In a dominant season opener, the Hollis Brookline Cavaliers defeated the Coe-Brown Bears to start their season off on the right foot. HB executed strong play on both sides of the ball last Friday, picking up the win in front of the home crowd.

Nick Fothergill ‘17, Stephen Giaconia ‘17, Scott VanCoughnett ‘18, Matt Simco ‘18, and Matt Dowling ‘18 were the starting five for the Cavs and got off to a great start. Before a Coe-Brown timeout, HB had already gotten off to an 8-2 lead, and stretched that to 13-2 post timeout. Coe-Brown’s offense picked up its pace in the final three minutes of the first quarter, but Giaconia sank a pair of threes to make the score 19-7.

The second quarter started with new energy from the Bears. Looking to avoid a blowout game, their offense fired on all cylinders. The Cavaliers matched Coe-Brown’s play, however, and increased the score from 24-25 to 34-17 in a matter of minutes. After crossing up his defender, Fothergill took an open three to finish up the half. HB held a commanding 37-17 lead.

Defense was the focus of the beginning of the third quarter, as the half started out with just two points by the Cavs and none by the Bears through the first two minutes. As the quarter rolled on, scoring remained difficult to come by, but strong defense turned slightly sloppy on both sides. Scoring in the final two minutes of the quarter picked up, however, and by the end of the quarter, HB was leading 51-28.

The fourth quarter began with more dominance by the Cavaliers. With Coe-Brown showing no signs of fighting back, HB emptied out there bench, giving playing time to every member of the team. With a lead of nearly 30 with 5:49 left in the game, the bench had their chance to show what they were capable of. They showed promise and flashed the team’s depth, finishing out the game with a 70-49 victory.

The win started HB off on the right foot, getting them a 1-0 record. With a long season ahead, anything can happen. The success Hollis Brookline showed in game one was a good sign, though, and fans should expect a big season from the team. Despite starting the season with a loss, Coe-Brown is expected to be a competitive Division II team, and the two teams may meet again in the playoffs.