NORTH SHORE –
Boys Basketball
Lynn English 72 Beverly 69 (Full game story on separate web site post)
Marblehead 54 Hoosac Valley 52
Everett 69 Lynn Classical 62
Girls Basketball
Bishop Fenwick 61 Peabody 33 / Fenwick finishes at 18-4
Swampscott 52 Hamilton-Wenham 36 Big Blue finish at 15-5
Beverly 65 Lynn English 43
Chelmsford 56 St. Mary’s 37
Marblehead 46 Everett 33
Girls Hockey
Lincoln-Sudbury 4 Wakefield 2
Contact us at – msonewsports@gmail.com
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COLLEGE SPORTS
Salem State Men’s Hockey Clinches Title
SALEM — Derek Makimaa (Swartz, Creek, MI) netted a hat trick as the Vikings of Salem State clinched the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference regular season championship with a 9-3 victory over the Lancers of Worcester State Tuesday night at Rockett Arena. With the win, the Vikings clinch the number one seed in the upcoming MASCAC playoffs. Salem State improves to 20-5 on the year, the first time they have reached the 20-win plateau since the 1994 Final Four team went 23-6-3. It was also the 11th straight win for the Vikings, their longest streak since the ’93-’94 team won nine in a row. Their 16-2 MASCAC mark also set a program record for conference wins since the league reformed in 2009. The Lancers finish their season with a 6-18-1 record and 3-14-1 mark in the MASCAC.
Prior to the game, Salem State honored five seniors in their last regular season home game of their college career. Seniors included Andrew Bucci (Peabody, MA), Keaton Cashin (Boxford,MA), Andrew Bettencourt (Riverside, RI), assistant captain Gabriel Cromp and captain Cam Moniz (Seekonk, MA).
Marcus Zelzer (Green Bay, WI) opened the game with several outstanding saves early on in the first period, including a glove save that denied a great scoring chance from
Andrew Ethridge (Burrilville, RI) who took a wrist shot from the took of the right circle. Moments later, Salem State went on a man-advantage after Joe White (Wonder Lake, IL) was called for tripping. The Vikings took full advantage as Gabriel Cromp (Montreal, QC) rifled one to the back of the net with a slap shot from the top of the left circle that beat Worcester State’s Drew Case (Plano, TX) high glove side. Zelzer’s efforts kept the Vikings ahead 1-0 denying, Ethridge again on a breakaway. Salem State extended their lead to 2-0 twelve minutes into the period when Michael Chen (Rockville, MD) picked up a loose puck from Brandon Platt (Pittsburgh, PA) deep in the offensive end to defeat Case high glove side again. The Vikings ran into some penalty trouble late in the period when Andrew Bettencourt (Riverside, RI) was called for goaltender interference while also being called for roughing after the whistle alongside Lancer David Russell (Cedar Point, NC). Michael Casale (Stoney Creek, ONT) served the two-minute roughing minor for
Bettencourt since he was already in the box. However, with the excellent play of Zelzer and hustle on the forecheck, Salem State was able to escape all penalties unharmed.
After a quiet first period the second period heated up as Worcester State quickly erased the two-goal deficit when White beat Zelzer low blocker side to bring the score to 2-1 25-seconds into the second. Three minutes later, the Lancers knotted the game at 2-2 when Nicholas Drill (Madison, WI) wrapped the puck from behind the net to beat Zelzer low on his glove side. However, Salem State answered immediately when Derek Makimaa (Swartz Creek, MI) regained the lead for the Vikings when Cam Moniz (Seekonk, MA) found Makimaa alone on the ride side of the crease as Makimaa tip home a Moniz pass. After the goal Worcester State’s Brian Allen (Brookfield, CT) was called for a two-minute minor that would give Salem State their second power-play of the game. On the power-play, Makimaa added his second goal in thirty-seconds when he snapped a one-timer over the right shoulder of Case after Platt chased the puck deep into the zone leaving a trailing Makimaa uncontested. Ahead 4-2, Salem State was granted another power-play moments later when Drill was called for interference. Like their previous two power-plays, the Vikings converted again to gain a 5-2 edge when Daniel Campbell (Waterloo, ONT) threw a no look pass in front of the crease that was left for John Needham (Medford, MA) to clean up, which he did. Despite the three quick scores, the Lancers did answer in the 15th minute of play when Jim LeNoir (Exton, PA) took a deep slap shot from just inside the blue line that somehow found its way past Zelzer to cut Salem State’s lead to 5-3. Just before the end of the period Zelzer denied Alex DeWitz (Oronoco, MN) on a breakaway to secure the two-goal edge.
