McClelland Miscellanea

January 19, 2018 · 11:55 pm

Hamilton-Wenham rallies to defeat Amesbury 38-27

Jemma Shea and Cecily Szady double-team Flannery O’Connor

Alli Napoli (11 points) tries to get past Cecily Szady

(Amesbury MA) It looked like a long night for Hamilton-Wenham after 3 ½ minutes had been played.

The Generals trailed 11-5 and looked overmatched against AHS shooters Alli Napoli and Flannery O’Connor.

However, once the HW defense got up to speed the Indians were the ones in trouble as they fell, 38-27, on Friday night in Cape Ann League action.

“We pride ourselves on our defense,” said HW coach Jon Flanagan afterwards.

On this night that defense featured Jemma Shea (on Alli Napoli) and Cecily Szady (on Flannery O’Connor). “The girls did a great job of focusing in on their better scorers,” said Coach Flanagan.

Jemma and Cecily played tight man-to-man defense while their teammates sagged into the lane to give them help. The best thing that defense did was to keep Alli and Flannery on the perimeter. Tonight the AHS shots weren’t falling from the outside.

Lauren Flynn (16 points) leads a HW break

Lauren Flynn led all scorers with sixteen points. Lauren had two quick baskets in the 2^nd quarter; one on a setup by Jemma Shea and another on a well-executed inbounds play. That brought HW to within two (12-10). Then it was Lauren again in the last second of the period, setup this time for a layup by Jacqueline Fibbe. The halftime score was a very low 14-14.

The Indians (7-3) took the lead in the 3^rd period on an Alli Napoli layup and a three by freshman Mary Bullis from the corner.

Mary Bullis (15) blocks Lauren Flynn’s shot

Amesbury, however, didn’t score again for four minutes while the visitors gained separation with eight unanswered points. Senior Lauren Flynn was the key contributor with four free throws and a driving layup. Teammates Cecily Szady and Maddy Rivers added free throws. That run of points gave HW a 24-19 advantage with two minutes left in the third quarter.

AHS would get within three twice during the next 3+ minutes but they could not string points together the rest of the way.

The Generals gained final separation with six straight points; four of them were from Lauren Flynn and the other two on a drive by Jemma Shea. This stretch of good offense pushed HW ahead, 32-23, with 2:44 left and AHS couldn’t recover.

“We moved the ball well and got good looks from different people,” said Coach Flanagan. “When the opportunity arose, we took the shots that we needed to take.”

“We had a lot of assisted baskets,” added Coach Flanagan. “When we can fill the scorebook with a whole bunch of scorers, that is what we like to see.” Seven of HW’s nine players had points.

Alli Napoli led the AHS scorers with eleven points before fouling out in the last minute. A turning point in this game was when with 4:24 left, Alli picked up her 4^th foul.

Kaylie Cloutier (25) covers Jemma Shea (3)

Amesbury had only ten turnovers in the game while Hamilton-Wenham had eleven miscues.

Coach Matt Willis put getting the ball out of the backcourt entirely into the hands of Alli Napoli and Flannery O’Connor. Getting the ball inbounds was the hardest part because HW had defenders on either side of the girl getting the inbounds pass. But the talented two-some handled this part of the game flawlessly. The trouble for them was in the half-court where their perimeter shots weren’t falling, and the inside was filled with Generals.

Amesbury had won five straight games and had been undefeated (5-0) at home.

Plenty of scouts on hand from Pentucket.

HW defeated Amesbury 39-35 on December 15^th.

Hamilton-Wenham was 15-9 last season reaching the Division 2 North title game. Amesbury was 22-2 reaching the Division 3 state semifinals.

Amesbury box from the game

Hamilton-Wenham box from the game

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

Flannery O’Connor gets in for two in the first quarter

Flannery O’Connor (12) waits for a pass

Alli Napoli and Lauren Flynn battle for a rebound

Sadie Kermelewicz (4) guards Maddy Rivers

Lauren Flynn goes by Alli Napoli

Catherine LaForte defends Isabelle Dolan

Lauren Flynn looks to pass

Jemma Shea

Cecily Szady gets a layup

Jacqueline Fibbe eyes the hoop

Mary Bullis (15) fouled in the lane

Jacqueline Fibbe gets a layup

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Filed under Amesbury, Hamilton-Wenham

Tagged as Alli Napoli, Cecily Szady, Coach Jon Flanagan, Flannery O'Connor, Jacqueline Fibbe, Jemma Shea, Lauren Flynn

January 15, 2018 · 7:10 pm

Pentucket rides last quarter to 44-32 win over Newburyport

Casey Hunt tries to drive past Krysta Padellaro

Sophomore Angelina Yacubacci had sixteen points to lead the Sachems

(Newburyport MA) Pentucket 44, Newburyport 32.

It’s why I cover games! Scores alone can be very misleading.

This wasn’t a “twelve-point” game. This was a close game with FOURTEEN lead changes through three quarters.

“Newburyport is a very good team,” said Pentucket coach John McNamara afterwards.

And that they were……….for three quarters.

The 4^th quarter? The Clippers defense was still good, but the offense disappeared.

“We needed to take better shots,” conceded Newburyport coach Gregg Dollas. “We needed to move the ball. We really struggled with shot choices in the last quarter.”

Today’s last quarter probably brought back bad memories from the last time Pentucket and Newburyport faced each other. It was March 1^st in the first round of the D2 North tournament. In that one the Clippers were down 12-1 after a quarter and ended up losing badly, 46-19.

Abi Gillingham and Liv Cross near the basket

Today it was the last quarter that sunk the Clippers. They were outscored 9-1 in that quarter and squandered a game in which they were impressive otherwise.

