Great Games to Remember…When Antrim Knocked off Hollis
In the 1960s, Antrim High was a perennial force to be reckoned with in Class S. The Warriors were regular participants in the state tournament from 1962 to 1970, missing out on only the ’64 and ’65 event. Many memorable games were played in the old town gym over those years, and one of the biggest and most exciting of them all took place in late January 1969.
Powerful Hollis High (long before the days of becoming Hollis-Brookline) rode into town with a 33-game winning streak. Earlier in the season, the Cavaliers had eked out a slim victory over Antrim on their home court, and many expected another down-to-the-wire finish.
They were not disappointed.
After delighting the home crowd with a surprising 11-point halftime lead, Antrim suddenly went cold in the third period. Hollis reeled off the first eight points of the second half, and the Warriors held a slim lead up until the final 10 second when Hollis tied it at 49-49 on a pair of foul shots.
What followed was pure chaos...
Coach Chick Hamel drew up a final play that called for a length of the court pass to the game’s leading scorer, Jeff Barsanti—a similar play used earlier by Henniker to nip Antrim in the final seconds. But the strategy nearly backfired when Barsanti was called for his fifth personal while trying to get the pass! Hollis was given a one-and-one opportunity with five seconds left that could steal the win.
In the din of the packed gym, however, the Hollis player missed the front end of the one-and-one. In a blink-of-an-eye sequence, Bruce Davies grabbed the rebound and quickly passed to Fred Doleac, who found Gary Cole racing toward the basket. Cole’s layup as the buzzer sounded gave the Warriors a dramatic 51-49 victory that had Antrim fans rushing the floor and mobbing their team in joy.
It was so loud during Cole’s winning shot, however, Coach Hamel wasn’t sure at first if the basket counted. Catching his breath after the unbelievable finish, Coach Hamel said, “I had to wait for the sign from the referee to find out if we had won. I thought the pass was over his [Cole’s] head, but I guess Gary’s pretty fast!”
It was a night in our Conval Hoop Heritage to be long remembered. In addition to ending Hollis’ winning stream, Antrim High went on to complete one of its best seasons ever, finishing 12-4 and earning a first round bye in the Class S tournament.
Unfortunately, Henniker—which had beaten the Warriors in two very close games during the regular season—did it again in the quarter-finals, 57-54.
