Coach
Storm’s State Tourney Picks for 2008-09 below!
Coach
Storm’s State Tourney Picks for 2008-09 below!
as of February 22, 2009!
|
Coach Storm’s 2009 State Tourney Picks Written by Tom Hellen Somerville, MA -- February 23, 2009
Division 1 North
Possible Surprise Team – Lynn English as they had Andover beaten but gave up 4 offensive rebounds in the last 25 seconds and Andover finally buried a 3 to win. Coach Hogan feels they now have the confidence that they can play with anyone in D1 North and that will show in this tournament. They’ll get their chance against Central Catholic. Summary -- In the early games I like Somerville, Methuen, Acton, and Salem to move on but then all will lose after that. You have to love how tough the MVC has been this year...once again proving they are such a rugged league. I love the way Lowell is playing but I picked Central at the beginning so I guess I’m trying for a self-fulfilling prophecy. The North winner could also be the favorite to win the state title as the South has no clear cut strong team…Wachusett may be the best in CMass and Andover beat them by 12…not sure about WMass but I think this North title game could be for it all.
Division 2 North
Possible Surprise Team – Bishop Fenwick as shown above but…Melrose also fits the bill as nobody seems to be generating any chatter over them. They have 5 solid juniors as starters and many have lots of varsity experience. They have a very good point guard in Colleen Hanscom and have played Reading tough losing by 1 and by 6…the 1 point loss was at Reading so they have no fear playing on the road. Tewksbury could also upset Masco if White is still not 100%...but whoever wins will lose to Westford the next round. Summary – Bishop Fenwick has an excellent starting 5 and also a favorable bracket. Winning the Danvers Tourney gives them great momentum coming in as well…I like them to surprise Reading as Fenwick’s size and physical strength will be a tough matchup for the Rockets. The loss of Cat Carey really hurts Reading as her 3 point shooting always opens up driving lanes for Jackie Lyons. If it’s close then go with Reading as Lyons is great at the line late in games. Early in the year Westford beat AC at Masco in the Xmas Tourney by 3. This 2009 AC team however is much different than the 2008 Xmas version and is firing on all cylinders. The Cougars have great chemistry and this should be the year they get to the Garden. D2 South is a different story though as that bracket is loaded with talented teams. One step at a time for the North winner but whoever it is will be a contender for it all.
Division 3 North
Possible Surprise Team – I thought about Winthrop going out strong…but they haven’t done it all year…Ipswich with Amber Smith?...probably not…St. Mary’s has it going right now and is another with a solid starting 5 and size with Tori Faieta at 6’ 2” a difficult kid to play against. They won their bracket at their own tourney and beat Ipswich by 16 in doing so. Summary – Coach Angela Billings has done a super job at Stoneham and I think they win 2 games before bowing out. They will have great crowds and it will be exciting but…Ditto for St. Mary’s as they taste some success for the 1st time in a while but…come on…it’s the game everyone wants to see…Pentucket and Swampscott…they played earlier at Xmas and the Swamp won by 3. Both teams played the MVC recently and Pentucket lost by 3 to Central while Swampscott lost by 4 to Lowell. In a very close game I have a gut feeling it will be Pentucket going back to the Garden and probably on to Worcester for a shot at winning it all.
Division 4 North
Possible Surprise Team – I apologize here but I just don’t see much of D4. I do like Matignon as they have had a brutal schedule playing in the large bracket of the rugged Catholic Central League. Joe DiScarcina is an excellent coach also and Jackie Kelley has game so they could surprise. Summary – Fenway has a very good record but not familiar with them. Georgetown star Taryn O’Connell is now their all-time leading scorer and I’ve always been a fan of her game so she will be the reason they go far. New Mission has talent and can play with many larger schools but one player has left the team and that can’t be good for team chemistry right now. Manchester Essex has excellent tourney experience and I think they hit the Garden again.
