BeantownHoops Blog

by beantownhoops.com (1/22/10)

It’s not often that a 9-2 team is considered struggling, but after losing two straight games in the DCL last week, #17 Acton-Boxborough needed a strong performance on the road tonight at Bedford.   Junior Sam Longwell answered the call for a  game high 18 points and four other Colonials scored in double figures to lead A-B over the host Buccaneers 66-52.

It was a raining threes in the first quarter as the two teams combined to make seven.  It was especially gratifying for A-B Senior Kevin McGovern who hit two of the threes, but was struggling with his shot coming into the game.

“It was great to get off to a good start (shooting) and I was just trying to help us get a lead early.  This is a tough place to play so getting that lead was real helpful,” said McGovern who led A-B with 8 points in the quarter.

The teams would play even in the second quarter, scoring thirteen points a piece, and Bedford would take a two point lead 31-29 into the break.  The third quarter belonged to Longwell who scored 13 points in the quarter and missed only one attempt on a buzzer beater to end the period.  Longwell’s outburst coupled with fellow Junior Wes Schroll’s five points (12 for the game) gave A-B a ten point lead, 52-42 heading into the final frame.

“I thought that it was the best quarter (3rd) we played all year.  Sam has been struggling with his shooting and I just think he relaxed and stopped thinking too much,” said A-B Head Coach Rick Kilpatrick.

Besides the offensive performance in the quarter, it was the defensive adjustments by the Colonials that slowed down Bedford.  Bedford’s leading scorer Mike Ingram-Rubin was held to two points in the period and if it wasn’t for Senior Kevin Cangiano’s 7 points, Bedford would have been in a deeper hole.

“We were just trying to get stops.  We started sagging off some of their other players and focusing more on Mike (Ingram-Rubin).  We had to stop him from making plays and it worked,” said McGovern.

A-B would extend their lead to sixteen in the fourth quarter on Sophomore Kevin LaFrancis’ three-point play with 3:52 left and Bedford would go without a field goal in the final period until the three minute mark.  After making five threes in the first half, Bedford was held to only two in the second half on eleven attempts.

Bedford was led by Cangiano and Ingram-Rubin’s 13 points a piece.  Bedford drops to 9-4 overall while A-B improves to 10-2 and is still one game back in the DCL Large.

Notes:  A-B will be honored at an upcoming Celtics game for their charity donation to the Jimmy V foundation…..In the JV game it was A-B winning 57-44…..Give me some credit for my prediction on this one, I posted in the preview that A-B would win 62-54.  It’s the closest I’ve been all year so I have to brag about it!….It was wrongly reported last night that Chelmsford beat A-B 100-77, all the sites that posted scores, including us, soon changed it since they didn’t play each other…..More fun halftime entertainment as 4th and 5th graders from Bedford’s recreational department squared off.  The final score was…wait they really didn’t keep score.  It was just fun to watch the youngsters play in front of the crowd.

Scoring:
Acton-Boxborough:  Schroll 12, McGovern 11, Held 2, Longwell 18, LaFrancis 10, Duffy 13
Bedford:  Watson 5, Cusack 3, Reubenstein 2, Thorsen 4, Nocera 8, McAfee 4, Cangiano 13, Ingram-Rubin 13

Scoring by quarters:
Acton-Boxborough:  16  13  23  14 = 66
Bedford:                     18  13  11  10 = 52

Rebounds:
Acton-Boxborough: 30
Bedford:  29
Turnovers:
Acton-Boxborough:  17
Bedford:  11

3 pt. Shooting:
Acton-Boxborough: 7/14  .500
Bedford:  7/23  .304
Free-throws:
Acton-Boxborough:  14/16  .875
Bedford:  7/13  .538

by beantownhoops.com (1/18/10)

New Bedford Juniors Alyssa Roach and Arielle Gomes led a furious 4th quarter rally to defeat league rival Brockton 53-52 Tuesday night.  It wasn’t looking too good early for New Bedford as Brockton jumped out to a 14-2 lead behind the play of Sophomore Tianna Johnson.  She was impressive most of the game finishing with 16 points, 6 assists, and 6 steals and carried the load for the Lady Boxers when star center Morgan Thatcher picked up her second foul only two minutes into the game.  New Bedford would be able to weather the storm, however, and found themselves only down five going into the break.

