Coach Storm’s EMass Top 30
Written by Tom “Coach Storm” Hellen
Somerville, MA – Random Rim Ramblings – The season is now at the ¾ mark and most coaches and fans are starting to think about their state tourney seeding and possible pairings. It also makes me think about the illustrious coin flip to determine seeding when teams have the same record. How come they can sit down in WMass and do actual seeding yet resort to a coin flip here in EMass? Come on MIAA…find a better way to do this. I’m still with these teams in the North…for D1 Andover, D2 Reading, D3 Pentucket (they are really rolling now), and D4 I started with New Mission but changed to Fenway and Whittier Tech. Now you have to factor in Shawsheen and Pope John as both have great records. Somehow Fenway could get my nod. In the South I had Braintree, OA, the Archies, and Nantucket. Still going with Braintree but more and more teams are getting hot at the right time…especially Falmouth and New Bedford…the Whalers are now my flavor of choice due to their state tourney experience. I liked OA in the pre-season but they seemed to be off and on earlier. Not now…OA is peaking at just the right time. Medfield is still crushing teams and so is Scituate but their schedules don’t have the toughness that OA’s does. Thus I’m back on the OA bandwagon. Archies are still the best in a tough D3 bracket but you can’t overlook what Coyle Cassidy has done to date. Coyle also seems to be getting better as the year goes on and they also have the size to match up well inside with the Archies…hmmm. Greater New Bedford Voke is still who I like in D4…love the senior angle.
The “UC”…Unbeaten Clubs”…keeps shrinking and shrinking as now down to the “Fab Four”…and they are…Andover, Reading, Medfield, and Scituate. Of the 4, Medfield has the best shot of ending the regular season in the “UC.” Andover still has Billerica, Central Catholic, Westford, and either AB or Wachusett. Reading has Feehan and either AC or Masco. Scituate I think will meet Braintree in their last game.
Some of you have sent e-mails asking me to cover the prep/private schools and I’d love to do just that. However, your leagues are more of a New England basis plus many games are in late afternoon and I still work full time so can’t make it to many games. I will attend the annual championship games and the all star contests as I believe they are at Nobles and Greenough this year. Love taking all that in as lots of talent all in one place on a single day. All you fans out there ought to look into it as well.
I hope you enjoy the rankings and comments. If you know of players or teams that you think are very good, always feel free to e-mail me at coachstorm5@comcast.net with who the player is and also the team name of those you think I should be tracking. Our goal here is to make this the best source for your reading and ranking pleasure and also to get talented kids some exposure and publicity. Enjoy the season folks!Top 30 Rankings with their Last Record
Now Last
#1. #1. |
Andover (D1 N) – 18 – 0 – They survived a super effort by Billerica to beat them by 1. The return match at Billerica on the 14th should also be a really fun night. They also beat the best Rhode Island has to offer when they defeated LaSalle by 9. And the beat goes on and on and on……They must travel to their “jinx gym” at NDA of Hingham this week then the rematch with Billerica. The road trip to an injured Central Catholic club is always a challenge plus an excellent Westford Tourney against the host team and either AB or Wachusett. So they still have some good challenges left to conquer…history tells us they are up for it. |
#2. #2. |
Reading – (D2 N) -- 16 – 0 – Okay the return match at Wachusett was close to a replay as they beat them by 16. The Middlesex League foes have not been able to stay with them so far with the exception of Woburn. So the schedule gets really tough here as they play at Woburn where they lost their only regular season game last year on Friday the 17th. It will probably be senior night also like last year. They then host the Comcast Tourney the following 2 days and open with Bishop Feehan and then get either Masco or AC on Sunday…a brutal closing run to try and stay unbeaten. The good side is it will get you truly battle tested for the state tourney. |
#3. #3. |
