Tag Archives: Ashley Viselli

March 13, 2010 · 7:41 pm

Pentucket Falls in State D3 Finals to Lee 56-42

Lee girls pose with D3 state championship trophy after pulling away from cold-shooting Pentucket in the last quarter.

(Worcester) Defense can only take a team so far. They must light up the scoreboard to win.

Pentucket (26-1) went incredibly cold in the final quarter and it cost them as they lost the D3 state finals to Lee, 56-42, on Saturday morning at the DCU Center in Worcester.

Lee (24-1) neutralized Pentucket’s normal defensive advantages by using the same approach (pressure defense) nearly as effectively.

It was on offense that the Wildcats won the game. Although Lee was only 15-for-47 (31.9%), and most teams don’t usually win shooting 31.9%, those numbers were good enough on this day because the Sachems were just 12-for-67 (17.9%).

However, despite all the subpar shooting, Pentucket was in contention even as late as two minutes into the last quarter. Sarah Higgins nailed a jumper to bring the Sachems to within a point, 39-38, and left the outcome very much in doubt. Unfortunately, after that, Pentucket connected on just 1-of-17 shots with three air balls in the mix.

During the fatal last six minutes, Pentucket’s ability to put together consistent offense vanished and their ability to control Lee defensively took a similar route. While the Sachems struggled to score, the Wildcats put up points in ten of their last thirteen possessions (17-4 run) and had more than enough offense to win the state title.

Both teams played fullcourt defense and the exertion required executing it and reacting to it may have taken the shooting legs out from under the Sachems late. Lee, on the other hand, had foul trouble in the first half and some of their players were benched and got some extra rest because of it. That unwanted rest may have been given Lee the extra energy they played with in the late, game-deciding minutes.

Katie Eckert (15 points) chased by Emily Lane

Pentucket started the game slowly (trailed 11-4) despite forcing six turnovers in the first three minutes. Katie Eckert (15 points) tallied Lee’s first nine points with a couple of 3’s.

Behind 13-6, the Sachems rallied for seven straight into the start of the second period to tie the score with Ashley Viselli (19 points) getting the last points on a three assisted by Erin McNamara.

Pentucket’s best show of offense was late in the second quarter when they put up ten unanswered points to take a 27-21 advantage with two minutes left in the half. Ashley Viselli scored five while sister Nicole had two free throws and Sarah Higgins hit a trey.

The Sachems had a 28-24 halftime margin.

When a team (Pentucket) has won 26 straight and leads at halftime, you can’t help but expect that they are on their way to a state title. However, the Lee girls’ basketball program has more state championships (now seven) than any other athletic program in the state. They had also reached the state semifinals in seven of the last eight years. Point? This team knows something about winning.

This year’s Lee team is a team with multiple point guards and that became important in the second half. Lee ended up with only eight turnovers in the second half and, as a result, Pentucket had less success using their pressuring defense to limit an opponent’s opportunities on offense.

The Wildcats were able either to get to the basket or the foul line during the regrettable (for Pentucket) final period. Lee was 11-for-15 on free throws in the last quarter.

Tara Dooley (#22) defends Erin McNamara (#3)

Erin McNamara (4 points) faced a very good defender in Tara Dooley (9 points) but had shot attempts that we’ve seen her connect on as recently as the Archbishop Williams game (state semifinals – 28 points). Versus Lee, Erin was 0-for-6 on 3’s and 1-for-14 overall. To see how sad she was as the game slipped away had me hoping that someone got in her ear about the fact that no one player wins or loses a team game.

What a great run the Sachems had this season! A quick look at their roster would suggest that this might not be the last time I’m writing about them in an MIAA tournament connection.

( All stats are unofficial. )

Pentucket Wins State D3 Semifinals 62-37 over Archbishop Williams

Coach John McNamara embraces daughter Erin (28 points) in closing minutes of state semifinal win over Archbishop Williams at the TD Garden.

(Boston) Pentucket played one of those, “How can anyone beat them?” games against Archbishop Williams at the TD Banknorth Garden on Tuesday afternoon and now get to move on to the state finals in Worcester on Saturday (10:45AM).

The final score was 62-37 and that margin accurately sums up the difference between the two teams on this day.

Tess Nogueira was part of the smothering Sachem defense that kept the ball away from 6-4 Valerie Driscoll (#33)

Pentucket frustrated the Archies with a fullcourt defense that kept the D3 South champs from organizing on the offensive end. The biggest fear the Sachems had going into this one was Valerie Driscoll (Michigan bound/ 6’4”).

No defensive scheme would save the Sachems if Valerie ended up with the ball down low. So, Pentucket applied pressure and more pressure anywhere someone had the ball and limited Valerie’s touches and points (6 points).

Meanwhile, Pentucket found open shots constantly and led by Erin McNamara (28 points) and Ashley Viselli (18 points) kept the scoreboard changing in their favor.

