Melrose Lady Raiders Basketball

Melrose traveled to Woburn and extended their winning streak with a 62-47 victory. This brings their record to 13-2, 12-1 in the Middlesex League heading into Monday's Championship Showdown with Reading.

Melrose sprinted out to a quick 19-10 first period lead and led 31-23 at the half with liberal substitution. Hannah Brickley (10) and Siena Mamayek combined for 19 points at the break.

The Lady Raiders put the game away in the third with an 18-4 run to go up 49-27.

Siena was the scoring leader with 18 and Hannah added 14 for the winners.

Game Notes: Melrose scored 62 points, despite shooting 1 for 12 from beyond the arc and 9 for 16 at the free throw line.*

Rim Ramblings: Melrose hosts Reading MONDAY at the Middle School Gymnasium seeking to avenge the 48-47 defeat at the Hawkes Fieldhouse.

Having already eclipsed ten wins, Melrose has again qualified for the post-season tournament. The venue for the Division II North finals is up in the air with the Tsongas Arena already booked, according to the Herald.

*Statistics courtesy of Dick Collis of the Melrose Sports Hall of Fame.

The "reliability factor" of rankings always comes into questions, because largely they represent opinions, coming neither on stone tablets or consensus.

Tom Hellen's weekly rankings have at least the merit of an individual who sees the leagues and the games.

Melrose remains tied for the Middlesex League lead with a 62-30 victory over the visiting Burlington Red Devils, 62-30.

Melrose jumped out to a quick 17-9 first quarter lead behind eight points from Siena Mamayek. They extended the advantage to 32-17 by the break, with balanced scoring, including eight from Siena, seven from Niki Devereaux, and five each from Hannah Brickley and Colleen Hanscom.

The second half saw more of the same, as Melrose won each quarter, leading 42-26 after three, and riding a 20-4 fourth period advantage to the final.

Hannah led Melrose scorers with thirteen and Siena had a dozen.

Game Notes*: Melrose lit it up from beyond the arc, shooting six for eleven, with five players raining threes on the Devils, including Amanda Peters with two, and Colleen, Hannah, Niki, and Teagan Bell with one apiece.

Melrose shot two from eight from the free throw line. Ten players scored for the Lady Raiders today.

* Statistics provided courtesy of Dick Collis.

Schedule Update

Melrose hosts Burlington Tuesday.

Maxpreps Massachusetts Rankings

Maxpreps appears to adjust for strength of schedule.

Boston Herald's take.

Melrose traveled to Belmont and moved to 11-2, 10-1 in the Middlesex League with a 51-27 victory.

The Lady Raiders were back at full strength, although Hannah Brickley saw limited action in the contest as she recovers from illness.

Melrose got off to a slow start, with the teams deadlocked at 10 after one, and Melrose leading 23-18 at the intermission. Colleen Hanscom (8) and Laura Irwin (6), returning from the Inauguration, were the first half scoring leaders.

Melrose gradually pulled away in the second half, despite some offensive inefficiency as they couldn't match their shooting percentage from Tuesday. Nonetheless, the team's outstanding defensive effort limited the Marauders to four points in the third and five in the fourth period.

Colleen led Melrose with 17, including 7 in the fourth quarter, and Laura added 12 points. The Lady Raiders unofficially shot 6 for 11 from the free throw line.

An important omission from yesterday's game stands corrected. With Laura Irwin and Amanda Peters away, freshmen Jenny McGee and Jill Slabacheski saw their first varsity action. Congratulations to the young ladies who have worked hard to earn a varsity appearance.

Inauguration Day was not lost on the Lady Raiders, as they cruised to a 61-29 victory over the Watertown Raiders.

Laura Irwin and Amanda Peters were absent in Washington at the Inauguration, and Hannah Brickley missed all but a minute of action with illness, but a different cast produced the same results.

Melrose started a little slowly, with Watertown going to their strength, center Brittany Obi-Talbot, who made a variety of tough inside moves early. But Melrose countered with an inside outside combination of Siena Mamayek and Colleen Hanscom, each delivering 10 first half points en route to a 36-18 halftime lead.

