TGBL MARCH MADNESS ROUND ONE RESULTS (2/27)

JUNIOR LEAGUE

Lynx 16 Liberty 9

The Lynx started the game with an 8-0 run and played strong team defense the rest of the way for the 16-9 victory over the Liberty. Playing their best defense all season from the rebounding of Miranda Hulme, Amanda Ford, Amanda Mckinnis and Carolyn Verseckas to the pressure of the guards Katie Garcia, Sarah Larsen, Emily Woods and Lauren Crupi. Lynx Scorers were Carolyn Verseckas( 6 pts), Amanda Mckinnis ( 4 pts.) , Rebecca Lewis (4 pts.) and Katie Garcia (2 pts.) It took a total team effort on both sides to beat an outstanding Liberty team.

The Liberty played a determined Lynx and lost in the first round of March Madness.  Scoring for Liberty was Sara Catanzano 6 pts, Victoria Mirabito 2 pts and Jocelyn Stavros 1 pt.  Liberty came out slow in the first quarter.  Gina Puccia, Lily Wyatt, Mirabito, Stavros, Gig Frisella played their game, but fell short offensively.  Many shots went up, but they didn't fall for us.  The second half of the game Liberty fought back, but wasn't able to pull it off.  Catanzano, Shannon Vasas, Lisa Devito, Cassia Burns, Paige McGaffigan and Niamh Cote played a good defense, but offenisvely we struggled.  The Liberty girls had an amazing year coming in first place and we congratulate the Lynx for a well played game and cheer on all our fellow Junior League team mates during this March Madness tournament.  Good luck and we can't wait to see you at the end of the year banquet! 

Mystics 10  Mercury 8

This was a very exciting win for the Mystics, and something we really worked hard for. The first 3 quarters of the game were very quiet Offensively and the Mystics and we went into the 4th quarter trailing the Mercury 2-7. Finally in the 4th quarter the Veterans on this team came out flying and roared back with Natalie Veloz scoring 4 pts in this game and Marissa Doherty with 2. Sam Alman really wanted this one and played her best game of the season with all 4 of her points in the fourth quarter. The Mystics finished the job and pulled out the come back victory by scoring 7 points in the 4th quarter. Very exciting win and it made it all worth it to see these kids celebrate.

Scoring for the Mercury were Alexis Brincklow (3 pts.), Emily Walker (2 pts.) Teagan Trant (2 pts) and Lauren Riccard (1 pt).

 

Starzz 20 Mystics 5

This was a tough loss for the Mystics because it finished out our season. We all tried our hardest all season to be the last one standing in the end but we came up short of this goal. The Starzz came out ready and rested and we managed to keep the game close in the 1st quarter with the score 2-4. The 2nd quarter it was all Starzz and they never looked back. Scoring for the Mystics were Natalie Veloz with 2, Miah Cummings with 1 and Sam Alman with 2. We will all work hard to improve this summer and look forward to getting better for training camp this fall. Have a great summer.

Scoring for the Starzz were Samantha Mercurio (10 pts.), Rachel Sessa (4 pts.), Samantha Surowiec (2 pts.), Emily Sessa (2 pts.), and Kate McGlaughlin (2 pts.).

 

MONARCHS 13 COMETS 6

Scoring for the Monarchs were Kayla VonKahle (4 pts.), Emily Amaral (2 pts.), Shaylee Puleo (2 pts.), Alicia Moore (2 pts.), and Sarah Ciampa (2 pts.).

Scoring for the Comets were Olivia Powers (3 pts.), Carla Tenaglia (2 pts.), and Emily Langone (1 pt.)

 

 

MONARCHS 10  STORM 8

The Storm lost a heartbreaker to a tough Monarchs team.  The players had a fantastic season and the coaches are proud of their effort all season.  Nicole Lucia, Stefani Cunningham and Bailey Carter all grabbed key rebounds.  Terrific passing was demonstrated by Jessica Cacciola, Shaele Esteveo, Stephanie Graffeo and Kendyl  Spinelli. Scoring for the Storm were Madison Wescott (4 pts.), Irene Houde (2 pts.) and Sydney Burlamchi (2 pts.)

Scoring for the Monarchs were Kayla VonKahle (6 pts.), Sarah Murray (2 pts.) and Sydney Quinn ( 2pts.).

