Injury speeds up A-B player

Katy Rossini was one of the fastest players in the Dual County League a year ago, a game changer at both ends of the floor for Acton-Boxborough. With her quickness and ball-hawking skills, she was a pest defensively. On offense, she triggered the fast break.

With her graduation, along with that of fellow guard Julie Whitaker, coach Cathy Gallant knew that her Colonials were lacking speed, a key component from the squad that went 18-3 last year and earned a share of the DCL title.

Six months ago, Katie Awiszus would have agreed with her coach's assessment. After all, she was in the early stages of rehabilitation after surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee.

But, as Awiszus, a senior point guard, points out: "I tore my ACL and everything kind of changed."

The change? Thanks to her rigorous workouts, Awiszus is actually faster than she was prior to her injury, which she suffered playing AAU ball last June.

"During my rehab, I went from absolutely hating running to actually enjoying it," said Awiszus. "When you can't do something and then work hard to be able to do it again, you appreciate it more. It took me three months just to be able to run, so now I don't take it for granted. We thought we'd lost our speed, but maybe my running more brought it back."

At midweek, she had A-B off and running with a 2-0 start, earning the confidence of her coach. The Colonials crushed new DCL entrant Arlington in the opener, 56-7, and then rolled over the league's other new member, Waltham, 62-29.

"Last year, we had a lot of quickness and I thought we were going to have to up our inside game because Katy and Julie were leaving," said Gallant, in her 15th season. "Our post players have come back very strong, really improving the inside game, but we could still have some speed that we weren't relying on during the preseason."

A two-year starter, captain, and returning league all-star, Awiszus tore her ACL when she collided with a defender and twisted her knee. Doctors said it would be at least six months before she could play again.

"I remember my knee hurting, but I played most of the following game in the tournament and thought it was just a sprain," said Awiszus. "I think when the doctors told us it was the ACL [two weeks later] I was so bummed to not be able to play."

She underwent surgery on July 17, setting off a five-month, intensive rehabilitation schedule she outlined for herself in order to get the court with the Colonials before the season opener.

Three weeks after surgery, Awiszus gave up her crutches for good, relying on a large brace, locked straight, for stability in the knee. A month later, she transitioned to a smaller brace, with flexibility, and was walking on her own. Not allowed to go near the court, Awiszus hit the treadmill, running at least 2 miles a day to strengthen her knee and stay in shape. In late November, she was cleared to play basketball, and joined the Colonials in their second week of tryouts.

"I missed my senior season of volleyball, but still went to everything so I still felt like I was part of the team," said Awiszus. "That was tough. If I had to miss my senior year in basketball, I don't know what I would've done. Basketball is my thing, I love it and I really wanted to get back to the team. I'll have my knee brace for the next year and I'll still hop on the treadmill to keep running and getting back to 100 percent.

"Being back is so great, I wanted to be here and captain the team as a senior and take part in my final season with my teammates."

Seniors Greta Pszenny and Lauren O'Brien , both 6-foot forwards, join Awiszus in the starting lineup. Four juniors - Cassidy Clayton (a transfer from South Carolina), Dierdre Horan, Sarah Teebagy, and Kristen Reichlen - round out the Colonials.

The holiday season was good to the Burlington boys' team, with the Red Devils capturing the Wilmington/McGrath Christmas Tournament last weekend.

More impressive is the club's 4-0 start, its best since 1996.

"I'm extremely pleased with the start," said coach Nick Papas, who earned his 400th career win on Tuesday night with a 62-50 Middlesex League victory over Reading. "Winning the tournament was a huge win. It was a big statement, especially beating the host team in the finals. We returned four starters so the experience we've developed has really shown through."

Sophomore point guard Zach Hurynowicz was named tournament MVP after tallying 17 points and seven rebounds in the championship game, a 55-39 win over Wilmington.

Senior captains Brendan Farley and Matt Trahan, a pair of 6-3 forwards, and 6-2 guard Justin Fico join Hurynowicz as returning starters.

With Fico the defensive anchor, the Red Devils limited Shawsheen Tech to 39 points in the semifinals. Farley (16 points per game) is pacing the offense.

"The defense has been the key to our success," said Papas. "We've been runners-up the past two years in this tournament and to beat the host team, who was also unbeaten, it meant a lot. We still have a challenging part of our schedule coming up, but these guys are playing with a lot of confidence."

Burlington plays Middlesex League foe Reading on Tuesday.

The hundred or so fans sitting inside University of Massachusetts at Lowell's Costello Gym on Tuesday night received a belated holiday present thanks to Acton-Boxborough and Westford Academy's boys' teams. In a Dual County League thriller, the Grey Ghosts captured the Greater Lowell Christmas Tournament with a 95-94 overtime win.

It was the first time the squad has won the eight-team tourney since 1999 and kept the Ghosts perfect at 4-0. A-B dropped to 4-1. Senior captain Peter Lynch paced Westford with 30 points and senior captain Alex Haines poured in 22, nabbed 12 rebounds and blocked 5 shots. Junior T.J. Jann added 13 second-half points, while sophomore Mark Cornelius also scored 13.

"This was a big-time win for us," said head coach Ed Scollan. "It says a lot for the DCL to have two of its teams in the finals. Peter and Alex are the cornerstones of the team and they'll be leading us all year. I'm really proud of the effort they [Acton-Boxborough] put up, they certainly didn't make it easy for us. It was so close, it could've gone either way really."

Sapna Pathak can be reached at sportsgalsp@gmail.com.