MAYNARD — At times it felt like every shot the Maynard boys basketball team took against Greenfield found its way into the bottom of the net. 

The fifth-seeded Tigers came out roaring during the MIAA Division 5 Round of 16 contest against the No. 12 Green Wave, knocking down the first five shots they took to open up an 11-0 lead just two minutes into regulation. 

The scoring barrage didn’t stop there. Maynard knocked down 10 3-pointers in the first half alone, storming to a 32-point halftime lead before cruising to the state quarterfinals with an 84-39 victory on Tuesday. 

“Everything they did was with a purpose,” Greenfield coach Angelo Thomas said of defending state champion Maynard. “That’s what we’ve been practicing all year. They’re a good team and they won states last year for a reason. They had a lot of those guys back and we’re young and immature. We have to figure out some things.

“I myself learned some things tonight and I think we were exposed about things I’ve been preaching all year, like playing decisively and playing as a team and how hard we go in practice,” he continued. “They’re a good team. Hats off to Maynard.” 

The Tigers (14-7) will make the trip to Northfield to square off with No. 4 Pioneer in the quarterfinals, likely either Thursday or Friday. The Green Wave closed out their season with a 15-9 record. 

“It’s all about learning from this,” Thomas said. “We’re young and we’re learning. If things don’t change, we’ll be in the same spot next year. Hopefully we learned something from this game.”

Daniel Terrell opened the night with a basket for the Tigers. The Green Wave missed on the other end and Maynard rushed up the court where Abraao Alencar scored inside. 

Nolan Currier then knocked down a 3 in transition, Terrell knocked down a midrange jumper and Currier got to the rim for two, giving the Tigers their early 11-0 lead and setting the tone for the remainder of the contest. 

Caleb Thomas got Greenfield on the board with a 3-pointer and Jacob Blanchard got to the line for two. Terrell responded with a 3 on the other end before Currier took over to close out the quarter, as he got in the lane for two before knocking down back-to-back 3’s. Jon Breor converted an and-one for the Green Wave to cut the deficit to 22-8 going into the second. 

Maynard picked up right where it left off in the second. Ryan Cedeno knocked down a 3 to open the frame before Alencar got fouled and made a pair from the line. 

Blanchard got to the rim for two and Caleb Murray drained a 3, but the Tigers responded with Cedeno sinking a 3 and Alencar converting an and-one. 

Blanchard scored again down low but once again Maynard answered back with a flurry of baskets, with Terrell and Alencar scoring back-to-back baskets before William Fowler swished a shot from downtown to put the Tigers ahead, 42-15. 

Alencar and Currier added buckets inside while Fowler, Currier and Terrell each knocked down treys — Terrell’s at the buzzer — to give the Tigers their 55-21 lead at the half. 

Maynard slowed things down in the second half, using clock and not running in transition the way it did over the first 16 minutes. The Tigers outscored Greenfield 8-7 in the third, with Terrell knocking down a 3 and Alencar scoring three buckets in the paint. Blanchard scored twice for the Green Wave, Breor made a free throw and Oli Postera made two from the line.

Breor, Thomas, Petru Cojocaru and Blanchard scored for Greenfield in the fourth, as Maynard outscored the visitors 18-9 in the frame to earn the victory. 

Currier finished with 18 points for the Tigers, all coming in the first half. Terrell added 20 points while Alencar tallied 19 points for Maynard. 

An experienced team, Thomas said he hopes his young squad can learn from what Maynard did, and its star guard in particular.

“He’s a bigger guard,” Thomas said of Currier. “He’s strong. He’s confident and you can tell he’s a senior and was part of a state championship team. Everything he does is with a purpose. That’s what I preach with our kids. Sometimes it’s there, sometimes it’s not. It can’t be a sometimes thing, it has to be an all the time thing.” 

Blanchard led the way with 14 points for the Green Wave, with Caleb Thomas tossing in nine points and Breor tacking on seven points in the loss. 

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