The Winthrop High boys basketball team unwrapped an early Christmas present for themselves with a solid 56-51 victory over Gloucester last Thursday evening in the local gym.
“This was a big win for us,†said WHS head coach Dave Brown. “Gloucester has all five starters returning and they played us tough last year, so for us to beat them and go into the Christmas break with a 3-1 record is a nice place to be.â€
Viking Quinton Dale, who is improving game by game, turned in a superb, triple double performance with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 blocked shots. However, Q was not alone in the production department, as Joe D’Amore and J.P. Doherty both reached double figures with 11 points. Taj Generazzo had a nifty all around performance with seven points, seven rebounds, and eight assists.
The contest was highlighted by a two handed dunk by D’Amore, the first dunk by a Viking in at least a decade. Brown also lauded the defensive work by Michael Griffin, who held Gloucester’s top scorer, Adam Philpott, who came into the game with a 26 ppg. average, to just five points.
“Michael had only six points, but he did a great job for us defensively,†noted Brown. “Our entire team played well on defense and that was the key to our victory.
“The team seems to be improving every day,†continued the coach. “They have a good work ethic, everybody is dong their job, and they want to win.â€
The Vikings are off for the holiday break, though Brown will be putting his charges through their paces with some tough practices. They return to action with a pair of back to back home games next week, hosting Saugus on Tuesday and Innovative Charter Academy of Tyngsboro on Wednesday. Tip off is 7:00 for both contests.