Ten and oh. Where from here do the Danvers High boys cagers go?
The Falcons responded to their slippage from No. 2 to No. 3 in the Boston Globe poll by, for the first time this season, really showing what they are capable of, at Revere High Tuesday night, coasting to a 94-47 rout.
Remarkably, the game started as if the Falcons would fall into old bad habits, including playing down to the level of the opposition. The host Patriots, among the weakest teams in the Northeastern Conference, held an 8-7 lead midway through the opening quarter. Here we go again, some of us said to ourselves.
But then Danvers went on one of the best surges of the season, running off 18 straight points and outscoring Revere by a staggering 37-3 margin by the time the second quarter was six minutes old. The score read 44-11. End of game.
The Falcons played sharply in every respect of the game during this segment, led by the offensive performances of Devan Harris (20 points, 2 threes) and Vinny Clifford (20 points, 6-for-7 from 3-point land). No one let up after intermission.
Everyone played well, including the reserves. Nice way to wrap up the first half of the regular season. Next comes a Peabody squad to DHS Friday night for what could be a good test (7pm), the Falcons’ last tuneup before their monumental NEC showdown at (10-1) Lynn English, a Division 1 power, Tuesday night at English (7pm).
The Falcons are a breath-taking 88-19 since Watertown junior varsity coach John Walsh took over the program. Not quite yet time to start fundraising for a Walsh statue outside the fieldhouse, but I’m starting to throw bills into an old pillow case for that exact purpose.
Next DHS cager profile: Peter Merry. Coming soon.