The Sachems (8-1) are a team that will press and use defense to create offense.

The Clippers (7-2) play a tight man-to-man defense and will run with turnovers and rebounds.

The most impressive thing about Newburyport (IMO) in this game was that they had fewer turnovers (12) than Pentucket did (19). The Clippers took good care of the ball.

The most impressive thing about Pentucket? Their game-long organized offense. They certainly looked to get the ball inside to junior Liv Cross (“She’s a stud! – Coach Dollas) but they were patient about it.

That patience on offense was most noticeable in the final quarter when Newburyport raised the pressure.

Angelina Yacubacci blocks Meghan Winn’s shot

Sophomore Angelina Yacubacci topped all scorers with sixteen points. Angelina drained a three in the third quarter and made four straight free throws in the final two minutes to make NHS pay for fouling.

The best one-on-one matchup was between Cape Ann League All-Stars Casey Hunt and Krysta Padellaro.

Krysta lost some time because of fouls. “We can’t have her sitting on the bench with foul trouble,” said Coach Dollas.

Coach McNamara also had a key player on the bench with fouls. Inside threat Liv Cross sat out in the first half with two quick fouls. “We missed having her out there,” said Coach McNamara.

Newburyport broke away from a 9-9 tie 1 ½ minutes into the second half. A rebound basket by Abi Gillingham, a steal and layin by Anna Hickman, and a Maggie Pons jump shot from the right had the Clippers in front by six (15-9).

Back came the visitors with nine straight points. Two inside scores by Angelina Yacubacci and a layup by Emily Riley was followed by a 3-point shot (off the backboard) from straightaway by sophomore Angelica Hurley.

Against some teams a Pentucket run like that one is the beginning of an avalanche of points. Not this time. The Clippers had answers and took the lead three more times. An inbounds play by NHS (to Abi Gillingham) tied the score at 31 with thirty-five seconds left in the 3^rd period.

Thereafter, Newburyport’s inability to make shots or even draw fouls did them in. Meanwhile, the Sachems scored the next seven points, including another three by Angelica Hurley (from Casey Hunt) that put Pentucket up, 38-31.

The Clippers finally got a point (free throw Meghan Winn) with two minutes left but the last six points scored in this game were by Pentucket’s Angelina Yacubacci.

Pentucket is looking to win their fourth straight Cape Ann League title.

Abi Gillingham deflects Angelica Hurley’s shot

Player to watch? Newburyport’s Abi Gillingham. The 6-1 freshman is a presence at both ends of the court. She discouraged several Sachems shooters from even attempting a shot in close to the basket. “She has potential,” added Coach Dollas.

Now in his 12^th year, John McNamara has a remarkable 240-42 record. Many of those losses are against non-CAL teams.

The Clippers did put a 33-29 win together against Pentucket last season on February 14^th at Newburyport.

The two Division 2 opponents will meet again on February 9^th at Pentucket.

Pentucket box

Newburyport box

(All pictures will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Angelica Hurley dives for a loose ball

Jess Galvin takes a three from in front of the Pentucket bench

Anna Hickman chases a ball going out of bounds

Krysta Padellaro sees an opening

Krysta Padellaro guards Angelina Yacubacci

Paige Gouldthorpe and Liv Cross collide

Bella Doyle

Pentucket had nineteen turnovers

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Filed under Newburyport, Pentucket

Tagged as Abi Gillingham, Angelina Yacubacci, Casey Hunt, Krysta Padellaro, Liv Cross, Meghan Winn

January 12, 2018 · 11:20 pm

Masco defeats Newburyport 52-42 giving the Clippers their first loss

Krysta Padellaro runs into some serious Masco defense

Mak Graves (15 points) finds space in close

(Newburyport MA) The Newburyport girls basketball team started this season with seven straight wins.

But how good were they since they hadn’t faced Masconomet and Pentucket?

Tonight we found out. Masco came to town and defeated the Clippers, 52-42, on Friday night in Cape Ann League action.

“We have things to work on,” said NHS coach Gregg Dollas afterwards. “We gave up too many offensive rebounds and we missed too many layups.”

Masco coach Bob Romeo saw his team’s play early in the second quarter as the key to the win. “Our breakaway was quick and the separation from it stayed there the rest of the game.”

This was a tie game after six minutes before the Chieftains tallied the final three points of the quarter to lead 9-6.

Anna Hickman started the second quarter with a free throw. You sensed that this game might stay close after Nicole Amyouny missed two free throws in the first minute.

But two minutes later, Newburyport (7-1) was in serious trouble. Masco put a string of thirteen unanswered points together and separated 22-7. The home team never recovered although they did get back to within six points in the third quarter.

Olivia Filmore

Morgan Bovardi

Two Masco freshmen (Olivia Filmore and Morgan Bovardi) sparked the breakaway segment. “They were impressive,” said Coach Romeo.

Olivia converted a missed free throw into a layup and then when teammate Paige Anyouny tossed a 3-point air ball, Olivia was under the basket to turn that miss into two more points.

Morgan’s part was stealing the ball and getting a layup off the steal. She followed those points with a three assisted by Mak Graves.

Mak Graves and Paige Anyouny collected the other two Masco baskets in the crucial 13-point run.

You take those disastrous two minutes out of this game and it becomes anyone’s.

Paige Amyouny and Krysta Padellaro

The best matchup of the night was between seniors Paige Anyouny and Krysta Padellaro.

“Paige is rock solid,” said Coach Romeo. “Game in, game out. She’s a rebounder. She runs our offense and defends the other team’s top scorer.”

