One of the most dominant runs by a local high school basketball program in recent memory came to an end Sunday as the TechBoston Bears saw their hopes for a third straight MIAA Division 2 title dashed in a quarterfinal defeat to Westwood, whose team handed TechBoston its first postseason loss since March 2017. 

On the heels of a thrilling, come-from-behind win over New Mission in the first round, the Bears seemed destined for yet another storybook postseason run. But, it wasn’t meant to be.

The Wolverines rode the red-hot shooting of junior guard James McGowan, who went 9 of 14 from 3-point range and finished with 35 points as he buried the Bears under a barrage of jumpers. A team can prepare for a defensive game plan, but not for an individual performance like that, said TechBoston head coach Johnny Williams.

“McGowan shot the ball extremely well. You’re not gonna win a game when a kid goes 9 for 14 from beyond the arc,” he said, noting that a good portion of those points came on contested shots.

But while the Bears came up short this year, they can take pride in their recent record: three consecutive City League championships, back-to-back MIAA Division II titles, including the program’s first ever basketball championship. For Alan Nunez and Shamar Browder, a duo of senior guards who were there every step of the way during the Bears’ historic run, Sunday represented an emotional end to a spirited campaign.

“It was a lot of tears,” said Williams. “It was kind of surreal; when you have guys for six or seven years with the program, a part of you definitely leaves with them as they’re walking out that door. It’s a family, and they’ll always be a part of the family...but in the end, I told them, you are two of the greatest, most successful basketball players in city of Boston history.”

Together, Nunez and Browder went to the city championship four years straight, winning three, earned two state title rings, and racked up over 80 wins. They, along with other veteran leadership, Williams said, were instrumental in instilling a “never quit” attitude in the group, a resilience that was evident as they surmounted a double-digit deficit in the final minutes of the New Mission game. That tenet of perseverance will return next year, along with a talented core of players like junior Dakari Brown and sophomore Tre Norman, who hit the crucial deciding free throw in that contest. Williams said he’s confident in the group he’ll have next year.

“They’re all kids who really love basketball. They really have a love for the game. They don’t want to do anything else or talk about anything else. They’re gonna get us back to where we need to be.”

“We love the support the city always shows us, and we’re ready to take it to the next level. We can’t take anything for granted” he said. “[Sunday’s loss] put a flame back in our belly. We’re gonna be a fire-breathing bear this year.”