Monthly Archives: January 2021

January 29, 2021 · 10:22 pm

Pentucket notches first win 47-46 versus Triton after eleven lead changes

Dylan Wilkinson falls away after nearly winning the game at the buzzer for Triton

Nick Daly (10 points) had the game-winner for Pentucket

(Byfield MA) Nick Daly’s runner from the right gave Pentucket the lead with three seconds left.

Triton responded with a set play.

It nearly won the game for them at the buzzer.

“Nine out of ten times that shot goes in,” said Pentucket head coach Ed Hickey post-game.  “It was run well, and we were lucky it didn’t work.”

As a result, the relieved Sachems had their first win of the season, 47-46.

“Alden (Lentz) threw a great inbounds lob pass,” recalled Triton coach Ted Schruender of the final play. “Dylan (Wilkinson) came off a nice backscreen by Quintin McHale, but it just didn’t work out.”

It was catch-and-shoot for Dylan and “at a tough angle,” added Coach Hickey.

The Sachems (1-2) managed to lead at the end of every quarter but hardly dominated within each quarter.

Dylan Wilkinson elevates for a chance at a block

There were lead changes in every quarter totaling eleven for the game.  Three happened during the last two minutes of regulation.

Consecutive inside scores by Kyle Odoy, Travis Overbaugh, Quintin McHale, and Nick Dupuis pushed the Vikings ahead, 44-40, with three minutes left in the game.

Pentucket responded with a rebound basket by Michael Perlitch and a three from the right by Nick Daly with 1:47 remaining to retake the lead, 45-44.

After turnovers by both teams, Travis Overbaugh cashed an offensive rebound with eighteen seconds left putting Triton on top, 46-45.

On Pentucket’s final possession, Triton switched to a man-to-man and junior Nick Daly ended up with the ball on the right side with the clock running out.

“I was going to take a three,” explained Nick post-game,” but I saw an opening to get to the hoop.  The shot hit a lot of rim but went in.”

Quintin McHale (12 points) finds a teammate

“I thought that Quintin had great position on that last play,” recalled Triton coach Ted Schruender.  “He (Nick Daly) made a tough shot.  Quintin may have tipped the shot, but it still went in.”

Triton (3-5) had good looks, especially in the first half, but couldn’t make enough shots to gain separation.

Pentucket struggled to get high percentage shots most of the game.

“We played well,” said Coach Schruender, “but they hit shots at the end of the shot clock that were tough shots.”

“Triton caused a lot of turnovers and it got them some easy hoops,” said Coach Hickey.

The Sachems struck from beyond the arc seven times including four times in the first quarter.

Junior Che Condon paced Pentucket with fourteen points including three 3’s. Nick Daly added ten points.

Quintin McHale (12 points) and Dylan Wilkinson (11 points) led Triton.

Travis Overbaugh turns a turnover into two points

Senior Travis Overbaugh had nine points for Triton including two layups off steals in the second half.

Coach Hickey: “Being in quarantine for two weeks really set us back.  We’re getting better and the kids are really working hard.”

Nick Daly: (On the last play) “That last play was close. The pass went over my head and when I looked the shot was falling out.”

Pentucket had six games postponed during their quarantine time.  They are scheduled to play their final five games in an eight-day span.

“We don’t mind the games being packed in at the end,” said Coach Hickey.  “The kids just want to play them.”

Triton box

Pentucket box

The link to this story will be on Twitter @mcclellandpeter.  It should also end up on Mascores.  Pictures should make Instagram @mcclellandmiscellanea.

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

Ryan Tedeschi

Che Condon (14 points) defends

Jared Leonard

Quintin McHale and Dylan Wilkinson surround Che Condon

Drew Sullivan (32) and Griffin Dupuis (24)

Travis Overbaugh guards Silas Bucco

Dylan Wilkinson in for two

Kyle Odoy splits Silas Bucco and Nick Daly

Dylan Wilkinson double-teamed

Nick Dupuis in close

Kyle Odoy covered by Kenneth Lee

Alden Lentz set to run the final play for Triton

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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January 26, 2021 · 9:42 pm

Fast start key as Amesbury gets 39-23 win versus Ipswich

Riley Daly (16 points) even with tight coverage

Avery Hallinan (18 points) even against a good Ipswich zone defense

Liv DeLong (10 points) on the baseline

(Amesbury MA) Sometimes the start can finish a team.

