McClelland Miscellanea

April 10, 2017 · 9:47 pm

Autumn West and Julie Freitas lead Pentucket to opening win

Autumn West scores the first Pentucket run as Paige Gouldthorpe applies the late tag.

Pitcher Julie Freitas and Caitlin Kutcher after Newburyport’s final out

(Newburyport MA) The Pentucket/Newburyport softball matchup once again did not deviate from its usual pattern.

The Sachems (1-0), for the third straight time, carried a tight game into the late innings and came away with a win.

This time the final was 3-2 on a gorgeous Monday afternoon at Pepe Field in Pioneer Park in Cape Ann League action.

Junior Autumn West the hitting star for Pentucket. The Sachems third baseman collected half of their six hits, scored their first run, and drove in what turned out to be the game winner.

Junior Julie (“Bug” to some) Freitas got the win for Pentucket striking out six including Mandy Linehan with two-on, and two out, in the bottom of the 7^th.

Neither team hit the ball very hard. There were no extra-base hits.

Junior Paige Gouldthorpe was the tough-luck loser for Newburyport (0-1). Paige struck out Sachems in every inning and ended with 12 K’s.

Seeing-eye, dribblers through the NHS infield by Autumn West and Madi Codair in the first inning turned into two runs later in the inning. Autumn slid home on a wild pitch and Madi scored on Gina D’Agostino’s fielder’s choice.

Madi Codair saves a run.

Fiona Hill saved runs with her catch in the 6th.

Those two Pentucket runs held up until the 5^th and 6^th. The Clippers scored twice but stranded five baserunners in those two frames. The key to limiting Newburyport to just two runs? Terrific catches by 2B Madi Codair (5^th) and CF Fiona Hill (6^th). In both instances the catches were made just above the ground. Fiona’s catch was with the bases loaded. If that ball had gotten past her the Clippers probably would have added three runs. Crucial catches by both players!

Catrina Madden tallied the winning run with aggressive baserunning in the final inning

Aggressive base-running by sophomore Catrina Madden set up Pentucket’s game winner in the seventh inning. Catrina singled, stole second after a strikeout, and reached third on a passed ball. Autumn West’s opposite-field grounder over first easily scored Catrina with the Sachems third run.

In the Clippers 7^th, pinchrunner Meghan Rogers reached second with two outs. Olivia Salvatore ripped a single to left but it was hit so hard, and Pentucket LF Taylor Fitzpatrick got the ball back in so fast, that Meghan was held a third. Julie Freitas then ended this one by striking out Mandy Linehan.

Good game. Close game. Entertaining game.

The weather (70’s) for April 10^th was remarkable.

Sophomore Mikayla Vincent made several nice plays in left for the Clippers while Taylor Fitzpatrick did the same in the same position for Pentucket.

Pentucket was 13-8 last year while Newburyport was 7-13.

Last year in Newburyport’s opener at Pentucket, Mo Quinn drove in two runs in the bottom of the 7^th for an 8-7 Sachems win. Later when the teams met in May in Newburyport, Madi Codair had a 2-run double in the 9^th inning that led to a 3-1 Pentucket victory.

The Clippers stranded eleven baserunners including eight in the final four innings. Clutch pitching by Julie Freitas and star-in-the-book catches by Madi Codair and Fiona Hill gave Pentucket the W.

(The pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

NHS captains Caitlin Clarke, Jade Carpenter, and Mandy Linehan

Madi Codair throws to first

Grounder gets past NHS shortstop Jade Carpenter in the first

Meghan Winn throws to first

Infield hit

Taylor Fitzpatrick makes a catch in left

Taylor Fitzpatrick runs down a potential gapper.

Autumn West flashes a smile after driving in the eventual game winner in the 7th

Madi Codair tosses to first

Julie Freitas pitches

Paige Gouldthorpe had 12 strikeouts

LF Mikayla Vincnet snares a liner. The sophomore also drove in a NHS run

Catrina Madden reaches third in the 7th inning

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March 20, 2017 · 8:40 pm

Vacation in St. Lucia

One of several amazing rainbows we sighted from Arc En Ciel in St. Lucia

Visitors to St. Lucia

I spent nine days in St. Lucia in March with family.

I have been to the Caribbean six times now. After a visit, I like to describe the experience for those who have been before and for those contemplating a visit.

Being from New England, it is nice to get to a warm place during our cold months (November-April).

This trip was the perfect getaway because the day

Snowy Connecticut the day before we left for sunny St. Lucia

before we left Connecticut it snowed. Wasn’t deep but a reminder of what we wanted to get away from.

St. Lucia is part of the British West Indies and was about a 5-hour direct flight (United) from Newark (NJ).

