Bartlett pumped in 12.3 points a game. Both of their production will be missed. Rodgers said it’s really hard for him to pinpoint who will shoulder the load on offense this season.

“One of the beauties of this roster is we have a lot of guys that can score,” Rodgers said. “Colby Ahern can shoot it. Ben Rice can. Stevie Kelly. John Zeidan.”

Of the Panthers’ returnees,senior guard Tajh Hunter has the most experience under his belt, having accumulated 381 minutes on the floor last winter. Senior guard Cole Lewis and junior guard Max Borgen are the only other two returnees with over 200 minutes of varsity playing experience. Senior guard Joey Depina, who received just 90 varsity minutes last season, will captain the team.

Rodgers said that while he isn’t returning a ton of experience at the varsity level, he can’t complain about the work put in by most of his players over the offseason.

“They’re in the gym all the time,” Rodgers said. “From the time the season ended last year to where we are right now, you see the improvement. So many of these guys are just head and shoulders of where they were when the season ended.”

Rodgers said he believes his team’s strength is its togetherness, and his players will deal with adversity as a unit.

“They’re such good kids that they get along really well and support each other,” Rodgers said. “I think they’re ready to grow together and help each other grow and deal with the pressures that are different on varsity than JV.”

Rodgers said he’s focused on getting everyone working toward the same mission, while improving along the way.

“We have a really young team,” he said. “Really the goal right now is just to try to get everybody on the same page, so that they’re playing the style that we believe in which is playing together, unselfish, build new character and let the record take care of itself.”

The Panthers open the season Tuesday, Dec. 11 at home against league foe Quincy at 6:30 p.m.

“I’ve never made predictions of where we’ll finish,” Rodgers said. “All I can say is we’ll play the game the right way. No matter what the record is, we’ll practice hard every day and we’ll get better every day.”

Superfans at 20: A W-H team spirit idea endures

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It started with a group of friends looking for an excuse to hang out and cheer on their team. Since then, it has blossomed into an integral part of every sporting event at Whitman-Hanson — the superfans.

Back in 1998, buddies Brian Clark, Andy Cook, Charlie Finn, Jonathan Hall, Brian Kenney, Brian Lankiewicz, Josh Masse, Matt Morgan, Brian O’Donnell, Kevin Sullivan and Matt Quimby had an idea: Just because they weren’t on the football team, didn’t mean they weren’t going to be active on game day.

“All of us that had like T-shirts made, we all painted our face for every game and tailgated,” Lankiewicz said.

They called themselves superfans. They even traveled to road games – like one instance where they went to Plymouth North and were waiting for the team bus ready to cheer on the guys when they excited the highway.

“We left before them and we were at one of the rest stops and we were all decked out or whatever and we were screaming and waving at them going by [to] kind of got them riled up,” Quimby recalled

Said Lankiewicz: “Stuff like that was a blast.”

At home games, the superfans tried to rile the Panthers up with a different method, albeit one that’s not advised to do today.

“Me and Brian O’Donnell went around and picked up a bunch of election signs, spun them around and we decided to play a little psychological warfare,” Cook said. “So, we painted Duxbury on the signs and stuck them in front of the school to kind of piss of the Whitman-Hanson guys and have them think Duxbury disrespected their school.”

From left, Andy Cook and Brian O’Donnell. / Courtesy photo

Cook was also always one of the loudest ones at the game.

“I had an old big cowbell, we went to all the marine places to find the boat horns, the airhorns, so we had all those and we’d be shooting those off,” Cook said.

When Thanksgiving came around, it was time for the superfans to play both sides of the ball at the same time – offense and defense.

“Whether it was crashing an Abington bonfire or huddling back at Whitman-Hanson and protecting the Panther from Abington coming to spray paint it green, it gave us a unity among ourselves and the football team as a whole,” Hall said.

The superfans didn’t confinethemselves to football games, either. They were instantly becoming engrained in the Whitman-Hanson sports scene.