 

SPARKS 20 ROCKERS 6

The Rockers came out full force defensively.  They all had a lot of hustle.  Erica Whynot scored 4 points, Nicole Cobuccio, Amy Glover, Julia Kelly, Tatem Pecci, and Sara Constantino did a great job up top.  Nicole put some great passes out.  Underneath, Sara Letourneau, Jackie Marchant, Sara Bishop, and Hannah Maffeo played an excellent zone and kept the ball out most of the time but the Sparks were hot from the outside.  Lizzie Markwarth played an all-around great game.  

Scoring for the Sparks were Francesca Cocca (6 pts.), Sarah Sullivan (4 pts.), Adrianna Favreau (4 pts.), Rebekah Politis (4 pts.)and  Emily Zuraski (2 pts.)

 

INTERMEDIATE LEAGUE

 

WILDCATS 33 HUSKIES 27

What a fantastic game played by both the Wildcats and the Huskies.  The game was head to head for 4 straight quarters but in the end the Wildcats offense and defense was a fire that couldn't be extinguished.  The scoring started out slow for both teams because defense was high.  Lindsey Cossar was the only one to score in the first w/ 3 points but later coming back in the 3rd with a whopping 10!  Also scoring for the Wildcats were Ally Kelly, Katie Dunlevy, Colleen Kelly, Janina Kennedy and Erin Davis.  While Lindsey Cossar was scoring left and right, Colleen, Corinne Doyle, Heather Doyle were playing up front defense with several phenomenal steals.  Erin, Janina, and Erica Dirk were on the board with countless, seemless blocks.  Audrey Casey ran the floor like crazy and kept any scoring from happening in the corner.  Ally spent the fourth quarter with some stellar passing and press breaking - nice job Ally!  The Wildcats did a superior job on both offense and defense and now move on to the semi-finals.

 The Huskies drew the hungry Wildcats squad in the first round of the tournament.   Coach Kelly had revenge on her mind from two years ago and had the Wildcats there at 545am for pre game warm-ups.The game started with the undefeated Huskies doing what they have done all year.  Alysa Defruscia started the game strong controlling the rebounds and scoring seven points. Kenzi Wyatt and Samantha Parker both played great defense to keep the Wildcats flustered. In the second the Huskies came out scoring led by Karalyn Gallela who had 8 points in the game and Marina Russo who hit back to back shots. Chloe Politis had 8 rebounds and Jaime Fowler had 11 rebounds and played hard in the quarter also. The third quarter the Wildcats hit long shot after long shot and took the lead into the fourth. In the 4th Dimple Gandhi put in a big basket and Stephanie Mchatton hustled on the full court press to make some steals.  It was too little too late and the Huskies went down , finally. The sold out crowd of 98,981 was the most ever to see a intermediate basketball game. One fan who will rename nameless ( Richie Colarusso) was seen smiling as the final buzzer sounded. The Huskies came across a hot Wildcats team who hit some great shots.   The girls had a great year and improved week to week. I am very proud of both the 7th and 6th graders on this team.  Some have not seen a lost for two years and were devastated….for about 5 minutes.  Congrats to the Wildcats.

 

 

 

TERRIERS 16 WAVES 14

The Terriers - Waves tournament game had both teams leaving it all on the floor.  The Waves took the lead from the gate and held on to it until the final minutes when Shannon Smith tied the game from the foul line.  The Terriers had not seen such a relentless defense all season.  The Terriers had to step up their defensive game to keep in it.  It took every Terrier playing their best defense to pull this win out of their hat.  Ashley Colarusso and Erin Walsh led the way defensively sticking hard on the Waves point guards.  Michelle Creedon was masterful under the boards.  Melanie Fleury, Meagan Timmins, and Emily Duquette were amazing and played the zone to perfection. Offensively the Terriers had their lowest scoring game of the season and that is with the extra two minutes of an overtime period.  Finding a way to penetrate seemed near impossible at times.  Shannon Smith was good for 4 points from underneath, but her four points from the foul line were crucial.  Meredith Cahill found herself open and popped one in from the side for two points.  Marissa Conlin was able to pick up a basket early in the game.  Amanda Brown sunk two from the foul line, but it was her basket in overtime that would make the difference for the win.  The Waves gave the Terriers a great game and it was too bad someone had to lose in the end.  Way to go Terriers and Waves!