That’s what happened to Ipswich as they fell to Amesbury, 39-23, on Tuesday night in Cape Ann League play.

“We got off to a slow start,” said Tigers coach Chris Tolios,” and dug ourselves a hole we couldn’t get out of.”

Amesbury (2-1) had nine unanswered points to start the game.

Early in the second quarter the Indians put eight straight together.

When those two collections of consecutive offense were over, Amesbury was in front, 19-5, four minutes into the second quarter.

The two teams were even the rest of the way but the ship had sailed on the Tigers.

McKenna Hallinan looks to pass

A tight Amesbury man-to-man defense saw to it that Ipswich (1-4) stayed double digits away thereafter.

Avery Hallinan had eighteen points to lead the Indians.  Twice in this one (in the 2nd quarter) she hit from long-range.

Amesbury had five 3’s in the game.  “We hit three’s,” said Amesbury coach Gregg Dollas afterwards, “and we needed that against their tough zone.”

Riley Daly (16 points) paced Ipswich.

“McKenna (Hallinan) did a great job covering her,” said Coach Dollas.  “Riley is one of the best players in the CAL.”

Riley Daly gets to the basket

Riley was tightly covered on the perimeter and was confronted with extra defenders when she tried to get to the basket.  Somehow, even with the special attention, the Ipswich senior made shots.

I have seen all three Amesbury games, and the biggest improvement tonight was their passing.

“The ball movement was greatly improved,” agreed Coach Dollas.

And it needed to be against a well-organized Ipswich zone.

“Riley does a great job in the middle of that zone,” said Coach Dollas.  “She’s so athletic and she made it tough for Avery who lives in there.”

The heavy traffic, however, didn’t seem to deter Avery too much when passes did get inside.  She was willing to absorb contact, attempt layups, draw fouls, and collect points.

“We had good ball movement,” explained junior Gabby Redford post-game.  “Definitely better than last game (Lynnfield).  We passed well and got good looks out of it.”

Gabby Redford (22) finds a teammate for a layup

Gabby had several assists.  “I looked up and they were cutting through, so I got them the ball.”

Carter King (12) on defense

Coach Dollas: “He (Chris Tolios) does a terrific job with his kids.  They hang around in every game.”

Coach Tolios: “Amesbury played good physical defense.  We just couldn’t get anything going offensively.  We work a lot on defense in practice.  Our girls don’t quit.  Even when the ball is not going into the basket you can still play hard defense.”

Gabby Redford: “I have been thrown off by the way the season has gone.  Last year we had so much more practice and time to prepare.  Now everything is rushed.  I am still very happy to be playing.”

Covid-19 concerns have affected both teams.  Amesbury had its first five games postponed.  Ipswich hadn’t played in thirteen days.

Ipswich coach Chris Tolios

Liv DeLong notched ten points for Amesbury.

Only three players scored for Ipswich.

Usually low-scoring games indicate a plentiful amount of turnovers, but not this time.  Why?  Ipswich kept the ball in Riley Daly’s hands as much as possible while Amesbury lessened their tendency (in the first two games) of panicking under pressure.

Amesbury box

Ipswich box

This coverage will be linked in Twitter @mcclellandpeter and should appear on Mascores.  I plan to also post some of the pictures on Instagram @mcclellandmiscellanea.

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

Alyssa Pettet (14) moves up to guard Riley Daly

Julia Moseley

Sami Kimball

Ava Horsman blocks McKenna Hallinan’s shot

Carter King tangles with Avery Hallinan

Avery Hallinan rebounds

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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January 22, 2021 · 10:22 pm

Amesbury holds off Lynnfield 47-43 for first win

McKenna Hallinan and Bella George go to the floor for a loose ball

Avery Hallinan (18 points) drives past Riley Hallahan

(Amesbury MA) There were six ties and six lead changes.

But it was Amesbury that took the last lead change.

The Indians were able to put together a good collection of offense/defense in the closing quarter and defeated Lynnfield, 47-43, on Friday night.

The winless Pioneers didn’t score a point in the final 6 ½ minutes.

This was only the second game for the Indians (1-1).

Three days ago, Amesbury faced Newburyport after just three days of practice.  The result (46-18) wasn’t pretty.

Alyssa Pettet defends Grace Klonsky (11 points)

“It certainly felt better tonight than last game,” said Avery Hallinan (18 points) about the team’s first win.  “We were more settled and definitely ready for this one.”

