Tag: Alyssa Piazza

Taking Stock of the Hock: Girls Basketball 2015-16

Sarah Deyo
Sarah Deyo (32) has been one of the top scorers in the league this season and is one of the main reasons that the injury-hit Bombardiers have started 10-1. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

With nearly half of the games gone for all of the Hockomock teams, our editors Ryan Lanigan and Josh Perry take a look at where things currently stand for girls’ basketball.

Who is the midseason girls’ basketball Player of the Year?

Josh Perry – Attleboro has been snakebitten with injuries this season. Just two games in and Player of the Year candidate Emily Houle and senior starter Emma Vlashi were both knocked out with knee injuries (both have returned and been productive for the Bombardiers) and then in game three junior forward Julia Strachan went down with a season-ending injury. Despite losing three-fifths of the opening night starting lineup, Attleboro is currently 10-1 overall and just one game back of Mansfield in the Kelley-Rex standings.

Much of that success can be placed squarely on the shoulders of Sarah Deyo. The junior forward is second in the league in scoring with 18.2 points per game and has been a double-double machine even as teams turn all of their defensive focus on her. After missing a game due to an arm injury, Deyo returned to score 20 points in a big win over Taunton. Attleboro still has a chance of bringing home its first Hockomock title largely because Deyo has been able to carry the team during the first half.

Ryan Lanigan – Foxboro is just one game out of first place at the midway mark in a very tight Davenport Division race and a big reason has been because of the player of Ashley Sampson. The sophomore is third in the league in scoring with 15.6 points per game and has been a big player for Lisa Downs and the Warriors so far this season. Sampson has the ability to cut through defenses, which can open up a lot of looks for a young Warriors team that can really stroke it from deep. She’s also one of the better shooters in the league and is tough to get around defensively.

Who is the midseason girls’ basketball Underclassman of the Year?

Perry – There are so many great choices from Kayla Raymond at Oliver Ames or Sam Pierce at Attleboro or Meg Hill at Mansfield, which is really just the tip of the iceberg for young talent in the league, but my pick right now has to be Foxboro sophomore guard Ashley Sampson. Coming off a breakout rookie season, Sampson grew a couple of inches in the off-season and seemed to grow even more confident in running the offense as well.

She is currently averaging 15.6 points per game and seems to be stepping right into the considerable hole left by the graduation of Kat Tamulionis. Sampson is the primary ballhandler and despite being the target of every team’s defensive game plan still manages to get to the basket and to find her teammates for open looks. She has also emerged as a strong on the ball defender, the spark for the Warriors run and gun style, and even a contender for Player of the Year.

Lanigan – Since I picked Ashley Sampson as my current Player of the Year, I’ll go in a different direction here and go with Attleboro’s Samantha Pierce as the top Underclassman at the halfway point. The Bombardiers have been ravaged with injuries but one of the few constants in the lineup for Attleboro has been Pierce. She can knock down shots from deep and is a very good rebounder, especially for just a sophomore. The combo of Pierce and Sarah Deyo make it hard for opponents to get much going at the basket but Pierce can also stop out and guard on the perimeter. When Attleboro has needed someone step up through its injury issues this year, Pierce has been a big help.

Midseason First Team

Perry
F – Sarah Deyo, Attleboro
F – Caroline Collard, North Attleboro
G – Ashley Sampson, Foxboro
G – Caroline Maher, Mansfield
G – Alecia Quinones, Stoughton

Lanigan
F – Sarah Deyo, Attleboro
F – Alyssa Piazza, Sharon
G – Ashley Sampson, Foxboro
G – Alecia Quinones, Stoughton
G – Jen Peel, Mansfield

What has been the biggest surprise this season?

Perry – I think that everyone expected Stoughton to get a boost this year from the hiring of Charmaine Steele Jordan. One of the program’s best ever players and all-time leading scorers, she brings plenty of on the court experience and a renewed energy around the team, but it would have been hard to predict coming in that the Black Knights would be 6-2 at this point, with a win over Attleboro, and with Alecia Quinones leading the league in scoring at more than 20 points per game.

Stoughton is only a few wins away from qualifying for a return to the state tournament and is tied for the league lead with Oliver Ames. While things could get tougher for the Black Knights in the next couple of weeks (North, Mansfield, a rematch with Foxboro, and two games against OA are still left on the schedule) but to be in this position at this stage is still a great accomplishment and a big turn around for the program.