“I actually remember when we were wrestling Hingham when I was in high school, the whole crowd was red and black face painted and everything like that,” Quimby said.

Lankiewicz said he recalls a time when he was asked to come out and cheer on his classmates.

“The cheerleaders had a competition once and they invited us to ride on their bus to be their cheering section in the stands for their competition and that was a blast,” he said. “We were pretty obnoxious us.”

The number of superfans hasgrown from 11 two decades ago to over 900 at W-H today. The school’s athletic director Bob Rodgers said he cannot stress enough the importance of the role of superfans at W-H.

“We feel that when students connect with their school and take pride in who we are, their entire experience here at Whitman Hanson is enhanced,” Rodgers said. “The program also has allowed us to create a culture where our students know what is acceptable behavior for fans.

“For the student-athletes, having their classmates there to support them adds to the experience. It’s nice to win games and championships, but it’s so much more meaningful when you know other people are on board with you. I would compare it to a great vacation, it’s not where you go that matters; what matters most is who you go with.”

Two years ago, a superfan-led group made history ahead of a W-H boys’ basketball state semifinal game by organizing the most fan busses ever to see a team play at TD Garden.

“The kids know how much fun it is to wear the school colors and cheer on their team regardless of whether we win or lose,” Rodgers said.

Hall said when he reflects back on 20 years ago, he could not have imagined the impact superfans would have on W-H today.

“It’s insane,” Hall said. “It’s just incredible, obviously. I would have never anticipated that it would have grown this much, but I’m certainly glad that it has. It’s good for the school. It’s good for the community. It’s good for the student body at Whitman-Hanson be able to have that. It’s not just a sport, it’s part of the culture of those two towns.”

W-H raises $1,000 for family

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Friday night’s football game raised $1,000 to help build a disabled Army vet’s house.

 Whitman-Hanson Regional High athletic director Bob Rodgers saw last Friday night as an opportunity to give back, and the communities answered the call.

In response to a pair of 16-year-old juveniles, neither of whom were from W-H, causing more than $50,000 worth of damage to a home in Hanson being built for disabled Army vet Paul Skarinka, a Whitman native, earlier in the week, Rodgers got the approval to set up donation buckets at the football team’s game vs. Duxbury to help with repairs.

The two buckets were located at both entrances to the stadium and manned by Dawne and Richard Green. The effort raised $1,000.

“It didn’t surprise me at all that we raised so much money in a short time,” Rodgers said. “We are fortunate to live in a generous and caring community.”

Rodgers said he plans to reach out to Skarinka to see if he’d be willing to attend a game in November around Veterans Day.

“We will be having a game which we dedicate to all veterans and inviting them to attend free of charge,” Rodgers said. “With our new scoreboard, we plan to run a video about the Wounded Warrior Project too.”

A chat with … Whitman-Hanson AD Bob Rodgers

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A question and answer with Whitman-Hanson Regional High athletic director Bob Rodgers.

This year marks Bob Rodgers’ eighth as the athletic director at Whitman-Hanson Regional High.

Last year was an exhilarating one as multiple school records were shattered, a state title was brought home on the mat and seven teams earned postseason berths.

Rodgers chatted with the Express about his position, improvements in athletics, what he’s looking forward to in 2018-19, and more.

Q: How have you seen your position as an AD change?

A: “Well, the biggest change for me has been just the increasing amount of sports that we now offer. We’re now up to 27 sports and we have a lot more opportunities for girls at Whitman-Hanson with the addition of field hockey, gymnastics and swimming. With the additional teams, managing more people, more kids and families, so I guess that’s been the biggest challenge.”

Q: What’s your favorite part about being an AD?