Lynnfield (0-5) which had also lost badly (61-29) to Newburyport, were in this game until the end.

“I saw them on film,” said AHS coach Gregg Dollas.  “They were much improved today.”

An issue for the Pioneers was depth.  Injuries had limited them to only seven players in uniform.

The short bench caught up to Lynnfield in the last quarter.

Abby Adamo to the basket

Up until then, the Pioneers made shots and disrupted Amesbury with double-teams and pressure.

“We were better today,” said LHS coach Jeannine Cavallaro post-game.  “We implemented a press the other day and they did a good job of executing it.”

At 6:30 of the final quarter, Grace Klonsky (11 points) nailed a jump shot from straight away and the Pioneers were up, 43-40.

Maybe it was the short Lynnfield bench.  Maybe it was tighter Amesbury defense.  Take your pick and/or add other reasons, but the Pioneers didn’t score another point.

Gabby Redford’s drive, and later her assist on a McKenna Hallinan three, gave the Indians the lead for good, 45-43, with 3 ½ minutes left.

Alyssa Pettet shoots a free throw

Several minutes later, Alyssa Pettet set up teammate Liv DeLong for a baseline jumper to boost the Amesbury margin to, 47-43, with 1 ½ minutes remaining.

That was how it ended but not before Lynnfield had good looks and Amesbury had free throws.  However, there were no successful connections on either end, and the Indians held on for the victory.

“In the first half we were hitting,” said Coach Cavallaro.  “The second half we were a little tired and I think it affected our shooting.”

Lynnfield’s Caroline Waisnor (17 points) was on fire in the first half notching fourteen points.

Caroline Waisnor (17 points) at the line

Avery Hallinan covered her.  “She’s a very good player and I love playing against her,” said Avery.

Avery Hallinan and Caroline Waisnor

Avery had eighteen points with most coming off drives.  Three of the baskets were set up by her sister McKenna.

“We were certainly better on offense today,” said Coach Dollas.  “Every game is going to be a grind.”

“Alyssa Pettet made big plays for us late in the game,” added Coach Dollas.  “She set up a basket and had a steal.”

“Amesbury had size,” said Coach Cavallaro.  “We had trouble shooting against them on the inside.”

Caroline Waisnor beat the clock with a late three to end the third quarter.

The Pioneers had a six-point lead (26-20) three minutes into the 3rd quarter but two 3’s by senior Mary Bullis (assisted by Liv DeLong) brought Amesbury even.  Liv’s cross-court passes gave Mary open looks against Lynnfield’s zone defense.

Sami Kimball blocks out

“I was certainly happy with our offense tonight after only getting eighteen total points at Newburyport,” said Coach Dollas.  “However, I didn’t like giving up forty-three points although they were really hot early in the game.”

Coach Dollas told me that he had heard multiple answers on whether or not there will be playoffs at the end of the season.

Avery Hallinan: “The Newburyport game was almost like a warmup game because we had so little preparation.  Now we’re moving on.  We did much better today.”

Amesbury box

Lynnfield box

The link to the game story & pictures will be on Twitter @mcclellandpeter.  I send Mascores the stories and some have been posted.  Pictures will appear on Instagram @mcclellandmiscellanea tomorrow.

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

Bella George and Gabby Redford

Ava Buonfiglio shoots a free throw

Grace Klonsky past McKenna Hallinan and in for two

Grace Klonsky

Inbounds lineup

Gregg Dollas and Jeannine Cavallaro

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January 19, 2021 · 10:55 pm

Undefeated Newburyport defeats Amesbury 46-18 led by Abigail Gillingham’s 20 points

Newburyport Clippers are undefeated after six games

Amesbury’s Avery Hallinan (11) looks for someone to pass to.

Abigail Gillingham (20 points)

(Newburyport MA) This was not a good matchup.

Amesbury was overwhelmed by Newburyport, 46-18, on Tuesday night at NHS.

The Indians faced undefeated Newburyport with only three days of practice, thanks to a ruling by the Amesbury School Committee.

The Clippers, now 6-0, could easily be the best team in the Cape Ann League.  They have been together for weeks and their play on both ends of the court shows it.

In this game, Newburyport passed its way to high percentage shots while defending Amesbury into low percentage shots.

Abigail Gillingham (20 points) was a game-long problem for the Indians.  Neither their perimeter defense nor their inside defense was effective enough to slow down the Clippers.

