Monthly Archives: January 2022

January 29, 2022 · 12:28 am

Seventeen 3’s send Newburyport by Triton 72-48

James Scali (16 points) had four 3’s in the first quarter

(Newburyport MA) Things were falling in Newburyport.

And it wasn’t the snow.

That’s scheduled to arrive later.

What was falling was long shot after long shot by the Newburyport Clippers boys’ basketball team.

I don’t have access to the Clippers’ stat records but I’m guessing that tonight’s avalanche of three’s (seventeen!) was a school record or close to it.

Triton was on the wrong end of Newburyport’s hot shooting and fell, 72-48, on Friday night in Cape Ann League action.

The Clippers collected twelve 3’s in the first half and exploded to a 46-24 advantage.

Senior James Scali (16 points) had four 3’s in the first quarter and gave the Clippers the lead for good (5-4) with the first one he made.

“It was a fun first quarter,” said James afterwards. “It set the tone for the rest of the game.”

Junior Will Thoreson (12 points) came off the Newburyport bench to drill three 3’s in the second quarter. He loved the corners getting two of his 3’s from the right and the other from the left.

“It felt good coming off my hands every single time,” said Will post-game.

Coach Dave Clay was pleased with Will’s success tonight. “Will has been working so hard in practice. The shots haven’t always been falling for him, but they were tonight. I’m glad for him.”

Triton’s Dylan Wilkinson (20 points) led all scorers. His ability to weave and spin his way through defenders to the basket makes him difficult to contain.

“We started out okay,” said Dylan afterwards, “but then that (James) Scali kid got hot. They’re a good team. Every kid on that team can play.”

The Clippers took a twenty-point lead for the first time with two minutes left before halftime. The Vikings (5-7) moved their deficit inside of twenty twice in the fourth quarter. The first (57-38) was after a Dylan Wilkinson rebound put-back. The second one (60-41) followed Luke O’Leary’s crowd-pleasing three from the right corner.

“Newburyport made a ton of three’s,” said Triton coach Ted Schruender post-game. “Credit them for hitting all the shots they did, but we have to get off to better starts. On this night they scored against whatever we tried to do defensively.”

The Newburyport fans turned out and had plenty to cheer about.

Coach Clay did the player introductions for the second time this season. “I’m trying to make myself more valuable,” he said laughing.

Senior Jack Fehlner also had sixteen points for Newburyport. There were four 3’s in his scoring package. He also turned a steal into a layup (Pick Two) in the fourth quarter.

The Clippers are now 9-4 and have won four straight. They are also 5-0 at home.

Newburyport defeated Triton, 61-52, in December. James Scali had four three’s in that game as well.

Newburyport 27 19 11 15 = 72

Triton 16 8 10 14 = 48

(The pictures will enlarge.)

Griffin Dupuis drives against Finn Sullivan

James Scali had four 3’s in Newburyport’s first game vs Triton

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Tagged as Dylan Wilkinson, Jack Fehlner, James Scali, Will Thoreson

January 27, 2022 · 11:46 pm

Masconomet overwhelms Gloucester 62-23

(Boxford MA) “We played really hard at the beginning to put ourselves in a good spot,” explained Masco senior Krystal Zepaj afterwards.

The Lady Chieftains exploded in the second quarter and went on from there to a, 62-23, win over Gloucester in Northeastern Conference action on Thursday night.

The Fishermen (0-11) have struggled to be competitive so far. The inability to make shots hurt them badly tonight. They took plenty of shots but didn’t make enough to keep things competitive after the first quarter.

Masco, on the other hand, worked their way into plenty of open looks and cashed in regularly.

“We got some good ball movement as well as movement off the ball which we have been harping on,” said Masco coach Shannon Kirwan post-game.

The Lady Chieftains clicked seven times from long range led by senior Krystal Zepaj (13 points) who did it three times.

“My teammates set me up for those open looks,” said Krystal.