Both teams dug in on defense. “It was two good teams going after each other for thirty-two minutes,” said Coach Romeo.

Sophomore Mak Graves led all scorers with fifteen points. Her ability to dribble into open space and to make shots against taller opponents is remarkable. “Makayla didn’t shoot the ball as well tonight as she typically does,” said Coach Romeo. “But she draws a lot of attention and it allows other kids to make plays.”

The potential for a long night started early for the Clippers when starter Katie Hadden picked up two fouls in the first minute. Out she came for most of the first half. During Katie’s absence, the Chieftains (6-1) built the lead that the Clippers couldn’t overcome.

“That hurt us a lot not having Katie for all those minutes,” said Coach Dollas.

Abi Gillingham was called for a foul on this one. Don’t think so!

Because of the swarming man-to-man defenses by both squads, there was a fair amount of contact. Fouls probably could have been called on every possession! We might also still be at the Newburyport gym wondering when the game would end.

Masco lost to Pentucket this week, BUT Mak Graves didn’t play. Pentucket will be visiting Newburyport on Monday afternoon (1PM). The full-court, high-energy Sachems will certainly be another test for Newburyport.

We all got a chance to enjoy the impressive singing voice of Paige Gouldthorpe as she did the National Anthem. That girl does not need a microphone!

Newburyport box

Masco box

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

Anna Hickman splits Sara Fogarty and Morgan Bovardi

Mak Graves

Kyrsta Padellaro gets past Paige Amyouny

Nicole Amyouny at the line

Paige Amyouny squeezes between Abi Gillingham and Paige Gouldthorpe

Sara Fogarty launchs a three

Paige Amyouny gets past Krysta Padellaro

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Filed under Masconomet, Newburyport

Tagged as Krysta Padellaro, Mak Graves, Morgan Bovardi, Olivia Filmore, Paige Anyouny, Paige Gouldthorpe

January 5, 2018 · 11:48 pm

Newburyport explodes in the 4th quarter and defeats Lynnfield 68-55

George Coryell (16 pts) guarded by freshman Jack Ford

Ryan Archer (17 pts) in the lane with Billy Arseneault

(Newburyport MA) This game was close into the final quarter, and I thought it would go down to the wire.

Newburyport didn’t let that last-shot thing happen, however, as they exploded in the fourth quarter with thirty-one points and defeated Lynnfield, 68-55 on Friday night in Cape Ann League action.

This game was tied seven times with the final tie (45-45) with 5 ½ minutes left. After that the combination of Ryan Archer long range and George Coryell drives did in the Pioneers.

Ryan’s two 3-pointers and George’s four layups were the major pieces in a 16-6 run for the home team that sealed this one for the Clippers.

“They figured out our weakness (defending on ball) and they took advantage of it,” said Lynnfield coach Scott MacKenzie afterwards.

George Coryell got to the basket four straight times to key the Clippers separation run. I mentioned George to Newburyport coach Dave Clay and all he said was, “Wow!”

Casey McLaren (22 pts) had seventeen in the first half

George took the ball to the basket throughout the game but in the final quarter there was no help from other Pioneers’ defenders. Why? “They paired George Coryell with Casey McLaren on the wing, so we couldn’t offer help,” said Coach MacKenzie, “It was a smart play.”

Anyone playing Newburyport (6-1) knows the trouble 6-5 Casey McLaren can cause. And the junior caused plenty of that in the first half with seventeen points. “Casey kept us in the game in the first half,” said Coach Clay.

Casey has the size to shoot over players and the driving skills to thwart perimeter overplays. What I didn’t see was him posting the undersized Pioneers in close to the basket.

Casey finished with twenty-two points. Teammates Ryan Archer (17) and George Coryell (16) reached double figures.

Billy Arseneault (16 pts) defended by George Coryell

I saw Lynnfield twice last year and was quickly dazzled by #11 (Billy Arseneault). “Billy is a phenomenal plaer,” said Coach Clay. “We did our best to contain him but he’s going to have points.”

Billy ended up with sixteen points. The senior was the Player-of-the-Year in the CAL Kinney Division last season.

Billy not only shoots well but he is also a terrific dribbler and passer. He isn’t Kyrie Irving, but he sure looked like the Celtic guard on some of the plays he made against Newburyport.

Zach Shone led the Pioneers with twenty points. He led Lynnfield in chasing down offensive rebounds.

“They had extra chances,” said Coach Clay, “but it wasn’t due to a lack of effort on our part. We need to work on rebounding in practice.”

Zach Shone (20 pts) and Billy Arseneault

The Pioneers graduated nine seniors off last season’s 18-5 team. “We’re trying to find our bench,” said Coach MacKenzie. “We are really only playing five kids and we got tired at the end of this game.”

Coach Clay has great respect for Scott MacKenzie: “I think Lynnfield has the best coach in the league.”

This is Coach Clay’s first year coaching at the school he teaches at. “I am still trying to get to know the team.”

Newburyport went from a 5-point third quarter to a 31-point fourth quarter.

Lynnfield (4-2) certainly didn’t help themselves at the foul line missing twelve of twenty-eight attempts. It is always a challenge shooting free throws with the Nbpt student section under the basket. Matt Mortellite missed four straight facing the hostile crowd in the second quarter.

It was the first time I have seen Newburyport cheerleaders at a basketball game.

