ESPN

ACTON, Mass. — Rick Kilpatrick knew his team struggled in the second half. He just didn’t realize what kind of drought his team actually went on.

Acton-Boxboro (16-1) didn’t record a field goal for 9:07 to begin the second half, but still hung on to defeat Westford Academy 59-53 last night at Regan Gymnasium in a battle of Dual County League large division heavyweights.

There was almost a look of disbelief, maybe a little shock, when Kilpatrick found out just how long his team went without a field goal.

“I did not realize that,” said Kilpatrick. “I’d say that we probably don’t win the game. You aren’t going to win many games like that. Obviously we were very fortunate. The thing that we talked about more than anything was our defense and making stops and not giving up second shots. … The fact that we went that long without a made basket means that defensively that’s what held us up.”

The Colonials got five free throws in the third quarter and held the Grey Ghosts to eight points in the period to take a 39-35 lead after three. Jake Pilecki finally broke the span with a lay-in with 6:53 left in the fourth quarter to push the Colonials lead to seven and that seemed to settle the rest of the team moving forward.

The hosts scored 11 of the next 16 points as Kevin LaFrancis got back to work on the inside to get to the hoop and get to the line.

“To be honest I didn’t know we had no field goals in the third,” said Pilecki, who finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists. “That’s a tough stat. We kind of got stagnant off the ball and weren’t moving like we were in the first half. We were taking quick shots, but we got better at the end, which is what counts.”

Seniors step up: There were two big buckets by LaFrancis (17 points, 15 rebounds) and A.J. Gotthelf that helped seal the victory for the Colonials, who can claim the DCL Large with a win over Lincoln-Sudbury.

The Colonials had a tough time establishing LaFrancis in the post during the entire third quarter, but after the drought ended they were able to get him back-to-back touches in his comfort zone.

Joey Flannery fed LaFrancis on the low left block, and the 6-foot-6-inch center moved in, took the contact and finished with the whistle blaring for a possible 3-point play. LaFrancis sank the freebie and gave the Colonials a 47-39 lead with 6:03 left in the game.

“That was big,” said Kilpatrick. “They were right on the verge and (LaFrancis) has done that for us all year. He makes the big baskets at the big times, and we wanted to get the ball inside to him and we did. It paid off there.”

Gotthelf is about a foot shorter that LaFrancis, but his bucket may have been the bigger, game-finisher with under two minutes to go. Gotthelf had an offensive rebound come right to him and he looked around for someone to feed the ball too. When he realized he was left all alone he fired up a 3-pointer and found nothing but net to help stop a 6-0 run by the Grey Ghosts.

“I was on the other side of the court and I saw the look in his eye and I was like ‘No, don’t shoot it,’” Pilecki said with a laugh. “I know coach might have yelled it too. When he pulled up I just rushed the rim in case there was a rebound, but went it went in the place just went crazy. It was so relieving.”

Slowing down Jann: The Colonials looked like they were running away with the game in the first quarter, but the sharpshooting of Ryan Jann slowly moved Westford Academy back into the game.

Jann hit 4-of-6 from 3-point range and finished with 16 points to lead all scorers in the first half. He did struggle with foul trouble in the second half, and when he was in the game, the Colonials held him to three points on 1-of-7 shooting in the final 16 minutes.

“We just wanted to get out on him a little bit,” said Kilpatrick. “We didn’t get out above the 3-point line enough. He’s such a tall kid and you really have to get your hand up to contest his shots. I thought we did a better job of getting out and trying to contest.”

WESTFORD, Mass. -- The tempo exceeded full-throttle at times. Shot after shot found nylon, like heavyweights exchanging blows. One player scored his team’s first 14 points while another sank a three-point bucket to beat the halftime buzzer.

No one backed down. Just as one expected.

Friday night’s showdown between Dual County League title contenders Acton-Boxborough and Westford -- the teams’ third meeting of the season -- had almost everything. And similarly, the Colonials' diversified offensive attack proved to be the difference, as A-B silenced the raucous Grey Ghost gym en route to a 74-66 win. The victory puts A-B (15-2, 8-1) alone atop the Dual County League's Large division standings, a game ahead of the Grey Ghosts (14-2, 7-2).

Offensively, the Colonials’ distribution was textbook. Four players scored in double figures, led by versatile junior combo guard Joey Flannery, who posted a team-high 21 points to go along with five rebounds.

Facing everything from a conventional half-court man-to-man defense to a full-court zone trap, A-B received consistent production as well from senior guards Wes Schroll (18 points) and Sam Longwell (17 points), as well as junior center Kevin LaFrancis (12 points, seven rebounds), who proved instrumental in gobbling up rebounds on both the offense and defensive ends, as well as containing the Grey Ghosts' dribble penetration in and around the paint.

“I thought [LaFrancis] was terrific,” A-B head coach Rick Kilpatrick said. “I thought this was as well as he’s played all year.

“He just had a presence about him tonight, wherever he was. He was a big part of the win, there’s no doubt.”

From the opening tip, the exceedingly high levels of intensity shown by both squads were hard to ignore. The first quarter featured 15 combined field goals, with Westford’s overtly talented forward Mark Cornelius (28 points, six rebounds) taking center stage. The senior offensive wizard opened the game on a tear, taking and making his team’s first six shots, including two from beyond the arc.

“He can do so many things,” Kilpatrick said of the Grey Ghosts’ offensive catalyst. “We can put a big guy on him, and he goes and hits some threes in the first quarter. Then I put a guard on him, and he’s going inside and scoring. And he gets rebounds. And he’s so quick off the ground...He’s just a great player. He’s a matchup nightmare.”

As the first eight minutes came to completion, with A-B ahead, 21-16, all those in attendance gave a thunderous ovation for the offensive display.

The second quarter, however, proved far less explosive, with neither team establishing much rhythm.

Yet after a three-point attempt clanked off the back rim with about five seconds to go in the half, A-B’s Longwell gathered his own rebounds while almost simultaneous launching another shot from downtown, this time finding the twine as the buzzer sounded.

A-B ended the half on a 9-1 run, up 32-23 after the first 16 minutes.

The final two quarters were defined by two themes: Westford’s persistence and the Colonials resiliency. Despite never leading after losing the lead with 1:17 to go in the first quarter and trailing by double digits on five separate instances in the second half, the Grey Ghosts continued applying the pressure.

With less than six minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Westford narrowed the deficit to two points, still behind 55-53.

“I just feel that we’re so even as two teams,” Kilpatrick said, “and we know each other so well, that even when one team goes up … you kind of know the other team’s going to get back.”

However, after picking up his fourth foul on a charge call while elevating for a five-foot leaner, Cornelius subsequently fouled LaFrancis on the Colonials ensuing possession, exiting the contest with about five minutes to play.

Going 13-for-15 from the charity stripe in the closing period, A-B (24-for-28 from the foul line altogether) was able to hold off a couple late threats from the Ghosts, including its full-court trap defense and six fourth-quarter points from junior guard Ryan Jann (14 points).

Being able to continually fight off the Ghosts’ attacks showed something about the Colonial team, Longwell said.

“Before every game, we talk about trust,” he said. “And we come together and we pick each other up.

“We all go out there together. If we’re all out there as individuals, it’s really hard to stay calm. As a team, we do it together.”

And earning a victory against an opponent as familiar as Westford?

“It’s amazing how every single time we play them, it’s a one-point game,” reflected LaFrancis. “I’m so proud of our team for showing confidence today. I mean, they came back and we just closed it out.”