Coach Storm’s EMass Final Top 25

Written by Tom Hellen

Games at End of the Season 3-14-10

 Somerville, MA – Congratulations to our EMass state champions with Andover winning D1 in a dominating performance…Oliver Ames winning the D2 title with a great all-around game over Millbury and then Cohasset winning its 2^nd D4 state title in 3 years beating a game Manchester Essex crew. Great seasons ladies!

Random Rim Ramblings -- Central Catholic has lost 6 games the last 2 years…name the 6 teams that have beaten them? Answer below. Sad to say that injuries, sickness, and disciplinary issues caused some talented players to miss big games in the state tourney and it really hurt some teams. Brockton had 4 kids suspended. Fontbonne lost guard Ari Renwick to an ACL injury and that truly hurt them in a really close loss to OA. Wellesley’s dynamite Blake Dietrick got strep throat and lost 9 pounds in 9 days so she became a shell of herself in their loss to Mansfield. Then the Westwood team had to deal with the death of a popular student just before their big game with Ashland…that sort of puts in perspective that basketball is just a game and not as important as many of us think it is. Wellesley has been a great place for me the last 2 state tournaments as I have seen maybe the 2 best games there and they were both exhilarating events. Walpole beat Wellesley last year in “OT” and this year the battle between them and Newton South was super as well. You can’t play a much better game than Blake Dietrick did that day scoring 31 and missing only 2 shots while knocking down all 5 three point attempts. They have a very supportive group of fans who know the game and are a class act.

Below is my final Top 25 and teams on the cusp. I wanted to see how I did compared to who and where I ranked each team back before the season began. Not bad overall but I do see a lot of “Cusp” as the pre-season pick that are now ranked and even one “Missed” so maybe not that good. At the end I am giving my 1^st thoughts on a possible Top 25 for the 2010-2011 season…maybe you have some thoughts on that as well so feel free to send me an e-mail if you are a fan/parent/player/coach of a team you think has a good shot at being highly ranked next winter.

Answer to trivia question shown above…Central Catholic has lost to Andover all 6 times.

I want to again thank Doug Lindland for his help with our website this year. Doug does great work and can be reached at doug@easternhoopleague.com or check out his site at www.delci.com.

I hope you enjoy the rankings shown below and again always feel to e-mail me at coachstorm5@comcast.net with any comments.