A: “Just being able to have a positive impact on the school experience of so many kids and recognizing the important personal growth that kids go through when they have an opportunity to be part of a team and compete. I recognize that what happens in the classroom is the main reason why kids go to school, but I do think that having that extra experience of being part of a team, dealing with adversity, understanding work ethic, it all kind of goes hand in hand for kids. And, so being an AD, it allows me to have a direct impact on so many students and a part of the education process that is, I think, so vital to a young person’s growth; the ability to play on a team, the ability to challenge themselves to recover from adversity, to feel a connection to something. I take great pride in the athletic program that we have at our school because I think it touches all those bases.”

Q: For those who don’t know, what goes into the role of an AD?

A: “The role of an athletic director is if you were to look at the job description, it would be several pages long. You are a personnel person in terms of hiring coaches. You’re a budget person because you have to deal with the financial aspect of running the program. Secretarial stuff because you have to deal with schedules and paperwork through the MIAA. You have to be a lawyer because you have to know all the rules and regulations. You have to be a psychologist because you have to deal with a lot of different personalities and you have to be a mentor, somebody who can help your coaches grow as coaches so they can serve our students. Then, it’s really everything else that comes in between. There’s a lot of public relations to it to make sure people understand what’s going on and understand the value of what we’re doing. Fundraising. It’s just a job that keeps me busy.

“When I decided to pursue this eight years ago, I realized that I didn’t know back then really what I was getting into, but it’s been rewarding and I’ve enjoyed it even though it takes a tremendous amount of time. You’re basically on the clock 24/7. There’s just always something going on.”

Q: When you look back on last year, what moment(s) stick out?

A: “Well, there were so many great moments. I think that watching our boys’ soccer team that had struggled the previous couple of years make the tournament and then win an exciting game in overtime, that first-round game that they had. To watch the great performances that the gymnastics team had. But really each sport, I could probably pick something out from each sport. Although we all love to win, [it] isn’t really the end all and be all of the athletic experience.”

Q: Have there been any improvements in athletics for this upcoming year?

A: “Well, the big project that we completed a year ago was the replacement of the turf field and that was the biggest, most expensive and challenging. We’re right now in the process of adding a state-of-the-art scoreboard to our athletic field which has been a big challenge. It’s very expensive, but it’s really going to make a big improvement to our school. We added scoreboards to both the baseball and softball field, which I think fans are going to really appreciate.”

Q: Are there any teams at W-H that you have your eye on to make a deep postseason run or perhaps surprise some people?

A: “I don’t want to put too much pressure on them, but we’re all really excited about the football team because they’ve worked so hard. It’s really a very experienced group. I think we have over 20 seniors on the roster. We have a phenomenal quarterback and he’s a great leader. You watched the progression that it’s made over the last few years, I think that they’re poised to really do some damage.

“It’s going to be a challenge because we have a very tough schedule; we purposely did a tough schedule. The non-league schedule’s hard, we’re playing Marshfield and New Bedford to start the season — two big schools — much bigger than us. Then our league schedule is tough with both Hingham and Duxbury, but I really think we’re going to see big things from them.”

Q: Are there any dates that fans of W-H athletics should mark down on their calendars for any reason?

A: “ I think that football opener (Sept. 7) is one that’s going to be really exciting to kind of kick off the season and get everyone really excited. We’re home against Marshfield. All the schedules are available online and I’d encourage fans of Panther Nation to go out and go to all the different sporting events that we have.”

Q: What are you hoping to see as the year gets underway?

A: “I’m looking forward to watching them savor every moment because it goes by so fast, especially for those seniors going into their final year of high school, to get everything out of the experience that they can. I’m hoping that the whole experience will help them grow as people, help keep them stay healthy and happy and helps build our school spirit and our community spirit.”

Season Review: Exceeding the expectations: Boys’ basketball found its rhythm in tough season

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The boys’ basketball team before a Feb. 16 game against Quincy. / Photo by: Sue Moss

The Whitman-Hanson Reigonal High boys’ baskeball team made the tournament for the 10th straight season, won at least 16 games for the sixth straight winter and captured its third straight division crown.

