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March 9, 2009 · 8:56 pm

Georgetown Girls Lose Finals to Millis – Pictures from the game

Georgetown girls coach Barri Ann Lorenzo looks on during closing minute of the Royals state finals loss to Millis at the BankNorth Garden on March 9th.

(Boston) The Georgetown Royals reached the state finals on this snowy March 9th afternoon but came away with only an appearance in the finals to show for it as they lost to Millis, 60-43.

“It was worth the trip,” said Coach Barri Ann Lorenzo afterwards in the press room. “But it’s harder without the W at the end of the day. I am very proud of them and equally disappointed with them not in them.”

The Royals actually got off to a nice start as Taryn O’Connell nailed 3’s on her first two shots in the first 1 ½ minutes. No one knew it then but those were half of the 12 points that G’Town’s all-time scorer would get in the game.

Georgetown, with five busloads of students cheering them on, led 10-8 after one period. The second quarter was a different story and it was in the first 4 ½ minutes that the Mohawks took control of this game for good. In thirteen possessions the Royals committed eight turnovers, missed two free throws, and Taryn had a shot blocked. Meanwhile, Millis started getting production from junior Molly Breen (28 points – career high) and senior Amy Ingraham (20 points).

An Olivia Zitoli layup put Millis in front 11-10 and by the quarters end the lead was up to 29-22. Breen had ten points in that quarter mostly on layups.

“The answer to #24 (Molly Breen) would have been help defense,” explained Coach Lorenzo. “We had scouted Millis and knew about them. We just didn’t defend very well.” With just one day to practice after reaching the finals on Saturday afternoon you can understand that not only was there limited practice time but certainly a fatigue issue. “Millis ended up with two days of practice (rest?) and we had one.”

In the third period the Royals put together of string of points (Shannon Hartford layup/Kelli O’Brien jumper/two Taryn free throws) and had narrowed things to 40-35 with 1 ½ minutes remaining.

This was where Molly took this game over. The last eight points belonged to the 5’11” junior. She repeatedly found her way to the basket and/or to the free throw line. This was part of the game where that help defense vanished and when the quarter ended a mountainous 48-33 deficit was in place.

The Royals could not dent that deficit the rest of the way and by the time the game ended every player on each roster had seen action on the BankNorth Garden floor.

That her team did so well in the tournament (won four games) did not surprise Coach Alonzo. “I expected us to do well.”

Georgetown had to have the vision to see the light at the end of the tunnel as they played through 15 losses during the pre-tournament season. All those losses got them the bottom seed in Division 4 and put them in with the best area Division 4 teams early. No problem except maybe the close one I saw versus Fenway at Greater Lawrence.

Coach Alonzo was pleased with the fan support at the Garden. “It was great because the girls don’t usually get the attention they deserve.”

It was ironic that the G’Town boys had a 14-6 season and had plenty of fan support. They also were rewarded with a bye in the first round of the tournament and then ended up losing the first game they played. Therefore, this was a year to follow the boys during the regular season and the girls in the tournament.

I had my camera handy at the Garden. Anything that is underlined will turn into a picture if you click on it.

Athletic director Guy Prescott and principal Peter Lucia pose before the game.

Jennifer Donovan and Kelly Gillen prepare to sing the National Anthem.

The Royals line up for the National Anthem.

The opening tip.

Assistant coach Bob Graffum looks on.

Plenty of fans from Georgetown made the trip.

The cheerleaders also performed.

Taryn O’Connell shoots a free throw with Haley Gisonno ready to rebound.

Rachel Sherman gets ready for an inbounds play.

Molly Breen puts in two of her 28 points.

Shannon Hartford studies the situation.

Michelle Reilly with Kelli O’Brien in the background.

Taryn O’Connell scans the floor late in the game.

Taryn, Haley, and Michelle watch from the bench as the game slips away.

Maria DeGenova holds the Division 4 finalist trophy.

The team lines up to receive their medals.

Taryn O’Connell: Worthy of Notice

Georgetown coach BarriAnn Lorenzo with star senior Taryn O'Connell

Taryn O’Connell not only plays under the basket but also “plays under the radar,” according to her basketball coach at Georgetown High School, BarriAnn Lorenzo.

“In a league with big schools like Masco, North Andover, and Ipswich not much attention is paid to little Georgetown and Taryn O’Connell,” claimed Coach Lorenzo.

The neglect seems unfair since the Royals’ senior has been a four-year starter, has reached 1000 points, and is closing in on an even more impressive stat – 1000 rebounds.

She is currently in the 900s in rebounds and her 12 per game average could get her to that 1000 mark by the end of this season. That would put Taryn into the exclusive career quadruple/quadruple club that Ipswich High (UMaine recruit) Amber Smith just entered on January 27th.

“When you stop and realize that rebounds only come one at a time and points can accumulate one, two, or three at a time you see how significant the 1000 rebound mark is,” explained Coach Alonzo.

Coach Alonzo has coached Taryn for four years. “She is great at deflecting attention away from herself,” said the coach. “For us, she is a leader off the court and the stat leader in all the categories on the court.”

Joining the varsity as a freshman, Taryn had ten points and eleven rebounds in her first game. “I was 5-7 and the taller girls had graduated so I played right away,” said Taryn, recalling the start of a career packed with big numbers.

Those big numbers, through ten games this season, have Taryn with 47 (That’s not a typo!) double/doubles.

You would like to think that there was a highlight game somewhere in that run but Coach Alonzo couldn’t think of one. “Taryn is always so consistent for us in points (20+ per game) and rebounds (12+ per game) that her numbers don’t fluctuate very much. Her reliability is her trademark.”

Taryn was quick to credit her parents with helping her get ahead in basketball. “My mom offered me the option in 5th grade of joining an AAU team,” she said. “I accepted and when I started practicing those extra sessions I developed a love for the game.”

She added that her dad was her rebounder when she practiced at night in the summer in the backyard. “He even landscaped the backyard so that we have a flat surface and put up a nice, glass backboard.”

The Royals qualified for the state tournament last season and hope to again this year despite a possible losing record. “There is something called the Sullivan Rule,” explained Coach Alonzo. “If 70% of your schedule is against teams from higher divisions then you only have to win 50% of the games with the teams of your division size that you play against. If we can defeat either Manchester-Essex or Rockport in upcoming games we’ll qualify.”

Next year Taryn expects to be playing basketball in college. “I’ve been accepted at WPI and I’m waiting to hear from Hobart and Bates,” she said. “I have talked with the coaches at those places about basketball so there could be opportunities for me.”

“Taryn started in the post but when she stopped growing taller she realized that she needed to improve her ball-handling and outside shooting if she was going to play in college,” said Coach Lorenzo. “With hard work she has developed into a 3-point shooter and sometimes will bring the ball up for us.”

Coach Alonzo started an email to me by saying, “I can’t wait to brag about Taryn.” Now I know why.

(Prepared to appear in The Town Common on February 11th.)