Top 25 Rankings with their Last Record

Now Pre-Season

#1. #3.	Andover (D1 N) – 22 – 3 – The Warriors played an absolutely brilliant state championship tilt out in Worcester destroying the East Longmeadow club from WMass. Yea it was raining badly in Worcester Saturday both outside AND inside…raining 3’s that is. Club hit an even dozen of them with 4 each by Boudreau and Fazio plus 3 by Gomez as part of her team leading 25 points. Solid seniors Alex Alois (underrated for her inside work) and sweet shooting Diana Bill are graduating so they’ll need to find some people to grab some boards but Gomez, Boudreau, Fazio are all back and you would think that you plug in Caveney into 1 spot and what you have are the favorites for the D1 state title next year as well. Yea they may have slipped up against NDA earlier without Boudreau but no one was playing better basketball than this group the last 3 weeks…no one.
#2. #1A.	Oliver ames (D2 S) – 25 – 1 Brilliant season is capped off with a 25 game winning streak and another D2 state title with a convincing 19 point win over CMass power Millbury. The Tigers had a superb senior class led by Gatorade Player of the Year Lauren Battista (Bentley) who arguably is the best ever to play at the school. Add in the rock solid inside play of 6’2 Tessa Dern, heady point guard Jackie Bliss who stepped up big with the 3’s against Fontbonne, the defense of Lauren Vatallaro…the all around game of Taylor Horne…what a class!...impossible to replace. You don’t win with only 5 and maybe they don’t play for a state title if junior Nicole Bostic doesn’t have a huge game in the Garden scoring 18 and giving them superb guard play off the bench not only that night but all year…she’ll be the leader next year. I love the potential of frosh Asia Mitchell and if 5’11 soph forward Candace Steadman eats her Wheaties and gets a little stronger; she could develop into a talent in her own right. Congrats to legendary Coach Lanie Clement-Holbrook for orchestrating this club to another state title!
#3. #1.	Central Catholic (D1 N) – 21 – 3 Club had another superb year and will sorely miss the irreplaceable Katy Zenevitch…they won their 3^rd straight Comcast title and beat every good club you can think of but one and we all know who that is…they do return 4 starters including sweet singin’ point guard Gabbie Polce and the tough inside presence of Melissa Miller and I look for 6’ frosh Casey McLaughlin to step in to a big role next year plus soph shooter Alex Borelli could be a factor as well…hmmm…guess no one will be shedding any tears for Coach Downer with that nucleus coming back. They get the edge for the 3^rd spot having beaten St. Mary’s by a shade more than Pentucket did…and their only losses were to #1 Andover.
#4. #15.	Pentucket (D3 N) – 26 – 1 When the dust settles and the kids put this in proper perspective, this was not only a great year, but a fabulous 4 year run. Phenomenal senior class will graduate as the best group ever to play at the school. 4 starters are gone including Emily Lane, Holly, the “sacrifice” Jakobsons who did whatever was asked of her for the sake of winning, and dual 1,000 point scorers and you’d have to consider them “all-time greats,” Ashley Viselli and Erin McNamara…none of these kids can be replaced. Many highlights but I guess they would have won the Catholic Central league as they beat St. Mary’s twice, Fenwick and dispatched the Archies by 25 at the Garden. Sachems seniors have set the tone and have built a superb program. I see new talent in the pipeline also including frosh Nicole Viselli, 6’ classmate Tess Nogueira, and soph Sarah Higgins (a physical force) all who got quality time and great game experience on this super ride this winter. 6’1 starting center Vanessa Cahill will be back for her senior season so even though there will be a transition, look for the wins to continue. Club gets the edge over Fontbonne and Westford here as they beat NDA and the Archies by a much easier margin in games with comparable opponents.
#5. #6.	Westford (D1 N) 20 – 3 – All the Grey Ghosts did was win the DCL by going unbeaten…they also beat the Archies in the Comcast by 14 before losing to Central Catholic in the finals. They then won 2 in the state tourney in their 1^st venture into D1 before giving eventual state champ Andover all they could handle before bowing out by a mere 2 points. Speaking of “bowing out”…this club graduates 9 quality seniors including all 5 starters. Stonehill bound Asia Ewing will be sooo tough to replace and Aly Boyle (Conn. College) really came into her own this year…6’1 Erica Wright, point guard Suzy Parker, shooter Lauren Gallant…power player Rebecca Webb, the “D” of Marissa Malboeuf, Lauren Napolitano…Jenna Ford…all gone. Coach Coward did a terrific job with this talented crew but me thinks he has a lot of work to do for next season as many DCL teams will be looking for that “payback” when they play Westford next year. Westford is a town with a great feeder program so let’s see what will be forthcoming from that super system before we rush to judgment here. Club beat the Archies by a little more than Fontbonne did plus they get some props for giving Andover the best game in the state tourney losing by only 2.
