March 10, 2012 · 11:00 pm

Danvers takes Division 3 North title with 53-40 win over Saugus

George Merry, Eric Martin, and Coach John Walsh head out for the D3 North trophy.

Dan Connors, Nick McKenna, Nick Bates, Eric Martin, Jon Amico, and George Merry with the D3 North trophy.

(Lowell) Reality set in for underdog Saugus in the last quarter and Danvers captured the Division 3 North title (53-40) on Saturday afternoon at the Tsongas Center.

The victory sends the Falcons (#2 seed) to the D3 state semi-finals at the TD Garden on Monday against the South champs (undefeated Wareham).  (I suspect that the 4:15AM start time, currently on the MIAA website, is a typo similar to my originally listing this game on Tuesday when it is on Monday.) The 23-0 Vikings are from the South Coast League.

The Sachems (14-9) got within five points of Danvers (45-40) early in the final quarter but didn’t score a single point over the last 6:43 of regulation.  Meanwhile, the Falcons put up eight points to pull away to a deceiving thirteen point spread at the end of the game.

A month ago Danvers pummeled Saugus, 73-39.  Given up for dead at the time, the Sachems rallied to salvage their season by winning six straight to get to the tournament.  The #8 seed then went on to upset Greater Lawrence, top seed Whittier, and Arlington Catholic to earn a third chance against Danvers.

5-9 Curtis Castello (19 points) in against 6-7 George Merry (22 points)

The Sachems looked more than capable of adding Danvers to their collection of upsets in this one as they were even with the Falcons (23-23) with 2 ½  to go in the second quarter.

However, five George Merry (22 points) free throws and a layup during the rest of the half were only answered by a Brandon Wladkowski runner in the lane.  The Falcons had a 30-25 halftime spread.

A Curtis Casella (19 points) layup and a Brandon Wladkowski steal and layin had Saugus back quickly within one (30-29), a minute into the second half.

But then the wheels started to come off for the Sachems.  Within a 1 ½ minute span the Falcons ran nine straight (two free throws Eric Martin, Nick Bates layup after a steal, two free throws George Merry, and a Nick McKenna triple) and were up ten (39-29) with 4 ½ minutes left in the third period.

The Falcons extended that lead to twelve (45-33) on a Nick Bates long one with 1 ½ minutes to go in the third.

Saugus coach Paul Moran

Curtis Casella (5-9 senior) responded with seven in a row on layups…….one after a steal and Saugus was behind just 45-40 with 6:43 left in the final quarter.  That neither Curtis nor his Sachem teammates would tally a single point the rest of the way is hard to fathom but that was what happened.

Danvers didn’t set any records with their offense in the final quarter but a jumper by Nick McKenna (10 points), a layup by George Merry, and a Eric Martin (8 points) steal/layin and free throw were enough to enable the Northeast Conference champs to become the D3 North champs.

Selim Omerovic (6-4 senior) had ten points (all in the first half) and battled foul trouble throughout much of the game.

George Merry heavily guarded

I have seen all three of Danvers tourney games.  6-7 George Merry is the key player for the Falcons.  His mere presence down low kept Saugus from getting too many easy shots in close.  On offense he converted three rebounds.  He also connected on ten-of-thirteen free throws.

Saugus was the third team I’ve seen that had at least 1 ½ defenders on George.  That has left a lot of very good looks for his teammates.  Also, when George is on the strong side, teams so far have been vulnerable to weak-side rebounding and layins by Nick Bates and Dan Connors.

Both Danvers and Saugus entered the D3 North finals in completely new territory for either basketball program.  The Falcons are just two wins away from a state championship.

Danvers boxscore

Saugus boxscore

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

Danvers student section

Nick Bates gets help

Brian Wladkowski feeds Selim Omerovic (10 points)

Eric Martin and Curtis Castello

Eric Martin layin

loose ball

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March 10, 2012 · 7:30 pm

Pentucket scoring runs get them past Ipswich (49-30) for the Division 3 North title

Pentucket Regional High School – Division 3 North champs

Pentucket seniors (Sarah Higgins, Tori Lane, Molly McDonough, and Leigh McNamara) head for the D3 North trophy.

(Lowell)  Pentucket did in Ipswich with two lengthy scoring runs and defeated the Tigers, 49-30, on Saturday morning at the Tsongas Center.

The Sachems’ (#3 seed) win gives them the Division 3 North title and a trip to the TD North Garden on Tuesday (4:15 PM) to face D3 South champs, Fairhaven, in the state D3 semi-finals.

Pentucket (21-4) rolled to 9-0 lead in Run #1 before Tiger senior Shannon McFayden hit a long one over four minutes into the first period.

A Julia Davis free throw midway through the second quarter had Ipswich (18-5) still in contention, 14-10.