Lanigan – When we released our preseason Hock 5 rankings, we had Oliver Ames at No. 5. With a couple nice pieces back, we thought the playoffs would be within reach. As of this past week, we have them at No. 2 and not only is a playoff spot possible, but a Davenport title is a possibility. Laney Clement-Holbrook has the Tigers playing at a great pace and with strong leadership from Sam Bamford and Kaitlyn McCarthy, a lot of the younger pieces like Francesca Calabraro, Niyera Mitchell, Kayla Raymond and Hannah Carroll have been able to step up and make big plays. Although OA making a run for the division title and possibly a deep postseason run is my pick, we should never be surprised when OA has success with Laney Clement-Holbrook on the bench.

At this point, which team will be going furthest in the tournament?

Perry – There are a lot of teams that have the potential to make a run in the tournament this season. The Hockomock is one of the deepest girls’ basketball leagues in the state and certainly does a lot to prepare teams for the rigors of making a push in the postseason. However, D1 South is an absolute bear with the likes of Braintree and Feehan (the top two teams in the state), so the road is extremely difficult for Attleboro and Mansfield.

Oliver Ames is my pick right now for the team with the chance to go furthest as the Tigers look to have the balanced scoring and the defensive intensity to give teams in D2 South fits. Also, OA is coming off a solid win over Foxboro, which would probably be the second favorite to make a push for a return to the D2 South final.

Although I think OA is the team that will be go the furthest, keep an eye on Franklin in D1 Central. The Panthers have a habit of reaching sectional semifinals and after a big win over Holy Name in the season opener will have thoughts of challenging Westford, A-B, L-S, and Wachusett for the district title.

Lanigan – This is always a tough one and I truly believe that the Hockomock League is one of the toughest for girls basketball this season. Oliver Ames is likely to be a threat in D2 South and Franklin should be the most battle tested team in D1 Central.
But my pick is for Mansfield. The Hornets have faced a number of stiff tests so far this year and so far, they have come out on the winning side. They picked up wins on the road at North Attleboro, Oliver Ames and Franklin and then came home to beat Foxboro. Each time so far this season when you think that Mansfield might drop one to another team in the Hock 5, they have emerged victorious. They still have two big tests with Attleboro left and a date with a strong Stoughton team next week. If they can get a strong seed in the D1 South bracket, I can see them making a return trip to the South Semifinals.
If Attleboro can get healthy and avoid the injury bug, they will be another team to look out for in D1 South.

Friday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 01/15/16

Today’s games are listed below.
Boys Basketball
Attleboro, 43 @ Taunton, 65 – Final – Taunton junior Quan Roberson netted a game-high 20 points while senior Dominique Smith added a career-high 18 points for the Tigers. Tommy MacLean added 11 points and Jose Mercado had 10 points. Attleboro’s Jake Dunkley had nine points and three rebounds and Lucas Boucicaut also had nine points. Kyle Murphy pulled in 10 rebounds for the Bombardiers. 

Canton, 42 @ Sharon, 47 – Final – Sophomore Malik Lorquet made a big splash in his first full varsity game with nine points and 10 rebounds. Junior Adam Banks also scored nine points for the Eagles. Woanyen Mahn and Rishi Jambunathan each scored nine points for Canton. 

Foxboro, 54 @ Oliver Ames, 50 – Final – Foxboro built a seven point lead by halftime and held on in the second half. Senior Jason Procaccini led with 18 points with classmate Alex DuBrow chipping in with 17 points. Oliver Ames junior Carter Even had 17 points and seniors Shawn Cardoza and Tim Kelley each had 12 points. 

Franklin, 60 @ Mansfield, 57 – Final – Freshman Jay Dieterle hit a three with 1:34 left to put Franklin ahead for good. The Panthers, which led by as much as 22, had to stave off a rally from Mansfield over the third and fourth quarters. Franklin sophomore Connor Peterson scored a career-high 23 points and had seven rebounds, Tim Prunier added 15 points and five assists, sophomore Paul Mahon added eight points and six rebounds and Dieterle had six assists to go with five points. Matt Ehrlich had 16 points and five rebounds for Mansfield and Max Boen added 11 points. 

North Attleboro, 47 @ King Philip, 53 – Final – Juniors Will Weir and Noah Goodwin each scored 13 points for King Philip with senior Ben Smith adding 10 points and junior Pharaoh Davis netted 10 points. North Attleboro junior Brent Doherty scored a career-high 24 points for the Rocketeers.