#6. #24.	Fontbonne (D2 S) – 22 – 2 Ducks dynamite season goes down as one of the best in school history getting to the South finals before losing by 3 to powerful Oliver Ames in a terrific game…you also have to wonder if that result might have been different if they had the steadying senior influence of rock solid guard Ari Renwick (ACL in the tourney) to settle things down late in that epic battle…you gotta’ wonder…Coach Murphy will sorely miss this great class as 4 terrific starters in Renwick, Alexis Peters, Amy Connolly, and Katie King all graduate. Junior Nicole Derba will be the leader next year and frosh center Jen Gemma has a huge upside so the transition may be somewhat smooth here.
#7. #5.	Wellesley (D1 S) – 21 – 2 So many great memories here the last few seasons and this year added to the lore…winning the Bay State League title again…winning 2 games in the state tourney including a 7 point win over Newton South in a classic tilt when 2 kids (Dixon & Dietrick) get their 1,000^th point within 2 minutes of each other is surely memorable for all who were there. Then they ran into a red hot Mansfield crew and Dietrick was greatly weakened by strep throat and that ended their super season and the storied career of ML Dixon. Also graduating will be solid starters Maddie Carens, Amber Spencer, and Annie Hughto…the brilliant Blake Dietrick is back for her senior year and I like the potential in 6’1 frosh Gracie Miller while junior Ashley Sloboden got some good experience this winter. A big transition could be in store for Coach Cieri but she does a super job with the Raiders so maybe it will be a seamless one. They split with Newton North but their win was by a bigger margin…hence the higher spot.
#8. #9.	Newton North (D1 S) 19 – 4 – Coach Hank DeSantis has quietly built this team over the last 2 seasons and the Tigers have taken giant steps each year including winning 2 games in the state tourney before losing by 6 to a red hot Durfee team. In addition regular season wins over Wellesley and Needham were super as well. Seniors Lucy Abbott, Monet Lowe, and Sammy Alpert all graduate so they lose a lot of size as all 3 are 5’11 plus. Me thinks this team’s best year is approaching though as 4 starters are juniors and all VERY talented. Dynamite backcourt of Brianna Hunt and Djaidah Wynn return and can play with anyone…I love the way 5’10 Ella Scheuerell can shut down just about anyone and 6’ Megan Gentile is tough inside. Look for sophs Gracie Rolfe and Jackie Renner to step up with more time next year as well. I like this club…like them a lot…definite Top 10 if all are healthy in 2010-2011.
#9. #25.	New Bedford (D1 S) – 19 – 3 Whalers had to be disappointed with the ending to a season that started at 18 and 0 but ended with them losing 3 of their last 4 including 2 to bitter Big 3 rival Durfee who knocked them out of the state tourney. Losing the inside presence of senior Brittany Mello in January then junior forward Arielle Gomes with a knee problem in the tourney was too much for them to overcome. This club has some serious talent returning led by dynamic guard Alyssa Roach as this kid can really play. Also returning are solid players like Torie Manny, Gomes, soph guards Alexia Barrios and Brianna Perry plus junior guard Courtney Miranda. Look for the Whalers to get off to another terrific start next year and hopefully the entire team can stay healthy and on the court to the end…On the ranking, I still look at the whole body of work and this club did beat some good ones until the mini-slump at the end.
#10. #13.	Newton South (D1 S) 15 – 5 – The other side of the 2 Newton clubs had a dynamite season as well and also looks to be a Top 10 club next winter. The Lions had a great Xmas tourney performance with a 4 point win over a very good Springfield Central team followed by a 2 point win over cross town rival Newton North. Beat a tough Needham team in the state’s before bowing out in an epic battle at Wellesley by 7 in a fabulous game to watch. Allie Leipzig and Nikki Butera are gone to graduation and both were key contributors this year but you gotta’ love their recipe for success with the players returning. You stir in the bombs of Sophie “Stylin” Bikofsky with the bursts to the hoop of Kendall Burton…bake in the inside presence of 6’ Julia Sloan-Cullen with Chloe Rothman as the chef at the point plus the defensive presence of Jocic Collins (obviously to prevent heartburn…LOL) and you see what I mean. Note that all are juniors! For dessert you get precocious frosh Kayla Burton who has a chance to be a good one. Semira Haghayeghi is another junior who will serve as the after dinner coffee as she got some valuable experience this year. Both Newton clubs should be Top 10 next winter.
#11. #19.	Cohasset (D4 S) -- 25 – 0 Guess the long layoff didn’t hurt…LOL…D4 state champs again! What a year and what a team! Superb seniors Tori Lehr (St. Anselm’s), Meredith Kelly (Bates), and Sam Crough just cannot be replaced but what high school careers these kids had…amazing memories…and let’s see they only have 5 players returning who are over 6’ plus another at 5’11…hmmm…can they do it again? So hard to rank this club higher than this due to the lack of playing teams above D4 in some power games…phenomenal accomplishment though winning 2 state titles in 3 years!