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

Casey McLaren shoots a jump shot

Noah Van Schalkwyk

Ryan Archer shows a left hand while Billy Arseneault tries to avoid a foul

Casey McLaren launches from the wing

Casey McLaren gets to the rim

Zach Shone (20 pts) gets past Ryan MacDonald

Twelve Lynnfield misses from the foul line

Billy Arseneault passing

Shooting in Newburyport traffic

Billy Arseneault uses a screen

Jason Ndansi shoots against Parker McLaren

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Filed under Lynnfield, Newburyport

Tagged as Billy Arseneault, Casey McLaren, George Coryell, Ryan Archer, Zach Shone

December 29, 2017 · 11:57 pm

Western Connecticut scores 100 for the 6th time routing Newbury 118-68

Jancy Sherwood (25 points) hit six three’s against Newbury

Taylor Kelley (24) defends Genesis Torres (23)

(Danbury CT) “This is a whole new way of playing,” WestConn coach Kimberley Rybczyk told me afterwards. No doubt about it.

Western Connecticut started fast, played everyone in every quarter, and routed Newbury, 118-68, in the opening game of the WCSU Hat City Tournament on Friday night.

During this past off-season, Coach Rybczyk decided to challenge herself and switched to an uptempo style. “I have been coaching twenty-five years and chose to come out of my comfort zone. I spent the whole summer studying this style of play.”

Today was the sixth time the 6-4 Colonels have gone over one hundred points.

Western Connecticut was a bad matchup for the visiting Newbury Nighthawks. They have been averaging 64 points per game and even though they passed that number against WCSU they still lost by fifty!

Newbury (5-5) was overwhelmed by the pace and the pressure from the get-go. During a two-minute stretch in the first quarter a 3-2 game became 15-2. It went downhill from there.

Coach Kimberley Rybczyk in front of the WestConn bench

One feature of the WestConn style of play was a complete change of players every few minutes. “I want kids that are part of my program to get their feet out on the floor,” said Coach Rybczyk. “I told my best players before the season they would play fewer minutes, but they would get twice as many shots and score twice as many points. When that happened in our first two games, the new style of play was no longer even questioned.”

The steady influx of fresh bodies enabled the Colonels to wear out the Nighthawks in a hurry.

Genesis Torres (23) had seven assists and seven steals

On offense the Colonels ran every time they had the ball. Later in the game, the speed turned up a steady flow of layups. Throughout the game, the Colonels got great looks at 3-point shots and drained twenty-one from long range.

Junior Jancy Sherwood led all scorers with twenty-five points including six from beyond the arc.

On defense the Colonels pressured full-court. The Newbury player inbounding the ball was ignored and the pass in made to be very difficult. Once the ball was inbounds, a double-team arrived quickly.

In the halfcourt, the Colonels were always looking for places to apply double teams. Those forty-six Nighthawks miscues tells you how effective WestConn was at it.

Destiny Spears and Jancy Sherwood

Destiny Spears of Newbury may well be the most tired player in Danbury tonight after logging thirty-six minutes. Destiny finished with a very unusual triple/double: 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 14 turnovers.

The Nighthawks had a shocking forty-six turnovers in tonight’s loss. The team from Massachusetts was victimized frequently by double teams that led to bad passes.

Jessica Davis of WestConn had a double/double as she put twelve points together with ten rebounds.

The best stat line of the night may have been by Genesis Torres: 15 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 7 steals. Nice work by the Stratford (CT) sophomore.

The Colonels have yet to make the uptempo style work in the Little East Conference where they are currently 0-2.

Good sportsmanship

Kaitlyn LaBonte (last season’s 2^nd highest scorer) is injured but is expected to return soon for WestConn.

“I would rather teach the players how to play rather than plays,” said Coach Rybczyk. “I got tired of teaching kids sets. I want to teach them how to read, how to react.”

“We are early in on this system,” she added. “We have plenty to work on.”

Western Connecticut moves on to the finals on Saturday. Newbury gets the consolation game.

Box from the game

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

Jessica Davis (12 points, 10 rebounds)

Jancy Sherwood sets to draw a charge

Megan Hasty (22) had six assists

Emma Belcourt (13 points)

Asiah Knight (12) had eleven rebounds

Tashai Price in for two

Faith Thurmond shoots in traffic

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Filed under Newbury, Western Connecticut, Western Connecticut State

Tagged as Destiny Spears, Genesis Torres, Jancy Sherwood, Jessica Davis

December 21, 2017 · 9:59 pm

Pomperaug starts fast and wins Three’s for Charity Tournament 47-35 over Newtown

Tourney MVP Maggie Lee was 12-for-12 from the foul line

Ally McCormack and Karli Opalka with championship plaque

(Newtown CT) Newtown dug themselves a huge hole in the first half and never fully recovered, losing 47-35 to Pomperaug in the finals of the 3’s for Charity tournament on Thursday night.

Pomperaug (5-0) continues undefeated while Newtown (4-1) suffers its first loss.

Minus injured point guard Rylee Mulligan, the Hawks went scoreless for over nine minutes of the first half while the Panthers collected fifteen unanswered points. The 17-2 deficit early in the second period was the cushion Pomperaug needed to ride out comeback attempts by Newtown in the second half.

“It was a tale of two halves,” explained NHS coach Jeremy O’Connell afterwards. “Pomperaug is loaded with talent. If you get down to them early it’s a tough hill to climb.”

Ally McCormack passes from the floor as Jackie Matthews defends

The Hawks did get within eight a couple of times in the second half, the last time being 39-31 with two minutes left. From there on in tourney MVP Maggie Lee clinched the outcome by answering every NHS possession with free throws.

Maggie was a remarkable 12-for-12 from the line and ended up with nineteen points to lead all scorers.

“Maggie shot poorly yesterday (against Cromwell) and she went to the gym early today and got 100 shots off,” said PHS coach Joe Fortier. “We knew if we could get the ball into her hands she’d knock down the foul shots.”

