Category Archives: Pentucket

February 10, 2015 · 11:41 pm

Fast start and Kelsi McNamara (23 points) too much for Triton in 52-39 loss to Pentucket

Kelsi McNamara (23 points) gets a screen from McKenna Kilian

Morgan Snow caught in Pentucket trap

(Byfield MA) Triton had a nightmare first quarter and spent the rest of the game trying to recover.

They never did and Pentucket downed the Vikings, 52-39, on Tuesday night in Cape Ann League action.

The Sachems have now won fifteen straight and sport an impressive 18-1 record with three games remaining.

Pentucket gave the home team a full dose of full-court, trapping pressure and rolled to a 19-2 first quarter. Triton committed ten turnovers and the Sachems turned several of the miscues into instant baskets.

Triton head coach Dan Boyle burned two timeouts early in that quarter to try and stop the Sachems but the inexperienced Vikings persisted in dribbling into traps and passing into traffic with bad results.

Kelsi McNamara paced Pentucket with twenty-three points, none of them in the runaway first quarter. However, Kelsi was part of the effective Pentucket traps that led to turnovers and also assisted on four baskets in the quarter.

Camille Mihalchik (#22) hit several shots from the corner

The Vikings finally broke a run of thirteen Sachems points when Camille Mihalchik hit a jump shot early in the second quarter assisted by Erin Savage.

Jessica Greaney (Triton) and Boo Torrisi (Pentucket) traded free throws before Kelsi put six straight points together. The Pentucket senior took a steal in for a layup, hit a floater in the lane, and two free throws to increase the Sachems edge to, 26-5, with 1+ minutes left until halftime.

The rest of the way Triton played a lot better. Why? They lessened the turnovers. They had only four (by my count) in the second half. Less turnovers, more scoring opportunities.

Key to the Vikings’ turnaround was sophomore Mel Primpas. The point guard handled the Pentucket pressure and gave Triton a chance to display their outside shooting and inside height advantage.

Carolyn Modlish shadows Tess Lafrance (13 points)

Tessa Lafrance caught fire with a ten-point third quarter including two 3’s as the home team collected nineteen points.

Triton put a 10-1 segment together that stretched into the final quarter to close to within ten points (42-32) with five minutes left in the game. Five different Vikings (Morgan Snow, Tessa Lafrance, Abby Ostrander, Camille Mihalchik, and Erin Savage) scored in the rally.

After a Pentucket timeout, the Sachems responded with six straight points (Kelsi free throw, Audrey Tipson layup, and Kelsi three) and erased any thought that an upset was possible.

The Vikings did get two three’s in the last minute (Tessa Lafrance & Jessica Greaney) to tighten the final score to 52-39.

McKenna Kilian (13 points) had eight points in the decisive first quarter for Pentucket.

When you see Pentucket play the first thing you notice is their disruptive defense. Watch a little longer and you start to appreciate their ability to see and successfully pass to open teammates.

full-court pressure

Best play of the game? Last two minutes. Kelsi had the rebound and McKenna Kilian broke down the left side. A good pass would have been to McKenna on the left wing. A great pass happened when Kelsi took a couple of dribbles up the court and tossed a remarkable drop-in pass over the defender that McKenna caught in stride behind the defender for a layup.

The two teams played on January 5th and Pentucket won, 32-20, at Triton. Boo Torrisi paced Pentucket with eleven points. Kelsi had only 7 with no three’s.

This game was scheduled for Pentucket but their schools are closed this week because of the snow on the roofs.

loose ball

Pentucket finishes their regular season with two games in St. Mary’s tournament next week. They are scheduled to host North Reading this Friday. With the school’s closed you wonder if they’ll be able to have Seniors’ Day at Pentucket.

Triton has won seven of their last nine games. They host Malden tomorrow (Wednesday) night.

Boo Torrisi and Carolyn Modlish took turns denying Tessa Lafrance the ball.

How did Rebecca Torrisi become “Boo?” As an infant she was called “Bec-a-boo” by family and it stuck. For those of you familiar with Paul Harvey, “Now you know the rest of the story!”

Mel Primpas spent some time covering Kelsi. These two photos show what happened to Mel when she got too close to Kelsi.