Milford, 60 @ Stoughton, 77 – Final – Stoughton senior Brandon Teixeira logged his league-leading sixth double-double of the season with 22 points and 11 rebounds as the Black Knights enjoyed a strong shooting night from the floor. Junior Ryan Sullivan added a career-best 16 points for Stoughton. Milford junior Nate Davila scored a team-high 18 points and Dwight Anderson added 13 points. 
Girls Basketball
Sharon, 41 @ Canton, 43 – Final – Meaghan Hunter led the way for the Bulldogs with 17 points and Emma Murphy added 13, including nine in the fourth quarter. Alyssa Piazza was the top scorer for Sharon with 14 points and Ashley Mukasa added 10.
Oliver Ames, 53 @ Foxboro, 38 – Final – The Tigers had the lead throughout in a key Davenport Division matchup. The Warriors got within one in the third quarter but OA answered with a three to keep the lead. Sophomore Kayla Raymond notched her first double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds while Hannah Carroll added 10 points and Francesca Calabraro had eight points and nine rebounds. 

Mansfield, 51 @ Franklin, 48 – Final – Meg Hill was the top scorer for the Hornets with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Jen Peel added 10 points (eight in the first half) and eight assists for the Hornets and Jackie Carchedi scored nine points (eight in the fourth quarter). Lauren Rudolph led the Panthers with 11 points (nine in the third quarter) and Aubrie Kutil had eight points and nine rebounds.
King Philip, 34 @ North Attleboro, 49 – Final – North Attleboro got 10 points apiece from Julia Feid and Emily Haskell. KP was led by Sam Madden and Riley Dalzell, who each scored seven points.
Stoughton, 59 @ Milford, 41 – Final – Julia Foye came off the bench to drain a trio of three pointers and finished with 11 points to spark the Black Knights. Alecia Quinones led Stoughton with a team-high 20 points and added seven steals. 
Taunton, 26 @ Attleboro, 63 – Final – Sarah Deyo returned for the Bombardiers with 20 points and 10 rebounds and sophomore Sam Pierce chipped in with her fourth straight double-double, 18 points and 11 rebounds. Emma Vlashi also had 11 boards for Attleboro.
Swimming
Canton boy, 109 @ Oliver Ames boys, 63 – Final
Canton girls, 83.5 @ Oliver Ames girls 86.5 – Final
Franklin boys, 70 @ Mansfield boys, 98 – Final
Franklin girls, 92 @ Mansfield girls, 70 – Final

Tuesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 01/12/16

Today’s games are listed below.
Boys Basketball
Milford, 55 @ Attleboro, 70 – Final – Attleboro had three players score in double-digits, led by a career-high 24 points for junior Jake Dunkley, who also added seven rebounds. Junior Andrew Milliken had 16 points and five rebounds, sophomore Nate Douglas had 14 points and four rebounds and senior Kyle Murphy had 14 rebounds to go along with seven points. Milford’s Zack Tamagni scored a team-high 20 points for the Scarlet Hawks. 

Canton, 34 @ North Attleboro, 43 – Final – North Attleboro junior Brent Doherty scored 11 of his game-high 15 points in the second half, including nine of them in the third quarter, which was the period the Rocketeers created an eight point cushion. Senior Ridge Olsen added nine points and Kyle Gaumond had six. Canton’s Tony Harris had 12 points for the Bulldogs.

Foxboro, 60 @ Franklin, 65 – Final (OT) – Senior Tim Prunier scored a game-high 18 points while freshman Jay Dieterle scored 13 points, senior Kevin Gill had 12 points, five rebounds and four assists and Josh Macchi had 11 points and eight rebounds. Foxboro’s Jason Procaccini scored 17 points, Robby Lowey added 12 points and six rebounds and Mark Clagg had 11 points. 

Sharon, 45 @ King Philip, 52 – Final – King Philip broke into the win column, pouring in 20 points in the first quarter and never looking back. Seth Sullivan had a game-high 13 points while junior Pharaoh Davis added 11 points and junior Noah Goodwin had 10 points. Peter Banks had 10 points for Sharon, who went 2/24 from 3PT range as a team. 

Oliver Ames, 63 @ Mansfield, 78 – Final – Junior Sam Goldberg netted a career-high 23 points (17 in the second half) pulled in 10 rebounds and had four assists to lead the Hornets. Matt Ehrlich added 17 points and Max Boen added 11 points. Oliver Ames’ Tim Kelley had 20 points and Connor Maroney added 15 points. 