Archbishop Williams (D3 S) – 15 – 4 – Road trip to AC proved to be a tough loss by 4 in a game where the biggest margin might have been AC leading by 5 in the 3rd quarter. They also tried playing back-to-back hosting New York’s Bishop Ford the next day and dropped that one by 9. I can’t penalize this group as their other 3 losses were on the road to #1 Andover, #4 AC, and New York City power Archbishop Molloy…solution to Coach Bancroft…stop playing teams that begin with the letter “A” on the road. All are what I call “power” losses and they beat AC by 21 at home so they are a plus 17 on AC so get ranked higher by a notch. |
#4. #6. |
Arlington Catholic (D2 N) – 17 – 1 – Cougars got back on the prowl winning two tough road games at Fenwick and St. Mary’s. Senior star Emma Roberson got her 1,000th point in that one. AC then got a chance for revenge against the Archies and got it winning by 4…but they lost by 21 earlier at the Archies place so they stay behind them. Nicole Catizone is back “in the cat zone” laying 25 against Austin Prep. In the Comcast the Cougars get a revenge seeking Masco club that AC beat by 11 in the Masco Xmas Tourney. A Reading versus AC Comcast final might be one of the best regular season games this year if it happens. |
#5. #5. |
Medfield (D2 S) – 18 – 0 – They continue to devour league foes like Kobayashi at the Coney Island hot dog festival. However, Hopkinton got their heart rates up to a new level as they only won by 6 over the “Hillies” at home. Close games are good for all though come state tourney time. The coach has to handle multiple late game situations and players have to perform in the clutch. They may be thankful in the long run that Hopkinton tested them. The return match at home with Ashland Tuesday may be the only other big test on the schedule. Time will tell. Wish they had more power games against ranked teams though… |
#6. #7. |
Scituate (D2 S) – 16 – 0 – Sailors continue to soar through their schedule. Quincy on paper I thought could give them a good go and they did giving them their closest game to date losing by only 8. As mentioned earlier, I’m still hoping things run true to form and they meet Braintree in the last game as it will be a good game for both to get ready for the state tourney. Props go out to senior star Megan Otto who became only the 3rd girl in Scituate basketball history to break the 1,000 point barrier. This is another club that I wish had more power games as it could hurt them come state tourney time. |
#7. #8. |
Franklin (D1 S) – 15 – 1 – Panthers were still prowling until road trip to North Attleboro where they got knocked out of the unbeaten ranks losing by 16. Mansfield at home will also be a challenge as the Hornets keep getting a little better every game. I think the Hock does that “crossover” game at the end where they match teams with their records to date so they could get one at home for that. Looks like they only play 18 games unless they are in a tourney that I don’t know about. Help me out here folks… |
#8. #9. |
Oliver ames (D2 S) – 15 – 1 – No more scores in the 40’s so looks like OA got the wake-up call when they lost to Franklin. As a matter of fact they have been scoring over 61 a game since their only loss including a season high of 74 against Canton in their last win. Senior Candace Steadman led the way with 25. This is when you want to be hot and rolling and it looks like this club is getting set to peak at the right time…state tourney time. |
#9. #4. |
Braintree (D1 S) -- 15 – 1 – Wamps fell victim to the “Coach Storm jinx” as I went to see them lose at Wellesley…their 1st loss of the season. I’m guessing you couldn’t convince Coach Kristen McDonnell that there is an ocean nearby as they not only couldn’t put the ball in the ocean that night, they didn’t know where the ocean was. Then Natick came to town and all is right in Wamp world again as they destroyed a very good Natick team by 27. |
#10. #13. |
Billerica (D1 N) 15 – 2 – Props for giving Andover its biggest test of the year losing on the road by 1. This team has really come together and will be hard to beat come state tourney time. They have excellent depth and the best part is that the 5 starters in the Andover game included 4 juniors and a sophomore so their best year may be the next one. They do need to better recognize who the other team’s leading scorer is though as Belanger torched them for 40 in an “OT” victory by Billerica. Squeaked by Lowell also in “OT”…wonder if they were looking ahead to Tuesday’s home return match with Andover? |