There was no recovery, however, for the Tigers from Run #2.  This one lasted 4 ½ minutes, stretching into the third quarter, and totaled twenty unanswered points.  That’s right, twenty!  It put Pentucket ahead, 34-10, with plenty of second half left but certainly not enough time for Ipswich to make things interesting trailing by that much.

Coley Viselli sees an open lane

In the big run, Pentucket’s organized offense turned up five layups (Tess Nogueira two, one each from Coley Viselli, Alex Moore, and Sarah Higgins).  Coley had two free throws, and Sarah had a steal and a score.  The real dagger shots in this run were two Alex Moore three’s in the last thirty seconds of the first half.  Her last one was a prayer from in front of the Ipswich bench that was arc-less but went in on a line.

All this talk of Pentucket offense tells only half the story.  Their trapping defense was equally impressive during this segment forcing four Tiger turnovers and limiting open looks.

Julia Davis, Tiger’s top scorer, was injured just before halftime and didn’t play in the second half.  Julia slid off the playing surface chasing a missed shot to got a knee injury for her efforts.

Julia Davis – did not play in the second half

Minus their best rebounder and top scorer, the Tigers were severely handicapped in the second half.  However, the Tigers did put a couple of 4th quarter runs together.  One went for nine points and the other eight.

In the nine straight, there was a layup by Bridget Curran, two freebies from Shannon McFayden, and a long one from Natalie Soliozy.

The eight straight were all from freshman Masey Zegarowski.  She hit from all the scoring spots (triple, jumper, layup, free throw) putting on quite a show.

One of the best matchups late was the two team’s freshman starters (Kelsi McNamara and Masey Zegarowski) defending each other.  Those two should see a lot of each other over the next three years, I suspect.

The leading scorers for Pentucket were; Sarah Higgins (12), Alex Moore (10), Coley Viselli (9), and Tess Nogueira (8).

Masey Zegarowski paced Ipswich with eight.

Pentucket has now won thirteen straight.  Their opponent on Monday (Fairhaven) has won ten of their last eleven.  Fairhaven was the #2 seed in the D3 South.  They are 21-2 and from the South Coast Conference.

Credit the Ipswich student section for continuing to support their team long after the outcome was in doubt.  (I do not condone obscene chanting and never have.  Positive team support always sounds good to me.)

Pentucket boxscore

Ipswich boxscore

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

Natalie Soliozy shoots a three

Freshmen Masey Zegarowski and Kelsi McNamara

Brigid OFlynn defends

Bridget Curran gets two

loose ball

Julia Davis defends Tess Nogueira

Ipswich student section

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March 9, 2012 · 12:37 am

Pentucket gets by Swampscott easily (53-27) in Division 3 North semi-finals

Coley Viselli (19 points) shoots a three. She made five long ones.

Tess Nogueira (12 points) finds a way to the basket.

(Beverly)  No one expected a game like this.

Swampscott (18-4) was embarrassed by Pentucket, 53-27, on Thursday night at Beverly High School and now the Sachems move on to the Division 3 North finals on Saturday (10:30AM) at the Tsongas Center in Lowell against familiar Cape Ann League foe Ipswich.

The Big Blue (#2 seed) had won eight straight, won the Northeast Conference Small, and buried Stoneham in their previous tournament game.  None of that carried an ounce of weight versus the Sachems.  Swampscott shots were not falling and their zone defense could best be described as “porous.”

The game was certainly a lot easier for Pentucket (#3 seed) because Coley Viselli (19 points) was honed in from long range.  Who cares if one went in off the backboard (end of first quarter) and another took a high bounce off the rim and dropped in (start of the 4th quarter)?  All five that the talent junior made, counted.  Kelsi McNamara (8 points) hit two other triples.

Pentucket’s outside accuracy forced the Big Blue zone to stretch toward the perimeter and opened the inside for Tess Nogueira (12 points) and Sarah Higgins (9 points).

It took Pentucket a while to get going but Coley’s backboarded triple gave them a 7-6 first quarter lead.  They would never trail again.

Coley Viselli heads for the basket.

Coley hit her second three to start the second quarter.  Then she took a Big Blue turnover in for a layup.  She followed that with another triple assisted by Kelsi McNamara.  That was all in the first 1 ½ minutes of the second quarter and was part of an eleven-point run that extended the Sachems lead to, 15-6.

By the time the second quarter ended Kelsi had added her two long ones, Swampscott had eight turnovers, and they were in trouble at halftime, 25-12.

I was sure that the #2 seed was much better than what I had seen in the first half.  The local papers had stories about how big the rivalry was and also Niki Laskaris, who had twenty-six points against Stoneham, had only two points in the first half.

The Big Blue did make a response.  Niki had six points in the third quarter and her layup with 4 ½ minutes left cut the Sachem lead to 29-21.

Ara Talkov (11 points) gets to the rim.

