McClelland Miscellanea

March 9, 2013 · 9:46 pm

Pentucket defeats Watertown 38-24 to win Division 3 North title

Pentucket – Division 3 North champs

Coley Viselli (15 points) fires from long range

(Lowell) Some will call it great defense. Some will call it very, very cold shooting.

Take your pick, Pentucket overwhelmed Watertown, 38-24, to win the Division 3 North title on Saturday afternoon at the Tsongas Center.

The Sachems will face Archbishop Williams (Braintree) at the TD Bank Garden on Monday in a state Division 3 semifinals battle.

Pentucket (24-1) was never behind against the Raiders (13-11).

After a 3-2 start (Kelsi McNamara three & Rachel Campbell layup), this game got away from Watertown completely over the next nine minutes of playing time stretching into the second period.

The Sachems ran off fifteen unanswered points and were ahead, 18-2, before Rachel Campbell made a free throw.

It is not unusual for Pentucket (#1 seed) to put runs of points together off of turnovers but that wasn’t the case here. Simply explained: Pentucket made shots and Watertown didn’t.

Kelsi McNamara (15 points) hit a three on the first Pentucket possession

Kelsi McNamara (15 points) hit a three in the first Pentucket possession

The Sachem points in this run were spread around. Kelsi McNamara (15 points) had a three and a floater in the lane. Coley Viselli (15 points) nailed a three and two driving layups. Alex Moore added a free throw and a layup.

Much of the credit for the nine-minute shutout goes to Pentucket’s half-court defense. The Raiders had little trouble in the backcourt because of point guard Gabby Coppola’s dribbling skills. The frontcourt was a different story. Watertown had very few good looks and had to settle for heavily-defended shot attempts.

Alex Moore and later Kelsi McNamara forced the Raiders top scorer (Gabby Coppola) to be a passer by denying her open looks from the outside and keeping the talented junior from driving.

There were six minutes of first half and the entire second half played after the 18-2 start, but on this day, Watertown couldn’t get enough stops or enough made shots to challenge the defending D3 champs.

looking for a rebound

The Raiders (#11 seed) actually “won” the last twenty-two minutes, 22-20, but it was too little, too late for Watertown.

The Raiders’ drought during those devastating nine minutes in the first half was so noticeable that the Pentucket student section cheered (insincerely) when Rachel Campbell ended the 15-point run with a free throw.

Kelsi McNamara hit two 3’s in the first three minutes and had ten of her fifteen points in the first half. Her defense on Gabby Coppola, when Alex Moore didn’t have her, may have been more valuable than her point totals.

Coley Viselli connected twice from long range and was able to get to the basket three times on scoring drives. The senior became a 1000-point scorer recently in a win over Division 1 Central Catholic.

Kelsi McNamara drives on Gabby Coppola

Kelsi McNamara appeared fully recovered from the calf injury she suffered against Ipswich in the D3 North semifinals. Kelsi went out in this game, with two minutes left, holding her elbow.

Alex Moore had short minutes after hurting her wrist falling during a drive to the basket in the first half.

As I mentioned earlier, turnovers were not a factor. Pentucket had fourteen and Watertown ten.

The foul shooting by both teams was pitiful. The Sachems missed five in eight attempts while the Raiders missed ten in fourteen attempts.

The Pentucket defense held Gabby Coppola to four points on 1-for-8 in field goal attempts.

You watch Pentucket play and wonder when their domination (93-11 over the past four years) will end. Maybe not so soon. Two sophomores start (Kelsi McNamara and McKenna Kilian) and in this game there were significant minutes for junior Sydney Snow, sophomore Sarah Wiles, and freshman Riley Holden.

Rachel Campbell and Riley Holden

Typical of Pentucket was a lack of jumping up-and-down and rushing the court after the win. You could hardly tell afterwards whether they had won or lost! I suspect that they’re saving that post-game excitement for the next game on Monday afternoon.

Rachel Campbell paced the Watertown scorers with seven points.

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

Coley Viselli gets in for two

Sydney Snow (#3)

Gabby Coppola

Pentucket coaching staff

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March 8, 2013 · 1:03 am

Westford holds off Billerica 53-49 to advance to Division One North finals

Westford coach Russ Coward celebrates win over Billerica

Meghan Kibblehouse hit two clutch free throws

Catherine Sennott had a steal and made a free throw late in the game

(Haverhill) Two free throws by Meghan Kibblehouse and a steal by Catherine Sennott, all in the last twenty-eight seconds, enabled Westford Academy to hold off Billerica, 53-49, in the North Division 1 semifinals at Whittier Tech on Thursday night.

The Grey Ghosts (20-4) will face Central Catholic at the Tsongas Center on Saturday (6PM) for the D1 North title.

Westford has now won fourteen straight games. Last loss? To Billerica, at Billerica, on January 17th (57-53).

Billerica (#2 seed) started slowly (8-0) and fell behind by thirteen (27-14) to the #3 seed in the second quarter. The Indians (20-3) came all the way back in the third quarter to get the lead (37-36) before falling back by nine (48-39) with 4:48 remaining in the game. Once again Billerica rallied back with a run of eight to close to one (48-47) with 1:45 left and later, 50-49, with twenty-eight seconds left.