#11. #14. |
New Bedford (D1 S) – 15 – 2 – Whalers quietly becoming a huge factor in D1 South again as their only 2 losses were to ranked Barnstable opening night and to maybe the top team in Rhode Island when they lost by 10 to LaSalle on the road. To give you some perspective, LaSalle only lost at Andover by 6. Whalers will be favored in their remaining games so will get a very high seed. Their defense led by Brianna Perry is off the charts only allowing 33 points per game. You win a lot of games that way folks. Senior star guard Allexia Barros is a great threat on offense and now her junior running mate at guard Vanessa Suarez goes for 29 when they beat Taunton. She hit seven 3’s as part of the 29…team is really coming together. |
#12. #16. |
Coyle Cassidy (D3 S) – 16 – 1 – Team sure has Bishop Feehan’s number as their size is a killer for Feehan and most teams. They beat Feehan on the road this time with 6’1 Tricia Quinn going for 13 points while pulling down 18 boards. They also beat the #2 ranked team in Rhode Island edging Westerly by 3 with Quinn going for 24 with 15 boards. They still have Taunton and East Greenwich, RI on the schedule at home and I really hope they make up that game with St. Mary’s that was supposed to be played at Emmanuel as that would be a good test. |
#13. #11. |
Westford (D1 N) 15 – 2 – They play way up North so only junkies like me watch their results closely but this crew had strung together quite a streak winning 10 in a row. Sam Hyslip had a great night against Newton South scoring 26 with 14 rebounds (gotta’ wonder about those green ears she had on at the Celts game yesterday though…LOL). Lots of maturity shown in this run by the young Grey Ghosts. Still some questions though as they dropped a close one on the road to AB by 3 on Friday. Now they head to Central Catholic and then host Andover in the 1st round of their February Tourney so let’s see how far they have truly matured…hmmm. |
#14. #10. |
Masconomet (D1 N) – 14 – 2 – Sometimes you see teams that have a jinx team or a jinx gym where no matter how hard they try, they always seem to lose. I see it with Central Catholic in Andover’s gym…Andover seems to struggle at NDA of Hingham’s gym…and Masco can’t seem to beat Pentucket…anywhere. Yep...lost to them at home this year by 3 in a game that was a doozie. I can’t recall the last time Brooke Stewart was held under double figures (she had 8) but the Sachems did it this day…may never happen again to her or Masco again this year but this is what happens against your jinx team. Nice win also over D1 South Taunton at Emmanuel by 14 with Stewart scoring 28…Me thinks no one will hold her under double figures again this season. |
#15. #12. |
Lynn English (D1 N) – 16 – 1 – When you face a truly talented kid like Tania Holmes one player can make your club look so different. Holmes scored 37 and made the “Bulldog Press” look more like the “Poodle Press” as she broke it down and handed English their first loss. Coach Hogan didn’t let them stay in the doldrums too long and has them back on the winning track with 5 straight “W’s” after the disappointing loss. They host Medford on Wednesday…hmmm…payback coming??? |
#16. #17. |
Bishop Feehan (D2 S) – 13 – 4 – Their 4 losses include 2 each to the Archies and Coyle with size a big factor in those results. I’m sure Coach Deady has been working them rebal hard on boxing out in practice. It worked Sunday as they beat Fontbonne and 6’1 Jen Gemma by 16. The Comcast is coming up and they get Reading in round one and that should be a beauty to watch…can they handle DalPozzo underneath?…hmmm. |
#17. #15. |
Barnstable (D1 S) – 14 – 3 – Had a heart tugging win by 1 over Dartmouth at home when Liv Costello hit a buzzer beating “3” to win 63 to 62. They edged Taunton also by 1 with senior Rogetta Donalson scoring 24. Traveling to Durfee was not fun as they lost by 9. They still have tough road trips to Dartmouth and Falmouth and those games are critical for state tourney seeding purposes. And as mentioned before, the road has not been good for them so far this year as all 3 losses are away from home. |
#18. #19. |
Fairhaven (D3 S) – 16 – 3 – Okay they lost the rematch to New Bedford by 1 so their 3 losses are all to D1 clubs and by a combined total of 9 points, I think their D3 foes really need to watch out for this club. They end the season hosting Abington in what could be a good preview of a couple of D3 South contenders…let’s see where they both stand after that one. |