Not having senior Rylee Mulligan was crucial to the outcome. Rylee was a unanimous, all-league, first-team point guard for Newtown.

“Not having her available was probably a big reason for their start in this game,” added Coach Fortier. “Hopefully she gets healthy and back on the floor. She’s a great kid.”

Not only were the Hawks scoreless during nine minutes of the first half but they also had seven turnovers.

Karli Opalka and Claudine Legato (13 points)

Claudine Legato finished with thirteen points including four 3-pointers. “They may have been overplaying Kayli (Opalka) and that gave Claudine some openings,” said Coach Fortier.

It would certainly make sense to overplay Kayli. The six-foot senior already has over 1000 points and 1000 rebounds.

I was entertained by the matchup of sophomore guards Cyleigh Wilson and Maddie Villa. They were tireless and handled the ball well. “They are good friends off the court,” added Coach Fortier.

I was impressed with the defensive work of Jackie Matthews. “She’s our best defender,” said Coach O’Connell.

Last February 11^th, Newtown defeated Pomperaug, 47-45. Nicki DaPra (16) and Rylee Mulligan (13) keyed the win for the Hawks. Coach Fortier with a career 135 wins and 40 losses hasn’t forgotten that game. “The losses always stay with you,” he said.

The Panthers have everyone back from a team that was 18-6 last year and reached the Class L state semifinals. They could be in line for another strong post-season run.

Rylee Mulligan could be back for Newtown’s next game which is a week from Saturday. “She has missed 2 ½ games and we’re taking it slow with her,” added Coach O’Connell.

Pomperaug box

Newtown box

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

Sophomores Maddie Villa (35) and Cyleigh Wilson (10)

Amy Sapenter surrounded by Panthers

Ally McCormack

Jackie Matthews

Nicki DaPra and Megan Todhunter

One of Newtown’s twelve turnovers

Carolina Stubbs fronts Karli Opalka

Karli Opalka spins for two

Scramble on the floor

Karli Opalka in close

Maggie Lee with MVP plaque

Newtown coach Jeremy O’Connell raises a concern

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Filed under Newtown, Pomperaug

Tagged as Claudine Legato, Jackie Matthews, Kayli Opalka, Maggie Lee, Nicki Dapra, Rylee Mulligan

December 19, 2017 · 11:49 pm

Newburyport turns fast start into 58-41 win over Ipswich

Anna Hickman (15 points) had thirteen points early to get Newburyport off to a great start

Krysta Padellaro (15 points) ahead of the Tigers for a layup

(Newburyport MA) Wait until they’ve been together for a while!

Newburyport (2-0) put their lack of full-team practice time behind them and defeated Ipswich, 58-41, on Tuesday night in Cape Ann League action.

“Yesterday (Monday) was the first day where we have had the whole team at a practice,” explained Clippers coach Gregg Dollas afterwards.

The lack of practice time together didn’t seem to faze the Clippers (2-0) in the early going against the Tigers (1-1). The home team ran fifteen straight points in the first quarter and Ipswich never recovered.

NHS was a marvel at both ends of the court for the first 9+ minutes and sailed to a 26-4 advantage.

Extra passes were made, and shots were falling. Junior Anna Hickman had three 3’s to key the fast Newburyport start.

At the other end, Newburyport jumped into passing lanes and created ten Ipswich turnovers in those same 9+ minutes.

Katherine Noftall (25 points) pressured by Maggie Pons

A rout in the making? Not so fast.

Newburyport still had a nice lead (30-9) with five minutes to go in the second quarter but the rest of that quarter was all Ipswich as they finished on a 14-1 run.

The scoring combo of freshman Riley Daly and junior Catherine Noftall put up the points for the Tigers bringing the visitors to 31-23 at the half.

“In the second half we passed, moved, and cut more and got open shots, and they were falling,” said Coach Dollos of his team’s play.

Senior Krysta Padellaro (15 points) initiated Newburyport’s second-half separation with six unanswered points. Krysta had assists from Paige Gouldthorpe and Katie Hadden on two of her baskets.

Now up by fourteen (39-25), NHS put the game out of reach from long range. Sophomore Sammy Cavanaugh turned two feeds from Katie Hadden into 3-pointers in two straight possessions and then assisted Paige Gouldthorpe on yet another long-range shot. That collection of accuracy stretched the Clippers advantage to 48-29 with two minutes left in the third quarter.

“Sammy Cavanaugh’s three’s were crucial,” said Coach Dollos. “They gave us separation for good.”

Junior Katherine Noftall (25 points) had a 16-point first half to give Ipswich a chance.

Katherine Noftall defended by Paige Gouldthorpe

“Paige Gouldthorpe did a good job on #13 (Katherine Noftall) in the second half,” added Coach Dollos. “She also shut down a North Reading shooter in the second half of our first game. Paige is starting to make a defensive name for herself.”

Impressed by the passing of Katie Hadden. Unofficially, I had her for six assists.

When things were going well for Newburyport, almost every player would touch the ball during a possession and open shots turned up.

The Newburyport pressure didn’t seem to bother Ipswich. The Tigers’ trouble was in the half-court. Many of their twenty-one turnovers were off poor passes.

Ipswich freshman point guard Riley Daly had some good moments. She handled the pressure nicely.

The Tigers will play this season without last year’s top scorer and rebounder, Anna Davis.

Riley Daly (32) leads a break

Newburyport has now defeated Ipswich three straight times.

Krysta Padellaro had nineteen points in the Clippers opening-game win over North Reading.

