Postseason Primer: Stoughton-Hopkinton, Boys’ Basketball Division 2 South Sectional Final

The Stoughton High boys’ basketball team Tuesday evening at Brockton High in a Division 2 South Sectional semifinal contest.

The Black Knights now advance to play Hopkinton in the Sectional finals on Saturday at 8 p.m. at UMass Boston.

The winner advances to play the D2 North Sectional champion at the Boston Garden on Monday in a D2 state semifinal game.

How they got here:

Stoughton – Stoughton, the #4 seed in the D2 South bracket, finished the regular season at 16-4 and beat 69-63 in the first round; beat 55-48 in the quarterfinals; and beat 68-42 in the .

Hopkinton – Hopkinton, the #6 seed in the D2 South bracket, finished the regular season at 14-6 and beat #11 Scituate 59-39 in the first round; beat #3 King Philip 70-64 in the quarterfinals; and beat #10 Wellesley 58-56 in the semifinals.

We meet again

The sectional finals matchup is a rematch of last season’s , a 78-72 loss for Stoughton.

Stoughton-Hopkinton isn’t exactly a rivalry—no one will be confusing it with Stoughton-OA anytime soon—but Saturday’s sectional final will be a chance for Stoughton to avenge that 2011 postseason loss, and it will be a chance for the Hillers to continue their dominance over the Hockomock League in postseason play (4-0 over the last two years).

“They did eliminate us [last season] and that’s always painful. Doesn’t matter if it’s the town next door like Tuesday night [against OA] or whether it’s the town that is 26 miles from downtown Boston,” Stoughton High head coach John Gallivan said.

Key Players

Stoughton – Aaron Calixte is an explosive scorer. He joined Stoughton's as a junior. Calixte can also pass and rebound. Marcus Middleton is a lockdown defender, often drawing the assignment of guarding the other team’s best player. He can score in bunches on the other end of the floor as well. Together, Calixte and Middleton form one of the top (if not the top) backcourts in Division 2 South.

Mauro Oliveira and Joe Bunce-Grenon provide athleticism and depth. Sophomore Mike Gallagher has also seen his minutes increase.

At the forward position, the 6’3 Ferreira can block shots and jump like he’s 6’6. Raymond Bowdre can rebound and is a scoring threat in the paint. Joey Wilder adds depth.

Steffan Jackson returning to the lineup after sustaining an injury in early February has been key. The senior can hit the outside shot and can rebound.

Hopkinton – A scouting report on Hopkinton starts with senior guard Barrett Hanlon.

“He’s just a kid who seems to raise his game to where it has to be. He has got his team two years in a row to the South Sectional finals,” Gallivan said.

Hopkinton struggled early this season (0-3) as Hanlon recovered from an injury, but since his return to the lineup, they have been a force in Division 2 South.

Seniors Jared Dlugolecki and Tim Moberg are also players to watch. Hanlon (21), Dlugolecki (21) and Moberg (8) scored 50 of Hopkinton’s 58 points in Tuesday’s 58-56 win over Wellesley in the semifinals.

“Their not the exact same team [as last season], but their legit,” Gallivan said of Hopkinton.

“[Hanlon’s] as good a guard as there is out there. They’re well coached. They throw a bunch of different looks at you on both ends of court and you have to be ready for it.”

Size matters

Likewise, Stoughton isn’t the same kind of team as last season. This season, Stoughton has received a boost from forwards Antonio “Nuke” Ferreira and Steffan Jackson.

“At this time last year for various reasons neither of them was in the lineup and we got hurt in the paint last year against [Hopkinton]…we got pushed around in the paint,” Gallivan said.

“This year we have a different make-up. We lost a 1,000-point scorer in Kris Joyce, but we gained two post players that changed the whole nature of our game because of their ability to block shots and more importantly to rebound.”

Final thought

“I think it should be a really good game,” Gallivan said. “It sounds like two teams that are evenly matched and good guard play is critical in the state tournament—we’ve got it; they’ve got it.”

For the fans

Planning on going to the game? Tickets are $7 for students and $10 for adults. The gym is located at 100 Morrissey Boulevard in Boston. Backpacks, noisemakers, spirit towels and signs are prohibited.

Can’t make it to the game? Follow all of the action with our live blog, which will be posted on Stoughton Patch prior to the 8 p.m. tip-off.