Category Archives: Triton

February 9, 2016 · 11:27 pm

North Reading (15-1) wins a close one from Triton 79-75

Adam Goldstein (28 points) fires a three that gave North Reading a four-point lead in the final minute

Adam Baletsa (17 points) put on a dazzling long-range show in the final quarter

(Byfield MA) North Reading (15-1) withstood Triton’s 30-point final quarter in edging the Vikings, 79-75, on Tuesday night in Cape Ann League action.

The Hornets had a sixteen-point lead (63-47) one minute into the final quarter and had just put twenty-four points together in the third quarter. Their lead looked comfortable.

But less than two minutes later Adam Baletsa (17 points) put new meaning to the word “hot” when it comes to shooting. The Vikings senior drained four 3’s during this sizzling segment. Combined with teammate Will Parsons, who had a three of his own, Triton long-shot its way to trailing only 64-62.

Four different times the rest of the way Triton was within two. In the last minute the home team was within one (74-73) and had the ball but on this night the shot to tie, or go ahead, never clicked.

Key player for North Reading? Easily it was senior Adam Goldstein (28 points). He was huge in the last minute. Clinging to a one-point lead in that final minute the Hornets passed around the perimeter before Justin Dorosh set up Adam for a straightaway long one. Swish! Now up by four. Eric Rybicki got in for a layup and Triton was within two points with fifteen seconds left. Adam was quickly fouled and calmly sank both free throws and the lead was back to four. Triton missed two shots on their final possession and NR had the win.

Tough loss for the Vikings (8-9). They have now dropped five of their last six.

They will get another chance against North Reading in two weeks at North Reading.

John McCarthy (19 points) drove whenever he saw an opening

The steady flow of accurate 3-pointers at the start of the final quarter was followed by a run of points (eleven) by hard-driving John McCarthy (19 points). With North Reading limiting space to Triton’s 3-point threats on the perimeter, room opened up for John. He was either fouled or made a layup in possession after possession to keep Triton within range of the lead down the stretch.

Both defenses applied plenty of pressure but the turnovers (14 for Triton, 12 for North Reading) offset each other.

NR caught Triton not getting back on defense a number of times for easy shots. There also were several instances where the Hornets had wide open 3-pointers. Two of Adam Goldstein’s three’s were uncontested. That is what you call living dangerously on defense!

I am not a big fan of the 3-point shot but after seeing the way Triton used it to stay with the top team in the CAL I better understand why coaches encourage it.

Adam Goldstein sank two clutch free throws in the final seconds

Adam Goldstein not only scored 28 points but he also rebounded well and blocked several shots.

Not playing for NR was Anthony Eldridge. The junior dislocated his shoulder in January.

The Hornets took the lead for good in the second period. The visitors broke away from a 26-26 tie as Adam Goldstein scored nine unanswered points: a free throw, a layup, and two 3-pointers.

The NR lead reached eighteen (58-40) in the last two minutes of the third quarter.

In the midst of a timeout late in the game after Triton moved to within one possession of the lead, NR coach Joe Casey was heard to say, “You’re the best team in the league, settle in and play like it.”

Justin Dorosh guarded by Luke Reiniger

North Reading won 60-56 at Triton a year ago.

The Hornets only loss this season has been to Masco. The Chieftains took them to overtime in their first meeting.

The last time I saw a North Reading team play was in the Division 3 North girls soccer finals against Bishop Fenwick at Manning Field in Lynn. Happy day for the NR girls.

Next game for Triton is Thursday at Pentucket. North Reading hosts one of their biggest rivals (Lynnfield) on the same evening.

Triton box

North Reading box

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

Adam Goldstein (28 points)

Mike McCauley eyes the basket

Game on!

