fresh air - Quaboag Current

PAGE 20 A Turley Publication • www.turley.com I Thursday, February 9, 2012
– sports –
SPORTS CALENDAR
Sturbridge Girls Softball signups
STURBRIDGE - The Sturbridge
Girls Softball League will hold registrations
for the upcoming season from 6 to
8 p.m. at the Burgess Elementary School
foyer on Monday, Feb. 13 and Monday,
Feb. 27.
Team Mass to hold
basketball tryouts
STURBRIDGE - Team Mass Boys
AAU Basketball will hold tryouts on Saturday,
Feb. 18 and Feb. 25 at Tantasqua
Junior High School Brookfi eld Road in
Sturbridge.
Age breakdown are as follows: U10,
U11, U12 10 to 11:30 a.m., U13, U14
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and U16, U17 1 to
2:30 p.m. Please bring birth certifi cate
and $20 tryout fee.
Arrive 15 minute early. In case of inclement
weather check the website the
day of tryout for info Visit www.team-
WARRIORS I FROM PAGE 18
at Doherty. Since then, along with
Jaylen Dottin, Alex Lucas and Myles
Gaudet, the guards have combined to
key the team’s attack.
After a three-game losing streak
in late December, coach Jeff Child
revamped his offense to highlight the
better part of the team’s depth. Lucas
and Gaudet came back from injuries
and the team is now playing its best
basketball of the season.
Included in this recent run were the
thrilling road victories over Bartlett
and now Shepherd Hill.
The Warriors had nurtured leads of
2-5 points against the Indians in their
78-69 win, one of the best of the season
according to observers.
They dominated Shepherd Hill,
however, extending to a 40-23 lead at
halftime.
And if the team has been able to
run its offense through its guards, its
frontcourt play has also been a major
reason for the turnaround. Tantasqua
(11-4, 9-4) has received tremendous
play up front from the promising Windell
Westbrook as well as Jon Beaudry.
Their play up front was a key
factor in the win over the Rams, who
feature frontcourt power.
“Windell has shown a lot of promise,”
Child said. “We think he’s going
to be a good player.”
He has shown it since that time,
scoring in double fi gures in every
game since the turn of the year.
COUGARS I FROM PAGE 18
of the Year candidate Thomas Jankins
and should-be all-star Wisniewski, the
Cougars have a pair of players who can
defeat any team that they play, taking the
game upon themselves.
In Tuesday’s upset bid by Leicester,
Toppin starred, scoring 20, sealing it
with key jumpers down the stretch and
playing great defense. His performance
composed a dual reality: Though overshadowed
by the limelight surrounding
Jankins scoring his 1,000th career point,
it still preserved the victory.
The duo propelled the team to the win
over the Pioneers. Always a tough team
to defend for Quaboag because of their
quickness, the Pioneers fell behind early,
15-6.
The Cougars were able to stretch it
out to a nine-point advantage at the half,
31-22.
It was Wisniewski.
The 14-year-old has now grown to be
about 6’2”, reported coach Chris Reilly
and he’s playing like it.
“He’s been able to play more inside as
the season has gone on,” the coach said.
“We’ve told him to be more aggressive.”
massboys.com for more info. Coaches
always needed.
Registrations set for
some Babe Ruth players
BARRE - 2012 Babe Ruth signups
for players 13-15 years old will be held
Sunday, Feb. 12 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
and Thursday, Feb. 16 from 6 to 8 p.m. at
Quabbin Regional High School inside the
community entrance near the cafeteria.
Any player residing within the fi ve
town school district is eligible to signup.
Players must turn 13 before May 1,
2012 and cannot turn 16 before May 1,
2012. Cost is $60 per player with a $100
maximum per family.
All recent Little League graduates are
eligible to play as well. Players do not
have to participate at the middle school
or high school level to be eligible.
All are welcome. Senior Babe Ruth
signups will be held at a later date.
Dottin scored 15 in the win over
the Rams.