BHS coach Chris Doneski opted to foul right away and that gave Meghan Kibblehouse a chance to get her first two points of the game………and she did.

Billerica had twenty-five seconds to do something about their three-point deficit. However, when Brittany Lomanno tried to get the ball to teammate Shannon Hayes, Catherine Sennott (15 points) jumped the passing lane and stole the ball.

Catherine was immediately fouled, made the first free throw giving WA a 4-point lead and enough room to withstand three Billerica shots in their last possession.

Sam Hyslip (21 points) looks for a shot inside

Junior Sam Hyslip (21 points) led all scorers and was very strong around the basket. She also made 7-of-9 free throws and had the layup in the last quarter that put the Ghosts in front, 50-47, with 1:08 left.

Junior Shannon Hayes (13 points) was key in the 10-point run the Indians put together in the third quarter to take their only lead (37-36) with a minute left in that quarter. Shannon scored the first six points in the run and teammate Brittany Lomanno (11 points) picked up the other four with a layup and two free throws.

In the rally back from the 48-39 deficit in the 4th quarter, it was Danielle Nickerson (10 points) getting six of the eight unanswered points Billerica collected. Joslyn King converted a rebound for the other two points.

Joslyn King gets Billerica within one point

Joslyn would later make two season-on-the-line free throws with twenty-five seconds left before Meghan Kibblehouse and Catherine Sennott starred in the next two possessions to get WA to the finals.

Despite the tight defense, both teams handled the ball very well. I had them both for only eight turnovers each.

Hannah Hackley (11 points) was fouled in the first quarter attempting a 3-point shot and made all three free throws.

Westford was able to get inside for easier shots. However, the athleticism of Billerica allowed them to make some tough outside shots.

Both teams brought active student sections.

Shannon Hayes (13 points) flies to the rim

Coach Bob Romeo of Masconomet (lost to Billerica earlier in the tournament) took this one in. Also saw Coley Viselli of Pentucket on hand after leading the Sachems past Ipswich last night in the Division 3 North semifinals.

Westford Academy boxscore

Billerica boxscore

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

Brittany Lomanno (11 points)

battle underneath

Billerica starters

Sam Hyslip (21 points)

Hannah Hackley (11 points)

Joslyn King looks to the rim

Bailey Mongillo gets set to block

Kayla Leverone gets fouled by Hannah Hackley

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Tagged as Brittany Lomanno, Catherine Sennott, Danielle Nickerson, Hannah Hackley, Joslyn King, Kayla Leverone, Meghan Kibblehouse, Sam Hyslip, Shannon Hayes

March 7, 2013 · 12:53 am

Strong finish gets Pentucket past Ipswich 46-26 in Division 3 North semifinals

Alex Moore lines up a free throw. The Sachems made sixteen in the second half.

Coley Viselli (13 points) defends against Julia Davis

(Beverly) Pentucket never seems to run out of ways to defeat other teams. Credit defense and foul shooting as keys to the win over Ipswich.

The Sachems (23-1) broke away from a tight three-point game (27-24) in the last minute of the third quarter and won their Division 3 North semifinal match with Ipswich, 46-26, on Wednesday night at Beverly High School.

Pentucket will face Watertown in the D3 North finals at the Tsongas Center on Saturday.

If you did the math, you now know that Pentucket, over the last nine minutes of this contest, put a 19-2 collection of points on the Tigers.

In fact, the last Ipswich points were registered by Julia Davis (jump shot in the lane) with 7:13 left in the game.

Kelsi McNamara crowds Jenna Gagnon

This was a terribly frustrating outing for a very good Ipswich (19-4) team. They were victimized by turnovers (sixteen by my count) in the first half, put some points together in the third quarter to get to within one possession, and then couldn’t make a shot over the final nine minutes.

The Pentucket pressure defense had plenty to do with the turnovers and the poor shooting. Masey Zegarowski (15 PPG) and Caroline Soucy (10 PPG) saw plenty of defense, especially Masey from Alex Moore. Masey was held to five points and Caroline six points.

The Sachems’ shooting was scary bad in the first half. They had plenty of looks but were missing shots they usually make. They also had Tess Nogueira get into foul trouble and have to sit through much of the second period.

Pentucket led 7-5 after one quarter and 15-12 at the half.

Julia Davis, Caroline Soucy, and Masey Zegarowski

The Tigers took the lead (17-15) early in the third quarter on a three by Caroline Soucy and a jump shot by Julia Davis.

Now the defending state champs were behind and to add to their trouble had Kelsi McNamara (13 points) on the bench with a sore knee. You started to think that this might be the night that the Tigers would take down Pentucket.

But it didn’t happen. Coley Viselli (13 points) took over Kelsi’s point guard spot and Pentucket started taking the ball to the basket. There were some layups but more important to the final outcome, there were eighteen, second-half free throws.

