In just four years, Pats have come a long way

Matt Metcalf, Sports Editor
Posted 3/3/15

When senior Chris Duchesneau was a freshman, Pilgrim didn’t have much of a direction.

They were put through the grinder of Division II during that season, ending the year with a league record …

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In just four years, Pats have come a long way

Posted

When senior Chris Duchesneau was a freshman, Pilgrim didn’t have much of a direction.

They were put through the grinder of Division II during that season, ending the year with a league record of 2-16, playing in a league where they visibly didn’t belong.

The next year, Pilgrim moved down to Division III, but still encountered the same struggles, compiling just five wins among some of the least-talented teams in the state.

But last year, the team made a turn, as Pilgrim put together an 11-7 season, a potential sign of what could come in the near future.

This season, the team got off to a rough start, losing three of their first four games in league play.

But with players like Duchesneau, junior Ethan Schneider and Tyrone Weeks, a freshman, Pilgrim was confident that it would only get better as the season progressed – it just had to be patient.

As Duchesneau continued to be one of the top scorers in the league, Schneider, a knock-down shooter, began to settle in, as did Weeks.

With the leadership of those three players on the court, guards Matthew Woods, Brandon Lawton and Tyler Perry and forwards Mike Broccoli, Elijah Dressel and Deven Lavallee began to fill in as perfect role players.

As a result, the Pats went from being a five-win team in Division III two years ago to division champions on Sunday.

But despite all of the losses that he was a part of during his freshman and sophomore years, the wait was well worth it for Duchesneau.

“During my freshman and sophomore years we didn’t have a great team,” Duchesneau said. “But during my junior year, we had a really good season and made the playoffs for the first time in seven years. This year, coach just told us that we can beat anybody in the division, and we showed that. We came out with a win in the championship, so it feels great.”

The Pats got a big lift from Schneider in the semifinals and in the finals.

The junior guard scored a team-high 18 points against Scituate in the semifinals, before scoring 14 in the finals, draining four 3-pointers.

“The kid’s just a shooter – he’s knock-down,” Duchesneau said. “Any time he gets an open shot, he’s going to hit it. You can’t let him shoot like that.”

Weeks was also a huge weapon for the Pats this season.

The freshman provided a threat inside that was a tremendous compliment to the outside games of Duchesneau and Schneider.

Weeks provided a huge 13 points and seven rebounds in the championship game.

“Having him come in as a freshman was absolutely great for us,” Duchesneau said. “I haven’t seen a freshman that good in a really long time. He’s just going to keep bringing it for the rest of his high school career – hopefully he’ll win some more championships.”

Weeks has playoff basketball in his blood. His father, Tyrone Weeks Sr., played on the 1995-96 UMass-Amherst team that went all the way to the Final Four.

Weeks was confident that his dad prepared him well for moments like Sunday.

“He taught me to force everybody to the left, unless they’re a lefty, then force them right,” Weeks said. “He also taught me that nobody goes in the paint easy and to knock down my free throws.”

There’s no question that the Pats’ group of players meshed well and, because of this, they were able to achieve their ultimate goal.

With some tough years behind it, Pilgrim will be in good shape going into next year, as much of its roster will return for the winter.

Now that the Pats have had a taste of success, some of the players may change next season, but the expectations will remain the same.

“I want to win more championships,” Weeks said.

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  • KathyD

    Congratulations to the Pilgrim Patriots Basketball team for their win to be Division III Champs!! They worked hard all season and grew as a team to become one of the best. I am so proud that my son Christopher was a part of this wonderful team and great coach!! Way to go Pilgrim!!

    Tuesday, March 3, 2015 Report this