Monthly Archives: March 2016

March 19, 2016 · 7:26 pm

Manchester Central escapes with the D1 title 60-58 in OT over Merrimack

Manchester Central realizes that they are the 2016 New Hampshire Division 1 champions

Was the shot good or not?

(Durham NH) This game was so close that the losing team celebrated after the game ended.

But that celebration by Merrimack was short-lived as they learned that Noah Beygelman’s 3-pointer had not beaten the buzzer.

Manchester Central, thereby, escaped (barely) with a 60-58 overtime win and claimed the New Hampshire Division 1 title for the second time in three years.

The Saturday encounter at UNH was a delight to watch and there were plenty on hand at the Lundholm Gym doing exactly that.

Jaylen Leroy (25 points and 10 rebounds)

The Little Green (15-4) started fast riding three-pointers by Evan Macdonald, Jaylen Leroy, and Osiah Lewis to a 20-12 advantage one minute into the second quarter.

The Tomahawks (13-6) used the next 3+ minutes to run nine unanswered points and take the lead (21-20). Ian Roberts and Ian Cummings put all the points together for Merrimack.

The rest of the game was tight….very tight. How tight was it? Neither team led by more than four points. There were sixteen lead changes and nine ties the rest of the way. That’s tight!

The 2016 Player-of-the-Year (Jaylen Leroy) led all scorers with twenty-five points. The 6-3 senior added ten rebounds and three steals. He also found himself at the free throw line sixteen times, including late in regulation and late in overtime.

Jaylen drained two freebies with 32 seconds left in regulation to get Central to overtime. His 3-of-6 in the final minute of OT gave the Little Green the stay-ahead points in crunch time.

Be certain that the outcome of this tense struggle was not decided until the referees ruled off substitute Noah Beygelman’s 3-point shot, after the game ended.

Andrew Wojciak fires and hits a three late in OT

In the final nineteen seconds of the four-minute overtime, Zack Kerr (21 points) and Jon Makori (14 points) tallied two free throws each. Jon’s two gave MC a 59-55 lead with sixteen second left.

In the next possession Zack looked as if he wanted the shot but instead found teammate Andrew Wojciak wide open in the left corner. Andrew (11 points) fired a three. The shot hit the rim, went straight up, and fell through. Now the Tomahawks were within one with eight seconds left.

You knew a foul was coming with five seconds to go and Jaylen Leroy was fouled.

Jaylen missed the first and made the second to up MC’s lead to two (60-58).

With no timeouts left, and five seconds to work with, Zack Kerr hurried up the left side with freshman Osiah Lewis covering him.

Zack Kerry guarded by Osiah Lewis in the last five seconds of OT

My pictures suggest that Zack wanted to drive but Jaylen Leroy slid into the lane as an extra defender. So Zack put on the brakes, intent on going up long range. However, defender Osiah deflected the ball out of Zack’s hands and it caromed over to Noah Beygelman. Noah took a dribble toward the middle and had an open look at a three.

Noah’s shot went up and the shot went in but the red light on the backboard had gone on before Noah’s release.

Evan Macdonald and Jaylen Leroy celebrate

You never saw such a mood swing. One moment the Merrimack team/crowd was screaming and jumping in ecstasy and the next thing it was Manchester Central’s turn.

I can guarantee you that Noah was not the designated last-second shot taker because he had only come into the game for the very first time with just five seconds left. I have no doubt, however, that the senior is a 3-point shooter or Coach Goodridge wouldn’t have inserted him. Noah was a split-second away from being a huge hero.

Ian Roberts (11 points/10 rebounds) had a double/double for Merrimack. Jaylen Leroy (25 points/10 rebounds) did the same for Manchester Central.

Impressed with Jaylen Leroy and Zack Kerr. Jaylen had a terrific demeanor. Didn’t get overly excited, just let the game come to him. When he had the ball one-on-one you guessed that he could get a shot off from anywhere with a good chance for it to go in. Zack (6-1) had all the shots and was not afraid to dart to the hoop.

On February 16^th Manchester Central had a 69-53 win over Merrimack. Jaylen Leroy had twenty-two in that one.

Zack Kerr (21 points)

Manchester Central now has nineteen state titles.

This was the third time the two teams have met in the title game in the last six years. Merrimack won in 2012.

Both teams were content to weave the ball on the exterior looking for openings.

I am used to a 30-second clock but there was never a need for one in this game.

The fans were loud and both teams had a flag carrier.

Game Box

I am deeply indebted to the UNH stat crew. They provided the stats that made this write-up possible.

