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AUGUST 9, 2018<br />
WEEKLYNEWS.NET - 978-532-5880 9<br />
Sports<br />
<strong>Lynnfield</strong> girls of summer still alive<br />
By Anne Marie Tobin<br />
DANVERS — It was about as unlikely ending you<br />
could imagine. In a must-win game for both teams, the<br />
<strong>Lynnfield</strong> girls summer basketball team lived to see another<br />
day, defeating Peabody 33-27 Monday night in the North<br />
Shore Summer Basketball League playoffs at the Holten-<br />
Richmond Middle School.<br />
<strong>Lynnfield</strong> started the game with only five players who, all<br />
told, had a combined three years of varsity experience under<br />
their belts. The Pioneers finished with only four on the floor<br />
after Lucy Cleary fouled out of the game with a little more<br />
than two minutes left.<br />
The Tanners jumped all over the 5v4 advantage and took<br />
a 27-26 lead on two Liz Zaiter free throws.<br />
After that, however, it was all <strong>Lynnfield</strong>, which packed<br />
the paint, held Peabody scoreless the rest of the way and<br />
went on a 7-0 run to close out the game and advance to<br />
another must-win game Tuesday night against Bishop<br />
Fenwick.<br />
"Everyone stepped up and we just filled the empty holes<br />
being down a player," said junior Melissa Morelli (7 points).<br />
"All night long we knew we had to hustle because we had<br />
no subs. We had to contain them, but one of the keys was<br />
we made our free throws when we needed them, especially<br />
after Lucy fouled out. She had a played a great game and<br />
done an incredible job rebounding for us, so we just had to<br />
step up and we did."<br />
Both teams knew what to expect, having played once<br />
during the regular season. That game, played July 10, went<br />
right down to the wire before the Tanners pulled one out at<br />
the buzzer. Trailing by one, 39-38 with under a minute to<br />
go, MacDonald drained three of four from the free throw<br />
line to put the Pioneers on top, 42-40 with 11 seconds to<br />
play. But Manning answered with an old-fashioned 3-point<br />
play to steal a win for the Tanners, 43-42.<br />
Monday's game began slowly for both teams. The<br />
Tanners, the No. 4 seed, didn't get on the board until nearly<br />
nine minutes in when senior captain Catherine Manning<br />
made one of two free throws to cut the No. 6 Pioneers' lead<br />
to 4-1.<br />
Pitch perfect<br />
PHOTO | ANNE MARIE TOBIN<br />
Cat Cioffi, left, and Caroline Waisnor look ready<br />
for anything on defense Monday night.<br />
Free throws ultimately proved the difference with the<br />
Tanners making only nine of 20 attempts, while the Pioneers<br />
made 16 of 26.<br />
"We just have struggled since last season at the free throw<br />
line," said Peabody coach Stan McKeen, who watched from<br />
a distance. "I know it's summer league, but we're talking<br />
about free throws, but even our best free throw shooters<br />
have been missing all summer long. It's disappointing."<br />
Trailing 14-12 at the half, Peabody started the second<br />
half with a 10-2 run to take a 22-16 lead with about 12<br />
minutes to play. The Tanners still led by five, 25-20, after<br />
Colleen Crotty (7 points) made one of two free throws at the<br />
10-minute mark.<br />
After that, Morelli, who had been held scoreless in the<br />
first half, sophomore Caroline Waisnor (9 points) and and<br />
freshman Cate MacDonald (14 points) took over the game.<br />
Morelli converted both ends of a one-and-one, then<br />
MacDonald made two of tour free throws to make it a onepoint<br />
game, 25-24. Waisnor drained two free throws with<br />
about three minutes to go, making it 26-25, <strong>Lynnfield</strong>, then<br />
Zaiter (5 points) got those two points back with a pair of her<br />
own to regain the lead for Peabody, 27-26.<br />
But that was it for the Tanners as the Pioneers shut the<br />
door defensively. <strong>Lynnfield</strong> regained the lead for good with<br />
1:30 to go on two free throws by MacDonald. A steal and<br />
coast-to-coast layup by Waisnor bumped the lead to 31-27.<br />
MacDonald and Morelli closed out the scoring with one<br />
free throw each to seal the win.<br />
"It was a good win and at the end free throws were key,"<br />
said Waisnor. "We were able to push the ball up the court<br />
and take it to the hoop to get to the free throw line when we<br />
needed to, especially after Lucy fouled out. It was just a<br />
tough game, but it feels to win, especially considering we<br />
had only five players."<br />
Fenwick 42, Danvers 36<br />
The No. 8 seeded Crusaders stayed alive with a solid win<br />
over host Danvers Monday night. They led 25-16 at the<br />
half and put it on cruise control in the second half to set up<br />
Tuesday night's clash against the upstart Pioneers. Sammi<br />
Gallant led all scorers with 17 points, while Olivia DiPietro<br />
scored 10.<br />
"We played pretty well tonight," said Fenwick coach<br />
Adam DeBaggis.<br />
"We are definitely playing better with better communication,<br />
passing and cutting. I think earlier this summer they<br />
were trying to run plays and I told them just to play basketball.<br />
Sammi and Olivia played well and Sam Tache also<br />
was strong.<br />
Sammi is just a stud and she and Olivia are always a<br />
factor because of their energy and athleticism, but Sam was<br />
also a key player for us tonight."<br />
PHOTOS | ANNE MARIE TOBIN<br />
The <strong>Lynnfield</strong> Youth Soccer Club held the first of its three instructional camps at the high school. At left, fourth-grader Ava Damiani is all concentration as<br />
she makes her way through the cones. At right, seventh-grader Keely Briggs, left, and eighth grader Coleen Golden battle for the ball.
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