Newton South Boys Basketball: Lion's Game Summaries
Latin Sinks Lions, 62-53
It was Senior Night at Boston Latin, honoring 9 graduating players, before a good sized crowd at the cramped gym. The game started slowly, but the Lions were within reach at the half, trailing 26-19. The third quarter saw a horrendous one minute stretch with multiple turnovers,turning a relatively close game into a stretch, as the Lions fell behind 38-21. The Lions fought back and closed the gap to 8 with three minutes to play, but could not get any closer. Rusty Lodi had his best game as a Varsity player with 10 points. Barak Swartz also dropped in 10.
Tuesday, February 14
Lions Lose Heartbreaker at Buzzer
The Newton South Lions just had to keep Bedford from scoring a three with 3.6 seconds left. Bedford's point guard dribbled to mid court and launched a three point shot that went in at the buzzer, stunning the crowd. It had been a close game all night. It was Senior Night, and Josh Kasten, Max Groper and Lyonel Walker all started that game. The Lions rushed to a 33-26 lead at intermission, but gave the lead up in the first two minutes of the second half. From that point, the teams played fairly evenly. Bedford went out to a 53-lead in the early 4th quarter but Matt Swalboski got 5 quick points to tie the game. Barak Swartz tied the game at 62 with 4 seconds left to play, setting up Bedford's winning shot as the clock wound down. Barak Swartz led the Lions with 15 points, Zak Halpryn scored 12, and Matt Swalboski 8.
Saturday, February 11
Cambridge Falcons Defeat Lions 62-47
Despite Cambridge's size advantage, Newton South played tough and hung in with the Falcons for most of the game. Recovering from a cold-shooting first period (5 for 17) the Lions recovered in the second quarter and trailed 35-25 at intermission. Newton South mounted a comeback and cut the deficit to 37-31 but could get no closer. Phil Levine-Caleb led the team in scoring with 12, and Barak Swartz contributed 10.
Wednesday, February 8
Swartz nets 21 points, but Lions Lose to C-M
Barak Swartz scored a team season high 21 points which included 5 three pointers, but the Lions lost to top-ranked Catholic Memorial 79-55. The Lions played hard but were outmatched by the Knights and committed many turnovers which C-M took advantage of. C-M defeated the Lions earlier this season, 73-54 at Newton South in Garden City Tournament play.
Saturday, February 4
L-S Overtakes Lions in 4th Quarter
What had been a very close and well-played game in Gym "B" on Friday night for three quarters turned into a decisive win for Lincoln-Sudbury 56-42. The teams were tied at 17 at the end of the first quarter, and the Lions cut the L-S lead at half to 30-29 when Zak Halpryn hit a three pointer from mid-court at the buzzer. The teams were tied at 39 heading into the last quarter when the Lions shooting went stone cold, failing to score a basket in the period going 0-10, and only scoring three points on 3 free throws. It was a disappointing ending to a game that showed a lot of promise. Barak Swartz led the Lions with 9 points and Deion Arneaud had 8.
Wednesday, February 1
Lions Snap Losing Streak; Beat Weston 63-52
It had been a long time since the first game of the season when the Lions defeated the Weston Wildcats in the opener 62-57. Since then the Lions dropped 11 games in a row and then West appeared on the schedule. The Wildcats took a 16-13 lead after the first quarter, but then the Lions scored 20 in the second quarter and led 33-24 with 10 seconds left in the half before giving up 5 quick points. The third quarter was fairly even as the Lions took a 43-40 lead into the last period. The Lions combined good defense with good shooting to pull further ahead and put the game out of reach. The Lions hit well from the field, connecting on 21 of 43 shots, but free throws were lacking with the team going 16-33. Geof Gray had a personal best of 18 points, not only leading the team in scoring but achieved the season's best point total for the entire team. Geof connected on 3 of 4 three pointers and sunk three field goals and 3 of 4 free throws. Phil Levine-Caleb had 14 points.
Sunday, January 29
Westford Keeps Lions At Bay
Playing in front of a Senior Night crowd, the Westford Gray Ghosts came out shooting, netting a blistering 46 points by halftime and sprinting to a 46-29 lead. The Ghosts scored 28 in the second quarter, breaking open a closse game. The Lions took advantage of some cold shooting by Westford in the third quarter to get within 10 before the Ghosts got their shooting back and winning by a comfortable margin. Deion Arneaud led the Lions with a season's best 17 points. Phil Levine-Caleb followed with 13.
Wednesday, January 25
A-B Completes Season Sweep
The Colonials defeated the Lions in the second of back-to-back games for the teams at Acton 54-41. The Lions fell behind early, at one point 22-4, but then battled back, trailing A-B at halftime 32-21 and still very much in the game. But a cold shooting 3rd quarter that saw the Lions put up only 4 points while the Colonials posted 13 gave A-B a 45-25 lead going into the 4th quarter. Dion Armeaud and Phil Levine-Caleb led the Lions in scoring with 11 points each.
Sunday, January 22
Lions Play Well But Lose to A-B
The Newton South Lions played one of their best games of the season but lost to powerhouse Acton-Boxboro 59-44. The Lions committed a season low of 8 turnovers, but were outrebounded by a wide margin as A-B's big two, Kevin LaFrancis and Joey Flannery poured in 40 of A-B's points. The Lions trailed 13-12 at the end of the first quarter and then the Colonials went ona 14-0 run and maintained a comfortable lead. Lionel Walker led team scoring with 10, including 6 in the first quarter. Barak Swartz had 9, including 2 3 pointers in the last minute of the game. Phil Caleb-Levine finished with 8. Matt Swalboski got his first steal of the season and finished it with a layup.