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Jaylen Leroy fouled by Ian Roberts

Zack Kerr guarded by Evan Macdonald

Jaylen Leroy elevates for two

Zack Kerr, Mike Dudash, Andrew Wojciak, Ian Roberts

Ian Cummings (14 points) defended by Osiah Lewis

Ian Roberts (11 points) looks for room against Jaylen Leroy

Jon Makori

Noah Beygelman

March to the foul line

Jon Makori (13 points)

Merrimack celebrates but notice the referee

Evan Macdonald, Coach Wheeler, Jaylen Leroy with D1 trophy

Manchester Central team picture

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Tagged as Andrew Wojciak, Evan Macdonald, Ian Roberts, Jaylen Leroy, Jon Makori, Noah Beygelman, Osiah Lewis, Zack Kerr

March 14, 2016 · 11:37 pm

Katie Nelson (31) and Lauren Manis (21) carry Bishop Feehan to D1 title game with 70-57 win over Woburn

Lauren Manis (21 points)

Katie Nelson (31 points)

(Boston MA) Bishop Feehan gets to the D1 state title game after defeating Woburn, 70-57, on Monday night at the TD Garden.

Katie Nelson (31 points) and Lauren Manis (21 points) carried the Shamrocks not only by scoring plenty of points but they also assisted on baskets, rebounded, and blocked shots.

Nicole Pacheco tries to block Lauren Manis

Teams that get places in the MIAA tournament have to have go-to players. The Shamrocks (23-1) are blessed to have two such players.

Katie, only a junior, is a verbal commit to BU while senior Lauren will go to Holy Cross.

The Tanners (22-3) went down by fourteen (22-8) early in the second quarter. The BF lead was fifteen (32-17) in the last minute of the second quarter.

You suspected that Woburn might be heading for the wrong end of a lopsided score in the second half. You would be wrong!

Mya Blazejowski (14 points) made three 3’s in the third quarter

The Tanners put seven straight points together (rebound baskets by Kelsey Qualey and Mya Blazejowski, plus a 3 by Kelsey) and pulled to within four (43-39) with seven minutes of game left.

You suspected that Woburn might have enough to catch and pass the South champs. You would be wrong….again!

If Katie Nelson and Lauren Manis were tough to stop for three quarters, you should have seen them in the final quarter.

And if you were at the Garden, you would add, you should have seen Woburn’s Marissa Gattuso in the same quarter.

Marissa Gattuso (21 points including thirteen in the 4th quarter.

Marissa (21 points) began to find openings to get off floaters and runners and had a 13-point quarter. Good thing Marissa got hot for Woburn because Katie Nelson scored twelve and Lauren Manis added eleven for Bishop Feehan.

As I said, Woburn was within four points with 7 minutes to go.

The next four minutes of game-time did in the Middlesex League champions. The Shamrocks put a 13-5 segment together and back down went the Tanners by twelve (56-44) and they did not recover.

Where did Bishop Feehan’s thirteen points comes from? Katie Nelson hit a long-distance three and then added an old-fashioned three. Then came Lauren Manis to add an old-fashioned three, a jump shot, and two free throws.

Sometimes fouling a team late in the game works but not this time for Woburn. Katie was 7-for-7 and Lauren was 5-for-5.

It was truly a remarkable display by the BF stars. You would like to think that Bishop Feehan’s opponent for the state title on Saturday, either Natick or Chicopee Comp, could be in for a long game. But, you never know.

Nicole Gallagher guarded by Marina Rufo

Woburn had a brief 4-2 lead after a drive by junior Mya Blazejowski (14 points).

The team from Attleboro took the lead for good with eight unanswered points. Two jumps shots by Katie Nelson and layups by Lauren Manis and Emily Miccile provided the points.

In the last ten seconds of the first quarter BF got a layup (Katie Nelson) after a pass from Nicole Gallagher and a three by Nicole Gallagher from Lauren Manis. The Shamrocks led, 17-8 after a quarter.

Nicole Pacheco tries to slow down Katie Nelson

The Eastern Athletic League champs put another five-pack together to start the second quarter. The damage was done by Marissa Fontaine (3-pointer) and a rebound basket from Lauren Manis. This action put the BF advantage to 22-8.

How did Woburn get back to within in four? They got long-range hot. Mya Blazejowski started the third quarter with one and later would add two more. Kelsey Qualey drained her own 3-pointer to end the quarter with a 43-37 score.

Kelsey’s opening rebound basket, starting the final quarter, lessened Woburn’s deficit to four but that was as close as they would get on this evening.

