Positive start big for Hollis Brookline boys basketball

A tough opening schedule is nothing new for the Hollis Brookline High School boys basketball team.

A year ago, the Cavaliers got off to a 1-6 start in Division II, with four of those losses coming to teams that made the semifinals. But HB bounced back and ended the year by winning seven of its final 11 games to reach the postseason.

Two years ago, HB lost its first 12 games in the division, and opened the 2009-10 season 3-9 before again turning things around to make the playoffs.

This season will be no different for the Cavs, except that they started it off on the right foot by getting a 53-43 win over Souhegan last Friday.

HB heads to Pelham on Tuesday and then to St. Thomas on Friday. The Cavs will again participate in the Chick-fil-A Holiday Tournament at Nashua South, but after that, its home games against Con-Val and Pembroke, followed by games at Milford, Portsmouth and Oyster River. On top of that, the Cavs play Goffstown twice, Souhegan, Milford and Pelham again, along with Windham and Hanover.

"It's still a brutal schedule," HB coach Mike Soucy said. "This is a pretty level group. That's going to make things easier."

While Soucy was happy with the win over the Sabers, the more important thing for him was that the team played well in getting it.

"What would have made a difference is if we came here and didn't play well," he said. "Win or lose, it's still one game.  How you play is very meaningful. That can set the tone."

HB was able to beat Souhegan for just the second time in their last eight meetings by rebounding and playing well defensively. The Cavs were able to limit Brandon Len, the Sabers' leading scorer a year ago, to 15 points, all but one of which came in the first half.

"I've got four really good guard who play really good defense," Soucy said. "We knew if we handled their ball-screen action the right way, we'd be all right. We're not going to stop him from scoring; he's too good a player, they're too good a team. But we could slow them down. We did a phenomenal job on the ball screens."

Pelham is coming off a 66-47 loss to Pembroke, this year's favorite to win Division II, and should be fired up to play its first game at home this season. In Soucy's first six seasons at HB, the Cavs are just 2-10, but one of those wins came the last time these two teams played. That win snapped HB's eight-game losing streak to the Pythons.

"It's a big win (against Souhegan)," Soucy said. "Maybe a little, we'll have to pull them back, but we also know we have Pelham next. There's no rest."