Matt Gaffney, Buckley Moody lead the way for third-ranked and unbeaten Malden Catholic in Catholic Conference showdown vs. No. 5 Catholic Memorial
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Matt Gaffney feels like it’s hard for Malden Catholic to lose when they are making 3-point shots. Not only does it open up the rest of the offense for easier scoring opportunities, but the Lancers tend to feed off one another when the long distance shots are falling.
That was on display Tuesday night when Gaffney and Buckley Moody caught fire from behind the arc, igniting the offense for third-ranked Malden Catholic in a 76-63 win over No. 5 Catholic Memorial in West Roxbury for an early lead in the Catholic Conference race.
“That’s the power of our team,” said Gaffney. “When we space it out and attack open lanes it opens everything up. I thought we did that tonight. It was a great win.”
Gaffney, a sophomore from Wakefield, scored 18 points and made three of his four 3-pointers in the first half to help MC build a 36-29 halftime lead. Moody also finished with 18 points and connected on three long balls in the second half.
Although Malden Catholic (8-0) led from the opening tip, the Knights (7-2) never went away.
The Lancers answered a 5-0 run in the first half by an 8-0 spurt of their own capped by a Gaffney triple. CM stormed back again late in the third quarter on a 7-0 run led by Peter Gillene (24 points), cutting the deficit to 48-46.
But on the next possession, MC’s Nick Martinez (19 points) penetrated the lane and found Moody open in the left corner for a 3-pointer that silenced the crowd. One final gasp from the Knights in the fourth was answered when Moody and Martinez went coast-to-coast off steals for a commanding 66-54 lead.
“Offensively we played really well and this was a total team effort,” said MC coach John Walsh. “Just a really good team win.”
Malden Catholic, the defending Division 2 state champions, have now won 21 straight games dating back to Feb. 1 of last season. Walsh graduated his three best players in Globe Super Teamer Tony Felder Jr., All-Scholastic Jahmari-Hamilton Brown, and KC Ugwuakazi.
But returners Martinez, Gaffney, and Moody have stepped up, and the addition of Everett transfer Roger Vasquez (12 points, 12 rebounds, 3 steals) has the Lancers off to an undefeated start.
“It’s a brand new team, but because we don’t have the star-studded power, we have to all chip in,” said Gaffney. “The best part about our team is that we all play off each other.”