We landed in Hewanorra International Airport on the southern end of the 27-mile island. It took us about an hour to get to the place we stayed at: Arc En Ciel. The roadway was steep and narrow and more than a bit scary.

I had seen a video of Arc En Ciel and it was no understatement to say that it was beautiful. Sometimes a place looks good in the advertisements and then disappoints when you actually get there. Not this place.

Palm trees everywhere greeted us with temperatures in the 70s and low 80s.

The view was different from any other Caribbean place I had been to because we were not at sea level. We had an “overlooking” view of the beach below. No wonder the video of Arc En Ciel didn’t show water nearby. Water was indeed nearby but it would necessitate walking a very steep road close to a quarter mile in length to get to Sugar Beach………..and then there’s the walk back!

Sugar Beach

I ended up getting to Sugar Beach only three times during our visit. This was certainly not to be the usual beach-walking vacation we had experienced in Turks and Caicos, Barbados, and Anguilla.

But what Arc En Ciel lacked in beach access it made up for in on-site perfection. A wonderful pool was in our midst with plenty of lounge chairs available.

The temperature at night surprised me some. It was cooler, probably high 60s, than I figured and I was glad that I had a running suit with me.

The daytime temps were in the 80s which sure felt good to us New Englanders! I am a fanatic about avoiding sunburns so I spent considerable time in shaded areas.

Porch reading

Arc En Ciel had amazing porches to soak in the warm air and the views from. Plenty of reading got done there as well as sleeping.

The internet worked and there was TV. My relationship with TV is not a good one so I was glad to avoid any use of it for the nine days.

The view was remarkable. We were situated in between the Gros and Petit Pitons. They loomed large on either side of us. One of them apparently could be hiked but the thought of trying it never entered my mind.

Boats of all types sailed past checking out the Pitons. One day a five-story tour boat was out there and you could see many flashes go off from cameras. Then the boat turned around and the flashes came from the other side.

Some of the boats anchored off Sugar Beach for overnights. I have a picture of a nicely lighted one.

We brought some food with us because the price of food in the Caribbean is very steep.

The meals were wonderful

All the meals at Arc En Ciel were prepared by staff. In some of the meals they used the food we brought.

I had recently switched to a Nutritarian Diet and so I was avoiding meat, pasta, alcohol, bread, and dairy products. I feared that there would be little that I could eat. I would be proven wrong. I dined on an amazing assortment of salads, vegetables, and fruit. For those eating differently, there were plenty of meat meals and fancy desserts.

I walked down to Sugar Beach several times. I wanted to get my feet in the Caribbean and I hoped to find a souvenir shop to get a St. Lucia shirt. Accomplished both. I did make sure that I was wearing my running suit to avoid sunburn.

While I was on the beach I watched folks getting instructions for scuba diving. I also saw a boat on shore filled with local fruit that I assume was for sale.

The sunsets were awesome on a nightly basis.

Most surprising thing about our St. Lucia visit? We saw almost none of the island. The roads were very limited and to get to-and-from places would have taken hours. Besides we were at this perfect place from which you didn’t really need to leave.

Breakfast spot with a rainbow in the background

Best part about St. Lucia, other than having extended time with family? The rainbows. Arc En Ciel means, “arch of color.” Sometimes you think of rainy conditions as being a downer. Not this place. What rain meant was that there would be another rainbow. And from the elevated spot we were at, we had marvelous views from the porch of each rainbow that came along.

St. Lucia is not a place that allows itself to get easily explored. Rugged terrain prevents it. This makes St. Lucia a perfect fit for the stay-at-home tourist. Once we figured that out we did indeed stay-at-home at wonderful Arc En Ciel and enjoyed every minute of it.

(The pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Arc En Ciel bench

Lighted boat off Sugar Beach

St. Lucia sunset

Arc En Ciel entrance

Arc En Ciel sunset

Poolside

View of Arc En Ciel

St. Lucia flora

Deck pose

Palm tree reflection

Short walk to the pool

Caribbean water

One of the two pitons

View of the beach below

Nice dining spot

Rainbow

Double rainbow

Along the Caribbean at Sugar Beach

Diving lessons

Foliage at Arc En Ciel

Reading/Visiting on the porch

Fruit boat on Sugar Beach

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Tagged as Arc En Ciel, St. Lucia

March 8, 2017 · 11:12 pm

Central Catholic holds off Everett 68-65 to reach D1 North finals

Ghared Boyce, defended by Kevin Constant, has a possible game-tying shot in the air as the buzzer sounds.

Bret Edwards found two openings to the basket late in the game.

(North Andover MA) Ghared Boyce put up his second 3-pointer in the final thirty seconds but this one didn’t go and #3 Central Catholic had a gutsy 68-65 win over #2 Everett on Wednesday night.

