Category Archives: Ipswich

March 10, 2011 · 11:38 pm

#1 Seed Stoneham Ousts Ipswich 51-31 to Set Up D3 North Finals Match With #2 St. Mary’s

Stoneham point scorers gather from left to right as the game winds down: Vanessa Bramante (11), Jill Macura (2), Sam Trant (2), Ariana Tuccelli (9), Jen Geraghty (8), Alison Brennan (7), and Stephanie Bramante (12)

(Wilmington) #1 seed Stoneham played exactly that way and eliminated #4 seed Ipswich, 51-31, before a colorful crowd at Wilmington High School to reach the Division 3 North finals.

Stoneham (19-3) will face #2 seed St. Mary’s of Lynn (20-4) on Saturday afternoon (2PM) to determine the D3 North champ.  Both teams are nicknamed, “Spartans.”  What were the chances of that?

Stoneham broke open a tight (10-9) semi-final game with two minutes remaining in the first half by putting up nine unanswered points (six of them by Ariana Tuccelli) stretching into the start of the second period to take a 19-9 advantage.

The Spartans went on to end that decisive second quarter with six straight (Ariana layup, rebound conversion by Jen Geraghty, and Sam Trant layup) and left at the half comfortably ahead, 27-14.

Jen Geraghty and Ariana Tuccelli deny Hannah O’Flynn.

Teams that face Ipswich (15-8) all try to neutralize the Tigers’ top scorer, Hannah O’Flynn. Stoneham was no different.  Jen Geraghty fronted her and defensive help sagged in every time the Dartmouth-bound senior received a pass.

This defensive approach usually opens up some good looks for other less-guarded Tiger players.  Against Newburyport in the quarter finals, the supporting cast made significant scoring contributions.  Not so, against Stoneham.

With Hannah neutralized, and the rest of the team unable to pick up the scoring slack, the Tigers were in serious trouble after Stoneham took the lead.

The Tigers persisted in trying to get the ball inside to Hannah in the first half and ended up with five turnovers attempting it.

Tiger free throw shooting was a serious problem versus Stoneham.

To further speed the Tigers road to elimination was pitiful free throw shooting.  Ipswich was a shocking 6-for-23, including 3-for-15 in the second half, which destroyed any comeback plans.

Meanwhile, Stoneham was 12-for-14 from the line.

Rae Davis opened up the second half with a layup on a feed from Hannah O’Flynn that put some excitement into the Sea of Orange.

The Spartans responded with a frosting-on-the-cake, eleven straight points over the next four minutes to get an insurmountable, 38-16, margin.  This decisive streak featured an Alison Brennan three, a Vanessa Bramante layup, and a layup, a rebound conversion, and two free throws from Jen Geraghty.

More basketball was played but the outcome during the last 1 ½ quarters was no longer in doubt.

Senior Vanessa Bramante went down with a leg cramp in the third quarter and didn’t return to play but had fully recovered by game’s end.  She and St. Mary’s Tori Faieta should be seeing a lot of each other on Saturday afternoon.

Stoneham girls celebrate

Ipswich girls lament season’s end.

As tournament games wind down, the emotional highs and lows kick in.  The excitement of playing yet another game, and this time in a big arena, stirs the winners while the seniors on the losing side realize that their careers are over.

Ipswich will surely miss Hannah O’Flynn.  Some players carry a team for a quarter or a game, Hannah literally carried the Tigers for the entire season.  She was as strong a rebounder as she was a scorer.  In her final game, Hannah paced Ipswich with thirteen points.

Speaking of scorers, the Tigers all-time scorer (Amber Smith) was in the house.

St. Mary’s coach Jeff Newhall was also an interested spectator.

Ipswich team surrounded after loss.

I liked the way the four busloads of Ipswich students gathered around their team after the game was over despite the loss.  That’s what the best of fans do.

That St. Mary’s/Stoneham game should be a good one.  I think that despite defeating Ipswich decisively, Stoneham will have to play better to win.  The area needing the biggest upgrade will be 3-point shooting.  Stoneham made only one-of-eleven from long range.

(I collect my own stats.  I take my own pictures.  I also create my own commentary.  I guess you can blame me if something is inaccurate or misguided!)

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February 4, 2011 · 11:39 pm

Newburyport Girls Defeat Ipswich Again 52-39

Hannah O’Flynn (#34) is defended by Haley Johnson (#11).

Molly Rowe (18 points) led all scorers and made 8-of-9 free throws.

(Newburyport) The Clippers got scoring from Molly Rowe (18) and Beth Castantini (15) and solid defense from Haley Johnson (on Hannah O’Flynn) and defeated Ipswich, 52-39, on Friday night.

The Clippers (7-7) earlier had beaten Ipswich (9-3) at Triton’s tournament in December.  The Tigers had won six straight since then.

This was a game that Newburyport led from start (first seven points) to finish.

The Tigers made their run late in the 3rd quarter by making three straight long ones (two by Nyra Constant and one by Hannah O’Flynn) to close to, 30-28, with 1:50 left.

