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February 22, 2008

Sizing up our tournament teams

By Matt Jenkins

Bounce Passes

Matt Jenkins

The North Shore may not be blessed with an abundance of girls tournament teams this winter, but the clubs that are dancing have the potential to stay on the floor for more than just a song or two.

As always, the stars have to be aligned for long tournament runs, however, and even the best teams head into the postseason with weaknesses and strengths. Here are some keys and question marks for our five tournament teams, ranging from Division 1 Peabody to Division 2 Masconomet and Danvers, and Division 3 teams Swampscott and Ipswich.

PEABODY

Record: 15-5

Starting five: Kristen Federico, Sr. C; Lindsey Consoles, Sr. F; Janelle Rodriguez, So. F; Michelle Grifoni, Sr. G; Tawny Palmieri, Sr. G.

Key player: Alyssa Manoogian, Jr. G. Manoogian may be known for her ability on the soccer pitch, but she is a valuable reserve for the Tanners. Peabody is loaded with height — Federico and Consoles are each 6-foot-1, and Rodriguez is 5-10 — but when Manoogian enters the game she takes over the point guard position and the Tanners can instantly switch from a tall, halfcourt team to a three-guard run-and-gun machine.

Tournament question mark: Postseason experience/toughness. The Tanners are a fixture among the top five seeded teams in Division 1 North, but their length of stay the past two seasons has been short. As the No. 2 seed in 2006, Peabody dropped a 56-49 decision to No. 7 Somerville. Last year, the No. 3 Tanners fell to No. 6 Central Catholic, 53-38. Each loss came in Peabody's first tournament game. A move to the Northeastern Conference provided a tougher everyday schedule for Peabody this year, which could translate into a more tournament-ready team.

MASCONOMET><p>

Record: 19-1

Starting five: Caroline Stewart, Sr. C; Merry DeAngelis, Sr. F; Krissy DiBenedetto, Jr. G; Jamie White, Jr. G; Annie Burns, Sr. G. Key player: White. White is arguably the best defensive player on the North Shore and Masco's success in the postseason will be dependent on her consistency. Although not a polished offensive threat, White creates offensive opportunities with her defense and wreaks havoc on opposing teams' guards. White must avoid the foul trouble that sometimes plagues her due to the high energy level she plays with.

Tournament question mark: The bench. Teams in Div. 2 North will have a hard time matching Masco's starting five, and even though Bob Romeo has regularly played three or four players off the bench, only once has the bench been put in a position where it had an opportunity to win a game. In Masco's only loss — an overtime setback to Cardinal Spellman — both Stewart and White fouled out. The Chieftains aren't a dominant team with Stewart, White, or Burns spending significant minutes on the bench.

DANVERS><p>

Record: 12-8

Starting five: Kellie Macdonald, Fr. C; Cate DiNitto, Sr. F; Ashley Burnham, Sr. G; Danielle Sherry, Sr. G; Erica Veilleux, Jr. G.

Key player: Macdonald. Usually when a freshman is the key player on a tournament team, it spells doom. But in this case, Macdonald has emerged as a two-way player for the Falcons and coach Pat Veilleux had the luxury of bringing her along slowly. Macdonald brings size (5-10) and athleticism (she was a starting defender on the varsity soccer team) to the lineup, and she makes for a strong inside-outside duo with Sherry.

Tournament question mark: Secondary scoring. Sherry, who averages over 20 points per game, needs some help in putting points on the board. Macdonald can be that threat for Danvers, but as a freshman it's natural for her to struggle with consistency. Sherry is a very unselfish player and Danvers needs other scorers to play with confidence.

SWAMPSCOTT><p>

Record: 17-3

Starting five: Tara Nimkar, Jr. F; Jenna Mazzafero, Sr. F; Allie Beaulieu, Jr. F; Kara Gilberg, So. G; Marissa Gambale, Jr. G.