The victory sends Central (20-5) to the Division 1 North finals on Saturday against Cambridge at North Andover High School (6PM). The Raiders lost, 70-61, to Cambridge in February.

Tonight’s game was exciting and enthusiastically watched. Fifteen lead changes will do that to you!

Bret Edwards turned out to be the hero for Central because he cashed two layups in the last 1:18 of the contest.

Bret’s first layup was answered by a second-chance triple by Ghared Boyce that put the Tide (19-3) within one (66-65). Bret’s second layup, with eleven seconds left, gave the Raiders a 3-point cushion. When Ghared’s last-second, triple try went wide the team from Lawrence had win #20 and at least one more game to play.

Theo Zidor gets the bad news (5 fouls) with three minutes left.

The reigning Super Bowl champs played much of the second half without 6’6” inside player Theo Zidor because of foul trouble.

Junior Ghared Boyce led all scorers with twenty-one points. Ghared already has 1000 points. The 6’ guard had a quiet first half (five points) but was the go-to guy for Everett down the stretch.

Colin Bradanese paced Central with twenty points. Teammate Dom Keegan drained five triples for fifteen points. CC had eight from long range.

Jordan McAfee carried Everett in the first half with seventeen points.

Sam Lara had a quiet six points for CC after netting twenty-five in the quarter-finals against Andover.

The Raiders won despite missing nine free throws (14/23).

Everett has now last five straight years in the D1 North semi-finals.

Everett box

Central Catholic box

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

Bret Edwards afterwards

Kevin Constant (#11) soars toward the hoop

Colin Bradanese (20 points) gets a layup

Junior Isaiah Likely

Theo Zidor and Sam Lara

Donnell Skeen defended by Bret Edwards

Jordan McAfee, Sam Lara, and Ghared Boyce eye a rebound

Theo Zidor (10 points) gets two

Ghared Boyce (21 points) sees double coverage.

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Tagged as Bret Edwards, Colin Bradanese, Dom Keegan, Ghared Boyce, Jordan McAfee, Kevin Constant, Theo Zidor

March 6, 2017 · 11:02 pm

Woburn dominates Central Catholic 65-44 to gain D1 North finals

Mya Blazejowski finds an opening

Marissa Gattuso (16 points) sets up a teammate for a layup

(Haverhill MA) Woburn had the lead early, won every quarter, dominating Central Catholic, 65-44, in the Division 1 North semifinals at Whittier Tech on Monday night.

This game had the flow of a car needing servicing as both teams pressured the other and whistles blew endlessly stopping play. There were fifty fouls called and twenty-eight of them went against the Raiders.

The Tanners (20-3) will return to Whittier on Saturday for a chance at a second straight D1 North title.

The combination of missed shots and turnovers (21) prevented the Raiders (16-7) from putting consecutive points together. Their largest point-run was five. Nicole Elbeery (10 points) did that run by herself and with it the senior brought CC within a point of the lead, 11-10 early in the second quarter.

#3 Woburn had runs of five points or better six times during the game.

Senior Marissa Gattuso (16 points) and Kelsey Qualey (14 points) paced the Tanners.

Woburn coach Steve Sullivan (144-31) used plenty of substitutes and those fresh legs kept the team from Lawrence from mounting any late-game heroics.

Nicole Elbeery (10 points) finds an opening

#7 Central Catholic trailed by eleven (53-42) with 5 ½ minutes remaining but Woburn used the finals minutes to outscore the team from the Merrimack Valley Conference, 12-2, and cruise to the win. A big shot in that surge was a three by Mya Blazejowski (from Ashlyn Pacheco) from in front of the Tanners’ bench and student section.

A key in this game was the defense Cassie Palmisano played on CC’s top scorer, Nicole Elbeery, limiting the senior’s touches. Nicole had 22 points in the Raiders’ quarterfinals win over Peabody.

Marissa Gattuso led all scorers in points but her value to Woburn goes far beyond the points. The Merrimack-bound senior is a magnificent dribbler and passer. Defensively, Marissa has a knack of jumping passing lanes for steals. Her all-around abilities make her special. This is the third time I have seen her play.

One thing I’m sure CC coach Casey Grange would have liked to fix was his team’s defense against Woburn’s inbounds plays that led to three layups.

The Tanners made 20-of-26 free throws. Kelsey Qualey was 7-for-9.

Plenty of contact throughout the game. Central Catholic was tough on the boards and five of their baskets came on second-chance opportunities.

Woburn had three 3’s in the first quarter (Mya Blazejowski, Ashlyn Pacheco, Andrea Schiavone).