“We just had to relax.  It was the first time we let a press bother us in a game.  As the game went on, I think we handled it very well,” said New Bedford Head Coach Mickey Gonsalves.

The Whalers would tie the game in the third quarter at 29, but Brockton responded behind Johnson and Junior Vanessa Suarez who combined for nine points in the period and put the Lady Boxers up three 40-37.  Brockton maintained their lead extending it to 51-43 with 3:33 left behind the play of Junior Nephie Marsh who scored 9 points in the quarter. But then Roach and Gomes took over in the final three.  The Juniors combined for 21 second half points and 12 points in the last few minutes to give the Whalers their first lead of the game with 1:20 left, 53-51.

Brockton would get one last opportunity and with three seconds remaining Suarez was fouled on a jump shot that nearly went in.  She would make the first and then miss the second, giving New Bedford their first league win of the year and keeping their record unblemished at 12-0.

“We were down, but we’ve been down before.  We never wanted to give up and we just wanted to keep our intensity and we knew we could come back,” said New Bedford’s Alyssa Roach.

“I’m just so excited, I still can’t believe that it happened,” said Arielle Gomes about the Whalers comeback.

Brockton was led by Johnson’s 16 points and Marsh’s 13.  Brockton is now 11-1, 1-1.

Notes:  Nice crowd for the game tonight…..the Brockton parents get my vote for best parents rooting section, very supportive of the Lady Boxers…..In the JV game, Brockton won on two last second free-throws…..So much for my predictions, “The team’s that have dominated the first quarter have won” (not tonight), “the team that shoots better from the 3-point line will win (not tonight), and finally “Brockton will make the last run to seal the deal in the 4th quarter” (wrong again), I was two points from being right on……A couple of college coaches and high school coaches on hand tonight for this one……New Bedford was without Seniors Katherine Maguire and Brittany Mello who were nursing injuries….The rematch:  February 9th at New Bedford.

Scoring:
New Bedford:  Barros 9, Roach 19, Raposo 2, Gomes 16, Manny 6, #5 1
Brockton:  Johnson 16, Marsh 13, Lemos 6, Rafuse 8, Suarez 5, Thatcher 4

Scoring by quarters:
New Bedford:  6  16  15  16  = 53
Brockton:        14 13  13  12  = 52

Rebounds:
New Bedford:  32
Brockton:  23
Turnovers:
New Bedford:  18
Brockton:  25

3 pt. Shooting:
New Bedford:  1/7  .142
Brockton:  2/6  .333
Free-throws:
New Bedford:  10/17  .588
Brockton:  5/11 .454

Special to beantownhoops.com (1/18/10)

After a lay-up gave Medford a one point lead with four seconds left, Malden was fouled on the ensuing play down court with only 1.6 seconds remaining.  The first free-throw was missed, but the second was made, tying the game at 45.  Without calling a timeout, Medford’s Jack Forcier through a bullet pass to a streaking Andrew White (21 points) who laid it up in stride as time expired to give Medford the win on the road.

“I couldn’t be more proud of our guys tonight.  We picked each other up all game and just kept fighting.  I am extremely proud of them,” said Medford Head Coach Anthony Faradie.

Medford improves to 6-4, 2-2 with the win, while Malden falls to 3-6, 2-2.

by beantownhoops.com (1/15/10)

Franklin Senior captains Matt Dean and Matt Palazini led an offensive barrage in the first half to handily defeat league rival and #11 ranked Oliver Ames 69-50.  Franklin came into the contest with a one game lead in the Hockomock league over the Tigers and after Dean and Palazini combined for 26 points and Junior big man Kyle Gibson added another 12 of his own, Oliver Ames found themselves down eighteen at the intermission.  Palazini had three timely dunks in the half that demoralized Oliver Ames:  #1 gave Franklin an 8-1 lead, #2 ended the 1st quarter with a seventeen point lead, and #3 pushed the lead back to fifteen after O.A. made a small run in the second quarter.

A key moment in the game came just after Palazini’s third dunk.  With O.A. trailing 35-19, they scored six straight points to cut the lead to ten.  On the very next possession, the Tigers rebounded a Franklin miss and Senior Ethan Miller had two of his teammates streaking down court for an easy two.  As he tried to pass it ahead, Dean deflected and stole the ball and was able to get it to a teammate who was fouled.  The possible lay-up would have cut the lead to eight and would have given Oliver Ames some nice momentum.  Franklin would go on a 9-1 run after that play, capped by Junior Jared Kuzio’s rebound and buzzer beater and all hopes of a comeback were finished.

