Melrose Lady Raiders Basketball

The deadly 5-12 matchup resulted in a heartbreaking 55-53 defeat for the Lady Raiders, knocked out in the first round by the Lincoln-Sudbury Warriors. In addition to adjusting to playoff pressure, both teams needed to adjust to the third official added for post-season play.

Melrose went out quickly to a 16-7 lead sparked by a trio of Colleen Hanscom treys, but L-S ran off ten consecutive points to lead after one.

Melrose regained the momentum in period two, with Hannah Brickley turning it on, and Melrose held a 32-27 lead after the half. Colleen had 11 first half points, Hannah 10, and Siena Mamayek had 7. Despite fourteen first half turnovers, Melrose shot the lights out, shooting 12-22 including 5 for 9 on threes.

Melrose again extended the lead to eight in period three, but L-S kept battling back, slicing through a Melrose zone trap, to tie the score at 44 headed into the fourth.

The fourth period was a donnybrook with a number of lead changes, including a late L-S lead at 53-51 before Niki Devereaux hit a short jumper from the left baseline to tie the score with about twenty-three seconds left. Melrose played in foul trouble down the stretch with both Siena and Laura Irwin with four fouls.

L-S set up a play to enable the point guard to slash to the basket with about 6.8 seconds left, and Melrose got the ball to halfcourt with 2.6 seconds left. Melrose got a clean look near the buzzer from the left baseline but the shot rimmed out and L-S survived and advanced.

Unofficially, Hannah Brickley led Melrose scorers with 21 points, and Colleen Hanscom had fourteen points and six assists. Laura Irwin had ten rebounds doing yeoman work on the glass.

Melrose finishes another successful season 16-5 and returns four starters for next season.

Latest projections from the KP Boys Hoop Site. Seedings Friday.

The second season comes right around the corner and the possibilities are extensive.

The King Philip boys basketball site gives us some data to ponder. Reading is in the Acton-Boxboro tournament with AC, AB, and Lowell. It's easy to imagine Reading dropping to either a three or four seed under those conditions. The one seed (presumably AC) gets a bye, and the other fourteen teams play for the 2-8 seeds into the quarterfinals.

Melrose is likely to remain a five seed meaning a 5-12 pairing, but of course, that could mean a number of possible pairings as the 11-14 positions appear fungible. Projecting how the city teams do (e.g. Brighton) isn't so easy.

The site also gives one projected initial bracket pairing...but again the rankings can change radically and the AB tournament may determine whether Melrose faces Reading for a third time in an early round.

Melrose completed the regular season with a 56-34 victory over Wakefield on Senior Night. The victory saw Melrose complete the season at 16-4, 15-3 in the Middlesex League, tied with Stoneham for second, as Reading crushed Stoneham 68-33 to capture the ML title.

Melrose's lone senior, Niki Devereaux, was recognized for her contribution.

Melrose took a quick 15-7 lead after one with Devereaux scoring five points. The lead extended to 31-19 at the half, with Niki leading the Lady Raiders with 10 points and Hannah Brickley adding eight.

Melrose continued their domination in the third, more than doubling Wakefield at 45-22 with a 14-3 run, before closing out the game.

Devereaux's fourteen points led Melrose, followed by Siena Mamayek with thirteen and Hannah added a dozen.

Melrose finished 2 for 8 from three-point land, and was 14 for 24 from the stripe.

The seedings will be established soon for the post-season.Here are standings from a useful site.

Melrose traveled to Lexington and put on a defensive clinic with a 51-26 win. The Lady Raiders moved to 15-4, 14-3 in the Middlesex League.

The game started close with a 14-11 Melrose lead after one, led by six from Laura Irwin.

A 15-4 second stanza widened the lead to 29-15 and the rout was on. Siena Mamayek had seven second period points.

Melrose wrapped it with 10-6 and 12-5 periods for the final, a four period sweep and a useful reflection of their effort tonight.

Hannah Brickley and Siena each had 11 and Laura had 10 points for the winners. Unofficially Melrose was 1-6 on threes and 4-12 at the foul line.

Melrose hosts Wakefield Friday for Senior Night as they prepare for the postseason.

Melrose got back to winning tonight with a 65-45 victory over Winchester at the Middle School Gymnasium.

Melrose went out early, although Winchester hung around for about a quarter behind the scoring of Quick and Mangano.

Melrose had a comfortable 32-17 halftime lead, behind solid play from Hannah Brickley with 11 first half points and five assists from Colleen Hanscom. Teagan Bell also provided a spark off the bench in the period. Melrose shot fifty percent for the half including 2-8 from three-point land.

Hanscom lit it up in the third period with 13 points and the team had its best ball movement of the season. Melrose also went three for three from beyond the arc in the period. Melrose had 12 assists at the half against only four turnovers and twenty for the game with just nine turnovers.

Colleen led all scorers with fifteen points and had her best floor game of the season with nine assists and just a pair of turnovers, an excellent ratio. Hannah and Siena Mamayek each added eleven points and Nicole Meuse had a solid contribution with seven. Laura Irwin led Melrose rebounders with eight boards.

Melrose was 7 for 15 on threes in one of their best shooting performances of the season and six for nine from the free throw line.

With the win, Melrose goes to 14-4, 13-3 in the Middlesex League going into the final week of the season. Next week the team will celebrate Senior Night and recognize the contribution of those four-year members of the program.

Rim Ramblings: Shey Peddy's Wright State Raiders faced Butler tonight on ESPN2.

Stoneham battled Melrose in their first contest, only to wear down at the end. At home tonight, the Spartans upset the Lady Raiders 49-48, and can claim to be the only team to have beaten both Reading and Melrose.

