Category Archives: Pentucket

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.

Cam MacRae (10 points)

I was impressed with the speed and passing of Cam MacRae.

Danny Baribeault and Nate McGrail were matched up most of the game.

Another matchup of note was Spencer Pacy and Casey McLaren. Both are already impact players as freshman.

Newburyport box

Pentucket box

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

Brendan Powers shoots over Spencer Pacy

Danny Baribeault and Nate McGrail

Robbie Shay (13 points)

Ryan DePaolo drives

Lucas Chory

Brendan Powers in for two

Danny Baribeault

Danny Baribeault made 5-of-6 free throws in the last quarter

Casey McLaren at the rim

Fight for a loose ball

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Filed under Newburyport, Pentucket

Tagged as Cam MacRae, Conor O'Neil, Dan Baribeault, Lucas Chory, Robby Shay

January 29, 2016 · 11:45 pm

Pentucket pulls away in the last minute to defeat Newburyport 43-40

Colleen Jameson hits a huge three in the last minute to give Pentucket breathing room

Bella Doyle tightly covered by Krysta Padellaro

(Newburyport MA) Tantalizingly close to getting it done…….but not quite.

Instead Newburyport saw its losing streak to Pentucket reach thirteen as the Clippers fell to the Sachems, 43-40, on Friday night before a full house at Newburyport.

Pentucket (12-2) started the game with five straight points and in the final minute put five more points together to escape with the win.

Plenty of quality man-to-man defense played by both squads. Most of the action was on the perimeter.

The Sachems were intent on keeping high-scoring Emily Pettigrew from doing too much damage. Every time Emily did get the ball inside there was an instant gathering of multiple defenders. Emily did get 14 points but three of them came in the last second when the game had been decided.

Biggest shot of the game? No question it was a three from in front of the Pentucket bench by junior Colleen Jameson. Colleen took a pass from Boo Torrisi and turned a one-point Sachem lead (38-37) into a much more comfortable 41-37 advantage.

The Clippers would get two shots (Anna Hickman and Krysta Padellaro) to cut into their 4-point deficit but neither connected. Carolyn Modlish (14 points) followed with two free throws with nine seconds left to seal the deal.

Boo Torrisi (11 points) gets into the lane

Senior Boo Torrisi (11 points) had ten of those points in the second half. Her defense was noticeable as well as her willingness to take the ball to the basket.

Pentucket did register sixteen turnovers, by my count, but after seeing them commit thirty-two miscues in a loss to Masco the improvement was significant.

After trailing early, Newburyport (10-3) put nine straight together in the first period to get ahead, 11-7. A three by Meghan Winn, a jump shot by Krysta Padellaro, and two inside scores by Emily Pettigrew provided the points.

The Clippers carried a lead into the second quarter before it was Pentucket’s turn to run nine points of their own. Three’s did the trick. One each by Jess Galvin, Colleen Jameson, and Taylor Moore. Taylor’s was the old-fashioned kind. Taylor ended up with an extra free throw attempt after Newburyport committed a lane violation.

Emily Pettigrew (#10) gets inside for two of her fourteen points

The run of points gave the Sachem’s the lead, 20-17. The visitors would still be in front, 26-22, in the third before the Clippers put another nine-spot together. This time the damage was done with layups (Anna Hickman, Katie Hadden, and Krysta Padellaro) and a three from straight away by Krysta.

That flurry gave Newburyport a 31-26 advantage with 1 ½ minutes left in the third period.

Pentucket followed with an 8-2 sequence, including two 3’s from Boo Torrisi, and now they were ahead (34-33) with 5:44 remaining.

Two lead changes and a tie followed before Carolyn Modlish took a pass from Colleen Jameson in the lane and nailed a jumper to put Pentucket on top, 38-36, with 1:40 left.

Freshman Anna Hickman had two free throws to tie the score ten second later but missed the second one.

So Pentucket still had that slim one-point advantage going into the final minute. This was when Colleen hit the dagger-three the Clippers never recovered from.

