Memories of Mahoney inspire Scituate
WORCESTER - What a story it would have been. Scituate erases an 11-point deficit in three minutes to win the Division 3 state championship. In the crowd, their schoolmate, Tim Mahoney, would stand in the midst of a student section chanting and cheering in a sea of blue.
Instead, the Sailors left the DCU Center, their heads swallowed by hooded sweat shirts, defeated by Frontier Regional, 79-65. While they may have been disappointed, they helped generate excitement for a couple of weeks in a community dealing with tragedy.
In a winter season that spans nearly five months, three Scituate athletes have mourned the death of an immediate family member, and another's family lost its home in a fire.
Most recently, Mahoney, a sophomore hockey/lacrosse player, died in a car accident Feb. 2. Since that day, Mahoney's No. 9 has been the magic number players on the basketball and hockey teams look for as a sign their buddy and teammate is with them.
Nowhere has No. 9 been more prominent than with the hockey team, which includes Mahoney's brother, Patrick, a senior defenseman. Today the Sailors will try to defend their Division 3 state title when they face Westfield at 12:30 at TD Banknorth Garden.
The state tournament has been filled with dramatic wins and close calls for both Scituate teams and it has sparked plenty of conversation and excitement in the South Shore town, said Phil Mahoney, Tim's uncle.
"It's been fantastic," said Phil Mahoney, who is an assistant football coach at Cohasset High. ". . . The last thing you want anyone to do is to just lock the doors and hide away. The success of these teams has brought people out into the public and given everyone something positive to rally behind."
Tim Mahoney was born Dec. 2, 1991, the third son of Frank and Lori Mahoney. His first weeks were stressful for the family as Tim was placed in intensive care at Children's Hospital with a hole in his heart. His first Christmas was in a hospital. Aside from a surgery at 5 years old to address a rapid heart beat, Tim led the life of a typical child. He had a knack for making friends.
Among the closest were Sam Malone and Rodney Beldo, who lived down the street from the Mahoneys. On school days, Patrick and Tim would pull up in a black SUV to take the two to school. There was the occasional fight over the front seat, and the mutual ribbing of each other every day.
Tim would get to as many basketball games as he could, sometimes catching a ride with his mom just to see his friends play. In return, Malone and Beldo became hockey and lacrosse fans.
On the Malone family's computer is a picture of Tim flanked by Beldo and Malone, arm in arm. The day after Tim died, Beldo and Malone said they couldn't think about another basketball game.
"I didn't want to play anymore," Malone said. Beldo agreed.
As word spread through the town, a memorial at the scene of the accident on Route 3A in Cohasset began to grow. A jumbo No. 9 and flowers and trinkets are still at the scene.
Frank Mahoney, a Cohasset Fire Department captain, said he and his wife, a school teacher, set goals each day. Some days are easier than others.
The goals may be as simple as getting out of bed or moving around. Last week, Frank Mahoney returned to work, but he said his wife has not.
"It's nothing you can prepare yourself for," he said. "You get through it by talking to people and setting goals and going day by day . . . I can't thank the community enough for all of their support."
The Mahoney family has been visible in the community, attending basketball playoff games and hockey games. Frank Mahoney has been a bench coach for the hockey team during the playoff run.
Their oldest son, Justin, 22, is a senior at UMass-Boston, where he also plays lacrosse. He said the success of the teams has given the family something to look forward to.
"Overall, the feeling and energy has really helped my parents a lot," Justin said. "They don't have to say anything, I can see it."
The basketball players wrote No. 9 on their shoes and little notes to remind themselves of him. The hockey team lists Tim as a starter for each game. The players all wear a No. 9 pin and in a recent game, Tim was given an assist on an empty-net goal.
They are all gestures to honor Tim's memory and Phil Mahoney said he hopes the teenagers keep that motivation in everything in their lives.
"Tim's memory should be something positive, not negative," Phil Mahoney said. "It's not how he died, but how he lived. His memory should be something that drives them and gives them purpose because that's how you honor his memory."
Monique Walker can be reached at mwalker@globe.com