Any game involving Ipswich is special to me. Why? I taught there thirty-seven years and there are always folks in the crowd that I knew back in the (long ago) day.

Newburyport box

Ipswich box

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

Riley Daly and Krysta Padellaro

Katherine Noftall made three 3’s for Ipswich

Maggie Pons about to pass

Paige Gouldthorpe eyes the hoop

Katie Hadden (11) had six assists. Here she draws contact.

Paige Gouldthorpe, defended by Cate Phypers, looks to pass

Abi Gillingham and Deidre O’Flynn

Sadie Vandenberg

Katherine Noftall

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Filed under Ipswich, Newburyport

Tagged as Anna Hickman, Katherine Noftall, Krysta Padellaro, Riley Daly

December 15, 2017 · 11:14 pm

Hamilton-Wenham holds off energetic Amesbury 50-46

Jake Lanciani (18 points) guarded by Chris Chabot

Amesbury was scrappy all game long

(Amesbury MA) “We didn’t deserve that one,” said HW coach Michael DiMarino after the season opener for both squads.

And who would disagree.

Amesbury, without a starter back, looked to be a mismatch against the Generals with several starters back off a 17-4 team last season.

What the Indians lacked in finesse, however, they made up for in hustle and aggressive man-to-man defense.

“You can’t ask for much more than the kids gave tonight,” explained AHS coach Tom Comeau. “They (HW) have been very good in recent years. They’re all seniors and they expect to win and go deep in the tournament. Yet we had a shot to tie them at the end in our first game with no returning starters.”

Chris Chabot shoots for the tie in the closing seconds

This game did come down to the closing seconds as Amesbury, trailing by three, had two chances in the closing seconds to reach overtime. Both of Chris Chabot’s hurried three-point attempts missed the mark.

There were eight lead changes and six ties along the way. Separation was impossible because every shot was challenged, and accuracy suffered big-time.

Amesbury had the lead (44-42) with three minutes left before foul trouble, and clutch HW shooting, did them in. Both of the Sydlowski twins (John and Billy) fouled out in the first minute of the final three minutes. They were Amesbury’s top scorers.

The fouls on the Sydlowski’s gave HW four free throws and seniors James Lustig and Jake Lanciani made three of them to give the visitors the lead for good, 45-44, with 2:03 remaining.

Plenty of time for Amesbury, but a steal by Cam Peach set up James Lustig for an accurate top-of-the-key three with 1:38 to go.

Block or foul late in the game. Called a foul by the officials.

Later, a free throw by Jake Lanciani, after a controversial block/foul call, stretched the HW lead to 49-46. When Chris Chabot’s 3-point attempts misfired the win belonged to the Generals.

James Lustig (11 points) breaks between Chris Chabot and Austin Hallisey

“James (Lustig) is a senior captain,” said Coach Dimarino. “He is a three-year starter. That 3-point shot late was huge.”

James finished with eleven points despite spending much of the game on the bench in foul trouble. His only field goal was the decisive three in crunch time.

If you had to list just one key to the HW victory, it was their trapping defense. “Their defense is stifling,” agreed Coach Comeau. “Their whole scheme is built around it.” Put five non-starters from a year ago on the floor against it in their first game and bad things can happen and they did for the Indians.

HW pressure caused thirty Amesbury turnovers

I keep track of turnovers because they often lead to easy baskets and wasted possessions. Amesbury, and this is not a typo, had THIRTY turnovers. HW had just thirteen. That’s why is was a marvel that Amesbury made such a good game of it.

“We made some adjustments in our trapping defense at halftime, “said Coach DiMarino. “We were having trouble scoring and hoped for some easy baskets.” Those adjustments were golden as the home team has possession miscues thirteen times in the third period alone and HW collected fifteen points while holding AHS to seven.

But even with the turnover disparity AHS hung in. How did they do it? If Amesbury had trouble taking care of the ball, Hamilton-Wenham had trouble at the foul line. HW missed THIRTEEN free throws including the front end of three one-and-one’s.

The Generals led 41-35 after three periods, and then missed seven of their next eight free throws. AHS said “Thank you” and ran seven straight unanswered points to take the lead.

Cam Grinnell (13 points) caught everyone napping after he missed a first-half free throw

Surprise play of the game? With less than two minutes left in the first half, Cam Grinnell (13 points) was at the line shooting one–and-one, BUT he was the only one who knew it was a one-and-one. Cam missed the first free throw and no one reacted so he picked the rebound off the floor and got a layup. Later in that same quarter the senior pulled in a rebound and nailed a fadeaway at the halftime buzzer.

The Boston Herald chose Hamilton-Wenham to finish 4^th in Division 3 North. James Lustig and Billy Whelan were listed as players to watch.

Billy Whelan is still recovering from a collarbone injury suffered in a football playoff game.

I asked Coach Dimarino when Billy would be back: “Not soon enough,” he answered.

Hamilton-Wenham box

Amesbury box

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

Cole Dwyer (33) and Zach Labrecque battle for position

Sophomore Jaden Keliher (15) shadowed Jake Lanciani

Noah Lynch

Billy Sydlowski (10 points) takes off after a steal

John Sydlowski (5) heads for the basket

Zach Labrecque (22) on the move

Alex Renaud chases a loose ball

John Sydlowski (5) had eleven points for Amesbury

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Tagged as Bill Sydlowski, Jake Lanciani, James Lustig, John Sydlowski

December 2, 2017 · 10:32 pm

Quarterback Evan Gwozdz guides Middleboro to 43-20 Division 6 title over Littleton

Nothing but end zone ahead for Evan Gwozdz (12). He passed for four TDs and ran for two others.