Key player: Mazzafero. Nimkar, Beaulieu, and Gilberg each average double figures, while Gambale handles the ball and concentrates on defense. Eventually, Swampscott will run into a team that can adequately defend Nimkar in the post and Beaulieu and Gilberg on the perimeter, thus forcing one of Swampscott's role player to become a scorer. Mazzafero has shown signs of being an offensive threat and she has to become a scorer when other teams dare her to shoot.

Tournament question mark: Depth. The past few seasons Swampscott has entered the tournament with a dangerous starting five and a strong bench. This year the Big Blue once again have an excellent starting lineup, but the bench is untested.

IPSWICH><p>

Record: 17-3

Starting five: Audrey Shaughnessy, Jr. C; Amber Smith, Jr. F; Erin Vana, Jr. F; Hannah Macklin, Jr. G; Lyndsay French, Sr. G.

Key player: Macklin. Smith is the North Shore's top scorer at nearly 22 points per game, and she does virtually all of her work inside the paint. Smith constantly demands double teams and Macklin — Ipswich's best 3-point threat — benefits from kick-outs.

Tournament question mark: Smith support. Ipswich's junior forward may be one of the best scorer's around, but no other player averages more than 7.5. Teams that can pinch down on Smith without losing any defense on the perimeter can really slow down the Tigers.

nnn

Fourteen games into the season the state tournament was already out of reach for Beverly, but that didn't stop the Panthers from making a great run late in the year. After going 3-11 through 14 games, Beverly concluded with a 5-1 sprint to the finish line, with the only blemish coming at the hands of Masconomet in the North Shore Invitational final.

Seniors Alex Vavladellis, Alicia Couture, Amy Couture, Michelle Lubas, Breezy Dwyer, and Samantha O'Neal will be missed, but Beverly coach Matt Smith loves the group that will return next winter.

He's certain that his team will play with more confidence from the very first practice next year.

"I play everybody and we're young. I've got four sophomores, a freshman, and three juniors, so it can only help," Smith said. "In that run we beat some good teams — English, Classical, and Fenwick. None of those were gimme wins. It can only help those girls."

Junior Kellie Shea looks like the type of player who will give opposing coaches fits as a senior. She's long with a good handle and a nice outside touch. She was named to the All-Tournament team earlier this week and will be one-half of a great tandem along with Meghan Chatellier.

Chatellier, a junior forward, was the only Panther named to the Northeastern Conference all-star team.

If Beverly found a way to defeat Masco in the final, it would have been bittersweet because the team would have finished one game away from a tournament berth. In a strange way, going 8-12 was better.

"Had we by chance pulled this game off (against Masco), that (9-11 record) would have been a tough pill to swallow," Smith said. "But it's better than no run at all. It was a good way to finish."

Dwyer, Beverly's starting center for the last three years, will be the player most missed.

In a reminder of how emotional playing in the final high school game of your career can be, Smith subbed for Dwyer with about a minute remaining in Beverly's loss to Masco. Dwyer left the court in tears and had to be consoled at the end of the bench.

nnn

Although her career is not over yet, Caroline Stewart felt a lot of the same emotions that Dwyer had.

"It was (emotional) when I came out and heard the crowd and coach Romeo gave me a hug. It was bittersweet," Stewart said. "I know it's time to go, but we have a lot of memories."

Stewart is a big fan of the North Shore Invitational, and has enjoyed participating for the last three years. Masco won the title in each of Stewart's three seasons playing in the tourney, and she became the second female to win back-to-back MVP awards, following the lead of Peabody's Dyana Delpero in 2001-02.

Stewart, who grew up in Danvers, saw a lot of familiar faces on the three other teams.

"I know a lot of girls on the Danvers team and I'm really friendly with a lot of the girls on Fenwick, so it's a good friendly rivalry," Stewart said. "It's a nice, relaxed setting. It's fun."

Bounce Passes, a column on North Shore girls' basketball, runs every Friday during the winter sports season in The Salem News. Contact staff writer Matt Jenkins at 978-338-2648 or by e-mail at mjenkins@ecnnews.com.

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