Impressed with the passing of Newburyport. They took very good care of the ball (14 turnovers) against a team known for forcing mistakes. Both teams were very good with the ball in their backcourts.

Boo Torrisi defends Krysta Padellaro

Sophomore Krysta Padellaro (14 points) showed terrific skills on both ends of the court.

The Clippers certainly didn’t help themselves at the foul line. They missed nine-of-eighteen including the front end of two one-and-one’s.

Newburyport lost their first two games of the season before going on a ten-game win streak and qualifying for the state tournament.

Next for the Clippers with be an away tilt on Tuesday against North Reading. The Hornets were the other team to defeat the Clippers.

Senior Riley Holden was unavailable for Pentucket because of back issues similar to the ones that kept her off the court last season.

Pentucket will face Lynnfield next, also on Tuesday. The Sachems mauled the Pioneers, 68-26, in their first meeting.

Pentucket box

Newburyport box

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

Newburyport huddle

Game on!

Carolyn Modlish (13 points), Katie Hadden, and Olivia Olson

Boo Torrisi finds an opening

Taylor Moore fires a long shot

Olivia Olson and Krysta Padellaro (14 points) set up a trap

Battle for a rebound

End of the game

Little room for Emily Pettigrew to operate in

Pentucket huddle

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Filed under Newburyport, Pentucket

Tagged as Boo Torrisi, Colleen Jameson, Emily Pettigrew, Krysta Padellaro

January 22, 2016 · 11:02 pm

Pentucket hangs on to edge Amesbury 54-53

All eyes on Riley O’Connor’s last-second shot over Lucas Chory

Spencery Pacy (#31) and Ben Thornton (#51) double-team Dan Welch

Spencer Pacy (#31) and Ben Thornton (#51) double-team Dan Welch

(Amesbury MA) This game came down to the last shot.

Amesbury’s Riley O’Connor let it fly from very long range with Pentucket’s Lucas Chory defending.

The shot hit the rim and bounced away giving Pentucket an exciting 54-53 win at Amesbury on Friday night.

Pentucket (6-6) has now won four of their last five games.

Amesbury (5-6) has squandered a terrific start and now has lost five straight.

The Indians had size advantages at almost every position and worked the inside nicely early on. Dan Welch found open space three times and Riley O’Connor cashed in from long range twice giving the home team a 25-18 advantage 2 ½ minutes into the second quarter.

Amesbury timeout with Coach Tom Comeau

But over the next eight minutes of playing time things changed entirely. Amesbury had all kinds of trouble scoring while Pentucket, despite six turnovers, tallied fifteen straight points.

That run of consecutive points took the 25-18 Indians lead and transformed it into a 33-28 Sachem advantage 2 ½ minutes into the third quarter. Jimmy Cleary (12 points) notched a 3-pointer and a left-handed hook in the lane during Pentucket’s lengthy run.

The Sachems would elevate their lead to eight (38-30) before Amesbury suddenly found their game and took a 10-2 run to the end of the third quarter tying Pentucket at 40-40. Ryan Foley (15 points) turned a steal into a layin during the Amesbury comeback.

The final quarter was truly back and forth. There were four lead changes in the first 4+ minutes. A three by sophomore Spencer Pacy (13 points) knotted the score at 50-50 at 3:21.

The Sachems ran several nice backdoor plays during the game and none more important than the tie-breaking one late in the game that saw Conor O’Neil send Jimmy Cleary in for a layup.

Jimmy Cleary gets a backdoor layup after a pass from Conor O’Neil (#11)

Pentucket added another layup on their next possession when Conor O’Neil (15 points) exploded to the rim for two. I suspect that many of the Amesbury partisans wondered where the help defense was on that play.

Both teams struggled at the foul line

Now down by four points, Amesbury got two points back on a Freddie Halloran layup and another point back on a Dan Welch free throw in the final minute but the Indians needed more. Not on this night.

Plenty of tight defense all night long. Pentucket collapsed all over 6-5 Dan Welch and kept him from turning to the basket most of the game.

