Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Spy Ponders Drop Melrose 52-45
Melrose hosted Arlington in their inaugural trip to the Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School Gym. Arlington used 21-27 free throw shooting as the difference maker in getting their third win of the Middlesex League season. The loss drops Melrose to 5-8 and makes the margin for a trip to the post-season razor thin.
Melrose led 10-2 early, but Arlington stopped the bleeding midway through the first period and rallied to lead at halftime 20-19. Kayla Wyland had a monster game with 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 blocks.
In the second half, Arlington doubled down on Kayla, forcing Melrose to look elsewhere for offense. Jill MacInnes responded with a career high twelve points but Melrose couldn't heat up the shooting as they went 16-51 overall and 11 for 22 from the line. A late three from Arlington gave them a 38-33 lead headed into the final frame.
Melrose went to full court pressure trying to accelerate the tempo and force turnovers, but Arlington made enough plays and a lot of free throws to ice the win.
Shannon Lahiff had a strong effort defensively with five steals and a big three late helping keep the Lady Raiders in the game.
Melrose hosts Burlington Friday.
Melrose led 10-2 early, but Arlington stopped the bleeding midway through the first period and rallied to lead at halftime 20-19. Kayla Wyland had a monster game with 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 blocks.
In the second half, Arlington doubled down on Kayla, forcing Melrose to look elsewhere for offense. Jill MacInnes responded with a career high twelve points but Melrose couldn't heat up the shooting as they went 16-51 overall and 11 for 22 from the line. A late three from Arlington gave them a 38-33 lead headed into the final frame.
Melrose went to full court pressure trying to accelerate the tempo and force turnovers, but Arlington made enough plays and a lot of free throws to ice the win.
Shannon Lahiff had a strong effort defensively with five steals and a big three late helping keep the Lady Raiders in the game.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Artistic Success? Melrose 39 Belmont 32
Melrose (4-7) hosted Belmont (8-4), and the homestanding Lady Raiders won a hard-fought victory 39-32.
Painting from Joan Miro.
Melrose trailed at the end of each of the first two periods (8-7, 18-17) before a 17-3 advantage seemingly put the game away with a 34-21 edge. But the Lady Raiders, in foul trouble with Katie Sullivan fouling out and Kayla Wyland with four, allowed the Marauders to creep within six.
But Brooke Bell (15 points) was too much down the stretch, making some key free throws and a runner down the lane.
The ugliness came from Belmont shooting 9-55, including a bevy of missed layups, and Melrose turning the ball over 37 times and (unofficially) shooting 8 for 17 from the line.
After Bell, Sullivan added seven points and Jill MacInnes provided a strong effort with seven points off the bench.
Lady Raider Notes: The win gives Melrose an excellent chance to return to the post-season as it moves the team to 5-7 with a favorable schedule ahead. Belmont lost their fifth road game and four of the last five. Melrose has now won four of its last six games and continues with another home game Tuesday.
Melrose trailed at the end of each of the first two periods (8-7, 18-17) before a 17-3 advantage seemingly put the game away with a 34-21 edge. But the Lady Raiders, in foul trouble with Katie Sullivan fouling out and Kayla Wyland with four, allowed the Marauders to creep within six.
But Brooke Bell (15 points) was too much down the stretch, making some key free throws and a runner down the lane.
The ugliness came from Belmont shooting 9-55, including a bevy of missed layups, and Melrose turning the ball over 37 times and (unofficially) shooting 8 for 17 from the line.
After Bell, Sullivan added seven points and Jill MacInnes provided a strong effort with seven points off the bench.
Lady Raider Notes: The win gives Melrose an excellent chance to return to the post-season as it moves the team to 5-7 with a favorable schedule ahead. Belmont lost their fifth road game and four of the last five. Melrose has now won four of its last six games and continues with another home game Tuesday.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Props for Kayla Wyland
Steve Pacheco gives a mid-year summary of Middlesex League play.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Melrose Turns It Around at Winchester, 58-31
Absent Brooke Bell, still recovering from injury, Melrose traveled to Winchester and left with a 58-31 victory. The win moves the Lady Raiders to 4-7.
Melrose got its offense back in gear, winning every quarter, and shooting 45 percent for the game, led by Kayla Wyland's 22 points and six rebounds. But she had plenty of help, including Sydney Doherty with 8 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals, Katie Sullivan with 11 points and 8 rebounds, and Shannon Lahiff with 7 assists.