“These past few games we really wanted our identity to be relentless, putting pressure on our opponents the whole game.  That’s what we tried to do at the start and once we did that it made us a tough team to beat,” said Palazini.

It was clear that Franklin’s experience was a big factor in the game.  O.A. Sophomore star Nick Bruha (10 points)  could never get it going against the Franklin guards and the Panthers just looked like a team that was clicking on all cylinders tonight.

“Matt (Palazini) and I have been playing together since the 4th grade and we have a nice chemistry going.  It seems that everyone on the team just follows our example and that’s really what we want.  We were just able to use that chemistry tonight and pull away,” said Matt Dean about the teams cohesiveness.

“We’ve had a lot of experience in big games here at home and they are (Oliver Ames) are a little younger, but they have been playing great.  To get out to the start that we did in the 1st quarter with our defense was huge, we just wanted to set the tone early,” added Franklin Head Coach Dean O’Connor.

The win puts Franklin in sole possession of first place in the Hockomock and a league title now looks within their reach.  When asked about what lies ahead come playoff time (Franklin moves up to DI this year), the Panthers were quick to keep their minds focused on one thing.

“We always focus on the league championship.  Our main focus is to win the league and nothing else at this point,” said Coach O’Connor.

“The league title is our priority, it’s the first thing that we want to get as a team,” added Matt Dean.

The loss is a tough one for Oliver Ames as they drop their second in a row and are facing an uphill battle in the conference.

“We’re going to lick our wounds tonight and come back for a big week.  We’re still 8-2 and we’ll get ready for the next one,” said Oliver Ames assistant coach John Gonsalves.

The Tigers were led by Bruha’s 10 points followed by Eric MacKinnon, Ethan Miller, and Dave Peretti who all contributed 8 points.

Notes:  Packed house for this one, stands were full by the start of the 4th quarter of the JV game which Franklin won 81-69…..With North Attleboro’s defeat of Mansfield tonight, N.Attleboro is one game back in second, while O.A. and Mansfield fall to two games back in the Hock…..Props to “Beano” Kook of Emasssports.com who watched most of the game with me……Matt Palazini added five assists and two steals to his 18 points…..All of Palazini’s dunks were one handed left-handers……Franklin has a huge match-up next Friday when they host #6 East Boston.

Scoring:
Oliver Ames:  Bruha 10, Tepper 2, MacKinnon 8, Miller 8, Picardi 3, Pernock 3, Meyer 4, Pires 4, Peretti 8
Franklin:  Pellegri 4, Colson 9, Dean 15, Palazini 18, Gibson 19, Kuzio 2, Price 2

Scoring by quarters:
Oliver Ames:  9  17   8  16 = 50
Franklin:       26  18  17  8 = 69

Rebounds:
Oliver Ames:  27
Franklin:  31
Turnovers:
Oliver Ames:  21
Franklin:  14

3 pt. Shooting:
Oliver Ames:  1/9  .111
Franklin:  4/15  .266
Free-throws:
Oliver Ames:  10/18  .555
Franklin:  13/14  .928

by beantownhoops.com (1/14/10)
To say that #6 Lynn English played great defense in their win over #12 Somerville would be an understatement.  The Lady Bulldogs held the Highlanders to ten field goals for the game and did not give up a single basket in the 4th quarter en route to an easy twenty-five point win, 56-31.  Lynn English was able to turn Somerville over 28 times and scored 16 points off of them while also holding Somerville to 1 for 21 from the 3-point line.
Offensively for Lynn English, star guard Jenicia Duggins provided plenty by scoring a game high 25 points.  At the end of the first half she had 17 of the team’s 21 points, but it was clear someone else had to step up for Lynn English as they only led by six, 21-15.  Junior Miranda Hogan would oblige by scoring 7 pts. in the third quarter on two threes and a free-throw.
“Well everyone always says that when I start hitting three’s, I’m the engine because I start the car, ” said Hogan.
Start the car she did as her two back-to-back threes gave Lynn English a 31-20 lead in the third quarter that they would only increase from that point forward.
“Miranda hit those three’s right off the bat and it just jump started us.  When are other girls are playing well, we can be a pretty dangerous team,” said Lynn English Head Coach Fred Hogan.
The fourth quarter saw much of the same defensive dominance and Junior Lashaunda Hogan added 8 pts. in the quarter to break the game wide open.  The Lady Bulldogs would go on 17-4 run to end the game and also end a two game losing streak to Somerville.
The Highlanders were led by Kelsey Garrity’s 11 points and the 7 points by both Indira Evora and Lindsey Rimpel.  Lynn English improves their record to 9-1, 7-0 while Somerville goes to 6-2, 2-0.

