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Season Preview: Multi-faceted Panther team: Boys’ basketball turns to new leaders for the 2017-18 season

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NEW YEAR, NEW TEAM: Basketball coach Bob Rodgers, center in black T-shirt, talks to his players during a Saturday, Dec. 2 scrimmage vs. Sandwich. / Photo by: Sue Moss

Bob Rodgers is looking for much of the same out of his boys’ basketball team that’s made it to the Div. 2 state semifinals two straight seasons.

After back-to-back trips to the Division 2 state semifinals, the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ basketball team is gearing up for a new season.

“Each team has its own personality and its own character and from a coach’s perspective, it’s a lot of fun to figure out what’s the best way to motivate them, how to coach them, how to get the most out of them,” said Bob Rodgers, who is entering his 18th year at the helm of the Panthers.

Key losses from last winter’s club are Lucas Franklin, Nikko Raftes and Luke Tamulevich, all of whom were senior captains and pivotal pieces of that team.

“There’s no question that all of those guys have left a legacy in the program, in terms of how hard they wanted to work and how they treated their teammates,” Rodgers said.

Franklin, Raftes and Tamulevich were three of five players penned into starting roles at the outset of last season, as the Panthers were tasked with replacing their entire starting five. This winter, the Panthers will only be replacing three starters, as they return Jacob Hanson-Bartlett and Sean Leahy.

Hanson-Bartlett (179 points and 167 rebounds last season) and Leahy (141 points and 154 rebounds) both flourished as first-year starters en route to many postseason accolades. Not only will both be relied on to be the focal points on the court, but off it as well as both have been tabbed as captains.

“You couldn’t have two better kids, they’re both very humble [and] there’re both team-first guys,” Rodgers said. “Both of them are multi-faceted players, great leaders and good at both ends of the floor.”

As for who will join them as starters is still to be determined at this point. Rodgers said one idea that he is toying with is starting a bigger lineup than in previous seasons.

“This year’s team, we’re a little bit longer than we’ve been in year’s past,” he explained. “We have several kids who are over 6-foot-4 and we could put maybe four of them on the floor at the same time.”

Rodgers said he is also flirting with the idea of playing without a point guard, something he did in 2010.

“We’re looking for a point guard to kind of emerge and right now none of them have shown me that they can talk enough on the floor, they don’t talk to their teammates enough, they don’t communicate, they don’t get us into our offenses like we want to,” Rodgers said. “You need somebody who’s going to be out there commanding on the floor and that’s something that every day in practice we’re hoping to find one of these guys who is going to establish and open their mouth and talk and make sure that their teammates know that we can count on them when they’re on the floor.”

One of the Panthers’ strengths last season was their ability to knock down the 3-pointer, which was fueled by sharp-shooters Raftes and Tamulevich. Rodgers said that despite W-H’s increased size this season, the program is still brimming with excellent shooters who can connect from beyond the arc.

“We’re going to definitely use the three, you can’t win in high school basketball if you don’t hit the 3-pointer, there’s just no question in my mind that you can’t win without it,” Rodgers said. “I think people will realize we’re more balanced then we’ve been in the past.”

The Panthers will open the season at Bridgewater-Raynham on Tuesday, Dec. 12 at 6:30 p.m.

“I just hope we’re super boring, that’s what I tell my guys all the time, I just want to be boring,” Rodgers said. “I just want to do all the fundamentals right, I want our guys to out-execute the other team and just be working together as a unit better than the other teams that we play.”

Panthers’ run ends

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Photo by: Sue Moss

Playing in front of a sea of red Monday evening at historic TD Garden, Whitman-Hanson fell to Brighton by the final score of 94-48 in the Division 2 state semifinals.

BOSTON — The Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ basketball team’s improbable tournament run has come to a close.

Playing in front of a sea of red Monday evening at historic TD Garden, Whitman-Hanson fell to Brighton by the final score of 94-48 in the Division 2 state semifinals.

North champion Brighton (22-5) stepped on the gas pedal early on and never let up, as its 3-point shooting and presence inside proved too much for South champion W-H (19-4) to handle.

“They’re an outstanding team, they have so much talent,” W-H head coach Bob Rodgers said of Brighton. “They’re so talented, so athletic, can shoot the ball so well. They shot the ball great tonight. They’re very skilled. They deserved to win this game tonight.”

The 94 points are the most allowed by the defensive-minded Panthers all season.

The Bengals darted out of the gate – connecting  on seven of their first 11 attempts – and a Tyrone Perry 3-pointer gave Brighton a 16-7 lead with 3:24 remaining in the first quarter.