The Warriors host Auburn on
Thursday at 7 p.m., which had qualifi
ed for Districts last weekend with a
win over Oxford.
In girls basketball, the Lady Warriors
continued their push to secure a
Districts berth.
With one of its most important
games of the season earlier this week
at Shepherd Hill, the Lady Warriors
edged closer to the postseason with an
easy win over Bartlett.
“We’ve been able to get contributions
from a lot of girls,” said Tantasqua
girls coach Tom Goyette. “It’s
nice to see. In the beginning of the
year, it was all Olivia (Brooks). Now
Claudia Fleshman (8.7 ppg), Melissa
Frio (6.1) and Moriah Burns have all
stepped up. Before, there was a reluctance
to take charge. Now, the other
girls are more willing.”
Against a team like Bartlett, the
matchups matter, Goyette said, “so we
want to play off of Amanda Martin inside.”
Averaging 17.7 ppg and the fi fth
leading scorer in Central Mass overall,
Brooks led the Warriors with 18
against the Indians.
Fleshman added nine.
The Warriors shot out to a 12-5
lead after the fi rst quarter and put the
game away by halftime. Tantasqua led
it, 33-13 at the half and extended it out
to 50-19, capitalizing on their size advantage
inside.
After Wisniewski, a freshman, had
dominated the team’s early season encounter
with Shepherd Hill, he had backed off,
declining to take the potential game-winning
shot in deference to Jankins, who
had encouraged him to shoot.
“I talked to him for a long time after
that game,” Reilly said. “If he’s got he
ball in a crucial situation, he should be
ready to do what’s necessary for us to
win. But he’s young. He still is getting
experience.”
Jankins, who fi nished with 17 in the
game against Southbridge said, “The
younger guys have been playing well all
season. It’s been a big plus.”
Quaboag remained a half-game ahead
of Bartlett, a team they had beaten earlier
this season in Webster.
In addition to Jankins’ scoring and
playmaking skills, he displayed defense
in that one, limiting star scorer Indians’
scorer Nick Kobel to 14, including no
points in the fi rst half.
The teams play for fi rst place in the
West on Thursday at Quaboag at 7 p.m.
Bob Schron is a sports correspondent for
Turley Publications. He can be reached at
bschron@turley.com.
CHAMPIONSHIP I FROM PAGE 18
Katie Priest in 2:01.68, a second and
half faster than Brianna Sullivan of
Wachusett. Marie Laurel Miro of
Shrewsbury was third. Donovan was
sixth and Summer Walker was the
other Warrior in the race, placing 13th.
Kyle Durand of Northbridge won the
boys 200-yard freestyle ahead of Brandon
Jinn of Garner and Drew Beland
of Algonquin. From Tantasqua it was
Grudzien in 11th, Tyler Trainor in 15th,
Shannon Cibien in 21st and Cole Gibson
in 22nd.
It was a 1-2-3 fi nish for the Gardner
girls in the 200-yard Individual Medley
with Taylor Strachan (2:10.76) and
Katie Brandeberry, Bella Knight and
Sarah Robertson. Aquadro in eighth
topped the Warrior fi eld. Shreve was
12th; Iller was 15th; Cecile Afable was
26th.
The boys race was won by Ryan
Harty of Gardner in a record time of
1:57.55, topping the old mark by nearly
three seconds. Jonathan Batista and
Michael Ficenec, both of Algonquin
were second and third. Kevin Perry
placed 17th as the only Warrior in the
race.
Katherine O’Shea of Bromfi eld won
the 50-yard freestyle in 24.89 with Katrin
Hayward of Leominster in second
and Clara Wang of Bromfi eld in third.
Madeline Dupre scored 10th place
points for Tantasqua. Lamothe was
second by .21 seconds to Alex Knapp
of Westborough and another .17 ahead
of Colby Foster of Northbridge in the
boys race.
The girls diving took place earlier
and it was Bromfi eld in the fi rst two
spots with Kelly and Casey Sherman.