But the star of the day belonged to Nicole Meuse, with a career high 19 points, including a trio of first half three pointers. Melrose shot 4-5 from beyond the arc in the first half, and an overall 58 percent scorching first half shooting percentage.

However, those weren't the only highlights, as Ashley Cunningham and Annemarie Wiesen each contributed six rebounds to lead in that category, and Niki Devereaux had four assists without a turnover from the two guard position.

Melrose had fourteen assists tonight and only thirteen turnovers, while delivering thirteen steals including four from Siena and three from Colleen.

After Meuse's nineteen, Mamayek added fourteen and Hanscom a dozen, and Wiesen added seven in her start.

Without three regulars, the team put together a strong team performance to open the second half of the schedule.

Obi-Tabot was outstanding in defeat for Watertown with eighteen points, showing Division I skills, powerful rebounding and excellent footwork inside. If she played on a contender, she would be a very likely MVP candidate in the league.

Melrose has enjoyed consistent success with nine consecutive Middlesex League titles in Girls' Basketball and brought a lot of joy to the community. Five undefeated Middlesex League regular seasons in a decade also tells us we need some luck, too. Illness, injury, an off day, officiating, or the ball just not bouncing your way can make or break you on any day.

Little girls want to grow up to be Lady Raiders and represent their city. But every season and team is unique. Playing a game at a high level is wonderful, but as a fan, I'm excited by the atmosphere, the fun, and the joy of a team coming together. Winning titles will always be important, but shouldn't become a crusade to the exclusion of the teams enjoying the experience. Play hard, make memories, share the joy of competitition; the results take care of themselves.

Boston Herald

Boston Globe

An innovative approach from MassLive (post 6137)

EMASS Standings and High Scorers

Maxpreps Basketball

Coach Storm (Tom Hellen, a very knowledgeable observer from Somerville)

This is not an endorsement or recommendation of any of these systems, just a sample of what is out there. State tournaments clarify the rankings for those who want clarity.

Melrose completes the first turn through the Middlesex League, winning on the road over Wakefield 57-35. Melrose moves to 8-1 in the ML and 9-2 overall.

Melrose put the game away early with a 19-8 first quarter, led by six points from Hannah Brickley and four from Siena Mamayek. They built the lead to 33-15 by the break, with Colleen Hanscom adding six second quarter points. Melrose was 3 for 5 on three pointers in the first half with one apiece from Niki Devereaux, Amanda Peters, and Teagan Bell.

The Lady Raiders continued their streak with a third quarter 16-12 win to go up 49-27 and each team scored eight in the final period for the game score.

Hannah Brickley led with sixteen points, Colleen Hanscom had twelve and Laura Irwin and Siena Mamayek added eight apiece.

For the game Melrose was 6-7 from the line and 3-8 from three point territory.

Melrose survived a ferocious Lexington comeback to defeat the Lady Minutemen 43-40 at the Middle School Gym. The victory raises Melrose's record to 8-2, and extends a three game losing streak for Lexington having recently lost to Reading and Stoneham.

Melrose has struggled with Lexington from time to time, as Lexington opts for a slow down half-court battle of 2-3 zones and perimeter offense. Melrose got off to another slow start, trailing 11-4 after a period and rebounding to take an 18-14 edge into the locker room.

Every time Melrose would threaten to break away, Lexington would take a time out, and chip away at the lead. had

Niki Devereaux and Siena Mamayek led Melrose at the half with five points apiece, and Melrose had trouble taking care of the basketball with twelve first half turnovers.

Melrose played a strong third period, outscoring the visitors 13-9 to carry an eight point lead into the final frame. Six different players scored for Melrose in the third, including a trey apiece for Niki and Nicole Meuse.

But the action picked up dramatically in the fourth, with a furious rally by Lexington leading to a 36-36 tie with 3:32 remaining, 38s at 2:23 and a late Lexington 40-39 lead. But Siena Mamayek had a pretty basket inside on a spinning move to the hoop, and Lexington had the ball down one with about 35 seconds left. Lexington couldn't get a shot to drop, and fouled Colleen Hanscom with 2.9 seconds left.

