LOWELL — The Old Rochester boys basketball team pushed the state championship into overtime at the Tsongas Center on Friday, March 14 before falling to Norwell High School 64-61.

The arena filled with roaring applause as the Old Rochester team led their state championship game in the fourth quarter. However, with just seconds left in the match, Norwell High School scored a three-point buzzer beater that forced the game into overtime where they beat the Bulldogs with just a three-point lead.

Old Rochester is the first team in Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association history to make it to the basketball state finals from a No. 20 seed. 

“We had them. I think we played our hardest. Some things [are] just a tip away, a rebound away,” said team captain and Old Rochester senior Gavin Martin. “It’s just tough. I’m not disappointed. I’m happy.”

Old Rochester Coach Steve Carvalho says he knows his team made it to the finals for a reason.

“It took hard work and unselfish basketball players who believed in what was going on here and played like a true team,” said Carvalho.

The Bulldogs trailed closely behind Norwell for the first half of the game, ending halftime with a score of 25-22 before gaining the upper hand in the third quarter.

Martin led the team in scoring, earning 27 points throughout the game. Sophomore Grady Oliveira ranked the second highest in scoring for Old Rochester, contributing 14 points to the team.

Carvalho expressed his admiration for Martin’s performance and athleticism in the game.

“He’s our best player, and the ball needs to be in his hands at critical times,” said Carvalho.

As a senior soon to graduate, Martin’s lasting impact on Old Rochester basketball will be remembered for years to come, according to Carvalho.

“He’s going to go down in the annals of Old Rochester history as an athlete and a bulldog,” said Carvalho.

Martin says he cherishes the bond he formed with this year’s team in particular.

“It’s something that I’ll remember forever, from last year’s team to this year’s team,” Martin said of his state finals experiences. “I think it’s just the bond that we had this year is incredible.”

To the younger players on his team, Martin says to “keep pushing forward, keep working, keep creating that bond we had this year. Make it even better.”

Carvalho said his mindset going into next season is to “keep Bulldog basketball strong and maybe walk back into this building someday.”