Westport Basketball

Pandemic not holding the Wildcats down

Westport starts season 4-0

Photos and story by Richard W. Dionne, Jr.
Posted 1/28/21

Thanks to the pandemic, there are no frenzied fans, no screaming cheerleaders, no pep band blasting "Crazy Train."

No problem.

Yes they are all missed dearly, but, as for the team’s play, coach Scot Boudria has the Wildcats playing better than ever.

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Westport Basketball

Pandemic not holding the Wildcats down

Westport starts season 4-0

Posted

Thanks to the pandemic, there are no frenzied fans, no screaming cheerleaders, no pep band blasting "Crazy Train."

No problem.

Yes they are all missed dearly, but, as for the team’s play, coach Scot Boudria has the Wildcats playing better than ever.

The term, “Dirt Dogs,” comes to mind while observing their scrappy play last Monday, which earned them another home win as they start off the season with a 4-0 record in the Mayflower Athletic Conference.

The Wildcats have beaten South Shore Christian Academy in a home and home series, 55-42 and 58-43. They have out hustled West Bridgewater, 52-45, and trounced South Shore Vo-Tech, 61-44.

“It’s a different year,” said coach Boudria of playing during the pandemic. “I’m trying to play everybody every game. The boys all need some happiness in their lives.”

The Wildcats roll with twelve players. Their style of play hasn’t changed. Press, trap, create turnovers, score easy layups, dive after loose balls and go all out when you’re on the court.

“That’s a benefit of playing a lot of kids,” said coach Boudria about the team’s style of play. “They should never be tired,” adding, “No team likes to be picked up full court over the course of the whole game. But that’s what we are going to do this year.”

That could spell doom for MAC teams when playing the Wildcats this season.

Captains

The team graduated last year’s captain, Connor Lecompt and coach Boudria decided to spread the captaincy out to four players this season. Seniors Max Powers, Aidan Viveiros and Donjae Raiche and head dirt dog, junior Aidan Rock.

Powers is the team’s starting center. He is an imposing rebounder and is ample at put backs from underneath. Viveiros starts at guard and leads the front court attack, Raiche plays forward, runs well and can take the ball end to end at any time. Rock is the team’s spark plug. The guard is a multitalented athlete that can help rebound, play defense and trap, and provide scoring when needed from the arch or from underneath the basket.

Also back this year are Domanick Vitorino and Hunter Brodeur. Vitorino, a tall, quick and strong forward is a disciplined defender that can score underneath. Brodeur starts alongside Vivieros at guard and has been the team’s leading scorer over the first three games by making opportunities during the press.

Seniors; Luke Parker, Liam Strangis, juniors; Liam Malloy, Nick Arruda, sophomore Ben Boudria and 8th grader Owen Boudria round out the roster.

“The team has gotten stronger and slightly taller this season and they know the system better,” said coach Boudria.

“On a year like this year,” coach Boudria said about playing during the pandemic, “I think that there is something bigger than wins. The happiness of all of the kids means more to me than coming away with a victory.”

Though they’ve been doing plenty of it this year.

Scoring vs West Bridgewater on Monday

 Aidan Viveiros scored 14 points, Max Powers scored 10, Hunter Brodeur scored 10, Aidan Rock scored 9, Domanick Vitorino scored 4, Ben Boudria scored 2, Owen Boudria scored 2, and Luke Parker scored 1.

 

 

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A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.