Jeremy Soule had 102 yards on twelve carries

(Foxboro MA) I guess I’ll never know.

Know what? Who the punters were for Middleboro and Littleton.

No need of them as the two Division Six finalists vied for the 2017 football state championship in the “sunrise” game at Gillette Stadium on Saturday morning.

Tons of offense (628 yards between the two of them) but it was the point-producing offense of Middleboro that carried them to a 43-20 title.

Evan Gwozdz was the star of the show for the Sachems (10-3). The 5-8 senior passed for four TDs and ran for two others.

Unlike his number-sake (TB12 of the Patriots), however, Evan also showed up in one of my pictures in the “good hands” section of Middleboro’s kickoff return team. No surprise on this day, Evan recovered the onsides kick!

Luke Elliott (with ball) gets first Littleton score

Anyone sitting through the first quarter of this game might not have been certain that Middleboro would even win it. Why? Littleton (11-1) controlled over 90% of that quarter (20 plays) and had the only points on the board.

Harrison LaPierre snuffed out Brad Klock’s two-point conversion attempt.

When Middleboro finally did get a chance on offense they quickly showed that they would be a handful to defend.

“We like to get the ball to the perimeter and we are fast,” said MHS coach Paul Kingman afterwards. You put a fast team on the extremely fast surface at Gillette and containment will be tough.

The key to Middleboro’s answering touchdown early in the 2^nd quarter was a remarkable 4^th-and-4 scramble by QB Evan Grozdz. Evan rolled left and was being dropped by Kevin Frisoli when he spotted, and connected with, Colin O’Brien. “He (Colin) broke off his route when he saw me scrambling,” said Evan. “We practice that a lot.”

The strategy of Middleboro was to let the Littleton defense determine their attack. “If they (Littleton) were going to shut down Jeremy (Soule) we would pass and if they defended the pass we would run Jeremy,” explained Evan.

Pass catchers from left to right – Davis Riendeau, Colin O’Brien, Harry LaPierre, and Matthew Crowley

That strategy worked to perfection in the final three quarters. Jeremy Soule collected 102 yards on 12 carries while there were fifteen catches, and four touchdowns, among five Middleboro receivers.

It was one of those days in which, after the first quarter, Littleton was competitive but not able to neutralize the Sachems on either side of the ball.

I thought that Littleton, after the first quarter TD, would always be able to put long marches together and answer Middleboro TDs. But that Middleboro quickness on offense showed up on defense too.

Evan Gwozdz (with ball) looks for an opening

There was a remarkable turnout of Middleboro support. That will happen when a town realizes that a thirty-four year football state championship drought could end.

Evan Gwozdz (15-for-17) had two incompletions. One was a spike to stop the clock and the other was a prayer at the very end of the first half.

Those three onsides kicks by Littleton in the second half not only failed but they gave the quick-scoring Sachems half a field to work with each time. I know, that’s second guessing of the highest order.

Mitch Beaudoin (8) versus Harry LaPierre

One of the luxuries of doing a game at Gillette is that you get to see instant replays. A couple of decisions by officials drew some serious groans from each team. One time, Littleton was assessed a penalty for a sideline’s hit. The replay showed that there was hardly contact. Another time, Middleboro had an interception denied when the replay suggested otherwise.

Turned out to be an excellent day for December football in Massachusetts.

Middleboro coach Pat Kingman: “Evan Gwozdz was the best player in the South Shore League and he’s an even better person than he is a quarterback.”

A win by Littleton would have enabled them to be the first Central Mass team to win two state championships.

Harry LaPierre

Coach Kingman: “Harry LaPierre has been our best defensive player all year.”

Evan Gwozdz: “We knew that they would score. We didn’t let it get us down because we knew that we could score too.”

Colin O’Brien’s two touchdowns give him twelve for the season.

Evan Gwozdz finished this season with sixteen rushing touchdowns and twenty-two passing touchdowns. Amazing numbers!

Second guessing that didn’t materialize was over Coach Kingman’s decision to rest all his starters against Carver on Thanksgiving Day and take a loss versus Carver.

Today was Littleton’s third trip to Gillette in the past five years.

Middleboro’s Pat Kingman has had the Sachems in the playoffs the last four seasons.

Middleboro’s three previous state championships were in 1983, 1978, and 1977.

In the state semifinal game, Jeremy Soule had seventy-six yards on his first touch and totaled 246 yards in 13 carries including two touchdowns.

Colin O’Brien (7) runs under a perfect pass for a first-half TD

Littleton won their last state title in 2013. They were undefeated in 1967, 1968, and 2013.

The Tigers are in the Midland-Wachusett League.

Middleboro opted for a trick play after their sixth touchdown. Evan Gwozdz was the holder and Brandon Buote was the kicker. Instead of holding the ball, Evan flipped the ball over his head to Brandon who swept right to gain two points.

This was my first time in Gillette. Just the size of the complex is remarkable. Trying to find my way around was an adventure but I managed. I was well treated and well fed. Their after-game stat sheet is a Godsend.

Final stats

(Clicking on the pictures will enlarge them considerably.)

Championship banner

Matthew Crowley

Anthony Silvestro

Brandon Buote

Kicker Brandon Buote (17) gets a 2-point conversion

Littleton QB Will Scott

Evan Gwozdz (12) faces an onsides kick………and recovers it.