The Sachems were 16-of-18 from the charity stripe in the second half and that may well have been the difference maker. The Tigers were forced outside by outstanding defense and shot poorly and had only four free throws all game.

Kelsi McNamara went out early in the third quarter but came back later to start Pentucket on the 19-2 closing surge.

Kelsi McNamara (13 points) dribbles and Brigid OFlynn chases

Kelsi had both of Pentucket’s three’s.

During the game, Ipswich struck from long range five times – Jenna Gagnon (2), Caroline Soucy (2), and Masey Zegarowski (1).

Alex Moore totaled nine points and McKenna Kilian eight points for Pentucket.

Sophomore Caroline Soucy paced Ipswich with eight points including two long ones.

This was the second time that Ipswich has faced Pentucket in tournament action. Last year it was in the North finals at the Tsongas Center. In that one, the Sachems ran twenty unanswered points in the second half and a 14-10 game turned into a 34-10 rout as Pentucket won, 49-30.

Ipswich student section

The play of both teams was unusually bad in the first half. Why? May have been that both teams had to function on offense in front of the other team’s very active student section.

Pentucket played Saturday’s opponent (Watertown) at Pentucket in the First Round two years ago. The Sachems overwhelmed the young Red Raiders, 52-22, on that occasion.

Watertown was able to eliminate St. Mary’s (62-61) last night. St. Mary’s won the D3 state title two years ago. They eliminated Pentucket that year on the way to the championship. I am sure that no tears were shed in West Newbury when word came of St. Mary’s exit from this year’s tournament.

Pentucket Boxscore

Ipswich Boxscore

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

Alex Moore lines up a three

loose ball

Mine!

Brigid OFlynn and Tess Nogueira

Kelsi McNamara with the trainer afterwards

Masey Zegarowski guarded by Alex Moore

Julia Davis

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Filed under Ipswich, Pentucket

Tagged as Alex Moore, Brigid O'Flynn, Caroline Soucy, Coley Viselli, Julia Davis, Kelsi McNamara, Masey Zegarowski, Tess Nogueira

March 6, 2013 · 12:04 am

Danvers reaches Division 4 North finals (again) after defeating Whittier 69-51

Nick Bates (19 points) goes for the block against Justin Reyes (22 points)

Justin Reyes soars for two over Nick McKenna

(Byfield) Another convincing win for Danvers as they defeat Whittier, 69-51, in the Division 3 North semifinals at Triton on Tuesday night.

The Falcons will face the winner of the Wayland/North Reading game at the Tsongas Center on Saturday for the D3 North championship.

Last year in the North semifinals, the Falcons rallied from a ten-point deficit in the final 1:28 to shock Wayland. That would surely be an interesting rematch in the North finals this time around.

Danvers (21-3) led from wire-to-wire against Whittier (20-3). Their attack was well-organized and productive.

The Falcons took on the outside what the Wildcat defense gave them and it was plenty.

When the Wildcats tried to protect the inside from the penetrating attempts of Eric Martin, choice outside goodies turned up for Nick Bates, Nick McKenna, and Vinny Clifford.

Danny Connors (13 points) inside for two

When the fifth starter (Dan Connors) had solo coverage near the hoop the Falcons would find him.

With good-look outside shots appearing regularly, Danvers was able to put together consecutive runs of points in each of the first three quarters. The trio of runs doomed Whittier.

Whittier was two dimensional (Ryan Grant and Justin Reyes) and despite getting forty-two points between them, they were mostly of the highly-contested, low-percentage variety. Thus the Wildcats could never put more than two baskets together in a row while the outcome was still in question.

The first Danvers’ run (five points) came right away – Danny Connors putback of a rebound and a Nick Bates three. This segment put the Falcons in front, 5-0.

Nick McKenna (13 points) defended by Ryan Grant (20 points)

The Danvers lead after a quarter was 15-11.

The Wildcats were only down four (19-15) after a Ryan Grant (20 points) layup. Then the second Falcon run (eleven points) happened. Vinny Clifford (14 points) started it with a jump shot. Nick Bates (19 points) added a three (his second) before Nick McKenna (17 points) made a jumper in the lane and two free throws. The last two points were by Nick Bates on an assisted layup from Eric Martin.

This run sent Whittier to a fifteen-point deficit (30-15) with 1:47 left in the second quarter. The Wildcats closed to nine (33-24) as Justin Reyes (22 points) nailed a buzzer-beater off the backboard to end the first half.

Whittier started the second half with a Justin Reyes free throw but then came Falcon Run #3 (fourteen points) and this one took the outcome mystery out of this game.

Vinny Clifford (14 points) fires a three over Nathan Frongillo

Remarkably, four different Danvers’ players (Vinny Clifford, Nick McKenna, Nick Bates, and Danny Connors) hit three’s in this segment. Danny’s was an old-fashioned three and he followed those points with a layup.

The four 3-point baskets were all assisted – three by Eric Martin and one by Nick Bates. It was terrific basketball to watch………..if you were wearing Danvers blue.

Those 2 ½ minutes of pure Danvers offense elevated their spread to twenty-two (47-25) with thirteen minutes of basketball left. The Wildcats would “win” the rest of the game, 26-22, but the cows had left the barn.

