WHS Boys Basketball Team's Home Debut is Friday Night

The Westborough High School varsity boys basketball team plays intense at home. 

And yet, the Rangers’ home opener is at 7 p.m. Friday, against Wachusett.

“At every position, we have competition. And these guys are of the mindset that our practices will be much harder than our games this year, because everyone wants to play and everyone’s good enough to play,” head coach Brian Willar says. 

Westborough was 0-1 entering Thursday night’s game at Leominster. The Rangers lost their season opener, 59-43, at St. Bernard’s on Dec. 12, according to the Midland-Wachusett League website.

Nine players – seven seniors and two juniors – return from last year’s team, which finished 12-10, including 1-1 in the 2013 Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association Boys Basketball Central Division 1 Tournament. 

Westborough defeated South, 71-67, in overtime in the first round, and then lost to Milford in the quarterfinals, 56-49. 

“Our chemistry should be our strength. Our chemistry and our unselfishness,” Willar says.

“These seniors, all they want to do is win. They don’t care who scores. They don’t care who gets their name in the paper.  All they want to do is win, and they got a taste of it last year. So, these guys expect big things of themselves, and as do I.” 

The returnees, and one JV player, went 8-2 in a summer league at St. Peter-Marian, losing in the championship game, Willar says.

The group includes  “what should be a very strong four-man rotation,” Willar says: senior center Brendan Kilcoyne, senior forward-captain Mike Power,  junior forward-center Mike Heffernan and senior forward-center Jonathan Omeler. 

“They’re all 6-3 or taller, and they’re very athletic,” Willar says.

“You could say that would be our strength. But quite honestly, our guard play is going to be our strength.”

The Rangers’ starting shooting guard is captain Dan Orlando, who was a Mid-Wach All-Star last season, and third in most valuable player voting, the coach says. 

“A lot’s expected of him. He knows it’s expected of him. He’s the last of six Orlando boys. So, he’s kind of got a big load on his shoulders. All his brothers come to the games. All his cousins. His whole family. And, he’s embraced it,” Willar says.

Starting at point guard will be senior captain Kevin Doherty, as well as sophomore Colin Donovan.

After Friday night’s game, the Rangers are off until 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 27, when the two-day Rocket Classic begins at Auburn High School.

The Rangers roster is:

Seniors: guards Dan Orlando, Kevin Doherty, Steven Frame and Mark Schoen, forward Mike Power, center Brendan Kilcoyne, and forward-centers Jonathan Omeler and Connor Joyce.

Juniors: guard-forward Connor Fitzgerald, guards Jack Pierce and Brendan Shunney, and forward/center Mike Heffernan.

Sophomores: guard Colin Donovan.