Melrose Lady Raiders Basketball

Globe All-Scholastics are out. Congratulations to Hannah and Coach Ferrante on their selections as All-Scholastics and Division 2 Coach of the Year. Hard work and talent recognized...

The Boston Globe North section recognized Amanda Peters among 5 post-season moments to savor.

I've heard today that Hannah Brickley will add a Boston Globe basketball All-Scholastic Award to her trophy case...already bursting at the seams. Just a few of Hannah's honors include:

• Division 2 Volleyball Player of the Year
• Multiple Division 2 Volleyball Coaches' All-State Team
• Middlesex League Volleyball MVP
• Boston Globe and Boston Herald Volleyball All-Scholastic
• North Shore League Volleyball Player of the Year
• D2 North Championships in both basketball and volleyball this year (shared with numerous other Melrose players)

WickedLocal.com has a series of articles on the Lady Raiders.

Ousted by OA

D2 North Championship

Great season recap.

The seniors went out in style, with an appearance in the Garden, one Division 2 North championship, three Middlesex League Championships, two Division 2 North final appearances, a 69-11 regular season record, and an overall 75-15 mark (.833). The class of 2010 should be proud of their accomplishments. The community appreciates not only the success but the tireless effort the young ladies bring to represent Melrose.

Melrose had a wonderful post-season run, but Oliver Ames came up big when they had to, defeating the Lady Raiders (20-4) 60-46 at the TD Banknorth Garden. Melrose's third trip to the Garden and EMASS finals in the past eight years came up short.

Melrose got off to a fine start led by Colleen Hanscom (7 first period, 13 total points) and Hannah Brickley (4), opening up a 15-7 lead with less than thirty seconds to go in the first period. But Melrose couldn't hold for one shot, and a late OA hoop near the buzzer triggered a second period explosion including 13 consecutive points, from which Melrose struggled to recover.

Amanda Peters came off the bench to hit the first of her pair of treys to tie the game at 20, but OA, led by All-State forward Bentley-bound Lauren Battista closed strong with a 27-22 halftime advantage.

The Lady Raiders battled back to bring Melrose to within a pair at 32-30, but the brilliant defense of Nicole Bostic on Colleen Hanscom took Melrose out of its offense, and the Tigers led by nine after three.

Melrose couldn't find its rhythm, closing to within eight on a pair of Hannah Brickley (14) baskets, but the OAers were simply too big, too fast, and too good, nailing their free throws down the stretch to achieve the final margin of victory.

Game analysis: Melrose had prospered in the post-season because of terrific team play, with outstanding guard play from Colleen Hanscom and Lia Limone, and terrific interior passing. OA's interior defense, led by 6' 2" Tessa Dern and Battista simply denied Melrose very many easy baskets. During the key stretches early in the second period and late in the third, the OA turned up the defensive pressure and took control.

Melrose had a wonderful season including a tie for the Middlesex League title, the Division 2 North Championship, and 20 victories. Not too shabby.

The high school basketball experience creates a lot of excitement for the community, fans, players, and parents. But the emphasis belongs to the players, coaches, and families. They make the sacrifices, and everyone else gets a disproportionate share of the success.

The saying goes, "victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan." But year in and year out, Melrose has supported the girls not only because of the victories but because of the effort.

We like to say that you can only control two things on the court, your effort and your concentration, and everyone in Melrose knows that the team will put forth a winning effort, and that the community will show its pride in the girls.

Morgan Wootten, legendary coach at DeMatha High School says that he can only ask the team for four elements:

• Play hard
• Play smart
• Play together
• Have fun

First, kudos to Jeff Mate' for his camera work, production, and turnover of the D2 North playoff and to MMTV for its rapid airing just more than 24 hours after the event.