Both teams took good care of the ball. Woburn ended up with eleven turnovers while Bishop Feehan had ten.

Kelsey Qualey and Lauren Manis

Lauren Manis (6’2”) had the size to block shots without fouling.

Katie Nelson (5’9”) made all the shots: 3’s, jumpers, layups, and free throws. She also reached 1000 points in this her junior year. Katie did not force her way to tonight’s thirty-one points. The total tied a career high in points for her.

This was my second look at Woburn’s junior point guard Marissa Galluso. She reminds me so much of Pentucket’s Kelsi McNamara. Lack of size does not prevent her from getting to the basket and from making shots in traffic.

It was interesting to watch BF defensively covering Marissa. When a Woburn screen was set, to give Marissa some clearance, the Shamrocks ignored the screen setter entirely and tried to keep Marissa from going either direction.

Always fun to cover a game in the Garden. You can’t beat the Garden lighting as well as the crowd reactions to game situations.

Woburn box

Bishop Feehan box

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Two talented juniors (Marissa Gattuso and Katie Nelson)

Cassie Palmisano

Woburn waits for the player introductions

Emma Forbes

Lauren Manis blocks Kelsey Qualey’s shot

Katie Nelson jump shot

Elle Brennan defends Lauren Manis

Mya Blazejowski

End of Woburn season

Marissa Gattuso faces two defenders

Lauren Manis block

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Tagged as Katie Nelson, Kelsey Qualey, Lauren Manis, Marissa Gattuso, Mya Blazejowsk

March 12, 2016 · 10:21 pm

Marissa Gattuso (28 points) takes Woburn to D1 North title 58-46 over Revere

Woburn (2016 Division 1 North champions)

Marissa Gattuso (28 points) was the difference maker for Woburn

(Haverhill MA) Dazzling show by junior Marissa Gattuso.

The Woburn junior dominated Revere and led the Tanners to a 58-46 win and the Division 1 North title on Saturday afternoon at Whittier.

Woburn now gets Bishop Feehan in the D1 state semifinals at the TD Garden on Monday at 5:45PM. The Shamrocks (22-1) were the #2 seed in the South.

Marissa (two-time Middlesex League All-Star) displayed the full package of shooting range collecting 28 points. To get to that lofty total she drove for layups, hit jump shots, hit a three, made thirteen free throws, as well as three floaters. There didn’t seem to be a shooting spot she didn’t hurt the Tanners from!

Marissa Gattuso about to be fouled by Ally Hinojosa

Those floaters were the ones that impressed me. No heights were given for #2 seed Woburn in the program but I’m guessing that Marissa is 5’6”. Revere had 6’2”, 6’1” size in close and getting a shot blocked was a real possibility. But the floater is the answer. You shoot the ball on the run over the bigger defender without charging. Isaiah Thomas does it all the time for the Celtics.

Marissa not only had the full selection of shots she also controlled the ball as point guard. Revere put a number of different defenders on her. I thought senior Maritza Scott was the best at it but Maritza fouled out with four minutes left. The Tanners had only one turnover in the final quarter because, led by Marissa, they took good care of the ball. Revere was forced to foul and Woburn gathered fourteen points from the charity stripe in the final quarter.

Revere (20-6), from the Northeastern Conference, was tied with Woburn twice in the early going. Maritza Scott and Pamela Gonzalez had consecutive layins to knot the score at 6-6 with 2 ½ minutes left in the first quarter.

The next 3 ½ minutes of playing time were all Woburn. The Tanners (22-2) ran ten unanswered points together to gain separation, 16-6.

Mya Blazejowski zips to the hoop

Woburn had six three’s in the game and got two of them (Andrea Schiavone, Nicole Pacheco) in the breakaway segment. There were two Marissa Gattuso floaters in the same mix.

#4 seed Revere was never able to get closer than three points (24-21) the rest of the way.

Credit the undersized interior defense of Woburn. It was clear that Revere wanted to dominate the glass on both ends of the court. That just didn’t happen. There were few second attempts and there were few entries passes where one-on-one defense was in place.

Crowd under the basket

Sophomore Valentina Pepic (10 points) did find some layup room late in the game but by then Woburn was trying not to foul.

Woburn did a terrific job of containing Revere point guard Pamela Gonzalez (12 points). Pamela always had defenders to deal with in her attempts to get to the basket. Pamela had twenty-seven points in the Patriots’ win earlier in the tournament so holding her to twelve was a key to the D1 title win.

