Hoop divas ready for an encore
Pick up the ball right where it stopped bouncing last season.
Pick up your dribble at the TD Banknorth Garden, where the Melrose girls' hoop squad took a 23-game winning streak and a Division 2 North championship into a state semifinal with Oliver Ames , fell behind early, and clawed back late before eventually seeing its season end with a 3-point loss.
Or pick it up at Tsongas Arena in the North final, the spot where Melrose left Masconomet for the Garden. The spot where Jim Pugh and his
Stay in Tsongas and try to find the same ball that was launched by Kelley Mahoney from near half-court with no time left in regulation and somehow dropped through the net, turning triumph to tears for Ipswich and letting Winthrop live another day in the tournament.
See who that ball means more to. See if the 46-45 loss sparks the Lady Vikings to the Division 3 North finals and beyond, or if it inspires the Tigers to not only get back to the tournament, but go deeper.
Find Tara Driscoll in Swampscott. See if the ball will even leave her hands for yours. Being a freshman, playing in the most important game of the season, and shooting threes like it's pregame warm-ups and not overtime is just something a freshman shouldn't do. Except she did, scoring 18 points for the Big Blue in the 68-66 overtime win over Winthrop.
From Melrose to Gloucester, Swampscott to Lynnfield, Ipswich to Peabody, as many as a dozen teams could be in the mix this season, which makes girls' hoop so interesting. Before the season begins Tuesday, here's a rundown of a few hot teams and players.
Teams at the top
Masconomet: Maybe that Melrose game will be a motivator. Maybe the Chieftains thought about that 14-point loss all summer and all fall. Maybe the Masco team that made the regular season look like a dry run last year, going 20-0 , will make another run at the state title. Pugh has everyone except senior guard Michelle Fauci returning (four starters and seven reserves), which makes a rerun of last year very possible.
Swampscott: The Big Blue lost senior guard Meghan O'Malley , but bring back a talent-rich backcourt anyway. Guards McKinley Tennant and Driscoll should only get better with experience. Three-sport standout Gwen Luke will hold things down in the frontcourt for a Swampscott squad that has no intentions of letting go of its vice grip on the Northeastern Conference.
Melrose: A re-up on the North championship means Sheylani Peddy and Lynley DeAmato will somehow have to be better this year than last, when they led Melrose to 23 straight wins and earned a trip to the Garden.
Teams that make
you go hmmm
Ipswich: What better way to follow up winning your first Cape Ann League Small title in 16 years than by going back to back? The only thing better for Mandy Zegarowski's squad than two straight league titles would be making that same postseason run it came within a buzzer-beater of continuing last season. You think that loss to Winthrop hasn't been running through the Tigers' mind ever since? Think twice. Lauren McCarthy was using it as motivation to win a field hockey championship in the fall. Wait till she steps on the court.
Winthrop: No squad looks as enticing as the Lady Vikings. How can you not like a team that looks almost identical to the one that won 20 games last season and came within a bucket of beating Masconomet for the North chip? Guards Courtney Finn and Nicole Giaquinto , center Meredith Soper, and forward Kristen Finn all are back to make another run. The scary part: They're all still underclassmen, which means you'll be reading these same words next season.
Peabody: The Tanners went 19-1 in the regular season, including two wins over Somerville, then lost to Somerville in the Division 1 North quarterfinals. Expect Peabody to be as good this season, but don't make any postseason predictions.
Names to know
Caroline Stewart, center, Masconomet: The 6-footer will be a focal point for Masco, and none of it will have anything to do with eligibility questions, like last season.
Sheylani Peddy, guard, Melrose: Knows how to finish (26 points, 13 steals, and 6 assists in North title game), so surely she'll know how to get the Red Raiders off to a good start. A two-time All-Scholastic, Peddy was named to the Globe's Super Team last season.
Amber Smith, forward, Ipswich: She dropped 19 points in her first tournament game. She was a Globe All-Scholastic as a freshman. And she might be the reason the Tigers repeat as Cape Ann League champs.