Lexi Carollo and Abby Stauffer led Gloucester with eight points each.

Krystal’s second three-point basket, assisted by Taylor Bovardi, put Masco in front to stay, 9-6, halfway through the first quarter.

That lead would grow to 23-8 two minutes into the 2^nd quarter and 34-11 four minutes later. The halftime score was 38-15.

The Lady Chieftains did pull off the full-court pressure but were excellent in their half-court defense.

“We definitely increased our defensive intensity,” said Coach Kirwan.

Masco jumped into passing lanes and had nineteen steals.

The Fishermen gave up thirty-five points off of turnovers.

Junior Taylor Bovardi contributed eleven points while senior Sarah Green and sophomore Remmi Cote added nine points for Masco.

The Lady Chieftains are now at 7-4. “We’re doing pretty well,” said Krystal. “A lot of the games have been against lower-caliber teams. We need to win those, and work hard to get wins against the better teams.”

Krystal hasn’t decided on college yet. “Suffolk and Nichols have interest in me for basketball,” she said. “If I don’t play basketball, I’m looking at BC, BU, and Northeastern. I want to study finance.”

Ten different players scored for Masconomet. “I was happy that we were able to get a lot of people involved tonight,” said Coach Kirwan.

Masco plays Beverly tomorrow for the second time. I saw Beverly yesterday in Avery Hallinan’s 1000-point game for Amesbury.

Thanks again to Andy Tapparo for his help with statistics. He’s on Twitter at @MascoGB

Masconomet 15 23 10 14 = 62

Gloucester 8 7 6 2 = 23

(The pictures will enlarge.)

Freshman Riley Bovardi shoots from outside

Remmi Cote (9 points) breaks away from Bella Goulart

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Tagged as Abby Stauffer, Coach Shannon Kirwan, Krystal Zepaj, Lexi Carollo, Remmi Cote, Taylor Bovardi

January 26, 2022 · 11:06 pm

Avery Hallinan reaches 1000 points during Amesbury win (64-43) over Beverly

Avery Hallinan celebrates with her family

(Amesbury MA) It was not a matter of if, but when.

Avery Hallinan was within fifteen points of 1000 going into tonight’s non-league game with Beverly.

“I was quite certain that I would get the fifteen points either today or on Friday (against Georgetown),” said Avery afterwards.

But tonight would be the ideal time because her family (including her grandmother) was in attendance and her brother Jake was there with the Amesbury boys basketball team.

During the game the Beverly Panthers had trouble keeping Avery away from the basket. Her willingness to attack the inside of an opponent’s defense has been her trademark.

Avery ended up with twenty-eight points in a memorable evening for her and the team. That her team would win, 64-43, just added to the sweetness of the night.

The 1000^th point was part of an inbounds play in the second quarter. Avery used a screen from teammate Liv DeLong to get open in the lane. She then received an inbounds pass from her sister (McKenna). One dribble to the right and Avery was in for a layup earning a place on the 1000-point banner that hangs on the gymnasium wall.

“Tonight was a great night for Avery and the team,” said Amesbury coach Gregg Dollas afterwards.

“We had a lot of motivation tonight,” said Avery. “We were coming off a loss (to Hamilton-Wenham) and we were ready to play.”

Beverly (3-10) fell behind early, 13-5, but while everyone appeared to be concentrating on when Avery would get her 1000^th point, the Panthers slipped back into contention in the second quarter.

A jump shot by Nikki Erricola put the visitors from the Northeast Conference down only, 24-20, in the second quarter with 3 ½ minutes left.

However, the next six minutes of playing time were dominated by Amesbury. The Indians put an 18-2 segment together and 2 ½ minutes into the second half, had a comfortable, 42-22, lead.

Avery would get two more baskets before the 3^rd quarter ended and then watched the final quarter from the bench.

Lauren Caley (12) and Angelina Mazzone (13) were Beverly’s leading scorers.