Ally Hinojosa starts the 3rd quarter with a three

As I mentioned earlier, the Patriots did get within three points. That happened at the start of the third quarter after senior Ally Hinojosa drained a three-pointer from the left.

The lead enlarged to six (35-29) with two minutes left in the third quarter.

The next six minutes of playing time did in Revere. They tallied just one point (Ally Hinojosa free throw) while the Tanners garnered eight points from two layups (Nicole Pacheco, Kelsey Qualey), a jump shot (Marissa Gattuso), and free throws by Marina Rufo and Mya Blazejowski.

Now the teams were separated by thirteen points (43-30) with four minutes left in the game. Twelve made free throws later the Tanners had a 58-46 victory and the D1 North title.

Good crowd on hand. The Woburn student section had some bright colors on.

The foul shooting could have been better for both teams: Woburn (20-for-34), Revere (10-for-21). Too many high school players are spending too much time practicing 3-pointers. Revere was 2-for-8 from the foul line in a quarter (3^rd) when they got within three points of the lead!

Revere’s Adanna Hector

Getting the D1 North title probably erases Woburn’s painful memory from last year’s tournament when their #1 seeding didn’t do a bit of good as they went out to #16 Arlington.

When I saw that Revere had lost to St. Mary’s (Lynn) twice I feared they could be in trouble vs Woburn. The time I saw the Spartans (they lost to Bishop Fenwick) they had size and persistent pressure. So I figured that if that had bothered Revere (twice) then Woburn might cause problems. This was before I had ever seen Marissa Gattuso in action.

Woburn boxscore

Revere boxscore

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Pamela Gonzalez (12 points) in the middle of the Woburn defense. (Note the arm grab.)

Revere (Division 1 North finalist)

Mya Blazejowski and Coach Steve Sullivan

Marina Rugo pressured by Meaghan Gotham

Marissa Gattuso and Kelsey Qualey

Point guard Marissa Gattuso

Little room for Meaghan Gotham

Maritza Scott (10 points) finds an opening

Junior Marissa Gattuso

Marissa Gattuso goes down after a foul in the last minute

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Tagged as Adanna Hector, Ally Hinojosa, Kelsey Qualey, Marissa Gattuso, Nicole Pacheco, Pamela Gonzalez, Valentina Pepic

March 10, 2016 · 11:10 pm

Brighton gets to the D2 North finals after 84-68 win over #1 seed Salem

Mykel Derring (17 points) hit four 3’s in the final quarter including this one.

Jordan Galloway (23 points) turned in seventeen points in the second quarter including three 3’s

(Beverly MA) No let up from Brighton as they rolled past Salem, 84-68, in the D2 North semifinals on Thursday night.

The Bengals (16-8) put a 45-20 second half on Danvers in the quarterfinals on their way to ending the Falcons 30-game home winning streak. They were just as good against the Witches (21-3) and gained separation in the early going.

Speed, accuracy, and a steady influx of rested bodies enabled Brighton to put points together in a hurry.

Salem was plenty fast but there was very little rest for their starters. Tiredness often shows up on defense and the Bengals had more and more open looks as the game progressed.

It surely helped the Brighton cause to have Jordan Galloway (23 points) catch fire in the second quarter and Mykel Derring (17 points) do the same thing in the fourth quarter.

Jordan collected seventeen of his points in the second quarter hitting three 3’s and powering the Bengals to a commanding 49-28 halftime lead.

Mykel had four three’s in the final quarter. His accuracy in the late game kept Salem from ever getting closer than eleven points.

Alex Sanchez (28 points) with Bengals everywhere

This was my first look at Salem’s Alex Sanchez. Talk about fast! He broke by and between some awfully good Brighton defenders to get to the rim. Most 5’6” players live long range but not Alex. He would dart to the rim without any encouragement.

This was a game played at such a pace that there actually were few fouls called. The shots went up that quickly for both squads.

Numerous Brighton players attempted to cover Alex Sanchez. In one of my pictures BHS coach Hugh Coleman looks as if he’s also part of the Bengals defense on Alex.

BHS coach Hugh Coleman exhorting his team to contain Alex Sanchez

Good, loud crowd for both teams. The game’s start was delayed so that the Brighton fan bus could arrive.

Brighton took Salem out of the tournament last season in the quarterfinals.

The Bengals will now take on New Mission in the D2 North finals on Saturday. Brighton lost to New Mission, 85-70, on January 8^th.