But that was as close as it got.  Over the next six minutes of playing time, extending into the final quarter, Pentucket put a 14-2 run together and turned this game into a 43-23 rout.  Almost all the damage in this winning segment came on the inside.  Sarah Higgins (9 points) got three layups and Tess Nogueira one.  Tess also had two free throws.  And Coley drained her fourth triple.

The last 6 ½ minutes of the game were played by a fatigued and frustrated Swampscott team that on this day did not have the energy to make any sort of late challenge.

Junior Ara Talkov (11 points) and Senior Niki Laskaris (9 points) led the Swampscott scorers.

Pentucket (20-4) defeated Ipswich (Saturday’s D3 final opponent) 42-27 on January 24th at Pentucket.

The entire Ipswich team was on hand for the Pentucket/Swampscott game.  Late in the game, the Pentucket student section started chanting, “We want Ipswich, We want Ipswich.”  I’m not sure if they knew that the team they wanted was sitting to the left of them in the same section of seats under the basket.

Alex Moore, Tess Nogueira, and Sarah Higgins were all given medical attention during the game.  Alex was limited to two points.  With Coley on fire, Alex’s usual point production wasn’t needed by the Sachems.

Pentucket has now won twelve straight.

I’m not too keen on seating under the basket on both ends.  Okay, I’m selfish because that’s where I like to stand to take pictures. In this game I was forced off to the side.

Credit the Swampscott student section for hanging around for the entire game and enduring the “Scoreboard, scoreboard,” chant from the Pentucket kids.  Tougher still was the variation of “It’s all over,” that came out, “It’s a blowout,” as the Big Blue deficit reached twenty points.

Pentucket boxscore

Swampscott boxscore

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

Swampscott student section

Liza Brackbill in Swampscott traffic

Alex Moore defends

Niki Laskaris (9 points) floats in

Caroline Murphy looks for pass

tight defense

Sarah Higgins (9 points) steals

Kelsi McNamara (8 points) puts up a runner.

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March 8, 2012 · 1:21 am

Julia Davis (22 points) leads Ipswich past Bedford (46-38) into the D3 North finals

Julia Davis (22 points) found ways to get to the basket.

Tiger celebration

(Danvers) Ipswich had the lead for good two minutes in and never trailed as they defeated Bedford, 46-36, to gain the finals of Division 3 North on Wednesday night at St. John‘s Prep.

The #4 seed Tigers (18-4) will face the winner of the Pentucket/Swampscott matchup on Saturday at the Tsongas Center in Lowell.

Junior Julia Davis (22 points) was the difference maker for the Tigers.  The 5-10 post player overwhelmed one-on-one coverage, scoring eleven in each half. Also trying to stop her ended up putting Bedford into serious foul trouble.  Two of the Bucs best inside players (Elisabeth Watson and Sam Cowan) were not available for the final 3 ½ minutes because they had fouled out.

Amanda Cohen shoots from in front of the Ipswich student section.

#1 seed Bedford (19-3) may never have led but they were within a point in the fourth quarter before the game slipped away from them.  The crowd noise was nonstop and maybe the fact that Ipswich has had fourteen road games helped them handle things better down the stretch.

A seven-point run by Ipswich (Nyra Constant jumper and free throw plus two Julia Davis layups) boosted their lead to 32-22 midway through the third quarter.  They looked to be in command but the Dual County champs rallied to make things very exciting in the final frame.

Despite missing four free throws, the Lady Bucs put a 10-2 segment up and only trailed 34-32 early in the fourth quarter.  Free throws by Alaina Greaney, a layup by Jennifer Zolla, and long ones by Kristen Bullock and Amanda Cohen produced the Bedford points.  The Tigers only answering points were a jump shot by Julia Davis from Brigid O’Flynn.

A Julia Davis (she had eight straight Tiger points) spin in the lane put Ipswich ahead by four (36-32) but three free throws by the Bucs made this a one-point game (36-35) with 4 ½ minutes to go. Anyone’s game, for sure!

The rest of the way was a nightmare for Bedford.  Their only points were a triple (Jennifer Zolla) and that came over three minutes of playing time later.

In the meantime, Ipswich had a converted rebound by Caroline Soucy, a free throw by Julia Davis, and a Julia jump shot from Caroline Soucy.  The lead became six (41-35) with 2 ½ left.

Jennifer made the triple and it was a one possession game (41-38) with 1:18 to go.  Bedford was one shot away from a tie.

Shannon McFayden – five made free throws down the stretch

But Ipswich senior Shannon McFadden (11 points) was the only one to score thereafter hitting free throws (she made five) in every Tiger possession while Bedford launched long ones hoping for the quick fix that never came.  Their long ones rimmed out and Ipswich was able to come away with a 46-38 win.

The Bedford full-court pressure was effective – twenty-two Ipswich turnovers.