Adam Baletsa (#1) steps back from the three that brough Triton within two of the lead

Adam Baletsa (#1) steps back from the three that brought Triton within two of the lead

Erick Rybicki floats to the hoop

Khalil Brito chased by Mike McCauley

John McCarthy (19 points)

Battle in the paint

Mike McCauley drives into Eric Rybicki

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Filed under North Reading, Triton

Tagged as Adam Baletsa, Adam Goldstein, John McCarthy, Justin Dorosh, Mike McCauley

January 15, 2016 · 10:37 pm

Triton runs nineteen straight in 36-19 rout of Hamilton-Wenham

Tessa Lafrance (19 points) had her way inside against Hamilton-Wenham

Cate Blatchford scored the first basket on a full-court drive

(Byfield MA) Triton scored nineteen straight points during the first half and easily defeated cold-shooting Hamilton-Wenham, 36-19, on Friday night in Cape Ann League action.

Tessa Lafrance (19 points) paced the Vikings.

Hamilton-Wenham (4-4) started fast with layups by Cate Blatchford and Cecily Szady but after that the home team was the only team making shots for over twelve minutes of playing time.

Kelly Walsh did miss four free throw attempts during the disastrous segment and there were five turnovers but it was the shooting from the floor that killed the Generals.

My research told me that HW was intent on pressuring full-court but in order to do that a team has to make shots and that just didn’t happen on this evening.

Tessa had ten of her points during the nineteen-point run. Other contributors were Erin Savage, Morgan Snow (4 points), and Alexandra Kennedy (3-pointer).

Tessa Lafrance draws a crowd

The best moments for HW were at the start (quick 4-0 lead) and at the end when they shut down Triton for the final 4 ½ minutes, created six turnovers, and tallied seven points (Lauren Flynn, Kristina Renaud, and Haley Rivers).

The Vikings (5-4), other than in the final 4 ½ minutes, handled HW pressure with good passing. Credit Mel Primpas, Morgan Snow, and Erin Savage for preventing costly backcourt miscues.

6’ Tessa Lafrance was a matchup nightmare for the shorter HW squad. Tessa can take and make from long range, although she had only one from long range versus HW. Closer to the basket, however, Tessa’s height and strength overwhelmed the Generals. And from what I saw in this game, her teammates will find her when she’s in close. Erin Savage collected several assists this way.

Best pass of the game may have been Alexandra Kennedy’s to Tessa for a layup in the last quarter.

Erin Savage (9 points) defended by Liz Kirschner

Junior Erin Savage (9 points) was a crowd pleaser early in the 4^th quarter when she rebounded a Tessa miss, scored and was fouled.

Both teams return to action on Monday night (6:30PM). Triton is at Amesbury while HW hosts Pentucket.

Hamilton-Wenham was 2-18 last season with one of those wins being in their opener over Triton, 52-50.

Triton was 11-11 last season going out in the D2 North first round to Wakefield.

Triton box

HW box

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

Dive for the ball!

Alex Kennedy (32) blocks

Lauren Flynn (1) gets an opening

Mel Primpas covered by Liz Kirschner

Tessa Lafrance shoots in the lane

Game on!

Kelly Walsh heads baseline

Jacqueline Fibbe and Morgan Snow

Jacqueline Fibbe, Cecily Szady, and Bridget Sheehan

Tessa Lafrance launches a three

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Filed under Hamilton-Wenham, Triton

Tagged as Alex Kennedy, Erin Savage, Jacqueline Fibbe, Kelly Walsh, Morgan Snow, Tessa LaFrance

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

February 13, 2015 · 11:42 pm

Late steal (Luke Reiniger) leads to game-winner in Triton’s 50-49 win over Newburyport

Mike Shay defended by late-game hero Luke Reiniger

Triton starts to celebrate

(Newburyport MA) It was the biggest play of Triton’s season.

Trailing by a point, Triton’s Luke Reiniger intercepted a pass and turned the turnover into a go-ahead, two-points for the Vikings with twelve seconds left.

Luke’s basket turned out to be the game-winner in Triton’s 50-49 win over Newburyport on a frigid Friday night of Cape Ann League action.