The rest of the quarter Ipswich didn’t score a point while Newburyport ran seven straight points.  The killer basket was a last second three from sophomore Lea Tomasz which gave the Clippers a, 37-28, advantage at the end of the quarter.  The Tigers were reduced to firing long range and fouling the rest of the game but on this night that strategy didn‘t work.

Turnovers were plentiful (43) as both teams played tight defense and denied passing lanes.

Despite the tight defense, Newburyport’s better organized offensive schemes turned up more high percentage shots. Eight of the Clipper’s sixteen baskets were from in close.  On the other hand, Ipswich had only four layups out of their fifteen baskets.

Hannah O’Flynn recorded sixteen points for Ipswich but seven of them came in the final quarter after the outcome was decided.  Credit Haley Johnson.  She, with an occasional helping hand from a teammate or two, kept Hannah on the perimeter most of the time.

A Clipper strength this season has been their foul shooting.  In this game they were 17-for-22 despite missing their last three attempts.  Beth Castantini was five-for-six while Molly Rowe was eight-for-nine.  Those numbers certainly explain why both players frequently take the ball to the basket hoping at least to draw foul shots.

Nyra Constant (#15) launches a long one over Molly Rowe.

Nyra Constant connected on three long ones for Ipswich.

Julia Davis hurt her wrist during a collision.

Plenty of action during inbound plays.

When Ipswich took the ball out under the basket they were shooting at, there was enough pushing and shoving by both teams to give almost every player a foul.  The Tigers wanted to get Hannah the ball in close and Newburyport refused to allow it.

Hannah lines up a free throw.

Hannah was 4-for-9 from the foul line.

(I keep my own stats, take my own pictures, and draw my own conclusions.  Any mistakes are unintentional.)

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January 28, 2011 · 10:49 pm

Matt Talbot (22 points) and Tyler Lay (20 points) Shoot Amesbury to a Win Over Ipswich 53-46

Tyler Lay (#20) and Matt Talbot (#5) shot Amesbury to their first win.

Amesbury team celebrates first win.

(Amesbury) Matt Talbot (22 points) and Tyler Lay (20 points) carried the Amesbury Indians (1-12) to their first win of the 2010-11 season against winless Ipswich (0-10) on Friday night by the score of 53-46.

This battle for Win #1 was tight through three quarters with eight lead changes.

Ipswich took the lead for the last time (35-34) on a pair of Dan O’Flynn (7 points) free throws with 34 seconds left in the third quarter.

The Indians followed with a run of nine unanswered points that elevated them to a 43-35 advantage with five minutes left and put them in control the rest of the way.

Tyler tries to deny Doug Shaughnessy a pass.

Both Matt and Tyler were big in the winning surge.  Matt (5-10) scored on a Rajon Rondo looking runner in the lane over 6-6 Doug Shaughnessy. Next he assisted on Sean Ward’s jumper.  Tyler started the consecutive offense with an old-fashioned 3-point play to end the third quarter.  Later he stripped Doug (they were matched up throughout the game) and went the length of the court for a two-handed jam.  That dunk really fired up the Amesbury crowd as well as his teammates.

Thereafter, the Tigers cut the lead a couple of times to five points on the shooting of Brenden Gallagher (19 points) but could never get to the point of taking a shot that would tie the game.

Ipswich did themselves no favors in the final quarter by committing nine turnovers.  Bad passes seemed to be the primary culprit. They had only eight turnovers over the previous three quarters.

Tyler did an excellent job in the middle of the Amesbury defense denying Doug (9 points) the ball and making every shot by the normally high scoring Ipswich captain a heavily contested one.

Brenden Gallagher (#10), here with Stephan Deas, led Ipswich with nineteen points.

Ipswich was an excellent 6-for-11 long range but made only one in the second half.

Both Matt and Brenden connected on four 3-point shots.

The shot-blocking interior of the Ipswich defense kept 5-4 Stephan Deas’ darts to the basket to a minimum.

Active Dan O’Flynn had numerous deflections in the first half.

Both teams missed eight free throws.  My theory is that high school players practice more 3-point shots away from coach-directed practices than they do free throws.  A stationary shot is different from all of the other shots attempted.

Amesbury   16     8   13   16  =  53
Ipswich        13   12   10   11  =  46

(I collect my own stats, take my own pictures, and draw my own conclusions.  Errors are unintentional and unavoidable.)

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January 25, 2011 · 10:18 pm

Ipswich Shakes Off Rust to Defeat Triton 46-36

Jen Rock (#32) and Hannah O’Flynn both felt the effects of a long layoff and exams.

Jessica Canning (#30) led all scorers with twelve points. Shown here with Brigid O’Flynn.

(Byfield) Where was the “viewer discretion” note on the program?  Shouldn’t we have been warned?

One team (Triton) hadn’t played for eight days and had just finished exams.  The other team (Ipswich) hadn’t played for two weeks and is now taking exams.