The 2017-18 season didn’t come together the way 18-year Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ basketball head coach Bob Rodgers was expecting, but it came together in a way that he hadn’t envisioned.

“We were able to accomplish some things that I didn’t think would be on the table for us,” Rodgers said.

The Panthers went 16-5, which marked the sixth straight season in which they won at least 16 games, made the Division 2 South Sectional tournament for their 10th straight campaign and grabbed a share of their third consecutive Patriot League Keenan Division title and fourth in the past five years.

“Winning the league championship with Hingham was really a testament to how hard the kids worked and how they believed even though we hit that tough stretch in the middle of the season,” Rodgers said.

In that tough stretch to which Rodgers referred, were three straight losses to Hingham (71-45), Cardinal Spellman (78-76) and Quincy (55-54) that dropped the Panthers to 5-4. But, they turned it around and rode a 10-game winning streak until Division 1 Bridgewater-Raynham topped them, 60-45, in an exclusion game for W-H. Perhaps W-H’s most impressive victory during the winning streak was a 68-51 triumph at Hingham. The Harbormen had dealt the Panthers their worst regular-season loss (71-45) in more than 10 years four weeks prior.

“I think what really happened at that point was the guys were humbled and realized that nobody is giving Whitman-Hanson anything because it says Whitman-Hanson across your chest, and they started to work harder and we kind of found a way,” Rodgers said. “In reality, because Sean Leahy put the team on his shoulders and was just an immense player that was a difference-maker in a lot of the games, especially that game in Hingham. I told him before that game, ‘If you’re an MVP, if you’re a league MVP, you got to go play like it because the other guy that’s vying for league MVP is on the other team.'”

Leahy poured in a gamehigh 25 points and retrieved 10 rebounds in the win en route to being tabbed Patriot League Keenan Division MVP.

However, in the playoffs, the sixth-seeded Panthers succumbed to 11th-seeded Nauset, 65-56, in the first round.

“We didn’t shoot it well,” Rodgers said. “We got plenty of shots, but we just didn’t shoot it well. We didn’t have that rhythm of guys that could stick it, so if Sean [Leahy] wasn’t scoring we were going to have difficulty putting points on the board.

“The other thing in that Nauset game [is] we made a couple little runs, but we weren’t able to get stops. We weren’t able to get the big bucket down one end and the get the big stop down the other end.”

Shooting, which had always been a strength of the Panthers over the years, –was an issue all season long, forcing them to form a new identity on offense.

“Jake Hanson-Bartlett shot it well, Cole Lewis shot it well, Bryan Tyrie shot it well, but other than that we really didn’t shoot the basketball well as a team,” Rodgers explained. “That’s unusual for us, that’s unusual for Whitman-Hanson basketball. So, we were able to get to the basket a little more, get some stuff off of our defense, so that was really the biggest difference. We had to score points in ways that we really didn’t do in years past.”

While there was no trip to the TD Garden like there had been the previous two seasons for the Panthers, they exceeded what Rodgers had for expectations.

“I thought when we lost [Lucas Franklin, Nikko Raftes and Luke Tamulevich] last year, I knew how important they were to our team,” Rodgers said of his former captains. “We only lost three guys, but that was three-fifths of the starting lineup and they didn’t come out a lot last year.”

The Panthers will once again have a significant number of holes to plug next season with the departures of senior captains and league all-stars Leahy (19.7 PPG, 9.2 RPG) and Hanson-Bartlett (12.3 PPG, 7.1 RPG), fellow senior and league all-star Josh Genereux (8.7 PPG), and classmates Tyler Rice (5.1 PPG) and Tyrie (5.9 PPG). But, they’re no stranger to that.

“We won’t have a lot of guys that have played a lot of varsity minutes, but we’ll have some,” Rodgers said. “And then we have some good guys in the JV that if they put in their time and get in the weight room and really spend the next month months getting better, I still think we’ll be one of the better teams.”

