Intermediate League

Cougars 21, Wolverines 10

The Cougars played a very tough game Saturday and got their first win of the young season. The offense was slow getting going against a very stubborn Wolverines defense. The Cougars were trailing 5-6 after the first quarter and 5-8 after the second quarter. After half time the Cougars came out and looked like a completely different team. After coming off a tough loss the first week of the season and now finding themselves trailing after two quarters, the girls new this was decision time for them. The question was, what type of team they were going to be this year? Did they want to just settle for being an average team or did they want to step up and get this machine going in the right direction. The answer was just an explosion of effort and determination in the 3rd quarter. Delaney Chisholm and Mary Crowe just attacked and then attacked some more and were able to force numerous turnovers. Delaney was the high scorer with 11 points but that doesn't even tell the real story as to how well she played for us. Mary Crowe chipped in with 2 points on the day and also contributed with many assists. The Forwards showed relentless effort and did a great job. Sarah Baptista (2 pts) was a huge

contributor down low protecting the basket and grabbing rebounds and really helped set the tone. Sam Alman and Molly Harrington (2 pts each) also did great not giving up anything. Gina Pucia played great and showed real skill with a nice up-fake to get the defender to jump and then made a great pass to set up another basket. In the 4th quarter the team just played shut down defense and didn't give up any points. Niamh Cote made a beautiful turnaround jump shot for 2 pts and Emily Walker also nailed a nice jumper for 2 pts to help with the scoring attack. Alyssa Mercurio and Jessica Lehmann showed patience working the clock on offense and helped out with great defense to finish out the game. It was a great come back win for us and we are really excited about the team we have this year. These girls want to be a great team and they realize that its up to them how far we can go. The Defensive player of the game is the "Whole Team" because they all contributed everything they had to get us our first win

The Wolverines led at the half time 8-5. but in the 2nd half the Cougars went on a 16-2 run to close out the game. Leading scorers for the Wolverines were Amanda Mckinnis 4pts, Racheal Langone,Katie Garcia, and Katelyn Lefrevbre all with 2. Defensive standouts were Nora Butler,Nicole Cobuccio, as always Miranda Hulme, and Sarah Larsen who also made some outstanding passes as well.

Wildcats 24, Waves 14

Waves gave the Wildcats a great run but the Wildcats stepped it up a notch in the fourth to win.  Rebekah Politis had a great offensive game with 6 points and 2 assists.  Katie Dunlevy also came up with 6 points and played excellent defense.  Shauna Danehy right on their heals with an outstanding 4 points.  Danielle Carrig stopped many shots and got several rebounds playing ridiculously awesome defense.  Heather Doyle and Julia Kelly each with 2 points, tons of hustle - again - great defense!  Teagan Trant and Janina Kennedy had a fantastic all around game - Janina hit the boards hard - Teagan a few assists - awesome O and D!! 

The Waves played the Wildcats even for 3 quarters, but the game got away from them during the 4^th quarter.  The result was a tough loss for the Waves.  Scoring for the Waves was Erika Whynot with 8 points, and 2 points each for Kirsten Dick, Melissa Markwarth, and Amy Glover.  Defensive player of the game was Alicia Moore.  Despite being overmatch with size, she battle hard to defend under the basket.  Colleen MacNeil and Elizabeth Markwarth helped with rebounding.  Lauren Riccardi and Amanda Ford contributed with good team defense and overall hustle.

Cardinals 19, Terriers 3

The Cardinals and Terriers met in the 2^nd week in what was looking to be a defensive affair. Both teams had played excellent defense the week before and in the 1^st half this trend continued. Shots were hard to come by and Sam Mercurio and Tayla Spezzano played excellent perimeter defense. Caitlin Carroll denied any 2^nd chance shots with 7 rebounds (11 total). At the end of the 1^st half the score was 7-1. In the 2^nd half the great defensive play continued for the Cardinals and finally the offense started to click with Shannon Vasas leading the way with 2 baskets. Caroline Ferrari played solid defense (2 steals of her own) and Julia Noone started getting in on the action with solid defense and taking 3 shots. The final score of the game was 19-3 as the Terriers although playing hard throughout could never get their offense going. Defensive player of the game was the entire team again. Taylor Donahoe added 8 rebounds and Sam, Shannon, and Sarah Sullivan had 3 steals each. Scoring for the Cardinals was Sam with 5, Shannon and Ashley Figucia with 4, and Taylor, Sarah and Caitlin with 2 each. Great win for the Cardinals and sets up a big showdown with the Jayhawks after the Thanksgiving break.

Scoring for the Terriers was Alexis Brinklow.

Jayhawks 20, Falcons 11

Haley Pozzuto (9 points) and Meg Braciska (5) points used great defense to create great offense, and give the Jayhawks a lead at the half against a very quick Falcons team.  Sam Powers played another great game, netting 6 points off some great assists by Emily Burns and Chelsey Pellegrino.  The unsung heroes of the game were this week's second line led by Kacie Ellegood, who worked amazingly hard to break an incredibly tight press by the Falcons.  Thanks to the line of Ellegood, Pellegrino, Powers, Burns, Doran, the Jayhawks were able to hang on for the win against a very talented Falcons team.  Defensive players of the game were Haley Marchant and Arianna Nicosia.