Pentucket Boxscore

Triton Boxscore

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

Colleen Jameson defended by Hannah Clark

looking for a rebound

Carolyn Modlish breaks ahead

Kelsi McNamara in the lane

McKenna Killian (13 points)

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Filed under Pentucket, Triton

Tagged as Kelsi McNamara, McKenna Kilian, Mel Primpas, Tessa LaFrance

June 2, 2014 · 10:26 pm

Pentucket’s Ryan Kuchar 2-hits Lynnfield in 3-1 Division 3 North quarterfinals win

Ryan Kuchar and Bobby Barry celebrate the win over Lynnfield

Ryan Kuchar pitched a 2-hit, complete game for the Sachems

(Lynnfield MA) Ryan Kuchar pitched a complete game, 2-hitter as Pentucket defeated Lynnfield, 3-1, in the Division 3 North quarterfinals on Monday afternoon at sunny Lynnfield.

The Sachems (15-8) now move to the semifinals on Wednesday afternoon (4PM) at Fraser Field (Lynn) against another Cape Ann League opponent, Hamilton-Wenham. Pentucket and HW split 2-1 games during the regular season.

Both Lynnfield hits (Greg Basilesco and Nick Pascucci) were in the third inning when the Pioneers (15-7) picked up their run.

Pentucket ended up with seven hits and had runners in scoring position in the first, second, and fourth innings but Lynnfield pitcher Dave Johnson escaped each time.

The escaping ended in the 5th and 6th innings as the Sachems collected two tarnished runs in one inning and an untarnished insurance run in the other inning.

Ryan Kuchar was the big story as he kept Lynnfield from getting anything going on offense except in the third inning.

Greg Basilesco scored for Lynnfield

In that third inning, Greg Basilesco singled to right and reached third base after two straight fielders’ choices. Nick Pascucci’s bloop single to short center earned him the RBI.

Down 1-0, Pentucket had a great chance in the fourth inning. John Sirois’ single was followed by a Greg Basilesco (3B) error on a grounder. A fielder’s choice moved the runners to second and third with one out. But pitcher Dave Johnson retired Bobby Hallowell and Kiernan Haley and the Pioneers still had their 1-0 lead.

The top of the fifth turned out to be the game-decider. Pat Beaton led off with a double to left. It is not usually a good idea to try for third when a grounder is hit to the shortstop………but Pat tried it and got away with it because third baseman Greg Basilesco dropped the throw from shortstop Jordan Roper. Lynnfield then tried to turn two on DJ Englke’s grounder to third but could only get the force at second. Pat Beaton scored on the play to tie the game. Still only one out. Ryan Kuchar singled getting DJ to second. The Sachems then pulled a double steal on a pitch in the dirt that catcher Traverse Briana had no chance to do anything with. The next play will be a bad memory for the Lynnfield faithful for a long time. John Sirois hit a grounder to short with two outs. From where I was standing, shortstop Jordan Roper didn’t handle the ball cleanly, and then threw high to first. It looked as if first baseman Spencer Balian came off the base reaching up for the throw and that was why John Sirois was safe. Not so according to the infield umpire. I heard him tell LHS coach John O’Brien that the runner had beaten the throw anyhow. The play was huge because if John is out the inning is over. If he’s safe, which was the ruling, the Sachems have a second run.

Bobby Hallowell in with the third Pentucket run

Nothing controversial about the Sachems third run. Bobby Hallowell tripled to right in the sixth inning and was driven home by Pat Beaton’s two-out bouncer up the middle.

Lynnfield had some two-out excitement in the seventh when Spencer Balian reached on a bad-bounce error by third baseman Bobby Barry. Greg Basilesco next hit a grounder at shortstop Pat Beaton that also took a bad bounce but the PHS shortstop reacted quickly and got an assist on the final out of the game.

Weather? When you can have sun, a little breeze, and no bugs you can’t ask for much more.

Good setting at Lynnfield to watch a game. They have a gradual hill behind the backstop.

DJ Englke tagged out by catcher Traverse Briana on a failed suicide squeeze attempt

Pentucket made an unsuccessful attempt at a suicide squeeze in the fifth inning.

Ryan Kuchar pitched a no-hitter a month ago against Rockport.

Many of my pictures have construction vehicles in the background. A number of new playing fields are getting constructed.

North Reading coach Frank Carey was part of the crowd. His Hornets are still alive in D3 North.