After a thrilling second period, the third period simmered down as the Vikings extended their lead to 6-3 when Makimaa completed the hat trick finishing a pass on a 2-on-1 from Campbell. Salem State wasn’t done scoring as they added three more goals before the final horn. Moniz made it 7-3 when he wristed one past Case from the slot on an assist from Ryan Doherty (Tewksbury, MA). Campbell picked up his second point of the night when he muscled in a goal with a wrist shot from the top right circle past two Lancer defender to make it 8-3. Finally, Casale scored the game’s last goal when he back handed a shot over Case after Bettencourt drew him out with a hesitation move as Salem State secured a 9-3 victory.
Zelzer picked up his 16th win, which is tied for most in Division III this season, with 20 saves as he tied Mike Gregario (’90-’91) for second most wins in a season in Salem State history. In addition, Zelzer’s 15 straight wins is the longest in program history, while his 16-1 record tops the nation with a .938 win percentage for goalies with at least 15 starts.
Case (0-2) made 27 saves for Worcester State, which was outshot 36-23 for the game.
Salem State will await their semifinal matchup, which will between the winner of #4 seed UMass Dartmouth and #5 seed Westfield State, next Tuesday night, March 1 at Rockett Arena.
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Endicott Men’s Basketball Wins a Thriller
BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott men’s basketball team battled visiting Gordon College to an electrifying 86-76 win in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Quarterfinal action Tuesday night inside MacDonald Gymnasium.
The first half saw two tied scores and three lead changes as Gordon opened the game on a 7-0 run through the first four minutes of action before Endicott put together a 10-9 run to take its first lead of the game at the 14:14 mark on junior guard Kamahl Walker‘s (Worcester, Mass.) layup.
The Gulls were up 15-9 with 11:52 on junior guard Max Motroni‘s (West Warwick, R.I.) free throw, but Gordon eventually tied it at 15-all at 10:42. Endicott used a 7-0 run over the next three minutes to make it a seven-point game (22-15) on Motroni’s trey.
The Fighting Scots fought for a brief 24-22 edge with 5:21 to play and again, 26-24, (4:34) in the opening stanza, but Endicott fed off crowd energy capitalized by junior forward Daquan Sampson‘s (Germantown, Md.) dunk with 2:07 on the clock to make it 31-28.
Endicott filed into the locker room at the break holding onto a 38-28 advantage for their largest lead of the half as Walker led the floor with 14 points.
It was Endicott all the way in the second half as Motroni netted 15 of his 21 points on the night. The Gulls steadily grew their lead to 17 points with 8:52 remaining in the game on Basden’s three-pointer assisted by Motroni.
Gordon cut the deficit to six points with 3:47 on the clock with a pair of free throws from CCC Rookie of the Year Garrisson Duvivier (Brockton, Mass.), but Endicott hit all eight of its attempted free throws down the stretch to seal the deal and advanced to the conference semifinals for the 14th time in the program’s 22-year history.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Gulls placed five student-athletes in double figures as Walker had 22 points, Motroni had 21, Sampson added 15 to go with a team-high eight boards, and junior guards Drew Sawyer (Norwalk, Conn.) and Stephen Basden (Lynn, Mass.) each chipped in 10 points apiece.
- Motroni extended his double-digit scoring streak to 25, as he has scored double digits in every game he has played in this season.
- Endicott forced 15 Gordon turnovers and turned those into 18 points.
- The Gulls converted 24-of-28 free throws for their most in the month of February this season.
FOR THE FOES
- Junior forward Sam Johnson (Chatham, Mass.) notched another double-double of the season with 10 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.