Scoring for the Falcons were Francesca Cocca (6 points), Brittney Fletcher (3 points),  and Holley Covel (2 points).

Huskies 21, Eagles 9

The Eagles and the Huskies played a tough game that was closer than the score indicated. _The Huskies offense was  led by Guards Karalyn Gallella and Victoria Mirabito. Stephanie McHatton had a key steal and basket to close out the first half that switched the momentum to the Huskies. Kayla Marshall always seemed to be in the right place to get an open shot. Defensively Andrea DeFina, Kiley Barrett and Lisa DeVito were solid for the whole game and caused some key turnovers. Sara Letourneau  Had another solid game passing the ball. Steffanie Deluca-Gifford and Nicole Lucia made great passes to keep the ball away from the speedy Eagles players.

Scoring for the Eagles were Marissa Doherty with 7 points, and Adrianna Favreau with 2 points.

Senior League

Magic 32, Sonics 26

 Tough Senior league game this week for the Magic as the Sonics battled hard all game long.  In the end the experience of the Magic paid off as they walked away with a six point victory.  The Magic jumped out to an early lead paced by the scoring of Shanell Nardone (10pts) and Nichole Hamel (9pts).  Meaghan Blaisdell (5pts) and Olivia Gallella (4pts) anchored the second line.  Michelle Creedon (2pts) and Samantha Teague (2pts) also chipped in with big baskets.  The Magic defense was solid from the start with Kertrina Nardone and Eva Barinelli in every passing lane.  Alexsay Zemetres and Rachel Eatherton cleaned up the glass but it took a little pressure defense late in the game to stop the Sonics from coming all the way back and preserve the victory.

 You can't look at the end score without looking at the score early on to appreciate this game. With less than two minutes in to the second quarter the Sonics were down 19 to 2. But the Sonics were not ready to roll over.  Behind the great offense of Shannon Smith, who scored 14 points in the paint, the Sonics clawed their way back.  Toni Joy battled under the boards for 6 points while Mariah Wentzell and Jenn Cobuccio streaked down the court to each make lay ups.  Marissa Conlin stopped and popped for a basket in the fourth. Of course it was the tough Sonics D that then held the tenacious Magic offense to 13 points in the remaining 16 minutes.  Erica Dirk and Kathleen Silk were tandem terrors in the 2nd and 4th quarters causing all types of turnovers.  Alexis Chaet helped rule the backboards in the third quarter with Kenzie Wyatt.  Monica Aronson also came alive in the third quarter causing two big turnovers.  Amazingly the Sonics closed up the lead and took and took a close loss with a final score of 26 to 32!

Jazz 31, Pacers 20

The Jazz won their second game of the season against a tough Pacers team. The Jazz got off to another slow start, but behind the play of Alysa DeFruscia (10pts), they settled down and took a one point half time lead. Playing tough defense for the Jazz were Danielle Cacciola, Hannah Benning, Sam Lopolite, Abby Wise, and Dimple Ghandi. In the second half, the Jazz took control behind the scoring of Rebecca Keogh (2pts), Shannon Semenza (8pts), Jessica Vitale (6pts) and Sara Semenza (5pts).

The Pacers came on strong in the first period scoring 12 points to the Jazz' 2.  The Jazz came back aggressively in the 2^nd period with speed and overtook the Pacers.  Amanda Brown was the high scorer at 14 points.  Lots of strong defense by Jenn Maddaleni, Rachel Kelleher, Carlye Slavin and MacKenzie Pierce.  Many shots taken, rebounds and assists by Danielle Newhall, Paige Walker, Colleen Kelly and Lindsey Cossar. 

Blazers 34, Spurs 31

Scoring for the Blazers were Ally Braciska (14 points), Bridget Casey (9 points), Brooke Patterson (5 points),  Ashley Kelley (4 points) and Ariana Calouro (2 points)

Scoring for the Spurs were Kelsey Bradley and Shannon McLaughlin with 6 points each,  Jamie Ray with 5 points,  Devlin Frost and June Garcia with 4 points each, and Jamie Cohen, Loren Sullivan and Haley Golini  all with 2 points each.