#12. #10.	Arlington Catholic (D2 N) – 18 – 5 Sad to see stellar seniors Lindsey Roche (Assumption) and Cara Paladino (St. Anselm’s) graduate as they have been stars their entire careers for AC. Still a super season for Brady’s ladies getting to the elite 8 before bowing to Melrose at Emmanuel. Winning the Masco Xmas Tourney beating Westford and wins over the Archies, Needham and Reading were all highlights. Hard working junior Erin Klein and solid sophs Emma Roberson and Nicole Catizone now get handed the baton to lead the Cougars next year…yea I know they lost to Melrose but see below for my reasoning why they get the higher spot.
#13. #7.	Melrose (D2 N) – 20 - 4 Raiders seem to do it every year…finding ways to win (in a 3 way tie) the Middlesex League title and getting to the Garden before bowing to a super Oliver Ames team. They also went up to York, Maine and won the Xmas Tourney there and the win over AC in the North finals was a tremendous team effort. 9 seniors are saying sayonara and what a class this was…They were led by point guard supreme Colleen Hanscom (Post) and had tremendous strength up front in Hannah Brickley, Siena Mamayek, Laura Irwin, and Annemarie Wiesen plus 3 point shooter Amanda Peters certainly was huge off the bench (just ask AC)…soph guard Lia Limone returns but there is going to be a big transition here losing so many quality seniors but this town is another with great travel programs for the pre-high school kids so we’ll see how much this feeder system can provide next year…I know they beat AC pretty good but AC played a tougher schedule and beat some real good D1 teams like Westford and Needham plus Somerville twice so I thought AC deserved the higher spot.
#14. Cusp	Durfee (D1 S) -- 17 – 7 – They end the year with a great home win over New Bedford and then got on a super roll in the state tourney ending up playing in the Garden before losing to Mansfield. Coach Tony Martin must sit and wonder what might have been without the injuries…clever Kate McDonald (Franklin Pierce) did her ACL and missed the entire year… Lauren Fiola (UMass Lowell) played all year with the same hip injury that A-Rod had and needs surgery…yet the cupboard is not bare as those 2 scholarship kids are the only graduates…4 starters return in Rachel Camara, Toni Fenn, Denisha Parks, and Danielle Gauvin plus “6^th Man” Chelsea Campellone should fit right into Fiola’s slot…Hilltoppers could be a very interesting club to watch out for come this time next year.
#15. #25.	Foxborough (D2 S) – 19 – 4 – You start out beating a state title contender in OA and you know you are going to be a contender and that’s exactly what they were. Senior star Kristen Hoffman (St. Anselm’s) scored her 1,000^th point…she will be sorely missed but junior Kayleen Whall and Leah Tacey both return and frosh Ally Perry started this year so Coach Behn has a lot to work with when next season rolls around.
#16. #14.	Archbishop Williams (D3 S) – 20 – 7 – Another great stretch run got them to the Garden for the 4^th straight year before losing to powerful Pentucket. End of an era as Michigan bound Val Driscoll is graduating which is great news for their Catholic league foes but sad for Coach Bancroft. He does return a lot of good pieces with 6 sophs back led by shooter Aidan Duquette and promising frosh Sara Ryan who now has a year under her belt as a starter.
#17. Cusp	Peabody (D1 N) – 19 – 4 Tanners had another great year under Coach Jane Heil and this included 2 wins over Lynn English, winning their Xmas Tourney beating AB and Waconnah and then winning 2 state tourney games over Everett and Lowell but then Central Catholic ended their season. 8 seniors will be graduating led by Janelle Rodriguez (Brandeis) and tough Ginny Fleming. Heil will also miss hard luck Carissa Milley Kerrie O’Shea, and the 6’1 inside presence of Julia Kayal. Frosh soccer star Hayley Dowd had a tremendous 1^st year and will be the building block going forward. Peabody is another with a great feeder system so I’m sure some good players will be entering the 2010-2011 picture also.
#18. #4.	Brockton (D1 S) – 17 – 4 Boxers had some issues with player suspensions late in the year so hopefully this group gets it all back together for next winter. Soph Tianna Johnson is a superb point guard and will be back but they do lose the huge inside presence of Morgan Thatcher so rebounding could be an issue next year. Big picture here?...excellent year when your only losses are to New Bedford and Mansfield twice each.
#19. #22.	Somerville (D1 N) – 14 – 7 Highlanders had some huge wins beating CMass power Wachusett, Lynn English and Marshfield at home, and NDA twice. The shocking L-S loss with 2 seconds left hurt but will serve to motivate the talent coming back. Great learning year for the 3 frosh as these kids played so well in spurts…Indira Evora, Shykela (Shaq”) Mc Andrew and Cheyenne Miles all have very bright futures so remember those names…then the energizer bunny Kelsey Garrity will return for her senior season and she’s a real good one. Big Keisha will be taking her 6’3 frame to some college campus so that size inside will need to be replaced and hopefully by 5’11 junior Lindsey Rimpel. Stir in 3 point shooting juniors Marie Silva and Mary O’Brien and this team has lots and lots of potential and will be fun to watch next year.