Avery Hallinan tries to cover Abigail Gillingham in close

“Abigail Gillingham was very good tonight,” admitted Amesbury coach Gregg Dollos afterwards, “but we didn’t battle the post.  We gave her all the positioning she wanted.”

Even when the Clippers missed shots in close there were teammates on hand to cash rebounds.

“Abigail did a great job of getting her body in the paint and we made really good passes to her,” said NHS coach Karen Grutchfield post-game.

Amesbury’s defensive struggles on the interior eliminated Newburyport’s need to rely on long-range shots and they took very few.

The Clippers gained separation 24-12 at halftime and Abigail had fifteen of Newburyport’s points.

Clippers interior defense

The Clippers defense truly made things tough for the visitors later on and they could only get six points in the entire second half. There were very few clean looks from anyplace for the Indians all night long.

“Our defense is the key to everything we do,” explained Abigail afterwards.  “Amesbury had trouble with our 1-2-2 press.”

“Our passing wasn’t good at all,” explained Coach Dollos.  “There were just too many individual things going on out there.”

It all came down to a well-organized team facing a team just getting used to being together.

Block by Liv DeLong

The Indians have two days to prepare for their home opener Friday versus Lynnfield. The time together should help them to improve.

“Amesbury has good kids and they’re physical,” said Coach Grutchfield.  “We were fortunate to catch them when we did.”

Deidre McElhinney had nine points for Newburyport while Avery Hallinan paced the Indians with ten points.

Newburyport box

Amesbury box

Interesting to see Amesbury’s Alyssa Pettet trying basketball her senior year.  She’ll be playing soccer for Holy Cross in the fall.

Newburyport seniors

Newburyport’s two seniors (Abigail Gillingham & Leah Metsker) were honored after the game.

This story/pictures will appear on my online blog (McClelland Miscellanea).  The link to the game with be on Twitter (mcclellandpeter).  Mascores has also been posting my entries.  There should be pictures showing up on Instagram (McclellandMiscellanea) over the next few days.

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

Newburyport triple-team

Alyssa Pettet gets to the basket

Gabby Redford tied up by Gabby Loughran and Makenna Ward

Jackie Doucette guards Gabby Redford

Abigail Gillingham jump shot in the lane

Deidre McElhinney (9 points) to the rim

Leah Metsker

Liv DeLong guards Abigail Gillingham

Mary Bullis

Metskers

Gillinghams

 

 

 

 

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January 17, 2021 · 5:31 pm

Amesbury wins belated season opener 73-64 over Rockport

Benan Murdock cornered by Andrew Davis and Matt Welch

Bowen Slingluff had a career-high 31 points for Rockport

(Amesbury MA) The Amesbury boys basketball team finally got a chance to play……….and they made the most of it.

The Indians (1-0) held off Rockport, 73-64, on Sunday afternoon.

The winless Vikings (0-4) got a career game (31 points) out of junior Bowen Slingluff and were within five points in the last minute with the ball.

Key play alert.  Bowen followed with a drive to basket, which could have cut Amesbury’s lead to three points, but the shot attempt was blocked by senior Kyle Donovan.

Cam Keliher (21 points)

The rest of the game was a steady flow of free throws for junior Cam Keliher (21 points), and his eight-for-eight from the line sealed it for the home team.

“You could see the rust for sure,” said Amesbury coach postgame.  “Defensively, we were a little slow and #13 (Bowen Slingluff) took advantage of it.  This is only our fourth day out here since coming back.”  The Indians had their first four scheduled games cancelled because of Covid worries.

“I’m very proud of our team,” explained Rockport coach Phil Whitley afterwards.  “We’ve got three seniors not playing because of Covid concerns.  Today we were down but we came back.”

That short bench (three reserves) caught up to the Vikings in the third quarter.  They gained a, 34-31, advantage after 1 ½ minutes.

Matt Heidt (13 points)

Six different Indians (Matt Heidt, Kyle Donovan, Matt Welch, Cam Keliher, Keegan Collins, Jake Hallinan) contributed points in a 17-3 segment that followed over the next 4 ½ minutes and Amesbury took the lead for good, 48-37.

The Indians comfortable double-digit lead (65-55) got a little uncomfortable, however, in the last two minutes of the game as Rockport turned full-court defense into quick offense.

