QUINCY — The Old Rochester Regional High School boys basketball team faced a tough 56-47 loss against St. Mary’s High School in the MIAA Div. 3 basketball semi-final on Wednesday, March 15.

This loss not only ended the team’s 15-win streak, but also their shot at the Div. 3 state championship.

“I’m just glad we had a good game. No hard feelings — great kids on both sides — they’re a bunch of great kids and we wish the best for them,” said Old Rochester player Sawyer Fox. “Not exactly the outcome we wanted but I’m glad we had fun while we were going out.”

Despite a strong opening that had the Bulldogs leading by five points, 12-17, in the first quarter, St. Mary’s caught up.

“I think overall we gave everything St. Mary’s could handle — they’re a very good basketball team, they’re well balanced,” said Old Rochester Regional High School boys basketball coach Steve Carvalho. “We played bulldog basketball right out of the gate.”

But while a buzzer-beating two-point shot from St. Mary’s at the end of the first half tipped the odds further against Old Rochester, the boys of the Bulldogs basketball team — and their fans — never lost energy.

By the start of the second half, the lead swapped and the Bulldogs were down by four, 27-23. The gap continued to widen though the fourth quarter. With only one minute left on the clock in the last quarter, the Bulldogs played aggressively and gave it their all.

“This [loss] doesn’t take away from anything,” said Carvalho. “We won the South Coast conference — it's no consolation for them right now, but at the end of the day they’ll remember what they did [and] the great season they put together.”