Dennis-Yarmouth boys basketball snaps streak against Nantucket with second half comeback

YARMOUTH — The streak is over.

The Nantucket boys basketball team has defeated Dennis-Yarmouth in the last seven matchups the two have had, which includes a 57-55 win earlier this season. Until Friday.

Dennis-Yarmouth beat Nantucket 66-52 to win their first game against them in four years. This was payback for the Dolphins from last season when the Whalers came to town and won 49-48.

The Revenge Game

The last time these two met on the hardwood floors of Dennis-Yarmouth High School, not only did Nantucket walk away with a one-point road win, but Nantucket head coach Willis Ferreira also reached his 400th career coaching win.

“We definitely wanted revenge and we felt we were the better team and just didn’t have a good day,” D-Y head coach Donta Phillips said. “It was good to prove a point that, when they came here, we were ready to go and that we gave them our all.”

The Dolphins snapped the Whalers' win streak over them, and won by double digits, but the score does not reflect what the Dolphins did to get that victory.

Second Half Comeback

In the first quarter, the Dolphins only scored two points and the Whalers led 10-2 after the first. Jack Halik for the Whalers had his way in the paint as he scored seven points in the first quarter. It looked like the Whalers were on their way to their eighth straight win over the Dolphins.

D-Y played much better in the second quarter, but the Whalers also had a good quarter, and Nantucket led 29-22 at halftime.

As the teams went into their respective locker rooms during the half, Phillips said that they just needed to regain their composure.

“I think we started the game off a little sluggish and I think with them scoring a few points and us also missing a few free-throws, gave them momentum and upside,” Phillips said. “So, I had to clear their headspace and let them know the game is still close and we have to protect the house.”

It’s not about how you start, but how you finish.

The talk sparked something in the Dolphins and they came out of halftime as a different team. D-Y outscored Nantucket 24-9 in the third quarter and took a 46-38 lead into the final quarter.

“I think we just turned up our defense,” senior guard Elijah Seawright said. “We took away their big man (Halik), which was a main factor, and we just pushed on transition.”

Seawright finished with a team-high of 16 points, while Joshua Jenkins also was a key contributor with 12 points.

“I think we just had to boost our energy up and play some more defense because when they had the run, they had the high intensity, so we had to bring that down so we could come back,” Jenkins said.

Home Court Goal

All of the Dolphins' (4-3) wins this season have been at home, where they are now 4-0. Phillips said at the beginning of the season, a goal was to stay undefeated at home.

“Every time we come here, these guys bring a different type of fire,” Phillips said. “They bring a special energy when we play at home.”

So far so good.

The Dolphins are winning by an average of 19 points per game at home, and are scoring 70 points per game on offense.

“We are undefeated at the crib and I feel like we’re more locked in when we’re here,” Jenkins said. “When we’re on the road, we could get out of character.”

The Dolphins have yet to secure a road win this season, and will have their next opportunity on Jan. 9 when they travel to Harwich to take on Monomoy. Following that game, they will look to keep their unbeaten home streak alive against Falmouth on Jan 16.

Whalers Above Water

The loss to D-Y cooled down the Whalers, who were on a three game win streak prior to the game. The loss drops the Whalers to 4-3 on the season, which is actually still a better start than last season (3-4).

Ferreira said he doesn't know why the second half happened the way it did.

“I have to give them all the credit. They came to play and we did for a half,” Ferreria said.

Although the result was different this time around for the Whalers, Ferreira thinks they just had a off game.

“Their pressure defense bothered us, and a lot of my guys picked the wrong time to not play well,” Ferreira said. “We had numerous guys that just didn't have it today. I felt Jack (Halik) was about the only guy offensively that handled the pressure. They were quick and double and triple teaming. We couldn’t find the open guys and that led to some turnovers, and they got layups. Then they started making threes.”

There is no rest for the weary as the Whalers have back-back game and will take on Falmouth in less than 24 hours at home, wherer they will look to start a new win streak.

Contact Courtney Jacobs at cjacobs@capecodonline.com. Follow him on X/Twitter: @CJ_Journalist.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Dennis-Yarmouth boys basketball 2nd half leads to win over Nantucket