Before the Vikings’ celebrating could begin, however, they had to survive the final twelve seconds. Anyone familiar with Newburyport’s team was reasonably certain that junior Dan Baribeault (16 points) would be taking the final shot. And it looked like he would as he dribbled across mid-court. But Triton had at least three defenders thinking the same thing so Dan passed the ball to teammate Jake Barlow and set a screen. Jake’s defender (Kevin Clark) was screened by Danny and Jake took a dribble to his left and had a good look at a possible game-winner for the Clippers. The shot missed and the Vikings’ Nick Venora secured the rebound with 1.1 seconds left and was fouled. Nick missed the first shot unintentionally and the second one intentionally and Newburyport was denied a final shot.

Jake Berger (12 points), Dan Baribeault (16 points) and Corey Parsons (19 points)

The Triton team then began celebrating and the Vikings fans came out and joined them. Why all the celebrating? Triton (8-10) had lost four straight and another loss would have kept them from getting to the post-season tournament. They will need to win their last two games.

The Vikings remain alive while Newburyport (7-10), with only two games left, can no longer get the ten wins they need to qualify for the post-season.

This game had four lead changes in the first quarter and three more in the final quarter.

Triton led 10-9 thanks to two Nick Venora 3-pointers but the Clippers found their offense in the second quarter making five free throws and getting contributions from five different players.

Dan Baribeault sees plenty of Triton defenders on the last possession

Newburyport’s halftime lead was 29-17 and I sensed that Triton was in serious trouble. Scoring was the issue. Ellsworth Rogers (concussion) wasn’t playing. Cam Armand (ankle) was trying to play but was limping. Corey Parsons, defended by Dan Baribeault, had only two points.

The difference in the second half? Corey Parsons (19 points) caught fire. The Triton senior drained four 3’s in the second half including two in the last 1 ½ minutes of the game.

The first of the two late 3’s went in off the backboard and put the Vikings ahead, 45-44, with ninety seconds left.

That lead was far from safe with all that time left. Triton had given up three 3’s on Tuesday night to Pentucket in the last minute of that stunning loss.

Jake Barlow gets a good look at the last shot

It wasn’t the 3’s this time, it was the turnovers. Two straight Triton backcourt turnovers (steals Mike Shay) led directly to layups by Jake Berger (12 points) and a 49-45 NHS lead. Jake was fouled on the first turnover/two and made the free throw.

After a Triton miss, Dan Baribeault was fouled with forty-three seconds left. Dan didn’t make the front end of the one-and-one but Triton still needed five points to win.

If folks thought Dan Baribeault would get to take the big shot for Newburyport, you certainly figured that Corey Parsons would soon be trying a 3-point shot for Triton. Sure enough, Corey came off a screen, cashed a 3-pointer pulling Triton within one point, 49-48, with twenty-six seconds remaining.

Corey Parsons shuts off Will Cataldo

Shortly thereafter came Luke Reiniger’s steal and score and Triton was able to keep their post-season hopes alive for one more game.

It was Senior Day for Newburyport. They have seven seniors on their roster.

Terrific crowd on hand. The way this one went back and forth early and late made for plenty of excitement.

The Vikings won despite missing thirteen free throws (11-for-24).

Triton made seven three’s.

Junior Eric Rybicki had seven points for the Vikings in the second half including a three.

Triton had seventeen turnovers while Newburyport had thirteen.

Triton Boxscore
(For Triton I had Eric Rybicki (7), Luke Reiniger (5), Khalil Brito (2), Nick Venora (9), Conor Henry (4), Corey Parsons (19), Will Parsons (2), Cam Armand (2))

Newburyport Boxscore
(For Newburyport I had Nick Rogers (2), Mike Shay (11), Jake Berger (12), Liam Hundertmark (8), Will Cataldo (2), Dan Baribeault 16))

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

Liam Hundertmark reaches for a high pass

Conor Henry looks for a pass

Khalil Brito gets two

Mine!