- Freshman guard Eric Demers (West Wareham, Mass.) paced the Fighting Scots with 14 points.
- Duvivier was also in double-figures with 11 points, five rebounds, two assists and one block.
NOTES
- The Gulls and Fighting Scots met twice in the regular season, as Endicott swept the season series by scores of 75-60 and 80-73 earlier this season. Endicott is 21-17 all-time against Gordon dating back to the 1996 season.
- The Gulls have won the past four head-to-head matchups after losing five in a row against Gordon and are 10-9 at home all-time dating back to the 1996 season.
- Endicott and Gordon met tonight in postseason play for the first time since a 73-52 Gulls’ loss in Wenham, Mass. on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010 in the TCCC Quarterfinals.
WHAT’S NEXT
Endicott (16-10, 12-6 CCC) will face No. 1 seeded Nichols College in the CCC Semifinals on Thursday, February 25, 2016 in Dudley, Mass. at a time to be announced. Gordon (12-14, 9-9 CCC) sees its season come to an end.
2016 CCC MEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Quarterfinals • Tuesday, February 23
#1 Nichols 107, #8 Western New England 67
#7 University of New England 61, #2 Wentworth 58
#6 Roger Williams 68, #3 Eastern Nazarene 67
#4 Endicott 86, #5 Gordon 76
Semifinals • Thursday, February 25
#1 Nichols vs. #4 Endicott, TBA (at higher seed)
#7 University of New England vs. #6 Roger Williams winner, TBA (at higher seed)
Championship Game • Saturday, February 27
Semifinal Winners, TBA (at higher seed)
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Salem State Women’s Basketball Loses
North Adams, MA- The fourth seeded MCLA Women’s Basketball team used a strong fourth quarter to pull away from visiting fifth seed Salem State as the Trailblazers defeated the Vikings 67-53 to advance in a MASCAC quarterfinal round matchup. With the win, the Trailblazers (14-12) will move on to face the top seeded Westfield State Owls on Thursday night at 7pm at the Woodward Center. The Vikings end their season at 8-18.
Karina Mattera scored 12 of her game best 17 points in the decisive fourth quarter to pace the Trailblazers. Kayla Hotaling also posted solid numbers collecting a stat line of 12 points, 19 rebounds (7 offensive), and 4 blocked shots.
MCLA held a slim 45-44 lead heading into the fourth quarter after Salem State scored to end the third. When the Vikings’ Kia Fernandes connected on a three point play to open the quarter, they led for the first time since the opening minutes 47-45. MCLA’s McKenzie Robinson responded with a deep three to give the hosts back the lead and the teams swapped buckets on the next two possessions making it 51-50 in favor of Salem with 8:00 left to play.
From there Mattera took over. She connected on a three pointer after collecting a steal to give MCLA the lead for good at 53-51 and she’d continue her own run scoring the next six for the Trailblazers making it 59-53 with just 1:09 left to play. The Trailblazers were able to keep the Vikings at bay by collecting 10 offensive rebounds in the pivotal quarter.
Forced to foul, the Vikings would send MCLA to the stripe and they closed the game out on an 8-0 spurt to pull away and earn a date with the top seeded Owls Thursday night.
The first half saw both teams play well. MCLA shot a solid 50% from the floor while the Vikings connected on 40% of their first half attempts. The score at halftime was 37-33 in favor of MCLA.
Mattera was 7-19 from the floor for her 17 point effort. She added 3 assists and 4 steals in the win. Hotaling went just 3-13 from the floor, but helped the Trailblazers with her rebounding and defense. Her effort led to the Trailblazers holding a 46-37 edge off the glass.
Courtney Pingelski came off the bench to score 9 points for MCLA, while Courtney Durivage made some key plays in the fourth quarter. She would finish with just 4 points, however she snagged 6 boards, including 4 in the fourth quarter alone. Robinson would end the game with 8 points and 4 assists. The Trailblazers assisted on 18 of 24 made field goals.
The Vikings placed three players in double figures led by Tahira Peralta’s 12 points. Peralta was held to just three points in the second half. Kate Lipka added 11 points, while leading scorer Kaitlyn Bryan ended with a hard earned 10 points and 9 rebounds. Bryan added a game high 5 steals.