Erin McNamara defended by Aidan Duquette

Erin’s offensive game was particularly impressive. Her 28 points came on 9-for-14 shooting, including 5-for-7 on three’s and 5-for-5 from the foul line. She also handled the ball plenty and had just one turnover.

The Archies had their only lead of the game (5-4) thanks to Kayla Papazian’s layup. The next nine points belonged to Pentucket as Erin hit a three on a pass from Holly Jakobsons, Ashley connected on four free throws and Erin assisted on a Tess Nogueira layin. This spurt put Pentucket ahead 12-5 after five minutes of the first quarter. The Sachems led 19-11 at the end of the first period.

Pentucket went through a brutal first six minutes of the second quarter – fourteen possessions/two air balls/three points. If there was ever a time for the Archies it was during these six minutes and they did get back to 22-21 with the last basket coming on a putback by Erica Knowles.

Up to this point, Valerie Driscoll had hardly been a factor and still the Archies were close. The future didn’t appear all that promising for Pentucket.

However, the last eleven points of the first half were scored by Sachems. Erin assisted Ashley on a trey. Erin spun in and used her left hand for a layup-and-one. Nicole Viselli assisted Erin on a trey and Erin ended the run with another layup. The Sachems held a 33-21 lead at halftime.

Pentucket started the second half with four empty possessions but then followed that with four productive possessions (10 points) to gain a 43-25 led after four minutes.

During this run, Erin had a three (assisted by Emily Lane) and then had a block that led to a layin. Then Erin assisted Ashley on a trey and finally Sarah Higgins assisted on an Ashley layup. This segment took the starch out of the Archies. The lead after three was 49-31.

The Sachems continued to dominate on both ends in the final quarter. The Bishops didn’t score until the 2:13 mark while Pentucket registered eleven unanswered. Halfway through this quarter, Archies coach Jim Bancroft pulled all his starters and before the game ended two entire rosters got the chance to say that they’d played on the Garden floor.

Emily Lane, Ashley Viselli, Erin McNamara, and Holly Jakobsons celebrate at the end.

Singling out scorers for commendation is easy – just look at a box score. Defenders aren’t so easy, especially with Pentucket because they come at teams from so many angles with different players. A good trap in the backcourt could lead to a pass being intercepted by another player further down the court. It is a team concept and effective enough to have gotten Pentucket to the state D3 finals.

The Sachems forced fourteen first-half turnovers and kept the ball away from Valerie Driscoll. That’s pretty good defense in anyone’s book.

AW defeated Pentucket in 2007 and 2008 on their way to the state championships. They have won the D3 South title four straight years.

Excellent defense has been the Sachem standard all season. When their offense gets rolling, as it did versus AW, they are very difficult to deal with. One more win will confirm, as some of us suspect, that they’re the best team in all of D3.
(All stats are unofficial.)

Undefeated Pentucket Girls Win 20th at Newburyport 64-32

Pentucket’s Erin McNamara heads in for a layup off a Clipper turnover as Nbpt’s Molly Rowe defends

They are the elephant in the Cape Ann League room. Who? The Pentucket Regional girls basketball team.

There’s good and then there’s them.

Pentucket won their 20th game of the season last night (February 5th) at Newburyport High School, 64-32.

This terrific team is undefeated, and certainly unchallenged, in the Cape Ann League this season. They have won by an average of THIRTY points in the fourteen CAL games. A “close” CAL game for them was the 62-44 “nail-biter” at North Reading on December 23rd.

To finish off the unbeaten season, the Sachems will have to find a way to defeat Amesbury at Amesbury on February 9th (won earlier 66-44) and Triton at home on February 11th (won earlier 76-56).

There is a website called “Maxpreps” which rates Pentucket 5th in all of Massachusetts. Those teams rated better must be realllllllly good.

My visit to NHS was my first in-person look at Pentucket. I had read that their press was very effective. That was/is true but being on hand enabled me to see a few other positives.
(1)This team can shoot from the outside.
(2)They have size inside that can score.
(3)Their pressure isn’t just backcourt pressure. Many of the first-half turnovers that they forced the Clippers into happened in the frontcourt. Picking up your dribble is the first step toward getting yourself turned over anywhere on the court.
(4)I also saw many Newburyport dribblers being forced toward their left – weak dribbling hand.
(5)I watched the Sachems shoot before the game and noticed quickly that they all shoot from the outside with the same form. They didn’t make every shot but the misses weren’t form related.

Junior Vanessa Cahill lines up a free throw

(6)I checked their roster listed on the program and this domination of the CAL is not likely to end soon. The tallest player (Victoria Cahill) is a junior. Arguably, the two best players on the team (Ashley Viselli and Erin McNamara) have younger sisters (freshman Nicole Viselli and sophomore Leigh McNamara) on the roster. There also is a sophomore Tori Lane who may be the younger sister of senior starter Emily Lane.

Anyhow, Pentucket is a very impressive team. They should end the regular season 22-0 and be a major player in the MIAA Division 3 state tournament, which starts in a couple of weeks.