Dan Baribeault gets into the lane

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Tagged as Corey Parsons, Dan Baribeault, Eric Rybicki, Jake Berger, Luke Reiniger

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

February 4, 2015 · 11:18 pm

North Reading finishes strong in 60-56 victory over Triton

Adam Goldstein (on the right) converted a rebound off a missed free throw to give North Reading a 58-54 lead in the last minute

Nick Venora (19 points) sees an opening

(Byfield MA) North Reading survived four lead changes in the final quarter and defeated Triton, 60-56, on Wednesday night Cape Ann League action.

The Hornets (7-8) had a very slim, 55-54 lead with 1:12 left but capitalized on a Viking rebounding foul (Luke Reineiger) and a converted offensive rebound (Adam Goldstein) and put five straight points together to win the game.

Triton (7-9) got down early (22-9) as Derek Hogan (18 points) carried North Reading.

Later the Vikings would erase a 30-20 deficit with a 17-1 run that gave the home team a 37-31 lead with three minutes left in the third quarter. Nick Venora (19 points) tallied nine points in a lengthy stretch of solid offense and defense.

Cam Armand spins in

Cam Armand started the final quarter with a three to get Triton up by four (44-40).

The key to the North Reading win? Twice in the last quarter the Hornets turned misses into point-producing offensive rebounds. The first time it happened senior Gerard Walsh punished Triton with a three after a teammate rebounded Gerard’s missed free throw to get NR ahead, 52-48. Later it was Adam Goldstein (12 points) converting a missed free throw into two points with a rebound to increase the Hornets’ lead to 58-54 with fifty-four seconds to go.

The Vikings opted for the quick fix 3-point attempts but came up empty on all three tries down the stretch.

Derek Hogan (18 points) drives

North Reading won despite twenty turnovers and thirteen (10-for-23) missed free throws. The Hornets miscued on eight freebies in the final quarter.

The Vikings had a very cold shooting night from the field. They did make four 3’s but needed several more in this one.

North Reading won the first match between the two teams in December, 62-40. Adam Goldstein had 21 points in that NR victory.

The Hornets ended a two-game losing streak. They play Notre Dame Cristo Rey (Lawrence) on Thursday and at undefeated Hamilton-Wenham on Friday.

Hamilton-Wenham routed Triton by thirty-nine points on Friday. Marcus Zegarowski had thirty-one points in that one. HW had only won the previous meeting between the two teams, 51-44, in December.

The Vikings will be at Masco on Friday night.

North Reading box

Triton box

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

Pat Riley and Corey Parsons

Gerard Walsh defending had two 3-pointers in the 4th quarter

Adam Goldstein (12 points)

Conor Henry tries to get position on Nick OConnell

Luke Reiniger out front

block?

Ellsworth Rogers eyes the hoop

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Filed under North Reading, Triton

Tagged as Adam Goldstein, Derek Hogan, Gerard Walsh, Nick Venora

January 19, 2015 · 8:27 pm

Triton girls hold off Georgetown 43-39

Tessa LaFrance (16 points) gets two over Cayla Durkee in the first quarter

Maya Spence (7 points) saw plenty of Triton defense

(Byfield MA) Triton gave away a huge lead but held on to defeat Georgetown, 43-38, on Monday afternoon in Cape Ann League girls’ basketball.

The Vikings (6-7) have now won three straight games.

Sophomore Tessa LaFrance led Triton with sixteen points, getting eleven of those points in the Vikings’ remarkable 17-1 first quarter.

Georgetown (6-6) looked to be feeling the effects of yesterday’s 64-48 win over Saugus in the early going. Triton had several coast-to-coast layups at the beginning as the Royals failed to get back on defense.

Credit Triton, they chose to limit the touches Maya Spence (22 points against Saugus) would get with a box-and-one defense in the first half. Megan Muldowney, Melanie Primpas, and Hannah Clark all put in time effectively denying Maya the ball and the Vikings got off to a great start.

The Royals first point (free throw Cassidy Troy) came with 3:15 left in the first quarter…….and it was their only point in that quarter.

