Reunited and it feels so good: Return of Bourne basketball stars has Canalmen rolling

Bourne’s Dominic Quelle (left) and Nate Reynolds go up for a rebound during a practice Thursday at Bourne High School. Merrily Cassidy/Cape Cod Times.

In the eighth grade, Mike Dankert and Emery Robbins played for the freshman boys basketball team at Bourne High. Following that season, they each took their talents to different schools. 

Dankert went 22 miles up the road to Sturgis West, while Robbins went next door to Upper Cape Tech. They both played at the varsity level as freshmen. 

After their first varsity experience at different schools, they both decided to team up again, returning to Bourne High this school year.

“Bourne has always been my home. I felt the best here and this was the best decision for my future and the rest of my life. So I transferred here and it has been way better since, and I love it,” Robbins said. 

Bourne High School’s Mike Dankert goes up for a basket during a practice drill Thursday. Merrily Cassidy/Cape Cod Times.

Dankert is second on the team averaging 14.5 points per game. That's good for seventh in the South Coast Conference.

“I realized that the athletics at Sturgis wasn’t as good, and I missed a lot of my friends at Bourne too,” Dankert said. “The level of competition we play is the biggest difference. At Sturgis, it wasn’t really as competitive, but these teams are really good.” 

The addition of Dankert could not have come at a better time for the Canalmen.

“Mike does a lot for us. He's a big wing player that can handle the ball because he used to play (point guard). He rebounds, defends every position on the floor. So, depending on our matchup going into a game, he usually draws their best offensive player regardless of position,” head coach Scott Ashworth said.

With the addition of Robbins and Dankert, Ashworth feels that they added depth. 

“It gives us eight or nine in our rotation. The way we try to play is to get up and down the floor. It’s hard to do that playing with only five guys,” Ashworth said.

This duo has helped the Canalmen to their best start (10-3) since the 2015-16 season. Bourne has already eclipsed last year's win total (nine).

As of Jan. 31, Bourne is eighth in the Division 4 tournament power rankings. That's a big improvement from last season, when the Canalmen were the No. 25 seed. The Canalmen’s only losses this season are to Old Rochester twice (seventh in Div. 3) and Wareham (third in Div. 4)

“I feel like we play together, and we all know our roles. I get rebounds, assists, play defense and get up and down the floor. It was pretty easy finding my role here because I already knew a lot of the guys and I’m friends with a lot of them,” Dankert said. 

Bourne High School’s Nate Reynolds grabs a loose ball and goes up for a basket during practice on Thursday. Merrily Cassidy/Cape Cod Times.

Robbins' name may not always show up on the stat book, but he does bring a key piece to this team.

“Definitely defense more than offense. I am not really looking to shoot much, but I make sure I always bring it on defense. I take 100% pride in bringing it all on defense every time,” Robbins said. 

Nate Reyonlds is the top scorer on the team at 15.9 points per game (fourth in the SCC).

“We've been playing together as a team, been practicing and working hard, and listening to Coach (Ashworth). We communicate on defense, play hard and are beating good teams,” Reynolds said. 

Bourne High School’s Leo Andrade (left) tries to stop a play by teammate Dominic Quelle during a practice drill on Thursday. Merrily Cassidy.

Leo Andrade is the sharpshooter of the team. In practice, he drilled seven out of his first 10 threes in two different drills. He leads the team in total threes with 26 (tied for fifth in the SCC), and averages 11.7 points per game (17th in SCC).

“I like to shoot a lot," Andrade said with a smile on his face. “We move the ball very well, and my teammates find me open, so it's nice to have. I like to help out on defense, and if I see someone open, I pass it to them.” 

The trio of Reynolds, Andrade and Dankert are a nightmare for opposing defenses on any night. 

“We made it a concerted effort to pick it up defensively, which is great because it feeds into a fastbreak-type offense. The biggest key is we don’t have to rely on one person to score. We've got three guys in doubles (scoring), and two guys close to doubles, and it's kind of nice,” Ashworth said.

With all the success this season, you would figure that Bourne had a pretty good senior class. However, there are only three seniors on the entire roster. 

Bourne High School’s Damon White grabs a rebound from teammate Nate Reynolds (left) and Mike Dankert during a practice session on Thursday. Merrily Cassidy/Cape Cod Times.

Two of those seniors (Shea Ullo and Damon White) are captains.

“I think we (with Damon) have done a good job leadership wise,” Ullo said. “They (younger players) have listened, and done everything they can, and we’re 10-3. It's a great season so far. Last year was okay, not bad, but this is definitely a comeback season.” 

Ullo and White were both a part of a Canalmen team that lost their first playoff game last season, 63-42 to Cohasset. 

“We have a lot more size than we did last year,” White said. “We got new players like Mikey (Dankert) and Emery (Robbins) and they both contribute a lot. Everybody has just grown to play together and are comfortable around each other. It's just way better chemistry.” 

With six games left on the schedule, the Canalmen feel that they are in good shape for the postseason.

“We have been confident all season, and we just have to keep that confidence and we’ll be great. We have passed the ball so well, and our defense is insane this year, so it's awesome,” Ullo said.  

Their biggest test remaining on Bourne's schedule will be on Feb. 17 against Wareham, a team the Canalmen lost to at home on Jan. 10, 61-50.

“With the power rankings, we are trying to stay where we are. It's kind of a big thing because I know the softball, volleyball and other (Bourne) teams have traveled all around the state. The more home cooking we can get, the better,” Ashworth said.