Wednesday, January 11
Lions Lose Close One to Wayland
As what seems a pattern this season, the Lions dug themselves into a deep hole early in the game, battled back to close the gap, but let the game slip away in the waning moments of the game. It happened again against Wayland Tuesday night. The Lions experienced cold shooting and trailed early in the second period 20-8 before beginning a slow steady climb to close the gap to 32-26 at the half time break. The Lions played even in the third quarter but then began pressing the Warriors which resulted in several turnovers. The Lions could capitalize on only a few however, but managed to crawl to a one point lead, 43-44, but the Warriors capitalized on mistakes and went on a 9-0 run to lead 52-44. The press resulted in numerous opportunities but only a few resulted in points. Still, the Lions were in the game to the very end.
Thursday, January 5
Waltham Edges South
In a seesaw contest that saw several lead changes, the Waltham Hawks bested the South Lions 68-59. Waltham shot out to an early lead and held it through the first half, leading the Lions 29-27 at intermission. The Hawks widened their lead before the Lions led by Jon Van Vreden, staged a comeback that propelled the Lions to a brief one point lead, 34-33. South couldn't hold on, and some costly turnovers late int he 4th quarter spoiled the team's comeback efforts. Phil Levine-Caleb led the team with 15 points and Jon Van Vreden had his best game of the season, netting 13. Geoffrey Gray poste dhis first points of the season, finishing the game with 5.
Friday, December 30
Lions Show Life But Lose to Catholic Memorial
Catholic Memorial came into the game ranked in the top 10 of Eastern Massachusetts boys basketball teams and the Lions played very well most of the game against the powerhouse team. The Lions trailed by 10 at halftime 34-24, but a third quarter rally led by captain Jon Van Vreden and Phil Levine-Caleb tied the game at 34-34 midway through the quarter. CM then capitalized on 6 South turnovers to burst to a lead that they never relinquished, topping th Lions 73-54. Despite the score, the Lions played much better than the previous game against Newton North. Phil turned in another strong performance, netting 15 pounts. Deion finished with 9 points and Barak 8. The Lions resume Dual County play next Tuesday at Waltham.
Wednesday, December 28
Tigers defeat Lions in Crosstown Tournament
The Newton South Lions lost to a seasoned Newton North Tigers team 63-42 in the first round of the Garden City Holiday Tournament. North started 5 seniors while South started 5 underclassmen, and the disparity showed. Point guard Michaeal Thorpe led all scorers with 13, and played a solid defensive game, shutting down South's outside shooting. After a slow start, South cut the North lead to 30-19 at the half, but when the game resumed, North gained full control. Phil Levine-Caleb led the Lions with a season-best 15. Lyonel Walker followed with 10 points.
Friday, December 23
Dramatic Comeback Spoiled by L-S
A wild game concluded at Lincoln-Sudbury Friday night with the Lions losing the game in the final 15 seconds, 44-42. The game started much better than Tuesday's, with the Lions holding a 10-8 lead over the Warriors after the first period. The Lion's shooting went ice cold in the second quarter, failing to score a basket with 7 attempts. The team only managed 4 free throws that quarter to trail L-S 21-14 at the half. The Lions started slow in the 3rd, falling behind 31-16 before guard Barak Swartz sparked a dramatic comeback, playing excellent defense , getting key baskets and generally sparking the team. The Lions clawed their way back, trailing 35-28 going into the 4th quarter. Matt and Phil hit two 3's, and rebounding improved and the Lions closed the gap completely with 30 seconds left in the game, 42-42. L-S drove to the hoop scoring a basket to lead 44-42, and that was the final, as the Lions missed a final shot when tim expired. The team showed real heart and determination, never giving up. Phil Levine-Caleb led the team with 11 points, and Barak Swartz followed with 10, including 6 free throws.
Tuesday, December 20
Lions Fall Despite 4th quarter comeback
The Lions were upset by Concord-Carlisle Tuesday night at the Fieldhouse 45-36. The game started very slowly with neither team gaining much of an advantage, but the Lions were especially cold shooting, getting their first basket with 3 minutes left in the quarter. C-C mounted a few late points to lead after one quarter 11-4. The second quarter was not a lot better for South, as the Lions couldn't score, couldn't rebound and commited turnovers. At the half C-C led 26-13. The third quarter the Lions picked up a bit, and trailed 36-25 going into the last quarter. Jason Karys led a comeback that saw the Lions reel off 9 points and closed the gap to 36-34. The rally fell short, as cold shooting took over and the Lions lost the game 45-36. Matt Swalboski and Jason Karys led the Lions with 8 points each.
Sunday, December 18
Lions give powerful Westford a scare
The Lions came out strong on Friday night, losing a close game to powerhouse Westford 65-57. South played Westford close the entire game, leading by one, 32-31 at half time and down by one, 46-45 at the end of the third quarter. Westford put on a hot shooting display in the 4th quarter and led by 14 points until late-game hot shooting by Jason Karys helped cut the final margin to 8. Deion led the Lions with 14 points, followed by Jason Karys at 13, and Zack Halpryn with 12.
Sunday, December 18
Lions open season with win
The Newton South Lions started the season on Tuesday with a solid 62-57 victory over the Weston Wildcats at Weston High School. The Lions led by 20 at one point, 41-21 before Weston rallied to cut the final margin to 5. Lyonnel Walker and Deion Arenaud led the Lions with 11 points each, with Matt Swalboski and Zack Halpryn contributing 9 each. Four players started their first Varsity Game: Matt Swalboski, Zack Halpryn, Deion Arenaud and Jon Van Vreeden. Several players made their Varsity debut: Geoff Gray, Rusty Lodi, Lyonnel Walker, Jason Karys, Barak Swartz, Max Groper and Jeffrey Noymer.
