McClelland Miscellanea

February 29, 2016 · 11:23 pm

Amesbury routs Charlestown 83-40 in D3 North First Round

Flannery O’Connor on her way to two of her twenty-seven points

Maddie Napoli (11 points) gets past Keila Derosa

(Amesbury MA) No contest.

Amesbury (11-8) jumped on visiting Charlestown (8-9) early and often on their way to an 83-40 win in the First Round of the D3 North tournament on Monday night.

The Townies brought only six players and the Indians were quick to apply as much pressure as possible in an attempt to wear the visitors down.

Amesbury harassed Charlestown into twelve first-quarter turnovers and put up the game’s first nineteen points. AHS had those 19 points in the first 3 ½ minutes. Maddie Napoli (11 points) hit a three in the breakaway segment but everything else came from high-percentage, inside attempts.

Amesbury coach Matt Willis, in an act of early mercy in my opinion, pulled off full-court pressure with the nineteen points lead and Charlestown got a chance to show how they won eight games in the Boston City League.

Rae Miles-Willis (28 points) puts up a floater in the lane

Charlestown mounted a bit of a comeback and the sizable home crowd got a good look at the Townies Rae Miles-Willis (28 points) and her ability to dribble in traffic and put up shots in traffic. The junior lefty didn’t launch long ones but connected on a variety of pull-up jumpers inside the arc.

Rae’s offense, twelve points in the second quarter, enabled Charlestown to trail only, 39-22, at the half.

In the third quarter things went seriously downhill for the Townies. Amesbury collected thirty-two points (that’s four per minute!) on one layup after another. The miscues mounted for C’Town and the Indians had numerous breakaways.

Freshman Flannery O’Connor (27 points) ran her own personal layup drill getting ahead of the pack or loose underneath for ten baskets in the third quarter alone.

By then this game was begging for a basketball mercy rule like softball has. The point separation did give Coach Willis a chance to give all of his players tournament experience.

Leslie Del Carman (20), Zedekzka Berlingeri (14), and Stephany Rodriguez (21)

#7 seed Amesbury will now take on #2 seed Bishop Fenwick at St. John’s Prep (Danvers) on Friday night (7PM). The Indians will have their hands full in that one.

Charlestown ended their season losing seven of their last nine games.

Amesbury finished 7-2 at home. Good turnout in support of the Indians including the boys basketball team. The boys play at home on Wednesday against Saugus.

The Indians shot well from the outside early on but cooled off significantly during the last three quarters. They will definitely need outside shooting against a tall Bishop Fenwick team.

Flannery O’Connor, Megan Reid (12 points), and Julie LaMontagne (12 points) were strong on the boards for Amesbury.

Charlestown finished winless against the Cape Ann League in five attempts. None of the games, including tonight’s, were close. #1 seed North Reading had 71-20 and 59-19 victories over the Townies.

Amesbury boxscore

Charlestown boxscore

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

Rae Miles-Willis guarded by the entire Amesbury team

Abbie Sartori

Game on!

Maddie Napoli guards Rae Miles-Willis

Maddie Napoli gets a layup

Rae Miles-Willis

Flannery O’Connor in heavy Charlestown traffic

Julie LaMontagne (12 points)

Flannery O’Connor

Rae Miles-Willis shoots in the lane

Zoe Fitzgerald

Abbie Sartori and Maddie Napoli chase Rae Miles-Willis

Megan Reid (12 points)

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Filed under Amesbury, Charlestown

Tagged as Flannery O'Connor, Julie LaMontagne, Maddie Napoli, Megan Reid, Rae Miles-Willis

February 27, 2016 · 10:54 pm

Falmouth breezes to Class A title defeating Oceanside 59-28

Falmouth ( 2016 Maine Class A state champs)

Thomas Coyne (16 points) in for two of them

(Portland ME) Falmouth 59, Oceanside 28.

Sometimes the final score is misleading but not this time.