Notes:  Somverville’s Keisha Jean-Louis did not play due to an injury to her leg…..Duggins stat line:  25 pts., 6 assists, 7 steals, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 4 turnovers, but only 6/17 from the free-throw line…..Lynn English’s Olivia Dupree had a game high 12 rebounds……The loss ended Somerville’s six game winning streak, while the win extended Lynn English’s current winning streak to four……I can’t remember the last time I saw a team not score a field goal in the fourth quarter.  All of Somerville’s points came from the free-throw line where they were 4 of 6……This was the first game of the week that I sent twitter updates throughout.  I will continue to do this for the rest of the games this season.  You can follow each game by looking up “beantownhoops” on twitter.

Scoring:
Somerville: Evora 7, Rimpel 7, Garrity 11, Auciello 1, Miles 2, Haley 3
Lynn English:  Duggins 25, Vaughn 2, L. Hogan 8, Dupree 6, Murkison 6, Calnan 2, M. Hogan 7

Scoring by quarters:
Somerville:     8   7   12  4 = 31
Lynn English:12  9  18  17 = 56

Rebounds:
Somerville:  46
Lynn English: 26
Turnovers:
Somerville: 28
Lynn English: 8

3 pt. Shooting:
Somerville:      1/21  .047
Lynn English: 5/20  .250
Free-throws:
Somerville: 10/15  .666
Lynn English:  7/20  .350

by beantownhoops.com (1/8/10)

In a shocking start between GBL rivals Everett and Cambridge, Everett star Nerlins Noel suffered a broken leg while going up for a lay-in during pregame warm-ups.  Noel was just doing a routine lay-in, nothing fancy, and just landed awkwardly hurting his left knee.  He remained on the ground while medical staff attended to him, delaying the start of the game for 20 minutes.  Noel could not get up under his own power and was eventually carted off in a stretcher.
The injury seemed to demoralize Everett as players and coaches watched with concern and it showed at the start of the game.  Cambridge exploded early to a 12-4 lead, but the Crimson Tide stayed resilient and trailed by only five at the quarter 20-15.  The second quarter belonged to Everett as Junior forward Ernu Deshommes and Senior Rodman Noel were able to control the paint on the offensive and defensive end.  Deshommes, who finished the game with 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks, was dominant in the first half and Freshmen reserve guard Kenny Calaj would score six points in the quarter to give Everett a halftime lead of 30-29.
“I thought the beginning of the game was an excellent start and it was 12-4.  We just lost our momentum after that and we were not able to get it back,” said Cambridge Head Coach Lance Dottin.
The second half was a see-saw affair as both teams kept trading leads.  Everett point guard Dequan Lee (8 points) was able to get to the rim consistently in the third quarter while Darius Sealy (9 points) answered for Cambridge.  At the end of the quarter, it was still a one point lead with Everett up 42-41.
The key play of the game occurred with 4:28 left in the game and Everett up 50-46.  Calaj stole the ball, scored, and was fouled.  He missed the free-throw and after a mad scramble for the rebound, the ball ended up in Matt Costello’s hands in the corner and he calmly drained a three to give Everett a 55-46 lead.  Cambridge would not recover the rest of the game and eventually lost by four, 59-55.
It was a big win for Everett, but after the game the thoughts of both coaches were still on the injury of Noel.
“We lost a key component of our team tonight.  It was just a freak accident, where he came down the wrong way.  It was a terrible, terrible injury,” said Everett Head Coach John DiBiaso.
“We just hope he is fine, that is the most important part of the night.  We care a lot about Nerlins, he’s a great kid and a great basketball player, and we hope he recovers quickly,” added Coach Dottin.
Cambridge was led by Sealy’s 9 points and Senior Kayaki Battle’s 8 points.  The win improves Everett’s record to 4-1, 2-0 while Cambridge drops to 5-2, 1-1.