Clearly there was a contrasting style of play between the teams. Whittier was all about Justin Reyes or Ryan Grant (20 points) creating openings for themselves. Justin’s quickness and Ryan’s dribbling enabled them to do just that on occasion. Most of the Whittier turnovers (they had eighteen by my count) came from trying to set up teammates.

Danvers, on the other hand, ran organized offense with plenty of passes and movement. Eric Martin had the ball to start almost every possession and his ability to set up teammates was excellent as shown at the start of the second half. Whittier coach Tom Sipsey ran a number of defenders at Eric but with little effect. Danvers had only three turnovers when this game was still competitive.

The Triton gym was packed with plenty of support for both teams. The chanting was above board after the, “You’re all ugly,” attempt was squelched.

Eric Martin passes

Danvers made eight three’s in the game while Whittier had four.

Danvers state-final opponent (St. Joe’s of Pittsfield) from 2012 is still alive in the West.

Justin Reyes and Ryan Grant were co-MVP’s in the Commonwealth Conference this year.

Vinny Clifford had four 3’s in the second half. He had seven 3’s last game against Minutemen in the quarterfinals.

Danvers Boxscore

Whittier Boxscore

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

Justin Reyes gets inside

Ryan Grant goes baseline

Ryan Grant, Eric Martin, Danny Connors

Nick McKenna (13 points)

Justin Reyes fouls out

Eric Martin defended by Ryan Grant

Andrew Wells

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Tagged as Danny Connors, Eric Martin, Justin Reyes, Nick Bates, Nick McKenna, Ryan Grant, Vinny Clifford

March 5, 2013 · 4:28 pm

Fenway routs Shawsheen 71-45 to advance to Division 4 North finals

Tajaynay Veiga (24 points) fires a three over Emily Irwin

Tajaynay Veiga drives past Emily Knoops

(Malden) Fenway blew out Shawsheen Tech, 71-45, with amazing segments of points/defense in each half and now move on to the Division 4 North finals on Friday at Emmanuel College.

The Panthers (13-7) are the reigning Division Four champs and I would expect them to be holding MIAA championship hardware again early next week at the TD North Garden after two more wins.

I thought that #3 seed Shawsheen Tech (18-4) might be able to compete with #10 seed Fenway based on last year’s D4 North finals. Shawsheen only trailed Fenway by three (29-26) after three quarters a year ago before losing, 49-34.

In the 2012-13 rematch, the Rams for 1 ½ quarters looked capable of holding their own. The team from Billerica took care of the ball and made shots. The result was that with four minutes left in the second quarter Shawsheen was in front, 19-13. During the great early going, Emily Irwin contributed seven points and Ari Medeiros five points.

Then the first segment of amazing points/defense kicked in for Fenway. Over the next five minutes of playing time, stretching into the start of the second half, the Panthers outscored Shawsheen, 22-1. (That is not a typo!)

Emily Irwin (13 points) gets caught in Fenway trap

The Rams fell victim to Panther full-court pressure (ten turnovers) and went out of synch on possession after possession. That eruption and disruption put Fenway ahead, 35-20, with most of the second half left to play.

Five of the Fenway baskets, during the first surge, were directly off of steals deep in the Shawsheen backcourt.

The hardest pill for the Ram fans was the eight points tallied by the Panthers in the last fifty seconds of the first half. Blame Tajaynay Veiga (24 points). The talented senior had four free throws, a steal that led to a layup, and a layup in that last fifty seconds.

Tajaynay was right back at it to start the second half with a three and a converted rebound.

Ari Medeiros (15 points) tries for three

The Rams were able to chip four points off that 15-point deficit and trail by eleven (48-37) with 1:42 left in the third quarter. Two three’s by Ari Medeiros (15 points) and one by Stephanie Champoux (9 points) keyed Shawsheen.

I mentioned earlier that there were two segments of amazing points/defense by Fenway. The second one lasted 6+ minutes stretching into the final quarter and was a 20-1 run.

The twenty Fenway points were spread among eight players, many seeing their first action of the night. The Panther shots were certainly falling.

So Shawsheen took a 68-37 deficit into the final 3 ½ minutes of the game. It makes me wonder why they don’t have a mercy rule in basketball the way they do in softball.

Trying to wrap my brain around the stat that for 11 ½ minutes of this game, Fenway outscored the Rams, 42-2!
A little math tells me that Shawsheen outscored the Panthers, 43-29, in the other minutes.

Jaqualah Holliman gets in for two

Fenway will face either #1 seed Whittier or Mystic Valley in the D4 North finals on Friday. Whittier coach Kevin Bradley was in the house and I suspect that Mystic Valley was on hand to get a preview also. Two things they had better be prepared for: Tajaynay and turnovers.

Freshman Takora McIntyre had thirteen points for Fenway. She was also a big part of the Fenway pressure.

The Fenway pressure seemed at its best on the second pass. Shawsheen could enter the ball but when the double-team came at them they either dribbled or passed into a turnover.

