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Freshman Ryan Grant tallied 14 points to help Whittier best Mystic Valley 67-44.

There have only been three games, but new Whittier Tech boys basketball coach Tom Sipsey likes what he sees.

"The kids are working extremely hard and they're playing very good defense," said Sipsey.

Nothing was easy about career victory No. 1 for Tom Sipsey at Whittier Tech. Sipsey's Wildcats ripped off an 18-4 third quarter, taking a 44-29 lead and fought to hold on, 54-51, over the Reggies. "It was intense," said the rookie coach. "They came pretty hard at us. I thought I was going to throw up. "With a young team like ours, with them coming at us in the fourth, to never give up the lead was just huge." Freshman Ryan Grant paced the Cats with 16 points. Mills Carrasco preserved the lead with a huge shot in the final minute. Chris Sheridan added 14 points. Donald Celestin led all scorers with 22 points for the Reggies.

Whittier dropped its season opener to Lynn Tech, 90-74, a solid improvement compared to last season's 43-point defeat. Wildcat freshman Ryan Grant was the game's high scorer with 24 points including five 3-pointers.