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

Ball gets past 3B Greg Basilesco

Ryan Battaglia stretches out on a shot to right

Bobby Hallowell tries for third

Pat Beaton

Shortstop Pat Beaton throws to first for the final out

Dave Johnson

Jordan Roper

Kiernan Haley handles a grounder

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Filed under Cape Ann League, Lynnfield, Pentucket

Tagged as Bobby Barry, Bobby Hallowell, Dave Johnson, DJ Englke, Jordan Roper, Pat Beaton, Ryan Kuchar

May 28, 2014 · 4:33 pm

2014 Cape Ann League All-Star softball team (pictures)

Alexi Boswell

Rachel Cyr

Autumn Kligerman

Jen Nutter

Maddy Crateau

Meredith Kercher

Hannah Travers (#20)

Paige Zeval

Julianna Kostas

Alex Mendelsohn

Kylie Currier

Vicki Allman

Ashley Hodge

Catcher Sophia Warner

Kassidy Kennefick

Maddie Binding

Kayla Parisi

Mara Spears

(Annika Han, Melanie Carter, and Jackilyn Murphy also made the team.)

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Filed under Amesbury, Cape Ann League, Georgetown, Ipswich, Lynnfield, Masconomet, Newburyport, Pentucket, Triton

Tagged as Alex Mendelsohn, Alexis Boswell, Annika Han, Ashley Hodge, Autumn Kligerman, Hannah Travers, Jackilyn Murphy, Jen Nutter, Julianna Kostas, Kaddisdy Kennefick, Kayla Parisi, Kylie Currier, Maddie Binding, Maddy Crateau, Mara Spears, Melanie Carter, Meredith Kercher, Paige Zavel, Rachel Cyr, Sophia Warren, Vicki Allman

May 28, 2014 · 1:09 pm

2014 Cape Ann League All-League softball team (pictures)

Amanda Schell (Player-of-the-Year)

Emily Dow (Player-of-the-Year)

Carolyn Lynch

Shortstop Rachel Gallagher

Maddie Kelly

Carley Siemasko

Cassidy Gaeta

Jen Castro and Tarah Reilly

Tyler Feeney

Hannah Lorden

Jess Collins

Kylie Gilroy

(Jackie Whelan of Lynnfield also made the CAL 2014 All-League team.)

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Filed under Amesbury, Cape Ann League, Ipswich, Lynnfield, Masconomet, Newburyport, North Reading, Pentucket, Rockport, Triton

Tagged as Amanda Schell, Carley Siemasko, Carolyn Lynch, Cassidy Gaeta, Emily Dow, Hannah Lorden, Jackie Whelan, Jen Castro, Jess Collins, Kylie Gilroy, Maddie Kelly, Rachel Gallagher, Tara Reilly, Tyler Feeney

May 12, 2014 · 9:07 pm

Jenny Nelson k’s eleven leading Pentucket past Triton 5-0 in Cape Ann League softball

Pentucket sophomore Jenny Nelson dominated Triton

Pentucket shortstop Kassidy Kennefick chases down a foul popup

(Byfield MA) Way too much Jenny Nelson for the Triton Vikings on this sunny Monday afternoon.

The Pentucket sophomore struck out eleven and scattered two hits (both by Mara Spears) as the Sachems defeated Triton, 5-0, in Cape Ann League softball.

The last three games for Triton (5-11) have been a big surprise to anyone connected to their program. The Vikings had put five straight wins together but since then have not only lost three straight but haven’t scored a run in twenty-three straight innings.

Pentucket (7-7) has now won two straight. They need to get to ten wins in the remaining six games to qualify for the post-season tournament. You have to like their chances after the way they played today.

Mary Kate Corrado fields a grounder

The Sachems collected an unearned run in the first inning. Sophomore Maddie Binding and junior Kassidy Kennefick started the inning with singles. Tyler Feeney’s sacrifice fly moved Maddie to third. Mary Kate Corrado’s two-out grounder was booted by shortstop Rylie Culverwell scoring Maddie Binding.

Pentucket loaded the bases with singles in the third with one out. Mary Kate Corrado’s grounder to short resulted in a baserunner interference call on Tyler Feeney but pinchrunner Sarah Stewart reached home with Pentucket’s second run.

confusion in the Triton outfield

Ahead 2-0, the visitors created two runs in the fifth inning off of Triton reliever Haley Johnson. Kassidy Kennefick put down a perfect bunt to reach. Then Tyler Feeney lofted a popup into right field that was misjudged by rightfielder Cailin Fraser allowing Kassidy to reach third. Kassidy then scored on Sydney Snow’s RBI single with Tyler taking third. Tyler surprised the Vikings by stealing home after a throwback from catcher Julia Hartman to pitcher Haley Johnson.

The final Pentucket run was set up in the sixth inning by a sacrifice bunt (Jenny Nelson) that alert baserunner Nicolette Kent used to get from first to third on. That baserunning put Nicolette at third where she came home on senior Allison Knowles sacrifice fly.