The game’s high scorers – Kaylee Thomas (12 points) and Marissa Gattuso (16 points)

Kaylee Thomas led CC in scoring with twelve points.

Woburn knocked Central Catholic out of the playoffs last year in the First Round at Woburn High School. The Tanners went on to the state semifinals before losing to eventual state champs Bishop Feehan.

Central Catholic box

Woburn box

(All pictures above and below will enlarge considerably.)

Mya Blazejowski gets a block against the Raiders

Marissa Gattuso heads up court

Kaylee Thomas tries a layup in traffic

Nicole Wiggins

Ashlyn Pacheco

Staring down a defender

Andrea Schiavone

Marissa Gattuso gets off a shot

Kelsey Qualey was 7-for-9 from the line

Marissa Gattuso

Katie Kirsch goes for a block

Cassie Palmisano guards Nicole Elbeery

Mya Blazejowski lifts for a triple

Marissa Gattuso and Kaitlyn Quinn

Marina Rufo

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Tagged as Ashlyn Pacheco, Cassie Palmisano, Kaylee Thomas, Marissa Gattuso, Mya Blazejowski, Nicole Elbeery

March 4, 2017 · 8:16 pm

Newburyport big in closing minutes to get D3 North quarterfinals win over Triton 59-57

Brendan Powers’ go-ahead basket with 1:04 left on a pass from Robbie Shay (on the right)

Dylan Shute takes the last shot of the game.

Dylan Shute sets to take the last shot of the game.

(Newburyport MA) This one went right down to the last possession.

#2 Newburyport survived #7 Triton’s last-second shot attempt and won a D3 North quarterfinals game, 59-57, before a standing-room crowd that got their money’s worth on Saturday afternoon.

Triton (15-8) trailed by as many as eleven (34-23) early in the second half but rallied in the final quarter to lead by five (49-44), and later six (55-49), with 2 ½ minutes left in the game.

Newburyport (19-3) had two wins over Triton this season and turned things up at both ends to keep their season going.

Casey McLaren – 21 points for Newburyport

Casey McLaren (21 points) put up a personal run of points (two layups and a triple) to give the home team the lead, 56-55, while Triton missed a pair of shots and had a 10-second call go against them.

Triton’s Jack McCarthy (24 points) was sent to the line with 1:22 left and fearlessly canned both attempts to put Triton back on top by a point, 57-56.

Anybody’s game for sure.

During Newburyport’s next possession, Robbie Shay made the pass of the game, from right to left, getting teammate Brendan Powers a layup with a minute left.

That last minute that followed could well be a haunting memory for the Vikings. Triton had three chances for answering points.

Twice the Vikings turned the ball over on bad passes before Casey McLaren made one-of-two free throws giving Newburyport a 2-point advantage.

In Triton’s final possession, with seconds left, Dylan Shute who was probably the 4^th option for the shot, was forced into taking it and missed as the game ended.

Casey McLaren forces Will Parsons to pass on the last possession

Credit the Clippers’ defense on that final possession. Anyone paying attention had to assume a game-on-the-line shot for Triton would come from Will Parsons (24 points) or Jack McCarthy (22 points). The NHS defense prevented it.

First Robbie Shay closed any lane Jack McCarthy, who had eight inside baskets, could take to the hoop. Then Casey McLaren got up close enough to Will Parsons so that the talented junior couldn’t launch a long one (he had already made five 3’s).

Because of the NHS defense, and short clock (eight seconds), Jack and Will ended up passing instead of shooting. Dylan Shute was forced into the last shot (runner on the baseline), with Cam MacRae defending, which rolled off the rim.

The celebrating then began for the Clippers. They move on to the semi-finals against #6 Bedford during this coming week.

Triton absorbed the loss but certainly played very well in such a tense event.

The game certainly started badly for the Vikings when their “spark” Liam Spillane picked up two fouls in the first minute and had a lengthy sit on the bench.

Jack McCarthy (22 points) scored eight inside baskets

Jack McCarthy and Will Parsons had awesome games and proved more than capable of carrying the scoring load.

The Clippers had eight different players put up points. In a 2-point win every basket was crucial.

Big afternoon for sophomore Casey McLaren. He clearly has both-ends-of-the-court skills. Casey made shots inside and out and was a tireless defender. He was the prime defender on Will Parsons and kept him scoreless over the last 5 ½ minutes.

I kept waiting for junior Colin Brennan to catch fire for Triton. In the games I’ve seen, there have been times when the sharp-shooter has nailed consecutive 3-pointers. Not today.

Sophomore Jack Tummino handled the ball nicely for Triton off the Vikings bench.

This game had its share of scoring streaks.

Newburyport put nine straight together to go from a 13-9 deficit to an 18-13 lead with 6 ½ minutes left in the second half.

