Coach Storm’s FINAL EMass Top 25

Written by Tom Hellen

March 19, 2008

 

 Somerville MA –   Okay my grade for the so-called “predictions” on the state tourney results ended up with 65% right so I’d call it a solid “D” as a grade…that gives me flashbacks to my days at Hudson Catholic High and Sister Adrienne saying…”You can do better Mr. Hellen…you always try to just get by!”…my feeling is it’s not that good but passing.  Come on now…you didn’t have Wellesley winning the D2 states either right?  Who knew??  Congrats to the kids there for a phenomenal run and also to the great Archies club for winning back-to-back state titles in D3! 

 

I did look at my Pre-Season rankings to get some idea on things I wrote back then and did hit on the general trend for the year and that was how many good and evenly matched  teams there were plus how many clubs toughened up their schedules.  My guess that there would be no undefeated teams just made it when Bishop Feehan lost to Wellesley in the tournament.  This is the way to go folks…play anyone any time and you will be battle tested for the state tourney.  That’s what Archbishop Williams did and they won the D3 state title for the second straight year.  That’s what Andover did and they got to the D1 state championship game.  Those clubs also ended up the top 2 teams when you read below. 

 

I hope you enjoy the rankings I’ve compiled and always feel to e-mail me at coachstorm5@comcast.net with any comments.  Send me a blurb or two also if you feel your club is going to be strong next year so I don’t miss out getting them listed like I did this year with Wellesley and Acton Boxborough.  Plus if you let me know now I can try and catch them play in a summer tourney or league.  Thanks for all your kind comments this winter and for all your interest in the great game of high school girls basketball.  Enjoy! 

 

 

Top 25 Rankings

 

NOW

LAST WEEK

DESCRIPTION

#1.       

#2.

Archbishop Williams (D3 S) – 24 – 4 – Archies’ played toughest schedule in the state with 4 games against New York clubs going 2 and 2…They beat 2 time state champ LaSalle Academy of RI, beat #3 ranked Spellman twice in wars, beat Pentucket at the Garden, 2 wins in the AC rivalry and so on.  The 2 biggest wins that earned them the #1 ranking were beating Andover on the road…that combined with winning their 2nd straight D3 state title over tradition rich Quaboag by a 69 to 47 count put them over the top.  The win in Worcester was just very impressive.  These kids are talented, well coached, and played extremely well under intense pressure.  The bullseye was on their backs all season as the returning state champs and they stood up to every challenge.  The talent at the top in Duffy, Capello, and Driscoll is superb but they also had kids like the Knowles sisters and Black (can you say “Meeeeghan”...LOL) and LaFond and McNamara and McDonough who sacrificed their games to fill incredibly valuable role positions…the result??...simply the best TEAM in EMass for the 2007-2008 season!  Well done to all! 

#2.

#5.        

Andover (D1 N) – 23 – 4 – Another team that played a brutal schedule and this almost paid off with a D1 state title.  After watching Lowell crush a good Central Catholic team opening night I thought Lowell would roll this winter but the Warriors beat them 3 out of 4 times.  They also beat Pentucket and Central Catholic 3 times along with the rest of the rugged MVC.  They did it with the best “Man” defense around, 11 quality seniors led by Thomann, Renfro, and Hughes (the most underrated player in EMass), a frosh who could be one of their best ever, and top notch coaching. 

#3.

#1.        

Cardinal Spellman (D3 S) – 22 - 2 When your only losses are to the #1 team in EMass you have to consider it a superb season.  Loss of Jade Santos was just enough to upset the apple cart in the tourney but still a phenomenal year.  They beat Masco on the road, D1 South champs New Bedford, the Archies once, AC twice, Fairhaven, and Connecticut power Mercy High.  Superb seniors O’Kane, Santos and Barry had a fabulous 4 year run and they are off to the next level now but Lamb’s Ladies…you done well!

#4.

#6.        

Lowell (D1 N) – 19 – 3 Sad when your only 3 losses are to the same club…#2 Andover…maybe they should change leagues?  Well…super seniors Rivera and Cavanaugh gotta’ be proud as they did get Andover one time and beat Central Catholic twice, then won the St. Mary’s Tourney over Peabody and L-S so the season was excellent…just wonder what it might have been if they didn’t play Andover so much??

#5.

#3.        

Bishop Feehan (D2 S) – 22 – 1 One blemish does not ruin a season especially when it was to eventual D2 state champion Wellesley.  They did beat Fairhaven twice early and beat everyone else in their local area but…wish they played closer to Boston more often…Lepley is a terrific talent and Rocarati’s got the nice ups on her “J” so hope to see them in the Comcast next February…nice way to get ready for the state tourney.  Fabulous season Feehan!…you came the closest to going undefeated! 