I was impressed with the organized offense that Beverly ran. However, the Panthers didn’t shoot very well, and the persistent Amesbury man-to-man defense had something to do with that.

The Indians (10-3) shot very well. “Tonight was one of the better nights we’ve had in sharing the ball,” said Coach Dollas.

Senior Gabby Redford netted fifteen points as her shots were falling regularly. She struck from long range and scored going to the basket.

“It felt good to be scoring points,” Gabby told me afterwards. “I always release early, and I got some nice passes down the court from teammates.”

“Gabby had a great game,” said Coach Dollas. “If she hadn’t been injured in her freshman and sophomore seasons, she’d probably be at the 800/900-point level now.”

“I will be going to Framingham State next year,” said Gabby. “It was the first school I talked to. I will get to play two seasons with Flannery O’Connor (former Amesbury star) which will be fun.”

The Framingham State team is currently 13-3.

(The pictures will enlarge.)

Molly Potter guarded by McKenna Hallinan

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Tagged as Angelina Mazzone, Avery Hallinan, Gabby Redford, Lauren Caley

January 26, 2022 · 12:18 am

Pentucket defeats Hamilton-Wenham 47-23

There was plenty of action around the basket

(West Newbury MA) “We just couldn’t close out quarters,” said Hamilton-Wenham coach Mark Cole afterwards.

The lack of consistency was costly as the Generals (7-4) fell to Pentucket, 47-23, on Tuesday night.

HW had nineteen points from talented Jane Maguire but her teammate combined for only four additional points.

Credit the Pentucket defense. As usual they were persistent and ready to turn miscues into points.

“Pentucket is a very, very good team that can shoot the ball,” said Coach Cole.

The Sachems (8-2) had nine players score and hit from long range five times.

Lana Mickelson and Alyssa Thompson were Pentucket’s top scorers with nine points each.

Each of the end-of-quarter surges that Coach Cole referenced had 3-pointers in them.

In the first quarter, Jane Maguire’s three-pointer had the visitors within three points (8-5) with four minutes left.

Pentucket then rolled off ten unanswered points and the quarter ended with the home team in front, 18-5.

Three’s by Ally Cacciapuoti and Alyssa Thompson were involved in the Pentucket run.

Lana Mickelson (9 points and 9 rebounds)

In the second quarter, two layups and two three’s by Jane Maguire had the Generals within seven (22-15) with 3 ½ minutes left.

Pentucket then rolled off eight unanswered points to gain a, 30-15, halftime lead.

Three’s by Emma Lopata and Alyssa Thompson were part of the second-quarter surge.

Hamilton-Wenham scored the first three points of the third quarter and trailed, 30-18, with seven minutes left.

Pentucket then shut out HW the rest of the quarter and added ten points to their lead.

Three’s by Abby Dube and Lana Mickelson were in the mix this time. Lana’s three was the old-fashioned variety.

Pentucket was ahead, 40-18, after three periods and cruised home from there.

Pentucket coach John McNamara was glad to get the win. “Both teams were sloppy. We’ve got to play better than this. But it was nice to get a win after our tough loss (in OT to Cathedral) the other day.”

There were plenty of whistles and plenty of fouls and turnovers.

“It seemed as if it was travel, after foul, after travel,” said Lana Mickelson afterwards.

The teams combined for thirty-seven fouls. I’m going to guess that there were just as many turnovers. It was ragged for sure.

“We knew that Hamilton-Wenham would be good because of their upset win over Amesbury the other day,” added Lana.

HW had lost by thirty to Amesbury earlier in the season but took out the Indians, 51-45, in the rematch recently.

“The fact that we held Pentucket to seventeen points in the second half was a good effort on our part,” said Coach Cole.

Lana Mickelson had nine rebounds to go with her nine points. Against Cathedral she had twenty rebounds.

Jane Maguire had five three’s in HW’s win over Amesbury. Christa Coffey added three from long range.