#20. Missed	Whitman Hanson (D1 S) – 18 – 4 Great win over New Bedford to end the regular season followed by a nice win over Dartmouth to start the state tourney before the tough Newton North crew beat them in a close 6 point game to end the year. Senior forward Brittany Ford and senior guard Taylor Ferry are gone to graduation but junior Kaley Mientkiewicz with her strong inside presence is back again next year.
#21. #18.	Coyle Cassidy (D3 S) – 19 – 4 – Got another great season under their belts and star Brenna Gonsalves is back again for her senior season and also surpassed the 1,000 point barrier this year as a junior. Soph Tricia Quinn also had a solid season and should continue to improve inside next year. Club won 2 games in the state tourney before bowing out to the Archies. They also split with Bishop Feehan this year and I look for those games to be very interesting next winter.
#22. #8.	Mansfield (D1 S) – 19 – 9 Club finally lived up to my pre-season hype getting to play 2 games at the Garden losing in the state semi-finals to Andover by 8. Beating Brockton twice, Wellesley, and Durfee show how good they were this season. Seniors Colleen Hooper, Jessica Eason and Brienna Walker will be hard to replace but soph point guard Michaela Bowes is the perfect building block for Coach Redding to get things going again next year. Junior forward Bridget Davis will also be back to give some strong senior leadership…on the ranking…hard to ignore so many losses plus they caught 2 breaks in the tourney playing a shorthanded Brockton club and then catching Wellesley with Dietrick sick with strep throat but they still won lots of tough games and didn’t cave against Andover fighting to the end.
#23. #12.	Lynn English (D1 N) – 17 – 6 Good season ended on a down note losing last 3 with 2 losses in St. Mary’s tourney then a tough 2 point loss to Masco in the 1^st round of the state’s. Jennicia Duggins was superb her senior year scoring her 1,000^th point and putting the team on her back many times this winter. Club does have some talent returning in the Hogan sisters so their dad has a good base to build on.
#24. Tie #16.	St. Mary’s of Lynn (D3 N) – 17 – 7 Great year for this group in the super tough Catholic Central league. Club has come a long way in 2 years and loses only shooter Bria Tiro to graduation. Though she will be missed, shed no tears for Coach Jeff Newhall as he returns a cast and crew with tons of potential. Start with 6’2, 1,000 point scorer Tori Faieta in the middle who will be flanked at one forward by Cassi Amenta who can board and score plus fellow junior guards Kirsten Ferrari and Molly Carey, all starters. 5’10 soph Ann Marie Idusuyi is a physical specimen so she could be ready to step right in as well. Many highlights this year including wins over AC, Lynn English, Spellman, Fenwick, Ipswich and beating Weston in the state’s.
#24. Tie Cusp	Cardinal Spellman (D3 S) – 16 - 8 Club had some nice wins including giving AC their worst loss of the season by 15 and beating Coyle, and St. Mary’s twice so some good reasons to smile. They do return 6’4 Alexis Udoji in the middle and 6’ guard Molly Anderson so Coach Lamb can start thinking about next year and be verrrry, verrry optimistic.
#24. Tie Cusp	Bishop Fenwick (D3 N) – 17 – 9 Crusaders got to the D3 North finals, won the Danvers Tourney, beat Methuen handily twice and split with AC so this club had an excellent year. They will need to replace the solid scoring of both Lizzy Trainor and Sydney Southern but any team that returns Amy Pelletier is in really good shape. This kid is one of the top guards in the state and will be in great demand by numerous colleges. Fellow junior starters Sarah James and Erin Botticelli also are back and so is junior Rebecca Graves who gave them some good minutes in the tourney.
#24. Tie Cusp	Stoneham (D3 N) -- 18 – 3 – Spartans have been terrific 2 years in a row now and got a share of the Middlesex League title with a great season ending win over Reading as a reward for their efforts. Senior shooter Cassie Liston, team leader Sarah Benmir, and defensive stalwart Marissa Cataldo (fabulous one-on-one defender) will be sorely missed next year by Coach Billings. When I look at next year I see a possible lineup of junior Ariana Tucelli and Ariana Sicuso at the guards with the athletic 5’11 Vanessa Bramante in the middle and rugged 5’10 Jen Geraghty at the power forward…hmmm…pretty good club coming back again…hmmm.
#25. Cusp	Reading – (D2 N) -- 18 – 4 Coach Kim Penney did a super job bringing this young group along especially after losing talented soph Melissa DalPozzo in the 6^th minute of the 1^st game of the year…this kid bangs real tough inside and her presence will make everyone better next year. Seniors Deshanthi Perera, Amanda Flower, and Kamy Forlizzi will be missed. The Rockets return the talented and versatile 6’ junior Carlene Kluge plus frosh dynamos Olivia Healy (this girls got game) and 3 point shooting Morgan O’Brien so you may be seeing that “Rockets red glare” next winter in D2 North…they may even be the favorites…hmmm.