Pitcher Jenny Nelson eyes an infield popup with second baseman Sydney Snow behind her

And while Pentucket was finding ways to score runs, the Vikings struggled to get baserunners. They had only four in the entire game. Triton had only one fly-ball out. They did get runners to second and third in the sixth inning but pitcher Jenny Nelson handled Emma McGonagle’s popup to end the inning.

Shortstop Kassidy Kennefick made a nice running catch in foul territory in the fourth inning.

Triton’s second baseman Kylie Gilroy put on quite a show in the Pentucket seventh. The senior captain handled three tough chances flawlessly: (1) running catch on a popup, (2) speared a line drive to her right, and (3) came up with a hard-hit grounder to throw out Sydney Snow. Good stuff!

The top four hitters in the Pentucket lineup (Maddie Binding, Kassidy Kennefick, Tyler Feeney, and Sydney Snow) each had two hits. The rest of the batting order…………..not so much!

Triton’s next game will be at Masconomet on Wednesday. Pentucket hosts Manchester-Essex tomorrow (Tuesday).

Weather? When you get a breeze at Triton that feels good, you know it’s warm out and it was.

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

Mara Spears

Lilly Anderson

Triton second baseman Kylie Gilroy had 3 defensive gems in the 7th inning

Triton shortstop Rylie Culverwell throws to first

Freshman Haley Johnson

Kassidy Kennefick heads home with the 4th Pentucket run

Kylie Gilroy

Nikki ORourke

Jenny Nelson

Sydney Snow

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Filed under Cape Ann League, Pentucket, Triton

Tagged as Haley Johnson, Jenny Nelson, Kassidy Kennefick, Maddie Binding, Mara Spears, Mary Kate Corrado

April 25, 2014 · 5:17 pm

Pentucket suffers tough 7-4 loss to Newburyport in Cape Ann League softball

Pentucket pitchers walked five in the Clippers 5-run second inning

Vicki Allman struck out six batters including two in the seventh inning

(Newburyport MA) Newburyport caught two Pentucket runners at home in their, 7-4, win over Pentucket on Friday morning in Cape Ann League softball.

The Clippers (5-3) turned a five-walk second inning into five runs and held off the Sachems (4-3) the rest of the way thanks to clutch defensive plays and the pitching of Vicki Allman.

Pentucket was coming off a tough loss yesterday to North Andover as a 2-0 lead evaporated because of a 10-run sixth inning nightmare. Today’s loss may have been just as painful.

After Newburyport loaded the bases in the second inning with one out, PHS starter Carley Desjardins walked Morgan Johnston, Ashley Hodge, and Amy Sullivan to force across three runs. Coach John Walsh brought in sophomore Sarah Stewart and she walked Carley Siemasko to send in a 4th NHS run. The consecutive walks ended as Shelby O’Brien flied to right bringing Ashley Hodge in with the 5th Clippers’ tally.

The Sachems had the makings of a big inning in the 4th when third baseman Shelby O’Brien’s error was surrounded by two singles (Maddy Ammon & MK Corrado). After NHS pitcher Vicki Allman K’d Carley Desjardins, Sydney Snow’s grounder tallied Maddy Ammon with Pentucket’s first run. On Sydney’s grounder, second baseman Molly Kelley opted to try for a play at the plate but Maddy beat the throw. This left the bases still loaded with only one out. Here’s where Vicki Allman’s clutch pitching kicked in. She got Nikki O’Rourke to popup and K’d Jenny Nelson to limit the damage to one run.

Meghan Stanton flips to second baseman Molly Kelley

The Sachems were right back threatening for more runs in the 5th inning. A bad throw by shortstop Meghan Stanton and an infield out put pinchrunner Amy McDonnell on third with one out. Newburyport first baseman Carley Siemasko followed with two huge defensive plays. Maddy Ammon hit a grounder to third that Shelby O’Brien fielded okay but her throw reached first on several hops. Huge play Number One: Carley scooped out the low throw to get the out at first. The runner at third (Amy McDonnell) opted to try for home. Huge play Number Two: Carley fired a strike home to catcher Lauren Singer to nab Amy on a very close play. The unfortunate bottom line for Pentucket was that they came away with no runs.

That wasn’t the case with Newburyport as they added two runs to their 5-1 lead in the bottom of that same fifth inning. Meghan Stanton singled and took second on a wild pitch. Vicki Stanton singled to left scoring Meghan and got all the way to third base when leftfielder Jenny Nelson bobbled the ball. Jade Carpenter ran for Vicki and raced home on Morgan Johnston’s infield grounder.

