Medway & Millis February 2019

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Page 20 Medway & Millis Local Town Pages www.localtownpages.com February 2019 Sports Millis’ Clark Aiming for State Crown in Girls’ Basketball By KEN HAMWEY, Staff Sports Writer Abby Clark came close on two occasions to being part of a State championship basketball team. Now, she’s eager to return to the finals and finish the job. The Millis High senior captain, who led the Mohawks’ in scoring and rebounding last year, has set some lofty goals for her final season and one of them is to win the Division 3 State crown. “First, we want to try to win the Tri Valley League Small Division title,’’ Clark said. “Then we want to qualify for the tourney and win the State playoffs. The goals are realistic, even though we’re a young team. We’ve got talent, and if we play solid defense and compete with a sense of urgency, we can go all the way.’’ As a freshman, Clark was called up to the varsity as the Mohawks aimed for their third straight State title. Unfortunately, Cathedral won the crown. A year later, in Clark’s sophomore season, Millis bowed out again, this time in the State semifinals to Quaboag. And, last season, the Mohawks were eliminated in the first round of the Sectional playoffs. So, it’s not surprising that the 17-year-old power forward, who’s been a TVL all-star in basketball and volleyball, would like to turn her past disappointments into a more euphoric ending. Winning two Sectional hoop championships isn’t exactly chopped liver, but when those two seasons concluded with losses in the States, it left Clark feeling empty. “I wish we could have persevered a bit harder in the State Abby Clark (No. 25), who provides a commanding presence in Millis’ frontcourt, blocks a shot against Hopedale. (Photo by STEVE BASSIGNANI) Your Vision; Our Mission Michael T. Damon Financial Adviser* Damon Financial, LLC** 45 Milford Street, Suite 3 Medway, MA 02053 (508) 321-2101 Mike@DamonFinancial.com DamonFinancial.com Registered Representative offering investments through NYLIFE Securities LLC (member FINRA/SIPC), A licensed Insurance Agency and wholly owned subsidiary of New York Life Insurance and an agent licensed to sell insurance through New York Life Insurance Company and may be licensed to sell insurance through various other independent unaffiliated companies. *Financial Adviser offering investment advisory Services through Eagle Strategies LLC, a Registered Investment Adviser. ** Damon Financial, LLC is not owned or operated by NYLIFE Securities LLC or its affiliates. semifinals my sophomore season,’’ she said. “We were a bit nervous, but if we pushed ourselves to the limit, maybe we could have prevailed. But, this is a new season and we can aim high.’’ Coach Dave Fallon is bullish on his 5-foot-11 star, who averaged 11 points and nine rebounds a game last year. This season she’s averaging 13 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals. “Abby has a great work ethic, she’s athletic, can shoot outside and also handle the ball,’’ he emphasized. “She’s a threat down low because of her size, and she can shoot outside. A tri-captain, she leads by example.’’ Clark is relying on a variety of strengths to elevate Millis, which has a 9-0 record so far. She’s mentally tough, has excellent court awareness, communicates well, can shoot threes and she plays strong defense. “I can improve my quickness,’’ she noted. “My footwork and hands can be faster.’’ Aggressive under the basket when she’s battling for position, Clark is more deliberate when shooting. Her best game was against Douglas in the Sectional championship game when she was a sophomore. “I had a career high of 21 points,’’ she recalled. “It was an amazing experience and playing at Worcester Polytech’s arena made it all the more enjoyable. My top thrill in basketball was being named a captain. The team has great chemistry, and I’m excited to have the chance to provide leadership and support to a great group of talented players. We had a difficult season last year, particularly in the playoffs, in our first season ever in Division 3. This year, we’re ready to tackle Division 3. Clark has high praise for Millis’ other senior captains — shooting guard Riley Donovan and forward Meg Cullen. “Riley has great court vision, and she’s strong on offense,’’ Clark said. “A quality leader, she’s very positive. Meg is aggressive at the basket, and she’s a strong rebounder. An effective defensive player, she averages close to four steals a game.’’ Clark’s style as a captain is “to lead by example but be vocal in a supportive way.’’ She’s often vocal about her coach, lauding his ability to motivate. “Coach Fallon pushes us to our limit and gets up prepared,’’ she said. “His practices are intense, and he’s very effective in challenging us.’’ An honor-roll student, Clark is planning to major in nursing or psychology in college. She’s considering UMass-Amherst and possibly Rhode Island College, a Division 3 school. “If I choose Rhode Island College, I’d consider playing both volleyball and basketball there.’’ Clark not only was a TVL all-star in volleyball, but she also was chosen as one of 16 players for the Massachusetts All-State Team last fall. That selection was made by the Mass. Volleyball Coaches Association. BASKETBALL continued on page 21