Triton’s Liam Spillane takes an early seat

Later Newburyport put eight straight together to increase a 26-23 lead to 34-23 early in the second half.

The Vikings ran eleven unanswered points together turning a 44-38 deficit to a 49-44 advantage with 5:25 left in the game.

Newburyport followed with a run of five and Triton answered with a run of six: 55-49 with 2 ½ minutes left in the last quarter.

Casey McLaren followed with his killer collection of seven in a row in the next minute to give the Clippers the lead.

As I said earlier, there was plenty for both teams/fans to get excited about.

The Newburyport/Triton staffs was on hand to make sure things went well and things did go well.

Triton box

Newburyport box

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

Casey McLaren at the line, in front of the Newburyport student section, with 11.4 seconds left

Casey McLaren at the line, in front of the Newburyport student section, with 11.7 seconds left

Robbie Shay guards Will Parsons

Colin Brennan

Loose ball

Casey McLaren and Will Parsons battle

Brendan Powers in for two

Will Parsons draws a charge on Cam MacRae

Robbie Shay in the lane

Nick Rogers on the move

Brendan Powers tries to turn the corner on Jack McCarthy

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Tagged as Brendan Powers, Casey McLaren, Jack McCarthy, Liam Spillane, Robbie Shay, Will Parson

March 2, 2017 · 11:53 pm

Second half surge gets tourney win for Amesbury 48-34 over North Reading

Abbie Sartori (17 points) fires from the corner

Maddie Napoli (13 ponts) floats in the lane

(Amesbury MA) Amesbury was in trouble.

Tied with North Reading (27-27) 2 ½ minutes into the second half, and having top scorer Flannery O’Connor and starter Julia LaMontagne benched with foul trouble, the #1 seeded Indians appeared headed for a short post-season.

But Amesbury recovered and put together an impressive 19-1 segment over the next 10+ minutes of playing time and went from there to win, 48-34, on Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the Division 3 North tournament.

The Indians (20-1) will play the winner of tomorrow night’s matchup between Green Academy and St. Mary’s.

#8 seed North Reading got off to a rough start as senior Maddie Napoli (13 points) hit two three’s in the first 4 ½ minutes and the Indians led, 13-1.

Kat Hassapis (16 points) finds space in the lane

But the Hornets came all the way back riding the terrific play of senior Kat Hassapis. Kat’s three, halfway through the 2^nd period, put the visitors in front, 18-17.

The Indians finished the half on a 7-2 run, helped by two technical foul shots, to lead at intermission, 27-22.

As I referenced before, Amesbury got into foul trouble early in the second half. Losing Flannery O’Connor was serious since the sophomore had twenty-three points in the last NR/AHS meeting and only had four points so far in this one.

After the Hornets (11-12) knotted things at 27, the Indians took the game over for the next 10+ minutes of playing time. Ali Napoli and Chelsea Lynch replaced their foul-prone teammates and before long Amesbury was going one way and North Reading was going the other.

In the 19-1 breakaway time, senior Abbie Sartori hit three jump shots and one triple while freshman Ali Napoli made a neat move in the lane to get a layup and assisted on three of the AHS baskets.

On the NR side, scoring was a big-time struggle. The Hornets missed five-of-six free throws and had seven turnovers.

Mia DeNofrio

When North Reading finally made a field goal (Mia DeNorfio) with two minutes left, the visitors were down, 46-28, and the game had gotten away from them.

Mikayla Porcaro had a 3-pointer and a successful jump shot during Amesbury’s winning run.

Abbie Sartori led all scorers with seventeen points.

NR used a box-and-one to try to keep Flannery O’Connor from getting the ball. Worked quite well although Flannery found some room inside late in the game.

The Indians defeated North Reading, 72-57, on January 6^th. The Hornets made eight three’s in the first half of that game. Amesbury’s 1-3-1 zone defense worked well this time around, however, by limiting NR to only three long ones in this tourney win.

North Reading was called for a technical foul after a player entered the game and their name was not in the official scorebook.

Good crowd on hand.

Box for North Reading

Box for Amesbury

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

Lauren Sullivan blocks from behind

Flannery O’Connor draws a crowd

Loose ball

Kat Hassapis defended by the Napoli sisters

Noel Riley

Amesbury cheerleaders show how it’s done

Mikayla Porcaro and Victoria Grasso

Flannery O’Connor with Abbie Sartori

Maddie Napoli

Abbie Sartori

Kat Hassapis and Ali Napoli (Two pretty good goalies in another season)

Casey McAuliffe (#10) had two three’s

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Tagged as Abbie Sartori, Ali Napoli, Flannery O'Connor, Kat Hassapis, Maddie Napoli

February 28, 2017 · 11:41 pm

Will Parsons (21 points) leads Triton by Pentucket 48-39 in D3 North First Round

Will Parsons (21 points) and Spencer Pacy (14 points)

Will Parsons had seventeen points in the second half

(Byfield MA) Will Parsons (21 points) carried Triton to a 48-39 First Round win over Pentucket on Tuesday night.