#19. #20. |
Abington (D3 S) – 16 – 3 – They have put the Durfee loss behind them and are back on track winning 6 straight with 5 of those wins on the road. Great signs this crew is ready for the state tourney. Junior Amanda Hawkesworth showed she is truly ready pumping in 29 in big road win over rival Norwell. |
#20. #22. |
Falmouth (D1 S) – 15 – 2 – The Clippers still doing what they need to do here and they must be kicking themselves for that loss to an under .500 Sandwich club. State Tourney seeding gets critical this time of year and with 1 loss they could have been in the running for the top seed. Nice 22 point road win at Marshfield. |
#21. Cusp |
Wellesley (D1 S) – 15 – 3 – I thought they were starting to slow down a bit…wrong…Raiders have won 7 straight including giving Braintree their only defeat and getting some payback by beating L-S on the road by 5. Add in a road win at Walpole and home victory over Newton North and this club is actually picking up some serious steam and at just the right time of year. 6’3 Gracie Miller gets my vote as the “MIP”…that’s Most Improved Player. Kid had 20 points and 20 boards in win over Norwood. Then 16 with 20 boards versus Braintree. She even broke Braintree’s press 6 or 7 times with her ball handling. They close with Natick and Milton at home but also they have road trips to Walpole, L-S, and Brookline. Lots will be learned by all with the results in those battles. |
#22. #25. |
Greater New Bedford Voke (D4 S) – 15 – 2 – The bad news is they won their first 6 then lost to Fairhaven by 20…won their next 8 then lost again to Fairhaven by 21. The good news is they don’t play Fairhaven any more this season. They do close with 3 road trips to Wareham, Bishop Stang, and Old Rochester…3 teams they beat at home earlier by at least 17 on each of them. Those 3 clubs will be looking for revenge though. |
#23. Cusp |
Acton Boxborough (D1 N) -- 12 – 5 – Last time I said Belanger was back and she is and maybe better than ever as she torched Billerica for 40 points in an overtime loss to the highly ranked Indians. Then she hit Westford for 28 with 14 boards in huge home win over the highly ranked Grey Ghosts. Losses are all “power” one’s also as 2 to Billerica, 1 at Westford, 1 to L-S and the other to unbeaten Holy Name of Worcester, the top team in CMass. |
#24. #29. |
Notre Dame of Hingham (D2 S) – 12 – 5 Club has been on a roll and against tough competition. Earlier they beat Pentucket on the road by 6 and the rematch at home went South as they lost by 4…NDA is thus a plus 2…one spot ahead. They then got nice 13 point win over Fontbonne but Andover put to rest some old demons by hammering them in Hingham by 37. Club ends with road trips to Fenwick and then in the Sharon Tourney. |
#25. Cusp |
Pentucket (D3 N) – 14 – 4 – With good power wins on the road over Masco and NDA, the Sachems are rounding into form at the right time of year. Club also had a nice 15 point home win over Ipswich holding them to 27 points. They have proven they can win close games by making clutch free throws down the stretch. Me thinks Coach McNamara got the tune-up they needed as they are firing on all cylinders now. I believe they play the Archies in the opening round of the Central Catholic Tourney…hmmm…Garden preview? |
#26. #27. |
Bedford (D3 N) – 16 – 2 – A week long layoff between games didn’t seem to hurt when they hosted Tewksbury and won by 9. They then blasted Concord on the road by 26 after only edging them at home by 6 earlier. Seems like this club is getting better every game and that’s exactly what you want going inot the state tourney. |
#27. Cusp |
Wilmington (D2 N) – 15 – 3 – Wildcats win streak now at 9 and includes satisfying 15 point revenge win over Melrose on Friday. Nice road wins by the skin of their teeth edging Stoneham and Watertown by a point each. They have won on the road including down in Florida…they have won close games (3 by 1, and also by and 4 points) so they know how to handle late game pressures…they are ready for the state tourney. Strong record deserves some props so they get their first visit this year into the Top 30. |
#28. Cusp |
Woburn (D1 N) – 13 – 2 – Tanners are just a tough crew who compete night in and night out for 32 minutes. Had to get them back in the Top 30 as the only losses to Wilmington by 1 and Reading by 9 and both were on the road. They should be favored to beat Belmont which sets up the big one when they host Reading in the season finale on senior night…last year a senior hit a buzzer beater and Woburn beat Reading by 1…anyone thinking déjà vu? |