The Falmouth Yachtsmen (18-4) captured the Class A Gold Ball in as convincing a fashion as the final score suggests.

Trust me, no one, even from Rockland/Thomaston, left the Cross Arena wondering which was the better team on this sunny Saturday afternoon in Portland.

The Yachtsmen featured an offense that generated high-percentage shots and a defense that refused to allow the Mariners to beat them from long range.

The Mariners (16-6) had sailed (I couldn’t resist!) to the finals successfully dialing long-distance against three opponents in the tournament. The video was out there on the web showing the record-setting thirty 3-pointers put together by Oceanside.

But on this afternoon the wide-open three’s disappeared for the #5 seed. Why? Falmouth did not get too far away from Oceanside’s perimeter shooters even when the ball went behind them closer to the basket. No question it certainly helped Falmouth to have size and shot-blocking abilities near the basket.

Sam Skop helped close off the interior to Oceanside

Senior Nick Mazurek (6’3”) was an inside scorer who had missed all five of Oceanside’s regular-season losses. On this afternoon, Nick had the ball several times in close but Sam Skop (6’5”) did not go for fakes and blocked several of Nick’s shots in the early going.

As Oceanside struggled to get good looks Falmouth had ball-handlers who could penetrate and get good shots or find wide-open teammates.

Falmouth took a 4-3 lead (6:41) and then did the only scoring the rest of the first quarter. The Mariners missed all ten shots they tried in the drought, including four three’s. That 15-3 first quarter deficit rose to 23-8 at the half. Oceanside could make only 3-of-25 shots in that disastrous half.

You wanted to think that something might be different in the third quarter and Oceanside would make a game of it. Not so, today. If there is such a word as “worser” this would be the time to apply it to the Mariners’ third quarter!

In the third quarter the Falmouth high-percentage-shot offense got better (six layups – five of them assisted) while the Oceanside offense (five turnovers) collected only seven points.

Keenan Hendricks dials long distance

That bad combination allowed Falmouth’s lead to enlarge to twenty-seven (42-15) after three quarters. There would be no good-to-the-last-shot happenings in the Class A boys’ finals today.

The nice thing about this game being decided early was that the benches get to be cleared. Everyone on each roster played in the Class A championship game.

I expected to see some impressive 3-point shooting today but it never happened. What probably kept the game from getting out of hand even earlier was that Falmouth was only 2-for-14 from beyond the arc. On this day, however, the Yachtsmen had more than enough accuracy closer to the basket. They shot 19-of-34 (59%) inside the arc.

Tough day for all the Mariners, maybe toughest on their top player Keenan Hendricks. Keenan (I have seen his workout video) could never get his offense going and when trying to set up offense elsewhere committed seven turnovers. The defense of Thomas Coyne on Keenan certainly was a factor.

Four of the Yachtsmen reached double figures.

Plenty of excitement over the final game of Mr. Basketball finalist Thomas Coyne.

Coyne brothers (Colin and Thomas)

The Coyne brothers (Thomas and Colin) put on a synchronized, net-waving show after the game.

I have seen this before and saw it today; players with good outside shots putting up airballs. Why? The open space beyond the basket throws them off.

Very enthusiastic crowds for both teams. Credit the Oceanside folks for cheering long after this one had been settled.

I greatly appreciated the stats provided by MBR.ORG. Saves an awful lot of time.

Horse in the race. Cooper Wirkala is one of my sister’s grandsons. Cooper’s dad, Jim, was an all-state basketball player at Woodland High School.