Some observations:

• The overall poise and consistency of the team was most praiseworthy.
• As a group, Melrose had better offensive possessions than AC. 
• Many players played exceptional basketball...nobody particularly struggled, which was timely. 
• Colleen Hanscom stood out for her ball control, aggressiveness, and disciplined play. 
• For the most part, Melrose did not force too many shots or drive into traffic except for a brief spell in the third period.
• Hannah Brickley's first half explosion certainly got nullified by the officiating 
• Lia Limone had a terrific game with both good defense and key baskets
• The officiating was not as bad as advertised. Melrose reached in on Roche and Palladino and got called for it. 
• This was not to say that they didn't make some awful calls such as a travel on Siena on a spin move or a Melrose player pushing an AC player underneath in the open and on Siena going for a loose ball in the fourth period. 
• Siena Mamayek's offense was a very quiet force. She has evolved from a low post player to a versatile power 3 with a very good intermediate-range shot. 
• The pair of long three pointers by Amanda Peters off the bench late in the third, early in the fourth were daggers in the collective heart of the Cougars. A sense of desperation followed for AC.
• For the younger players, they should try to develop more effective use of the backboard for the inside scoring. 
• The collective scoring off the bench was a decisive factor, including 23 from the combination of Siena (sixth player) and Amanda. 
• Hannah Brickley had a number of key blocks down the stretch. 
• As a group, the decision-making was very good. Melrose did a good job of NOT FOULING jump shooters. 
• As we tell the youth players all the time, winning offense in high school basketball is making LAYUPS and FREE THROWS. This is especially important in the spacious gyms like the Boston Garden where most players don't shoot as accurately from the outside. 
• Melrose did make the lion's share of key free throws down the stretch. 
• The better TEAM won, beating a very good opponent. 

Wicked Local with a game report and interviews.

Boston Globe Arlington page with a game review.

The parallels between the Melrose post-seasons of 2006 and 2010 are eerie, as both teams headed into the Boston Garden to face Oliver Ames, the latter led by a Dream Teamer, Brittany Engle in 2006 and Lauren Battista in 2010.

In 2006, Melrose got to the finals with the following route:

• Defeated AC 66-59 in their toughest game, a "home" game in Stoneham. AC Superstar Elise Caira had 35 for the Cougars
• Defeated Bishop Fenwick 65-37 at Wilmington
• Defeated undefeated Masconomet 68-54 at the Tsongas.
• Averaged over 66 points a game and allowed 50 ppg in the postseason
• Balanced scoring was the key for Melrose along the way, along with the spectacular play of Shey Peddy.

The 2010 Lady Raiders:

• Nipped Tewksbury 69-66 despite 42 points from Danielle DePierro
• Thumped Wilmington 69-43 at Woburn
• Had a convincing 67-54 win over Catholic Central League power AC yesterday at Emmanuel.
• Averaged almost 69 points a game and allowed 54 ppg this postseason
• The best team play of the season has sparked the postseason run.

The "big guns" deservedly get plenty of recognition (from box to wire), but often the contributions of other players get overlooked during a long season. Everyone knows how much Hannah Brickley, Colleen Hanscom, and Siena Mamayek have meant to this team. Let's take a few moments to focus on what some other key cogs have brought to the table.

Senior Laura Irwin recovered from a serious ankle injury to snag thirteen huge rebounds yesterday, and her steadiness on defense and blocking out has meant so much to this team over the past few seasons.

Senior Annemarie Wiesen assumed a starting role because of injury but kept it because of selfless play and productivity during the entire season. She held down D1 player Brittany Obi-Tabot in their first meeting, had ten points and made one of the highlight plays of the season with a one-motion rebound and pass to Siena Mamayek against Wilmington and has carried the lunchpail in the shadows all year.

Senior Amanda Peters stepped in during foul trouble yesterday and cashed in eight points and two "monster treys" (quoting Boston Herald high school sports guru Danny Ventura's liveblog yesterday). Melrose pulled away from AC during the Peters explosion.

Senior Nicole Meuse came off the bench against Tewksbury and nailed a long three from the right wing that helped establish the three point margin of victory.

Senior Teagan Bell doesn't get in the box score that much, but plays tough defense on the opposition point guard, helping keep them out of the lane and fighting through picks to avoid creating mismatches.

Sophomore Lia Limone is another one of Melrose's best outside shooters. Against York, the Maine state champion, her overtime offense helped Melrose helped hand York their only loss. Yesterday, with first half foul trouble, she stepped up to throw in six points and help Melrose maintain a 35-34 lead at the half.

The long season provides a great opportunities for wonderful memories for the players, coaches, their families, and the fans. All should enjoy the moment, which most communities seldom get to experience.

Starting Monday, tickets (for the EMASS final versus Oliver Ames) will be available from the Melrose Athletic Director (Pat Ruggiero) for eight dollars at Melrose High School, versus thirteen dollars at the Garden.