#29. #18. |
Central Catholic (D1 N) – 11 – 5 – The injury bug bit again as they now have lost sophomore guard Caitlin Dell’Orfano for the year with a torn ACL. It just makes me sad when this happens as this kid was really coming into her own and played very well when I saw them against Billerica. The team may still have been in shock when they found this out as Masco bopped them good by 21 at home. They have also struggled somewhat since that time beating Dracut and barely beating Cambridge at home by 2 in “OT.” They still have Westford at home and Andover on the road plus their own tourney against Revere and either Pentucket or the Archies. |
#30. #30. |
Ashland (D3 S) – 15 – 3 – This team has 3 losses and all at home so I guess they don’t like home cooking eh? A suddenly hot Medway upset them by 9 for the latest home defeat. The two toughest games left are the last 2 at Medfield and at Hopkinton so maybe that bodes well that both are road games…time will tell. |
“On the Cusp”
Natick (D2 S) – 12 – 4 – Great 17 point win over Walpole and I was thinking it might show they are truly in gear here. The transmission still skips though especially when they go on the road as all 4 losses are away from home. The latest was to Braintree as they got smoked by 27. Kind of scary that 3 of their last 4 games are on the road. Better put some transmission fluid in or it will be a short trip in the state tourney. |
Walpole (D2 S) – 12 – 4 – Rebels lose 2 straight and 3 of 4 but they can’t blame it on the “Coach Storm jinx” as I didn’t see any of their games. I say put it on the Globe as they did a nice story on Walpole and boom…2 losses. Solid defensive effort holding Milton to 23 in latest win though and that’s good to see. |
Lincoln-Sudbury (D1 N) – 11 – 5 – Nice solid 6 point road win over a Newton North team that was on a 6 game winning streak. A different result in a home tilt against a Wellesley team looking for revenge and Wellesley got it winning by 5. Rugged schedule down the stretch as they host AB on senior night then get the host team in Mansfield in round one of that tourney. |
Swampscott (D3 N) – 13 – 3 – Starting to see a trend here as the Big Blue seems to struggle on the road with all 3 losses away from home including 2 straight to Salem and Lynn English. The injury to Murphy may be the real factor as they lost their inside presence. Still a big question mark on their offensive output also. |
Ipswich (D3 N) – 13 – 3 – Bad bump in the road when tough Pentucket held them to 27 in that loss. They picked themselves up right away and have won 3 straight since then. They get St. Mary’s in round one of the St. Mary’s Tourney and that should be a great test to see where they truly stand for state tourney purposes. |
Newton North (D1 S) 12 – 6 – Thought they were ready for anything after beating tough Natick at home but “anything” came in the form of some iron on the schedule and maybe they aren’t quite ready. Club lost 3 of 4 to the likes of L-S, Braintree and Wellesley so still some growing pains popping up now and then. Back on track downing Weymouth and Brookline and now end with Framingham and Needham, 2 clubs they beat earlier this year. |
Norwell (D3 S) – 11 – 5 – Long layoff didn’t seem to hurt at first as they beat Rockland pretty good but then lost 3 of their next 4 starting with D1 New Bedford on the road by 12. Harwich pulled a mild surprise with a 2 point win on Norwell’s court though. Then a 4 point loss at home to rival Abington and you have a situation where they seem to have lost their edge. Man…those teams seem to always have very close games. Schedule is tough down the stretch as they have road trips the rest of the way to Hull and the rugged Walpole Tourney…hmmm. |
Duxbury (D2 S) – 10 – 6 Faded at the start this year losing first 4 then rebounding winning 10 of 12. Only losses to unbeaten Scituate by 8 and New Bedford by 6. 6’2 league all star junior Michaela North has been playing lights out including scoring 30 with 14 boards in one win and recently torched North Quincy for 31 with 19 boards and 7 blocks. Junior guard Kate Norton had 14 assists in that one as well. |