Colleen drained a pair of critical free throws to expand the edge to three points, and a desperation half court heave at the buzzer went awry as Melrose sealed the victory to remain a game out behind Reading.

Lady Raider Notes: Mamayek led the scorers with ten, while Hanscom and Devereaux each added eight points from the guard positions. Laura Irwin had a big night with fourteen rebounds and Hannah Brickley added eight boards.

Melrose shot 14-44 from the field and 6 for 10 from the line. The team struggled to take care of the ball in the first half with twelve turnovers, but reduced the number to six in the second half.

Melrose traveled to Winchester on a frozen winter evening and warmed the hearts of Lady Raider fans with a 59-37 victory.

The Lady Raiders got off to a slow start in the first period, trailing 14-12.

Balanced scoring and determination to pound the ball inside resulted in a 27-21 halftime lead and started to pile up the fouls against Winchester. At the break Colleen Hanscom had 11 points and Laura Irwin 6.

A 17-6 edge in the third period widened the lead to 44-27 and the contest was over.

Melrose substituted liberally and closed out their hosts with a 15-10 fourth period advantage.

Lady Raider Notes: The Back Row reports several observations, including what seemed to be a serious effort to exploit Melrose's inside game. Colleen Hanscom and Laura Irwin led Melrose scorers tonight with 16 points apiece. Siena Mamayek saw limited action because of injury. We wish her a speedy recovery. Melrose struggled at the free throw line shooting 12-27 (.444).

Melrose moves to 7-2, 6-1 in the Middlesex League with tonight's victory. Melrose hosts Lexington Tuesday at 5:30 P.M. in the Middle School Gymnasium.

Click to ENLARGE.

Adam Weng was kind to send along this terrific shot of former Lady Raiders who came to help celebrate Alumnae Night. These young ladies and their coaches provided many terrific memories for Melrose hoop fans.

Click photos to ENLARGE

Photos courtesy of Don Norris. This is your team.
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Siena Mamayek has averaged fourteen points a game and been deadly from the charity stripe.
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Nicole Meuse advances the ball.
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The rebounding struggle underneath isn't for the faint of heart.
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Laura Irwin stops and pops from the corner.
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Colleen Hanscom drives to the basket.
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Hannah Brickley, averaging about 16 points a game throws up a floater. Annemarie Wiesen battles for position.

The Division II North continues to provide likely major challenges with strong teams including Reading, AC, Westford, Melrose, Masconomet, and Bishop Fenwick.

Probably the biggest surprise in the North has been Andover's strength, led from the guard position, with their dynamic duo of Boudreau (as a frosh under the eyes of UCONN) and Gomez, with an annihilation of their Sparta, Central Catholic.

What has that got to do with Melrose? Plenty. In post-season play, you cannot thrive without superior play from the guard position, as the best teams bring pressure defense, quickness to the ball defensively, and often 'the big girl', a shot-blocking interior presence that can challenge smaller teams, like Melrose.

Fortunately, Melrose has the opportunity to continue building their guard rotation. Colleen Hanscom played what I thought was her best game against Stoneham, with leadership, controlled offense with ball security, good shot selection (shooting almost fifty percent), and steady defense. She has improved her assist to turnover ratio and has an effective complement in defensive stopper Niki Devereaux who added nine second half points Tuesday. The third guard in the rotation, Nicole Meuse, has the best 'pure' outside shot of the group and has the potential to be a consistent scorer off the bench.

Melrose has gotten strong play up front from Hannah Brickley and Siena Mamayek, and Laura Irwin continues to regain her form after a volleyball injury. Melrose's bench has provided steady effort and will work hard to contribute going down the stretch. Annemarie Wiesen and Ashley Cunningham have both shown toughness on the boards.