A three by Bowen and then a steal (Austin Matus) set Bowen up for a layup which had the Vikings within five, 65-60, one minute later

However, after Amesbury’s 8th turnover of the quarter, Kyle Donovan blocked Bowen’s layup attempt that would have made things even more interesting in the closing seconds.

Rockport was now forced to foul and every time they did, Cam Keliher had the ball.

Afterwards, Cam had lost track of the eight straight he made in the final thirty seconds.  “I missed one earlier in the game,” he said.

Tight defense

“They made free throws at the end when they needed to,” recalled Coach Whitley.

“Cam is a very good foul shooter,” said Coach Comeau.  “We wanted him to have the basketball late in the game.  He’s a good all-around player.”

Cam led Amesbury in scoring.  He had three 3’s in the second quarter.

Bowen’s thirty-one points were a career high for the junior.  “He was amazing,” said Coach Whitley.  “He hit from everywhere.  He had been struggling a bit but had a big second half in our last game against Lynnfield.”

Kyle Donovan (14 points) dominated the inside, but fouls limited his playing time.  “I have to learn to stop committing bad fouls.”

Kyle Donovan (14 points)

Rockport made ten three’s with Bowen getting seven of them.  “We gave #13 too many looks,” said Cam Keliher.

The Indians will certainly have to improve their perimeter defense next game when they host Georgetown which specializes in long-range tries.

Nine different players collected points for Amesbury.  Sophomore Matt Heidt had three of the Indians’ nine three’s.

Coach Whitley: “It has certainly been a bizarro season for everyone.  This was a fun game to be a part of even though we lost.”

Coach Comeau: “Rockport played very well today.”

Rockport box

Amesbury box

The link to this game will be posted on Twitter @mcclellandpeter.  The story will also get posted (I hope) on Mascores.  Later some of the pictures will appear on Instagram @mcclellandmiscellanea.

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

Cam Keliher

Benan Murdock

Dan Merz

Loose ball

Cam Keliher shoots in traffic

Austin Matus drives on Keegan Collins

Benan Murdock (14 points) sails

Austin Matus to the rim

 

 

 

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January 15, 2021 · 10:36 pm

Ipswich holds off Triton 53-52 in OT

Ipswich celebrates after edging Triton

(Byfield MA) “I was afraid that they might call a foul, but I got all ball.”

That was how freshman Will Wertz explained it after his last-second block preserved Ipswich’s, 53-52, win over the Triton on Friday night.

The Vikings (1-3) had just three seconds to work with but perfectly executed an inbounds play to give Dylan Wilkinson (17 points) a look from the right corner.

Dylan Wilkinson (17 points) to the hoop

Despite the loss, Triton coach Ted Schruender wasn’t totally surprised by the way things went.  “You had two evenly matched teams so it could have gone either way.  We were hot and then they were hot.”

There were nine lead changes early into the second half.

Then the Vikings, led by Dylan Wilkinson and Kyle Odoy (16 points) turned up the heat defensively (four Ipswich turnovers) and strung twelve straight points together in a 3 ½ minute segment of the third quarter.

The showcase performance sent the home team up, 36-26, with three minutes left in the third quarter.

Ipswich wasn’t done, however.

Kyle Odoy (16 points) splits two Tigers

“We really showed resilience tonight,” explained Ipswich coach Alan Laroche.  “We were down ten and didn’t stop believing that we could come back.”

And back the visitors came.

Triton’s, 42-32, lead vanished as Ipswich heated up.  The Tigers (2-2) had three’s from Charlie Henderson and Aidan O’Flynn putting twelve straight points together and regained the lead, 44-42, with four minutes left.

Ipswich took a two-point lead with twenty seconds remaining in regulation (Ray Cuevas layup) but senior Kyle Odoy (16 points) had a tying layup with eight seconds left to force OT.

Nikhil Walker (11 points) looks to convert a rebound

The Vikings built up a four-point lead in the first minute of overtime and still had that margin (52-48) in the last minute and had the ball.

Ipswich, however, did everything right in that last minute and pulled out the exciting win.

Charlie Henderson (14 points) started things for the Tigers in that pivotal last minute getting a steal and a layup.  Then it was solid Ipswich team defense that forced a 5-second violation as Triton tried to inbounds the ball.  Still trailing by two (52-50) Ipswich was able to get Ray Cuevas (13 points) a 3-point shot which he cashed to get the Tigers in front.

Ray Cuevas stops Kyle Odoy on the baseline

“Ray is a great player,” said Coach Laroche.  “We try to get him as many looks as we can.  Screens were set for him and he used them.”