Quincy (D1 S) – 14 – 4 – Team settled into a nice 7 game winning streak but then a road trip to mighty Scituate proved they got too settled in as they lost by 8 in a good battle. Right back on track beating Pembroke by 21 after that loss though. |
Medford (D1 N) – 12 – 5 - Mustangs appear to be getting their ducks…I mean ponies…lined up at the right time. Soph star Donnelly is back after having played only a part of 1 game so far this year. She scored 18 against Georgetown. Holmes continues to be on fire. They have won 6 straight. Road trip to Lynn English Wednesday will be a good indicator of what their state tourney chances will be…big and hostile crowd and a Bulldogs club that will want revenge badly. |
North Attleboro (D1 S) – 11 – 6 – A “yo-yo” season so far…win 1 lose 1…win 2 lose 1…then you think they got it figured out winning 3 straight only to lose 4 straight. Not the trends you want. Guess what? They have now won 5 straight including knocking Franklin from the unbeaten ranks with a 16 point win. They should win Monday and then get the annual Hock crossover battle and end at home against Feehan…which trend will we see in these 3? |
Fontbonne (D2 S) – 10 – 6 - Ducks have only had two games where EITHER team scored more than 50 points and that was them scoring 53 against Boston’s O’Bryant and then NDA putting 53 on the board last week. I think that means their defense is solid but their offense is less than solid as they are scoring barely more than 40 PPG. They need to find a way to get more offense or their stay in the rugged D2 South will be short-lived. Example today losing to Feehan by a 54 to 38 count. Congrats go out to Coach Clare Murphy on getting her 200th career win Friday night. |
St. Mary’s of Lynn (D3 N) – 9 – 8 – They have the schedule of a defending state champion with many ranked teams on it. However the loss of Rudolph has caused a bigger adjustment than anyone figured including me. It is still in process however. Still some motivation left as they get a chance for revenge at Somerville and they have a nice test against Ipswich in their own February tourney so maybe they get the kinks worked out…then again…maybe they don’t. |
Marshfield (D1 S) 13 – 6 – Mid January was not very kind to the Rams as they dropped 4 straight before rallying to win a few. Not sure if an injury hurt them or what but they seemed to be back on track winning 3 straight but then have dropped the last 2 including 18 point blowout at home against Falmouth. Not a good way to be heading into the state’s. |
Hopkinton (D2 S) – 11 – 5 – They have won 3 straight and have great test Friday hosting tough Ashland. They also get red hot Duxbury in round one of the Foxboro Tourney so let’s see if they are starting that same year end hot streak like last year when they got all the way to the Garden…hmmm. |
Holliston (D2 S) – 12 – 4 – Lancers now reversing the downward trend as they have won 5 of 6 with only loss at TVL power Medfield by 22 on the road. Good test Tuesday as they travel to Medway. Let’s see if the upward trend continues. I only have them playing 18 games..if anyone knows if they are in an upcoming tourney, let me know. |
Weymouth – (D1 S) -- 10 – 8 – Just catching onto this crew as they upset Walpole and have played teams tough all year. Gotta’ watch more closely now so I can measure how they will fare in the D1 South state tourney. |
Durfee (D1 S) 10 – 7 – Okay another coaching change so the 3rd coach in 3 years here and that causes confusion especially for the seniors. They appear to be adjusted now having won 6 of their last 7 behind senior point guard Rachel Camara and power forward Chelsea Campellone plus younger sister Brianna Camara has been banging down the “3’s” lately. Interesting home tilt on Friday hosting bitter rival New Bedford. That test will tell us just how adjusted the Hilltoppers really are now. |
Dartmouth – (D1 S) -- 9 – 7 - Just no luck on buzzer beaters as Barnstable did the same thing to them with a “3” as the clock struck zero. Tough schedule with 7 top ranked teams on it and that has caused most of the losses. Need to get some consistency soon though or it will be “one and done” in the state tourney. Games left are at Brockton, home against Barnstable and then the Mansfield Tourney…wait…they still need one more win to qualify…okay…one step at a time. |
