Sunday, February 04, 2007
Hoop Happenings
Tom Hellen, a.k.a. CoachStorm has his initial 'Bracketology' overview, tournament preview. Standings can change rapidly, and as you can see, Melrose is the only undefeated team remaining in Division II North. As currently constituted, Boston Latin and Charlestown would be sacrificial lambs for the likes of Lincoln-Sudbury and Westford. Through no fault of their own, the city schools generally lack the depth and player experience to compete on a level playing field in the postseason.
Boston Herald uberreporter Danny Ventura has revised Boys and Girls rankings in his Starting Five. Many observers recognize Ventura as a top school sports correspondent nationally.
Arlington Catholic (AC) dropped a decision in overtime at Division 1 Central Catholic today, giving the Cougars three losses and potentially moving them into the 7th-8th seed. AC has a challenging schedule that includes the likes of Cardinal Spellman (twice), Bishop Fenwick (twice), Wilmington, Archbishop Williams, Masconomet, Framingham (a Bay State League power), and the Comcast Tournament.
I spoke with AC coach Dave Brady today who gave some perspective. Concerning Melrose's schedule, he noted that eighteen league games leaves very little flexibility.
He opined that Melrose native Maria Scocca's injury means that they have to retool their lineup and that adjustments take time. They had only three days without Scocca before dropping last week's contest with Spellman. Scocca's injury could mean that she is lost for the season. AC will be smaller, but quicker, if Melrose's Becky Bowman moves into the lineup. As for injuries, Brady noted that's just part of the deal with coaching.
He projected his team for the eighth seed in Division II North, based on their schedule. Last year Melrose eliminated AC in a quarterfinal D2 North match at Stoneham.
According to the Woburn Daily Chronicle, Middlesex League girls' teams are 10-3 outside of Middlesex League play.
Melrose heads into Tuesday's rematch at Reading (7 p.m.) looking to eclipse their ML record 52 consecutive game victory streak. Reading features a pair of scholarship players, Mary Silvia (Division I) at shooting guard and Tegan Atallah (Division II) at center.
Boston Herald uberreporter Danny Ventura has revised Boys and Girls rankings in his Starting Five. Many observers recognize Ventura as a top school sports correspondent nationally.
Arlington Catholic (AC) dropped a decision in overtime at Division 1 Central Catholic today, giving the Cougars three losses and potentially moving them into the 7th-8th seed. AC has a challenging schedule that includes the likes of Cardinal Spellman (twice), Bishop Fenwick (twice), Wilmington, Archbishop Williams, Masconomet, Framingham (a Bay State League power), and the Comcast Tournament.
I spoke with AC coach Dave Brady today who gave some perspective. Concerning Melrose's schedule, he noted that eighteen league games leaves very little flexibility.
He opined that Melrose native Maria Scocca's injury means that they have to retool their lineup and that adjustments take time. They had only three days without Scocca before dropping last week's contest with Spellman. Scocca's injury could mean that she is lost for the season. AC will be smaller, but quicker, if Melrose's Becky Bowman moves into the lineup. As for injuries, Brady noted that's just part of the deal with coaching.
He projected his team for the eighth seed in Division II North, based on their schedule. Last year Melrose eliminated AC in a quarterfinal D2 North match at Stoneham.
According to the Woburn Daily Chronicle, Middlesex League girls' teams are 10-3 outside of Middlesex League play.
Melrose heads into Tuesday's rematch at Reading (7 p.m.) looking to eclipse their ML record 52 consecutive game victory streak. Reading features a pair of scholarship players, Mary Silvia (Division I) at shooting guard and Tegan Atallah (Division II) at center.
// posted by Ron Sen, MD, FCCP @ 8:09 PM 