On February 10^th Pentucket has a rematch with undefeated Newburyport at Newburyport. The Clippers won by ten points in the first meeting.

Pentucket 18 12 10 7 = 47

Hamilton-Wenham 5 10 3 5 = 23

(The pictures will enlarge.)

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Tagged as Alyssa Thompson, Coach Mark Cole, Jane Maguire, Lana Mickelson

January 25, 2022 · 12:13 am

Undefeated Newburyport defeats Masco 58-40

Olivia McDonald (9 points) provided a spark for the Clippers

(Boxford MA) “You have to come to their level and compete,” said Masconomet coach Shannon Kirwan Monday night, “or you lose by eighteen.”

The Lady Chieftains did lose by eighteen (58-40) to Newburyport but for a quarter plus they more than held their own.

But the undefeated Clippers (10-0) were game-long persistent on defense. They forced twenty-six turnovers that led to twenty-seven points.

“I thought we played them tough,” said NHS coach Karen Grutchfield post-game. “I’m proud of them.”

The Lady Chieftains did a nice job defensively on Newburyport high-scorer Emma Foley in the early going. Emma faced two defenders as she positioned herself in close. For a time, her teammates forced passes inside (some led to turnovers) and struggled to score without Emma getting involved.

Kylie Dumont, Taylor Bovardi, and Kaleigh Monagle keyed Masco’s 15-12 first quarter advantage.

Things turned Newburyport’s way in the second quarter sparked by the appearance of reserve sophomore Olivia McDonald.

“Coach (Grutchfield) encouraged me to take the shot if I have it,” said Olivia afterwards.

Olivia started the second quarter with a layup and then hit a three to tie the score at 17-17.

With Masco keen on protecting the inside, Olivia found yet another long-range opening and nailed it to put the Clippers in front to stay, 22-19, with 4 ½ minutes left.

Newburyport was able to add eight more points before half-time. The Lady Chieftains, meanwhile, were held scoreless for nearly four minutes. Krystal Zepaj ended the scoring drought with a 3-pointer in the last minute.

Another three by Krystal, in the third quarter, had the home team within nine points (36-27) but the rest of the quarter saw Newburyport put a 12-3 run together.

Makenna Ward had eight of her twelve points in the third quarter while teammate Sydney Turner had six of her eight points in that same quarter. The Clippers led by eighteen (48-30) after three periods and would finish the game with the same margin.

“We kept our composure,” added Coach Grutchfield. “They came at us pretty hard.”

When Masco was forced to play man-to-man, Emma Foley (14 points) had clearer opportunities in close and took advantage.

“Masco is definitely a good team,” explained Deirdre McElhinney (10 points) afterwards. “They forced us to set up our offense a little more than we have had to in the past.”

The closest game the Clippers have had this season was a ten-point win over Pentucket.

“We keep pushing,” added Deirdre talking about the winning streak. “We’re trying to keep the momentum going.”

Coach Kirwan: “Newburyport is a very good team. Every part of their game they do well. They play basketball the way it is supposed to be played; tough, hard-nosed, and aggressive.”

Coach Grutchfield: “Olivia (McDonald) was a really good spark off the bench. She also did a nice job defending their best player.”

Masco made six 3’s including three by Krystal Zepaj.

The Clippers are now on a stretch of seven straight away games. They’ve won the first two including tonight’s game.

Thanks to Andy Tapparo for several of the stats I used. Andy produces stats for every Masco game and runs a terrific online site featuring the Lady Chieftains. It’s the best I’ve seen.

Newburyport 12 18 18 10 = 58

Masconomet 15 7 8 10 = 40

(The pictures will enlarge.)