Box from the game

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

Part of the Oceanside crowd

Keenan Hendricks leads the Mariners onto the court

Thomas Coyne defends inbounds pass

Matthew Wulbrecht in alone

Key matchup – Thomas Coyne guarded by Keenan Hendricks

Andrew King takes a charge

battle for a rebound

Thomas Coyne goes out-of-bounds

Cooper Wirkala covers Thomas Coyne

Colin Coyne (11 points)

Matthew Wulbrecht (14 points) finds space in a double-team

Sam Atwood with room

Thomas Coyne looks for an opening

Coyne brothers with the Gold Ball

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Filed under Falmouth, Oceanside

Tagged as Colin Coyne, Cooper Wirkala, Keenan Hendricks, Matthew Wulbrecht, Sam Skop, Thomas Coyne

February 24, 2016 · 11:30 pm

North Reading defeats Triton 41-31 to gain share of CAL Kinney Division title

North Reading: 2015-16 Cape Ann League Kinney Division co-champs

Jess Lezon (19 points) defended by Tessa Lafrance (13 points)

(Byfield MA) North Reading is not going to have any problem with sharing.

The Hornets (18-2) rode Jess Lezon’s nineteen points to defeat Triton, 41-31, on Wednesday night. The win gives NR a share of the Cape Ann League Kinney Division title with Pentucket.

The Hornets haven’t had a CAL girls’ basketball title, shared or unshared, since 1993!

But the drought is over and NR now can get ready for the Division 3 tournament. The MIAA bracket will be released on Friday.

Triton (10-10) sealed their ride to the Division 2 tourney with a recent win over Everett.

The visitors took the lead for good (5-4) just three minutes into the game on a three by senior Julia McDonald.

Jess Lezon (6’5”) drew plenty of Vikings defenders wherever she was. The Yale commit dominated the second quarter with eleven points getting terrific feeds from teammates. North Reading led 28-15 at halftime.

Jess Lezon gets a layup over Abby Ostrander

Junior Tessa Lafrance had thirteen points and defended Jess Lezon. Her problem? Foul trouble. If there is such a thing as a foul magnet, Tessa was it. Triton coach Dan Boyle was forced to keep the 6’ junior on the bench for half of the second quarter and didn’t start her in the 3^rd quarter. Tough place to have your top scorer and your best defensive matchup against Jess Lezon.

The Vikings were able to chop some points off the NR halftime advantage in the second half. After an Erin Savage three, Triton got as close as they would get, 36-29, with three minutes left.

A couple of things that caught my eye in this game were: Triton played some serious defense, and North Reading did not force the ball inside but passed into open shots on the perimeter.

The Vikings constantly applied pressure and were quick enough to be able to take chances and recover defensively. They jumped passing/dribbling lanes and forced thirteen turnovers by my count.

North Reading wasn’t shy about taking three’s, especially wide open ones. And there were quite a few available because Triton did everything they could to deny passes inside. One thing that worked several times for NR was quick breakouts. Several times when the break didn’t produce a good shot they were able to hit Jess Lezon rolling down the lane.

Triton seniors honored before their last home game

Triton seniors (Morgan Snow, Hannah Clark, Jessica Greaney, and Abby Ostrander) were honored before the game.

The Hornets have won five straight and sixteen of their last seventeen. They could be the top seed in the Division 3 North.

NR’s two losses were against Pentucket and Newburyport. Both of those teams are in Division 2.

Pentucket coach John McNamara was in the house.

Last time I saw the North Reading girls in action was at Manning Field in Lynn when they won the Division 3 North soccer title.

Two weeks ago North Reading defeated Triton, 51-36, at home. Jess had twenty in that game while Carly Swartz had seventeen.

Jess scored her 1000^th point on February 11^th.

Morgan Snow on the move

The Hornets are now a man-to-man team. They have nine seniors on their roster.

Being courtside I catch things that are said on the court. I also get a glimpse of facial reactions. At one point Jess Lezon was covering Mel Primpas. The height discrepancy was very noticeable. Hannah Clark had the ball on the wing and Mel backed down on the block with Jess behind her. Hannah saw the mismatch and smiled.