Tyler Feeney circles the bases as leftfielder Amy Sullivan throws in to Meghan Stanton

Now down 7-1 after five innings, the Sachems had their most productive inning of the game as they pushed three runs home. They could have had more…..but more on that later. Junior Tyler Feeney led off by crushing a ball over leftfielder Amy Sullivan’s head and quickly circling the bases for a homer.

Pentucket was then able to get MK Corrado (3 hits) and pinchrunner Corie Lucier to second and third with one out. Nikki O’Rourke followed with a hard-shot single to centerfield that scored two runs and went by centerfielder Ashley Hodge to the fence. Ashley quickly retrieved the ball as Nikki circled the bases. Ashley relayed to shortstop Meghan Stanton who threw a strike home to nab Nikki in a second close play at the plate. This was the second time in the game that Newburyport turned an error into an out at the plate. How often does that happen?

Carley Siemasko catches the final out

The Sachems threatened again in the seventh but came away empty. Maddie Binding led off with a triple over Ashley Hodge’s head in CF. With batters 2-3-4 coming up it wasn’t hard to envision a big inning. Vicki Allman, however, struck out both Kassidy Kennefick and Maddy Ammon looking and then got Tyler Feeney (home run in previous inning) to pop out to Carley Siemasko.

Clearly a tough defeat for Pentucket. They have been a 5-14 team the last two seasons but certainly look this time around to be much better than that. They surely need to be a little more patient on the bases!

Maddy Ammon started a double play

Newburyport hit into a double play in the first. Sachems’ second baseman Maddy Ammon made a nice catch on an infield popup to short center and doubled baserunner Amy Sullivan off of first.

Both teams will be back in action on Monday at home. Pentucket hosts Lynnfield while Manchester-Essex comes to Cashman Park.

I saw at least one girl on the Pentucket side visibly upset as the game turned Newburyport’s way. I trust that someone will remind the young lady that no one person ever loses a team game.

I learned (indirectly) at today’s game that Vicki Allman will be attending Regis College (Weston MA) next year.

Weather? It went from sunny to cloudy but with little wind. I wonder if yesterday’s wind had an influence on the Pentucket/North Andover game.

Newburyport box

Pentucket box

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

Meg Hubbard

Sarah Stewart

Meghan Stanton slides in with the 6th Newburyport run

Maddie Binding (2 hits)

Carley Desjardins

Amy Sullivan puts down a bunt

Shortstop Kassidy Kennefick dives for a grounder

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Filed under Cape Ann League, Newburyport, Pentucket

Tagged as Carley Siemasko, Kassidy Kennefick, Maddie Binding, Mary Kate Corrado, Tyler Feeney, Vicki Allman

February 15, 2014 · 1:26 am

Pentucket stuns Newburyport in OT 52-44

Kelsi McNamara (27 points) launches a three. She made five in the game.

McKenna Kilian (15 points) starts her drive for the tying basket in regulation

(Newburyport MA) Pentucket tied the score with eight seconds left in regulation (McKenna Kilian layup) and then dominated overtime as they defeated Newburyport, 52-44, on Friday night in Cape Ann League action.

For the Clippers (12-7), the loss to Pentucket (16-4) was way too similar to their loss on Monday to undefeated Masco. They held the lead in both games in the second half only to come away frustrated when each game was over.

Kelsi McNamara (27 points) had only ten points through three quarters. After that? Wow! The junior guard put up ten points in the 4th quarter and seven points in the four-minute overtime.

Fifteen of Kelsi’s points came on three’s. Biggest one? Her last one in the fourth quarter. An Emily Pettigrew free throw had Newburyport up by three (38-35) with 1:06 left. Kelsi followed by dribbling almost every second off the thirty-second clock before finding a long-range opening. Her shot went in, tying the score, as the shot-clock buzzer sounded.

Kelsi hit her 4th long one 1+ minutes into overtime and Pentucket went up by four (44-40). The lead was still four (46-42) when Kelsi drilled the back breaker with 1:49 left. The 5th of her 3’s hit rim, backboard, and then rim again before sliding in. Now down, 49-42, the struggling Newburyport offense had no quick answers and dropped a tough one.

There was plenty of excitement down the stretch in regulation. After Kelsi tied the score (38-38) with thirty-six seconds left, Aly Leahy (10 points) sank two pressure free throws to put the Clippers on top (40-38) with twenty-one seconds to go.

