Tag Archives: Sydney Turner

February 15, 2022 · 12:21 am

Emma Foley (31 points) leads Newburyport past Haverhill 58-35

Junior Emma Foley reached a career-high thirty-one points vs Haverhill

(Newburyport MA) The Haverhill Hillies were on the wrong end of Emma Foley’s career game.

“We couldn’t stop her,” said Haverhill coach Melissa Tarpy afterwards. “She had a ton of points.”

Thirty-one, to be exact.

“It was the best I’ve done,” said Emma post-game.

Emma’s big night was the key in Newburyport’s 58-35 win over Haverhill on Monday night.

“I definitely couldn’t have scored all those points without some great looks from Sydney (Turner), Makenna (Ward), and Deirdre (McElhinney),” said Emma. “They did a really good job of finding me tonight.”

The Hillies (3-14) used a man-to-man defense in the first half. The Clippers (15-2) countered by spreading out and putting Emma close to the basket. With single coverage and space to operate, Emma went to work.

The two teams played a week ago and Newburyport only won by eight points (54-46).

Haverhill defense tightened in the second half

“I didn’t put the ball in the hoop very well,” said Emma of the sixteen points she had at Haverhill.

No such problem tonight.

The Clippers were up, 19-8, after a quarter and Emma already had eighteen points! The variety of scoring maneuvers was impressive. There were assisted baskets in close, mixed in with a rebound basket as well as one on a full-court drive.

A three-pointer by Haley Phillips (15 points) had the Hillies within two points (8-6). Emma answered with nine straight points and Deirdre McElhinney (11 points) added a free throw. Suddenly the NHS lead was twelve points (18-6).

In the second quarter, a three by Sydney Spencer set the score at 21-11 a minute into that quarter.

The game got away from Haverhill in the next four minutes.

The Clippers scored fifteen unanswered points to lead, 36-11, and took the mystery out of the outcome.

“We kept making mistakes,” said Coach Tarpy.

Deirdre and Emma each had six points during the consecutive run of great offense and defense.

The Hillies played much better in the second half. They switched to a zone defense and the easy passes to Emma Foley near the basket disappeared. And when Emma did get the ball, she had to deal with multiple defenders.

Emma still was able to add seven points to her 24-point first half and end up with a career-best thirty-one points. The score difference kept Emma on the bench for some of the fourth quarter or she might have added to her total.

The biggest cheer of the night? It wasn’t for Emma. It was for Sydney Turner after she stole a pass and turned it into her first points of the night.

It was Senior Day and Sydney is Newburyport’s only senior. Sydney had a nice group of friends/family with “Syd” shirts on in attendance.

“I’m so proud of Sydney,” said Clippers coach Karen Grutchfield afterwards. “We always put her on the other team’s best offensive player.”

Emma had nine rebounds and her sister (Olivia) had five rebounds. Makenna Ward had five steals.

I asked Emma about the 63-45 loss to Pentucket last Thursday: “We had breakdowns all over the court. We struggled to score in the second half, and they were getting layup after layup. When we do a good job of stopping the drives, we play well. It didn’t help that Makenna and I had four fouls. It was tough to play defense with those fouls. Hopefully, we’ll see them again.”

Newburyport 19 17 11 11 = 58

Haverhill 8 7 12 8 = 35

(The pictures will enlarge.)

Sydney Spencer guarded by Olivia McDonald

Undefeated Newburyport defeats Masco 58-40

Olivia McDonald (9 points) provided a spark for the Clippers

(Boxford MA) “You have to come to their level and compete,” said Masconomet coach Shannon Kirwan Monday night, “or you lose by eighteen.”

The Lady Chieftains did lose by eighteen (58-40) to Newburyport but for a quarter plus they more than held their own.

But the undefeated Clippers (10-0) were game-long persistent on defense. They forced twenty-six turnovers that led to twenty-seven points.

“I thought we played them tough,” said NHS coach Karen Grutchfield post-game. “I’m proud of them.”

The Lady Chieftains did a nice job defensively on Newburyport high-scorer Emma Foley in the early going. Emma faced two defenders as she positioned herself in close. For a time, her teammates forced passes inside (some led to turnovers) and struggled to score without Emma getting involved.

Kylie Dumont, Taylor Bovardi, and Kaleigh Monagle keyed Masco’s 15-12 first quarter advantage.

Things turned Newburyport’s way in the second quarter sparked by the appearance of reserve sophomore Olivia McDonald.

“Coach (Grutchfield) encouraged me to take the shot if I have it,” said Olivia afterwards.

Olivia started the second quarter with a layup and then hit a three to tie the score at 17-17.

With Masco keen on protecting the inside, Olivia found yet another long-range opening and nailed it to put the Clippers in front to stay, 22-19, with 4 ½ minutes left.