Notes:  It was a sold out game tonight, with standing room only in all four corners of the gym.  People who showed up late were turned away at the door….Cambridge is a very young team with five sophs and two freshmen on the roster with only one of them not getting significant minutes…..Great back and forth between both student sections, very entertaining…..It was also the first time I saw a high school gym do the “Wave” during a game….In the JV game it was Cambridge beating Everett 64-61.

Scoring:
Everett: Calaj 6, Thurin 2, Deshommes 15, Lee 8, R.Noel 2, Costello 8, Asprilla 4, Ihegie 2
Cambridge: Sealy 9, Adair 5, Taylor 4, Starling 7, Nunes 4, Charles 6, Anderson 5, Paul 3, Battle 8, Edwards 2, Lovaincy 2

Scoring by quarters:
Everett: 15  15  12  17 = 59
Cambridge: 20   9  12  14 = 55

Rebounds:
Everett: 41
Cambridge: 56
Turnovers:
Everett: 15
Cambridge: 16

3 pt. Shooting:
Everett: 2/5  .400
Cambridge: 3/13  .230
Free-throws:
Everett:  19/42  .452
Cambridge:  12/20  .600

Brickley leads #8 Melrose over #22 Reading

by beantownhoops.com 1/5/10

In a battle of undefeated ranked teams in the Middlesex league, it was Melrose Senior forward Hannah Brickley who stood out in her team’s 53-40 win over #22 Reading.  Brickley had a double double with 17 points and 10 rebounds and was the catalyst for the Red Raiders in the first half.  Melrose started the game on an 8-0 run and took Reading out of their game for a seventeen point half time lead, 29-12.  For Brickley and her teammates, it was nice to get back at their league rival.
“It was a big game tonight and even going back to last year when we lost to them.  We had a lot of energy for this one and a lot of revenge on our mind coming into the game, “said Brickley.
Melrose’s first half was not perfect however, as they missed all eleven of their three point attempts.  It was the inside play of Brickley and Siena Mamayek (8 points) that was able to counteract a cold shooting start.  Unfortunately for Reading, they missed all thirteen of their three attempts and did not have an inside answer to help their cause.
“I think at one time we missed five consecutive shots in a possession. It was like their was a cover on the basket,” said Reading Head Coach Kim Penney.
Reading picked up its defensive pressure in the second half and was able to cut down the lead to nine points, 41-32 with 6:58 left in the contest, but Melrose would respond.  A three pointer by Lia Limone and a jumper by Mamayek would get the lead back to fourteen as Reading would get no closer the rest of the game.
“The pressure that they put on us in the second half defensively definitely changed our quality of play.  We turned the ball over too much and we need to do a better job of taking care of it,” said Melrsoe Head Coach Rob Ferrante.
“We were up by a lot at halftime and I think we just let it go to our heads (in the second half),” added Brickley.
Despite the loss, Coach Penney was proud of the way her team battled.
“There were times in the game where you would look at the score and think they were going to run away with it but then we would get the lead back to ten.  I think we showed flashes of what we can do, but I’m proud of them and their effort tonight,” said Coach Penney.
Reading was led by Carlene Kluge’s 13 ponts and Olivia Healy’s 10 points.  Melrose improves to 7-0 overall and 5-0 in league play while Reading drops to 4-1 overall and 4-1 in league competition.

Notes: Melrose has another tough game Friday where they will face another undefeated team in Stoneham who beat Burlington tonight….Reading’s Olivia Healy is only a Freshmen and showed glimpses tonight of her ability.  Keep a close eye on her the next three years…..How bad was the three point shooting tonight?  The first three was not made until 6 min. remaining in the 3rd quarter……Best halftime entertainment this game:  “Hit a 3 win a tee”.  Contestants paid $1 for a chance to make a three point shot and get a Melrose H.S. t-shirt.  I know it sounds trivial, but it was fun to watch!….Congrats to the Melrose 5th grade girls travel team who sat next to me during the game.  They finished 2nd in their Christmas tournament in Woburn.