Box score Triton

Box score North Reading

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

Tessa Lafrance gets her 5th foul

Jess Lezon looks for a pass

Erin Savage guarded by Julia McDonald

Katie Welch (#5) covers Tessa Lafrance (#20)

Pentucket coach John McNamara does some scouting

Morgan Snow shoots over Carly Swartz

Halftime entertainment

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Tagged as Carly Swartz, Casey McAuliffe, Jess Lezon, Tessa LaFrance

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 29, 2016 · 11:45 pm

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

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

Bella Doyle tightly covered by Krysta Padellaro

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Boo Torrisi (11 points) gets into the lane

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Boo Torrisi defends Krysta Padellaro

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pentucket box

Newburyport box

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

Newburyport huddle

Game on!

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

Boo Torrisi finds an opening

Taylor Moore fires a long shot

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

Battle for a rebound

End of the game

Little room for Emily Pettigrew to operate in

Pentucket huddle

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Filed under Newburyport, Pentucket

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

January 22, 2016 · 11:02 pm

Pentucket hangs on to edge Amesbury 54-53

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Amesbury timeout with Coach Tom Comeau

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Both teams struggled at the foul line

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Amesbury box

Pentucket box

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

Race to the basket

Kyle Martin in Pentucket traffic

Nate McGrail lifts a floater

Conor O’Neil (15 points)

Game on!

Nate McGrail

Jimmy Cleary (12 points)

Amesbury cheerleaders

Ryan Foley (15 points) launches a three

Dan Welch at the rim

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

Kyle Martin surrounded by Sachems

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

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

January 10, 2016 · 9:31 pm

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

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

Pentucket had 32 turnovers including this one.

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

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

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

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

Masco triple team

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pentucket block by Jilliam Hegarty

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

Stephanie Mini was unavailable for this game.

Kailey Crothers had eight rebounds for the Chieftains.

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

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

Masco boxscore

Pentucket boxscore

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

Lily Polakiewicz draws two defenders

Long afternoon on the Pentucket sidelines

Kailey Crothers guarded by Taylor Moore and Riley Holden

Boo Torrisi covered by Paige Amyouny

Game on!

Bella Doyle (#14) on the move

Lily Polakiewicz heavily defended

Taylor Moore guards Paige Amyouny

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Filed under Masconomet, Pentucket

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

December 30, 2015 · 11:38 pm

Seventeen point run earns Wilton 69-53 win over Kolbe Cathedral in tourney title game

Jack Williams (21 points) gets two during Wilton’s second-half, seventeen-point run.

Wilton (2015 Wounded Warriors Tournament champions)

Victor Billups (19 points) sees an opening

(Newtown CT) Wilton put a remarkable 4+ minutes stretch of basketball together in the second half and defeated Kolbe Cathedral, 69-53, on Wednesday night.

The victory gave the Warriors (3-1) the Wounded Warrior Tournament title for the second straight year.

The Wilton trio of Matt Kronenberg (19 points/8 rebounds), Jack Williams (21 points/5 steals), and Drew Connolly (18 points/5 assists) had extremely productive nights for the winners.

The Cougars (1-3) had an eight-point lead (38-29) two minutes into the second half and looked to be in control. They pressed. They ran and, most important, took the ball to the basket. The size and quickness of the team from Bridgeport was noticeable.

The Wilton defense toughened in the second half

But over the next four third-quarter minutes Wilton made shots, extended their trapping zone, and kept KC away from lanes to the basket.

Kolbe, however, still had a five-point lead (40-35) after Victor Billups rebound basket and the teams were tied at 43-43 after the Cougar’s Tahj Brown drained a three-pointer with 2:18 to go in the third quarter.

But the next 4:45, extending into the 4^th quarter, were all Wilton as they put a streak of seventeen unanswered points together and overwhelmed Kolbe Cathedral on both ends of the court. The Warriors highlight-reel stretch put them safely ahead 60-43 with 5 ½ minutes left.

Wilton jumped off to a 9-0 lead at the start before the Cougars closed the quarter on a 12-2 run. Marvens Francois (13 points) and Victor Billups (19 points) paced KC during the comeback.