In the half court, both teams flocked to the ball while heavily defending the strong-side post.

The schools brought plenty of colorful, student noise-makers.  You know that it is noisy when you can’t hear individuals.

The Swampscott girls team and Pentucket coach John McNamara were on hand.  Pentucket plays Swampscott at Beverly on Thursday night.  I also saw Masco coach Bob Romeo in the house.

Bedford was a 4-16 team last year.  This year they won the Dual County Small division for the first time ever.  New coach Matt Ryan had plenty to do with the turnaround by successfully installing pressure defense into the mix at Bedford.

Bedford had won thirteen straight before the Ipswich loss.
Ipswich has won seven of their last eight.  The loss?  59-57 to Swampscott on February 20th.

Sophomore Sam Cowan (eight points) led Bedford scorers while Elisabeth Watson had seven points.  The Lady Bucs certainly missed having those two on the floor during the season-on-the-line last 3 ½ minutes.

The Bedford defense did a great job of containing freshman Masey Zegarowski (4 points) with their high zone but in the process opened up opportunities for Julia Davis to work one-on-one inside.

Ipswich boxscore

Bedford boxscore

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

Kristen Baratta

Sam Cowan (eight points) puts up a three

Caroline Soucy tries a three as IHS coach Mandy Zegarowski watches

Masey Zegarowski

Kristen Baratta, Kristen Bullock, Julia Davis, and Alaina Greaney

Elisabeth Watson drives

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March 7, 2012 · 1:45 am

Danvers rallies from late 10-point deficit in regulation and defeats Wayland (70-67) in overtime in D3 North semis

Jaleel Bell (36 points) defended by George Merry (23 points) in the closing seconds of regulation.

Danvers celebration

(Lawrence) Danvers 70 Wayland 67

Where do you start with this one?  I did see a full moon on the way to the game!

Danvers (#2 seed) trailed 22-11 midway through the second period.  They rallied all the way back to tie the score at 37-37 at the end of the third quarter.  2+ minutes into the final quarter they were behind by ten (49-39) and later 57-47 with 1:28 left in regulation.

I thought I heard the fat lady warming up. Bad idea on her part.  Danvers miraculously came all the way back to a 61-61 tie and forced overtime.

George Merry made all the Danvers points in overtime including five free throws.

The frenzied crowd (on both sides) saw five lead changes in the four-minute overtime before George Merry’s layup and two free throws in the last 1 ½ minutes gave the Falcons a remarkable 70-67 win.

Danvers (18-4) will now face either Saugus or Arlington Catholic in the Division 3 North finals at the Tsongas Center on Saturday.

Wayland (16-6) went out in the quarter-finals to Danvers last year (50-46) but I doubt that that loss could have even come close to the anguish this one surely caused the team and their fans.

Not only did Wayland squander a ten-point lead in the closing 1 ½ minutes but they still had a chance in regulation for the win.  However, Jaleel Bell (36 points) was heavily defended by George Merry in the lane and couldn’t finish as time ran out.

That George Merry was still available to apply that game-saving defense was pretty remarkable since he picked up his 4th foul twenty seconds into the final quarter.  But DHS coach John Walsh rolled the dice and 6-7 George was there to save the day defensively.

In overtime George was there to save the day offensively as he collected all of the Falcon’s nine points including five-for-six from the foul line.  He finished with twenty-three points, totaling fifteen in the final quarter and overtime.

Jaleel Bell

The startling loss took some of the glow off of junior guard Jaleel Bell’s thirty-six points.  You talk about a go-to guy.  I believe that Jaleel may have handled the ball on every possession.  He didn’t fire from long range (the Warriors didn’t make any 3’s) but he could get open for good-look jumpers and layups.  He took the ball at Falcon shot blockers fearlessly and had sixteen of his points in the final quarter.

Because Jaleel had the ball so much, Danvers was forced, in the last 1 ½ minutes of regulation to foul him.  It was hardly their preference since he had already made six-of-six.  But they had to do it and it worked perfectly.  Jaleel went to the line eight times the rest of regulation and made only four shots.

The missed freebies opened the door for the crowd-driven Danvers comeback.  Layups by Nick McKenna (off a turnover) and George Merry (pass from Eric Martin) and two season-in-the-balance triples (Nick McKenna and Mike Scarfo) earned Danvers the tie.  And when George Merry defended Jaleel into a miss on his regulation-ending layup, the Falcons extended their season by four minutes.

Danvers had six of their seven three’s in the second half.

Eric Martin, Jon Amico, Nick McKenna, Dan Connors, George Merry

George Merry (23), Dan Connors (17), and Nick McKenna (10) led the Falcon scorers.

Jaleel had thirty-six and Mark Bonner fourteen for the Warriors.

Jaleel fouled out with eleven seconds left.  Almost certainly he would have attempted the game-tying triple if he had been available.