Stoneham has improved steadily during the season, and hung tough throughout the game. Melrose trailed 9-8 after the first period, but opened up at 25-19 lead at halftime in large part to 10 second quarter points from Hannah Brickley. Hannah had 12 at the half, and Colleen Hanscom added another seven.

Stoneham continued to battle through the third, trailing by one at 33-32 as Melrose put up eight third quarter points, and the fourth period was a donnybrook, with Stoneham taking the lead and hanging on to win 49-48.

Hannah had sixteen points, Colleen fourteen, and Siena Mamayek ten. Statistically*, the Lady Raiders shot two for nine from beyond the arc, and free throw shooting was costly as Melrose shot eight for seventeen in the game and two for six in the pivotal fourth period as Stoneham claimed victory.

*Statistics courtesy of Dick Collis.

The Reading Rockets, featuring an all-senior starting five, took an early lead and never relinquished it en route to a 45-39 victory at Melrose. Reading now holds a one-game Middlesex League moving down the stretch.

Reading got off to an 11-10 first period and 27-23 halftime lead. Eight Jaclyn Lyons points got Reading out fast, although Hannah Brickley countered with twelve first half points including a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer.

Reading played stingy defense throughout, yet held Melrose to only five free throws. Alison Staiger's ten first half points, including a pair of threes was the key to Reading's first half output.

The second half began with Reading extending the lead, which never got to double figures, and Melrose could only manage five points in the third period, as Reading took a 34-28 lead down the stretch.

Melrose closed to within four at 38-34 in the fourth stanza, but Reading continually made big plays including a couple down the stretch by Maria Pandolfo.

Colleen Hanscom (11 points) and Niki Devereaux held down the Rockets' high scoring duo of Lyons (15) and Cat Carey, who combined for only 23 points, but Reading contained Melrose's inside game, and Melrose only could put four players in the scoring column, led by Hannah (16), Colleen, and Siena Mamayek with eight points.

The key statistics for the game were Reading holding Melrose to sixteen second half points, and the assist-turnover ratio for Melrose of four to seventeen, as Reading jammed the paint and forced Melrose into errors when they tried to get entry passes inside.

Melrose was 15-44 from the field, 4-5 from the line, and was led in the rebounding category by Laura Irwin with seven and Siena Mamayek with six.

The Lady Raiders will look to rebound Wednesday, traveling to Stoneham, which defeated Reading earlier in the season.

For most of the past decade, Melrose and Reading have prospered at the top of the Middlesex League in girls' basketball. Melrose hosts the Rockets Monday at 5:30 at the Veterans Memorial Middle School.

Melrose has won nine consecutive league titles, and had five undefeated Middlesex League seasons over that span. And former assistant coach Rob Ferrante has continued the tradition, leading his team to a 13-2 start, including a one point loss to Reading (at Reading) and a defeat in the Peabody Tanner Tournament to Winnacunnet, the two-time New Hampshire state champion. Maxpreps rates Winnacunnet, the New Hampshire state leader, above all Massachusetts teams.

Maxpreps ranks both Reading and Melrose in their top 25 teams in Massachusetts.

Reading has traditionally featured man-to-man defense and offenses built around a scoring guard, dating from Jen Shoemaker, to Justine Lyons, Mary Silvia, and most recently Jaclyn Lyons, a scholarship recipient to UNH. But the Rockets are not a one-dimenshional team, with an explosive shooting guard in Cat Carey (one of three Rocket all-stars last season), and All-stars Julia Rafferty and Alison Staiger, the latter a high-energy power forward. Maria Pandolfo rounds out their starters at the other forward; Pandolfo is a wiry rebounder and wily defender who doesn't shrink from contact.

Reading's strength lies in their experience, as they field an all-senior starting group. Their leader, Lyons, is the favorite for the ML MVP and a Globe All-Scholastic last season.

Last year's Rockets went 19-5, defeating Arlington Catholic 71-51 in the D2 North semi-finals before losing to defending State Titlest Lincoln-Sudbury at the Tsongas Arena. Reading has to feel confident having defeated Melrose three consecutive outings after losing twice for nine consecutive seasons to the Lady Raiders.

Reading relies on the penetration and scoring of Lyons and her ability to find Carey for open shots from beyond the arc. Despite not having a lot of size, they are rugged on both ends on the boards, and Melrose will have to contain Lyons, keeping her off the free throw line where she hurt them badly with eleven free throws in the earlier contest.

Reading's potential weaknesses include a relative lack of depth (should foul trouble ensue), limited size, and trouble defending the low post. In their first contest, Melrose's Hannah Brickley scored twenty points, mostly inside the paint.

Melrose has a diversified attack, led inside by juniors Brickley and Siena Mamayek, and quarterbacked by junior point guard Colleen Hanscom. All three average in double figures. Brickley plays bigger than her size, and is a two-time All-state volleyball player as well. Junior Laura Irwin has stepped up her game recently as the power forward, and senior guard Niki Devereaux is their best on ball defender and held down Carey in the opener. First off the bench, junior Nicole Meuse recently had a career high with nineteen points, and Annemarie Wiesen and Ashley Cunningham bring rebounding and toughness off the bench.

The keys to the game include Reading's ability to control Melrose's inside game, Melrose's need for more balanced scoring than in the first contest, and who wins the rebounding contest. Coaching adjustments are often underestimated in these matchups. In a winter marked by epidemic illness, the health of both teams could also play a part.

This contest gives Reading the opportunity to wrest the ML title from Melrose's grasp, and Melrose the chance to extend their streak through the end of the decade.

The Herald moves Melrose into the Top 5 in Division 2. Tomorrow night the Lady Raiders have a chance to show how far they've come.