Amesbury jumped passing lanes very effectively causing twenty-two turnovers by my unofficial count.

Free throw shooting was a nightmare for both teams. Final quarter Amesbury was 2-for-8 and 9-for-19 overall. Pentucket was able to win the game despite making only four-of-eleven freebies and missing along the way the front end of FIVE one-and-one’s.

Ryan Foley paced Amesbury with fifteen points. Three of those points came on a last-second prayer with the shot-clock buzzer sounding in the final quarter.

The surprise to me in the Pentucket scoring was sophomore Spencer Pacy with thirteen points. I saw Pentucket’s opening win over Newburyport and Spencer only played in the second quarter. His three in the final quarter tied the score at 50-50.

Next game for Amesbury is at Newburyport on Tuesday night. Pentucket hosts Ipswich on Monday for their next game.

Amesbury box

Pentucket box

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

Race to the basket

Kyle Martin in Pentucket traffic

Nate McGrail lifts a floater

Conor O’Neil (15 points)

Game on!

Nate McGrail

Jimmy Cleary (12 points)

Amesbury cheerleaders

Ryan Foley (15 points) launches a three

Dan Welch at the rim

Spencer Pacy (13 points) contests Riley O’Connor’s layup attempt

Kyle Martin surrounded by Sachems

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Filed under Amesbury, Pentucket

Tagged as Conor O'Neil, Jimmy Cleary, Ryan Foley, Spencer Pacy

January 10, 2016 · 9:31 pm

Paige Amyouny (23 points) stars in Masco’s 45-27 win over Pentucket

Paige Amyouny, here guarded by Maddi Doyle, had almost everything to do with Masco’s win over Pentucket

Pentucket had 32 turnovers including this one.

(Topsfield MA) Sophomore Paige Amyouny (23 points/8 rebounds/5 steals) was awesome everywhere leading Masconomet to a surprisingly easy 45-27 win over Pentucket on Sunday afternoon.

There was plenty of in-your-shirt defense all over the court but on this rainy afternoon it was Pentucket that flinched recording a stunning thirty-two turnovers by my count.

In a 32-minute game that was too many miscues to overcome even for the previously undefeated Sachems (7-1).

Masco (5-3) never trailed. The Chieftains were much better in the offensive end with Paige handling in almost every possession. They did have their own troubles with the ball (24 turnovers) but they had enough productive possessions to pull away early from the less-productive visitors.

Masco triple team

In a low-scoring game, Masco’s six points in the last minute of the first quarter (two layups Paige, one by Kailey Crothers) were big as they put the Chieftains ahead, 14-7.

Pentucket was still within comeback range (19-12) with just under three minutes left in the second quarter.

The next ten minutes of playing time, extending into the third quarter, did in the Sachems. Masco outscored the visitors, 13-1, and the hopes of staying competitive vanished. Pentucket had eight turnovers and one Carolyn Modlish free throw to show for the disastrous segment.

The 32-13 score didn’t lessen the defensive pressure by either team no matter what players came into the action.

The rest of the way Pentucket did get 3-pointers from Bella Doyle, Maddi Doyle, and Jess Galvin but eight of ten free throws by Masco kept the lead from shrinking very much.

This was my first look this season at either team. I could really see the value of a go-to player. Masco had Paige and Pentucket does not have that player yet. A year ago, Kelsi McNamara would dribble well against pressure, make shots, and get to the foul line. With Kelsi at St. Joseph’s in Standish (ME) the Sachems have to find a replacement when they face the strong defensive teams ahead.

Pentucket block by Jilliam Hegarty

I appreciated getting a stat sheet from Masco GB website director Andy Tapparo.

Stephanie Mini was unavailable for this game.

Kailey Crothers had eight rebounds for the Chieftains.

Next for Pentucket is an away game at Georgetown on Tuesday. On the same night Masco is at Amesbury.

The non-stop energy on the court is this game is certainly no surprise with the non-stop energy exhibited by the two coaches; John McNamara and Bob Romeo.