Small/quiet crowd at Malden High School for a semi-final game, I thought. It went library quiet on some of the free throws.

The Fenway record (13-7) would be 17-3 if not for the forfeiting of four games (according to a story in the Lowell Sun) because of using JV players in varsity games for too long, violating MIAA rules. In the case of Fenway, I suspect that the JV players were being used because the score was so lopsided in Fenway’s favor. But rules are rules!

Fenway Boxscore

Shawsheen Boxscore

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

Stephanie Champoux gets fouled

ball on the floor

Takora McIntyre (13 points)

Jalissa Ross and Stephanie Champoux

Emily Irwin gets two

rebound battle

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Tagged as Ari Medeiros, Emily Irwin, Stephanie Champoux, Tajaynay Veiga, Takora McIntyre

March 4, 2013 · 1:01 am

Brewster Academy defeats St. Thomas More School 77-75 in overtime to win NEPSAC Class AAA title

Brewster Academy – NEPSAC Class AAA 2012-13 champs

(Beverly) This one stretched the legal limits for excitement. Ask anyone watching at packed Endicott College on Sunday afternoon.

Brewster Academy rallied in overtime and defeated St. Thomas More School, 77-75, to win the NEPSAC Class AAA championship.

#1 seed St. Thomas dominated the first half leading, 36-28, after twenty minutes. It only took #3 seed Brewster 3 ½ minutes of second half action to catch the Chancellors, 37-37, on a Chris McCullough jam.

During the rest of the second half, there were eight lead changes and plenty for the fans from both teams to get revved up about. In fact, four of the lead changes were in the last 1 ½ minutes of regulation!

Martez Harrison shoots a second free throw with 2.6 seconds left in regulation

Brewster’s Martez Harrison drew a foul with 2.6 seconds left in regulation and the Bobcats down, 68-67. He made the first and missed the second forcing a five minute overtime.

In OT, STM pushed ahead by three on three occasions (71-68, 73-70, and 75-72 with 1:15 left). But Brewster rallied back each time.

After Chris McCullough drained two free throws, the Bobcats were down by one, 75-74. STM’s next two possessions were turnovers and cost them the championship. In the first one, the Chancellors held the ball for a while and then couldn’t even get a shot getting whistled for a shot-clock violation.

Ron Patterson answered with the shot that won him the MVP trophy afterwards. He drove in from the right and hit a jump shot in the lane to give BA a one-point lead (76-75) with fourteen seconds left.

Plenty of time for TMS to respond but miscue #2 (travel by Amadi Udenyi) messed up that chance.

John Edwards made one-of-two free throws for BA with 3.2 seconds remaining.

Chris Walters fires the last STM shot in overtime

Chris Walters heave at the buzzer was wide right and BA had the championship.

Gabe Levin (20 points) led all scorers. If you’re looking for a quick reason why St. Thomas More lost, Gabe’s foul trouble comes to mind. Gabe picked up his 4th foul with 11 ½ minutes left in regulation and lost minutes there. Then he fouled out at the very end of regulation setting up Martez Harrison’s two free throws. To say that STM could have used 6-7 Gabe in OT is an understatement for sure.

Martez Harrison (13 points) tallied all his points after halftime. He went to the basket twice in the last thirty-five seconds of regulation and came away with a layup on the first and the foul shot that tied the score in regulation in the second.

Jared Terrell (18 points)

Jared Terrell (18 points) was BA’s top scorer followed by Elijah Macon and Martez Harrison with 13 points each.

Guards Duane Notice (19 points) and Marquis Moore (18 points) had only three three’s between them. They got their points on drives in traffic and foul shots.

Brewster had six dunks during the game and plenty of highlight dunks before the game.

The Chancellors missed nine free throws and the Bobcats eight.

St. Thomas was down, 8-6, before putting a 14-1 segment together and getting up, 20-9, with 9:42 left. Duane Notice and Marquis Moore had long ones during this run.

The Chancellor margin increased to, 29-18, with Dylan Haines and Marquis sinking consecutive 3’s.

The Bobcats came all the way back early in the second half and excitement enveloped the attendees the rest of the way.

MVP Ron Patterson (11 points) defended by Dylan Haines

The partisans on both sides were active from beginning to end. Good job by the Endicott staff to keep things from getting out of hand.

Brewster Academy (30-5) is located in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. I saw the Bobcats lose to Noah Vonleh and his New Hampton Prep team at BA in December.

St. Thomas More School is in Oakdale, Connecticut. It’s north of New London.

Brewster Boxscore

St. Thomas More Boxscore

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

Martez Harrison

Marquis Moore goes in where shots are blocked

MVP Ron Patterson afterwards

Duane Notice (19 points) gets in for two

water containers exit

Chris McCullough pushes Gabe Levin (20 points)

Marquis Moore (18 points)

St. Thomas More coach Jere Quinn

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Filed under Brewster, St. Thomas More

Tagged as Chris McCullough, Coach Jere Quinn, Duane Notice, Elijah Macon, Gabe Levin, Jared Terrell, Marquis Moore, Martez Harrison, Ron Patterson

March 2, 2013 · 10:42 pm

Billerica ousts Masconomet 64-42 in Division 1 North quarterfinals

Joslyn King (14 points) scores from in close

Nicole Femino (17 points) gets down the lane

(Billerica) Billerica won their thirteenth straight home game as they defeated Masconomet, 64-42, in Division 1 North quarterfinals action on Saturday afternoon.

