Hollis Brookline boys basketball rolls to season-opening win over Milford

HOLLIS - It may have been the opening game of a truncated season, but the Hollis Brookline High School boys basketball team looked playoff good against Milford on Friday night.

The Cavaliers led wire to wire in a dominating 63-25 win over the Spartans. Six different Cavaliers scored at least five points in the win.

“The guys played well (Friday),” HB coach Cole Etten said. “I thought they came out and played hard and executed our game plan. We were excited to get back out on the court. It was fun to be on the court again.”

The Cavaliers ran the score up early thanks to multiple scorers and converting on a slew of Spartan turnovers. HB led 17-1 after a quarter and 35-9 at halftime. The Spartans turned the ball over 24 times compared to just 10 by the Cavaliers. The Cavaliers rarely went more than 90 seconds without a bucket.

Leading the offensive charge was senior Matthew Dias, who had a game-high 16 points and filled out the stat sheet with six rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Dias was the driving force in the Cavs’ explosive first quarter with nine points and both of his steals.

“We were moving the ball well,” Dias said. “Defensive intensity was good (Friday), pressuring the ball, getting steals, looking to move the ball up the court. Everything was just flowing. It was nice.”

Dias’ fellow seniors stepped up in a big way. Robert Haytayan had six points, six boards and was a defensive menace on the inside. Blake Bergerson and Adam Razzaboni each had five points of their own.

The underclassmen played key roles as well. Sophomore Kaleb Popham had 10 points and four assists, and sophomore Luke Laborde added six points of his own.

“We have a lot of good chemistry with the seniors and the younger guys too,” Dias said. “We’ve been working together on drills and stuff in practice, going out to eat, getting to know each other. It’s been good.”

With a Milford turnover coming nearly one a minute, and Hollis’ ability to push the tempo, the Spartans never had a chance to settle into the game and try to shoot their way back into it. The Cavaliers also won the rebound battle 38-31, forcing Milford to one-and-done possessions throughout the game.

“I think the guys did a good job,” Etten said. “I think the leadership on the team has been good too. They’ve come and worked hard every day, and they’ve stuck together as a team.”

Milford got eight points from junior Caden Zalenski and seven points from Ryon Constable.