Melrose led 19-8 after one and 31-14 at the half, with Kayla tossing in 16 first half points.
The corrected stats have Katie Sullivan with one free throw made and an additional point leading to Melrose scoring 58 points.
Melrose got its offense back in gear, winning every quarter, and shooting 45 percent for the game, led by Kayla Wyland's 22 points and six rebounds. But she had plenty of help, including Sydney Doherty with 8 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals, Katie Sullivan with 11 points and 8 rebounds, and Shannon Lahiff with 7 assists.
Melrose led 19-8 after one and 31-14 at the half, with Kayla tossing in 16 first half points.
Friday, January 18, 2013
Melrose Falls to Watertown 57-31
Melrose hosted Watertown, and absent Brooke Bell, out with a foot ailment, the Lady Raiders came out on the short end 57-31.
Watertown led 31-15 at halftime as Melrose shot 3-24, and Watertown, led by Gabriella Coppola, scored easy hoops with either dribble penetration or "drive and dish".
It didn't get much better from there, as Watertown poured it on, with a lot of help from sophomore Rachel Campbell.
Only free throw shooting allowed Melrose to touch '30' as Melrose went 19 for 30 from the stripe. For the game, Melrose struggled with 6 for 36 shooting and 33 turnovers.
Kayla Wyland and Katie Sullivan each had nine points for Melrose. The defeat drops Melrose to 3-7.
Watertown led 31-15 at halftime as Melrose shot 3-24, and Watertown, led by Gabriella Coppola, scored easy hoops with either dribble penetration or "drive and dish".
It didn't get much better from there, as Watertown poured it on, with a lot of help from sophomore Rachel Campbell.
Only free throw shooting allowed Melrose to touch '30' as Melrose went 19 for 30 from the stripe. For the game, Melrose struggled with 6 for 36 shooting and 33 turnovers.
Kayla Wyland and Katie Sullivan each had nine points for Melrose. The defeat drops Melrose to 3-7.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Lady Raiders Fall Short at Stoneham 42-40
Melrose traveled to Stoneham in a Freedom Division contest, a late comeback falling short 42-40.
Stoneham came out fast scoring a pair of hoops early to take a 4-0 lead. Melrose rallied with inside work from Katie Sullivan and outside game from Brooke Bell but still trailed 13-8 after one.
Kayla Wyland heated up in the second period, as Melrose narrowed the lead to 20-16 at the break. Brooke and Kayla each had six at the half, with Katie with four.
Melrose had a good third period with lots of energy and more scoring, especially from Kayla as the teams traded leads.
The fourth quarter saw Stoneham take over defensively behind Samantha Trant who delivered high energy play and numerous steals, as the Spartans held the Lady Raiders at bay with two to four point leads. Kayla Wyland got her fourth foul with six minutes left and Coach Rob Ferrante elected to protect her from picking up her fifth foul. She returned with about two minutes remaining.
Staying in a 1-3-1 half court trap, Melrose's extended trap defense surrendered a layup late on a clever deep diagonal pass into the lane from Trant.
Ashley Baldwin had a great final frame with a pair of key hoops as Melrose narrowed the lead to 42-40 in the final thirty seconds. Melrose had a late opportunity to tie the game in the final moments but a shot went just off. There was a loose ball and scramble, and Trant went to the floor, grabbed the ball and alertly called timeout with six seconds remaining.
Melrose fouled with 2.8 seconds remaining and took a time out. Stoneham missed both shots, but Melrose was unable to get a shot off as time expired.
Game notes: Melrose played hard again, but Stoneham's excellent individual assignment defense, especially on the help side, mostly forced Melrose to take lower percentage shots. Overall the Lady Raiders shot thirty three percent from the field, but struggled at the free throw line. Kayla Wyland put up big numbers with 16 points, 11 rebounds, 6 blocks, and 2 steals. Brooke Bell added nine points and played excellent defense on Trant. The loss drops Melrose to 3-6.
Stoneham came out fast scoring a pair of hoops early to take a 4-0 lead. Melrose rallied with inside work from Katie Sullivan and outside game from Brooke Bell but still trailed 13-8 after one.