I was sure that Pentucket, after their timeout, would try to get Kelsi a 3-point attempt or have her drive and draw a foul. Didn’t happen. Instead, Kelsi took the ball out-of-bounds and found teammate McKenna Kilian (15 points) cutting across from the weakside. I then expected Kelsi to jump in-bounds, get a pass back and shoot or get fouled. Didn’t work that way. Kelsi came in-bounds and attracted a double-team but, instead of passing to Kelsi, McKenna drove past defender Aly Leahy to the basket to tie the score with eight seconds left.

Boo Torrisi defends Aly Leahy in the closing seconds of regulation

Still plenty of time for the Clippers. Aly Leahy set off on a full-court drive down the right side with Boo Torrisi on her shoulder. With time just about gone Aly rushed a 10-footer that missed. Abbie Bresnahan grabbed the rebound but there wasn’t time for her to score the game-winner.

Pentucket has now won four straight and fifteen of their last sixteen. Their next game is against Belmont in the St. Mary’s (Lynn) tournament.

Newburyport has lost three of four in February. They face Saugus away on Tuesday. Cape Ann Scores lists the game at 5AM!

Newburyport honored its five seniors: Aly Leahy, Amy Sullivan, Jaycie Triandafilou, Lilly Donovan, and Mary Pettigrew.

The Clippers lost the previous meeting with the Sachems, 45-43, on January 6th at Pentucket. In that one the Clippers had a ten-point lead in the third quarter.

Pentucket came out at least a minute late in the second half.

Kelsi McNamara made ten free throws

Pentucket had only four turnovers total in the second half and overtime. Maybe putting the ball into Kelsi McNamara’s hands on every possession had something to do with it.

Newburyport had twenty-three turnovers in the game. Almost all of them were in the frontcourt.

Former players Sam Leahy and Coley Viselli were on hand for this one.

The interior defense of Pentucket did a terrific job limiting high-scoring Emily Pettigrew to five points. Emily likes to catch-and-spin but every time a pass came in to her the Sachems slid someone over to eliminate the “spin” part.

Seemed to me like there was an awful lot of whining from all parts of the gym during this game. Where was the Valentine’s Day spirit?

Pentucket box

Newburyport box

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

Jaycie Triandafilou

Amy Sullivan

Mary Pettigrew

Aly Leahy

Lilly Donovan

Morgan Johnston and McKenna Kilian

Emily Pettigrew finds little room to operate

Lilly Donovan shoots in the lane

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Filed under Newburyport, Pentucket

Tagged as Aly Leahy, Kelsi McNamara, McKenna Kilian

February 6, 2014 · 11:28 pm

Speedy Pentucket runs away from Triton 59-39

Jeff Porter (13 points) gets one of many Pentucket breakaways

Will Sullivan (9 points) gets inside Jake Gilbert for two

(West Newbury MA) No catching the Sachems on this night!

Pentucket (7-9) was way too fast as they defeated Triton, 59-39, on Thursday night in Cape Ann League action ending a three-game losing streak.

Triton (4-12) did not shoot very well most of the evening and it seemed as if every time the Vikings missed, Pentucket would break away for layups down the other end.

The Sachems jumped out 7-0 and never trailed.

In the second quarter the Pentucket advantage would reach sixteen (22-6) before Corey Parsons (14 points) hit two three’s in the last 1 1/2 minutes to cut the Sachems margin to eight (28-20).

I anticipated a competitive game in the second half and suspected that Triton would get closer. If the Vikings could start making shots and stop getting caught in the frontcourt on misses, things could turn around. Unfortunately for the visitors, the second half was way too similar to the first half.

Ryan Kuchar tries to drive on Jack Germinara

Pentucket started the second half with eleven straight points. Jeff Porter (13 points) had three layups in the run including one on an inbounds play.

Meanwhile, during this same stretch, Coach Dave Clay of Triton burned his fourth timeout and pulled his starters. However, on this night, there was nothing that the Triton coaching staff could do to turn this one around.

Corey Parson’s three put the Triton deficit at twenty-two (44-25) with 2 1/2 minutes remaining in the third quarter.

The next five minutes of playing time were all Pentucket (again). The Sachems put nine unanswered points together and led, 53-25, with 5+ minutes left in the game.

Corey Parsons (14 points) lines up a three

The Vikings bunched eleven points into the last three minutes to lessen the Pentucket spread to 59-39 when this one was over.

The lights dimmed in the first quarter because of a power outage in another part of West Newbury. Three nights ago in the same gymnasium, the lights went out because someone pulled the wrong switch in the Masconomet girls’ locker room.