“All game long I was struggling for downtown,” said Ray Cuevas afterwards.  “You keep shooting and sooner or later they fall.  I knew that last shot was going in.”

In it went and then Will Wertz’s block sealed it for the Tigers.

“Will didn’t shoot very well tonight but he came up big for us at the end,” said Coach Laroche.

Nikhil Walker excelled on defense and added eleven points for Ipswich.

Charlie Henderson double-teamed

Despite the loss Coach Schruender was optimistic: “These guys work hard and we’re going to get better.  I’m just happy that we’re out here playing.  We’re hoping for no interruptions in the future.”

This was the second overtime loss for the Vikings this week.

Triton box

Ipswich box

The link to this coverage will be on Twitter (@mcclellandpeter).  I also expect to post pictures on Instagram (mcclellandmiscellanea).  The story/pictures should appear on Mascores too.

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

Coach Alan Laroche pregame with Ray Cuevas and Nikhil Walker

Jayden Halecki (40) in a crowd of Vikings

Nick Dupuis

Aidan O’Flynn

Kyle Odoy and Will Wertz

Dylan Wilkinson shoots over Charlie Henderson

Kyle Odoy finds an opening to the basket

Zach Liebert at the line

Board battle

Quintin McHale at the line

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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January 13, 2021 · 11:34 pm

Newburyport overwhelms Lynnfield early getting 61-29 win

Anna Affolter was part of a tight Newburyport defense

The Clippers turned missed Lynnfield shots into fast break opportunities.

Deidre McElhinney (13 points) led all scorers.

(Newburyport MA) Impressive performance by the Clippers.

Undefeated Newburyport (4-0) dazzled in every aspect of the game and routed Lynnfield, 61-29, on Wednesday night at NHS.

The Clippers smothered the winless Pioneers (0-3) defensively from the get-go and were about as good on offense as you can get.

“We came out strong,” said NHS high scorer Deidre McElhinney afterwards in what could well have been the understatement of the year!

The Clippers scored the first eleven points of the game and may not have missed a shot during the hot start.

By the end of the first quarter, seven different Clippers had contributed points and NHS was in control, 24-5.

Leah Metsker and Riley Hallahan

“Once we started making shots, we gained more confidence,” explained senior Leah Metsker.

Four of the NHS baskets were on offensive rebound conversions.  Three came on 3-point shots, while another was off a turnover that high scorer Deidre McElhinney (13 points) turned into a layup.

“A lot of us were on tonight,” added Deidre in yet another understatement.

Sophomore Jackie Doucette told me post-game, “I wasn’t really on tonight,” yet she still ended up with eleven points.

Clippers coach Karen Grutchfield was pleased with the way things went: “I thought they did great.  Our whole focus was defensive pressure and out of that pressure we got transition points.”

The Clippers seemed to have the right answers for each defense the Pioneers tried.

Abigail Gillingham (8 points) shoots over the Lynnfield defense

Against Ipswich, Newburyport struggled with the visitor’s zone defense.  Not tonight.  Plenty of good passes including cross-court ones that turned up high-percentage looks.  Even on misses, the Clippers size and positioning resulted in nine rebound baskets.

Impressive show, to say the least.

Credit Lynnfield for never giving up despite falling behind by as many as thirty-five (56-21) early in the final quarter.

“They were taller than us and played great,” said Lynnfield coach Jeannine Cavallaro afterwards referencing Newburyport.  “You get down by twenty early, it’s hard to come back.”

Tight Clippers defense on the inside kept two of Lynnfield’s Cape Ann League All-Stars (Caroline Waisnor & Grace Klonsky) on the perimeter and shut down the driving lanes for them.  They were each limited to four points.

Caroline Waisnor on defense

“We got some decent looks,” added Coach Cavallaro, “but our offense has been stagnant so far.”

Sophomore Isabella George led the Pioneers with ten points.

Abigail Gillingham (8), Emma Foley (8), and Sydney Turner (7) added points for Newburyport.

I thought that the individual defense of Anna Affolter and Makenna Ward on Grace Klonsky was excellent.

The early score-separation gave both coaches opportunity to give everyone plenty of playing time.  “We have plenty of depth,” said Coach Grutchfield, “and we don’t lose a lot when we substitute.  Our scoring was spread out (nine players scored) and I like that.”