“On the Cusp”

Needham (D1 S) – 15 – 6 The Rockets came to play every night this year and that’s a tribute to senior stars Christine Ganser (Holy Cross) and Coleen Rizzo who missed her entire junior year with a knee injury but came back and more than made up for it this year. 5 of their losses were to Top 25 teams and they had an exhilarating last second win over Newton North that is a sweet memory. There is another Ganser in the pipeline in Maddie and she got some great experience this year and will continue the excellent tradition set by older sisters Katie (now starring at Merrimack) and Christine. Junior 6’1 Shannon Menchin has a big upside plus classmates Katie Mahoney and Christine Salans both started so Coach Kim Benzan has some interesting clay to mold next year.

Revere (D1 N) – 16 – 5 Best season in years and huge home crowd for 1^st round state tourney game with Lowell may have put too much pressure on this young crew but I think they’ll learn well and use it for motivation next year. Highlight of the year had to be the “OT” win over Peabody beating the Tanners for the 1^st time since maybe Bill Clinton’s 1^st term…the Danvers win was also a good one. Losing the post presence of 6’1 Nicole Kjersgard to graduation hurts but when you return 4 starters like frosh Gena Restiano at the point and Caitlyn Caramello as a combo guard plus junior guard Marissa Parent and classmate Morgan Jenkins who is a terror inside…15 points and 14 boards vs. Lowell…means Coach Diana DeCristoforo’s crew will be heard from again next year and maybe in a big way.

Marshfield (D1 S) 18 – 6 – The Rams had another super season getting to the 2^nd round of the state’s before bowing to D1 South champ Mansfield by 5. Though 2 starters graduate in Chess Micelli and Kendra Kerr, Coach Rick Frederick will be smiling when tryouts start next winter when he looks at who returns…start with the highly recruited Nicole Beresford who has already broken the 1,000 point barrier and is already actually the school’s all time leading scorer for boys and girls. 6’ soph Erin Doherty is a potential star in the making and should have a terrific junior year plus classmate and fellow starter Jess Kelleher also returns…this club is one to watch next year.

Plymouth South (D1 S) – 16 – 5 Okay losing to Marshfield twice and Durfee in the state’s may have put a damper on the end of the year, this program took some giant steps forward this winter. With tall, talented, Tracey Irvan back for more battles, me thinks they could move up another rung or so on the ladder next year.

Franklin (D1 S) – 16 – 8 Panthers winning 16 games in the tough Hockomock League is the sign of a successful year plus they won the Framingham tourney as well. Seniors Ashley Meredith and Taylor Kale will be hard to replace but 3 point shooting junior Megan Shaw is back and this club always seems to have some young talent in the pipeline.

Sharon (D2 S) – 13 – 8 This could be the case of “what could have been” as this club lost 8 times by an average of less than 6 points in each and 2 were in “OT” including the 1 point loss to Feehan in round 1 of the state tourney. The Eagles did all this in the tough Hockomock League as well. Senior Liz Daley graduates and will be hard to replace but she has taught younger soph sis Emilee all her tricks as this kid will be a good one the next 2 seasons. Junior Liz Wluka also returns so the boards should be covered well and maybe these 2 have learned what it takes to win the close games for next year.

Lincoln-Sudbury (D1 N) – 14 – 8 Club is young losing only classy senior leader Liz Newman (Haverford) to graduation so lots of pieces to the puzzle are back. Losses to the likes of Westford and Wellesley twice each, and Newton South, AB once each plus Central Catholic in the state tourney were good learning experiences…stir in a rousing win on the road at Somerville with 2 seconds left in the state tourney opener was a great win for them. Coach Feldman can look at names like Mahoney, Jones (hopefully the injury bug is exterminated), Murray, the Lutz sisters, Sifferlen, and Quadri all return and I’m sure you will be hearing a lot about them next winter.

Acton Boxborough (D1 N) -- 13 – 8 Team had some good wins this year but struggled after an 8 and 1 start going 5 and 7 down the stretch. 1^st round loss by 20 to Woburn is not a pleasant way to end the year either. They do have star soph Liz Belanger back for 2 more years and she is a stud plus 5’10 junior shooter Hannah Foley also returns so some good pieces to the puzzle are there to put it back together next year.

Lowell (D1 N) – 13 – 7 Not much was expected but boy did this club hang with everyone and even got a road win at Revere in the state’s before Peabody ended their season with a 12 point loss. Tess Cigliano is a large 6’2 presence inside that will be back for her senior go around and she’s a good one.

Ipswich (D3 N) – 18 – 3 Club had excellent year record wise but has to be frustrated with their 3 games against ranked foes all ending up in losses by more than 20 points. Hannah O’Flynn was a true revelation this year so having her back will maybe close the gap when they hit the big clubs on their schedule next winter…Steph Sutherby also had a good year but losing Leah Webb with an ACL hurt them down the stretch.

Weston (D3 N) – 14 – 7 They end the year winning 11 straight before giving St. Mary’s a good go in the state’s before bowing out. Great year though as they won the DCL Small school division and return some very good talent in junior forward Allyson Pemberton and fellow junior Brooke Brennan who can shoot the 3 ball. 5’ 10 frosh forward Sariah Serrette stepped in late in the year to do a great job inside so this club will be one to watch next year though point guard Stephanie Meyer is graduating so replacing that spot might be the key to future success.