Masco boxscore

Pentucket boxscore

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

Lily Polakiewicz draws two defenders

Long afternoon on the Pentucket sidelines

Kailey Crothers guarded by Taylor Moore and Riley Holden

Boo Torrisi covered by Paige Amyouny

Game on!

Bella Doyle (#14) on the move

Lily Polakiewicz heavily defended

Taylor Moore guards Paige Amyouny

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Filed under Masconomet, Pentucket

Tagged as Bella Doyle, Kailey Crothers, Lily Polakiewicz, Paige Amyouny

December 15, 2015 · 10:05 pm

Pentucket wins Cape Ann League opener in OT 55-52 over Newburyport

Dan Baribeault gets off the possible game-winner at the end of regulation

Nate McGrail (21 points) drives to the basket

(Newburyport) Trust me, Pentucket didn’t win this one at the free throw line!

The Sachems (1-0) missed twenty of twenty-nine free throws yet still managed to get by Newburyport, 55-52, in overtime on Tuesday night.

This game started the Cape Ann League schedule for both teams.

Newburyport (0-1) looked close to victory in the final quarter after senior Dan Baribeault put five points together in a row to push the Clippers ahead, 44-38, with just under four minutes left. But Pentucket, which had six 3’s in the game, clicked on three of them in the final 2:25 to force overtime.

Lucas Chory, Jimmy Cleary, and Ryan DePaolo connected from long distance in the exciting Sachems’ finish. Ryan’s three was with fifteen seconds left.

The Clippers had the final possession is regulation and Dan Baribeault had a good look at the game-winner from the top of the key. On this evening Dan’s shots weren’t falling, he was limited to eight points, and overtime became necessary.

The key to the win? Pentucket’s ability to get to the basket. Granted at times this approach got them to the foul line where they had serious trouble but other times they made layups.

Sophomore Nate McGrail (21 points) had two such layups in overtime and that was enough to get Pentucket the victory.

Nate’s second layup gave the visitors a 53-52 lead with forty-three seconds left. The Clippers had two more possessions to answer back but neither of Quinn Stott’s shots connected. The Sachems responded with two free throws.

Nick Rogers (12 points) connected four times from long range

Jimmy Cleary totaled thirteen points for the Sachems. He also had an important block on Dan Baribeault late in regulation.

Nick Rogers paced Newburyport with twelve points all on 3’s.

The Newburyport student section went straight for the jugular pre-game chanting, “Where is Pat Friermuth?” The remarkable junior transferred to Brooks after leading Pentucket to the D3 state semifinals last year.

Lots of black and orange on display as a reminder of the passing of long-time Ipswich coach Doug Woodworth.

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

Newburyport box

Pentucket box

Season under way

Quinn Stott pressures Conor O’Neil

Ronnie Mwai gets two

Ryan DePaolo (#21) sent the game into OT with a 3-point shot

Jimmy Cleary blocks Dan Baribeault’s shot

Conor O’Neil attempts a free throw in front of the Newburyport student section

Lucas Chory chased by Nick Rogers

Nate McGrail

Jimmy Cleary (13 points)

Danny Baribeault on defense

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Filed under Newburyport, Pentucket

Tagged as Dan Baribeault, Doug Woodworth, Jimmy Cleary, Nate McGrail, Nick Rogers

October 31, 2015 · 9:03 pm

Manchester-Essex (girls) and Masco (boys) win Cape Ann League XC championships

Masconomet captains with 2015 championship plaque

Manchester-Essex: 2015 Cape Ann League cross country champions

Maddie Quigley (Triton) finishes first

(Topsfield MA) The Manchester-Essex girls and the Masconomet boys came out winners at the Cape Ann League cross country championships held Saturday at Bradley Palmer State Park.

Maddie Quigley (Triton) and Joe Molvar (Newburyport) were the top finishers in each division.

The ME girls edged arch-rival Hamilton-Wenham in several head-to-head races within the race to get the title, 40-50. During the regular season HW got by ME by a one slim point to keep their dual-meet streak (129 straight) alive.