Kylie Dumont guarded by Deirdre McElhinney

Olivia McDonald and Ava Caron chase a loose ball

Deirdre McElhinney guarded by Kaleigh Monagle

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Tagged as Deirdre McElhinney, Emma Foley, Kaleigh Monagle, Krystal Zepaj, MaKenna Ward, Olivia McDonald, Sydney Turner, Taylor Bovardi

January 23, 2022 · 6:13 pm

Mike O’Brien (28 points) leads St. John’s over Lowell 78-46

(Danvers MA) St. John’s Prep has size inside.

“Their bigs are their focal point,” said Lowell coach Bob Michalczyk afterwards. “If I’m them, that’s the game plan. You’d be foolish not to.”

Junior Mike O’Brien finished early and often around the hoop gathering twenty-eight points as St. John’s defeated Lowell, 78-46, on Sunday afternoon.

The Eagles (3-4) were so effective inside that long-range shots were seldom attempted.

“In most games we have a distinct height advantage and we want to establish things down low,” explained St. John’s coach John Dullea post-game. “It’s a point of emphasis for us to look for players closer to the basket.”

Point guard Stephon Patrick was the best at getting the ball to Mike O’Brien in the paint. On this afternoon when Mike got the ball good things followed for the Eagles.

“The taller one (Mike O’Brien) is very skilled,” added Coach Michalczyk. “I’ve watched him in a bunch of games. The other one (Kyle Webster) is like an ox. He uses his body very well.”

Stephon Patrick with Mike O’Brien breaking free ahead

Credit the team from the Merrimack Valley Conference, they put up a fight. They defended the perimeter well and forced turnovers that led to layups.

But after a quick three (Javien Kirmil) to start the game, Mike O’Brien became a problem for the Red Raiders. The Eagles rolled off eleven straight points and Mike had eight of them. Two were assisted by Stephon Patrick and another was the finish after an offensive rebound.

The visitors trailed, 16-5, after a quarter but held their own in the second quarter. Jeter Santiago (13 points) hit three times from long range to keep Lowell (2-5) in range, 39-27, at halftime.

The Red Raiders got even closer in the first two minutes of the second half. A jump shot by Thomas Heinen pushed Lowell to within eight, 43-35.

The rest of the way it was all St. John’s. The Eagles continued to score on high percentage shots while Lowell stopped being able to make the tough shots that were available.

“We started the game out a little bit slow and came on in the second half,” added Coach Dullea.

You couldn’t help but agree. After the Red Raiders had closed to eight points, the Eagles went on a 22-2 run over the final six minutes of the quarter to put the game away.

Mike O’Brien had fourteen points in the third period that ended with St. John’s leading, 65-37.

The final quarter was a convincing display of “Blessed are the merciful,” by St. John’s. Everyone played for both squads and the push for points (by the Eagles) was minimized. That’s good sportsmanship!

St. John’s 16 23 26 13 = 78

Lowell 5 22 10 9 = 46

(The pictures enlarge.)

Jeremiah Mitchell tries a shot over Mike O’Brien

Jack Angelopolus caught in a Lowell trap

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Tagged as Coach Bob Michalczyk, Coach John Dullea, Jeter Santiago, Mike O'Brien

January 22, 2022 · 1:01 am

Newburyport rallies to 72-64 win over North Reading

Finn Sullivan (10) led the Clippers in their strong finish

(Newburyport MA) The Clippers dominated the final three minutes and that was enough to earn them a, 72-64, win over North Reading on Friday night.

“They crushed us on the glass over the last 4-5 minutes,” said NR coach Joe Casey afterwards. “That’s what won them the game.”

Newburyport coach Dave Clay saw things a bit differently: “We won this game with defensive stops. Those stops led to transition points.”

This game had plenty for both squads to cheer about. The Clippers (6-4) led by six (23-17) after a quarter, but the Hornets (4-4) owned the middle quarters. The visitors were ahead by nine (50-41) with 1 ½ minutes left in the third quarter.

Andrew Boulas (20) paced the Hornets with sixteen points

Newburyport took the game over the rest of the way outscoring the Hornets, 31-14, to gain the victory.