Newburyport lost twice to Lynnfield last year.  “We remembered last year,” said Deidre.

Lynnfield coach Jeannine Cavallaro

The Pioneers have certainly gone through some changes since last year’s 13-7 season.  The Morelli sisters graduated.  CAL All-Star Cate MacDonald (averaged 12 rebounds per game) transferred to New Hampton Prep.  Three players are out with injuries. And they have a new coach.

“We’re missing players,” said Coach Cavallaro, “and we’ve been quarantining it.  So we’re behind but that’s no excuse.  You have to come out and play.”

Grace Klonsky is committed to Denison while Caroline Waisnor will join the Endicott Gulls this fall.

The good start by Newburyport bodes well for their schedule ahead.  “If we start the way we did tonight, we’ll be in good shape the rest of the way,” said Deidre McElhinney.

The other two CAL games I have covered have been posted on Mascores and this one should be also.  The link to my blog (McClelland Miscellanea) will be on Twitter (@mcclellandpeter) will be on Twitter.  I also hope to get pictures on Instagram (Mcclellandmiscellanea).

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

Gabby Loughran pressures Maggie Ozanian

Olivia McDonald in denial defense

Elizabeth Metsker defends Riley Hallahan

Anna Affolter tries to guard Grace Klonsky

Loose ball

Grace Klonsky guarded by Makenna Ward

Jackie Doucette (11 points)

Caroline Waisnor

Emma Foley (8 points)

Battle on the boards

Deidre McElhinney in for two

Makenna Ward guards Grace Klonsky

Ava Buonfiglio, Deidre McElhinney, and Maggie Ozanian

Livia Tare

 

 

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January 11, 2021 · 11:36 pm

Liv Kiricoples (21 points) leads Triton past Georgetown 48-35

Sophomore Liv Kiricoples (21 points) took over the second half for the Vikings

Liv Kiricoples found sixteen points for Triton on the inside in the second half

(Byfield MA) Way too much Liv Kiricoples for Georgetown to cope with in the second half.

Liv turned in a 16-point second half as Triton defeated the Royals, 48-35, on Monday night at Triton.

“#10 is a great player,” said Triton coach Bryan Shields afterwards referring to Liv.  “She works as hard as she can and is never satisfied with what she’s doing.  Only a sophomore, I can’t wait to see how she develops in the seasons ahead.”

The Vikings (2-0) needed that strong second half because the Royals only trailed by a point (23-22) halfway through the third quarter after a Brook Higgins put-back basket.

“We played hard,” said Royals coach Kevin Fair post-game.  “I definitely liked our effort.”

And through 2 ½ quarters the effort and hard work was enough because both teams missed shots and turned the ball over with an alarming regularity.

Georgetown pressure

Triton pressure

The last half of the third quarter, however, Triton put together a string of unanswered points (thirteen) and were in control, 36-22, at quarter’s end.

A Riley Bell runner, a Molly Kimball triple, and a Caitlin Frary layup blended with six points from Liv Kiricoples to gain separation from the pesky Royals.

“That third quarter killed us,” admitted Coach Fair.  “We had too many turnovers and too many missed layups.”

Even when the visitors successfully broke the persistent Triton pressure, they often missed the in-alone layup at the other end.

Caitlin Frary (11 points) gets to the basket

“We want to play fast on both ends,” said Coach Shields.

The Vikings missed plenty of shots too.  Decisive for them was taking advantage in the last part of the game of having Liv Kiricoples in close to the basket.

The new rules eliminate, for the most part, taking the ball out under the basket.  Triton used sidelines out-of-bounds to their advantage.  The Royals tried to front Liv in the post, but the inbounds passers often lobbed over the defenders to Liv who had the lane to herself.

Neither team gave the other any kind of defensive break.  Both teams committed twenty-seven turnovers by my unofficial count.  Most of Georgetown’s were in the backcourt while most of Triton’s were in the frontcourt.

“We struggled against their press,” said Coach Fair.  “It was disappointing because we practiced really hard against it.”

“This game was real tight early on,” said Coach Shields.  “Georgetown stuck right with us.”

Liv Kiricoples finished with twenty-one points.  Teammate Caitlin Frary added eleven.

Freshman Tyrah Marcelin (9 points) at the line

Tyrah  Marcelin (9 points) and Carena Ziolkowski (8 points) paced Georgetown.