The Masco boys had too much depth for the rest of the CAL field. Newburyport took the top two spots (Joe Molvar and Jack Carleo) but the Chieftains still won, 60-73. Masco’s Daniel Cosgrove finished third.

Senior Maddie Quigley was behind fast-starting Emily DeMarco (Ipswich) for part of the race but had a good lead over Eve Feuerbach (ME) at the finish. Maddie finished 7^th in 2014.

Joe Molvar near the finish

Senior Joe Molvar trailed teammate Jack Carleo for part of the boys’ race but also ended up with a commanding lead over his Clippers’ teammate at the end.

An important last-second rally by ME’s Holly Fossa got her past HW’s Olivia Horgan and into sixth place.

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

Boys top finishers

Jack Carleo and Joe Molvar

HW coach Steve Sawyer gets “special” award

Maddie Quigley comes forward to get award afterwards

Grace Sousa (Georgetown) 10th

Girls top finishers

Jack Carleo (Newburyport) 2nd

Daniel Cosgrove (Masco) 3rd

Eve Feuerbach (ME) 2nd

Grace Moroney (HW) 4th

Evelyn Lantz (ME) 5th, Olivia Horgan (HW) 7th, Holly Fossa (ME) 6th

Hailee Gibadlo (Amesbury) 9th

Chris Chabot (Amesbury) won the boys JV title

Emily DeMarco (Ipswich) 10th

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Filed under 2015 Cape Ann League XC Championships, Amesbury, Ipswich, Lynnfield, Manchester-Essex, Masconomet, Newburyport, North Reading, Pentucket, Triton

Tagged as Eve Feuerbach, Jack Carleo, Joe Molvar, Maddie Quigley, Manchester-Essex, Masconomet

October 26, 2015 · 9:09 pm

Triton takes first CAL girls’ cross country title in 29 years

2015 CAL Kinney division champions

Maddie Quigley first

(Newbury MA) The fall foliage is always special at Old Town Hill in Newbury.

Today, however, something else was also special. What was it? A championship banner with the Triton girls’ cross country team behind it.

After twenty-nine years of trying, the Vikings have now won a Cape Ann League Kinney division title.

Led by Maddie Quigley (20:46), Triton went 1-2-3-6-7 to defeat Pentucket (5-5) on a sunny, cool Monday afternoon.

The Pentucket boys’ team got the best of Triton (3-7) as senior Sam Coppola took first to lead the way for the Sachems. The visitors from West Newbury captured 1-2-3-7-8 to finish the regular season 6-4.

Maddie leaves the pack early

The big story was Maddie. The talented senior ran alone almost from the get-go and seemed to enjoy her last trip through scenic Old Town Hill.

It will be interesting to see what happens in the girls’ division of the Cape Ann League cross country championships at Bradley Palmer Part on Saturday. Triton (8-2) will have a change to avenge both of their losses. When you lose only by one point to both Hamilton-Wenham (10-0) and Manchester-Essex (9-1) you have to think you have a good chance to do something very special on Saturday. Maddie should be the favorite in the race. Triton’s chances will hinge on where their next four runners come in on Saturday.

Sam Coppala and Nick Murphy finish 1 & 2

Senior Sam Coppola was credited with winning the boys’ race but he and teammate sophomore Nick Murphy crossed the finish line together. Sam was closest to the young man handing out the position sticks and so he got the first one. You won’t see anything like that happening on Saturday at Bradley Palmer.

Nice of several members of the 1986 Triton cross country team to take in the race and pose with the team later. Henry Sheldon was the coach then.

Although the Triton girls were only 4-6 in 2014, they entered 2015 with their top ten runners returning. That sizable nucleus has turned 2015 into a very special season.