The #2 seed Indians (20-2) move on to the semifinals on Wednesday (7PM) at Woburn HS against the Lexington/Westford winner.

The Chieftains (16-6) struggled to score after a nice (14-12) first quarter. Billerica’s half-court defense caused few turnovers but it did limit where Masco could shoot from (mostly outside) and also limited second shots.

The outcome of this game was still in doubt with two minutes left in the third quarter with Billerica holding a, 40-33, lead. 5 ½ minutes of playing time later, stretching into the final quarter, the outcome mystery had been solved.

Shannon Hayes (12 points)

The Indians rolled up a remarkable sixteen straight unanswered points during those 5 ½ minutes and #7 seed Masco was down and out, 56-33, with 4 ½ minutes to play.

Caroline Gillis started the big run of points with a three and later on Lexie Mattar stuck a jump shot. The rest of it was free throws and what free throw shooting the packed house at BHS saw. The Indians missed their first attempt (Danielle Nickerson) but never missed again in the fifteen attempts covering the rest of the game.

The Indians had eleven free throws in the sixteen-point outburst that decided this game.

The Indians had four players in double figures. Joslyn King (14 points) paced Billerica. The 6-1 senior also had plenty to do with preventing Masco from gaining easy access to close-in shots.

Danielle Nickerson (13), Shannon Hayes (12), and Kayla Leverone (10) were the other Indians in double figures.

Junior Nicole Femino (17 points) led the Masco scorers. Nicole had twelve of those points in the first half. Claudia Marsh closed out her Masco basketball career with eleven points getting nine of them in the first half.

Claudia Marsh (11 points)

The Chieftains had a great start zipping ahead, 8-2, as Claudia tallied a layup and converted a rebound. She had another layup later in the quarter and Masco led, 14-12, when it was over.

The visitors from the Cape Ann League fell behind in the second quarter but a three by Nicole Femino had Masco one possession away (25-24) with two minutes until the half.

Billerica answered with two layups by speedy Shannon Hayes and a three by Kayla Leverone. Meghan Collins hit a free throw to stop the bleeding before halftime but the Indians started the second half with two more baskets (Danielle Nickerson and Joslyn King) and led by eleven (36-25).

The reality of the end of the season sets in for Masconomet

On this day, Masco just could not get the stops needed to give them space to catch up. And then when they were hit with the sixteen point run their season was over.

I had seen both teams lose to Division 3 Pentucket. What the Sachems were able to do was to disrupt both teams into costly turnovers.

In the Billerica/Masconomet game, the solid defense of the Indians and their amazing free throw shooting carried the day.

Masconomet made six-of-seventeen free throws.

Continuing with free throws, I saw Billerica lose at Andover last season to Nicole Boudreau’s team by a point in a game where the Indians missed four free throws in the last 1 ½ minutes of that game. And today they made 15 straight! Go figure.

The Billerica gymnasium was just the right size for the crowd that showed up. BHS Athletic Director Dave Lezenski did a wonderful job of monitoring the behavior of the Indians student section. Several students were informed that their comments should only be directed at the home team.

Billerica Boxscore

Masconomet Boxscore

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

Joslyn King shoots from outside

Danielle Nickerson (13 points)

Meghan Collins defends Brittany Lomanno

Abi Rose

Hannah Kiernan drives right

Kayla Leverone (10 points) dribbles

tight Masco defense

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Filed under Billerica, Masconomet

Tagged as Claudia Marsh, Danielle Nickerson, Joslyn King, Kayla Leverone, Nicole Femino, Shannon Hayes

March 2, 2013 · 12:46 am

Strong second half sends Brighton by Salem 82-61 in Division 2 North quarterfinals

Malik James (25 points) tries to get between two Salem defenders

Chris Dunston (13 points) reached 1000 career points

(Salem) Chris Dunston reached 1000 points but that was the only good news Salem got out of their, 82-61, loss to Brighton in the Division 2 North quarterfinals on Friday night.

The Brighton Bengals (17-6) face the winner of undefeated Melrose versus New Mission. In February, Brighton defeated New Mission to win their first ever Boston city championship.

Very misleading final score. The first half saw seven lead changes, and an eleven-point (28-17) Salem lead early in the second quarter. Brighton was only ahead by three (42-39) at the half.

With that paragraph of information you can now imagine what a disaster the second half was for the Witches. The home team put their trust in the perimeter game and paid for it when serious cold shooting set in.

Nick Simpson (29 points including two dunks and three 3-pointers)

The visitors ran eight straight to start the second half and suddenly after three minutes Salem trailed by double figures (50-39). Nick Simpson (29 points) had an old-fashioned three and a tip in while Daivon Edwards (17 points) drained a three in this surge.