Eleven players scored for Pentucket. Jake Bortdeiano and Will Sullivan had nine apiece.

There will be a rematch between the two teams next Monday at Triton.

Triton hosts Newburyport tomorrow. A number of Clippers were on hand checking out the Vikings against Pentucket.

Pentucket hosts North Reading tomorrow.

Pentucket box

Triton box

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

Khalil Brito gets into Pentucket traffic

Jeff Porter floats over Brad Whitman

The lights dimmed at Pentucket for the second time this week

tussle for a loose ball

Kevin Clark

Jake Bordeiano blocks Brad Whitman

Nick Venora finds and opening

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Filed under Pentucket, Triton

Tagged as Corey Parsons, Jake Bordeiano, Jeff Porter, Will Sullivan

February 4, 2014 · 1:08 am

Masconomet barely beats Pentucket 39-38 to remain undefeated

McKenna Kilian (17 points) defends Nicky Femino (12 points)

Riley Holden faces defender Stephanie Mini in the closing seconds

(West Newbury MA) Pentucket had two shots in the lane in the last thirty seconds but came up empty and undefeated Masconomet (14-0) survived, 39-38, on Monday night in Cape Ann League action.

Hannah Kiernan’s free throw with thirty-six seconds left proved to be the game winner.

The Sachems (12-4) went down by six (38-32) with three minutes left. However, tireless Kelsi McNamara (17 points) hit a runner in the lane, McKenna Kilian (17 points) made one of three free throw attempts, and Kelsi launched a game-tying three (38-38) with 1:06 left.

The momentum had clearly shifted to Pentucket. I thought that Masco might be in trouble because they hadn’t been in a tight game all season plus this was only their fifth game on the road.

Hannah Kiernan gets to the basket

The Chieftains’ Hannah Kiernan got into the lane, got fouled, and gave Masco the point that decided this one with thirty-six seconds left.

Trust me, that lone point came close to not holding up the rest of the way. First, McKenna Kilian misfired on a runner in the lane. Then, after a Hannah Kiernan traveling violation, the Sachems were able to get back in the lane again. This time it was Riley Holden’s chance but freshman Stephanie Mini blocked her shot with just a few seconds left. The Chieftains were then able to run out the clock without giving Pentucket any more opportunities.

The Sachems had won eleven straight since a December 27th, 66-40, loss to Masconomet.

Masco’s last defeat was on March 2nd (2013) to Billerica (64-42) in the Division 1 quarterfinals.

Meghan Collins had the unenviable task of guarding Kelsi McNamara most of the game. In almost every picture I took of Kelsi dribbling, there was not only Meghan but also one or two other Masco defenders ready to help. What that defense did was to keep Kelsi from driving and either scoring or getting fouled. Kelsi did, however, make the Chieftains pay by hitting shots from the outside.

Kelsi McNamara saw little daylight in the last minute

I think that the key to the Masco win was their ability to keep Kelsi from getting another shot after she had tied the game from downtown with 1:06 left.

Pentucket had the lead or was tied into the fifth minutes of the second quarter. Then a layup and two free throws by Nicky Femino (12 points) put Masco in front, 16-13.

A Kelsi McNamara three, a fall-back jumper by Kelsi, and two McKenna Kilian free throws put the home team back in front 20-16 with 1:43 left in the second period. Pentucket led, 20-18, at the half.

I had a sense at halftime that Masco would pull away in the second half. They had been able to get to the basket but not finish as often as they should. Pentucket had shown only two scorers (McKenna Kilian & Kelsi McNamara) and if either cooled off matching points with Masco would be very tough.

Kelsi McNamara eyes the hoop

The Chieftains moved ahead, 23-22, on a Nicky Femino long shot three minutes into the second half. That lead would be extended to 34-27 on a buzzer-beating three by Amy Fogarty early in the fourth quarter.

McKenna Kilian brought the Sachems within two (34-32) with a three and a floater in the lane with six minutes left.

Stephanie Mini put in a layup (nice pass from Hannah Kiernan) and Nicky Femino got to the hoop for two putting Masco on top, 38-32, with three minutes remaining.

Then it was Kelsi and McKenna combining to tie the score before Hannah Kiernan’s free throw gave Masco a one-point win.

tongue tied

Looking ahead, I suspect that Pentucket will continue to struggle to score points. I also suspect that every opponent they face will struggle against their defense. The Sachems give the opposition little breathing room. Do they have enough offense to defeat Division 2 teams in the tournament?

