Melrose Lady Raiders Basketball

Although Melrose won't be playing in the postseason, four Middlesex League teams make the cut in D2 North along with 18-2 Woburn and 10-10 Reading in D1 North.

In D2 North, three teams should get byes, and the strongest teams in D2N may be Bedford, AC, and Pentucket. The Middlesex League was not strong this season, so it will be interesting to see how the ML teams do in tournament play.

Melrose recognized seniors Jill MacInnes, Maeve Moriarty, and Shannon Tarpey before the season finale. Athletic Director Pat Ruggiero introduced each player and their parents and the Boosters' Club also gave a rose to each Watertown graduating senior.

The pleasantries ended with the opening tap however, as Watertown raced out to 9-1 lead and never looked back.

Melrose trailed at halftime as Watertown solved their 2-1-2 three quarter court trap creating open shots.

The second half saw Watertown extend the lead to nearly thirty before Melrose got some late scoring, especially from Tarpey (12 points) and Sarah Foote who drained a couple of threes and some mid-range jumpers.

Melrose finishes the season one and seventeen.

Lady Raider Notes: The Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School Gym was bedazzled in decorations and streamers for Senior Night.

Melrose had a productive stretch of playoff appearances from 1998 through 2010 including four sectional championships and ten consecutive Middlesex League titles. But the program records its fourth consecutive season under .500 (including a 2012 post-season appearance) with a combined 22-57 record.

In Switch: How to Change When Change Is Hard, Chip and Dan Heath remind us to:

1) Identify the bright spots
2) Script the plan
3) Point to the future

Anyone can point out need areas, but finding solutions seldom comes as easily.

Melrose hosted Wakefield in the penultimate contest of the season, and suffered a 56-44 defeat at the hands of former Lady Raider Meghan O'Connell whose Lady Warriors swept the season series from Coach Lindsay Shanahan. The loss drops Melrose to one and sixteen on the year.

Wakefield established their transition game early, scoring easy baskets to open up a 9-4 lead en route to a 16-9 first quarter edge. The Lady Warriors used a variety of pressure defenses, varying from man-to-man, diamond and one (1-2-1-1), and one-three-one to disrupt Melrose's offensive flow.

Melrose got consistent good play from junior Katey Sullivan (19 points), whose inside scoring kept Melrose in the game, although Melrose trailed at halftime 31-20, as Wakefield's running game continued to cause problems. Melrose (Cat Torpey, Katey Sullivan) got into early foul trouble, and Wakefield was deadly at the free throw line.

Melrose wasn't able to get much traction in the third quarter, although Sarah Foote was consistent on offense. The Lady Raiders trailed 43-30 after three.

After Wakefield opened the lead to eighteen, Melrose had a spirited comeback led by Sullivan and Foote, as well as five point burst from freshman Leonora Ivers. Melrose got to within five points with about four minutes left, but a couple of turnovers, and Wakefield points off pressure defense extended the lead back to 56-41 before Sarah Foote nailed a stepback three in the final moments to finish the game.

Lady Raider notes: Wakefield had a fairly large and noisy crowd of supporters at the contest. Melrose finishes its season Friday, hosting Watertown for Senior Night. Jill MacInnes, Shannon Tarpey, and Maeve Moriarty will walk onto the hardwood maple for their final contest.

From the Boston Globe online:

"Sophomore Emily Han scored 15 points and junior Michaela Mazure added 10 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists to lead the Red Devils (6-9)"

Melrose (1-15) closes out its regular season schedule next week with a pair of home games. 

Score per Boston Globe sports.


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