The strength of the team has been defense, the twin post game of Brickley and Mamayek, steady point play from Hanscom and leadership from the guards, and at times the transition (fast break) game. The team will work to strengthen their blocking out to prevent opposition offensive rebounding that Reading showed, has improved their free throw shooting recently, and reduced their three-point shots, which were not firing on all cylinders early this season. For a comparison, Shey Peddy drilled three pointers at a 62 percent clip her senior season.

The Middlesex League title runs through Reading now, with their one game in hand, an overall down year for the league, and a home rematch against the Rockets for a chance at a tenth consecutive ML crown for the Lady Raiders.

Melrose travels to Winchester tomorrow at 5:30.

Melrose (5-2) hosted Stoneham (6-1) in a battle of once-beaten (Middlesex League) teams and came away with a peculiar 54-41 victory.

The pregame banter projected a fifteen point Melrose win over the visitors. Before the game, the Boosters Club remembered long-term Back Row Gang founder Bob Kershaw who passed away this fall. Kershaw was instrumental in developing local television broadcasting of Melrose basketball. There is now an inscribed plaque in his memory in the back row.

Melrose got the opening hoop off a Colleen Hanscom runner, only to see Stoneham score the next eighteen consecutive points as the Lady Raiders came out sluggishly. Coach Rob Ferrante voiced his displeasure with a full subsitution for all the starters. Melrose bounced back to trail 18-5 at the break.

Melrose began to get their act together in the second period, with Siena Mamayek finding the range with six points and Colleen throwing in another five.

During the third period, Melrose gradually began to establish control of the game, finally taking a 33-32 lead with Hannah leading the way with six points in the third.

Melrose finally wore down their guests in the fourth, with more balanced scoring and some pretty interior passing from Siena, playing her usual steady game. Hannah led all scorers with nineteen points (fifteen in the second half) and six rebounds, Colleen had eleven points, three assists and Siena had ten points, four rebounds, and three assists.

Analysis: Despite what can only be described as a shocking first quarter, Melrose rebounded to win the final three quarters 49-23. Niki Devereaux handled the Stoneham scorer, Cassie Liston admirably, and also scored nine second half points. Melrose improved their shot selection and efficiency, going 2 for 6 from three point land, after having some disastrous shooting from beyond the arc recently. Overall they were 22 for 59, and 6 for 8 from the stripe.

The ball is gold, because possessions create scoring chances. The best ballhandlers seek to maintain an assist to turnover ratio of 2:1, and in high school, parity is good. In their previous contest Melrose achieved that 1:1 ratio, but tonight the Lady Raiders had nine assists and sixteen turnovers.

Coach Rob Ferrante didn't seem too pleased with the officials tonight, apparently going out of his way to pick up a technical, but the zebras didn't oblige. The Stoneham point guard crashing through a Devereaux screen sending Niki to the bench understandable drew his ire.

Melrose rebounded from a two loss week, beginning the rest of the season with a solid 60-39 win over upstart Woburn. The Lady Raiders are now 4-1 in the Middlesex League and 5-2 overall.

Melrose led 18-10 at the quarter and 32-20 at the half, behind double figures for Hannah Brickley and eight from Nicole Meuse, including a trio of steals.

Melrose continued to extend the lead in the second half, going up 48-27 with Siena Mamayek tossing in 9 third quarter points, and Woburn achieved a tie in the fourth period, 12-12.

Hannah led all scorers with 20 points on 9-14 shooting, and Siena added 16. Siena led all Melrose rebounders with seven and Hannah added six. Colleen had four assists and Siena had three.

Melrose had fourteen turnovers for the game, matching fourteen assists.

Lady Raider Notes: 16 Lady Raiders Alumnae returned to be recognized for their contribution to the program. Each was introduced and presented a flower from the MHS Basketball Boosters who also held a reception after the game. Today marked the debut of Ralph Labella and Mark Pearson in the MMTV broadcast booth, with the 16th year for camera chief/producer Mark Dustin.

Melrose improved their free throw shooting going 7 for 9, but continues to labor beyond the arc, shooting one for fourteen.