Kayla Wyland heated up in the second period, as Melrose narrowed the lead to 20-16 at the break. Brooke and Kayla each had six at the half, with Katie with four.
Melrose had a good third period with lots of energy and more scoring, especially from Kayla as the teams traded leads.
The fourth quarter saw Stoneham take over defensively behind Samantha Trant who delivered high energy play and numerous steals, as the Spartans held the Lady Raiders at bay with two to four point leads. Kayla Wyland got her fourth foul with six minutes left and Coach Rob Ferrante elected to protect her from picking up her fifth foul. She returned with about two minutes remaining.
Staying in a 1-3-1 half court trap, Melrose's extended trap defense surrendered a layup late on a clever deep diagonal pass into the lane from Trant.
Ashley Baldwin had a great final frame with a pair of key hoops as Melrose narrowed the lead to 42-40 in the final thirty seconds. Melrose had a late opportunity to tie the game in the final moments but a shot went just off. There was a loose ball and scramble, and Trant went to the floor, grabbed the ball and alertly called timeout with six seconds remaining.
Melrose fouled with 2.8 seconds remaining and took a time out. Stoneham missed both shots, but Melrose was unable to get a shot off as time expired.
Game notes: Melrose played hard again, but Stoneham's excellent individual assignment defense, especially on the help side, mostly forced Melrose to take lower percentage shots. Overall the Lady Raiders shot thirty three percent from the field, but struggled at the free throw line. Kayla Wyland put up big numbers with 16 points, 11 rebounds, 6 blocks, and 2 steals. Brooke Bell added nine points and played excellent defense on Trant. The loss drops Melrose to 3-6.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Basketball Analytics and the 2012-2013 Season
Just as professional baseball underwent a statistical revolution leading to new concepts advanced in the book and movie "Moneyball", so has basketball. Coaches who ignore quantitative information in teaching and strategy simply do not give their players and teams the best chance to win.
Perhaps the greatest innovator/pioneer in the field of basketball analytics is Dean Oliver. Oliver is the embodiment of the "Age of the Geek" philosophy.
His greatest contribution to the field comes from his "big four" of basketball success, the dominance of shooting percentage, offensive rebounding, turnovers, and free throws attempted. The former reflects both skill and shot quality, turnovers relate to both decision-making and execution, and offensive rebounding and free throws reflect attack aggressiveness. For example, one reason Dean Smith favored a more controlled offense was that pure transition basketball doesn't allow the defense to get back and foul!
Melrose has a chance to build on the past two victories as they approach the halfway mark of the season. In the past two games, the Lady Raiders shot 52 percent and 42 percent respectively. At the NBA level, the team with the higher shooting percentage wins a remarkable 79 percent of the games. Conversely, the next two factors, offensive rebounding and turnovers create severe risk for Melrose. In the last game, Melrose committed 32 turnovers and allowed 21 offensive rebounds. One cannot expect most opponents to have such low offensive efficiency as to make those statistics moot.
Basketball is a thinking person's game that requires both "deliberate practice" but a high level of commitment to "do the next right thing right." Melrose has the athletes who can succeed with a consistent process.
Perhaps the greatest innovator/pioneer in the field of basketball analytics is Dean Oliver. Oliver is the embodiment of the "Age of the Geek" philosophy.
His greatest contribution to the field comes from his "big four" of basketball success, the dominance of shooting percentage, offensive rebounding, turnovers, and free throws attempted. The former reflects both skill and shot quality, turnovers relate to both decision-making and execution, and offensive rebounding and free throws reflect attack aggressiveness. For example, one reason Dean Smith favored a more controlled offense was that pure transition basketball doesn't allow the defense to get back and foul!
Melrose has a chance to build on the past two victories as they approach the halfway mark of the season. In the past two games, the Lady Raiders shot 52 percent and 42 percent respectively. At the NBA level, the team with the higher shooting percentage wins a remarkable 79 percent of the games. Conversely, the next two factors, offensive rebounding and turnovers create severe risk for Melrose. In the last game, Melrose committed 32 turnovers and allowed 21 offensive rebounds. One cannot expect most opponents to have such low offensive efficiency as to make those statistics moot.
