She has another shot

MELROSE -- The shot plays in Sheylani Peddy's mind like a movie trailer.

The scene: Melrose trails Gloucester 52-51 in the Division 2 North sectional final with 6.7 seconds left. Melrose inbounds the ball to Peddy, who makes a full-court dash through the Gloucester defense, reaching the hoop and rising over Gloucester's Rachel Murray to kiss a shot off the glass just before the final buzzer sounds.

Everything but the ending is perfect for Peddy. The shot rolls around the rim and out. Peddy flops to the floor in equal parts exasperation and devastation.

''I shot it, and I thought it was good, and it just rolled out," said Peddy. ''It's a heartbreaker."

Even nine months later.

''I think deep down inside, and from what the kids say, she feels she should have made the shot," said Melrose coach Dave Brady. ''When we called timeout we said, 'Shey, we have to get the ball to you and just go.' And she did. I didn't even think there was enough time."

That March 12 loss is ingrained in the memory of Peddy and her teammates. It was the Red Raiders' only loss last season on their way to a 23-1 mark, and it serves as their motivation for this season. Led by Peddy, an All-Scholastic selection at guard last winter, Melrose returns four starters and 10 players from the team that was a rim-roll away from reaching the Eastern Mass. finals. This time around the Red Raiders are determined to leave nothing to chance.

''We're going to work hard to do anything to get back to that final," said senior guard Cara Lynch, one of three captains this season. ''We have six seniors on this team, and we don't want to have any regrets. We always look back to that game and March and regret that loss. Since then we would say, 'We always have next year.'

''Well, next year is here, and there is no more next year."

If Melrose is to return to the promised land, it will be Peddy who leads them. She was named the Middlesex League's Most Valuable Player last season as a sophomore after averaging 19 points per game to propel Melrose to its sixth straight league crown. A talented point guard who is equally adept at serving as a playmaker or primary scorer, she is already drawing attention from Division 1 colleges such as South Carolina, Maryland, and Central Florida.

''When we need a big shot, rebound, or steal she gets it," said Brady. ''But she is very unselfish. The team comes first."

The 17-year-old from Roxbury has found a home court advantage away from home. Peddy attends Melrose High School through the Metco, or Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity, program. Each school day, she wakes up 6:15 a.m. to catch a bus from her home to the Roxbury Boys & Girls Club, where she gets another bus that takes her to Melrose.

Two years ago, when she started attending Melrose after spending the first month of her freshman year at Charlestown High, Peddy felt like an exile dropped off in a foreign land.

''I didn't know where this was at. I hadn't even heard of Melrose until I got here," said Peddy. ''After I looked up in the Daffinee [Gym] and looked at all the banners, I could see it was a good program."

That unfamiliarity paid off when Peddy was issued No. 3, the jersey worn by the high school's all-time leading scorer, Shannon Kirwan, who had graduated the year before. While most Melrose natives would have felt a lot of pressure, Peddy was clueless. Without the weight of Kirwan's legacy on her shoulders, Peddy flourished as a freshman, leading Melrose to a 20-2 mark and the Middlesex League title.

This season, Peddy has switched to No. 11, her preferred number, and handed No. 3 over to Kirwan's younger sister, Meghan.

Peddy is clearly more comfortable and confident than she was two years ago. Basketball has helped her bridge the gap between her home and her high school. She often stays overnight with teammates when the squad has a late practice or a home game. That's why, despite today's high school basketball climate in which talented players are often poached off of teams by bigger programs that offer greater exposure, Peddy has decided to stay put.

''I don't think I want to leave here," she said. ''I like my class, my grade as a whole, and I just want to finish off here with my team. I like Melrose."

Who can blame her? The Red Raiders are loaded. Up front they return senior twins Paula and Karen Sen, who share captain duties with Lynch. They have been varsity players since they were freshmen. In addition to being athletic -- they were both All-Scholastics in volleyball this fall -- the Sens are smart. Paula, a power forward, is ranked No. 1 in the senior class, and her sister, Karen, the Red Raiders' center, is third. Peddy shares the backcourt with Lynch, a three-year starter and emotional sparkplug. The only new starter is junior guard Lynley DeAmato, who Brady said has looked great in preseason. Brady will also have a deep and athletic bench at his disposal.

The only thing that could derail the Red Raiders is injuries -- Karen Sen missed seven games during the volleyball season with a wrenched back -- or complacency. Don't count on the latter. Lynch said the seniors don't want to be part of the team that snaps Melrose's streak of six straight Middlesex titles, and if the Red Raiders start to drag, all Brady has to do is mention Gloucester.

''Even in practice, when we're running and everybody is tired, he'll just say, 'Think of the Gloucester game.' And everybody will just get a little bit more wind and keep going," Peddy said.

Melrose and Peddy want just one more shot.

Christopher L. Gasper can be reached at cgasper@globe.com.