T he Waves nearly pulled off what would have been an incredible tournament battle against a talented Terriers team.  The Waves played with a lot of heart and guts.  Defensive players of the game were Tayla Legrande, Mariah Wentzell and Shalimar Hulme.  All of the girls-Catherine Ozek, Carlye Slavin, Jackie Noftle (2pts.), Kirsten Dick ( 2 pts.), Mariah Wentzell( 6 pts.), Shalimar Hulme(2 pts), Alexis Chaet, Christina Noyes, Melissa Markwarth, and Tayla Legrand (2 pts.) had a great season.  They really came together as a team and the coaching staff is really proud of each of them.  Go Waves!!

 

JAYHAWKS 20 FALCONS 10

The Jayhawks kicked off March Madness against the Falcons. Both teams played excellent defense holding off one another from scoring in the first few quarters. Center June Garcia was seen crashing the boards ripping down the rebounds, while forwards Ashley Colbert, Kacie Ellegood, and Andrea Doran took away scoring changes from the Falcons with great defense.  Cassandra Froio demonstrated her dribbling skills pushing the ball up the court, and making some key baskets. Loren Sullivan, Nicole Petherbridge, and Haley Pozzutto did a great job rebounding, and putting the ball back in the hoop.  Meg Braciska and Becky Keough used their great speed to bother the Falcon offense.  Down the stretch, the Jayhawks pulled together refusing to give up the win that would have ended their season.  The Falcons made an incredible effort in this intense game. In the final minutes, the Jayhawks made quick, smart passes to open players which led to the Jayhawks winning this close game.

Scoring for the Falcons were Marissa Maciel (4 pts.), Jamie Burger (2 pts.) Hillary Fletcher (2 pts.), Amanda Aylward (1 pt.) and Elizabeth You (1 pt.).

 

Cardinals  35  Cougars 20

The Cardinals and the Cougars met for the 3rd time this season in the opening round of the tournament. Tournament basketball is definitely a new season as exhibited by all of the results in the first round. The first two times these teams played the Cardinals were able to jump out to an early lead and never look back. This time however was different. The Cougars came out with a punishing man-to-man defense and employed the press to success to surprise the Cardinals in the first half. After the 1st quarter the Cougars had the lead backed by 10 points by Jamie Ray. At the half the score was close as only 4 points total were scored in the entire quarter. Tough defense by Calleigh Finneral on Toni Joy kept the Cardinals leading scorer in check. In the 2nd half the offense started to click for the Cardinals behind good shot selection and running the fast break effectively. The final score was not indicative of what a hard fought game this was and the Cardinals were happy to survive this one and look forward to their next game against the Wildcats. Last time the Cardinals faced the Wildcats it was an overtime thriller won by the Cardinals on a shot as time expired.Defensive player of the game was Kayla Berube with 12 rebounds. Scoring for the Cardinals was Toni Joy with 7, Nikki Doucette, Ariana Calouro, Kayla, and Eva Barinelli with 6 and Emily Velozo and Samantha Lopolito with 2.   

The Cougars lost a tough game in the tournament to end their season.  Jamie Ray led the Cougars in scoring with 14 points.  Molly Harrington (4 pts) and Chelsea Grant played awesome hustling all over the court.  Caleigh Finneral (2 pts) and Sarah Baptista did a great job defending the basket and playing very tough in the paint.  Samantha Teague, Amanda Lane and Jessica Lehmann each played well hustling on both ends of the court.  Delaney Chisholm was the Cougar's defensive player of the game.  The Cougars showed no quit all season and that was how they played this game right to the end.

SENIOR LEAGUE

Wizards 28  Jazz 21

The Wizards held off a very tough Jazz team 28-21 to advance to the semi-finals.  Unfortunately, the Jazz were forced to play without two top players due to injury but the team fought hard and gave the Wizards all they could handle.  Missy Cordwell played with all out hustle and left everything on the floor.  She led the team in scoring with 10 points while Jen Iannacci added 7.  Julia Bodoni continues to improve and added another 4 points.  Sam Laferriere (3 pts), Jen Cobuccio (2 pts) and Abby Donoghue (2 pts) were tenacious on defense.  Defense was the theme today and Hannah Culwell, Mariah Culwell and Sarah Barnes also stepped up in a big way.  Jen Maddaleni added a couple of big steals and Jen Joyce showed some great hustle up and down the court.  Congratulations to both teams for a well played game.