Danvers fans rushing the court afterwards prevented the two teams from the ceremonial handshake afterwards.

Danvers boxscore

Wayland boxscore

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

Harry Leavitt layup

Nick McKenna shoots triple in front of Danvers crowd

Eric Martin steals from Harry Leavitt

Robert Williams looks for the final shot

Jaleel Bell (#2) fouled out

Eric Martin defends

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March 6, 2012 · 12:11 am

Souhegan narrowly escapes with a 49-48 win over Lebanon in the D2 semifinals

Jane White (23 points) was nothing but trouble for Lebanon

Moriah Morton (13 points) lines up a late free throw

(Manchester NH) Souhegan 49 Lebanon 48

Looking for a little excitement……this wasn’t the game for you.  Looking for a full dose of excitement….. this was the game to see!

Until Souhegan’s Ashley Tighe had the rebound in her hands after two near misses by Lebanon, and the buzzer went off, this game’s winner was undecided.

But the game ended with those Raider near misses on Monday night at Southern New Hampshire University and 2011 champs Souhegan (17-4) will now line up against #5 seed Kearsarge on Friday (7PM) and try to win another D2 title.

This was an extremely painful loss for the #2 seed, 19-4 Raiders.  They were riding an eight-game win streak and had defeated Souhegan during the regular season.

Heather King (14 points) gets to the hoop

Lebanon went down 10-1 in the first 4 ½ minutes but came all the way back to tie the score (26-26) two minutes into the second half.  Back down they went by eight (37-29) and back they came to tie the score (43-43) with 4 ½ minutes to play.

So you can see that the emotional roller coaster was operational for both teams.  And the ride hadn’t even reached the most exciting part!

There was a tie at 45 and then a Moriah Morton free throw gave Lebanon a 46-45 lead with 1:47 left.  Could the Raiders hold on? No, and if you want to blame one person, the Sabers Jane White (23 points) would be at the top of the list.

The All-Stater had gotten to the basket five previous times and you knew that down one she would try again……….and she did successfully and it put the Sabers in front, 47-46, with 1 ½ left.

Moriah Morton (13 points) made one of two free throws but the score was tied at 47 with 1:26 remaining.

Again back to the blame game.  Souhegan is in a tie game and they have the ball.  What will they do?  You guessed right.  Give the ball to Jane and get out of her way!  She was able to get into the lane, draw contact, and then sink both free throws (49-47) with 1:07 left.

Mickenzie Larivee (10 points) and Taylor Friedman (10 points)

Plenty of time for Lebanon to respond.  With thirty seconds to go Samantha McDonald was fouled by Victoria Forest (her 5th).  She made the first and missed the second (49-48).

The missed free throws (three in the last 1:47) were significant in a one-point loss.

Down by a point, the Raiders fouled Ashley Tighe with fifteen seconds left to face a pressure-packed one-and-one.  (The unfortunate part here for Lebanon was that Moriah Morton (13 points) did the fouling and it was her 5th.)  Ashley missed the front end and again Lebanon had time (fifteen seconds) and needed at least a point.

There was no timeout called….probably none left.  The Raiders passed the ball around the outside before Taylor Friedman (10 points) took a 15-foot jump shot from the left with less than five seconds left.  It missed but the rebound came directly to Colleen Taylor on the same side along the baseline.  Colleen’s quick shot hit the metal on the back of the rim and went off the other side into Ashley Tighe’s hands as the buzzer sounded.

I told you it was a very exciting game!

Jane White led all scorers with twenty-three points, including fifteen in the second half.  Included in those points was a shot from her knees in the lane in the third quarter that went in.  She had slipped down but had the good sense to shoot anyway and came up with a score.

Lebanon’s pressure defense was very good (eighteen steals) but Jane White was able to make enough plays for herself and her teammates (three assists) to carry the day.  If the Raiders had been able to entirely deny the Bentley-bound senior the ball more often things may have ended differently.

Colleen Taylor pressured by Ceara McNamara

While the team from Amherst had the ball in Jane White’s hands most of the time, Lebanon ran well organized patterns and had plenty of good looks.  Their scoring was balanced – Heather King (14), Moriah Morton (13), and Taylor Friedman (10).  Colleen Taylor (St. Joe’s next season) had a rare off night getting just five points but she did have nine rebounds.

An estimated crowd of 525 was on hand with both schools well represented.

This was the first NH girls’ game I have done this season.  Most of my coverage is in Massachusetts.  There is nothing quite like the excitement of a close do-or-die tournament game no matter where it is played.

