By Russ Waterman
MaxPreps.com
Over the past two decades, if you named a likely Division 1 North Sectional finalist and champion in Massachusetts, the Lowell High School girls basketball team would not normally be part of the discussion.
The Red Raiders are now.
It has taken a while for Lowell to become a fixture at or near the top of the Merrimack Valley Conference standings and a threat in the playoffs, but all of that has changed, particularly during the past three years.
And while the Red Raiders, though dropping from No. 1 to No. 4 in the Boston Globe rankings, are making a solid statement again, they are determined to go even farther than they did in 2006, not only hoping to make to a second-ever trip to the Eastern Mass finals at the Garden, but to advance to the state finals.
Red Raiders' 13th-year coach Mike Crowley looks to senior point guard Ashley Rivera for orchestrating the team's offense.
"She is a point guard who makes everything go for us. She can go to the hoop, distribute the ball or take the three-pointer," Crowley said.
Last season, the 5-foot-3 Rivera, the Merrimack Valley MVP, led the Raiders to within a game of their second straight trip to the Garden. The three-year MVC All-Star averaged seven assists, four rebounds, four steals and a league-high 16 points per game.
Averaging 19 points and six assists per game this season, she has become just the fourth player in the history of the girls' basketball program at Lowell to pass the 1,000-point plateau, joining Red Raider greats such as Courtney Schermerhorn (now a freshman at Bentley) and Kayleigh Scannell, a junior at Niagara University.
The development of an inside game, especially from the Wilson twins - 6-3 juniors Brittany and Whitney - has helped changed the Lowell strategy from recent years. Meaghan Cavanaugh, another veteran, has had several double-digit efforts. Tess Cigliano, a 6-0 freshman, has been a key contributor off the bench and sees significant minutes.
Yet the hallmark of this year's Red Raiders team has been defense. Lowell has been holding opponents to just under 38 points per game. That impressive points-against average would have been much lower if Lowell didn't get into a run-and-gun shootout against Methuen in a 85-72 win.
"We kind of fell into that type of game," Crowley said. "But that just shows we can adapt to any style of play."
The Red Raiders have chosen to stay in-state and close to home for non-conference games, a move not surprising considering the high-quality caliber of play in the MVC.
Perhaps it is no coincidence, either, that Lowell's boys and girls teams are enjoying their greatest combined success ever, with former assistant girls coach Scott Boyle now at the helm of the boys, who are ranked second in eastern Massachusetts.
"The boys and girls have built a tremendous bond between them and are also friends off the court, too," Crowley said. "You'll see them cheering on each other at all the boys and girls games."
Crowley mentioned the first game of the season against Central Catholic, the defending MVC champions, as the highlight of the season thus far.
"We beat them by 25 on their home court," Crowley said of Central Catholic.
Meanwhile, the intense MVC battles continue. Andover has beaten Lowell two of three times this season, including once in the Greater Lawrence Christmas Tournament. Lowell won the second time and in a knock-down, drag it-out affair, the Golden Warriors grinded out a 35-33 victory.
Massachusetts Girls Update: Brockton Teams Rank One-Two in East
Two Brockton schools, Cardinal Spellman (16-0) and Brockton High (14-1), stand 1-2, respectively, in the latest Boston Globe poll. Andover and Lowell, which just engaged in a low-scoring affair won by Andover, are knocking heads in the polls, too, with the Golden Warriors at No. 3 and the Red Raiders at No. 4.
The only other undefeated girls teams in Eastern Mass beside Cardinal Spellman are No.6 Bishop Feehan of North Attleboro, rolling along at 16-0 and in first place in the Eastern Athletic Conference, and Foxboro Charter School (11-0) in the Mass. Charter Division.
Teams undefeated in league play are No. 5 Masconomet, Cape Ann Division One (12-0); No. 10 Walpole, Bay State Herget (14-0); Barnstable, Old Colony (6-0); New Bedford, Big Three (2-0); Fairhaven, South Coast (14-0); Sacred Heart, Mayflower Division One (10-0); Gann Academy, Independent Girls Conference (10-0) Pope John, Catholic Central 'Small' (12-0) ; Nantucket, Lighthouse (6-0); Mt. Alvernia, Catholic Conference (6-0); No. 11 Swampscott, Northeastern 'South (14-0) and Noble, Independent School League (9-0).
Once-beaten teams and league-leaders are: North Quincy, Atlantic Coast North (11-1); Falmouth, Atlantic Coast South (11-1); New Mission, Boston City South (12-1); Minuteman, Commonwealth Large (6-1); Portsmouth (RI) Abbey, Eastern Independent (11-1); Somerville, Greater Boston (13-1), No. 15 Franklin, Hockomock (13-1); Learning Center, Mass. Bay Independent (12-1); Melrose, Middlesex (14-1); Rockland Patriot Fisher (8-1); No. 17 Silver Lake, Patriot Keenan (9-1); Cohasset, South Shore (12-1); Weston, Dual County Small (6-1); and Westwood, Tri-Valley (15-1).
Upcoming games of interest: No. 1 Cardinal Spellman at No. 9 Archbishop Williams Feb. 14; and No. 4 Lowell at No. 11 Swampscott Feb. 21.
One can't-miss prep school game for those who enjoy the highest levels of girls basketball in the Bay State: Worcester Academy (15-1) will be at undefeated Tabor (14-0) on Thursday as Worcester looks to avenge its only loss of the season.
Russ Waterman covers Massachusetts, Rhode Island and the New England Preps for MaxPreps.com
