The Martha’s Vineyard varsity basketball program took on Nauset High School at home in a thrilling season opener that was decided by vital free throws and three-pointers in overtime.  

Despite falling to Nauset with a final score of 65-61, the Vineyard squad dominated for a hefty portion of the matchup, and a loud, supportive crowd made it difficult for Nauset to get their heads in the game. 

“The effort was great defensively, but offensively we had some hiccups, and a couple mental mistakes at the end,” said Head Coach Mike Joyce. “They played really hard, too. Both teams played hard, young, mistakes all over the place on both sides.” 

The Vineyard squad opened the scoring of the game with a three-pointer on their first jog down the court followed by a series of aggressive and successful two-point drives to the basket. 

The Vineyard defense held Nauset scoreless until just two minutes were remaining in the first quarter, forcing missed shots and creating turnovers. When the first quarter ended, the Vineyard led 16-5, utilizing consistent offensive pressure and the vocal home crowd advantage. 

But Nauset just kept chipping away at the Vineyard’s lead when the second quarter came around, hitting back-to-back three-pointers to close the gap to 18-14 with 5:20 left in the second. The half ended with a score of 27-21, and the Vineyard squad suddenly had a game on their hands.

After halftime, the third quarter was opened with a flurry of baskets between the Vineyard and Nauset. Intensity consistently rose as the Nauset bench became more vocal, challenging the large Vineyard student section. A late three-pointer by Landon Lepine, No. 22, gave the Vineyard team a 44-39 lead and strong momentum heading into the fourth quarter. 

As the final quarter began, both teams tightened up defensively. The Vineyard found themselves with a narrow lead of 48-45, with less than five minutes remaining in the game after both offenses struggled to break through on multiple drives.

Standout players on the Nauset side were the difference maker, stepping up to make critical and consistent shots from the three-point line, including a game-tying three-pointer with 4.3 seconds left to send the game into overtime, with the score at 54-54. 

In overtime, Nauset struck first, but the Vineyard’s Miles Hayes, No. 4, and Leo Napior, No. 13, responded with key free throws, and a layup bringing the score to 59-58 in the Vineyard’s favor. Nauset quickly regained control with a clutch two-pointer and a flawless showing of free-throw shooting. The Vineyard managed to make one last two-pointer with 4.2 seconds left, but could not close the small gap, ending the showdown 65-61 in favor of Nauset. 

“No. 3 on their team was like eight for eight from the foul line, and made a crazy three in the last 30 seconds and in overtime, so you gotta tip your hat when a kid can do that,” said Coach Joyce. “I thought defensively, Jacoby Light, No. 1, and Leo Napior, No. 13, were beasts up top, so active, harassing the guards and getting after them. It was great, and as a whole, I thought defenses were solid.”

“As a young group, we try to limit those mistakes as we go along,” Joyce added.“The effort is there now. Now we gotta maintain that effort, and just execute a little better, particularly offensively, so we can pull those close games out instead of just losing them by 2.”

Next, on the Martha’s Vineyard basketball team’s agenda, preparations for the remainder of the week to make the trek over to the home of our Island rivals, the Nantucket Whalers, on Saturday Dec. 21.