“This group is resilient,” said Coach Clay. “I’m proud of them keeping the fight in them.”

The tempo of this game was fun to watch because both teams had the same approach. The defense was full-court, man-to-man and the attack was full-speed after misses. Rebounds were heavily contested.

Neither team was shy about taking the ball to the basket. The best of the passes were dropdowns by penetrators.

Craig Rubino guards Ronan Brown (12 points)

High scorer Finn Brennan (21 points) was on the receiving end of quite a few in-close passes. “My teammates were getting to the rim and giving me easy dump-downs every time,” said Finn afterwards.

The Hornets were led by Andrew Boulas (16 points) and Cody Cannalonga (14 points). Both players took the ball to the basket and often made the layup or got fouled. Cody drained seven free throws.

The Clippers came out of a timeout after going down, 50-41, and finished the quarter with seven straight points including a Jack Fehlner three.

Two-plus minutes into the last quarter Owen Tahnk cashed two free throws and the Clippers were on top, 55-54.

Finn Sullivan was the spark for the home team the rest of the way. He contributed points, assists, and steals and gave the nearby active student section plenty to get excited about.

“The fans are so committed,” said Finn Sullivan afterwards. “We love having them there.”

“Finn (Sullivan) gives us so much energy and passion on the court and it’s so contagious,” said Coach Clay. “He’s quite an athlete and a fierce competitor.”

Finn connected on a three assisted by Jack Fehlner and then set up teammates Ronan Brown and James Scali for additional three’s.

The Hornets struggled to respond.

“Give them credit,” said NR Coach Casey, “they hit a couple of tough shots down the stretch.”

Ronan Brown (12) and Jack Fehlner (11) reached double figures for Newburyport.

Finn Brennan had nineteen of this twenty-one points through the first three quarters. The Clippers 50-41 deficit late in the third quarter would have been much larger without the inside scoring of the tall freshman.

The Clippers hadn’t played in ten days.

Newburyport won the first meeting between the two teams on January 6^th, 57-42.

I’ve done quite a few basketball games this winter and this was easily the noisiest one.

Finn Sullivan: “We defended hard in the fourth quarter and did the little things you need to do to win.”

Newburyport 23 12 13 24 = 72

North Reading 17 16 17 14 = 64

(The pictures will enlarge.)

Quinn Riesenberg in position to get a block

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Tagged as Andrew Boulas, Cody Cannalonga, Finn Brennan, Finn Sullivan, James Scali, Ronan Brown

January 21, 2022 · 12:01 am

Pentucket defeats non-league Greater Lowell Tech 56-39

The Pentucket defense was solid the entire game

(West Newbury, MA) Danny Hileman, have yourself a memorable game!

And he sure did.

The Pentucket reserve had a career-best twelve points, all in the second half, helping the Sachems defeat Greater Lowell Tech, 56-39, on Thursday night.

The Pentucket offense usually revolves around Nick Daly and CJ Condon and those two seniors were again big contributors.

Nick (20 points) drew extra coverage but was persistent enough inside to get points.

CJ (15 points) created his scoring with steals and drives.

But it was Danny who provided the comfortable cushion for the home team in the second half.

He hit four 3’s from right in front of the heavily involved Pentucket student section.

“I’ve been waiting for a game like this,” said Danny afterwards. “It was good to finally get it.”

“It was fun to do it in front of all my friends,” the Pentucket senior added. “It put me in a good mindset and gave me motivation.”

Nick Daly gave the Sachems (4-7) the lead for good, 16-15, halfway through the second quarter on a putback in heavy traffic.

“Those kids were tough,” said GLT coach Shane Abrams. “We got out-muscled. They got to every loose ball.”

The aggressive Pentucket zone defense was impressive.

“We’ve been really improving our team defense,” said Pentucket coach Ed Hickey post-game. “Our defensive effort tonight will keep us in a lot of games.”

