Bishop Stang beats Dartmouth in rare cross-town matchup

Jan 22, 2022

Dartmouth High and Bishop Stang play basketball in different conferences and haven’t played each other in nearly a decade, so when the cross-town rivals got a chance to compete, they gave it their all.

“It’s the first time we’ve played in a long time,” said Dartmouth Head Coach Mike Grandfield, adding that it was a fun opportunity to play against opponents from “just down the road” where most of the players know each other.

Though both teams fought hard, Bishop Stang’s Spartans held the lead for almost the entire game, finishing the game 63-49.

“It was a big team win,” said Bishop Stang Head Coach Colbey Santos. “We’re starting to play better basketball overall.”

Santos’ Spartans started strong in the game with efficient offense and hard-nosed defense, allowing Dartmouth to score only five points in the first quarter. The score was 26-15 at halftime.

“We’ve been playing a lot of defense where we take away the opponent’s best player,” said Santos. “We’re not going to play scared against anyone.”

In the second half, Dartmouth repeatedly narrowed the scoring gap only to see Bishop Stang respond with a scoring run of its own.

“We fought hard and didn’t go away,” said Grandfield. “We had a little comeback in the second half.”

Grandfield said his team will need to stay positive as they move on to their next game at home against West Bridgewater on Tuesday, Jan. 25.

Santos had a similar message for his team as they approached a second game less than 24 hours later against Arlington Catholic on Saturday, Jan. 22.

“We’ve gotta forget this game in a matter of seconds,” he said.