Division 1 South
Possible Surprise Team – New Bedford went into the state tourney last year with 5 losses and got hot at the right time and played at the Garden. They have 5 losses starting out again so we’ll see if history can repeat itself. With no clear cut favorite here many could surprise…Newton South is young and hungry…Fontbonne has been red hot…Dartmouth also and they have quality size in Lauren Kelleher so they could get it going…Ditto for Weymouth with 6’ 2” Sarah Collins inside… Summary – Marshfield with super soph Nicole Beresford (20.9 PPG) won a few games last year and should do so again. Needham has stars in the Ganser sisters and I think they beat a banged up Durfee then win a very close one with North Quincy. B-R has played stingy defense all year and it should help them greatly now. However, their offense has been a question. They do have 9 seniors I believe and that is the best asset this time of year. Brockton has the ability but their season has been inconsistent…win 5 lose 2…win 5 lose 2…win…lose and then close winning 3. They did beat B-R by 12 at home though…can they do it again? Too inconsistent for my liking so B-R heads to the Garden but that’s where the fantasy ends for Nickie Orlando’s troops.
Division 2 South
Possible Surprise Team – This could be any one of 10 teams here as this is by far the most competitive division this year. Feehan because they showed great grit all year after losing superstar Amy Lepley…and I love the way Jenna Roncarati stepped up so huge…girl can play for me any time!...NDA because they beat Andover and Brockton twice…W-H with 2 senior studs in Emily Trapp and Ali Hardiman…Walpole went to the wall with 5 tough games in 7 days…such a great group of teams here. Summary – Foxboro beat Mansfield twice so should win that one and then won their own tourney which also had W-H in it so they beat W-H and get to the semis. OA is 1 point away from being unbeaten but can they get by a battle ready NDA?...I think they can. Medfield starts all seniors and that pays dividends here…OA may be too tough for them to get by though. Wellesley?...I love the way they play..ball movement, intensity, defense…outside game…inside toughness and I believe they win this again but…I can’t get Feehan out of my head. They lost their superstar but still played super…they were right with Central Catholic when Roncarati fouled out…a trend to look for here…they lose to Durfee at home but get payback later on the road…they lose to Coyle at home but beat them on the road…they also lost to Walpole in the Comcast consolation and now get them at home in round 1…can you say payback?...and who did they lose to in the states last year?....hmmm…Wellesley…can they get more payback? What a great set of games this bracket should have for fans to see.
Division 3 South
Possible Surprise Team – Obviously the Archies are my surprise team. They played a brutal schedule causing their young players to have to mature fast but the frosh aren’t frosh anymore as they have 22 games under their belts now…and Val Driscoll is very tall and very good. That’s also why I have Coyle Cassidy losing to them here as a surprise. I hate doing this but feel it’s the worst possible matchup for Coyle in the Archies. I love the way Coyle plays and they have 2 legit stars in Gonsalves and Pavao but Coyle lost to B-R twice…the Archies just beat B-R. The Archies are playing their best ball right now and have 6’ 4” Driscoll who could get Pavao in foul trouble. Dedham with Jill Moses could also sneak up on some teams but not likely. Summary – Bourne has the talent but they have not played the tough schedule that others have so throw the records out the window here. Carver if they are healthy can get to the semis if they get by stubborn Abington. Spellman has Reilly Poirier who has 3 years of great state tourney experiences and is the perfect leader in this atmosphere plus they just won the February Tourney at Bridgewater State over the Archies and they beat them again in the end to get to the Garden. It ends there as Pentucket will be too tough.
Division 4 South
Possible Surprise Team – No surprises here as the top 2 seeds are head and shoulders above the rest. Chatham with 6’ 1” guard Taylor Masaschi and her 22 PPG could be the one club that is a problem for Cohasset though. Summary – Cohasset has the Lehr sisters and nobody else does. They have already beaten Hull twice by 15 and by 19 so they get by them in the semis to face Nantucket in the finals. Cohasset beat them by 23 in a Xmas Tourney and should win again but this time in a much closer contest. Back to the Garden for Cohasset for what I think is another D4 state title. |