That sizable deficit, down sixteen after a quarter, could have been the start of an afternoon laugher but it wasn’t. I saw the Royals “out” of a game against Newburyport Friday night but the next thing I knew some of their 3’s started to drop and their trapping defense began to work. That’s also what happened in this game.

Ashley Hovan sparked the Georgetown comeback with two 3-pointers off the bench

The visitors trailed by nine (32-23) after three quarters. Enter junior Ashley Hovan for the Royals for the first time. Ashley drained two 3’s in less than two minutes and, combined with a Graceann Conte layup, suddenly G’town had Triton in their sights, 35-31, with nearly six minutes left in the game.

A converted rebound by Camille Mihalchik, after a steal and a layup by Morgan Snow, boosted the Triton margin back to eight (39-31) with 4+ minutes to go.

Again Georgetown, down but not out, as they tallied seven unanswered points. Four of the points came from free throws, despite missing four straight, and the other points were on Isabel Block’s 3-pointer with 1:50 remaining.

Anyone’s game, for sure, at 39-38.

Tessa LaFrance (16 points) scored the key basket for the winners driving down the lane for two and later teammate Morgan Snow hit a baseline jump shot, after a G’town turnover, to restore a 5-point lead.

tie-up on the baseline

The Royals responded with a free throw (Cassidy Troy) but thereafter inexplicably allowed Triton to run out the last twelve seconds to end the game. Fouling seemed like a logical option to this reporter.

Georgetown never led in this game. They next play on Friday at Pentucket.

Triton’s next game is hosting Lynn Voc on Wednesday night.

Triton was much taller than Georgetown and had quite a few offensive rebounds. They also had several blocks. On one play in the first quarter, Tessa LaFrance blocked a shot, recovered the ball, and drove the length of the court to score.

Rory Donoghue and Tessa LaFrance

Tessa LaFrance, Erin Savage, and Kayla Durkee were 2nd team Cape Ann League All-Stars last season. Tessa and Erin are sophomores while Cayla is a junior.

Triton won by four points but missed ten free throws (5-for-15). Two 1-and-1’s were included.

Georgetown lost by four points despite missing twelve free throws (11-for-23).

In my opinion, the advent of the 3-point shot has lessened the inclination of players to practice foul shots. Good teams are going to make you pay if you foul them.

Triton boxscore

Georgetown boxscore

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

Jessica Greaney eyes the hoop

scramble

Tight Triton defense

Mollie Swanton goes for a steal

Morgan Snow on the run

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Filed under Georgetown, Triton

Tagged as Ashley Hovan, Cassidy Troy, Maya Spence, Morgan Snow, Tessa LaFrance

January 12, 2015 · 11:27 pm

Cam Armand (22) and Corey Parsons (21) lead Triton past Ipswich 56-40

Cam Armand (22 points) made seventeen free throws

Corey Parsons (21 points) had twelve points in the first quarter

Pat Flaherty had ten points in the Ipswich rally in the second half

(Byfield MA) “What are you trying to do, break in a new whistle?” yelled one of the frustrated Ipswich spectators.

Triton defeated Ipswich, 56-40, on Monday night in a game in which forty-two fouls were called and sixty-three foul shots taken.

The Vikings (5-6) proved to be the much better free throw shooters and that played a big part in carrying them to their fourth straight win.

Seniors Cam Armand (22 points) and Corey Parsons (21 points) had exceptional games for the winners. Cam made 17-of-22 free throws in the second half while Corey tallied twelve points in the first quarter to drive Triton to a 17-6 start.

Ipswich (2-7) couldn’t make shots from anywhere and trailed, 37-18, with 4+ minutes left in the third quarter.

That bad shooting never changed but the ferocity of the Tigers defense did. Over the next 7+ minutes of playing time Ipswich trapped, gambled, and forced ten Triton turnovers and closed to 43-37 with five minutes left in the game. Freshman Pat Flaherty had ten points in the Tigers run to contention.