Souhegan boxscore

Lebanon boxscore

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

loose ball

Moriah Morton, Victoria Forrest, and Jane White

tight defense

Ashley Tighe (7 points) for two

Moriah Morton looks to get open

Lebanon coach Tim Kehoe

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March 5, 2012 · 1:12 am

Long-range accuracy gets St. Mark’s a win over Tilton (59-53) and the NEPSAC AA championship

Eli Lubick (12 points) hits one of St Marks ten triples

2011-12 NEPSAC AA champions

(Beverly)  Long-range accuracy enabled #2 seed St. Mark’s to defeat #1 seed Tilton, 59-53, and gain the NEPSAC AA championship on Sunday afternoon at Endicott College.

Game MVP Nik Stauskas (19 points) hit his first of four long ones midway through the first half, assisted by Jaymie Spears, and the Lions had the lead for good, 10-7.

St. Mark’s (27-2) would eventually connect ten times from beyond the arc and ignite three important runs in the process.

(1) The first run (9 unanswered) St. Mark’s had two three’s from Aaron Falzon and this put the Lions up, 21-11, with four minutes left in the half.
(2) The second run (6 unanswered) featured long ones from Jaymie Spears (8 points) and Eli Lubbock (12 points) and put the Lions ahead 29-16 in the last minute of the first half.
(3) The final run (11-2) included two 3’s by Nik Stauskas and one by Eli Lubick and boosted the Lion margin to 45-28 with 9 1/2 minutes left in the game.

After that the Lion triples dried up entirely and Tilton (4-time defending champs) made their run.  Over the next 3 ½ minutes the Rams scored all the points (thirteen) and suddenly this was a five point game (45-40) with six minutes left.

Nerlens Noel (10 points) heads for the hoop

Caleb Unni (8 points) started the comeback with a triple and a runner in the lane.  Domonique Bull (9 points) got to the rim for two, and Georges Niang (19 points) hit two free throws.  Then came the highlight play of the day as Georges flipped a lob toward the basket that 6-11 Nerlens Noel (10 points) caught somewhere near the top of the backboard and slammed home.  The Tilton crowd loved it.  Nerlens made the accompanying free throw and the Rams were within five (45-40).  St. Mark’s wisely called an immediate timeout.

Nik Stauskas added an old fashioned three after a nifty layin in the area of serious shot-blockers to get the Lions up by nine (51-42).  A converted rebound by Nerlens Noel and a Georges Niang layup on a feed from Nerlens and the Rams were back within five (51-46) with two minutes to go.

The Rams next two possessions were missed three’s – they made only three in the game.  The Lions countered with 3-of-4 free throws (Eli Lubick and Eric Green) to go up by eight (54-46) with forty-nine seconds left.

The Rams got three’s from Kevin Crescenzi and Caleb Unni after that and a Domonique free throw but the Lions countered with 5-of-6 freebies (Eric, Nik, and Eli) to win the championship, 59-53.

Georges Niang (19 points) and Tilton coach Marcus ONeil

Tilton (27-6) won an earlier meeting with St. Mark’s 71-55 in December.  Wayne Selden had twenty points for the Rams in that one.  An injury kept him out of this one.

Domonique Bull (Missouri), Kevin Crescenzi (Dartmouth), and Georges Niang (Iowa State) have made commitments for the 2012-13 season.

Eric Green (Holy Cross), Nik Stauskas (Michigan), and Kaleb Tarczewski (Arizona) have done the same for the Lions.

One of the best matchups was 6-11 Nerlens Noel against 7’ Kaleb Tarczewski.

Very impressed with the improvement of 5-8 guard Jaymie Spears in a year.  He handled the ball smartly, had several steals, and dropped in two triples.

Endicott was jammed for this game with folks around the playing floor as well.

Tilton came in reminding me of the Yankees – very successful and developing quite a collection of unhappy opponents as the four straight championships added up.  St. Mark’s were the Red Sox.  Often close but unable to get past Tilton…….until this game.  And did they ever enjoy the victory.

St. Mark’s boxscore

Tilton boxscore

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

Nerlens Noel rejects

Georges Niang defended by Kaleb Tarczewski

Domonique Bull finishes

Nik Stauskas (19 points - game MVP)

Jaymie Spears defended by Domonique Bull

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March 4, 2012 · 10:43 pm

Northfield Mount Hermon wins the NEPSAC AAA championship with 74-70 victory over St. Thomas More

Northfield Mount Hermon (2011-12 NEPSAC AAA champs)

Spike Albrecht (23 points and game MVP) defended by Torin Childs-Harris

(Beverly) Northfield Mount Hermon hung on to defeat St. Thomas More, 74-70, for the third time this season and won the NEPSAC AAA boys’ championship on Sunday at Endicott College.

The Hoggers (30-5) had wins over the Chancellors (26-8) in January (90-84) and February (76-70) so the teams knew each other well.

NMH took the lead for good 58-56 on a three by Sam Donahue (9 points) with 7 ½ to go.  They would build their lead up to seven three times after that with the last being (72-65) on a triple from game MVP Spike Albrecht (23 points) with thirty-six seconds left.