Newburyport was able to add eight more points before half-time. The Lady Chieftains, meanwhile, were held scoreless for nearly four minutes. Krystal Zepaj ended the scoring drought with a 3-pointer in the last minute.

Another three by Krystal, in the third quarter, had the home team within nine points (36-27) but the rest of the quarter saw Newburyport put a 12-3 run together.

Makenna Ward had eight of her twelve points in the third quarter while teammate Sydney Turner had six of her eight points in that same quarter. The Clippers led by eighteen (48-30) after three periods and would finish the game with the same margin.

“We kept our composure,” added Coach Grutchfield. “They came at us pretty hard.”

When Masco was forced to play man-to-man, Emma Foley (14 points) had clearer opportunities in close and took advantage.

“Masco is definitely a good team,” explained Deirdre McElhinney (10 points) afterwards. “They forced us to set up our offense a little more than we have had to in the past.”

The closest game the Clippers have had this season was a ten-point win over Pentucket.

“We keep pushing,” added Deirdre talking about the winning streak. “We’re trying to keep the momentum going.”

Coach Kirwan: “Newburyport is a very good team. Every part of their game they do well. They play basketball the way it is supposed to be played; tough, hard-nosed, and aggressive.”

Coach Grutchfield: “Olivia (McDonald) was a really good spark off the bench. She also did a nice job defending their best player.”

Masco made six 3’s including three by Krystal Zepaj.

The Clippers are now on a stretch of seven straight away games. They’ve won the first two including tonight’s game.

Thanks to Andy Tapparo for several of the stats I used. Andy produces stats for every Masco game and runs a terrific online site featuring the Lady Chieftains. It’s the best I’ve seen.

Newburyport 12 18 18 10 = 58

Masconomet 15 7 8 10 = 40

(The pictures will enlarge.)

Kylie Dumont guarded by Deirdre McElhinney

Olivia McDonald and Ava Caron chase a loose ball

Deirdre McElhinney guarded by Kaleigh Monagle

Newburyport routs Lawrence 61-23

Emma Foley led the Clippers with twenty points

(The pictures will enlarge when you click on them.)

(Newburyport MA) You never know for sure what to expect in a non-league game.

You read about your opponent and maybe even scout them, but actual conclusions are reserved for the game itself.

Newburyport put the clamps on Lawrence’s best player (Tyanna Medina) and the visitors from the Merrimack Valley Conference never had a chance.

The final was Newburyport 61, Lawrence 23.

Tyanna displayed all the skills of a next-level player but she was usually kept far from the basket.

“She was a really good player,” said Olivia McDonald who took a turn defending Tyanna. “Our coaches told me to force her left and there would be help. Everyone did a good job of helping.”

Sydney Turner, MaKenna Ward, and Anna Seidel also spent time corralling the Lancers’ sophomore and limited her to six points.

Meanwhile, on the offensive end, the Clippers were productive in the first-half, up-tempo approach as well as the second-half, deliberate approach.

The Lancers (1-5) used a zone defense that was slow to set up after missed shots. The fast-breaking Clippers turned rebounds into open looks and layups.

Newburyport scored all the points in the first four minutes and sped ahead, 14-0.

Emma Foley continues to be able to maneuver into open looks in close. Her ability to go either right or left, and use either hand successfully, makes her a scoring threat against any single coverage she faces.

Emma had twenty points tonight.

“Our team was really ready to play tonight,” said Newburyport coach Karen Grutchfield post-game. “We have to learn to do that against every team, not just against a team that is not that strong.”

The Clippers had a 24-4 first quarter lead and extended the margin to 44-10 at the half.

Deirdre McElhinney (12 points) and Sydney Turner (11 points) scored all their points in the first half.

In the second half, the Clippers resisted the fast breaks and were very patient on offense.

The most entertaining part of the second half was when Tyanna Medina and Olivia McDonald turned up the defensive pressure on each other.

Both are tenacious and confident. Tyanna is used to being hounded because of her scoring reputation. Olivia is quick and willing to cause a turnover any way she can.

“I told Olivia that I got goosebumps tonight watching her play such good defense on such a talented player,” said Coach Grutchfield.

Here is a four-picture sequence of the two of them getting after it:

Emerson McCormick had the game-winner in the JV game

Coach Grutchfield had two players on her bench that she couldn’t use. Why? Emerson McCormick and Maddie Hopwood had played the entire JV game in which Newburyport won late. Emerson scored the go-ahead basket while Maddie sealed the win with free throws.

Olivia McDonald: “I think that the reason we are doing so well this season is that our defense leads into our offense.”

Newburyport 24 20 6 11 = 61

Lawrence 4 6 5 8 = 23

(The pictures enlarge if you click on them.)