Walpole Boys' Basketball Stunned by Fourth Quarter Flurry in Hingham Thursday

HINGHAM -The Walpole High School boys' basketball team led Hingham for 27 minutes Thursday but a 14-0 run by the Harbormen in the game's final 4:30 capped an improbable fourth quarter comeback to stun the Rebels, 63-62 in the first round game of the MIAA Division 2 South Sectional State Tournament.

The Hingham High School gymnasium was electric as Hingham senior Eddie Bowler, who ended with 15 points, sunk a fadeaway after a rebound to give his team the lead with under 10 seconds left in regulation.

Having trailed the entire game, with the exception of Bowler's first basket, Hingham went on a 14-0 run in the final 4:30 of the game. 

Down a point, late in the fourth courter, Bowler watched as teammate Pat Kelly made a drive to the basket. He got in position, boxed out his man, grabbed the ball and tossed it up, falling backwards.

"I couldn't believe it went in," Bowler said of the game-winning shot.

Fans of both teams were on their feet in the final minutes of the game. Hingham coach Bob Kniffen called the gym "360 degrees of mayhem."

"This is tournament basketball," Kniffen said. "This is awesome."

After trailing by double digits for much of the game, the Harbormen defense shut down the Rebels down the stretch, led by a great effort by junior Joe Spaziani.

As their defense improved in the second half, so did the Hingham offense. Senior point guard Ricky Sullivan knocked down 14 of his team high 16 points in the second half.

"The whole game we were fighting to get back," said Sullivan.

In the middle of the Harbormen run, senior Eugene Tyburski drained a three-pointer to bring his team within three points of the lead. On the other end of the floor, Tyburski stole the ball, starting Sullivan on a fast break that ended with a bucket and a 61-62 deficit.

"We played as a team," Bowler said of the comeback. "We're a band of brothers out there."

Though Hingham earned the victory, Walpole looked to be the superior team for much of the contest, leading by 17 at halftime. Walpole junior Adam Quinlan lead the Rebels with 16 points, 12 of which he scored in the first half.

Kniffen, who called his team special, said the six seniors and their teammates don't want this run to end. 

"The guys want to practice [Friday]," said Kniffen. "They don't want the season to end."

The Harbormen will now travel to play first-seeded Scituate on Saturday. Scituate beat Falmouth 48-43 on Thursday.

Walpole ends its season with a 13-8 record.