Randolph (D3 S) – 15 – 2 – Boy do they have good games with South Shore Christian as they beat them in “OT” by 3 at home but dropped the return engagement on the road by 6. Too bad this club isn’t in D4 as they play mostly D4 clubs and they would be a playa’ at that level. D3 competition will be tough when you don’t play many schools that size. They still should make it interesting though. |
West Bridgewater (D4 S) – 16 – 2 – hard to verify their record so going with the best info I have. They have beaten Old Colony by 2 so that is enough to get this club some props. The rematch is Thursday night at Old Colony though…hmmm. |
Old Colony (D4 S) – 16 – 2 – Tough to beat this record and though I don’t know much about them, gotta’ give them some ink for a great season so far. They end their season hosting West Bridgewater, a club that gave them a 2 point loss earlier…D4 South tourney preview maybe? |
Fenway (D4 N) – 11 – 2 – Only 2 losses are to #4 AC and they have been destroying all clubs in the City League. Thus it is hard to measure exactly where they are in that middle ground somewhere. Hopefully some contending teams will get them on their schedule next year as I keep getting flashbacks to Coach Rice’s old Burke teams who not only owned the city but were serious state tilte contenders every year as well. |
Mansfield (D1 S) – 11 – 7 – Club continues to round into state tourney form and they get tough L-S to start their own tourney. Can’t you just picture them winning their own tourney and going into the state tourney peaking at the right time? I can…. |
Shawsheen Tech. (D4 N) -- 16 – 1 – 10 game winning streak has to give this club great confidence as they ready for the state tourney. Rematch with Whittier got them some payback winning by 6 this time after losing earlier to them by 3. |
Whittier Tech. (D4 N) -- 15 – 6 – Club paying the price somewhat in the short term playing so many D1 and other bigger schools as they are only 2 and 4 recently. Today’s 6 point loss to Shawsheen is the only one that will matter as that is one of the teams they will do battle with in the state tourney. |
Stoughton (D1 S) – 10 – 5 – Team continues to improve having won 7 of their last 8 with the only loss to Top 10 Oliver Ames. They now get Canton on the road, the crossover game, and not sure what else. Club is definitely on a real good trend here and with Nicole Daniels size (22 points & 14 boards versus KP) and Chrystal Holland’s talent and senior leadership they could be a surprise factor in D1 South. |
North Andover (D2 N) 10 – 6– This crew is healthy and playing really well right now with a 4 game win streak going. Great measuring stick Thursday as they host Masco in what should be a beauty. |
Gloucester (D2 N) – 10 – 6 – Just when it seems like they are getting more consistent offense, a Salem holds them to 29…then they win 2 and Swampscott limits them to 31. Need to start putting 50 or more on the board regularly or their state tourney run could be a one and done situation. |
Newburyport (D3 N) – 11 – 6 – Nice 8 game winning streak ended and has now turned into 3 game tailspin. They need some momentum going into the state tourney and will have to do it on the road as the last 3 are away from home. This stretch starts at Pentucket which is not the way to end a losing streak…time will tell. |
Hull (D4 S) – 10 – 6 – Pirates have been up and down this season and are down now having lost 2 straight. Then again they did this last year and won the state title so I’m still not giving up the ship on this Pirate crew just yet. |
Medway (D3 S) – 11 – 7 – Team has played well the last 6 weeks but can’t seem to beat the big dogs of the TVL except for Ashland. They host Holliston this week so that will be a good test plus they end with a home and home against tough D2 Fontbonne. This stretch will let us know if they can contend or not in D3 South. |
Ursuline (D3 S) – 10 – 5 – Team deserves some props with this record. They have talented Katy Hicks to lead the way and have recently givrn NDA and Fontbonne close calls in losing efforts. |
Pope John (D4 N) – 16 – 3 – Interesting home loss in hotly contested small division of the Catholic Central league to Marian. They beat them by 20 on the road and yet lose by 5 at home. Marian is coming on strong. Pope John needs to be ready for all games especially with road trip to Ursuline on the horizon as they lost to them at home by 9. A payback would be real nice for them though. |
Harwich (D4 S) -- 12 – 5 – They have won 8 of 9 with the only loss a rough one to Abington at home. I think they played Cohasset Friday but couldn’t find a score. If they keep playing like this they could be a contender in D4 South in the state’s as they have beaten Hull twice…hmmm. |