Division 1 Masco is legit. The two things about them that impressed me in this game were their ability to get the ball to the basket and their gusto getting after rebounds. In this game they had four second-chance baskets and nine scores on layups.

Masco will play five of their last six games away from home. Undefeated? The tournament at the end of the season at St. Mary’s could settle that especially if they get up against the powerhouse host team in it.

Masconomet box

Pentucket box

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

Kelsi McNamara breaks on Hannah Kiernan

Stephanie Mini blocks Carolyn Penney

Kelsi McNamara and Meghan Collins

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Filed under Masconomet, Pentucket

Tagged as Hannah Kiernan, Kelsi McNamara, McKenna Kilian, Nicky Femino, Stephanie Mini

January 7, 2014 · 12:34 am

Kelsi McNamara (22 points) leads Pentucket past Newburyport 45-43

Kelsi McNamara (22 points) on the break

Jaycie Triandafilou pressures Kelsi McNamara

(West Newbury MA) Maybe they’re not dead after all.

But trust me, the Pentucket girls looked close to dead when they went down by ten (36-26) with 3:18 left in the third quarter against undefeated Newburyport.

However, the rest of the way the Sachems (4-3) made shots, forced eight turnovers, and defeated the Clippers, 45-43, on Monday night at steamy Pentucket.

Kelsi McNamara (22 points) had a remarkable game for Pentucket. The junior guard notched four 3’s, and set up teammate Carolyn Modlish for four layups including the game winner with 1:19 left. In the last minute Kelsi had a block, a free throw, and a steal.

I was there for Kelsi’s three’s in the tournament but I’m wondering if she has had a better all-around, regular-season game than this one.

Aly Leahy (12 points) heads for the basket as McKenna Kilian defends

This Cape Ann League game was especially intense in the final five minutes after Emily Pettigrew (12 points) tied the score at 40-40 on an inbounds play.

Pentucket got the next two baskets (McKenna Kilian jumper and Carolyn Modlish layup) before Aly Leahy (12 points) nailed a three with 1:04 left.

After freshman Colleen Jameson had a near-miss on a three, Newburyport took over trailing only by one (44-43). Senior Aly Leahy twice tried to drive down the lane but was blocked both times (McKenna Kilian and Kelsi McNamara). Without a shot hitting the rim, the Clippers were called for a 30-second shot clock violation with six seconds left.

Kelsi took the inbounds pass, was fouled, and made the front end of a one-and-one to put the Sachems ahead, 45-43.

Kelsi McNamara dribbles out the clock

Still time for Newburyport to get off a shot but Emily Pettigrew’s pass, intended for Aly Leahy, sailed over her head. Kelsi retrieved the overthrow and Pentucket had the win.

Pentucket used a zone for quite a while in this game and Newburyport took full advantage of it. Aly Leahy hit three longs ones while the Pettigrew sisters (Mary & Emily) chewed up the Sachems on the inside. When Pentucket played man-to-man in the second half the Clippers were a lot less comfortable. Carolyn Modlish and McKenna Kilian did a terrific job keeping the ball away from Mary or Emily in the late stages of the final quarter.

Amy Sullivan, Jaycie Triandafilou, and Aly Leahy all took turns closely guarding Kelsi McNamara. There were no easy shots for Kelsi. She did make several tough ones inside in traffic.

With Kelsi certain to be closely guarded, even double-teamed, openings turned up for teammates. Finding sophomore Carolyn Modlish for four layups was a key to the Pentucket victory.

Freshman Colleen Jameson

Another key was the play of freshman Colleen Jameson. Colleen was not even on the program so I assume that she played in the JV game. I think she played the entire second half in the varsity game. Her contribution? She could get the ball up the court freeing Kelsi from having to do it. She passed well and played good defense. Colleen should be on the varsity program for the Sachems’ home game on Wednesday with Hamilton-Wenham.

There were ten lead changes.

Senior Mary Pettigrew (14 points) is a returning Cape Ann League All-Leaguer. She made seven of eight free throws.

What a difference a year makes. Last year Pentucket defeated Newburyport 61-33 and 60-29.

The teams are scheduled to spend Valentine’s Day together in a rematch at Newburyport.

Next game for the Clippers (5-1) is Wednesday (6:30PM) at Amesbury.

I learned at the concessions stand that Alex Moore is at Rhode Island College playing for the Anchorwomen. The former Sachem had twenty-two points in a recent win over undefeated Bowdoin.

Pentucket box

Newburyport box

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