Kelly’s score set a new Mid Wachusett
League record. Jen Litchfi eld of
Westborough was third. It was another
Bromfi eld win and record with Trippy
Brown for the boys in 2:10.95. Second
place fi nisher Nathan Alsdorf of Wachusett
also topped the old mark. Conrad
Berry of Tyngsboro took third.
Strachan made it two wins with a
fi rst in the 100-yard butterfl y in 58.38
and teammate Emily Parillo was second.
Miro got her second third place fi nish.
For the Warriors, it was Aquadro in
sixth, Emily Serio in 12th and Mickey
Mercado in 26th. Gardner made it a
double win in the butterfl y with Rubin
Holly getting fi rst in 55.13. Ficenec
was second and Ryan O’Neil of Westborough
was third. For Tantasqua Cibien
placed 17th and Perry 24th.
Bromfi eld swept the top three spots
in the 100-yard freestyle with Heidi
Nocka in 56.80, followed by Wang
and Kaya Phillips. O’Brien, in fourth,
Athlete of the Week
Christian Horton
Quabbin Regional
High School
Congratulations goes out to the Panthers boys
varsity basketball player.
He scored his 1,000th career point last week.
To nominate someone for Athlete of the Week, contact
Sports Editor Dave Forbes at 413-283-8393 ext.
237 or send an e-mail to dforbes@turley.com.
broke the Bromfi eld run. Grace Walker
was 25th for the Warriors. In the boys
100-yard freestyle, where Lamothe fi nsished
third, Knapp got his second fi rst
place fi nish in 50.66 with Holly in second.
Grudzien was 14th, Patrick Lucas,
22nd, and Jason Girouard 24th.
First and second went to the Gardner
girls in the 500 free with Parillo setting
a record at 5:12.22. She was followed
by Robertson and Alexis Regopoulos
of Leominster. Iller and O’Brien got
points for 11th and 12th. Walker was
18th. Durand won his second race in
4:51.45, beating out Jinn and Beland.
Trainor got sixth for Tantasqua, while
Evan Sanderson was 16th.
Bromfi eld (1:43.92), Tyngsboro and
Algonquin were the top three fi nishers
in the girls 200 free relay. It was eighth
for the Tantasqua foursome of Shreve,
Walker, Afable and Dupre. Northbridge
took top honors in the boys relay
in a record time of 1:35.83 ahead
of Algonquin and Westborough. The
Warriors got eighth with Grudzien, Girouard,
Mesick and Lamothe.
O’Shea became a double winner for
Bromfi eld with a fi rst place in the 100yard
backstroke in 59.98 ahead of Donovan
and Priest. Serio got eighth for
Tantasqua, while Afable was 15th and
Walker was 23rd. Harty turned in another
amazing performance in the boys
backstroke, breaking the old record by
nearly three seconds with a 52.13. Batista
was second and O’Neil was third.
Sanderson in 19th and Adam Buck in
22nd were the Tantasqua entries.
Sullivan followed up her earlier second
with a win in the 100-yard breaststroke
in 1:11.28, ahead of Brandeberry
and Hayward. Shreve got a point for
Tantasqua in 12th and Dupre was close
behind in 14th. It was a double win
for Bromfi eld’s LeBlanc with a win in
1:07.20 in the boys 100-yard breaststroke.
Andras Palfi of Westborough
was second and Carl Lindgren of Algonquin
was third. For the Warriors,
it was Wandmacher in 10th; Mesick
in 14th, Gibson in 16th, and Buck in
17th.
The Gardner girls won the 400-yard
freestyle relay in 3:46.63 out touching
Bromfi eld by .18 seconds. Wachusett
was third and the Tantasqua foursome
took fi fth. The boys relay was just
as close with Algonquin winning in
3:28.41 by .30 seconds over Westborough.
Both times broke the old record.
Bromfi eld got third and the Tantasqua
quartet of Cibien, Girouard, Lucas and
Trainor fi nished seventh.
Nate Rosenthal is a sports correspondent
for Turley Publications. He can be reached at
dforbes@turley.com.