Tiverton senior guard Ryan Ennis scored 16 second half points to lead the Tigers over Westport 50-49 during Tiverton’s Holiday Tournament on Friday night. The Tigers overcame a 28-18 halftime deficit and held off Westport as the two teams traded scores down the stretch in an epic defensive battle. With 32 seconds left in the game, Westport’s Aidan Viveiros fouled Ennis as he dribbled up court and he promptly sunk the two foul shots to give the Tigers their 50-49 edge. Ennis scored a game high 20 points for the game. The Wildcats had several chances to take the lead during their next possession, but the ball wouldn’t drop. With 14 seconds left to play, Westport Head Coach Scot Boudria called a time out to set up a play. The ball was inbounded to sure handed senior point guard Connor Lecomte and he dribbled to the right side of the three point arc guarded by a pair of Tigers. Lecomte passed to teammate Domanic Viterino and he dribbled from the post towards the hoop, faked and slid a pass underneath to teammate Donjae Raiche. Raiche got a good open look from in front of the basket, but the ball bounced off the rim. Tiverton guard Luke Deldeo was fouled in the scrum as the two teams fought for the ball under the rim with 5 seconds left in the game. As the Tigers underclassman clanged his first free throw off the rim, coach Boudria called forward Max Mendell up to half court. The nervous Deldeo missed his second shot. Wildcats forward Viterino jumped up and grabbed the rebound and hurled a Tom Brady like pass to Mendell as he streaked towards the basket. Tiverton guard Mason Viveiros quickly caught on to the play and raced up to guard him. Mendell got off a clean jump shot from in front of the basket, but was closely covered by Viveiros, who had both arms up in desperation. Mendell’s shot slid off the rim as time ran out for the Wildcats.  

“I told them if we get in trouble we call a time out, otherwise push the ball up go right to the hole and see what happens,” said coach Boudria. Max made a good move.”

But the ball didn’t fall.

First half

In the first half, the basketball game looked more like a heavyweight fight pitting Westport’s vaunted blanket-like defense against Tiverton’s physical style of offense with football star Matt Gacioch leading the charge. Gacioch quickly became frustrated when he couldn’t find an open lane to the basket as the Wildcats held him to just 3 first half points.

“We tried to get the ball into Matthew. But once you come out flat, it’s hard to get a rhythm,” said Tigers Head Coach Dave Landoch. 

Point guard and team captain Lecomte led the Wildcats on the court, scoring 9 of his 19 points in the first half. He hit five three pointers during the game and led the team with his hard-nosed style of play. Aiden Rock scored 7 points for Westport. Viveiros scored 5 and Raiche scored 3 as the Wildcats used multiple offensive sets and had several scorers in the first half. 

Second half

In the second half, coach Landoch decided to keep feeding the ball to Gacioch and let him find his way to the basket. He was able to muster up 7 points, mostly by driving to the hoop, but Westport’s tough defense forced him into committing fouls. Eventually Gacioch fouled out with 4:24 to play. Ennis, meanwhile, with the attention on Gacioch, was knocking down shots and getting to the basket. He hit two three pointers, a pair of jumpers and sunk 6 of 8 foul shots. Jared Landoch hit two of his four three pointers in the second half and had 12 points for the game. 

An Ennis foul shot tied the game, 39-39 and his second gave the Tigers the lead 40-39 as the they caught the Wildcats with 4:43 to play in the game.

Westport had dominated play in the first half, but seem to run cold shooting and run out of gas defensively. Still they battled and played tough down the stretch. 

Viterino hit a foul shot collected his own rebound, drew another foul and sunk another to give Westport a 41-40 lead with 4:24 left. 

Ennis sunk a three pointer off a pass from Deldeo to give Tiverton a 43-41 lead. 

Lecomte hit a pair of foul shots to even the score again at 43-43 with 3:46 to play. 

Westport forward Max Powers hit a jumper from in front of the basket to give Westport a 45-43 lead. 

Ennis got to the foul line again and hit one of two, 45-44. Then hit another three pointer to give Tiverton a 47-45 lead with 2:06 to play. 

Another Powers jumper knotted the score again at 47-47 with 1:55 left in the game. 

Ennis drove to the basket and was fouled by Powers. He made one of two to give Tiverton a 48-47 edge at 1:35. 

Mendell hit a pair of free throws to give Westport, yet another lead 49-48 with 38 seconds in the game. 

Ennis dribbled the ball up court and Viveiros poked the ball out, committing a foul and sending the marksman to the foul-line. 

He sunk them both to give the Tigers the lead for good, 50-49. 

“I thought we played hard…It’s one of those games where we didn’t shoot the ball well,” said coach Boudria.  

Scoring 

Tiverton: Ryan Ennis scored 20 points, Matt Cacioch scored 10, Jared Landoch scored 12, Luke Deldeo scored 3, Mason Viveiros scored 3. 

Westport: Connor Lecomte scored 19 points, Aiden Rock scored 7, Max Powers scored 6, Aidan Viveiros scored 5, Donjae Raiche scored 4, Hunter Brodeur scored 3, Max Mendell scored 3, and Domanic Viterino scored 2.