Davis Riendeau (3) gets to the end zone

Mitchell Crory (11) sends Jeremy Soule flying and saves a touchdown

Evan Gwozdz (12) congratulates Harry LaPierre after a touchdown

Harry LaPierre (11) eyes the last Littleton defender Evan Lyons (3)

Loose ball

Matthew Crowley (24) intercepts

Battle in the air between Colin O’Brien (7) and Kerr Boyle (6)

Jackson Ellis

Colin O’Brien (7) takes a swing pass from Evan Gwozdz (12)

Jeremy Soule (34) uses a good block from Robert Nestor (62)

Colin O’Brien (7) gets first Middleboro touchdown

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Tagged as Brad Klock, Colin O'Brien, Evan Gwozdz, Harry LaPierre, Jeremy Soule, Littleton Tigers, Middleboro Sachems

November 22, 2017 · 11:39 pm

Newtown chills Masuk 14-7 on two Dan Mason TDs

Dan Mason (7) breaks loose late in the first half

Dan Mason scored twice for Newtown

(Monroe CT) It was a passing down, but Newtown opted instead for a run up the middle.

The result was a momentum-changing 49-yard touchdown shocker by Dan Mason and Newtown went on to defeat undefeated Masuk, 14-7.

“Cold” doesn’t come close to describing the weather conditions on the Wednesday pre-Thanksgiving event at Benedict Field. Add an occasional gale-force wind to the low temperatures and you could imagine the discomfort.

Jack Duignan (50) flies after Joseph Pagett (2)

Two years ago, Ben Mason the linebacker became Ben ball-carrier having a five-touchdown evening leading the 2015 Nighthawks to a 40-8 rout over Masuk. Ben’s brother Dan didn’t get five TDs on this evening but he got two and that was enough to earn Newtown a sixth straight win over the Panthers (9-1).

The Nighthawks (7-3) showed in the first half that they were not going to be another team rolled over by Masuk’s high-scoring offense.

The Panthers, on occasion, did look like the teams that had 401 points in nine games, but Newtown limited lengthy drives by pressuring QB Matt Hersch and containing Jack Roberge.

“I’m quite sure that their quarterback hasn’t been sacked that many times in a game this year,” said NHS coach Bob Pattison afterwards.

Nicholas Lorusso (25) gets behind Connor Marlin (13)

Masuk scored their only touchdown in the first quarter. Nicholas Lorusso ran a nice fade route into the right corner of the end zone and Matt Hersch delivered a perfect nine-yard pass (behind Connor Martin) for the early lead at 3:02.

It was the 12^th touchdown catch for Nicholas and the 31^st touchdown pass for Matt.

At the time, I thought that this would be the beginning of a parade of points for the undefeated Panthers.

But it wasn’t. Why? Newtown got the stunning equalizer before the half and had the ground game to control the clock in the second half. Add a defense that held a team that had not been behind all season, and had scored at least twenty-points in every game, to one touchdown speaks for itself.

Most important play? The Dan Mason touchdown at the end of the second quarter. With less than a minute left in the half and forty-nine yards to go it looked like a good time to go to the air. Newtown opted for a running play instead.

“It was a passing down, but we thought we’d see what we could get with a quick hitter up the middle,” explained Coach Pattison. What they got was pure gold as Dan Mason followed a key block on the Masuk linebacker and then split the safeties into open territory.

Dan Mason after the NHS upset

“The grass just opened up,” said Dan later. “I knew that I wasn’t going to let anyone take me down.”

Masuk coach Joe Lato recalled that play: “Our techniques were wrong on the touchdown. We fixed it at halftime, but we couldn’t take the points off the scoreboard.”

The team from Monroe had a promising second-half start when Robert Martinsky brought an interception back to the Newtown 17. Enter the high-powered Masuk offense? Not on this evening.

The Nighthawk defense held and then the wind sent Nolan McCarter’s 28-yard kick wide left.

While the Nighthawks’ turnover wasn’t costly, the Panthers weren’t as fortunate after Jack Roberge fumbled and Joe Pagett recovered at the Masuk 33 with 3:24 left in the 3^rd quarter.

Patiently Newtown moved the ball, running the clock, and converting 4^th downs along the way. Dan Mason finished the job behind terrific blocking, rushing two yards into the end zone as the third quarter ended.

Ryan Kost (12) kicks Newtown’s second EP

The extra point confirmed that this was Newtown’s day! Joseph Lewis kicked wide right and was injured on the play. But there was a penalty on Masuk. No Joseph Lewis to kick? No problem. Quarterback Ryan Kost stepped in (He was Newtown’s kicker last year) and the extra point was added.

An earlier confirmation of it not being Masuk’s day was on Robert Martinsky’s interception. Looked like a pretty clear path to the end zone for Robert but the gathering Masuk blockers turned into obstacles and one of them forced Robert out at the Newtown seventeen.

Why does this happen? For such an important game, why would the roster handout be messed up for Newtown?

I was impressed with Masuk’s turf field. Great surface. I was at the Yale Bowl for the Harvard/Yale game Saturday on regular grass. Very slippery and uneven.

“Some of the motivation in the game was from our seniors,” said Nighthawks first-year coach Bobby Pattison. “The papers predicted a big season for Masuk and not much of one for them. This was a game that we weren’t supposed to win but the seniors made it happen.”

Dan Mason two touchdowns gave him six for the 2017 season. I don’t doubt that he’ll have a few more next season.

Matt Hersch at the end of a 4th quarter trick play

Coach Joe Lato went the trick play route late in the game as QB Matt Hersch handed off to Ryan Shaw and then went downfield for a pass. The wind got into Ryan’s pass, however, and Matt’s catch was way out-of-bounds.

Good luck to Masuk in the playoffs. Tonight’s loss should toughen them up for the do-or-die games ahead.

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably BUT you have to click on them to make it happen.)