"Tradition never graduates." Or at least that's what the girls say.

And Melrose Girls' Basketball, Version2010 proved it today, led by the nine seniors who cooked up a convincing 67-54 victory over outgunned Arlington Catholic at sunny Emmanuel College. Yes, Matilda, the game was delayed over half an hour for sun...indoors.

Melrose emerged from the regular season as Tri-Champs from the Middlesex League, a season interrupted by intermittent illness and injury, having lost Laura Irwin for most of the first half of the season, Siena Mamayek for the middle, and half the team playing sick during some key games down the stretch. But a healthy and hungry team has survived and advanced, playing their best ball of the campaign.

Melrose went out to an early 14-5 lead and controlled the game until a flurry of fouls knocked Melrose seniors Hannah Brickley, Laura Irwin, and Siena Mamayek to the bench with three fouls apiece. But as Colleen Hanscom continued her dominant, breakout play in the playoffs (15 points, 8 assists), Melrose went into the locker room with a 35-34 lead.

Melrose's balance gradually wore down AC, living off the play of Cara Palladino and Lindsey Roche, who produced most of the Cougar offense. Melrose's scoring diversity (15 for Siena, 11 for Hannah, and 8 off the bench for Amanda Peters) simply proved too much for the representative from the Catholic Central League. But the unsung hero for Melrose was the Windex Woman herself, Laura Irwin, who cleaned the glass for thirteen rebounds. As the younger players tire of hearing, "defense and rebounding determine the winners, offense decides the margin of victory."

Melrose goes on to the EMASS finals (to be announced), against the winner of favored Oliver Ames and Fontbonne. Ironically, both of these teams have previously vanquished Melrose (2006, 2003), so either way, the Lady Raiders get a rematch...and the seniors get another game.

Lady Raider Notes: Melrose fans filled their section at Emmanuel college. Former Athletic Director and Massachusetts Basketball Hall of Fame Coach Sonny Lane gave the girls a motivation speech the other day. Coach Rob Ferrante gets to pack his first Division II North Championship into his trophy room. Many of the girls captured the combination of D2 North volleyball and basketball championships, also achieved by Melrose in 2006.

Photos from the Wilmington game from the Boston Globe.

The Lady Raiders shot down the AC Cougars at Emmanuel College, despite massive foul trouble in the first half, as Hannah Brickley, Laura Irwin, and Siena Mamayek all had three fouls early.

Full details to follow. What is noteworthy beyond an extended 'sun delay' was the incredible contribution of Amanda Peters with a pair of threes early in the third, and eight points off the bench. Colleen Hanscom, Hannah, and Siena all scored in double figures. Laura Irwin had 13 huge rebounds.

Melrose wins the Division 2 North for the fourth time since 2000, adding to titles in 2003 and 2006.

Globe North article features Hannah Brickley and senior teammates.

Melrose (19-3) faces off against Arlington Catholic (18-4) in the Division 2 North final tomorrow at Emmanuel College at 10 A.M.

Both teams arrive confident and ready, AC off a big win off Lady Raider rival Reading, and Melrose having thumped Wilmington with a 30 point opening period, and the knowledge that Melrose handed the Maine state champion, York, their only defeat of the season.

Melrose has been a regular visitor to the Division 2 North finals, including 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, and now 2010. Arlington Catholic has gone to the finals in 2004, 2009, and 2010. But these competitors have not faced each other for several years, the last time in 2006 when Melrose held off AC 66-59 in a quarterfinal game at Stoneham before an overflow crowd.

AC has a strong defensive squad and an offense highlighted by guard Lindsey Roche and forward Cara Palladino. Melrose has an experienced senior-laden squad that has the potential for double digit scoring from any number of the "Starting Six", Hannah Brickley, Colleen Hanscom, Laura Irwin, Siena Mamayek, Annemarie Wiesen, and Lia Limone.

Support the Lady Raiders as they go after their first title of the decade. The girls will put up a great effort; fans should understand how hard they have worked to get to the championship.

Tewksbury win.

Wilmington recap.

