The Watertown High boys’ basketball team began its postseason campaign Tuesday night, cruising to a 76-48 over visiting Ipswich in a Division 3 North first-round game. 

The Raiders had their finest offensive showcase of the season, putting up 49 points in the first half alone. Senior center Derek Dipietrantonio led the way for Watertown, scoring 21 points and grabbing five rebounds, despite sitting out the entire fourth quarter once the Raiders had just about sealed the win.

Watertown dominated inside, as the Raiders’ other big man, sophomore power forward John Korte, put up 16 points and five rebounds in his first playoff start.

The Raiders dominated right from the tip, jumping to a 9-0 lead in the opening minutes. Dipietrantonio handled the bulk of the scoring in the opening quarter, and the Raiders held a 22-10 advantage after one.

Despite foul trouble on the defensive end, the Raiders kept clicking offensively, dropping another 27 points in the second quarter. A majority of Ipswich’s scoring came from the charity stripe, as the Raiders held the Tigers to only 8 points from the field in the first half. Watertown’s full-court press forced turnover after turnover, and led to points the other way.

With momentum firmly on their side, the Raiders defense made plenty of big plays early, most notably an emphatic Korte block on a corner three that sent the Watertown fan section into a frenzy. 

An excellent third quarter saw the Raiders outscore their opponents, 21-6, allowing them to enter the final quarter up 70-32. It was enough of a lead for head coach Steve Harrington to pull his starters, letting his bench get some minutes in the closing stages.

When the buzzer sounded, the Raiders walked off with a 28-point first-round victory in their final home game of the season.

The Raiders (11-10) move into the Division 3 North quarterfinals, and they will head to North Reading to take on the top-seeded Hornets (18-2) on Saturday, March 5, at 4  p.m.

–March 1, 2016–