Triton will face Newburyport on Friday night at Newburyport (7PM) in the Division 3 North quarterfinals.

Will Parsons had a seventeen-point second half. His three with 1:48 left in the game gave the Vikings two-possession separation (43-37) and Pentucket couldn’t recover.

Pentucket (12-9) did make a remarkable recovery in the first half. Held to one point in the first quarter and down 14-5 two minutes into the second quarter, it looked like a blowout in the making. But it wasn’t.

Nate McGrail squeezed between two Vikings

The Sachems put a run of sixteen straight points together and 1 ½ minutes into the second half had a 21-14 advantage. Now it was Triton’s turn to look to be in serious trouble.

A key to Pentucket’s run to the lead was Spencer Pacy’s ability to get to the basket. The Sachems’ sophomore had eight in the second quarter and fourteen for the game.

Triton’s Will Parsons took over the offense in the second half. Tightly covered by Spencer Pacy and other, the talented junior found ways to add twelve points in the third quarter alone. His old-fashioned three in the closing seconds of the quarter put the Vikings in front for good (28-26).

If you watch enough Triton games you’ve seen junior Colin Brennan get hot a few times. Pentucket did everything they could to prevent it. However, in the first 1 ½ minutes of the final quarter, Colin drained two three’s. The second one put the Vikings ahead, 36-28.

Jack McCarthy hemmed in by a trio of Sachems

Time for Pentucket to look to be in serious trouble. But with two close games versus Triton this season you suspected that they weren’t done. An old-fashioned three (Nate McGrail), a jumper (Spencer Pacy), and a Conor O’Neil triple put Pentucket within two 38-36 with 3 ½ minutes left. Anyone’s game.

The crowd was amazing throughout the contest. And they had plenty to get excited about. Two-point game with 3 ½ left in a tournament game? It got loud!

The Sachems, however, had only a Conor O’Neil free throw to show for the crunch-time 2 ½ minutes that followed.

The Vikings during this same segment combined a layup by Jack McCarthy, a three by Will Parsons, and another layup by Jack McCarthy and this restored their eight-point lead (45-37) with a minute left.

Three turnovers and two missed free throws were unfortunate parts of the final minutes of Pentucket’s 2016-17 season.

Both Will Parsons and Liam Spillane went off the court in the 4^th quarter with what appeared to be leg cramps. Will did return to nail a crucial 3-pointer.

Triton was without point-guard Chris Trotta. Sophomores Dylan Shute and Gabe Butts gained extra floor time as a result.

Liam Spillane loose in the lane

Both teams entered tonight’s game on 3-game winning streaks.

Pentucket had a remarkable win over Newburyport recently after losing to the Clippers by 35 points in their first meeting. A number of the NHS players took in tonight’s game.

It was a well-behaved crowd that had plenty to cheer about.

Conor O’Neil had ten points for Pentucket.

Pentucket box

Triton box

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

Triton starts to celebrate

Jack McCarthy looks for an opening

Battle for a rebound

Liam Spillane looks to pass

Colin Brennan finds the range

Pentucket faithful

Gus Flaherty on a break

Nate McGrail finds a lane to the hoop

Gus Flaherty shoots the last shot of the first quarter

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Filed under Pentucket, Triton

Tagged as Colin Brennan, Jack McCarthy, Spencer Pacy, Will Parsons

February 27, 2017 · 11:44 pm

Newburyport drubs Lynn Tech 70-36 in D3 North First Round

Casey McLaren (18 points) had good looks most of the night.

Nick Rogers (14 points) guarded by Dantai Robertson

(Newburyport MA) Disappointing performance by Lynn Tech.

#2 Newburyport trounced #15 LT, 70-36, on Monday night in First Round action in the Division 3 North tournament.

The Clippers (18-3) scored the first eleven points of the game before the Tigers (7-14) finally made a basket (John Marino) six minutes into the first quarter.

The second quarter followed suit. Newburyport started it with a 14-1 run as the game reached the embarrassing level (30-5) with 3:40 to go until halftime.

The Clippers were very impressive all over the court.

The Tigers (winners of four straight coming in) tried to zone the Clippers but instead of shutting down the inside there were opening galore to the basket. Newburyport made sixteen layups in the game.

I saw the Newburyport game against Lynnfield and Casey McLaren struggled early but ended up with double figures. No struggles early this time for the talented sophomore. Shots from all levels seemed available and, versus Lynn Tech, Casey led all scorers with eighteen points.