The Witches cut the deficit to six (50-44) and later nine (55-46) with 3 ½ minutes left in the third quarter. A layup by Jamie Dominguez (12 points) and a three and a jump shot by Billy Muse (15 points) provided the offense.

But the Bengals had all the points (six) during the rest of the quarter and they ended up ahead, 61-46. Malik James (25 points) and Nick Simpson had layups and Mark Mojica took a Salem turnover in for two.

The Witches did not have the accurate shooting to respond in the fourth quarter. When Chris Dunston (13 points) went out with his 5th foul with 4 ½ minutes left, Salem was down, 68-54, and now minus their best shooter.

Brighton celebrated the end game with layups and two dunks by junior Nick Simpson.

Salem played a zone defense and Brighton connected nine times from long range. Senior Daivon Edwards had five long ones and Nick Simpson had three.

The Witches had six 3’s including two during their 18-7 segment in the first half when they turned a 4-4 tie into a 28-17 advantage. Seven different players contributed points. It looked like a long night in the making for Brighton.

Marvin Baez (9 points) with Daivon Edwards (17 points) behind him

But the Bengals trio of shot makers turned things their way over the next three minutes by putting a streak of fourteen unanswered points together. Nick had a three, two free throws, and a layup off a Salem miscue. Malik canned a jumper and a layup down the lane. Daivon connected on one of his five 3’s. This collect of Brighton scoring gave them a 31-28 lead. They would still have that three-point lead (42-39) at halftime.

Brighton and Salem barely escaped their first round games.

This is Brighton coach Hugh Coleman’s fourth season with Brighton. His up-to-date record at BHS is 71-22.

They only used seating on one side of the Salem gymnasium.

Both teams had tremendous quickness.

Malik James hears it

Junior Malik James has a next-level game already. His dribbling, shooting, and defending are special. What does he need to work on? Ignoring the crowd. No question the boisterous Salem crowd gave him plenty to listen to.

Somewhere along the line Chris Dunston got his 1000th point. That info was announced several minutes after the talented senior had fouled out.

Brighton boxscore

Salem boxscore

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

cheerleader toss

David Kazadi tries to block the shot of Nick Simpson

Malik James defends

Brighton coach Hugh Coleman

Second Nick Simpson jam

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Filed under Brighton, Salem

Tagged as Billy Muse, Chris Dunston, Coach Hugh Coleman, Daivon Edwards, Malik James, Nick Simpson

March 1, 2013 · 12:17 am

North Andover gets convincing 61-41 win over Boston Latin Academy in the First Round of D2 North

Isaiah Nelson (22 points) gets past DeVaughn Riley

Derek Collins (10 points) floats to the rim

(North Andover) #2 seed North Andover looked awfully good as they defeated Boston Latin Academy, 61-41, in the First Round of Division 2 North on Thursday night.

The Scarlet Knights will host Concord-Carlisle on Saturday at 4PM.

#15 seed Latin Academy (10-10) trailed by only three (21-18) a minute into the second period.

The Knights, however, settled the outcome of the game in the next 8 ½ minutes, stretching into the third period, by putting a, 16-3, segment together.

That collection of productive offense put NA ahead, 37-21, early in the third period. The Knights lead would expand to 44-25 midway through the third quarter and they coasted in from there.

Edwin Porro (15 points)

The undersized Dragons spent most of the night on the perimeter with an occasional one-on-one drive to the hoop. What killed the visitors from Boston was connecting only once (Edwin Porro) from long range. I’m guessing they attempted close to twenty long ones.

Down the other end, North Andover (17-4) ran organized offense and turned up high percentage shots all game long. 6-6 Isaiah Nelson (22 points) and 6-5 Chris Bardwell (14 points) feasted in close against a team whose tallest player (Alex Guerrier) was 6-2.

During the decisive 16-3 run, Isaiah had three layups and a converted rebound, Chris spun loose twice in close for layups, and Derek Collins (10 points) hit jump shots off the foul line.

When a good team like North Andover is allowed to have a nightful of high percentage shots by its key players, the other team is in trouble.

Edwin Porro had eight of his fifteen points in the first nine minutes and enabled the Dragons to only trail by three early in the second quarter.

Thereafter, the Boston City League team went cold from the outside and their deficit increased by the minute because of their defensive struggles.

Brendan Miller (10 points) shoots from the corner as BLA coach Dan Bunker watches

It intrigued me to watch Latin Academy position their players around the 3-point line and never flash anyone in from the weak-side. They were content to fire three’s or try and drive past their defender to the basket. Offensive rebounds were scarce out of such an offensive strategy. They needed to make three’s and were unable to in this game.

The lack of consistent scoring kept the Dragons from applying well-organized full-court pressure. The Knights had only six turnovers (by my count) during the first three quarters.

Edwin Porro, Rayshawn Miller, and DeVaughn Riley were Boston City League All-Stars last season.

Latin Academy lost the services of DeVaughn Riley with five minutes left in the 2nd quarter when he picked up his third foul and was benched. DeVaughn missed part of the season with a football injury.