Both teams slowed in the closing half of play as the Trailblazers shot just 27% over the final twenty minutes while the Vikings connected on just 38%. Salem committed 21 turnovers compared to 16 for MCLA.
The Trailblazers will advance to face the Owls Thursday at 7pm after Westfield swept the season series from the Trailblazers.
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Endicott College Women’s Basketball Wins
BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott women’s basketball team held off a late push from the visiting Curry Colonels to secure a 68-66 victory in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Quarterfinal action Tuesday night inside MacDonald Gymnasium.
The Colonels bounced out in front to open the game and it wasn’t until the 5:49 mark of the first quarter that Endicott managed a lead in the game, 12-11, as sophomore guard Gabriella Coppola (Watertown, Mass.) buried a three-pointer.
Curry went ahead, 16-15, at the end of the first quarter, and led by as much as four (23-19) with 6:38 to play in the opening half, but Endicott came back to take a 38-31 lead into the locker room at the break Coppola paced all scorers with 10 points.
The Gulls never trailed in the second half, thanks in part to strong efforts of 23 points and 22 points in the second and third quarters, respectively.
Endicott went up by as much as 16 points on sophomore forward Sam Charette‘s (Wenham, Mass.) jumper with 33 seconds remaining in the third quarter for its largest lead of the game and went into the fourth quarter with a 60-44 advantage.
The Colonels used a 9-0 run over the first four minutes to start the fourth quarter and scratched to within three on two occasions, trailing 64-61 with 2:10 remaining and again 66-63 with 13 seconds left.
Four clutch free throws by senior guard Kelsey Cuddy (Madison, Conn.) in the waning seconds secured the victory for Endicott as the Gulls advanced to the CCC Semifinals for the fifth season in a row.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Cuddy’s 20 points tonight marked the ninth time she has scored 20 or more points in a game this season, including in all three games against Curry this season.
- Sophomore forward Hannah Shaw (Bar Harbor, Maine) pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.
- The Gulls placed three in double figures as sophomore guard Hannah Kiernan (Wenham, Mass.) added 10 points to join Cuddy (20) and Coppola (13).
- Coppola had six rebounds, six assists and three steals and tied her career-high with three three-pointers.
- The game featured two ties and five lead changes.
FOR THE FOES
- Freshman guard Emily Irwin (Billerica, Mass.), the CCC Rookie of the Year, scored a team-leading 18 points and paced the team with four steals.
- Senior center/forward Shannon Griffith (West Hartford, Conn.) chipped in 10 points and eight rebounds, while senior guard/forward Kerry White (Windham, N.H.) grabbed a team-leading nine rebounds and added 12 points.
- Graduate student guard Christina Deiorio (Stoughton, Mass.) also landed in double figures with 12 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
- The Colonels outscored the Gulls 22-8 in the fourth quarter.
NOTES
- Endicott is 23-6 all-time and 13-1 at home versus Curry dating back prior to the 2002 season.
- The Gulls and Colonels met twice in the regular season, as Endicott swept the season series by scores of 77-62 and 65-42 earlier this season.
- Endicott and Curry squared off again in postseason play, as the Colonels defeated the Gulls, 66-49, in Milton, Mass. on Feb. 26, 2015 in the CCC Semifinals last season.
WHAT’S NEXT
No. 4 Endicott (16-10, 13-5 CCC) will face the No. 1 University of New England in the CCC Semifinals on Thursday, February 25, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. in Biddeford, Maine. Curry (12-14, 9-9 CCC) sees its season come to an end.
2016 CCC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Quarterfinals • Tuesday, February 23
#1 University of New England 101, #8 Nichols 35
#2 Western New England 60, #7 Salve Regina 51
#3 Roger Williams 71, #6 Eastern Nazarene 57
#4 Endicott 68, #5 Curry 66
Semifinals • Thursday, February 25
#1 University of New England vs. #4 Endicott, 7:00 p.m. (at higher seed)
#2 Western New England vs. #3 Roger Williams (at higher seed)
Championship Game • Saturday, February 27
Semifinal Winners, TBA (at higher seed)