LT coach Stevie Patrick had Marcus Taylor denying the ball to Casey in the second half but by then the game was well out of hand.

Noah Van Schalkwyk in the lane for Newburyport

In Lynn Tech’s disastrous first quarter the Newburyport man-to-man defense forced seven turnovers.

The Clippers usually take and make many three’s during a game but versus Lynn Tech the inside chances ruled the day. The Tigers had as many 3’s (four) as the Clippers did.

LT had three brutal scoring droughts. I have already referenced two of them. Here’s the third: in the final 6 ½ minutes of the game, Lynn Tech was held scoreless while Newburyport collected thirteen points.

Put those three droughts together and during sections of this game Lynn Tech was outscored, 38 to 1!

Belmin Berilo paced the Tigers with eight points.

Lynn Tech won the Commonwealth Athletic Conference Small division.

Good crowd of Newburyport enthusiasts in the house. Forget just being the sixth-man. Before the game, they turned into some type of choral group as they performed the National Anthem.

Newburyport box

Lynn Tech box

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

Casey McLaren shoots as Pentucket watches

Casey McLaren up for a rebound

George Coryell in the open floor

Battle for a rebound

Belmin Berilo was LT’s top scorer

Casey McLaren in the open court

Nick Rogers shoots from in front of the NHS student section

Robbie Shay

Cam MacRae shoots from in close

Brendan Powers hits the deck

Senior Aquemini Gaston and coach Stevie Patrick

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Filed under Lynn Tech, Newburyport

Tagged as Belmin Berilo, Casey McLaren, Nick Rogers

February 18, 2017 · 11:52 pm

Mike Norton (27 points) leads Oceanside past Nokomis 53-49 in Class A North QFinals

It wasn’t until Cooper Wirkala made two free throws with 2.3 seconds left that Oceanside had a win assured over Nokomis

Josh Smestad (22 points) guards Mike Norton (27 points) on an inbounds play

(Augusta ME) This game was there for the taking until Oceanside’s Cooper Wirkala sank two free throws with 2.3 seconds left.

The two free throws put the Mariners up by four and sealed a 53-49 win over plucky Nokomis in the Class A North quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon at the Augusta Civic Center.

#3 Oceanside (16-3) made it to the Class A championship game last season but graduated eight players. They have quickly rebuilt around junior Mike Norton.

Mike (6’2”) ended up with twenty-seven points today getting in close for layups and making room for jump shots in the lane.

Mike had eighteen of those points during Oceanside’s rally from a 16-4 deficit in the first period to a 28-22 lead early in the third period.

Mike had two steal/layups in his collection of scoring.

The hustle play of the game? Mike Norton catching a Warrior dribbler with his back turned and diving to force a jump-ball turnover on Nokomis in the 4^th period.

Junior Mike Norton above the rim after a steal

Mike’s heroics were important to get the Mariners going after Josh Smestad (22 points) punished the Rockland team with half his points in the first quarter.

The thing about Nokomis (11-8) was that after squandering their great start they did not fold thereafter.

Down by six (28-22) early in the 3^rd quarter, the team from Newport rode the shooting of Zach Hartsgrove (17 points) to get to within two points of the lead five different times in that quarter.

With 4:25 to go in the game the Warriors actually took the lead, 42-41, on a baseline jumper by Captain Brad Allen.

Back came Oceanside, and after two more hoops by Mike Norton, one assisted by Nate Raye, they were in front, 46-44, with 2:48 remaining.

Key point in the game? Mike Norton fouled out with 2:10 left. How would Oceanside get points the rest of the way?

Here’s how: four Oceanside free throws came from Nate Raye and Sam Atwood surrounding a Nokomis turnover.

Now up five (50-45) with a minute left things looked good for Oceanside. Not so fast!

Josh Smestad (#2) converts a rebound with 24 seconds left

The Mariners missed five of their next six free throws and had a turnover. Meanwhile, Zach Hartsgrove made two free throws and teammate Josh Smestad converted an offensive rebound.

The Warriors were within two twice, with the ball, in the final twenty-two seconds. Zach Hartsgrove missed contested shots in both possessions. After the second miss, Cooper Wirkala took in the rebound, was fouled, and sealed the deal with two straight free throws.

This was definitely a game that could have gone either way.

Oceanside gets to play in the North semi-finals on Wednesday at the same location. The North finals will be on Friday. The Class A title game will be in Augusta on March 4^th at 2:45PM.

Oceanside has now won six straight.

The Mariners lost to undefeated Medomak Valley, 55-51, on January 27^th.

Oceanside box

Nokomis box

There were eight charges called in this game.