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

Ethan Bridgewater (3rd) & Colin Brennan (4th)

Bryon Popp 5th

Maddie gets five from Coach Joe Colbert

Marissa Farago (2nd)

Sarah Maggiacomo (3rd), Siobhan O’Keefe (4th), and Vivian Burke (5th)

Chalee Welch 6th

Hannah Jean (7th) and Mary Ganzenmuller (8th)

Beatrice Donoghue 9th

Senior girls received flowers

Ryan Sheedy 6th

Josh Wildes 7th

The battle for 8th

Brett Repke gets 8th in a close one

Boys start

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Filed under Pentucket, Triton

Tagged as Cape Ann League cross country, Ethan Bridgewater, Maddie Quigley, Marissa Farago, Nick Murphy, Sam Coppola, Sarah Maggiacomo

March 10, 2015 · 10:35 pm

Slow start dooms Pentucket in 63-49 loss to Old Rochester in D3 state semifinals

Jordan Menard (13 points) was part of an aggressive assault on the Pentucket defense

Ryan Beatty (13 points) gets two

(Boston MA) The Pentucket boys did get better as the game went along but when a team starts with a two-point first quarter getting better may not be enough.

And it wasn’t as the Sachems fell to Old Rochester, 63-49, in the Division 3 state semifinals on Tuesday night at the TD Garden.

Old Rochester (#1 seed from the South) never trailed thanks to an aggressiveness on both ends of the floor that Pentucket couldn’t match up with.

Pentucket (#5 seed in the North) had a serious case of the Garden jitters and except for Pat Freiermuth (18 points) had a horrible shooting night. The accurate shooting that carried the Sachems past three higher seeds in the North sectionals vanished in the state semis.

Freshman Noah Fernandes was hard to contain

The Bulldogs (22-3) were relentless. Almost every Pentucket shot was a contested one while on offense Old Rochester just attacked the rim.

Four Bulldogs average double figures and three of them William Santos (16), Jordan Menard (13), and Ryan Beatty (13) reached that plateau in this game.

The Sachems got off to a dreadful start. Pat Freiermuth’s layup 1 ½ minutes into the game was their only basket in the first eight minutes. They missed fourteen shots, including a number of layups, and had seven turnovers. Meanwhile ORR collected twelve points including the final eight of the quarter. Five different Bulldogs contributed points in the 12-2 start.

That start would have doomed most teams but the Sachems were able to hang around even though they never found the long-range accuracy carried them through the North to the Garden. Old Rochester missed a lot of shots too.

Pentucket made two serious runs at the lead in the second half but both times the Bulldogs responded with consecutive points to deny the team from West Newbury.

Jordan Menard hit two straight 3-pointers in the third quarter

Brendan Sullivan had a three in a collection of five points that brought Pentucket to within seven (29-22) 2 ½ minutes into the second half. ORR answered with a free throw by William Santos and two straight 3’s from Jordan Menard restoring, in the process, Old Rochester’s advantage to fourteen.

Pentucket’s best chance came early in the final quarter. A Pat Beaton layup off an Old Rochester turnover and four points from Pat Freiermuth suddenly had the Sachems within two possessions (42-36) with 6 ½ minutes left. Play some defense. Make some three’s and see what happens at the end. None of that happened. Instead there were three more Pentucket turnovers up against a three by Ryan Beatty and a slashing layup and two free throws from William Santos. Back to twelve went the ORR lead (49-36) and Pentucket never recovered.

Pat Freiermuth (18 points) scores in traffic

Old Rochester advances to the D3 state finals and the DCU Center in Worcester on Saturday facing either Hoosac or Uxbridge.

Remarkable season for Pentucket of the Cape Ann League. Most of the playing time went to seniors and their poise against the higher seeds in the North carried the day for the team.

Sophomore Pat Freiermuth will be back and will surely draw plenty of defensive consideration next season as the lone returning starter. Pat ended up with 22 rebounds against Old Rochester.

Old Rochester is out of the South Coast Conference.

Where is the school? It is not in Rochester but in Mattapoisett. Okay, where’s Mattapoisett? It is about sixty miles from Providence and Boston down in the southeast corner of Massachusetts.

The Bulldogs brought nine busloads of fans to the Garden. There was plenty of red on one side of the Garden but some of it belonged to some early Watertown fans.