Brighton boxscore (Jordan Galloway should have 23 pts)

Salem boxscore

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Mykel Derring (17 points)

Jonathan Casseus

Jordan Galloway tries guarding Alex Sanchez

Alex Sanchez covers Laqu Howard

Johnny Ortiz leads a break

Ricky Arias (17 points and 13 rebounds)

Jordan Galloway (#4) sets up teammate Jordan Diaz

Alex Sanchez (28 points)

Action on the rim

Tyrone Perry congratulated at hafltime after tossing in a long buzzer-beater

Tyrone Perry congratulated at halftime after tossing in a long buzzer-beater

Izaiah Winston-Brooks in the closing seconds

Tyrone Perry set to block Kelven Perpetuo

Brighton huddle

Jhonel Roberts skies for a rebound

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Tagged as Alex Sanchez, Jordan Galloway, Mykel Derring, Ricky Arias, Tyrone Perry

March 8, 2016 · 11:35 pm

Bishop Fenwick reaches D3 North finals again with convincing 56-40 win over St. Mary’s

Bishop Fenwick celebrates a win over St. Mary’s and a trip back to the D3 North finals

Sydney Brennan (17 points) hit four 3’s for the second straight tournament game

(Hathorne MA) Bishop Fenwick (20-4) had all the right answers as they eliminated St. Mary’s, 56-40, on Tuesday night at Essex Tech in the D3 North semi-finals.

The Crusaders had a glittering first period putting up seventeen points while the Spartans could manage only two points.

St. Mary’s (19-5) would get within ten (21-11) 3 ½ minutes into the second quarter but BF answered with eight straight points (layups by Ellen Fantozzi and Jaxson Nadeau, drive and jump shot by Fredi DeGuglielmo) before the quarter ended.

Fredi DeGuglielmo (14 points) defended by Kayla Carter and Katie Dixon

On a night when the Spartans struggled from long range (two 3’s) the Crusaders nailed seven. Senior Sydney Brennan (17 points) clicked four times from deep including two in the second quarter. Sophomore Fredi DeGuglielmo (14 points) notched two 3-pointers.

St. Mary’s 2-point first quarter surely brought back memories of the two team’s previous get-together on February 12^th. In that 45-27 loss the Spartans were held scoreless in the first half.

The Crusaders full-court pressure paid dividends garnering turnovers (eight in the first quarter) and forcing St. Mary’s to play much faster than they wanted to. The Spartans rushed their way into a bunch of high-percentage shot misses.

Colleen Corcoran uses an Ellen Fantozzi screen to drive to the basket

Key player in the game in my opinion was Colleen Corcoran. She got BF off to a good start with the game’s first two baskets. She ended up with nine points and eleven rebounds. To me her greatest value was being the outlet in the backcourt. St. Mary’s applied plenty of pressure too but when BF’s primary ball-handlers were in trouble Colleen was there to get the ball up the court for them.

St. Mary’s had five turnovers in the first two minutes. Most of the miscues were from bad passes.

BF went out 6-0 on two scores by Colleen and a runner by Sydney Brennan.

Olivia Nazaire (15 points) chased by Jaxson Nadeau

Senior Kayla Carter broke the ice for STM converting a rebound 4 ½ minutes into the quarter. It would be five minutes of game time before the team from Lynn would get more points.

And while the Spartans struggled to score, the team from Peabody struck three times from deep (Sam Mancinelli, Sydney Brennan, and Fred DeGuglielmo) before the first quarter was over.

Down by fifteen after one period, the Spartans moved to within ten after a layup by Kayla Carter and a three from Mia Nowicki. But the Crusader then ran eight unanswered and BF led by eighteen (29-11). Marnelle Garraud drained a three in the final minute but BF still led 29-14 at the half.

Sydney Brennan floats in for two

You might imagine that in the second half St. Mary’s would start making some shots, especially long-range, and that Bishop Fenwick would cool off. Didn’t happen.

Sydney Brennan doused any comeback plans by St. Mary’s with three 3’s in the first four minutes of the second half to usher BF into a 40-20 spread.

The Crusaders collected only one point in the final 4+ minutes of this game but the Spartans on this night couldn’t put any long-range accuracy together to get close.

Sophomore Olivia Nazaire (15 points) collected thirteen of her points in the second half.

What a season so far for Bishop Fenwick! They won their first Catholic Central League title since 1997. They also ended eight years of losing to St. Mary’s and have now defeated the Spartans all three times they met this season.

Colleen Corcoran gets one of her eleven rebounds

Bishop Fenwick moves on to the D3 North title game on Saturday. They will face the winner of the Latin Academy/North Reading game. The Crusaders lost in the D3 North title game last year to Winthrop.