The Melrose Lady Raiders (4-2, 3-1 Middlesex League) continue their first half of the ML schedule facing the Woburn Lady Tanners today at 4 P.M. at the Middle School Gym. This is the annual "Alumnae Reunion" game where alumnae return to share memories and receive recognition for their contributions to Melrose basketball. You never know whom you might see.

Melrose continues to work to improve all aspects of their game as they battle for their tenth consecutive league title.

Maxpreps is a site where an independent organization provides rankings based on records and strength of schedule. The current rankings do not include Friday's games.

Part of Melrose's success has come from the tremendous community support the team has received through the years. Continue to celebrate the efforts and sacrifices of these scholar-athletes, and get to know your community better.

Reading came in a solid favorite, with an experienced, all-senior lineup. But it took a furious comeback and a battle at the free throw line for Reading to defend their home court for the first time in a decade against Melrose, winning 48-47.

Reading came in with the heralded Jackie Lyons and Cat Carey, and unfortunately Melrose point guard Colleen Hanscom was ill but played a gutsy game chasing Lyons.

Reading went up to a quick 8-2 lead, but Melrose responded with a 26-9 run of their own to lead 28-17, which they stretched to 32-20 after leading 23-17 at the half.

Hannah Brickley and Siena Mamayek led Melrose with eight apiece at the half, dominating inside.

But Reading chipped away, led by the persistent Lyons who overcame first half frustration to fire in 21 points, including a perfect 11 for 11 from the line.

After three periods Melrose held a fragile 34-31 edge, despite brilliant defense from Niki Devereaux who had held sharpshooter Cat Carey down.

Reading and Melrose battled down the stretch before Reading tied the score at forty-two. Lyons repeatedly drove left and got to the free throw line where she hurt the Lady Raiders. Melrose had a good look at a three down the stretch that didn't drop, and induced a shot clock violation with fourteen seconds left.

Melrose worked the ball inside for a last shot opportunity, but the ball wouldn't fall in and Reading took home the victory to the delight of the capacity crowd at the Hawkes Field House.

Hannah Brickley led Melrose with 20 points, Siena Mamayek had a hard-earned 15 including 7-7 from the line, and Colleen Hanscom added 10.

Melrose shot 17 for 25 from the line, but unfortunately came up 4-8 in the critical fourth period while Lyons kept draining hers.

The Lady Raiders fall to 4-2, 3-1 in the Middlesex League, and now trail the Rockets by a game.

Melrose travels to Reading for the first of a pair of contests against the favored Rockets.

Melrose's defeat Tuesday to Winnacunnet meant losing to the number one ranked team in New Hampshire. One local expert with whom I exchanged email said that he would rank Winnacunnet number one if they played in Massachusetts.

The Lady Raiders play the late game tomorrow at Reading (@7:00 P.M.)

Lady Raider Notes: Each season stands on its own merit, with the goals and accomplishments of each team similarly their own. Victory is always achieved on the court, not in the abstraction of history or via rankings in electronic or print media. Fans can help by supporting the team if you can make it to Reading High School.

Directions to Reading Memorial High School
62 Oakland Road
Reading, MA 01867
781-944-8200
Joseph Finnigan, Principal

From Route 128 (95) North or South: take Exit 38B North and proceed on route 28 North through the center of Reading. Keeping Old South Methodist Church (huge white church in the center of town) on your left and the funeral home on your right at the set of traffic lights, continue north on Route 28 (Main St.) to the next set of working traffic lights and turn left onto Birch Meadow Drive. Take first left off Birch Meadow Drive (Oakland Rd.) and high school is at the top of the hill.
From Route 93 take Exit 38. At the end of exit ramp head toward Reading Square on Route 129 East. When you arrive at Old South Methodist Church, turn left in front of the church (continuation of 129) and at the traffic lights (at end of church block) turn left onto Rte. 28. At next set of working traffic lights, turn left onto Birch Meadow Drive. Take first left off Birch Meadow Drive (Oakland Rd.) and high school is at the top of the hill.