Nashoba’s Best Buddies: Spartans Take Home the Gold
On Sunday March 8th, our very own Zachary Murphy, Troy Bell, and Nick Giovinazzo took home the gold at their basketball state tournament in Auburn. The team had to play a total of four games over the weekend, ultimately putting them on the top. The boys took home a state title. The Spartans, are coached by two former Nashoba students, Brendan Aylward and John Conry and current senior, Ben Hurley.

The only loss that was served to the Spartans was a very close, fought out match from the jump to the final whistle. They kept their eyes on the prize through out the whole weekend. The team is made up of many athletes from other schools, but it was evident that our Nashoba kids knew how to bring the heat.

Nick Giovinazzo, a true crowd pleaser, got the fans gooing He played tenacious defense from start to finish of each game and always looked to pass to the open man offensively.

Troy Bell also made it extremely difficult for the other team to put the ball in the hoop. He stole the ball and exchanged it for two easy points down the other end and made it look easy.

Zach Murphy, “the 3 point specialist” was a true competitor. Zach is such a good shooter; so good that he can swish threes with his back turned towards the hoop. When Zach isn’t nailing three point shots, he always looks for the open man to dish the ball too. Whether Z-Murph is on the court or on the bench, you know he’ll be cheering on his teammates from start to finish.

This wasn’t the Spartans first time at the rodeo however, the team has strung together multiple state titles over the years. They don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

“This is the team’s third state title in a row,” Coach Ben Hurley said.

He was happy with the teams performance over the weekend.

“A lot of the players who usually put up big points were on fire throughout the four games. Defense was prevalent from both long time veterans and rookies of the Spartans.” Hurley was very proud of his team and talked of them very highly.

The Spartans also knew how to bring in a crowd. It was very obvious where the Spartans fan section was when walking in to the gym over the weekend . The stands were filled with Spartan’s parents, friends, classmates, and coaches.

The presence of the fans made the atmosphere much more intense with chants including, “LET’S GO SPARTANS” and “HERE WE GO DEFENSE, HERE WE GO.” Multiple signs were present in the crowd which were made by other Nashoba students who came to cheer on their favorite Nashoba ballers.

Super fan and VP of best buddies, Elena Reverdy was ecstatic about witnessing the third teams state title.

“I think they had a really great game. They passed the ball around, so everybody had a chance to take some shots,” Reverdy said.

Reverdy also added, “I love interacting with these kids because they are just so genuine and fun to be around.”

If you’re looking for looking for a game to go to, don’t settle on the Nashoba’s varsity girls and boys basketball. Next time, take a look at what the Spartans can bring to the court.