“Usually you got to take one thing away and then hopefully the other thing doesn’t beat you,” Rodgers said. “We really didn’t do a good job at either one of those. They were able to get to the paint anytime they wanted and every time they had a wide-open three they took it and when they missed, they did a great job at rebounding.”

Down 18-7, the Panthers would score the next five points via a Luke Tamulevich layup and Nikko Raftes trey, to pull back within single digits, 18-12.

However, Brighton would respond – outscoring W-H 11-2 to close the opening frame to push ahead 29-14.

“We had a bit of momentum,” Rodgers explained. “I said, ‘Maybe we’ll get to halftime and get it under 10.’ But the fact is it just wasn’t Whitman- Hanson’s night, it was Brighton’s.”

The Panthers buckled down on defense in the second quarter – limiting the high-powered Bengals offense to 16 points – but could only muster 12 points themselves and fell behind 45-26 at halftime.

The third quarter proved decisive for Brighton – which shot 10 of 13 from the field – as it outscored W-H 31-9 to build a commanding 76-35 cushion.

“Our identity all year has been to play great defense,” Rodgers said. “When you’re facing a team like that and you have to deal with their ability to penetrate, it’s really hard to get out on their shooters as well.”

Up substantially, Brighton didn’t let up in the final frame – holding W-H to 13 points while pumping in 18 (six via treys) itself to further pad its victory.

Sophomore guard Tajh Hunter netted four of the Panthers’ fourth-quarter points.

W-H, despite the loss, was able to cycle in all of its players onto the court.

Seniors Raftes and Tamulevich, like they have done all season, led the Panthers in scoring with 11 points apiece. Junior Sean Leahy chipped in five points and four boards as nine Panthers, including seven players set to return in 201718, tallied points.

“It was awesome that a lot of the guys were able to get some points and get that ability to play at the [TD] Garden, it will be a life memory for them, and I guess that was one of the bright spots when you have a game like that,” Rodgers said.

Boys’ hoops net first back-to-back league titles

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The Panther players and coaches gather for a team photo after winning their second consecutive league title Feb. 10. / Photo by: Sue Moss

With a 56-42 victory over Hingham, the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ basketball team has won its league for the second straight season.

WHITMAN – On Friday, Feb. 10, the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ basketball team felt a sense of accomplishment. 

The Panthers defeated Hingham, 56-42, to capture the Patriot League Keenan Division, giving the program back-to-back titles for the first time.

W-H, which graduated eight seniors, including its entire starting five, from the roster that made it to the Division 2 state semifinals last year, has defied all odds thus far.

“It’s pretty emotional,” Panthers head coach Bob Rodgers said of the win. “I think when a lot of people don’t give you a chance to do something, in particular these kids that had to keep hearing about last year’s team. They wanted their own identity and they came into this season with just some thing to prove.”

When W-H (13-3, 11-2) needed a basket, Nikko Raftes was there to deliver. The Panthers, who led by as much as 10 in the fourth quarter, watched their advantage shrink as Hingham (8-8, 8-5) sliced its deficit to five, 45-40, midway through the final frame. On W-H’s next trip down the court, Raftes drilled a turnaround jumper to push the Panthers lead to 47-40.

“Such a big play,” Rodgers said. “That was probably the dagger when he hit that.”

On the ensuing W-H possession, the senior captain then spotted up from beyond the arc and drilled a 3-pointer to push the Panthers cushion to 10, 50-40, all but sealing their victory. 

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Lucas Franklin, who had six points in the game, adds two to the tally. / Photo by: Sue Moss

“He’s amazing,” Rodgers said. “He’s just one of the best shooters we’ve had and we’ve had a lot of good shooters.” 

Two Raftes free throws in the final minute made it a 56-42 game.

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Jacob Hanson-Bartlett is guarded by Hingham’s big man Lorgan Larsen who stands at 6’8″ in some close action under the basket. / Photo by: Sue Moss

However, the Harbormen, who were out to avenge a 52-37 loss to W-H Jan. 13, gave the Panthers a bit of a scare early on. Luke Tamulevich (16 points in first half) kick started the Panthers offense with a 3-pointer, steal and layup to push W-H in front 5-0Jacob Hanson-Bartlett is guarded by Hingham’s big man Lorgan Larsen who stands at 6’8″ in some close action under the basket. / Photo by: Sue Mos

“Luke has been one of the biggest offensive weapons we’ve had all year,” Rodgers said. “He’s somebody who can get it done on both ends of the floor.” 