Scoring:
Reading: Perera 4, Flower 6, Powers 2, Forlizzi 3, Healy 10, Kluge 13, O’Brien 2
Melrose: Brickley 17, Hanscom 7, Limone 8, Wiesen 6, Mamayek 8, Bell 2, Peters 3

Scoring by quarters:
Reading: 6 6 14 14 = 40
Melrose:  18 11 12 12 = 53

Rebounds:
Reading: 37
Melrose: 42
Turnovers:
Reading: 25
Melrose: 21

3 pt. Shooting:
Reading: 2/19 .105
Melrose: 3/20 .150
Free-throws:
Reading: 6/11 .545
Melrose: 2/8 .250

Boys Conference Call Friday

8-5 on Tuesday night’s girls games and thirteen more games to add to the record for the boys games Friday night.  How did I do?  11-2 in Friday’s games bringing the overall record to 51-22.
Atlantic
Dennis-Yarmouth vs. Plymouth North: D2 South qualifying is at stake here and both teams need wins to secure a birth.  Pick- Plymouth North
Bay State
Natick vs. Brookline:  A talented Brookline team just hasn’t found their groove this season while Natick is tied for second in the Herget division with a 7-4 league record.  Pick - Brookline
Cape Ann
#20 North Andover vs. North Reading:  North Andover is in a battle with Masconomet for first place in their Division while North Reading needs a win to secure its playoff birth.  Pick - North Andover
Catholic Central
Archbishop Williams vs. Arlington Catholic:  Archies comes in with a three game winning streak and AC is looking to get out of the middle of the pack in the conference.  Pick - Arlington Catholic
DCL
Bedford vs. Wayland:  First place in the DCL Small is on the line with both teams tied at 4-1.  Bedford lives and dies by the three and recently they have dropped two in a row.  Wayland is also coming off a loss, but is at home for this one.  Pick - Bedford
GBL
Medford vs. Somerville:  Our game of the week features a match-up of two GBL all-stars in Medford’s Andrew White and Somerville’s Franklin Salvador.  However, it will be the role players that will decide this game.  Pick - Medford
Hockomock
Stoughton vs. #17 North Attleboro:  Stoughton has some impressive wins on their resume, including a double overtime win vs. Brockton, while North has been taking care of business and is in first place in the league.  Pick - North Attleboro.
MVC
#2 Central Catholic vs. Lowell:  It’s not that Lowell is not very good, in fact, they are quite talented, but Central has been playing well behind Zenevitch and Desrosiers.  Pick - Central Catholic
Middlesex
Wakefield vs. #5 Belmont:   The Marauders have played well versus the top tier of the league, however, they have been in some close ones with teams in the lower tier.  Wakefield is right in the middle and is looking for the upset.  Pick - Belmont
NEC
Beverly vs. #18 Winthrop:  An ugly scene for Winthrop after their game with Lynn English, will it be a distraction?  Beverly has a winning record and may be ready to steal one away.  Pick - Winthrop
Patriot
Rockland vs. North Quincy:  Rockland is looking to extend their lead in the Fisher, while North Quincy is trying to get over .500.  Pick - Rockland.
South Shore
Harwich vs. Hull:  Harwich is in third place and Hull in fourth place.  Harwich has some momentum with a four game winning streak, while Hull has dropped three in a row.  Pick - Harwich
TVL
Hopkington vs. Millis:  Hopkington is still within reach of #22 Medway for first place in the Tri-Valley while Millis is looking to keep their post-season hopes alive.  Pick - Hopkington
Girls Conference Call Tuesday
32-15 going into today’s picks.  A nice variety of games with playoff qualifying implications on the line.   Here are the picks for the thirteen games on tap tonight.  How did I do?  8-5 in last night’s games bringing the record to 40-20 overall.  The wrong picks are highlighted below.
Atlantic
Plymouth South vs. Nauset - South leads the conference right now and Nauset (7-5)  is trying to increase their overall win total to help playoff seeding.  Pick - Plymouth South
Bay State
Braintree vs. #14 Newton North - Similar situation as the Nauset/Plymouth South game.  North leads the Bay State Carey Division by three games and Braintree is battling to stay above .500 at 7-7.  Pick - Newton North
Cape Ann
#12 Pentucket vs. Hamilton-Wenham - Is it beginning to sound like a broken record?  Pentucket has been rolling in the CAL and H-W needs wins at 4-5.  Pick - Pentucket
Catholic Central
#11 Arlington Catholic vs. Cardinal Spellman - This is a must win for both teams as they are tied for second and one game back of league leader Archbishop Williams. Pick - Arlington Catholic
DCL
Weston vs. Acton-Boxborough - Weston has won four in a row and A-B has slipped a bit.  Pick - Acton-Boxborough
EAC
#24 Coyle-Cassidy vs. Bishop Stang - C-C has been rolling and Stang is looking to get to .500. Pick - Coyle- Cassidy
GBL
Everett vs. Cambridge - Everett has struggled, but needs a win to stay in the playoff hunt.  When healthy, Cambridge is a very tough team to beat.  Pick - Cambridge
MVC
Lowell vs Methuen - A good match-up between teams in the best division of Girls basketball (MVC large).  Methuen is on a two game losing streak, while Lowell comes in winning their last two.  Pick - Methuen
Middlesex
#19 Stoneham vs. Winchester - Winchester is just outside the top tier of the league with a 8-5 record while Stoneham needs to keep pace with co-league leader Melrose.  Pick - Stoneham
NEC
Lynn Classical vs. Gloucester - Both teams need this one for league and playoff purposes.  Both are coming off a loss as well.  Pick - Lynn Classical
Patriot
Hanover vs. Silver Lake - Hanover leads the Fisher division while Silver Lake has had a nice year so far at 9-3.  Pick - Hanover.
South Shore
#23 Cohasset vs. Harwich - Both teams have already qualified for the playoffs, but Cohasset wants to keep its unblemished record intact.  Pick - Cohasset
TVL
Ashland vs. Westwood - A power match-up in the Tri-Valley as both teams have one loss in league play.  Westwood comes in to the game winning their last seven.  Pick - Westwood