Marian (D4 S) – 14 – 5 – Recent 5 point road win over Pope John after losing to them at home earlier this year shows a great upward trend at the right time of year. With Elizabeth Horan pumping in 14 a game they have quietly been sneaking up on teams and me…but no more. Randolph came ready to play beating them by 7. |
Salem (D2 N) – 9 – 7 – Seems like this club just shuts people down every night which bodes well come tourney time. The problem is that the rules say you must “outscore” your opponents to win the games. This crew struggles on the offensive end. Coach John Fortunato appears to have his kids believing in themselves so I too now believe in Salem. |
Revere (D1 N) – 9 – 6 – Star guard Gena Restiano did tear her ACL so is gone for the year…again…I hate seeing good kids lose time with these type of injuries. They are adjusting though having won 4 of 5 without her and the only loss was by 6 to highly ranked Lynn English. |
Watertown (D3 N) – 9 – 7 – Seem to be on a real downward spiral going 2 and 7 in the last 9 games. As mentioned before, this club is extremely young and may not be handling adversity real well right now. It’s all part of the growing pains but I do believe the talent is there and these kids will be strong the next couple of years. |
Somerville (D1 N) -- 9 – 8 – Highlanders got nice 2 point road win at Sutton and gave a good account of themselves at AC losing by 10. They still need one more “W” to make the tourney and the road won’t be easy as they host AC again and St. Mary’s with new Mission also coming to the ‘ville. |
Haverhill (D1 N) -- 14 – 6 – Hillies have had a solid season behind the likes of Molly Hoopes and Kayla Pellot. Not sure on some of the teams they have played but the state tourney should filter that out quickly. |
Stoneham (D3 N) -- 9 – 8 – Team hit a real rough patch losing 4 straight but they have won the last 2 so they appear back on track. Still have to go to Melrose and that is never easy and then host Wakefield in the final at home. |
Bishop Fenwick (D3 N) – 9 – 9 – Team defense is strong as only the Archies and Wilmington have broken the 50 point mark against them. Well…the Archies just blew them away scoring 85 so maybe this was just a real bad night. The offense is another story as they only can muster around 40 points a game. I guess soph Kate Lipka was out injured but she returned recently and had 22 against Georgetown. Looks like they need 2 things to win…their defense and keeping Lipka healthy. |
Melrose (D2 N) – 9 - 7 Raiders got hot and won 5 straight so I print out their info and bang…”Coach Storm jinx”…they lose 2 straight. I saw them in the summer and liked how they competed. Tough slate the rest of the way as the host Stoneham then at Watertown and Gloucester at the St. Mary’s Tourney. Should make the state tourney but need one more “W.” |
North Reading (D3 N) – 9 – 7 – I heard they lost star Lauren Hebert to a broken ankle. If that be the case, I feel so bad for her and it obviously has hurt the team’s chances as they have lost 5 of 6. |
Nantucket (D4 S) -- 11 – 6 – I give up on them and they go 7 and 2 so go figure. I’ve sung the praises of senior star Jess Halford and here is another reason why I do. Kid needs to score about 50 more points to break the school record of 1,487 set way back in 1967 when I was a senior in high school. Kid is a stud. |
Silver Lake (D2 S) – 9 – 8 – Club has been fading more and more and lost 4 of their last 5. They lost to W-H on the road by 19 earlier but I couldn’t find their outcome from Friday. Team may still need 1 more win to qualify for the state tourney…not a good trend here. |
More Rim Ramblings Many of you like this part of the writing where we update you in last year’s class now playing in college so here are some players and how they are doing. Others have also asked for more than one class so I will include some from the Class of 2010 as well. Interesting to see how some players needed a year to adjust to college ball and now are thriving as sophomores. For some however, the transition has been more difficult. Players from Class of 2011 – the Freshmen: Players from Class of 2010 – the Sophomores: Gotta' run folks…Remember…“No ability without eligibility!”…and…“The ball stops bouncing for everyone at some point but a college degree lasts forever!” |