#6.

Cusp        

Wellesley (D2 S) – 23 – 3 We missed the boat here…and I’m still swimming in humble pie.  Quality seniors in Chelsea Sanders and Eleni Dixon who sacrificed their offensive games to focus on the “D”…I openly wondered if they had the inside presence to handle W-H’s Trapp…what do they do?...go and hold the entire W-H team to 25 points behind 6’1” senior Lindsay Sydness and tough junior Jesse Miller…sprinkle in that precocious pair of youngsters…one at the point in Mary Louise Dixon and the other is frosh shooter Blake Dietrick…what a mix!  The tough coach who stirred this pot to perfection is Kristin Cieri and I heard many comments from coaches talking about her club’s discipline in boxing out, moving the ball, making the extra pass, refusing to lose, and finally celebrating like no other club in Worcester after dismantling Millbury by 21 for the D2 state crown.  I won’t miss them again next year and have already made a mental note that the 2 Walpole vs. Wellesley games are a must on my schedule next winter.  Congrats to all on a fabulous run! 

#7.

#4.        

Masconomet (D2 N) – 20 – 2 Thought this was their year but…L-S just shut every opponent down (except Lowell) to usually 40 or less points and Masco met the same fate getting only 38… their only other loss was in OT to #3 Spellman.  Sensational season behind great seniors Burns and Stewart and it included quality wins over Westford and Londonderry at Xmas…Pentucket at home and Central Catholic on the road.  Congrats to Coach Romeo and his talented troops for a job well done.

#8.

#7.        

Pentucket (D3 N) – 21 – 3 Club got on the hoop map last year surprising all to get to the Garden.  No surprises this winter as everyone pointed to them on their schedules and yet their only losses were to the #1 Archies at the Garden, #2 Andover in Andover’s deadly gym, and #7 Masco on the road.  The Sachems have to be pleased with that and getting back to the Garden again.  They have already started getting ready to do battle for next year by committing to the Comcast Tourney already for next February.  Coach McNamara is smiling from the memories of this winter plus the Sachems return their entire starting 5 while teams #1 through #7 lose some key pieces…hmmm…with hard work in the off season??...hmmm??

#9.

#9.        

Acton Boxborough (D1 N) -- 18 – 3 Great job by Coach Gallant and this hustling crew.  2 power wins over league rival L-S plus beating AC in their February tourney highlight their year and then gave hot Central Catholic all they could handle before falling by 5 in the states.  They lose 5 excellent seniors led by all-around dynamo Katy Rossino but return an strong  junior class (2 are named Awiszus and Pszenny…gonna have to check my spelling each time on those) which should bode well for next year…I won’t miss the boat on them either next winter. 

#10.

#15.     

Lincoln-Sudbury (D2 N) – 21 – 4 Finally met their match on the defensive end in upstart Wellesley at the Garden but have to hand it to Liza Feldman’s troops for putting together another terrific season.  Losing BC great Carolyn Swords would have hurt many teams badly but this year’s senior group was more than up to the task.  Wetmore, Kearse, Donaldson, Cakert, Linke and the others have left a magnificent mark on the history of girls’ basketball at L-S.

#11.

Cusp     

New Bedford (D1 S) – 19 – 6 Any time you get to the Garden then it’s a year to remember…now stir in beating archrival Brockton 3 times and it’s a season for the ages for the Whalers.  All 6 losses were to Top 25 ranked teams so again…another sign of what quality seniors Houtman, Depina, and Johnson brought to the table this winter and for all four years.  

#12.

#22.      

Reading – (D2 N) -- 19 – 5 Rockets finally get over the hump and beat Melrose…not once but twice in 1 season and ended up getting to the Tsongas for possibly the 1st time ever.  Kim Penney’s young troops will miss senior Liz Hines but they return 4 starters named Lyons, Carey, Stager, and Rafferty and all are outstanding.  If frosh Carlene Kluge can mature and give them some good inside play then watch out as the Rockets may really take off next year!

#13.

#8.      

Franklin (D1 S) – 18 - 4 Panther seniors had a great run led by possibly their best player ever in Assumption bound Kelly Meredith.  All good things do come to an end but the memories live on.  The good one’s involve knocking off Brockton late in the year and an earlier win over tough Barnstable and winning the Hockomock League title. 

#14.

#10.      