Old Rochester box

Pentucket box

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

Pat Beaton finds an opening down the lane

Pat Freiermuth blocks

Looking for a rebound

Pentucket Garden photo

James Cleary (40) and Patrick McDonough (20)

Ben Thornton (51)

Mitch Midwood

Brendan Sullivan looks to pass

Will Sullivan and Jeff Porter try to double-team Noah Fernandes

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Filed under Old Rochester, Pentucket

Tagged as Jordan Menard, Noah Fernandes, Pat Freiermuth, Ryan Beatty, William Santos

March 7, 2015 · 9:37 pm

Watertown takes out Pentucket 44-40 in Division 2 North finals

Kelsi McNamara found few openings but still tallied twenty-three points for Pentucket

Gianna Coppola made three of four free throws in crunch time for Watertown

Michaela Antonellis (15 points) had a strong game for Watertown

(Lowell MA) Watertown had twenty-three turnovers, missed nine free throws, and had a seven-minute scoring drought in the final eight-minute quarter.

Not the ingredients you’d expect to be part of a Watertown girls’ win but they were. The Raiders had enough defense to offset the negatives and ousted Pentucket, 44-40, to gain the Division 2 North title on Saturday afternoon at the Tsongas Center.

Watertown will face South #1 seed Duxbury (24-1) on Tuesday night (5:45PM) at the TD North Garden in the Division 2 state semifinals.

Kelsi McNamara (23 points) was option one, two, three, and four for the Sachems (23-2) all afternoon. Kelsi, who recently became Pentucket’s all-time scoring leader, saw plenty of defenders Rachel Morris and Felicia Korte during the afternoon. The taller twosome alternated on Kelsi and did a solid job of limiting open 3-point attempts.

Felicia Korte defends Kelsi McNamara

When Kelsi was able to find space past her outside defenders there was always 6-2 Shannon Murphy to also be dealt with. Almost all of Kelsi’s open shots were taken in warmups!

Kelsi, however, had two of four 3’s during the first half of the final quarter. Her second one put the Sachems within one possession (41-38) of the lead with half a quarter left.

The undefeated Raiders (21-0) made things more “interesting” than they should have as they nursed a three-point lead with a run thereafter of turnovers (three) and missed free throws (four). But the team from West Newbury didn’t answer the Watertown miscues with points. In fact, it wasn’t until twenty-four seconds were left when senior Audrey Tipson sank two free throws to put Pentucket on the doorstep trailing only 41-40.

Looking for a clutch performance? Step up, Gianna Coppola. The Sachems fouled Gianna to stop the clock after Audrey‘s free throws. The WHS senior made the first shot but not the second. The rebound on the missed shot, however, was mishandled by Pentucket and Watertown had the ball out-of-bounds. A pass in and Gianna was fouled again. This time she hit both free throws giving Watertown a four-point lead with nine seconds left. A prayer by Kelsi McNamara a few seconds later was not answered and the Raiders had the title.

Michaela Antonellis gets double teamed by McKenna Kilian and Taylor Moore

Watertown started fast (11-3) with Michaela Antonellis (15 points) cashing several inside shots. The Sachems, however, shut out Watertown for the final five minutes of the quarter and went on a 12-1 run to lead 15-12 after a quarter. Kelsi had two three’s in that segment.

The Raiders regained the lead but Pentucket was still close (27-25) in the first two minutes of the third quarter. A layup by Audrey Tipson assisted by Boo Torrisi narrowed the gap to two.

Then junior Michaela Antonellis took over with eight consecutive points on a three, a jump shot, and a driving layup. Gianna Coppola followed with a layup assisted by Michaela to end a nine-point run that put Watertown ahead 36-25 with 3:10 remaining in the third quarter.

Kelsi McNamara tries to get past 6-2 Shannon Murphy

After Shannon Murphy notched a layup to start the final quarter Watertown looked comfortable at 41-32. But two Kelsi McNamara three’s later that lead was down to three with plenty of time left. On this afternoon that “plenty of time” wasn’t enough for the Sachems. No question they had plenty of glittering chances but couldn’t find a big shot in the end game.

