RallyNorth.net

HAMILTON -- If the Bishop Fenwick basketball team was ever going to crack under pressure in the opening round of the Division 3 North Tournament, it would've happened in this building last night.

Facing a raucous, overflow crowd and a fired up young Hamilton-Wenham team that was aching for a breakthrough postseason win, Bishop Fenwick responded with poise and superb free throw shooting in the final seconds to knock off the No. 4 seeded Generals, 57-54.

Hamilton-Wenham's tremendous freshman, Mike Carter-Williams, has answered the question about whether his slender build could stand up through an entire season and into the state tourney. Carter-Williams averaged 20.4 points and had some of his best games down the stretch for the Generals, who turned out to be one of the best stories on the North Shore this season as they compiled a 14-4 record.

HAMILTON | Supposedly, freshman point guard Michael Carter-Williams had an off-shooting night during a Hamilton-Wenham game last week.

Try telling that to Newburyport, who saw first hand what can happen when the Generals' sophomore sharpshooter gets in a groove.

Not too many people gave the Hamilton-Wenham boys basketball team a chance to beat Cape Ann League power Wilmington last night. However, the Generals believed in themselves and pulled off the upset.

Hamilton-Wenham trailed by 18 at halftime on the road but made a sensational comeback for a 60-57 win to improve to 6-4.

Matt Cook has returned to his usual routine with the Hamilton-Wenham basketball team. The 6-foot-2 inch sophomore forward practices hard every day and looks forward to the Generals' regular season games.

If Cape Ann League teams don't know it already, they're going to find out soon enough that Hamilton-Wenham freshman point guard Mike Carter-Williams is the real deal. Carter-Williams blasted off in the Gloucester Holiday Tournament over the weekend, scoring 57 points in two games. He had 10 treys in the two games as H-W went 1-1.

HAMILTON | Hamilton-Wenham boys basketball coach Marty Binette said it was the offense. His counterpart, Ipswich's Doug Woodworth, thought it was defense.

The two coaches may not have been able to agree on why Binette's Generals were able to blow open a tight game in the third quarter last night, but neither would argue about when Hamilton-Wenham seized control.

Last year's record: 6-12

Coach: Marty Binette (3rd season)

Key returnees: Nate Masterson, 6-1, Sr., F; Corey Daff, 6-2, Jr., F; Tom Drinkwater, 6-3, Sr., C; Joey Hoyle, 6-2, Sr., F.