The Nokomis band performed (nicely) the National Anthem.

It was a blessing to have dry roads and sunny skies.

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

Oceanside coach Matt Breen

Sam Atwood

Mike Norton shoots over Jakob Erskine

There were eight charges called. Jack Lombardo gets called on this one

Cooper Wirkala was four-for-four from the foul line

Zach Hartsgrove (17 points) defended by Leo Reid

Joseph Cloutier defends

Mike Norton breaks

Nate Raye drives past Josh Perry

Floor scramble. Brad Allen with the ball.

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Filed under Nokomis, Oceanside

Tagged as Cooper Wirkala, Josh Smestad, Mike Norton, Zach Hartsgrove

February 17, 2017 · 11:40 pm

Newburyport stuns Lynnfield 67-55

Billy Arseneault (16 points) tries to get past Cam MacRae (14 points)

Casey McLaren (18 points) eyes the hoop

(Newburyport MA) Newburyport turned in an impressive win on Senior Night as they took down Lynnfield, 67-55.

The Pioneers (15-2) had a twelve-game winning streak snapped.

The Clippers (14-3) took the lead in the first two minutes and never gave it back.

The Pioneers went down by thirteen (34-21) three minutes into the second half but battled back to within three points (39-36) in the final two minutes of the third quarter.

Nick Rogers (18 points) ends the third quarter with a three. (Ball is above the scoreboard)

Nick Rogers (18 points) pushed the NHS lead back to nine (47-38) with a pair of three’s.

Cam MacRae and Zack Shone (14 points)

Later, Cam MacRae (14 points) strung five points in a row to boost the advantage to double digits (57-44) with 3:35 to go and sealed Lynnfield’s fate.

Lynnfield hadn’t lost since December (non-league Melrose) but were in trouble early versus Newburyport because top scorer Louis Ellis was a foul magnet. Two minutes into this game he had two fouls. LHS coach Scott McKenzie had to bench him for the rest of the quarter. Two minutes into the second quarter Louis picked up his third foul. Again, he was benched for the rest of the quarter.

Did it affect Lynnfield? For sure! The Pioneers tallied just eighteen points TOTAL in the first half. Louis played only four of the sixteen minutes.

Over a year ago, in the MIAA tournament, Louis collected a career-high thirty-four points against Newburyport to help oust the Clippers from the post-season.

What I’m trying to tell you is that when Louis Ellis is on the bench for twelve minutes of the sixteen-minute first half, and then is held to two points in the second half, Lynnfield is in trouble.

Brendan Powers gets off a shot in the lane

Credit Newburyport for much of the Lynnfield trouble. They constantly took the ball to the basket.

After halftime, Louis Ellis was back on the court but another starter, Dan Jameson, wasn’t. He was sick.

And then there was the Lynnfield foul shooting. A very unfortunate six-for-eighteen. I swear that I saw the Pioneers’ terrific point guard (Billy Arseneault) put a free throw in off the backboard. Things didn’t make sense for Lynnfield on this night.

Again, credit Newburyport for taking advantage despite a dreadful first half shooting-wise of their own. Casey McLaren ended up with eighteen points but fourteen of them came in the second half after an apparent lid was removed that gave him trouble in the first half.

Casey McLaren (18 points) takes the last shot of the first half

Despite tough shooting the Clippers had a 23-15 halftime lead.

Consecutive three’s starting the second half, by Casey McLaren and Nick Rogers from in front of the NHS bench, put the visitors down by eleven (29-18).

The best moments for Lynnfield were in an 11-2 run later in the 3^rd quarter that included several spin moves down the lane by Billy Arseneault (16 points). That collection of good offense narrowed the NHS advantage to three (39-36) with plenty of game left.

Nick Rogers ended that third quarter with a three and added another one (he had four in the game) early in the final quarter. LHS fell back away from one-possession territory and never got that close again.

Lynnfield had defeated Newburyport 67-48 on December 23^rd. The Pioneers raced off to a 20-5 first quarter lead. Billy Arseneault had twenty points in that game.

Newburyport made seven of its eight triples in the second half.

Good crowd with many there to honor the Clippers seven seniors.

Luis Ellis - Long night for a talented player

Louis Ellis – Long night for a talented player

Both teams used zones and man-to-man’s.

There were plenty of drives to the basket and attempted three’s.

Newburyport has now won fourteen of the last fifteen games.

In contrast to the Pioneers’ weak free throw shooting, Newburyport cashed thirteen of sixteen FT attempts.

Both teams are in Division 3. No doubt both teams will have home games in the MIAA tournament. There is also the possibility that they will meet for the 3^rd time this season in the tourney.

Lynnfield box

Newburyport box

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