Thereafter things got very, very interesting.  Barrington Stevens (16 points) drained a three for STM and Spike missed the front end of a one-and-one.  Curtis Jones slashed to the basket and NMH got tied up for a jump ball turnover.  When the dust cleared on all that action, St. Thomas More had the basketball, trailed by only two (72-70), and had sixteen seconds left.

Barrington Stevens (16 points) gets a good look on the last possession

In the Chancellors last possession, the ball was in the dribble of Barrington Stevens most of the time.  He eventually broke past Spike Albrecht for a very good at about a 15-footer that missed.  Ethan O’Day (16 points) got the rebound for the Hoggers and quickly passed to Spike who was fouled.

Thirty-three seconds earlier the 6-1 senior had missed the front end of a one-and-one.  This time with three seconds left he connected on both attempts sealing the win for the team from Gill, Massachusetts.

#4 seed NMH had a marvelous tournament. Getting by undefeated #1 seed Brewster on Friday night was a significant upset.

Both St. Thomas More (Oakdale CT) and NMH had major runs in the first half.

Northfield jumped off 5-0 before STM put up ten straight.  Old-fashioned and new-fashioned three’s by Rodney Sanders (21 points) plus a converted rebound by Barrington Stevens and jumper by Ky Howard (10 points) were where the points came from.

The Chancellors were soon up 12-7 but the Hoggers responded with thirteen unanswered.  In this run Ethan O’Day (16 points) put on a show with a tip-in, a layup, and a dunk.  Evan Cummins (12 points) had a layup and a tip in and Spike put up a three-spot.  That gave NMH a 20-12 advantage.  But STM answered with two three’s and back and forth it went in the first half.

The Hoggers had a 36-35 halftime lead.

There were plenty of long ones made in this one.  St. Thomas More had ten and Northfield Mount Hermon nine but none was bigger than the one Spike Albrecht drained late in the shot clock in the last minute.  That connection turned out to be the winning basket.

Northfield Mount Hermon box score

St. Thomas More boxscore

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

NMH celebrates

Ethan ODay (16 points)

Rodney Sanders (21 points – 14 in the first half)

Evan Cummins (12 points)

Chancellor coach Jere Quinn

tie up

Ky Howard (10 points)

Sam Donahue (9 points) and Spike Albrecht

clinching free throw

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March 4, 2012 · 12:19 am

Danvers cruises to D3 North semis with (75-45) win over Pentucket

Will Angelini (20 points) contests George Merry (13 points)

Eric Martin (23 points) including nineteen in the first half

(Danvers) The Danvers Falcons made it look way too easy as they buried Pentucket, 75-45, in the D3 North quarterfinals on Saturday night at DHS.

Danvers moves on to face Wayland in the D3 North semifinals at Wilmington High School on Tuesday (7PM).

In this one, Danvers (17-4) broke away from a 6-6 tie after four minutes and by halftime were in complete control (44-24).

Pentucket (14-8) was smothered defensively down one end and victimized down the other end by a team packed with players able to get to the rim.

Danvers scored twenty-five baskets in the first three quarters and twenty-one of them were layups or converted rebounds.  Let’s just say they turned up plenty of high percentage shots.

Junior Eric Martin (23 points) had nineteen in the first half.  Danny Connors (18 points) added twelve first half points.

Meanwhile, Pentucket had very few good looks thanks to persistent man-to-man pressure.  A big plus for Danvers was that defenders had shot-blockers beyond them closer to the basket.  There were very few easy Sachem attempts.

6-6 Will Angelini (20 points) led Pentucket scorers with nifty moves around the basket.  When he went out with his second foul with 2 ½ minutes left in the first quarter the Danvers lead was only 13-8.  The rest of the quarter the Falcons put a 10-4 run in place and took a 23-12 lead over the team from West Newbury.

Danny Connors (18 points) layup

Halfway through the second period that 11-point quarter edge had become twenty (38-18) and you knew that things were not likely to get any closer.  The Falcon advantage increased to 63-34 by the end of the third quarter.

The most exciting play of the game was in the second quarter when Will Angelini flew in from the right on a feed from Patrick Kelly and put down a rousing dunk.

When DHS coach John Walsh announced in the press that Corey McNamara was the best shooter he had seen this year,  you knew that the word would reach the Falcon defenders.  Corey has been no stranger to tight coverage this season.  That Danvers could limit the senior to eight points says something about their defenders.

One nice thing about this type of game is that the reserves get to play in front of a large crowd.  There were people turned away.

Corey McNamara (8 points) defended by Jon Amico

DHS is close to installing permanent bleachers.  The extra seating provided by those bleachers would have helped in handling a crowd estimated between 800-1000.

The students on hand were especially well behaved after school officials got within range of them.

The lights in the gym flickered with about six minutes left.  Someone quipped at the time that the lights had gone out for Pentucket quite a while earlier.

