I don’t really care what the schedule says, the boys basketball season doesn’t officially begin until the first Conant and Mascenic game.

At least that is the case in this area, especially in my thinking.

All apologies to the teams from ConVal and Wilton-Lyndeborough and all the early season opponents of the rival programs mentioned above, but the meetings between the two long-time adversaries is what high school basketball is all about.

While the success of the rivalry has been in Conant’s court for the better part of 10 years, it doesn’t seem to matter.

The people still come out to watch. There are never enough seats and the corners of the gymnasiums are stuffed with fans.

And Wednesday night’s match-up was not any different.

The excitement compares to a playoff contest and not just any old tournament game. This equates to some semifinal and even championship games I’ve been to.

The thunderous applause and seeing who can yell louder approach make for a refreshing experience in comparison to some of the less than thrilling crowds I see more often than I would care to.

Just walking into the gymnasium gets you excited to watch a game. It gets those competitive juices flowing that only come out for a rivalry type game.

Mascenic played host to the first installment of the 2011-12 season on Wednesday.
The last time the programs met it was on the very same floor. It ended in a 69-63 victory for the Vikings, which for anyone familiar with the recent history is quite a big deal.

It had been just over nine years since the last Mascenic win. Conant had won the previous 18 meetings and many in convincing fashion.

But on that January night everything went in the Vikings’ favor. And the celebration after was as if they had just brought home the Division III state title. That’s a sneak peek into how much this rivalry means.

That was something Mascenic fans had been waiting for and not that patiently. They had to have been sick of hearing about the lopsided results.

After the win, the Vikings finally had bragging rights.

But that is not the case anymore.

Conant dominated every phase of the game on Wednesday. From the opening minutes of the first quarter until the game was well decided.

The first two Mascenic possessions ate up a grand total of two minutes and six seconds, but led to zero points and a pair of turnovers, one of which gave the Orioles an easy lay-up and a lead they would never relinquish.

The famed Conant defense was playing with passion, intensity and what seemed to be a little bit of a chip on their shoulders, especially after what happened in the last meeting.

The 8-0 run to start the game showed that the Orioles were not going to mess around. They had no intention of letting the Vikings hang around. It was only the second game of the season and there was plenty of stuff to work on.

And judging by their play, this Conant team could be scary good when all the pieces fall into place.

The 13-4 lead at the end of the first was comfortable, but not nearly as much as the one at halftime was.

After allowing the first basket of the second quarter, the Orioles scored nine straight and 27 of the next 31 for a 29-point lead.

The most disappointing point of the night for Conant was the start of the third. The starters came out with very little energy and scored a grand total of four points, all by junior Jake Carlson, in four minutes of play.

Coach Eric Saucier had a clear message for them on the bench. Play like that is not acceptable. A four-minute stretch like that can be the difference in a game and it can’t happen at the end of the year, when poor execution can also be the difference in the season.

But even with the ineffectiveness of the starting five, the bench continued to play well and increased the lead to 52-15 with only eight minutes to play. The four points allowed was the same as the first quarter, tying a season best.

It wasn’t until there was 5:36 remaining that Mascenic finally reached 20 points, a threshold the Orioles passed early in the second quarter.

The Vikings did score a total of 16 points in the fourth, surpassing their total for the first three quarters combined, but the game was already decided and had been for some time.
But despite the blowout, the rivalry remains intact.

The fans will show up in bunches when Mascenic tries to exact some payback in the second meeting on Jan. 31, one year to the day from the win last season, while the Orioles must be planning on a similar performance.

Until then, both teams will look to get better and when it comes time to square off again, there is little question what the atmosphere will be like at Pratt Auditorium.

Loud, tense and with a playoff-like feeling.

And that is exactly how high school basketball games should be.

This article appeared in the Dec. 20, 2011, edition of the Ledger-Transcript.