The Panthers pose after winning the Patriot Cup. / Courtesy photo
The boys’ basketball team capped off a perfect season by netting the Patriot Cup.
Make it 35 straight wins and a Patriot Cup to show.
The Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ basketball team completed a perfect 12-0 season with a 74-61 victory over league rival Hingham in the Patriot Cup final on Saturday, Feb. 20.
The Panthers trailed the Harbormen 58-56 with 4:50 remaining, before outscoring Hingham 18-3 — highlighted by a 15-0 run — the rest of the way.
“The kids locked in defensively and just owned the glass,” said W-H head coach Bob Rodgers. “We got the stops and the boards and that allowed us to get more comfortable on offense.”
Junior Amari Jamison gave the Panthers a 61-58 lead with 3:37 left when he knocked down three of his team-high 18 points.
Senior captain Cole LeVangie led the way with 16 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, while fellow senior captain Nate Amado and junior Ryan Vallancourt also scored 16 points apiece in the win.
“Not many teams challenged us this year, so it was impressive to see our kids show such poise,” Rodgers said. “I can’t say enough about our two junior guards. They both stepped up huge. Of course, we all have been privileged to watch two of the greatest players in school history in Nate Amado and Cole LeVangie and down the stretch they made the big plays when we needed them. I will sure miss both of them.
W-H, which has not lost since Dec. 26, 2020, heads into the offseason with the state’s longest winning streak at 35 straight.
“The entire team deserves so much credit for the road they had to travel to make this incredible season a reality,” Rodgers said. “COVID has taken so much away from so many people but these kids just refused to let it steal this season from them. It’s a great lesson for all of us about appreciating what you have and focusing on only that which you can control. Every member of this team should be proud of the league title and the Patriot Cup but more importantly about what kind of friends and teammates they were to each other.”