To call Bishop Fenwick’s defense “swarming” may have been an understatement. There were very, very few open looks for St. Mary’s from anywhere.

BF had some breakaways from the Crusaders’ twenty turnovers.

Colleen Corcoran has committed to play basketball for the LeMoyne Dolphins (Syracuse NY) next year. LeMoyne is in the Northeast-10 Conference. Merrimack and Southern New Hampshire are also in that conference.

Eyeing a rebound

First time at Essex Tech for me. Impressive. The seating was steep but it gave everyone a good view of the game.

Bishop Fenwick box

St. Mary’s box

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Sydney Brennan on the break

Jaxson Nadeau finishes a layup

Marnelle Garround chased by Sydney Brennan

Olivia Nazaire looks to score

Marnelle Garraud pressures Sam Mancinelli

Fredi DeGuglielmo looks for an opening

Colleen Corcoran in action in front the the Fenwick crowd

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Tagged as Colleen Corcoran, Ellen Fantozzi, Fredi DeGuglielmo, Marnelle Garroud, Olivia Nazaire, Sydney Brennan

March 5, 2016 · 11:28 pm

Emily Pettigrew (22 points) reaches 1000 but Newburyport falls 49-47 to Belmont

The Belmont Marauders gather for a picture after their win over Newburyport

Emily Pettigrew spins in for her 1000th point

(Newburyport MA) Senior Emily Pettigrew (22 points) reached 1000 points but it wasn’t enough as Belmont eliminated Newburyport, 49-47, in the D2 North quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon.

This game was foul-infested from the get-go as both teams applied pressure wherever they could and contact was frequent.

Whistles blew and players were helped up. Coaches questioned every call and fans from both sides offered regular evaluations of the three officials. Smooth it wasn’t!

This game came down to the final minute with a win still within reach of either squad. Emily Pettigrew had given the Clippers (17-4) a one-point lead (47-46) with 1:15 left.

That would be the last productive possession for Newburyport. Their final three, point-producing opportunities ended with a block by Jess Giorgio, a turnover, and another block by Jess Giorgio.

Go-ahead free throw by Irini Nikolaidis (#15)

In Belmont’s last two possessions they were at the foul line both times. Senior Irini Nikolaidis (11 points) completed a 5-for-5 quarter sinking two attempts and freshman Megan Tan made one of her two tries.

Making those three free throws gave Belmont the points they needed to earn the right to face the winner of the Arlington Catholic/Melrose game on Tuesday in the D2 North semi-finals.

The Marauders reached the D2 North semi-finals last season but lost to Watertown.

Anyone in attendance who is reading so far is surely wondering what has taken me so long to get to the real reason Newburyport is not still alive in the tournament: free throw shooting.

When one team misses fourteen free throws you can easily imagine that they would be in trouble. Not in this game. Those fourteen misses belonged to Belmont (18-for-32) and they won by two points.

Tight Newburyport defense

Newburyport? Good news? They made 8-of-9 in the final quarter. Bad news? 10-for-32 in the other three quarters. Worse news? 5-for-19 in the second quarter.

The total missed free throws by the Clippers was twenty-three and think of the “Could have been’s” they’ll think about for a while over that.

I know I’m beating this free throw thing to death but in the last 1 ½ minutes of the 2^nd quarter Newburyport missed seven straight foul shots. That they only trailed by three (21-18) at the half is indicative of the type of defense they were playing.

Belmont (from the Middlesex League) rode two three’s by sophomore Jenny Call to an 8-1 lead. NBPT finished the quarter on a 6-1 run including a steal and layin by freshman Katie Hadden.

The Clippers tied the score (16-16) on a driving layup by freshman Anna Hickman (14 points) with 3 ½ to go in the second period.

Krysta Padellaro tries to draw a foul on Jenny Call

The Marauders took the lead right back and extended it to 32-23 in the third quarter with a 10-2 run. Layups by Greta Propp (10 points) and Samari Winklaar, as well as a three by Carly Christofori (9 points), keyed that surge.

In the midst of it Emily Pettigrew took a pass in the lower key and spun left to register her 1000^th point.

Appearing to be down and out (32-23) with 3:40 to go in the third quarter, the Clippers put twelve unanswered points together over the next six minutes of playing time to take the lead, 35-32, 2+ minutes into the final quarter. During that stretch, Belmont turned ice cold from everywhere, including the foul line, where they missed all five FT attempts.

Anna Hickman had a 3-pointer and a layup, while Emily Pettigrew added two layups in the rush to the lead.