Tournament hoop dreams: Boys, girls in postseason

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Photos by: Sue Moss

This is the second straight season, and third time in the last five years both W-H basketball programs have earned a spot in the postseason.

The Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ and girls’ basketball teams have punched their tickets to the tournament.

This is the second straight season, and third time in the last five years both W-H basketball programs have earned a spot in the postseason.

The boys’ team (14-4, 12-2 Patriot League) clinched its berth with a 70-53 rout of Plymouth North at home on Friday, Feb. 2, giving it its 10th win of the season.

The Panthers were in command for much of the contest, leading by double digits essentially all evening, but did have to thwart a Blue Eagles charge that sliced their lead to seven in order to claim victory.

“After the game, I congratulated the kids on checking off one of their goals but [said] that we had several more to go,” W-H boys’ basketball head coach Bob Rodgers said.

In the victory, senior captain Sean Leahy led the way with 19 points and fellow senior captain Jacob Hanson-Bartlett chipped in 12.

Not only did it give the Panthers their 10th win of the winter, but it also marked the 10th straight season the boys’ program has qualified for the Division 2 South Sectional tournament.

“I’m a firm believer that each team has the potential to motivate the players of tomorrow,” Rodgers said of the consistent success. “When a young player comes into the gym and watches our guys play, it is my hope that they will go home dreaming of one day being on that court.  If enough kids in town have that dream I’m confident enough of them will find a way to make it a reality.”

But as Rodgers stated, the Panthers, who have clinched two straight Patriot League Keenan Division titles, and been to two straight Division 2 state semifinals, their eyes are on a much bigger prize.

“We just want to keep playing fundamental basketball with a great deal of intensity,” Rodgers said. “Hopefully that translates into enough wins to earn a home playoff game.”

Girls follow suit 

As for the girls’ team (12-7, 8-6), they had a little more work to do if they wanted to head back to the tournament. Playing a 21-game regular season, the Panthers had to win at least 11 of their tilts.

Down 24-21 at halftime Tuesday, Feb. 6, on the road against Pembroke, the Panthers weren’t about to fold over.  Two key aspects of their campaign this season have been their depth and defense, both of which played a key role in the second half, as they held the Titans to 12 points in the second half to claim a 51-36 victory, securing their spot in the playoffs.

During that second-half charge, junior captain Erin Leahy (11 points and 10 rebounds) secured a double-double, fellow junior captain Kathryn Dunn caused the Titans fits on the defensive end of the court, classmate Olivia Johnson sank two key 3-pointers, junior Leah Badger tallied seven points and sophomore Olivia Martin connected on two pivotal left-handed layups.

“The number one thing we wanted was to come out with urgency from tipoff,” W-H girls’ basketball head coach Jenna Olem said. “It was awesome to see a bunch of players who work so hard during the week step up and contribute to the win.

“At the beginning of the game, I talked about the adversity that we went through in January and how it kind of led us to where we are now. To appreciate the process of getting to this point and going out and getting a big win against a tough team on the road was something to be proud of. The girls talked about how they think team chemistry is their biggest overall strength and it was on full display Tuesday night.”

This marks the second straight season the Panthers have qualified for the tournament. But, there is a wrinkle in that this year as they were moved up to Division 1 over the offseason, so they will have to get past some top-tier competition if they hope to advance come March.

“I mean, once you get into the state tournament I think all of the teams are tough,” Olem said. “Obviously, D1 consists of the powerhouses, but the Patriot League has some very tough teams that we face twice every season with Duxbury, Quincy, Hingham etc., so we will obviously have to elevate our game and hope we are playing our best possible ball the rest of the way.”

Up next

W-H and Quincy are the only two Patriot League schools to have qualified both basketball teams for the postseason.

The girls continue competition Thursday, Feb. 15 on the road against Quincy at 6:30 p.m.

The boys will be back in action Friday, Feb. 16 at home against Quincy at 6:30 p.m.