Walpole (D2 S) -- 21 – 3 Lost 3 times by a total of 12 points once in a Connecticut tourney by 1 and the other two were to D2 state champ Wellesley.  Caroline Stedman gave them superb senior leadership and they have a strong junior class led by Roof and Salvatore coming back so the Rebels will again contend with the likes of Wellesley and Feehan to win the D2 South title next year.

#15.

#11.      

Barnstable (D1 S) – 18 – 5 Red Raiders had some real good wins over New Bedford, Winthrop and Sandwich…the only problem is that Sandwich beat them twice including knocking them out of the state tourney.  They lose two of their best ever in Jill Lyons and sweet shooting Morgan Kendrew who gave their all for 4 good years down the Cape.

#16.

#13.     

Brockton (D1 S) – 17 – 5 Season started great with 8 straight wins but then a loss to rival New Bedford…and unfortunately, there were 2 other losses to New Bedford…3 losses to 1 team by a total of 9 points and New Bedford got to the Garden…that’s how close Brockton was this year.  They will miss super star senior Taryn Johnson (off to D1 Fairfield)  immensely but the Boxers always find a way to win and next year will prove no different.

#17.

#14.     

Swampscott (D3 N) – 18 - 4 Talented crew returns 4 starters for next winter including the dynamic duo of Allie Beaulieu (Ms. Outside) and Tara Nimkar (Ms. Inside) so the future is very bright here.  They had some great wins this year as well beating Winthrop twice, Peabody, and giving Lowell all it could handle for 30 plus minutes late in the year before losing.  Gotta’ figure out how to close the Pentucket gap however as they lost twice to what looks to be their big road block next year in D3 North.

#18.

#18.

Fairhaven – (D3 S) -- 20 – 5 Solid schedule this year as 4 of 5 losses to highly ranked clubs in #5 Feehan (twice), #11 New Bedford, and #3 Spellman in the tourney so no shame in those…club also beat New Bedford and D-R twice so had some quality wins as well.  Dynamic backcourt of Baldwin (all-time leading scorer) and Rossi (1,000 point scorer) graduates so quality seniors will be sorely missed next year. 

#19.

#16.

Westford (D2 N) 18 – 4 – Have to admire the final record this year after all the hard luck the Grey Ghosts endured.  They lost soph shooter supreme Gallant before the season even started and then speedy senior point guard Veilleux late in the year.  They did beat #9 A-B twice and split with AC and gave L-S all it could handle both times losing once in OT and then by 5 on the road.  Hope they got all the bad luck out of their system this year and come back healthy next winter.

#20.

#21.

Rockland (D3 S) -- 19 – 3 Another terrific team for the Bulldogs this year who beat W-H and Hanover twice each while spliting with CMass power Hopedale before the Archies knocked them out of the state tourney.  Jackie Bohenek was a great senior leader and will be sorely missed.

#21.

#17.

Melrose (D2 N) – 18 - 4 You lose probably the greatest player ever at the school in Shey Peddy and you figure the program will have a big adjustment.  Didn’t happen as strong senior leadership by Meghan Kirwan prevented any adjustment at all this winter.  A lot of good young talent matured well under Kerwan’s guidance helped by fellow senior Emily Clark and those dividends will pay off even more next year.

#22.

#20.

Winthrop (D3 N) – 19 – 5 The Lady Vikings won 19 and their 5 losses were to teams ranked #17 and above including giving the Archies a good test at the Comcast losing by only 6.  The hard working duo of Kristen Finn and Nicole Giaquinto at the point will be hard to replace next year but with their dynamic scoring duo of Katerina Mallios and Courtney Finn returning the Lady Vikes will be back in the mix again a year from now.

#23.

#23.

Whitman Hanson (D2 S) – 18 – 5 Any club that can beat D1 South champ New Bedford twice has got to smile and enjoy the great season they had.  They just need to find a way to get Rockland off the schedule next year losing to them twice.  When you know that Emily Trapp, already a 1,000 point scorer, will be back again for her senior year…well…the folks down there will keep on smiling next year as well.

#24.

#25.

Central Catholic (D1 N) – 16 – 8 Yea…I know 8 losses but 6 of those were to #2 Andover, #4 Lowell, and #7 Masco plus how many clubs actually beat the Archies this year?  Yep…Central did when they won the tough Comcast Tourney.  Though seniors Vienneau, Dunn and Gosselin will be missed, Coach Downer did a great job bringing along the 2 frosh, Miller and Polce, and when you combine those 2 with super star Katie Z, Mikus, O’Connor, Evangelista and more, the future’s so bright, we all may have to wear shades at their games.

#25.

