Old Rochester Basketball Celebrates Bracket-Busting Win

They were celebrating at Old Rochester Regional High School Wednesday morning, and leading the celebration were Captain Gavin Martin and Coach of the Year Steve Carvalho.

The two joined Fun 107's MGM Show to share their excitement and look ahead to Friday night's Division 3 State Title matchup against Norwell at the Tsongas Center in Lowell.

The shock for Bulldogs fans had not yet worn off after witnessing their No. 20-seeded boys basketball team absolutely stun top-seeded St. Mary's with a furious second-half comeback Tuesday night in Taunton.

If the Bulldogs were supposed to lose that game, someone forgot to tell them.

"We never thought we couldn't win. We never doubted each other for a second. We always stayed up, and we believed in each other," Martin said. "We really block out the noise and play together. It's not all on one person; it's the whole team. It's just a team game and a team win. It was amazing."

Trailing by double digits heading into halftime, Coach Carvalho said he didn't have to say much in the locker room to wake the boys up.

"They fired up themselves, but I just told them to stick with what we've done, continue to be the selfless, hard-working group that they are, and keep the game within striking distance," he said.

That they did, chipping away at the St. Mary's lead.

"They played a great third quarter, led by my captain, Gavin Martin, who had 10 points, I believe," Carvalho said.

It was the defense, however, that set the stage for the dramatic come-from-behind win.

"Our defense and rebounding, our ability to handle that tempo against an athletic and talented team. That was all the difference," he said.

Martin closed by expressing how much the team meant to him, calling them his family.

"We do everything together – team dinners, practice, a little bit of team bonding," he said. "It's just an awesome feeling that I can do this with these boys. They are family."