It certainly did that in this game because that 16-15 lead in the second quarter was 32-17 five minutes into the third quarter.

The Gryphons from Tyngsboro had won six straight so I was expecting a point surge at some point but the Sachems defense never let up.

“Their zone spread us out,” said Coach Abrams, “and we couldn’t really penetrate the gaps. We also had trouble reversing the ball because of how well they defended the weakside.”

Danny struck twice from long-range in the closing minutes of the third quarter and Pentucket was up fifteen, 41-26, at the end of it.

Again Danny struck twice but this time it was in the fourth quarter boosting the Pentucket advantage to, 54-35, with three minutes left in the game to ice things.

“Danny stepped it up big tonight,” said Coach Hickey. “It was clearly the best game he’s ever played for us. He’s been earning more playing time with his defense in practice. He’s capable of knocking down shots and he did it tonight.”

Danny turned to the crowd after every three with a big smile on his face clearly enjoying the moment.

Coach Abrams: “We didn’t recognize that he (Danny Hileman) was a shooter until it was too late. With the big smile on his face, I think it was a surprise to him, too. Good for him. I’m happy for him.”

Coach Hickey: “It’s very exciting to get a home win. It was nice to have the student body behind us. We’ve become more connected to each other offensively and defensively. We’ve been really trying not to settle for an okay shot but really work the ball to get a great shot.”

Nesly Sainvil led the (7-3) Gryphons with ten points.

Plenty of contact under the basket. Noah Colon, Greyson McDonald, and Collin Abraham made the Sachems earn every basket they scored from in close.

Greater Lowell Tech is in the Commonwealth Athletic Conference.

Chase Dwight scored one point but I’m betting he had close to ten rebounds.

Pentucket 11 13 17 15 = 56

Greater Lowell 11 6 9 13 = 39

(The pictures will enlarge.)

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Tagged as CJ Condon, Danny Hileman, Nesly Sainvil, Nick Daly

January 17, 2022 · 11:41 pm

Good shooting gets Georgetown past Triton 65-49

Griffin Dupuis and Matthew Torgerson (8 points)

(The pictures enlarge when you click on them.)

(Byfield MA) Georgetown can shoot and they’re not hesitant to give up a shot to get a better one for a teammate.

“It’s all about trusting your teammates,” said senior Matthew Torgerson afterwards. “They all can shoot.”

There were plenty of extra passes as Georgetown defeated Triton, 65-49, on Monday night.

The Vikings (3-6) hung with the Royals (7-2) for a quarter.

“In the beginning they were really hitting us on the glass,” said Georgetown coach Josh Keilty post-game. “In the second quarter our guys really committed to rebounding.”

The Royals limited the home team to just seven points in that decisive second quarter and gained permanent separation (35-21) at halftime.

Georgetown tortured Triton with three’s in the first half netting six. Junior Cory Walsh (15 points) drained three of them in the second quarter alone.

“Georgetown moves the ball really well,” said Triton coach Ted Schruender. “They made a lot of three’s, and that’s hard to stop.”

The Vikings were better in the second half, but the Royals never lost their double-digit lead.

Georgetown showed in the second half that they’re not all about long-range shots although they did have four more 3-pointers.

The Royals interior game was also strong because of their ability to pass into high percentage, around-the-basket, scoring opportunities.

Harrison Lien (15 points) and Grant Lyon (17 points) scored almost all their points from close to the basket.

Triton’s Dylan Wilkinson led all scorers with twenty-two points. On at least four of his baskets, Dylan secured a rebound and maneuvered his way through the entire Georgetown defense for a successful layup.

Unfortunately for the Vikings, Dylan was the only one in double figures. The Royals had three players in that zone.

“We’ve been grinding at every practice,” said Matthew, “and it showed tonight. “We’ve been playing together all summer and in fall leagues. We play like a family.”

“I thought we shot it pretty well tonight,” said Coach Keilty. “Cory Walsh played great with those five three’s.”

