Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Reality Bytes, Melrose Wins 70-29
The Melrose Lady Raiders 'hosted' Stoneham last night at Spartan Arena and took no prisoners, leading from the get go and crushing the Lady Spartans. Melrose (7-0) holds a one game lead over the Lexington Lady Minutemen (6-1), who defeated Reading 55-45 last night.
But is that really the story? Sheylani Peddy once again led the parade with a phenomenal night, 8 for 9 shooting, 4 for 5 on threes, 19 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, with several more that could have been converted into buckets. Lyn DeAmato, Meg Kirwan, and freshman center Siena Mamayek, playing her best game as a Lady Raider all played key supporting roles, and yet that may not be the biggest issue.
Melrose scored the first seven points and never looked back, leading 35-17 at halftime, and generally overwhelming Stoneham with speed and transition. 12 Melrose players scored, and everyone on the team played in both stanzas.
Yet, plenty of solid teams will present major obstacles for a repeat D2 North title this spring, with Arlington Catholic, Westford, Masconomet, Lincoln-Sudbury, Reading, and Bishop Fenwick all major obstacles. Anything except a one seed will mean three tough games.
While Melrose has excelled at ball movement, transition, three-point shooting, and revealed several new offensive sets last evening, we must take a moment to comment on a few areas that need improvement if the Lady Raiders are going back to the TD Banknorth Garden. First, setting SCREENS. Melrose (like most other high school teams) continually sets illegal screens, with players either moving or leaning at time of contact. The officials repeatedly called the Lady Raiders on this last evening, and they're looking for it more. It isn't one or two players. Players are reaching in on defense with their weight forward and getting burned on drives from the foul line extended area. Good teams will take advantage of these opportunities. Third, many of the younger players are trying to force the game rather than play within the system designed to help them to flourish. This results in avoidable turnovers and suboptimal shot-selection that can make a difference. Finally, the Lady Raiders must continue to improve their free throw shooting, as free throws determine the winner in crunch time in the biggest games.
Melrose has a gifted, well-coached team this year, and if they want to get to the pinnacle of success, they need to attend to the 'little things', items that involve player accountability, not coaching.
So what issue are we talking about? The feud between Melrose and the Stoneham coach goes way back to the days when she guided Wakefield to a State Title, crushing Melrose and many other teams along the way. Times have changed but hard feelings apparently have not, as in a Belichick-Mangini brushoff, no customary postgame handshake came off last night.
Adults set an example for children, and Middlesex League coaches need to show more sportsmanship...and I'm not criticizing Rob Ferrante who has done the 'right thing' the entire season.
But is that really the story? Sheylani Peddy once again led the parade with a phenomenal night, 8 for 9 shooting, 4 for 5 on threes, 19 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, with several more that could have been converted into buckets. Lyn DeAmato, Meg Kirwan, and freshman center Siena Mamayek, playing her best game as a Lady Raider all played key supporting roles, and yet that may not be the biggest issue.
Melrose scored the first seven points and never looked back, leading 35-17 at halftime, and generally overwhelming Stoneham with speed and transition. 12 Melrose players scored, and everyone on the team played in both stanzas.
Yet, plenty of solid teams will present major obstacles for a repeat D2 North title this spring, with Arlington Catholic, Westford, Masconomet, Lincoln-Sudbury, Reading, and Bishop Fenwick all major obstacles. Anything except a one seed will mean three tough games.
While Melrose has excelled at ball movement, transition, three-point shooting, and revealed several new offensive sets last evening, we must take a moment to comment on a few areas that need improvement if the Lady Raiders are going back to the TD Banknorth Garden. First, setting SCREENS. Melrose (like most other high school teams) continually sets illegal screens, with players either moving or leaning at time of contact. The officials repeatedly called the Lady Raiders on this last evening, and they're looking for it more. It isn't one or two players. Players are reaching in on defense with their weight forward and getting burned on drives from the foul line extended area. Good teams will take advantage of these opportunities. Third, many of the younger players are trying to force the game rather than play within the system designed to help them to flourish. This results in avoidable turnovers and suboptimal shot-selection that can make a difference. Finally, the Lady Raiders must continue to improve their free throw shooting, as free throws determine the winner in crunch time in the biggest games.
Melrose has a gifted, well-coached team this year, and if they want to get to the pinnacle of success, they need to attend to the 'little things', items that involve player accountability, not coaching.
So what issue are we talking about? The feud between Melrose and the Stoneham coach goes way back to the days when she guided Wakefield to a State Title, crushing Melrose and many other teams along the way. Times have changed but hard feelings apparently have not, as in a Belichick-Mangini brushoff, no customary postgame handshake came off last night.
Adults set an example for children, and Middlesex League coaches need to show more sportsmanship...and I'm not criticizing Rob Ferrante who has done the 'right thing' the entire season.
// posted by Ron Sen, MD, FCCP @ 7:54 PM 