Hull (D4 S) -- 15 – 4 Club only loses 4 games and 2 were to state champ Cohasset, 1 to defending state champ Millis by 1 point, and the other to a hot carver club so this team was real close to having a special year…senior stars Ashleigh Condon and Julie Manning will be sorely missed but junior forward Nicole Heavern is back

Bishop Feehan (D2 S) – 14 – 8 Club took some big steps this year winning the Bridgewater Tourney, beating Sharon in the state’s, beating Coyle and giving D1 South finalist Durfee all it could handle losing by 4 and in OT. Morgan Lindberg will be sorely missed but there is some serious young talent back in the form of soph Lexie Sells (the real deal), junior 6’ Kate Hill, plus soph guard Marissa Cichetti should be 100% for all of next year after returning late in the year from knee surgery…I like this club next winter…a lot!

Masconomet (D1 N) – 15 – 9 Solid season overall for this club capped with a great 1^st round tourney win over a very good Lynn English team. Star Carly Kiernan and fellow seniors Julie Galvin and Emily Winskowicz graduate but soph Brooke Stewart has the potential to be a star and also the genes so look for her to be a real leader next year for Coach Romeo.

Danvers (D2 N) – 15 – 7 Lessons learned well for this young group as they won their 1^st ever NEC title and also won a game in the state tourney before Reading ended their season. Coach Pat Veilleux is smiling about the recent past but can’t wait for next year as 6’ junior star Kellie Macdonald (love her game) is back along with soph scorer Sarah Palazola and frosh guard Kasey Sherry so this is a team that has all the pieces in place to be a force next year.

Woburn (D1 N) – 16 – 6 Winning 1^st round state tourney game over AB by 20 behind soph Shannon Maguire’s 24 points was probably the biggest highlight but beating Reading and Winchester twice are right up there. 1^st year Coach Steve Sullivan did a superb job turning this program around in a hurry here. Seniors Callie Murphy and Erin Maguire will be missed but another sophomore in league all star Katy Knight (of the Somerville Knights) returns to help another Middlesex League team on the rise.

Winchester (D2 N) – 14 – 7 Heartbreaking 1 point loss to Wilmington in the state tourney should not dampen the spirits here as this club continues to improve. Wins over league powers Melrose and Stoneham would have been unheard of a few years ago but now are becoming expected as this crew continues to work hard to improve. With junior star 5’10 bookends Shelby Santini and Sam Mangano back the Sachems can even now consider contending for a league title.

Carver (D3 S) – 15 – 8 – Solid season here with some great highs…beating Hull and D1 powers Durfee and Plymouth South…Ashley Fruzzetti with her 1,000^th point and Mari Meserve with 1,000 career rebounds…and some lows like losing in the 1^st round to Hanover…but this club has to smile overall and now Coach Pina has to find a way to replace Fruzzetti and Meserve…2 great seniors.

Nantucket (D4 S) -- 21 – 3 Okay so I missed this team all year…my bad. Getting to the D4 South finals before bowing out to state champ Cohasset proves it was a superb season…my bad…Shantel Hanniford and Biance Brown led this club and will be missed when they graduate in June.

Hanover – (D3 S) -- 15 – 7 A season that started fast and ended kind of ehhh but they did beat Carver in the state tourney before Coyle knocked them out by 5. Star senior Kelly DuVal broke the coveted 1,000 point barrier so she will be sorely missed as will fellow captain Alycia Dunn who also graduates.

Medfield (D2 S) – 19 – 6 Seniors Marissa Pelosi and Maddie Schneider led this club to another TVL title and 2 big state tourney wins before highly ranked Fontbonne put an abrupt end to their season. These 2 seniors will be greatly missed.

Ashland (D3 S) – 18 – 6 – Great tourney run before losing to the Archies in the South finals at UMass. Club sure had Westwood’s number beating them 3 times and finished 2^nd in the highly competitive TVL. Soph stud Blake Underhill is back along with fellow soph Kristen Kenney underneath. Frosh guard Natalie Leone will be much more seasoned and senior to be Becca Crocetti will be a leader so look for the Clockers to do some more damage next winter.

Westwood (D3 S) – 17 – 6 – Great tourney run beating Wareham and Old Rochester before losing to TVL nemesis Ashland is something to solid build on for next year. Seniors Kelly Casey, Kerri Harrington, Kelly Rich, Mariah Arnold, and Katherine McDonough are gone to graduation but their dynamic junior backcourt duo of the clever Molly McLaughlin at the point and 3 point shooter supreme Erin Young are as good as any around so Coach Bognanno has a real good base to build around.

