Melrose Lady Raiders Basketball

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.