“Anytime you can make shots like we did it gets your defense going,” added Coach Keilty.

The Royals have now won three straight. Last year they were 5-0 before ending their season.

Both Georgetown and Triton have lost to Amesbury.

Coach Schruender is still optimistic. “I know where we’re at, but I like the way my team competed. We need to reach another level and I think we’re going to get there.”

Jack Lucido was limited to three points tonight. He had five 3’s in the Royals’ 2-point win over Newburyport. Fewer points by Jack didn’t matter tonight because they have multiple scoring options and will share the ball to locate the hot hands.

Both schools were well represented in the stands.

Georgetown 16 19 15 15 = 65

Triton 14 7 17 11 = 49

(The pictures will enlarge if you click on them.)

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Tagged as Cory Walsh, Dylan Wilkinson, Grant Lyon, Harrison Lien, Jack Lucido, Matthew Torgerson

January 15, 2022 · 1:00 am

Pentucket defeats Triton 60-59

Cole Vuylsteke hit two free throws to give Pentucket the lead

(Pictures will enlarge)

Chase Dwight defends in the closing seconds

(Byfield MA) Clutch free throws by CJ Condon and Cole Vuylsteke in the final minute enabled Pentucket to get by Triton, 60-59, on Friday night.

“It was a crazy, crazy game,” said Pentucket coach Ed Hickey afterwards. “It was a tale of two halves.”

The Sachems (3-6) were cooking from long range in the first half draining eight three’s. One by Chase Dwight drew smiles from the surprised Pentucket fans and put the visitors ahead, 32-13. The halftime margin was 36-21.

In the second half, Triton came to life.

“We really tightened up defensively,” recalled Triton coach Ted Schruender.

The Pentucket lead was lessened to nine points by the end of the third quarter (52-43) and then things got very interesting in the final quarter.

The Sachems couldn’t score a point for first five minutes and Triton rallied offensively to even things at 52-52. Sophomore John Prendergast collected the tying basket off a deflected shot.

With 1:20 remaining, John was again in the right place at the right time. This time he turned an offensive rebound into a score and the home team led, 57-54.

CJ Condon (23 points) broke in to score a layup but Ethan Tate responded with two free throws. Triton still had a 3-point lead (59-56) with fifty seconds left.

Pentucket won the game on their next two possessions. They did it with four straight free throws (CJ Condon and Cole Vuylsteke). The Vikings (3-5) had a rebounding foul and a turnover in their last two possessions.

“I missed free throws in the first half,” said CJ Condon post-game. “It felt good to knock them down in the second half.”

The tensest moment belonged to Cole who had not scored a point the entire game. Now, with eighteen seconds left he was at the line, shooting one-and-one, with his team trailing by a point. Cole nailed both shots.

“Cole stepped up and hit some huge free throws for us,” said Coach Hickey.

“We had a great comeback,” said Triton senior Quintin McHale (26 points). “We just couldn’t finish it out.”

“We were down by fifteen at one point and came back and got the lead,” recalled Dylan Wilkinson (20 points) afterwards. “You’ve got to finish it off.”

“I can’t say enough about Dylan Wilkinson and Quintin McHale,” said Pentucket coach Ed Hickey. “They were both amazing.”

A crucial defensive play was turned in by Pentucket’s Chase Dwight in the closing seconds. Quintin got in close to the basket looking to get off a shot or get fouled but Chase was able to force the ball out of bounds instead of fouling Quintin.

Nick Daly (15 points) drew special coverage in the first half. He had five three’s, but foul trouble kept him on the sidelines for many minutes.

“I had a bad game last week and I was ready to play tonight,” said Nick afterwards.

The Sachems ended a four-game losing streak. “This was a much-needed win for us,” said Coach Hickey. “I’m not sure we’ve had our full lineup this year. Tonight, we hung in there and I’m very proud of our guys.”