Junior League

Mystics 8, Storm 6

Well we weathered the Storm that we ran into Saturday and it was just what we expected, very intense. The game started out very tough and you could tell it was going to be a battle till the final buzzer. It was a scoreless tie after the first quarter and neither team seemed to budge on defense. Finally in the second quarter the young Isabella DeRoche got the scoring going for us with a great jump shot. Vicky Horton is doing a great job handling the ball at the guard position and she seems to be getting better every game. With her quickness, she will be a real force for us as we move through the season. Brooke Fullerton is starting to show an understanding of her assignments and is responding well to the speed of the game. Rebecca Smith, playing out of her normal position and into the power forward position, played a great game. She finished with 2 open shots and did great on defense. She got roughed up a bit in the 2nd quarter and wanted to get right back in there asap. Christa Davis coming off an injury, played her first minutes of the season and showed alot of toughness and we are all very excited to have her playing full time for us now. In the 3rd quarter Sam Nugent was a rock on the boards, fighting for position and grabbing rebounds to slow the Storms scoring chances. She played the best game of her young career and is really starting to come into her own at the right time. The young rookies Shannon Farias and Emily Chmela are starting to move the ball nicely with quick passing and always looking for the open players on the move. Michelle Maciel (2 Pts) is as tough as nails out there and doesn't get rattled, ever! She fought for the ball like this was the championship game and her play seems to be inspiring the others on the team. She has become a real leader for us this year. Maggie Penta (2 pts) was just typical Maggie, 100% effort the whole time. In the 4th quarter the Storm was able chip away at our lead and tie the game 6 - 6. But with relentless pressure, Vicky Horton made a great pass to an open Isabella DeRoche (4 Pts) who nailed the shot of the game from 10 feet out with only 3.4 seconds remaining to get the win. Good job Girls!

Buoyed by the continued support of Stephanie Graffeo, out with a broken arm. Team Storm had another game come down to the wire, losing a heart breaker on a layup with three seconds left, 8 to 6. Led by the constant pressure of Brigh Cote and Jessica Cacciola  the Storm battled back from a 6-0 deficit. Devyn Veits, Jessica Cacciola and Bailey Carter each scored key baskets in the third quarter as momentum shifted the storms way. Sammy Salvaggio, and Stephanie Cunningham provided solid defensive pressure while both Stephanie Lemus and Megan Graczyk each had key steals. Once again, Christine Santos and Ashley Turri each established themselves as dynamic rebounders against a taller Mystic team. The Storm will continue to build on their reputation as an undersized but aggressive defensive unit.

Lynx 16, Rockers 14

The Lynx were able to capture their 1^st win of the season with a tough fought victory over the Rockers. The Lynx started the game with a much improved defensive effort than the previous week. The whole team deserves recognition for improved hustle and effort with Marissa Brangiforte, Grace Morris, Kendall Donahoe, Lauren McIntyre, and Jessica Caredeo in the 1^st quarter, and Lauren Crupi, Nadia Schena, Lily Wyatt, Carolyn Versackas, and Janine Richardson in the 2^nd quarter. At the end of the 1^st the score was 2-2 and then the "Dynamic Duo" Carolyn and Lily came in and scored 10 unanswered points to take a 12-2 lead at the half. In the 3^rd the Rockers responded with some great defense of their own to narrow the gap to 12-6. With the 6 point lead and the Dynamic Duo returning the Lynx thought that they might be able to relax a little and bring home the victory. However after the Lynx stretched the lead to 16-8 the Rockers decided they would have none of that. They came out firing long range shots and one after another fell through the hoop to close the gap to 16-14 with under a minute to play. The Rockers had one attempt to tie it towards the end of the game but the shot fell short and the Lynx were able to hold on to the win. Scoring for the Lynx were Lily with 10 points, Carolyn with 4 and Kendall with 2 points. Rebounding leaders were Carolyn with 9 and Lily with 7. Leading the team in steals were Grace and Carolyn with 2 each.

Scoring for the Rockers were Jocelyn Stavros (6 pts) and Jackie Marchant,  Sarah Constantino, Hannah Maffeo and Sarah Bishop all with 2 points each.

Starzz 4, Sparks 2

In a low scoring overtime thriller, Team Starzz were able to hold strong on defense and score the game winning basket in overtime.  Izzy Picher (4 pts) scored the game winner.  Defensive Stars of the week were Sophia Alfano and Devyn MacEachern.  The Sparks proved to be a strong defensive minded team.  Great game girls.  

The Sparks and Starzz both played excellent defensive games.  Erin Mader and Allison Pellegrino both made numerous steals.  Kerry Shea and Britney Bourassa did a great job bringing the ball up the court.  A great game was played by all.

Comets 21, Monarchs 14

Today we faced a very strong and quick Monarch team.  All of the young ladies on the court today played a fantastic game!  Emily Langone(2) and Lizzie Gallella(4) were a strong force together as they pushed the ball up court, making great passes to their team.  Michaela Svendsen was on the receiving end of some of those passes,she found the right spot under the hoop and netted 10 points for the Comets.  Bridget Burgoyne got in on the action and took a strong pass from her team, put it up, but it just wouldn't drop.  Burgoyne had some quick feet on defense with fellow player Madison Bugley.  They kept up constant pressure and hustled their way on the court.  Erin Gallella(2) and Allison Couillard were a tough duo, moving the ball swiftly on the court and both made some great steals throughout the game. Caitlin Panessiti(2) made a great hoop from the low post and blocked some tough shots made by the Monarchs offense.  Felicia Ragucci(1) did a great job changing hats from Center to Point Guard during the game.  She also had a nice drive to the net, drew the foul and netted 1 of 2 foul shots.  Rachel Conway and Leanne Durham both stepped up their game today.  They made some good blocks and denied the ball when called on. Allison Couillard was named Defensive player of the game.Scoring for the Monarchs was Sydney Quinn.