In the final five minutes of this game there were four ties and five lead changes. It was clearly anyone’s game.

But in the final minute, Belmont made enough free throws and enough stops on defense to get the job done.

first block by Jess Giorgio

second block by Jess Giorgio

Defensive hero in the last minute? Freshman Jess Giorgio. Twice the 6-1 center blocked shot attempts in close by Anna Hickman without fouling.

Belmont had to shoot second-half free throws in the NBPT student second end of the gymnasium. Not an easy thing to do but somehow Irini Nikolaidis managed to can four straight in the last two minutes.

Awesome rendition of the National Anthem by the Clippers’ Paige Gouldthorpe.

Krysta Padellaro in the open floor

Impressed by the point-guard play of Newburyport’s Krysta Padellaro and Belmont’s Carly Christofori. The two of them also played terrific defense. Both are only sophomores.

Tough 24 hours for the Newburyport basketball teams as both the boys’ and the girls’ teams were eliminated from tournament play during that time.

Newburyport boxscore

Belmont boxscore

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Irini Nikolaidis (clutch free throws)

Anna Hickman and Carly Christofori

Emily Pettigrew and Samari Winklaar

crowd under the basket

Emily Pettigrew and Jess Giorgio

The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.

Emily Pettigrew puts Newburyport ahead

Anna Hickman (14 points) gets around Jess Giorgio

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Tagged as Anna Hickman, Carly Christofori, Emily Pettigrew, Irini Nikolaidis, Jess Giorgio, Krysta Padellaro

March 3, 2016 · 11:19 pm

Eight 3’s and tight defense get Saugus past Amesbury 57-44 in D3 North

Dan Bertrand (12 points) shoots from in front of the Saugus bench and crowd

Plenty of action in this game

(Amesbury MA) This was no stroll in the park.

Bodies flew and more than feelings were hurt in a game won by Saugus, 57-44, over Amesbury on Thursday night.

Saugus moves on to the quarterfinals of Division 3 North and will face Stoneham. The Sachems (10-11) had a win over Stoneham during the regular season.

Amesbury (12-8) appeared out of synch all game long. Maybe it was the physical play. Maybe it was the pressure of a packed house. Whatever it was, the Indians took very poor care of the ball (23 turnovers by my count) and did not defend the perimeter (eight 3’s for Saugus) very well.

Adam Incontri pressures Matthew Waggett

For a half, Saugus had just as much trouble as Amesbury did. The Indians were high energy, man-to-man defenders and had shot blockers available in close.

It was only 20-18 at the half and you knew that the team that could put some points together would be able to create separation.

Saugus was that team in the third quarter. David Rowinsky’s second three of the quarter, at the three-minute mark, gave the visitors the lead (26-24) and they never trailed thereafter.

David Rowinsky (16 points) had five 3’s

Dave Rowinsky’s second three was also part of eight straight points Saugus put together to lead, 31-24.

The Indians answered with a Dan Welch layup and a Kyle Martin jumper.

But instead of this being the start of a run back into contention, it turned out to be momentary and the Sachems followed with their second eight-point streak of the quarter. A layin from Even DeCristoforo started it and then there were killer three’s, twenty-three seconds apart, by David

Rowinsky (16 points) and Dan Bertrand (12 points).

That second eight-spot pushed the deficit for Amesbury to double figures (39-28) with 1 ½ to go in the third quarter. The Indians did not have enough shot makers beyond Dan Welch (17 points) to get closer the rest of the way.

Key to the win? The effectiveness of the Saugus zone defense. In the first half the zone was strictly half-court. In the crucial third quarter that zone moved to three quarters and was a game-changer. The Sachems trapped and jumped passing lanes and Amesbury fell away from productive offense.

The big need for Amesbury was for someone to hit from the outside. Fred Halloran made their only three in the first half. The Indians did get three from long range in the final quarter (Eric Dawes, Fred Halloran, Riley O’Connor) but the lead was already 48-31 and it was not nearly enough to set up a close finish.

Kyle Autilio holds his ground and gets a charge called on Riley O’Connor

Saugus connected four times from long range in the breakaway third quarter. Combine that with nine AHS miscues in the same quarter and you quickly realize why a 23-10 point spread occurred.

This was a very physical game. There were dives for basketballs and every layup was heavily contested. Saugus, from the Northeast Conference, was definitely more used to physical play while Amesbury appeared distracted by it.

Great crowd. Saugus brought a bus full and they ended up having plenty to cheer about in the second half.