Isaiah Nelson in close guarded by Fritz Jolivain

Isaiah Nelson collected eleven points in the third quarter including a three. He will be attending St. Anselm’s next season.

Brendan Miller (10 points) had six in the first quarter.

Latin Academy was 6-12 last year. North Andover was 21-2.

North Andover’s four losses this season were to: Andover (twice), Westford Academy, and Central Catholic. The Knights won’t be facing any of those Division 1 teams in the tournament.

I was very impressed with the NA pep band. They did a nice job on the National Anthem. They also kept playing long after the game ended………..they just enjoyed playing!

North Andover boxscore

Boston Latin Academy boxscore

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

Isaiah Nelson heads for two

Alex Guerrier

Chris Bardwell (14 points) gets off a shot

loose ball

Spiderman was in the house

North Andover cheerleaders

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Filed under Boston Latin, North Andover

Tagged as Brendan Miller, Chris Bardwell, Derek Collins, Edwin Porro, Isaiah Nelson

February 27, 2013 · 9:18 pm

Pingree overwhelms Winchendon 75-49 in New England Class C quarterfinals in boys basketball

Freshman Justin Assad (26 points) dunked twice against Winchendon

Johnny Spears (12 points) chased by Batu Oztahtaci

(Hamilton) “I don’t think we could play any better,” was what I overheard afterwards from the Pingree School coaching staff.

And who on hand at Pingree School could conclude otherwise.

The Highlanders (19-7) did everything right to decisively defeat Winchendon, 75-49, on a rainy Wednesday afternoon at Pingree in front of a noisy crowd.

The victory moves Pingree on to the New England Class C semifinals on Friday. They’ll face either Wheeler or Kent’s Hill.

The home team was missing starter Alonzo Jackson because the freshman had the misfortune of tearing his ACL in practice the day before. With a teammate down, the rest of the Pingree team seemed determined to step up. Their passing, shooting, rebounding, and defending were exceptional all game long.

Winchendon (12-7) hung around for the first ten minutes, trailing only 22-20, thanks to fifteen points by Malcolm Smith. The Pingree scoring, however, never let up and they led by twelve (38-26) at the half.

Malcolm Smith (22 points) gets to the basket in the early going

The Highlanders started the second half with an 11-2 segment, covering 3 ½ minutes, to stretch their advantage to, 49-28. Winch did well the rest of the way just to keep a rolling Pingree squad from only adding five points to their lead by game‘s end.

Justin Assad (26), Kyle Lentini (17), Connor Reardon (12), and Johnny Spears (12) all reached double figures for the Highlanders.

Malcolm Smith (22) and Mustafa Ozgumus (10) reached double figures for the visitors.

Anyone on hand for the first ten minutes wouldn’t have dreamed that Pingree would win by twenty-six points.

Blame Malcolm Smith. The 6-3 junior had fifteen points in those first ten minutes including a jam and a three long ones and Winchendon was definitely in contention (22-20).

But the rest of the way? Pingree just kept on putting up points but the tightened Highlander defense kept Winchendon from doing the same. Switching freshman Justin Assad to cover Malcolm Smith limited the Winch star to seven points over the last twenty-two minutes.

Kyle Lentini (17 points) gets two

Justin had fifteen points in the first half and Kyle Lentini had eleven. The Pingree lead was twelve (38-26) at the half.

The Highlanders put the game out of reach quickly in the second half. Two Johnny Spears’ free throws, a Reese Fulmer three, a Justin Assad jump shot, and two Connor Reardon layups were the points in an 11-2 run. This collection of offense gave Pingree a twenty-one point spread (49-28) and the suspense about the winner ended.

I have seen Pingree play a few times and seen them look good on occasion. They were collectively “good” in this one, in my opinion.

The reason? The team put out a little extra effort in all areas to make up for the loss of freshman Alonzo Jackson. Pingree was also helped by having plenty of student support in the stands.

Justin Assad had an eye-catching twenty-six points. In Pingree’s half-court offense he could get any shot he wanted. He was also quick enough in the open floor to fill a passing lane on Highlander fastbreaks. The freshman had crowd-pleasing jams in both halves.

This was the best game I’ve seen Connor Reardon play. The junior had plenty of rebounds and didn’t hesitate to take the ball to the basket.

Johnny Spears ahead of Isaiah Ruffen

Best player? Had to be Johnny Spears. The blazing speed and the in-your-face defense on the other team’s ball handler are to be seen in every game he plays. The difference today? He played more like Rajon Rondo. How? He seemed determined to set up teammates rather than looking for his own scoring chances. He set up teammates off the dribble, on the fly, as well as long-range and nearby. It was pretty to watch and a big reason why the Pingree offense looked so good all game long.

Pingree’s defense tightened considerably after the first ten minutes. Winchendon settled into perimeter offense and on this day the long ones weren’t falling.

Reese Fulmer took over as 5th starter and hit two three’s.

I knew that I was at a private school game when the student section was allowed to have noisemakers. Believe me, those noisemakers were hard to miss!

Pingree Boxscore

Winchendon Boxscore

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