The Jazz got knocked out of the tournament by the Wizards, 28 to 21. All the players on the Jazz showed a lot of heart, battling back from a early big deficit to cut the lead to 5 points late in the game. Although they lost, the girls never gave up. Representing the Jazz this year were: Rachel Ragucci, Jen Salvucci, Kim Brekalis, Haley Callahan, Hayley Feingold, Sam Campbell, Ari Medeiros, Abby Meuse, Aly Spenser, Sara Semenza and Shannon Semenza. You were all a great bunch of girls, and it was my pleasure to be your coach.

MAGIC 35 SPURS 12

The Magic continued their winning ways this past Saturday against the Spurs, starting the March Madness Tournament with a decisive win 35 to 13. All Magic players made it into the scoring column, lead by Kelly Quigley with 12 and Meghan Blasdell with 6. Great team defense has been the key to the Magic’s late season surge, limiting opponents inside scoring chances and limiting second chances with strong rebounding. The whole team deserves recognition, because they have been playing like a team.

 

The Spurs team showed a lot of team play in their final game of the season. Although they had very good passing and ball movement, the shots were just not dropping for them this day. Devin Kelly and Haley Golini (4 each) led the scoring with Rachel Pendleton (3) and Kelsie Bradley (2). Other teammates Shannon McLaughlin, Erin Eliott, Leanne Lozowski, Jamie Cohen and Danielle Moulton got good position for many potential outside opportunities. The SPURS pushed a few of the top teams into overtime this season so they should be very proud of the spirit they brought to each and every game. Great effort SPURS !!

 

 

Blazers  26    Raptors  17

The Blazers came up big against the Number 1 seeded Raptors.  Defensively all the girls were terrific, Ally Braciska; Ashley Kelly, Bridget Casey, and Brooke Patterson shut down the high scoring Raptors attack.  Aleska Pena had some stellar rebounding, as did Sarah Minichello.  Taylor Simas was a force in the middle defensively.  Mikayla Hodgdon was also a defensive star.  Scoring for the Blazers were Bridget Casey (7 points), Ashley Kelly (6 points), Taylor Simas (6 points), Brooke Patterson (3 points), Ally Braciska (2 points), and Mikayla Hodgdon (2 points).  Great all around play from the surging Blazers.

Scoring for the Raptors were Stephanie Champoux (8 pts.), Emily Knoops (6 pts.) and Meredith Bonugli (3 pts).

 

PACERS 22  SONICS 14

Scoring for the Pacers were Caitlin Morris ( 7 pts,), Anna Piccolo (4 pts.), Mackenzie Pierce (4 pts.), Adrianna Brown (3 pts.), Haley Acconcia (2 pts.) and Michelle Hopkinson (2 pts.).

Scoring for the Sonics were Nicole DePierro (5 pts.), Melissa Peters (3 pts.), Shana Chartienitz (3 pts.), Christine Kang (2 pts.) and Tessa Wyatt (1 pt.).

 

5th GRADE TRAVEL

Wilmington    27      Tewksbury   19

The road to the Final Four went through Wilmington for the 5th grade girls travel basketball team and they gave all they had to make it a successful trip.  Playing in the 6th grade bracket for the playoffs changed the rules and allowed both teams to come out with a full court press which is something they had not seen all year.  At the start of the game Wilmington did a better job breaking the press and jumped out to an early lead but Tewksbury settled down and brought the game close and at one point had the game tied.  This was a very physical first half of play and both teams were diving to the floor for every loose ball and bodies were flying.  The referees did a nice job of talking to both teams to get this game under control.  At the end of the half, Tewksbury seemed to find the keys to breaking the full court press and was rewarded with an easy lay up.

The Redmen continued their full court pressure in the second half while the Wildcats dropped back to a half court press.  Sara Catanzano (7 pts) was the high scorer for Tewksbury while Julia Kelly (1 pt), Adrianna Favreau (3 pts), Samantha Mercurio (2 pts), Katie Garcia (4 pts), and Emily Sessa (2 pts) also scored for the Redmen.  Although a few players did not get on the score board they contributed with Tewksbury Tough defense.  The hard nosed defense was led by Marissa Doherty, Samantha Surowiec, Victoria Mirabito, Paige McGaffigan and Francesca Cocca.  

Struggling from the line and with their offense never finding a rhythm made this a tough game to win against a very good Wilmington team.  Tewksbury’s efforts came up short and they did not advance to the tournament this coming weekend.  The team played hard and fought until the final buzzer.

Thanks for a great season girls!