Dan Bertrand has committed to Norwich (VT) where he’ll join his brother Joe. Their father is an assistant coach with Saugus.

Kyle Autilio will be going to D2 Assumption next year to play baseball. Kyle was the Sachems point guard this evening and had plenty to do with Saugus having only fourteen turnovers for the night.

Amesbury will graduate seven seniors including the starting five.

Saugus boxscore

Amesbury boxscore

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Riley O’Connor eyes the hoop

Evan DeCristoforo guarded by Adam Incontri

Kyle Autilio heads in where shots are blocked

David Rowinsky (16 points) hit five 3’s

Dan Welch stopped by Chris McGrane

Matt Waggett and Ryan Foley

Jarod Day covered by Vincent Cirame

AHS coach Tom Comeau with senior Dan Welch

Cameron Leary at the charity stripe

Kyle Martin shoots

Dan Welch (17 points) in close

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Filed under Amesbury, Saugus

Tagged as Dan Bertrand, Dan Welch, David Rowinsky, Kyle Atuilio

March 1, 2016 · 11:38 pm

Danny Baribeault (42 points) takes Newburyport past Pentucket 71-59

Danny Baribeault (42 points) had a night of high-percentage shots like this one.

Danny Baribeault among four Sachems

(Haverhill MA) Newburyport outscored Pentucket 15-3 over the final six minutes to break a tie and go on to a 71-59 win in Round 1 of the D3 North at Whittier on Tuesday night.

And then there was Danny. Senior Danny Baribeault, that is. Forty-two points in as smooth a performance as you’ll see in such a big scoring night.

Only two three-point shots in Danny’s night. No need for low-percentage three-pointers when the inside had openings galore. Five times Danny was able to score off of offensive rebounds.

Danny Baribeault looks for two

I knew Danny was accumulating points but what distracted me from noticing his totals was that undersized Pentucket was very much in this one until the final six minutes.

There were six lead changes and six ties before things went south at the end for the team from West Newbury.

The Sachems (9-10) hadn’t played in nineteen days but there certainly wasn’t any evidence of it in the early going. Pentucket put eleven unanswered points together (a three by Jimmy Cleary included) and were ahead 16-4 with two minutes left in the first quarter.

It took an 11-2 run in the second period for the Clippers (11-10) to get all the way back, 25-25, with 2:24 left until halftime.

Robbie Shays had a three in that sequence and Cam MacRae made a marvelous save of a ball going out of bounds (right in front of me) and set up teammate Brendan Powers for the tying score.

Jacob Dickson’s trey at the buzzer gave Pentucket a 32-27 advantage.

Jimmy Cleary in the corner

The Sachems only lost a point off their lead in the third quarter despite Danny Baribeault’s remarkable seventeen points. Danny put eight of those scores in a package to send NHS ahead, 39-35, but later Pentucket answered with nine in a row (another three from Jimmy Cleary in the mix) to lead 48-43. The quarter ended, 50-46.

The outcome was still very much in doubt into the final period. The Sachems, however, had players in foul trouble. Those are the players who hurt you on defense and on this night Danny Baribeault saw plenty of openings.

Conor O’Neil’s three knotted things at 56-56. But right after that came a layup by Danny (on a nice feed from Cam MacRae), two free throws by Robbie Shay, and a drive by Cam MacRae. This small run gave Newburyport separation (62-56) with four minutes left. Pentucket needed the long-range fix but in the end game dialing long-distance got no answers. All three of the Sachems’ points in the final four minutes were from the foul line.

Conor O’Neil

Junior Conor O’Neil (18 points), and Nate McGrail (10 points) paced the Sachems.

Robbie Shay had thirteen points including seven in the final quarter. Cam MacRae added ten points.

Newburyport moves on to face Cape Ann League opponent Lynnfield on Friday night (7PM) at Lynnfield. The Clippers lost twice to the Pioneers during the regular season.

Plenty of support on hand for both teams.

Pentucket reached the D3 state semifinals at the Garden last year. The Sachems were wiped out by graduation and the transfer of Pat Friermuth but scrapped and scrambled their way to enough wins to qualify for the tournament this year.

One things that didn’t impress me about Pentucket was their free throw shooting. In the OT win over Newburyport to start the season they made only 9 of 29 attempts. Tonight it was 12-for-23.

In Newburyport’s win over Pentucket (48-32) freshman Casey McLaren had twenty-seven. This time around Casey had only two but teammate Danny made up plenty of slack with his 42 points.

After six turnovers in a tough first quarter the Clippers had only four miscues the rest of the way.