Whalers drop close contest to Cohasset in thriller
BY JACK MALLOY
It was the best boys basketball game of the season, only the final result was not what the Nantucket faithful were hoping for, as Cohasset took a 59-56 triumph at the John J. O'Neill gymnasium on Saturday.

Josh Butler looks towards the hoop as Kevin Stanton peers over a pair of Cohasset defenders. Butler and Stanton combined for 31 points and 22 rebounds. Waiting downcourt is Tomas Smaliorius.

Senior center Kevin Stanton scored a team high 17 points with nine rebounds and sophomore forward Josh Butler added 14 points and a team high 13 rebounds. The frontcourt duo pumped in 14 first half points as the Whalers trailed by two, 30-28, at the break.

The pulsating second half featured five ties and seven lead changes. With the visiting Clippers matching their biggest lead of the half at four, a Stanton conventional three point play pulled the Whalers within a point, 52-51, with 2:09 left.

After a pair of Cohasset free throws, junior guard Evan Hourihan nailed a three pointer from the top of the key to knot the game at 54. Stanton followed with a foul line jumper to put Nantucket up 56-54 with 43 seconds left.

Cohasset showed a lot of poise on its next possession and Patrick McCarthy, who led Cohasset with a game high 18 points, canned a three point field goal to put the Clippers ahead, 57-56, with 15 seconds left. Cohasset added a pair of free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.

After a nine point loss to Cohasset a week earlier, head coach Beau Almodobar was looking to improve the inside game in the rematch, and the Whalers listened to the game plan as Stanton and Butler combined for 31 points and 22 rebounds.

"It was a well-played game that could have gone either way; their last three pointer was a real dagger" said Almodobar. "I thought our team played hard and it was a nice turnaround from a week earlier against them. I was real happy with the play of Kevin Stanton and Josh Butler, they were real solid on the boards."

The MIAA tournament-bound Whalers are now 11-4 with five regular season games left on the

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