February 2019 Medway & Millis Local Town Pages www.localtownpages.com Page 21 Sports Millis Students at Home on Medway- Ashland Girls’ Hockey Team By Christopher Tremblay, Staff Sports Writer For the past ten years, the Medway-Ashland coop has given girls the chance to play ice hockey for a high school. Some five years ago, Millis joined under the Medway-Ashland banner, so their girls could also continue to play a sport they had a passion for. This year, two girls Emma Rice and Marina Yasuna, are skating for the Medway-Ashland team. Both athletes have shown Coach Karl Infanger that they belong on the team and can contribute to the team’s success. Rice is a junior third line center, while BASKETBALL continued from page 20 A superb middle hitter, Clark’s best game was a fiveset triumph over Holliston last fall when she had 18 kills. “My top thrill, however, was when we beat Westwood and Ashland back-to-back,’’ Clark said. “The win over Westwood was our first over them in 10 years, and the victory over Ashland was our first against them in seven years.’’ Whichever sport Clark’s playing, her competitive philosophy never changes. She wants to win, improve daily and enjoy the experiences that athletics offer. “I’ve learned some great life lessons in sports,’’ she said. “Athletics teach teamwork, time management, how to overcome adversity, how to be responsible, and how to improve one’s leadership ability.’’ A fan of Jason Tatum of the Celtics because “he competes hard and takes responsibility,’’ Clark is focusing intensely on how the Mohawks finish the season. She’s hoping they’re at a high-compete mode and peaking at the right time. Those two elements could make the difference and fulfill Abby Clark’s ultimate goal — to finally capture a State championship. Yasuna is a senior blue liner. “Emma knows that she is on the third line, but wants to move up. She’s a hard working individual and is making the adjustments that we need her to make as center and has a high hockey IQ,” Infanger said. “Marina plays a tenacious defense and has drastically improved in her making the right decisions while on the ice. She knows what she has to work on and has done so every drill she takes part in.” Both girls have been playing the sport for some time; Yasuna picked up the sport while at Dover-Sherborn before transferring to Millis, and Rice has been playing for about seven years since her friend got her interested. “A friend of mine from elementary school in Norfolk took me to the ice rink to take part in a ‘learn to play hockey’ program. I fell in love with the sport,” Rice Said. “Immediately joined the KP/Walpole club team as a center, because I wanted to play a forward position so that I could skate a lot and score.” Yasuna also plays for a club team, the Natick Comets, where she has been one of the team’s forwards for the past three years before she was asked to help them out on defense. She liked the position so much that she continued to play it in high school. Prior to her playing hockey, Yasuna didn’t have a sport to participate in during the winter season. She started looking for something to keep busy during the winter time frame and came upon hockey. She borrowed some equipment to try out for the team and found it to her liking and has been playing the sport since. Although she had Millis students Emma Rice and Marina Yasuna have found the Medway- Ashland girls’ hockey team to be a welcoming group, despite the challenge of traveling to practice in Marlboro. played forward, she likes defense much better. “As a soccer defender you get to see the entire field, it’s the same with hockey,” Yasuna said. “I get to watch everything from the backline and see things developing, it gives me more control of the game.” Both girls found that the welcoming that they received from their new teammates was great, and that they had their backs, Rice also noted that her new teammates would give constructive criticism to help them with their game. The only downfall to being members on the Medway-Ashland girl’s hockey team is the practicing. The team has ice time in Marlboro at the New England Sports Club, usually later in the evening, and with only a small bus, Medway can only bring their own athletes. The Millis girls need to carpool. “The ride situation is very tough,” Rice said. “Living in Norfolk and getting to Marlboro late at night is too much.” Yasuna agreed. “The hard part about playing for Medway-Ashland is getting to and from practices,” she said. “The other girls have the Mustang mini bus or one another to car pool with; we’ve only got each other.” Prior to this year, Rive had been sitting on the bench for most of the game seeing some ice time near the end of the game. This year, as the team’s third line center she was able to notch her first varsity goal against Norwood. Trailing 2-1 late in the game Rice tallied her first goal at an opportune time giving Medway-Ashland a tie. 508-429-2535 Propane Open Sat & Sun Gas Grill Tanks Filled Neil Lazzaro ASE Technician 1292 Washington Street, Holliston Tires & Alignment Suspension & Steering Exhaust & Brake Air Conditioning Factory Scheduled Maintenance Mass. State Inspection Station
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Medway & Millis February 2019

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