What a big time match-up yesterday with #2 Central Catholic versus our Central Mass #1 team Worcester North.   Central won a close one, but more importantly, it was nice to see power teams in the different parts of the state battle one another…..Another huge game was then #5 New Mission vs. #6 East Boston.  The two city powers both excel on the defensive end and they forced each other into a combined 55 turnovers.  Eastie won it in the end, but I have a feeling we will see this match-up again in the Boston City playoffs….As the playoff picture begins to be a little more clear, there are many teams fighting to qualify.  Keep an eye this week on those teams who are at or just above .500……If any team has a chance to knock off #1 Lynn English in the NEC, it may be #18 Winthrop.  They play on Tuesday at Lynn English, but Winthrop showed yesterday in their win over Cathedral that they will play hard for 32 minutes…..The #12 Pentucket Girls were a close second for our Girls team of the week.  They beat ranked teams in Ipswich and St. Mary’s and got the signature wins we were waiting for before moving up in the polls……Speaking of St. Mary’s, is there a better story out there than that of center Tori Faieta?  Check out her story here…..The perfect regular season?  There are still four boys teams and five girls teams that are still undefeated.  Can anyone of them pull it off?  My picks will be #4 St. John’s Prep  on the boys side and #6 Fontbonne on the girls side…..Finally, I hope all of the injured players out there have speedy recoveries.  Recently heard that All-Middlesex league performer Andrew Scocca of Melrose will be out for the season.  We never want to hear about players being shelved for the year.  Best of luck to all of you.

Boys Team of the Week:  Medford Mustangs
Record:  7-4, 3-2 in the Greater Boston League (tied for second)
This past week:  Two league road wins  over Malden and #19 Everett
Notes: After going winless in the league last year, Coach Anthony Faradie has led a revival at Medford.  The Mustangs beat Malden on Andrew White’s last second lay-in and then point guard Kadeem Smith led them to their second victory of the week at Everett.  Coach Faradie is quick to point out that defense was the key factor in the team’s successful week.
“We have really focused this year on our defense.  It is what has been working and winning for us,” said Coach Faradie.
Coach Faradie noted that there is still a long way to go and he wants his team to “maintain its focus and keep working to achieve their goals.”  Congratulations to the Medford Boys for being the Beantownhoops.com Boys Team of the Week.
Girls Team of the Week:  New Bedford Whalers
Record: 15-0, 2-0 in the Big Three (first place)
This past week:  Two league wins over #4 Brockton and Durfee
Notes:  #14 New Bedford is on a roll and is sure to climb in the rankings when our Top 25 rankings for Jan. 24th are released.  Down eight points with 3:30 left in the 4th quarter at Brockton, the Whalers stormed back behind the play of Juniors Alyssa Roach and Arielle Gomes to win by one.  On Friday, New Bedford easily handled Durfee by 22 points to take sole possession of first in the Big Three.  Congratulations to the New Bedford Girls for being the Beantownhoops.com Girls Team of the Week.