Basketball is a thinking person's game that requires both "deliberate practice" but a high level of commitment to "do the next right thing right." Melrose has the athletes who can succeed with a consistent process.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Fast Start Finishes 'Cats, 52-39
Melrose had a successful Alumnae Night with a 52-39 win against visiting Wilmington. The win moves Melrose to 3-5 and extends their winning streak to two.
Leads of 17-4 at the quarter and 30-16 were simply too much for the Wildcats to overcome, particularly as they struggled to shoot only 22 percent for the evening.
Melrose shot forty-four percent for the half and forty-two percent for the game, although to score higher consistently the Lady Raiders will need to reduce their turnovers.
Melrose held the lead 39-24 after three, and never allowed Wilmington to get the lead to single digits.
Melrose had four players in double figures, Kayla Wyland and Sydney Doherty with thirteen apiece, and Brooke Bell and Katie Sullivan each adding ten. Kayla added ten rebounds, four blocks, and four assists and Sydney unofficially had seven.rebounds.
Lady Raider Notes: Alumnae Night was well-attended and was followed by refreshments in the cafeteria. Former Coach Dave Brady was among the attendees. Melrose shot 17 for 28 from the stripe, including 9 for 10 in the first half.
Melrose travels to Stoneham Tuesday to try to extend their winning streak.
Leads of 17-4 at the quarter and 30-16 were simply too much for the Wildcats to overcome, particularly as they struggled to shoot only 22 percent for the evening.
Melrose shot forty-four percent for the half and forty-two percent for the game, although to score higher consistently the Lady Raiders will need to reduce their turnovers.
Melrose held the lead 39-24 after three, and never allowed Wilmington to get the lead to single digits.
Melrose had four players in double figures, Kayla Wyland and Sydney Doherty with thirteen apiece, and Brooke Bell and Katie Sullivan each adding ten. Kayla added ten rebounds, four blocks, and four assists and Sydney unofficially had seven.rebounds.
Lady Raider Notes: Alumnae Night was well-attended and was followed by refreshments in the cafeteria. Former Coach Dave Brady was among the attendees. Melrose shot 17 for 28 from the stripe, including 9 for 10 in the first half.
Melrose travels to Stoneham Tuesday to try to extend their winning streak.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Simple is Better
Basketball is a thinking person's game. Helping players "see the game" is the ultimate goal for coaches.
In this "cross post" from the Melrosegirlsbasketball.com blog, we can examine how to achieve more effective defense through simple principles.
In this "cross post" from the Melrosegirlsbasketball.com blog, we can examine how to achieve more effective defense through simple principles.
Tuesday, January 08, 2013
Melrose Offensive Outburst Tops Wakefield 75-60
Melrose took a 'must win' game with their biggest offensive output in three years, handling Wakefield 75-60.
The Lady Raiders got off to a slow start trailing 6-3 before getting off to a 16-10 first period lead. They extended that lead to 34-18 by halftime, led by 11 points from Kayla Wyland and 10 from Brooke Bell.
But a 40 point second half was eye-opening as the Lady Raiders found their transition game, and Sydney Doherty had a breakout game with a double double including 10 points and 10 assists. Sydney benefit from big outputs from Bell (22) and Wyland (20 points, 10 rebounds, 6 blocks) as Melrose avenged a loss at Wakefield last season.
Shannon Lahiff had productivity off the bench with 7 points and 3 assists, and overall Melrose had a remarkable 52 percent shooting percentage for the night, 20 free throws made, and 20 assists.
Jill MacInnes also added key energy off the bench and Sarah Foote had a buzzer beating three at the close of the third to keep the lead at thirteen points.
Lady Raider Notes: The win boosts Melrose to 2-5. Melrose hosts Wilmington Friday on Alumnae Night.
The Lady Raiders got off to a slow start trailing 6-3 before getting off to a 16-10 first period lead. They extended that lead to 34-18 by halftime, led by 11 points from Kayla Wyland and 10 from Brooke Bell.
But a 40 point second half was eye-opening as the Lady Raiders found their transition game, and Sydney Doherty had a breakout game with a double double including 10 points and 10 assists. Sydney benefit from big outputs from Bell (22) and Wyland (20 points, 10 rebounds, 6 blocks) as Melrose avenged a loss at Wakefield last season.
Shannon Lahiff had productivity off the bench with 7 points and 3 assists, and overall Melrose had a remarkable 52 percent shooting percentage for the night, 20 free throws made, and 20 assists.