Cam Armand moves into the lane

The rest of the way the Vikings made sure that the ball was in senior Cam Armand’s hands most of the time. Why? The young man can shoot free throws. Cam drained 10-of-12 in the final five minutes to keep the visitors from getting any closer.

The Tigers dropped their fifth straight. Their shooting was downright scary! I don’t know what they shot from the field but my stats had them making only eight of twenty-nine free throws. In one section of the second half they missed nine straight.

Triton, despite the win, has to face the reality of twenty-six turnovers. Those empty possessions didn’t hurt them against cold-shooting Ipswich but it might against teams ahead.

Ipswich trailed the entire game.

Fifth win of the season for the Vikings

It was a special win for the Vikings because this was their fifth win with a lot of season left to go. Last year Triton won just four games all season. They are surely improved.

The Tigers’ Pat Flaherty cashed a rebound as he was falling backwards. Later, he got away with inbounding the ball off the back of a Triton player and laying it in.

IHS coach Alan Laroche and guard Jake Long were assessed technical fouls in the third quarter. Every foul called, and there were plenty, seemed to arouse the ire of the team it was called against.

This was a game in which there were many fouls committed. Both teams defended with passion but there was way too much reaching in the open court. Those fouls have to be called.

The referees were several minutes late for the second half.

Jake Long sees a rare opening

Tough night for Jake Long. I saw the IHS junior nail six 3’s on the way to a 24-point performance versus Newburyport on Friday night. Jake was limited to five points by Triton.

The Tigers look to break their losing streak on Friday night when they host Pentucket. The Vikings will be a Manchester-Essex on the same night hoping to add to their four-game winning streak.

Triton boxscore

Ipswich boxscore

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

Action around the basket

Referee identifies the guilty party

Cam Armand shoots technical foul shots

Freshman Pat Flaherty

Corey Parsons followed by Pat Flaherty

opening tip

Conor Henry blocks Alex Kujlic

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Tagged as Cam Armand, Corey Parsons, Pat Flaherty

January 7, 2015 · 11:18 pm

Triton boys defeat non-league Shawsheen 63-40

Cam Armand (13 points) gets out front

Nick Venora led all scorers with fourteen points

(Byfield MA) Triton finally found happiness in the New Year with a 63-40 victory over Shawsheen in non-league action on Wednesday night.

Both teams entered the contest winless in two attempts in 2015.

Shawsheen (2-3) stayed close for a quarter and even had a 14-12 edge 1+ minutes into the second quarter but after that Triton’s long-range accuracy enabled them to pull away for good.

The Vikings (2-6) drained nine long ones. The Rams clicked twice from beyond the arc (Sean Hines) in the first period but came up empty thereafter.

Cam Armand (13 points) connected three times for Triton from downtown. Cam’s first of two three’s in the 2nd quarter put the home team in front for good. Cam’s second three ended the first half putting Triton up 26-18.

Sean Hines had eight points for the Rams in the first quarter

The team from Billerica was still within comeback range trailing 44-34 with a minute left in the 3rd quarter. However, Triton put a 10-1 segment together over the next five minutes of playing time into the final quarter and gained separation, 54-35. Eric Rybicki had two three’s to pace the Vikings in that run of good offense.

Coach Dave Clay used everyone on his bench. There was no noticeable dropoff in hustle no matter who was playing.

Senior Nick Venora led all scorers with fourteen points.

Ellsworth Rogers now has the cast off his arm. He is hoping to return to action for Triton later in January.

Corey Parsons tries the lane

Shawsheen are Division 3 and play in the Commonwealth Athletic Conference. The Rams were 6-14 last season. Their next game will be against CAC opponent Chelsea at home on Friday night (7PM).

Triton, from the Cape Ann League, faces undefeated CAL opponent Lynnfield (8-0) at home on Friday night (6:30PM).
Triton had seventeen turnovers while Shawsheen had sixteen.

Triton box

Shawsheen box

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