Drew Connolly (18 points) tries to pass out of a Kolbe Cathedral trap

When either team was on their game their trapping was very effective. Dribbling into any corner was inviting disaster.

Jack Williams, Matt Kronenberg, and Marvens Francois were selected to the All-Tourney team.

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

Matt Kronenberg (19 points) defended by Charles Mitchell

Taking a charge.

Jack Wood defends Amari Courtney

Battle in close

Mine!

Marvens Francois

Jack Williams tries to get past Anthony Senior

Game on!

Jack Williams (21 points) in for two of them

Drew Connolly

Looking for a rebound.

Late-game work on Matt Kronenberg’s knee

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Filed under Kolbe-Cathedral, Wilton

Tagged as Drew Connolly, Jack Williams, Marvens Francois, Matt Kronenberg, Victor Billups

December 29, 2015 · 11:27 pm

Record-setting delayed but Palisades gets 44-23 tourney win over William Tennent

Palisades – 2015 William Tennent Holiday Classic champions

Karlee Krchnavi (14 points) shoots from long range

(Warminster PA) Karlee Krchnavi did not set the Palisades scoring record (she needed twenty-one points) but everything else went nicely for the Pirates (7-2) as they easily defeated William Tennent, 43-22, on Tuesday night.

The victory, in the championship game of the William Tennent Holiday Classic, came about for Palisades thanks in large part to a tight man-to-man defense. The host team spent a night with infrequent inside opportunities and very few second chances.

Karlee and teammate Kayla Reed topped all scorers with fourteen points each. Karlee now needs seven more to become the Pirates all-time scoring leader.

To say that the Panthers (5-5) struggled to get points is to put it mildly. Being on its home court didn’t help a bit as WT suffered through a one-point first quarter and a two-point third quarter. Not many games are won at that pace!

The Panthers were geared up defensively to keep six-foot Karlee from getting uncontested entry passes using an assortment of zone defenses. However, the Pirates most of the time resisted forcing passes in closer instead opted for high-percentage openings. Overplaying Karlee provided some juicy opportunities for Kayla Reed and Katie King that turned into layups.

Palisades ran nine straight points in the first four minutes before the Panthers’ Braylin Dougherty made a free throw. The last four minutes of the first quarter were all Pirates as they put ten unanswered points together to grab a 19-1 lead.

Karlee drained a three in the breakaway quarter while junior Alexa Parks had a nifty under-and-up layup.

Kelly Scipione drives on Katie King

The visitors from Kintnerville increased their advantage to 31-9 at halftime despite a three by the Panthers’ Kelly Scipione.

A year ago to the day, in the Quakertown Holiday Tournament, Palisades had a nice halftime lead only to have WT roar back with a 47-point second half to win going away 66-52. I wondered at halftime if maybe the Panthers might have some sort of comeback up their collective sleeves.

William Tennent did win the second half, 13-12, but the third quarter was a disaster. The Panthers were shut out for 6 ½ minutes, during which they committed six turnovers, and their deficit became thirty (39-9). A layup by freshman Jenna Rodebaugh provided WT’s only points.

One benefit of the large point spread was that everyone in uniform saw plenty of action. Karlee, in particular, did a lot of watching. Obviously, if PHS coach Brad Huebner wanted Karlee to break the scoring record at William Tennent it could have happened. Now that record-breaking event is orchestrated for the Pirates next game which is at home.

In the game versus WT a year ago Karlee had thirty-one points. On that difficult evening her teammates struggled to score and get back on defense against a fast-paced Panthers’ playing style.

Sophomore Kayla Reed (#11) added fourteen points for the Pirates

This time around Karlee struggled from the outside but her teammates made up the difference on both ends of the court.

William Tennent may have been capable of pressing well but frigid shooting kept them from being able to get into any sort of turnover-causing, full-court pressure.

Palisades box

William Tennent box

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