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“On our summer t-shirts, we had a saying ‘Don’t cheat the wall,’’’ coach Doug Scott said. “There’s no banner up on Coyle (Gymnasium) for boys basketball. We wanted to make sure we covered that wall up with a banner.”
The Dragons are 15-2 overall and 11-1 in the league. They meet Rye Country Day on Tuesday, and close out the FAA season on Saturday vs. St. Luke’s School. They also have a non-league game Friday against Kingswood-Oxford.
Greens Farms had been building for a league title over the past two years. Greens Farms finished 18-5 last year, and was 13-10 in 2010-11. Led by seniors Sean Obi, Hunter Eggers, Pat Ryan and Scott Deutsch, the Dragons came into this season with huge goals.
“We got our first trophy when we went up to Boston and finished second in a tournament,’’ Scott said. “We’ve got more to do. We decided we’re not going to cut down the nets for winning the regular season. We’ve got another three of the weeks of the season to go. We have a bucket list, and we checked off item A. We still have B, C and D left.”
Greens Farms has ripped off nine straight victories. The Dragons hammered King, 75-52, last week, avenging their only league loss. King beat Greens Farms, 65-57, on Jan. 10. The loss may have been the wake-up call the Dragons needed.
“That was a good thing for us,’’ Scott said. “You have to find a way to win. We were on a 15-game unbeaten run and we got beat by the second to last team in our league. There aren’t any teams undefeated in the NCAA, either. It’s not always the best team that wins. It’s the best team in that game.”
Obi, a 6-foot, 8-inch senior who has committed to Rice University, is averaging 17.6 points and 12.2 rebounds per game. Eggers (18.2 points per game) and Ryan (12.6 ppg) give the Dragons terrific weapons for teams who try to slow down Obi. Junior guard Matt Tate averages 8.5 ppg and 7.6 assists and 3.1 steals per game.
Greens Farms will try to win its first league tournament when it begins next week, and will have the home court advantage throughout. The Dragons also figure to a contender for the New England Private School Class C title. They were eliminated in the first round of last year’s tournament by eventual champion Hyde. Greens Farms is currently tied with Wheeler of Providence, R.I. for the best record among Class C schools.
“The good thing about working with a program that hasn’t had a lot of success is that you have a lot of scar tissue you’re still working through,’’ Scott said. “We’re pretty motivated. How often do you get a chance to be the best team you’re school has ever had?”
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