Great teams find a way to win, however trying the circumstances may be.
Despite hitting just two of 22 3-point attempts and having to endure a career outing by Danvers' Kellie Macdonald, the Revere girls basketball team remained undefeated last Thursday night. Revere, rated No. 6 in the MaxPreps.com Freeman Rankings for Massachusetts, rallied from six points down on the road in the final period and beat Northeast Conference rival Danvers, 50-46.
If it hadn't been for the 48-22 rebounding advantage gained by Revere (14-0) and a few key Danvers turnovers in the end, who knows what would have happened. Of those 48 rebounds by the Patriots, 21 were taken down on offense.
"We stepped (the rebounding) up after halftime," Revere forward Morgan Jenkins told the Boston Herald. "We had our fix of mistakes and (rebounding) turned everything around."
Jenkins, who will play at Division II St. Michael's next season, finished with 12 points and 16 rebounds. She was challenged throughout the evening by Macdonald, who registered 26 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocks in a signature performance.
"(Macdonald) played really well; great players rise to the occasion and she did," Revere coach Diana DeCristoforo told the Salem Evening News.
Macdonald scored six straight points to open the fourth quarter for Danvers (11-3), establishing a 42-36 lead for the Falcons.
Marisa Parent (13 points, five steals) cut the Revere deficit to three points, and Gena Restiano (13 points) tied the game by nailing one of Revere's only two 3-pointers of the night.
The game was still tied at 46 with less than a minute to play before Revere took the lead for good at 48-46.
"It's all you could ever want out of your team," Danvers coach Pat Veilleux said. "Honestly, it was one of the most fantastic games to coach. I didn't know what to expect tonight, whether we'd be intimidated or not (by Revere). I think we showed we can play with teams like that."
UNDEFEATED BY COMMITTEE
Reading Memorial, like Revere, is undefeated, but the Rockets don't rely on a star player quite the way that Revere does with Jenkins. Instead, they do it with players who can put up big numbers at just about any time.
"I don't even know how many points a game each girl averages," Reading coach Kim Penney told the Boston Herald. "And I don't think they care, either."
Fourth-ranked Reading (15-0) also runs the floor and its offense by committee in lieu of having a definitive point guard. After senior center Carlene Kluge, a Bentley recruit, all four starters handle the ball with equal aplomb.
"I think that's one reason why we're difficult to defend, " said Penney, "along with the fact that we have some size in the lineup."
Besides the 6-foot Kluge in the middle, Reading features co-captain and guard Melissa Dalpozzo (5-foot-11), and 5-foot-11 sophomores Olivia Healy and Morgan O'Brien. Healy averages 18 points a game to lead the team.
A year ago, Reading went 18-4 and reached the semifinals of the MIAA Division 2 North playoffs before losing to Arlington Catholic, 57-36. The Rockets did it without DalPozzo, who missed virtually the entire season with a knee injury.
"It's really a great group of kids to coach," said Penney. "They're having fun, but they're committed to see how far they can go."
A DAY TO REMEMBER AT ST. BERNARD
John Henault scored a game-high 32 points and became the St. Bernard's Central Catholic (Fitchburg) all-time leader scorer with 1,457 points in a 62-50 victory against Leominster in Fitchburg.
Henault, a 6-foot-2 senior who also had 12 rebounds in the game, needed 31 points to break the old mark of 1,455, set by James Maloughney. He did it in the final second eight seconds of the game by hitting a free throw, setting off an emotional celebration that included his older brother, Tim, a one-time 1,000-point scorer at St. Bernard's.
"It's just incredible; it's a great feeling," Henault told the Fitchburg Sentinel and Enterprise. "I'm proud that I've accomplished this, but I couldn't do this without my friends, coaches, family and teammates."
For St. Bernard's 16th-year coach, Mark Pierce, the occasion marked the third time in his tenure he has seen the school's scoring record broken.
"I've been fortunate to see it a few times," Pierce said. "(Josh) Ferreiras when he broke Gerry Flynn's mark, and Maloughney to break Ferreiras' mark. But to see it a third time with John is indescribable. Some coaches don't see that at all, and I've been fortunate enough over the years to see a bunch of guys in the 1,000-point club and (surpass) the all-time leading scorer. So it's been a special thing."
MANCHESTER ESSEX PULLS OFF ANOTHER UPSET
Three weeks after beating Cape Ann League power North Andover for the first time in three years, the Manchester Essex boys basketball team raised some more eyes as it knocked off league-leading and 17th-ranked Wilmington on the road, 92-85.
As in the win over North Andover, this one was led by the standout duo of Amherst recruit Joe Mussachia (31 points, 22 rebounds) and junior guard Sean Nalley (24 points, 10 assists, six 3-pointers).
The 6-foot-6 senior guard Mussachia passed up a variety of college scholarship offers to commit to the nationally prominent Division III program of veteran Amherst coach Dave Hixon.
"It was a huge victory to beat a highly ranked state team that hadn't lost a game in the Cape Ann League," Manchester Essex coach Duane Sigsbury told the Boston Globe. "We're just excited to have played well. Being one of the smallest schools in the Cape Ann League makes this a huge feat for us.
"In my eyes," Sigsbury added, "(Mussachia) is a dream-teamer. He does unbelievable things for us and battles diabetes and never complains. He's taken his game to another level this year."
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