Millis (D4 S) 15 – 8 – Club had that look of “we’re going to do this again…get hot at the right time and ride the wave to another D4 state title”…not to be this year as Cohasset was ready and knocked them out with a 14 point win. 2 state tourney wins prior to that were sweet especially beating a talented Hull team by 1. Molly Breen scored over a 1,000 points in her storied career and is graduating along with fellow seniors Olivia Zitoli and Shannon Heffernan.

Old Rochester (D3 S) – 17 – 5 – Season started on a great run winning their 1^st 10 games and I’m guessing they learned a lot the 2^nd half in 2 losses to powerful Coyle and to a solid Westwood club in the state’s so look for them to be more consistent all year next winter. Junior Kelsey Johnson is a stud and classmate Sarah Coucci gives them both an inside and outside presence and should provide great senior leadership in 2010-2011.

North Andover (D2 N) 15 – 7 – Another young club that took some good strides this year including beating MVC power Lowell. Though they struggled this year against powers like Andover, Pentucket, and Central Catholic, look for these experiences to pay dividends next year. I love the potential of frosh Morgan Lumb and soph Julia Titone also has a good upside and any time there is a Zahoruiko on your club good things happen. Club lacked size this year so hopefully some “bigs” are in the pipeline somewhere.

New Mission (D4 N) – 16 – 5 City championship is their high point as loss to Georgetown in the opening round of the state tourney had to be a big surprise. Losing star seniors Niesha Kelley and Miesha Reynolds to graduation is huge but Coach Berry does a terrific job and junior Chreese hall is back along with other promising players so the well is far from dry.

Hopkinton (D2 S) – 14 – 8 Wins over the likes of Ashland, Westwood and 2 over Millis in the highly competitive TVL were sure highlights and also blasting Silver Lake in the 1^st round of the state’s makes for some excellent memories for the Hillies. Abbie Lockwood and Kelly Sanborn graduate so their inside presence needs to be replaced but sharpshooting junior guard Katie Sousa is back and so are sophs Alee Leteria at center and Lindsey Doucette at guard.

Silver Lake (D2 S) – 13 – 8 – Club was streaky winning 6 losing 3…win 6 lose 2…and ending the year losing 5 of 6. Need to obviously improve in this area but with the strong inside presence of 6’ soph Courtney Yost, look for them to settle the streakiness down next season.

1^st Guess at a Top 25 for the 2010-2011Season

#1. Andover – Boy do they have a lot back!

#2. New Bedford – Hope all their kids play the entire season.

#3. Central Catholic – The cupboard is far from bare folks.

#4. Newton North – Tigers have been building toward this year for the last 2 seasons.

#5. Newton South – Lions…awww…same as above…just look at Newton North.

#6. Brockton – Done with lots of ???? marks…need to know who is back playing etc;

#7. Cardinal Spellman – 6’4 is 6’4 and Udoji is back to swat teams dreams away.

#8. Durfee – Club got to the D1 South final and 4 starters return.

#9. St. Mary’s – Tory Faieta returns and lots else.

#10. Coyle Cassidy – Gonsalves may be their best player ever…’nuff said.

#11. Bishop Feehan – Club got their feet wet this year so watch out next winter.

#12. Lincoln Sudbury – Excellent junior class plus the 2 big frosh could be factors.

#13. Somerville – Garrity is back plus the 3 talented frosh…hmmm.

#14. Reading – One less talented frosh so 1 spot below Somerville.

#15. Marshfield – Beresford may the best ever plus Doherty has size and can play.

#16. Wellesley – Dietrick is back and she’ll be carrying a heavy load but she has broad shoulders.

#16. Pentucket – Well coached and kids know how to win.

#17. Cohasset – Lots of “tall timber” still around down their way.

#18. Bishop Fenwick – Pelletier can flat out play and she’s the point so she has control.

#19. Foxboro – Has good size up front so key is guard play.

#20. Archbishop Williams – Sophs and frosh point guard are now a year older…who rebounds?

#21. Arlington Catholic – Cougars will be young but watch them come February.

#22. Stoneham – Club has good nucleus back and now knows how to win.

#23. Revere – Lots to build on from this year.

#24. Acton Boxborough – Liz Belanger and Hannah Foley are a tough duo.

#25. Westwood – Great backcourt returns but boards will be crucial.

Gotta' run folks…Remember…“No ability without eligibility!”…and…“The ball stops bouncing for everyone at some point but a college degree lasts forever!”