Everyone played even though the game was a close one for quite a while.  I think, after seeing two games, that the short season and no post-season will encourage coaches to use more players.  Enjoy the moment, seems to be the approach.

Triton box

Georgetown box

The link to my coverage will be on twitter (@mcclellandpeter).  I also expect to post some individual shots on Instagram (McClellandMiscellanea)

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

Meaghan Loewen in a Triton double-team

Georgetown coach Kevin Fair

Caitlin Frary

Carena Ziolkowski guarded by Emily Hoggard

Bodies flying

Meghan Loewen in for a layup

Fight for the ball

Fifty-four turnovers in this game

Riley Bell

Ref repair

Ryan Gentile

Ball heading out of bounds

Maeve Heffernan set to defend

Maeve Heffernan looks to pass

 

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January 5, 2021 · 11:15 pm

Abigail Gillingham (17 points) leads Newburyport by Ipswich 39-24 in CAL opener

Senior Abigail Gillingham (17 pts) led all scorers

Leah Metsker and Gabby Loughran trap Ava Horsman

(Newburyport MA)  The Newburyport Clippers were good defensively all night.

The offense took a while to kick in.

But when it did, the visiting Ipswich Tigers were in trouble and fell to the Clippers, 39-24, on Tuesday night at NHS in the Cape Ann League opener for both teams.

Senior Abigail Gillingham (17 points) collected nine points in Newburyport’s game-turning, 16-point unanswered streak in the second half.

Jennie Tarr’s shot-clock buzzer beater had the Tigers within one, 21-20, with 1 ½ minutes left in the third quarter.

Riley Daly drew plenty of Newburyport attention

Ipswich coach Chris Tolios was pleased with the rally: “The girls played hard.  We went into the final quarter only down three points against one of the best teams in the Cape Ann League.”

And the Tiger’s top returning scorer (Riley Daly) hadn’t scored a point yet!

“We had missed a ton of shots,” explained Newburyport coach Karen Grutchfield post-game.  “I don’t think that our shot selection was great.  We didn’t take what they gave us.”

None of that had to do with the 4th quarter, however.

The Clippers began to make shots and make it look easy.

Newburyport huddle

“When things got ugly, we did recover,” admitted Coach Grutchfield.

The Clippers made shots inside and outside and Ipswich couldn’t match them down the other end.

Key basket (Abigail Gillingham) in the sixteen-point streak was scored after three straight, offensive putbacks.

Sydney Turner’s layup from Makenna Ward ended the NHS run five minutes into the 4th period with the score now, 37-20.

The Clippers defense was tough throughout.

“Our team strength is our lockdown defense,” explained Abigail.  Newburyport has length and allowed few open shots from anywhere.

Emma Foley steals from Riley Daly

It seemed as if almost every Ipswich possession in the first half had Coach Chris Tolios counting down the final seconds so that the Tigers would get off a shot before the thirty-second clock went off.

Ipswich was quicker on offense in the second half and that was how they rallied to make things interesting in the third quarter.

“Newburyport made plays at the end that we couldn’t make,” added Coach Tolios.

Coach Grutchfield was pleased with the win but added, “offensively we’ve got a lot of work to do against zone defenses.”

It wasn’t hard to miss the novelty of the situation.  The doors were locked. There were no spectators.  Everyone had a mask on.  There were some rule adjustments especially on free throws.

Maddie Duffy gets off a shot for Ipswich

The game was extremely quick.  I think it lasted just an hour.  I think that half-time was five minutes long and the teams didn’t leave the court.

There was a bigger picture.

Coach Tolios: “At the end of the day we were playing basketball.  We’re lucky to be here.”

Abigail Gillingham: “All of us have made the decision that we have to make the most of what we’ve got.  We’re grateful that we even get to play.  We’ll work through the rules and make something great out of it.”

Newburyport box

Ipswich box

(The story and pictures will be posted on Mascores and the link to it on Twitter.  May post some pictures on Instagram.)

The pictures above and below will enlarge if you click on them.

Referee

Makenna Ward

Ipswich coach Chris Tolios

Battle under the basket

Jennie Tarr

Freshman Olivia McDonald set to play defense

Deidre McElhinney

Ava Horsman eyes the hoop with Brela Pavao defending

Jennie Tarr beats the 30-second clock with a three

Jackie Doucette looks to pass

Abigail Gillingham was hot from the outside

Riley Daly

Maddie Richard defends Jackie Doucette

Battle for the ball

 

 

 

 

 

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