Shepherd Hill out, Doherty advances

Kyle MKissick (24) sails past Antonio Jones (5) and Joey Berry
(23) for a layup. Photo by Don Cote.

Text and photos by Don Cote

The 6th seeded Shepherd Hill Rams ended the season on a down note Monday night, losing a thriller to the 11th seeded visiting Doherty Highlanders 65-63 in the opening round of the Division 1 playoffs. While Doherty advances to the Quarter Finals Thursday night against the #3 seeded Wachusett Mountaineers in Holden, the Rams close out a 14-8 season.

It didn’t look like it would be that exciting of a game, much less going down to the wire in a frantic finish.

Doherty jumped out to a 19-7 lead in the first quarter against the Rams’ man-to- man defense, until the Rams switched to a zone defense and slowed the Highlanders’ quickness, while getting into an offensive rhythm of their own. It appeared this one would be over early.

Shepherd Hill went on a 19-3 run of its own in the second quarter and finally moved out to a 28-24 lead and increased that to a 32-29 lead at the break.

The second half was a frenetic and fast paced affair with several lead changes, and the whole game came down to the final minutes.

Doherty held a 63-62 advantage with less than 2 minutes on the clock. Jesse Gilchrist tied it up for the Rams at 63-63 on a foul shot. Doherty’s Antonio Jones gave the Highlanders a 65-63 lead with a pull up jumper and only four seconds left on the clock. Gilchrist again took it the full length of the court and took his shot only to watch it rim around and fall to the court. Game over.

Kyle McKissick led all scorers with a game high 25 points and a monster game on the boards. Chris Patrinos poured in 14 points in the effort, while Matt Rayla and Bryan Stearns added 10 and nine points respectively.