Once it reset focus, Millis was unstoppable

Play of Breen and a rejuvented Ingraham lead to Div. 4 title

Since the seventh grade, basketball has been a year-round commitment for Amy Ingraham. She lives and breathes the game, with little regret.

She recalls fondly being up in the stands at the Garden as a fifth-grader, watching the Millis High boys' squad compete for a Division 4 state title, and thinking "I want to be that person."

But in a town as small and close-knit as Millis, a place where everyone knows your name - the pressure of being in the spotlight from an early age can at times be overwhelming.

During early February, Ingraham had reached a breaking point. When the rest of her Mohawk teammates arrived at practice the day after a 34-29 loss to Tri-Valley League rival Dover-Sherborn, they discovered that Ingraham, the team's starting point guard and their heart and soul, was absent.

A five-year varsity player and 1,000-point career scorer, Ingraham was sitting at home.

The Mohawks were in the midst of a very good season, with a season-opening victory over perennial power Westwood - just the program's third ever over the Wolverines - setting the tone. But with each victory came anxiety.

"There was a lot of pressure. The game was slipping away from me," Ingraham said. "It's supposed to be fun. It's your senior year; you're supposed to have a good time. But it just wasn't enjoyable anymore."

Junior center Molly Breen said Ingraham was "stressed out. With playoffs coming, there was so much expected for us."

It took about an hour and a half for Ingraham to be convinced otherwise.

After that day's practice, and with a matchup against Medfield looming the next day, the entire team showed up at Ingraham's house. All the players stressed how much they needed her, how they didn't want to finish the season without her. The feelings were mutual.

And from it, an already close-knit unit grew even closer and more determined. Ingraham was in the starting lineup again the following night against Medfield, a 67-40 loss, and afterward the team had another long talk.

The rest of the way, according to Ingraham, the Mohawks were much more focused. They lost just one more game the rest of the way.

The culmination came on Monday night, on the famed parquet floor at TD Banknorth Garden, Ingraham and the Mohawks won the the first title in the program's history as they handily defeated Georgetown, 60-43, in the Division 4 state final.

And it came in no small part thanks to the elevated play of Breen in the post, and Ingraham at the point. Breen (16 points per game) and Ingraham (11 ppg) combined to average nearly 30 points per game during the regular season. But Millis's five-game run in the tournament, the 5-foot-11-inch Breen pumped in 22 per game and the 5-9 Ingraham added 16.

"She's the face of the program; she's put so much time into the program," head coach Dave Fallon said of Ingraham. "All the little girls want to be Amy Ingrahams. To see her go out like this, I have a lot of respect for her, a lot of pride for what she's done. Amy's just a pure basketball player."

But for those behind the scenes, the scene on the Garden floor Monday afternoon was more about elation and a happy swan song. It was about fruition.

When Paul Adams took the reins of the program in 1997, expectations were low. As Adams himself put it, "I spent many, many nights thinking about if we could get there."

A police officer in town, Adams stepped down after the 2006-07 season to spend more time with his family; he left with just two winning seasons, his final two, under his belt.

But before bowing out, the Mohawks made it to the Division 4 South quarterfinals, setting a precedent for Fallon's teams. After an amazing run through the tournament in 2008, when the Mohawks reached the South final from the No. 16 seed, expectations were high.

Fallon, a freshman and junior varsity coach under Adams for four seasons, had his mentor on the end of the bench Monday afternoon. After all, they still talk after every game, and Adams visits practice regularly.

A few times, Fallon glanced back toward that spot on end of the bench. There was no banter.

Just grins.

"It's his moment as much as anyone," Fallon said. "I don't think we had to say too much. Our body language said enough. He gave me a tremendous opportunity."

Sleep deprivation is common for Watertown twins Kyle and Cory Stockmal the night before games, and the eve of Tuesday's semifinal was no different.

"I just had to calm down, relax, take a few Advils," Kyle said with a laugh.

The Raiders beat Abington, 67-51, thanks to Kyle's 26 points, to reach their second state final in three years. But in the first half, when both Stockmals went cold from the field, it was senior Ricky Morrissey bailing them out. He had 13 points headed into the break, as the Stockmals combined for 0 for 7 on 3-pointers. "Ricky's been the biggest key for how well we've played," head coach Steve Harrington said.

"He's probably our best slasher to the basket. It really forces teams, because we play five-out . . . it can be a mismatch, putting someone on him. He's picked it up in the tournament.

Erik Murphy is one of the more even-keeled individuals you'll meet around the prep basketball circuit. But forgive the St. Mark's School senior if, for a moment following the Lions' NEPSAC Class C championship last Sunday, there was a quiver on his countenance as he posed for photos.

"I'm going to remember this forever," he beamed.

Murphy took tournament MVP honors following his 19-point, 9-rebound performance in the Lions' 86-53 win over Holderness at Endicott College, their third Class C title in four years. He heads to the University of Florida with a ton of confidence and momentum - much-needed if you've followed the cauldron that is Southeastern Conference basketball.

"I think the real key was that Erik Murphy - who, by nature is a real relaxed kid - took it upon himself to take a real leadership role," St. Mark's coach David Lubick said.

Meanwhile, expect a similar dynasty to unfold at Rivers School, where Tayla Melendez (17 points, 10 rebounds) led the Red Wings to the Class B title with a 50-44 win over Pomfret. The one to watch, though, figures to be 6-2 center Clare Sullivan, who led the team with 13.6 points per game as a sophomore this season.

Brendan Hall can be reached at bhall50@hotmail.com.