I was impressed with ball-handling skills of Watertown’s Michaela Antonellis.
I was also impressed with the way Pentucket turned up the defense in the final quarter. The way they double-teamed every Raider receiving a pass was effective.

This was the third straight year to the North finals for Watertown. Two years ago Pentucket won, 38-24, as they put fifteen straight points together to get an early 18-2 lead and never looked back.
(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Kelsi McNamara puts up a runner in the lane

McKenna Kilian goes baseline

Kelsi McNamara was heavily defended on the perimeter

Audrey Tipson brought Pentucket within a point making two free throws in the last minute

Kelsi McNamara gets a block on Gianna Coppola

Kelsi McNamara in the midst of four Raiders

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Filed under Pentucket, Watertown

Tagged as Audrey Tipson, Felicia Korte, Gianna Coppola, Kelsi McNamara, Michaela Antonellis, Rachel Morris

March 2, 2015 · 11:17 pm

Colleen Jameson and Kelsi McNamara come up big in Pentucket’s 34-25 win over Arlington Catholic in D2 North semifinals

Colleen Jameson killed Arlington Catholic with five 3-pointers

Kelsi McNamara (15 points) became the top all-time scorer at Pentucket

Pentucket celebrates

(Danvers MA) Colleen Jameson provided separation and Kelsi McNamara added the finishing touch as #2 Pentucket defeated #3 Arlington Catholic, 34-25, in the North D2 semifinals on Monday night at St. John’s Prep.

Arlington Catholic had trouble taking care of the ball in the first half (sixteen turnovers) and made only three-of-ten free throws in the second half. But despite that unsavory combination, the Cougars trailed by only four (29-25) with 2:19 left. A three by Marie Gaffney (11 points) keyed AC’s late run.

This was where Kelsi McNamara (15 points) took over the scoring load for the Sachems. She put up five unanswered points (two jump shots and a free throw) to seal the deal for Pentucket (23-1) and became, in the process, the Sachems’ all-time top scorer with over 1200 points.

Kelsi McNamara puts up a three

Pentucket coach John McNamara was forced to play Kelsi sparingly after she picked up her 4th foul with plenty of time left in the final quarter. But when Kelsi came back for the final 2+ minutes you knew that she would try to find shots no matter what the defense did. In both baskets Kelsi went left in heavy traffic, including 6-2 Demi Fogarty, and still made the shots. A third try in the same area earned her free throws. The active Pentucket student section then saluted her with, “MVP, MVP.”

If anyone was giving out an MVP award I suspect that sophomore Colleen Jameson (15 points) would also deserve plenty of consideration. Colleen drained five three’s including four in the decisive third quarter.

Colleen’s second three gave Pentucket the lead (16-13) for good. The next three was assisted by Kelsi and then came the backbreaker (for AC) when Colleen had the ball with time running out on the shot clock and rushed a long three that swished as the shot clock went off. That prompted an AC timeout and some significant defense on Colleen the rest of the way. But before the quarter ended there was Colleen behind the arc in front of the Sachems’ student section and one more time she clicked from long range. Thanks to Colleen’s accuracy the Sachems were in front, 26-16, after three quarters.

Boo Torrisi shadows Melissa Rogers

There was plenty of time for the defending D2 champions to respond and they did getting within four before Kelsi McNamara took over.

I am confident that when the AC faithful try to figure out where this game was lost they will say that the second quarter did them in. And who can argue! The Cougars (18-6) did not score a single point in the second quarter. Zip. Nada. All they had to show for that quarter were nine turnovers all of which were in the frontcourt. Credit the Pentucket defense. They were relentless and their double-teams kept Arlington Catholic from running organized offense and capitalizing on 6-2 Demi Fogarty in close.

Colleen Jameson had three 3’s in Pentucket’s quarterfinal win over Wakefield. Earlier in February she had five long one’s versus North Reading.

The team from West Newbury moves on to the D2 North finals on Saturday at the Tsongas Center against either Belmont or Watertown.