Let’s just say that both Ipswich and Triton were rusty.

Ipswich (4-1 league games/ 8-2 overall) came away with the win, 46-36, on Tuesday night at Triton.  That’s five straight for the Tigers.

Triton (1-4 league games/ 5-6 overall) had won two straight before the loss.

Three minutes into this one you had to wonder if Ipswich realized that they should be tired and rusty.  They made four of their first five shots, including three 3’s, and bolted ahead 11-4.

Shannon McFayden, Nyra Constant, and Rae Davis hit the long ones and Brigid O’Flynn nailed a jumper for Ipswich.

Triton never completely recovered from the quick Tiger getaway.  The nearest they got after that was 24-20 on a Jen Rock layup in the first minute of the second half.  Ipswich responded with a game-winning eight point run to boost their lead to 32-20.

A couple of the Tiger baskets in the deciding run were on second-chance shots by Julia Davis and Nyra Constant.  Shannon McFayden contributed her second three and Brigit O’Flynn made a free throw.

Rae Davis (#22) makes a free throw for Ipswich.

Speaking of free throws, they were an adventure for Ipswich (6-for-18) all night.

The “adventure” for Triton was the 3-point shot as they connected just twice in seventeen attempts.  The Tigers made their first three and then cooled off to one-for-nine.

The Tigers had makeable shots most of the game but their frequent turnovers (21) limited scoring runs.  Triton, on the other hand, took better care of the ball (11 turnovers) but made only twelve of sixty shots (20%).

Jessica Canning led all scorers with twelve points including a late three off the backboard.

CAL All-Stars Jen Rock and Hannah O’Flynn each had eleven and were not nearly as effective as they usually are.  Hannah seemed most influenced by the layoff and exams.  How normal is it for the Dartmouth-bound senior to miss five of eight free throws and put up at least three air balls in other shooting attempts?

It looked to me as if more people were interested in the Wilmington/Triton wrestling match down the hall than in the basketball game.

Shannon McFayden (10 points) and Hannah O’Flynn (11 points) led Ipswich scorers.

Trying to keep track of any basketball game can be challenging.  Ipswich adds to the challenge when the two O’Flynn sisters wear “33” and “34.”  And then you have the three Davis sisters with “12,” “22,” and “32.”  I wonder if any scorekeepers have been victimized by the similarities of those numbers?

(I collect my own stats and take my own pictures.  I draw my own conclusions.  Any miscues are unintentional.)

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November 14, 2010 · 4:15 pm

Ipswich Season Ends 2-0 in D3 North Finals to Weston

(Lynn) In the eighty minute Division 3 North girls soccer final, Weston pressured/dominated (choose your verb) Ipswich for a solid fifty minutes and built up a 2-0 lead that turned out to be the final score on Saturday afternoon.

In weather warm enough (60 degrees) at Manning Field to have some fans shedding clothes (see picture), the Tigers were fortunate to only be down 2-0 after a very persistent Wildcat attack.  To say that Ipswich goalie Hannah O’Flynn and the rest of the Ipswich defense were busy is a total understatement.

While Weston came at Ipswich from every angle the Wildcat goalie never touched the ball the entire first half!

Meanwhile Weston had nine corner kicks down the other end during the first half and it was one of those kicks by Madeline Linde that put the Wildcats in front 1-0.  My long-range picture shows the Ipswich goalie (Hannah O’Flynn) covering the near post but the ball has somehow gotten beyond her.

Forward Emma Dagres came into the game advertised as Weston’s best.  She was accurately estimated from what I saw.  Despite personal coverage from Jackie Manchester, the talented junior came very close several times including her first half attempt (in this picture) showing her blocked doorstep shot at Hannah O’Flynn.

Madeline Linde dribbles into scoring position with Courtney Long in hot pursuit.

The only thing that changed in the early going in the second half was that Weston was pressuring at a different goal on the field.  Seven minutes into the half Madeline Linde got control of a loose ball in close to the left of the Ipswich goalie and dribbled across the front of the goal for a shot (left foot?) that evaded Hannah.

2-0, early in the second half.  I was expecting Weston to get more goals but it didn’t happen thanks to a more do-or-die Ipswich approach.  The concern about more Weston goals transferred into the need to get Ipswich goals.  And there were a couple of glittering Tiger second half chances that failed. If one of those had been made maybe the outcome could have been different.

The first second-half scoring chance shows a look (see picture) that Thursday’s hero, Bryn Golesworthy, had at a shot right near the Weston goalie.

The second scoring opportunity (see picture) shows Mariah Brockelbank narrowly missing a tip-in as the ball rolls along the goal line.

Weston (15-5-2) moves on to the state semifinals.  Ipswich (11-7-4) waits until next year.

Ipswich goalie – Hannah O’Flynn

The biggest change in the 2011 Tigers will be the absence of goalie Hannah O’Flynn.  A combination of size, speed, and athletic instincts made her exceptional as the last Ipswich defender.