Globe story on Melrose-Wilmington

Coach Ferrante gives instructions (photo)

Melrose has a chance to complete an unusual "double" as the Lady Raiders seek to add a basketball D2 North Trophy to the trophy case, next to the D2 North Volleyball trophy. Melrose last completed this with the 2005 volleyball season and 2006 basketball campaign.

Very reliable sources report that the MIAA is trying to schedule the Melrose-Arlington Catholic Division 2 North championship game at 10:00 A.M. at Emmanuel Saturday.

A.C. has a hockey game later that day, and one can only speculate what the MIAA is thinking. The Division I North title games get played in prime time in the Boston Garden, and the Melrose-AC girls have breakfast on the hardwood?

These young ladies have prepared for years to get to this point and deserve better. Many have sacrificed literally years of physical training and dedication to basketball to achieve these goals. And it is fair to say, that as a group, the higher the division, the higher the quality of play, and the likelihood of personal and family sacrifice (e.g. AAU commitments, et cetera). This is not to suggest that D3 or D4 players have not also made a great commitment to excellence; rather, it emphasizes the capricious and arbitrary treatment of these girls at this time.

Historically, the games have alternated between girls and boys with the LOWEST divisions playing first.

Yes, the court is the same for both teams, as well as the time, but (again) historically, most players do not play their best early in the day, with some potential physiologic explanation as adolescents require more sleep.

Years ago the MIAA scheduled a Melrose-Reading D2 North semifinal volleyball game at the old Reading High School, a facility that had 1) very limited seating, 2) an exceptionally low ceiling, and 3) very poor floor conditions that put players at risk. Many Melrose AND Reading fans were turned away because of the seating restrictions. I wrote a letter complaining about the treatment of the fans and the players to the MIAA and never even got the courtesy of a reply.

We can only hope that the Melrose and AC Superintendents, Principals, Athletic Directors, and Coaches fight for a reasonable time slot...and that the MIAA responds in a professional, non-autocratic way.

Lynley DeAmato, MHS 2007, earned Little East Conference All-Rookie team honors as the point guard for UMASS-Dartmouth.

Lynley was a Middlesex League All-League player, MHS co-captain, and played in three consecutive D2 North Championships from 2005-2007.

Melrose returns to the Division 2 North Championship for the first time since 2007, with a 69-43 declawing of the Wilmington Wildcats at Woburn High School.

Years of hard work and dedication by the nine Melrose seniors paid off handsomely, as the Lady Raiders used precision outside shooting (four threes in quarter one) and devastating transition offense as they effectively eliminated the Cats with a 30-9 first period blitzkrieg. Hannah Brickley (10), Colleen Hanscom (9), and Siena Mamayek (9) led the carnage as Melrose dominated at both ends in the opening eight minutes. Terrific rebounding at both ends, and great decision-making led to high percentage shots via unselfish play. Colleen dominated both offensively and defensively in the backcourt while having few turnovers.

Included in the highlights was an Annemarie Wiesen ripping away an offensive board and feeding Siena in the same motion for a layup.

From there out, Melrose worked hard to try to stay sharp and consistent, while awaiting their next opponent for Saturday's D2 North final at Emmanuel College.

Hannah finished with 20 points, Colleen 16, Siena 11, and Annemarie had a career high 10 while pounding the boards. Hannah also did yeoman work defensively, holding down Wilmington's offensive force Amy Fahey. Laura Irwin added great energy, rebounds approaching double figures and 6 points.

Lady Raider Notes: Melrose had its usual large and enthusiastic crowd at the game in the beautiful and noisy Woburn Gymnasium. Melrose won three Division 2 North titles in the last decade, and has a chance to ring in the new decade with their first. Melrose will face long-time rival Arlington Catholic in the final at Emmanuel. AC eliminated Melrose in 2004 in the D2 North semi at Beverly and Melrose returned the favor in the D2 North quarter-final in 2006.

The victory also gives many of the players a chance for a Volleyball/Basketball double in the D2 North, also occurring in 2006.

Congratulations to the team that is peaking at the right time after finally getting healthy.

Coaches and families occasionally ask how to get videos on their players, teams, and students.

Melrose TV (MMTV) public access cable has DVDs available at a reasonable fee. These make great items for your player's/student-athlete's scrapbook.

Some fans tell me they prefer to watch with the sound turned down...

MIAA has changed venue for tomorrow's Melrose-Wilmington game to WOBURN HS at 7 PM