#12.

Westwood (D3 S) – 21 – 2 Gonna’ miss all-time great Jill Greenberg (1,000 points AND 500 assists in her career) more than words can describe but the fans can look back on a great run again this year.  Great “pay-back” win at Medway after losing their home tilt with the Mustangs earlier in the campaign.  Their dominance in the Tri Valley League continued.  They have the misfortune of being in D3 South, probably the most competitive division in the state tournament where the Archies ended their year.  Still….gotta’ be proud of Jill and her club for what they have done the last 4 years.

         

                  

On the Cusp

Oliver ames (D2 S) – 16 – 5 Must have been disappointing to lose in the 1st round of the tourney but still many good things to review over the year including winning the Xmas Tourney beating two D1 clubs in Framingham and B-R.

Arlington Catholic (D2 N) – 15 - 8 Okay…look at the 8 losses…all to highly ranked teams including twice to #1 Archies, at #2 Andover, twice to #3 Spellman, at #9 A-B, to #12 Reading, and to #19 Westford when they were healthy.  Now that’s a tough schedule.

Dighton Rehoboth – (D2 S) -- 17 – 5 Great player in Mary N coming back and having this excellent season to build on where they got to the 2nd round of the state’s means sunny skies in the Dighton area next winter.

Belmont (D2 N) – 17 – 5 Another surprise team and I did get to see them in the tourney beat Gloucester.  Lose 6 seniors led by the tough inside presence of Molly Gavin but 6’ 1” soph Clare Sullivan is a nice building block to have back.  4 of their 5 losses to ranked teams so props to the Marauders for a fine job this season.

Falmouth (D1 S) – 15 – 5 Up and down club ended on a down note losing to Marshfield in round 1.  Still had some nice wins this year over W-H and they beat Sandwich twice and not many clubs can say that.

Medway (D3 S) – 16 – 5 Mustangs faded late losing last 3 including to Carver in the state tourney.  Not sure if they may have had some injuries or not.  Beating league power Westwood on the road and downing Medfield twice will leave some good memories though plus star Katy Howard returns for her senior year.

Silver Lake (D2 S) – 19 – 3 This senior laden team was led by guard Sam Ford and those seniors will be missed after finishing a superb season. 

Lexington (D1 N) – 17 – 5 Nena Ugwuomo is another example of a high quality senior as she led her team to 2 wins in the state’s before dropping their final game to a very hot Central Catholic team.  They also downed #12 Reading twice but couldn’t handle Melrose or Belmont either time.

Peabody (D1 N) – 16 – 6 Kind of a yo-yo season for the Tanners which started on a low note when promising soph shooter Carissa Milley went down with an ACL.  Regular season got off to a 4 game win streak…then slumped against Swampscott and Winthrop…then hot again winning 5 in a row…then slumping losing to Lowell and Reading in the St. Mary’s tourney…then bombing Billerica in the state tourney before losing a heartbreaker to Lexington late.  Some good young talent especially if Milley comes back strong bodes well for next year.

Sacred Heart (D4 S) – 20 – 2 Great year as they dominated everyone except losing to Coyle by 2 during regular season.  Then met a very hot Millis club and lost by 5 in a stunner in the State’s.  A 20 and 2 record is fabulous though so forget the end and dwell on the big picture as it was excellent.

Pope John (D3 N) – 19 – 2 Wonderful campaign ended with a sudden thud in OT to Weston but “A-Mac” and company gotta’ be pleased overall especially with the huge late season win in OT at Matignon.  Amanda Mccarthy will be greatly missed though.

New Mission (D4 N) – 19 – 2 Cory’s crew didn’t quite get the state championship repeat they sought but there were too many shining moments for this club not to smile when they think about things like beating D2 powerhouse and WMass finalist Monument Mountain who ended 19 and 4…beating D1 WMass Chicopee…getting a nice payback win over Brighton and winning the City Title…yep…great season girls!

Ipswich (D3 N) – 17 – 4 Gotta’ look at the big picture again as it was tough losing on such a controversial call(s).  Still when your 4 losses are to the likes of #7 Masco, #8 Pentucket by 3, a solid Triton club and a very hot Watertown you have to be very pleased.  Then you lose a quality senior guard in Lindsey French and you get down for a second but…you have 4 starters coming back including 6’ 1” Audrey Shaughnessy, all-everything forward Amber Smith and then add promising frosh Hannah O’Flynn to the mix and me thinks the Tigers are moving up the charts next year to a solid position in the Top 25.

                   

Gotta run folks!.…  Remember…  “No ability without eligibility!”