Hingham would battle back behind the play of center Logan Larsen, and pulled ahead 12-11 at the end of the opening quarter.

W-H would begin to drive to the basket to begin the second quarter, despite the lengthy presence of Larsen inside, which opened the floor for four treys in the frame.

With W-H trailing 24-23, Raftes drilled a 3-pointer to push it ahead by two, igniting an 8-0 run.

Hingham followed up the triple with a pair of fouls, two missed field goals and a turnover.

Tamulevich’s trey with under a minute remaining in the second quarter – giving W-H its largest lead of the first half, 31-24, –capped off the run.

The Harorbmen sliced their deficit to as few as six in the third quarter, but W-H allowed just three field goals in the stanza to retain its lead. 

The victory extends the Panthers winning streak to four games, which they are holding opponents to 44 points per contest

Tamulevich led all scorers with 19 points, Raftes chipped in 15 and Jacob Hanson-Bartlett added 10 points and seven boards (five offensive).

“We just have to keep doing what we do,” Rodgers said. “Great plays don’t win championships, the boring plays win championships. All the little things [such as] boxing out, closing out and all of that.”

Mass. ADs to honor Sue Moss: W-H alum takes the photos that keep memories

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Whitman-Hanson Express volunteer photographer Sue Moss is being honored.

From student to teacher to coach to memory maker, Sue Moss’ role has transformed over the years at Whitman-Hanson, but her love for the Panthers has not. Now, she is being rewarded for her lifelong dedication to the school.

Moss has been selected by the Massachusetts Secondary School Athletic Directors Association as this year’s District C Joao Rodrigues Distinguished Service Award recipient. She has appeared at thousands of Panthers athletic events with camera in hand, snapping countless photos, where they soon appear on her Flickr, which fittingly features the panther statue as her profile picture, before they are used on the Whitman-Hanson athletic site and the Whitman-Hanson Express. Moss, who also takes pictures for the yearbook, said she’s the type of person who likes to fly under the radar.

“I just want to make things happen,” Moss said. “I’m very flattered and I’m very honored.”

The award will be presented to Moss March 30 by the MSSADA at their annual awards dinner held at the Resort and Conference Center in Hyannis.

The Joao Rodrigues Distinguished Service Award is assigned to one nonpaid individual chosen from 61 nominees put forth by the District C schools based on their continued involvement with high school activities at the local level.

Whitman-Hanson athletic director Bob Rodgers put Moss’ name forward and she was selected as the Patriot League representative in June before being tabbed as the district winner.

“This award not only recognized people who devote their time and energy to their communities, but I feel the best candidates are the people who inspire others to want to give back,” Rodgers said. “I think every student who has come in contact with Sue realizes how community service is something we should all aspire to make part of our lives.”

Moss’ time in Whitman dates to her childhood as she worked her way through the public school system. She said it was in her backend years as a student at Whitman-Hanson when she began to ascertain the true power behind giving back to her town.

“My loyalty is always there,” Moss said. “I believe in paying it forward. There were a lot of good people when I was in high school who did a lot of good things for us that they didn’t have to. But back when I was a student, there wasn’t anyone around capturing all the games so that you’d have a souvenir as you graduated from high school and went onto the rest of your life.”

Moss jumped into teaching at Whitman-Hanson in 1971 and spent 35 years as a physical education and then technology educator.

While there, she played an integral role in the athletics of the school. Moss helped to create the first girls’ cross country team and first girls’ outdoor track team in the early ’70s.

“Back in those days, Kevin Black and I used to take slides,” Moss said. “When we put a banquet on at the end of the season, we’d have those pictures to share with the parents and everybody else. I had a habit at the end of the year, after the banquet, I would pull out all the senior slides and I would give them to them.”

None of Moss’ images have ever been for purchase and that’s something on which she prides herself.

“All my images are up there in cyberspace, as the saying goes,” Moss said. “They can go get them anytime they want. The parents can go find the ones that they want so it’s good and they don’t have to pay for them. You shouldn’t have to pay for all that stuff. None are mine are for sale, even for the visiting team that might get an occasional shot. I just tell them where to find them and they can download them for free.”

Moss, who retired in ’06, said she has always and will continue to strive for the perfect image that can last a lifetime.

“I keep looking for that ‘wow’ photo,” Moss said. “Every once in a while, you get one, not every year, but you get one. It’s the joy that the kids take seeing themselves captured, whether I shoot a funny one or I shoot one where they don’t know that I’m shooting, which I try to do a lot. Those are the ones that they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.”