6-7 George Merry ran into foul trouble covering Will Angelini but still ended up with thirteen points.

Will Angelini and Corey McNamara have been significant players for the Sachems for a number of seasons.  There was seldom a game in which they weren’t heavily covered. They still managed to score a lot of points.  Replacing the two of them will be a huge challenge for PHS coach Leo Parent.

After watching Danvers play I left wondering how any team in D3 can beat them.  They executed so well at both ends.

Danvers is a team that plays the regular season against D2 teams and then drops down to D3 for the tournament.  Most D3 schools in that arrangement struggle to qualify for the tournament (10 wins) and often need the Sullivan Rule to get in.  Not Danvers. They won the challenging Northeast Conference (South) this season.  They could well be playing in the Worcester Centrum later this month.

Two coaches with games tomorrow were in the crowd – Tom L’Italien (Newburyport) and John McNamara (Pentucket girls).

Danvers boxscore

Pentucket boxscore

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

Will Angelini

Nolan Dragon

Danny Connors and Parker Kelly

action under the basket

Will Angelini floats in

George Merry

Nick Bates looks for an opening

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March 2, 2012 · 11:06 pm

North Andover led by Morgan Lumb (22 points) easily defeats Tewksbury (52-34) in D2 North Round One

Morgan Lumb (22 points) cuts through Tewksbury defenders

Morgan Lumb (22 points) cuts through Tewksbury defenders.

Morgan shoots over Shannon Semenza. She had four long ones.

(Lawrence) North Andover dominated the first half, Morgan Lumb (22 points) dominated the third quarter, and the Scarlet Knights easily defeated Tewksbury (52-34) in the first round of the D2 North on Friday night.

Twelve days ago NA and Tewksbury had played a tight 39-34 game so the rematch figured to be close.  Hardly.

By halftime the Redman trailed 24-4.  That’s right, 4!

A math whiz will figure out that Tewksbury won the second half…..and they did, but the cows had left the barn before the second half was played.

North Andover (14-7) defensed Tewksbury (9-12) into tough shots while the Knights patiently ran organized offense that turned up one good look after another.

The NA defense (looked like a 1-3-1 to me) led to few breakaways but did cause fourteen first half turnovers.

The Knights scored the first ten points of the game and only a last-second buzzer beater by Shannon Semenza (8 points) kept the Redmen from a first period shutout.

Sara Semenza prepares to block

The second period was more of the same.  The Redmen this time got their two points on free throws (Sara Semenza and Nicole Chaet).  The Knights found points in close (three layups and a converted rebound) and long range (Morgan Lumb and Leah Chittick).  North Andover led, 24-4, at the half and what was there that could make the second half interesting?

Enter Morgan Lumb.  I may not be the first one to have this thought but when Andover’s Nicole Boudreau has moved on to Boston College next year and the talk starts about the best girl player in the state, Morgan Lumb’s name should be in the mix.

I’ve seen the 5-8 junior twice now and she has dazzled on the offensive end.  She has the strength for NBA range 3’s.  Her dribbling skills are excellent and she can get to the basket in a hurry.  She will also give the ball up to teammates.

She didn’t do much of the latter in the third period because she was feeling it.  Morgan put on the best one-period show I can remember, getting all fifteen of NA’s points in the quarter.

You want long range?  The first two scores were 3’s.  You want in close?  The next two were a layup (from Mackenzie Mello) and a converted rebound.  How about a little longer?  Try a baseline jumper.  The grand finale was an NBA length 3-spot off the backboard at the buzzer.  Very impressive!

Credit Tewksbury for persistent offense in the second half despite Morgan’s third quarter outburst.  Trailing 44-22, early in the final period the Redmen ran nine straight to close to a more respectable 44-31 difference.  A three from Katie Dohery sparked the run.  But that was as close as #12 seed Tewksbury would get.

Leah Chittick (11 points) and Sara Semenza (7 points)

Freshman Leah Chittick had eleven points for North Andover.

#5 seed North Andover moves to the quarterfinals against #4 seed Concord-Carlisle.

The NA/Tewksbury game was originally scheduled for Thursday but snowy weather forced postponement.

The game was played at palatial Lawrence High School because the North Andover gymnasium has water damage.

The crowd at the girls game grew as the game went on because there was a boys game between Salem and North Andover to follow it.

Tewksbury was knocked out of the D2 North tourney a year ago by North Andover.  The score that time was 32-16.

Tewksbury qualified for the tournament because they finished second in the Merrimack Valley Conference.

North Andover is leaving the Cape Ann League and joining the MVC this fall.

North Andover boxscore

Tewksbury boxscore

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

Michaela Mello

Sherri Ligerrio

Pam Coufos

Mackenzie Mello

Jillian Madden

floor scramble

Morgan Lumb

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