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July 11, 2009

'LET'S PLAY THREE'

Gambale will show versatility in Agganis All-Star games

By Mike Grenier

Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame shortstop Ernie Banks had a pet phrase that summed up his love for the game when he played in the 1950s and 60s.

"Let's play two," Banks would say, referring to his affinity for doubleheaders.

Swampscott's Marissa Gambale could identify with that sentiment because when organizers of the Agganis All-Star games invited her to participate over the next few days, her basic response was, "Let's play three."

In what is a rare occurrence for such high level competition, Gambale will play in the Agganis women's soccer, basketball and softball games. She'll do it on consecutive days, too, with the softball game set for tomorrow (Fraser Field, noon), the women's basketball game scheduled for Monday (at Lynn English, 6 p.m.) and the women's soccer game slated for Tuesday (Manning Field, 5:30 p.m.).

If it all seems rather exhausting, then you just don't know Gambale, who is headed to Merrimack College in North Andover later this summer to play Division 2 soccer.

Gambale, 18, lives for this stuff. At Swampscott High, where she was a four-year varsity player in soccer, basketball and softball and an exceptional student (4.0 grade point average), Gambale was a Northeastern Conference All-Star and team captain in all three sports.

What drives her, however, is winning. Gambale went to the state tournament with the Big Blue in 11 of her 12 athletic seasons. She and her teammates reached a zenith last winter when she was the super quick, pass-first point guard for the 23-2 girls basketball team that won the Division 3 state championship for the first time in school history.

The Agganis All-Star games fit her personality. Gambale is gregarious, so she'll enjoy interacting with 50-60 friends and foes in the three games, yet at the same time she's a fierce competitor who demands a lot from herself.

"I loved her attitude when she told me she'd be playing (in three Agganis games)," said Swampscott High girls basketball coach Jack Hughes. "She's already working out at Merrimack College for soccer, but she said you only get to do something like this (play in three all-star games in three days) once in your life, so why not?

"The fact she was picked for all three games didn't surprise me," added Hughes. "I would've been much more surprised if she'd been left off any of those teams. In basketball, she was always at her best when we had the biggest challenges. Without question, Marissa will be in the (Swampscott) Hall of Fame when she becomes eligible. She didn't just play three sports in high school, she excelled in all of them."

Gambale doesn't think she'll be physically taxed by the Agganis all-star experience. She's probably in the best shape of her life, lifting weights at Merrimack, playing soccer for Orange Crush women's team and playing club softball with the North Shore Storm on weekends.

"I don't ever stop playing," said Gambale. "The hardest time I ever had was in the state basketball tourney last season when it was game after game and practice after practice. But with something like this, I don't think I'll get worn out. It's such an honor to be playing in all three games. I'm really lucky that my coaches wanted to nominate me."

In basketball, Gambale was an assist machine for teammates Tara Nimkar and Allie Beaulieu, both of whom surpassed 1,000 career points last season. She'll be reunited with Beaulieu in the Agganis game. "We've been playing together since fourth grade," related Gambale. "Allie will play in college (Bates in Maine), but this will be the last time I ever play basketball."

Soccer is an entirely different story. Merrimack College badly wanted Gambale, who didn't even apply there initially. She will test her evolving skills in the Agganis game and the best part for her will be playing with Swampscott's Skylar Sabbag, who's been her teammate since elementary school. Sabbag became so formidable in soccer that she's headed for Division 1 Central Michigan.

"We've been playing together since we were six or seven years old," Gambale said of Sabbag. "After we lost in the (state tournament) last year, we both started crying our eyes out because we'd literally played hundreds of games together. She's my best friend."

That close friendship has allowed Sabbag to watch Gambale develop into an exceptional player in every sport. Sabbag pointed out that in softball, Gambale was a pitcher and second baseman growing up. At Swampscott High, she became a fixture at shortstop, hitting .536 this season and was an Ichiro-like 33 for 37 in stolen bases.

"I think it's amazing," Sabbag said of Gambale warming to the task of three Agganis all-star contests. "She's just so well-rounded. Even at age seven or eight, you could tell she was going to be good. Marissa is also a great leader. She does it as a speaker and through her actions. Other players want to be like her. I think she'll be a force to be reckoned with at Merrimack College."

For now, Gambale would settle for being a factor in three Agannis all-star games. Even Ernie Banks would be impressed.

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'LET'S PLAY THREE'
by By Mike Grenier , , Sat Jul 11, 2009, 03:02 PM EDT
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