Jill MacInnes also added key energy off the bench and Sarah Foote had a buzzer beating three at the close of the third to keep the lead at thirteen points.
Lady Raider Notes: The win boosts Melrose to 2-5. Melrose hosts Wilmington Friday on Alumnae Night.
Saturday, January 05, 2013
Devil Dogged, Burlington 58 Melrose 50
Melrose traveled to Burlington for a rematch with the Lady Devils and despite a second half comeback, lost 58-50. Melrose falls to 1-5, 1-4 against Middlesex League competition.
Melrose came out with a plan to pressure the ball with full court individual assignment defense and a modification of their "Harvard" offense. Burlington broke down the defensive pressure to race out to a 6-0 lead and Melrose struggled with turnovers, predominantly on attempted post entry passes. Brooke Bell picked up her second foul with 4:04 to go in the first period, which took Melrose's best playmaker out of the game.
The first quarter went south from there, with Burlington leading 19-4 after one.
It didn't get better in the second quarter, as Melrose continued to struggle with Burlington's sagging pack-type defense, and the Lady Devils took a 35-14 lead into intermission.
Melrose began a second half comeback with Kayla Wyland scoring inside and Sydney Doherty firing in eight points in the first 4:28 of the third quarter. Burlington led 45-30 after three.
The Lady Raiders continued to build their comeback with good work from Kayla inside, and defensive pressure forcing Burlington turnovers. Melrose chipped away, getting the deficit down to three, but inside of four minutes, Burlington responded with key hoops from Mazure on a jumper from the left wing and a nifty power move from Jazmine Smith down the lane to get back to a seven point lead. Maave Moriarty responded with a jumper from the short corner, but Burlington got some key free throws from Sarah Hood late and reopened a ten point lead before a Sydney Doherty basket in the paint finished the scoring.
Game analysis: Burlington countered Melrose's in-game adjustments effectively, shredding the Melrose zone trap with a combination of easy baskets both inside (layups) and outside (three pointers). Burlington handled the extended defense easily with ball reversal or threw over the defense to the middle from which Burlington generated mismatches. They also out-rebounded the locals to generate inside points and free throws.
On the positive side, Melrose outscored Burlington 36-23 in the second half, resurrecting transition offense and better on-ball defense to force turnovers and bad shots. Seniors Kayla Wyland and Sydney Doherty both had solid offensive performances to lead the Melrose offense.
Melrose came out with a plan to pressure the ball with full court individual assignment defense and a modification of their "Harvard" offense. Burlington broke down the defensive pressure to race out to a 6-0 lead and Melrose struggled with turnovers, predominantly on attempted post entry passes. Brooke Bell picked up her second foul with 4:04 to go in the first period, which took Melrose's best playmaker out of the game.
The first quarter went south from there, with Burlington leading 19-4 after one.
It didn't get better in the second quarter, as Melrose continued to struggle with Burlington's sagging pack-type defense, and the Lady Devils took a 35-14 lead into intermission.
Melrose began a second half comeback with Kayla Wyland scoring inside and Sydney Doherty firing in eight points in the first 4:28 of the third quarter. Burlington led 45-30 after three.
The Lady Raiders continued to build their comeback with good work from Kayla inside, and defensive pressure forcing Burlington turnovers. Melrose chipped away, getting the deficit down to three, but inside of four minutes, Burlington responded with key hoops from Mazure on a jumper from the left wing and a nifty power move from Jazmine Smith down the lane to get back to a seven point lead. Maave Moriarty responded with a jumper from the short corner, but Burlington got some key free throws from Sarah Hood late and reopened a ten point lead before a Sydney Doherty basket in the paint finished the scoring.
Game analysis: Burlington countered Melrose's in-game adjustments effectively, shredding the Melrose zone trap with a combination of easy baskets both inside (layups) and outside (three pointers). Burlington handled the extended defense easily with ball reversal or threw over the defense to the middle from which Burlington generated mismatches. They also out-rebounded the locals to generate inside points and free throws.
On the positive side, Melrose outscored Burlington 36-23 in the second half, resurrecting transition offense and better on-ball defense to force turnovers and bad shots. Seniors Kayla Wyland and Sydney Doherty both had solid offensive performances to lead the Melrose offense.