Stoughton, 53 @ Taunton, 81 – Final – Senior Jose Mercado netted 25 points and junior Quan Roberson added 22 points as Taunton’s offense scored a season-high 81 points. Stoughton sophomore Cam Andrews had 14 points to lead the Black Knights. 
Girls Basketball
North Attleboro, 50 @ Canton, 38 – Final – North Attleboro was led by junior guard Ashley Ahern, who finished with 18 points. For the second straight night, Hannah Jerrier recorded a double-double for Canton with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Franklin, 45 @ Foxboro, 51 – Final – Sophomore Ashley Sampson led the way for the Warriors with 21 points while sophomore Lily Sykes chipped in with 12 points for Foxboro. 

King Philip, 53 @ Sharon, 45 – Final – KP rallied from eight down in the fourth quarter behind 18 points from freshman Julia Leroux (nine in the fourth quarter alone). Sam Madden added 12 for the Warriors, who outscored the Eagles 22-7 in the final quarter. Sharon was led by Alyssa Piazza with 14 points and Charlotte Ransom with 12.

Mansfield, 48 @ Oliver Ames, 32 – Final – Caroline Maher led the way for the Hornets with 16 points in a game between the top two teams in this week’s girls basketball Hock 5. Meg Hill added eight points and nine rebounds and Jen Peel had eight points and eight assists for Mansfield.

Attleboro, 54 @ Milford, 26 – Final – The Bombardiers were without star forward Sarah Deyo but pulled out the win on the road led by 18 points and 12 rebounds from sophomore Sam Pierce. Emma Vlashi added 12 points for Attleboro in just her second game back from injury and Fatima McDonald chipped in with eight steals.

Taunton, 52 @ Stoughton, 54 – Final – Stoughton seniors Jess Greer and Alecia Quinones each scored a team-high 18 points to lead the Black Knights to a close win. Taunton senior Jordan Wade had 16 points while Lily Patneaude and Alyssa Gibson each added 12 points for the Tigers. 
Hockey
Canton, 11 @ Stoughton, 1 – Final – Senior Matty Marcone netted his first career goal to lead the Bulldogs to a league win.
Wrestling
Taunton, 42 vs. Josiah Quincy 36 – Final – The Tigers got wins from Chris Fernandes (120), Justin Bradley (132), Brandon DeForitis (145), Alex Simon (170), Jose Anaya (182), Nuno Camara (195), and Mason Frank (220).
Swimming
Boys
Foxboro, 51 @ Oliver Ames, 103 – Final
Girls
Foxboro, 80 @ Oliver Ames, 90 – Final

Oliver Ames Girls, Sharon Boys Split Doubleheader

Sharon's Matt Lowerre drives to the basket in the first half against Oliver Ames. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
Sharon’s Matt Lowerre drives to the basket in the first half against Oliver Ames. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)


By Ryan Lanigan, Editor-in-Chief
NORTH EASTON, Mass. – Rivals Oliver Ames and Sharon settled for a split in a doubleheader on Friday night, with the OA girls earned a big win and the Sharon boys holding on for a key Davenport title win.
The second half of the double header featured Don Byron’s Tigers, coming off their third straight win, and first-year head coach Andrew Ferguson’s Eagles, which was upset in overtime on Monday night.
Based on the momentum of the teams coming in, it was fitting that Oliver Ames to an 11-2 lead in the first six minutes but by halftime, the Eagles had settled in and earned a lead they wouldn’t relinquish in a 60-51 win.
OA senior Tim Kelley scored eight points while junior Nick Welch hit a three to give the hosts the big lead early on but over the final two minutes, Sharon closed the gap with six points from Andrew Filipkowski and two from Ricardo Ripley to cut the deficit to four (14-10) at the end of the quarter.
“I knew how jacked up for the game they were and I told them they had to play under control but the first six minutes we didn’t do that,” Ferguson said. “But at the end of the first quarter into the second quarter, we really executed. I thought we shot the ball pretty well once we broke the ice with that first bucket and then we just played great defense. Tyler Smith, Matt Lowerre, all three of our bigs, just did a great job. We ran the floor well. I would have liked to make a couple of layups but anytime we can come to Oliver Ames and get a victory is fine with me.”
Matt Lowerre’s take to the rim tied the game at 17-17 and then his three pointer gave Sharon its first lead (20-19). OA answered with a Mike Graziano three but points from Devon Mann, Tyler Smith and Ripley put Sharon ahead for good. Smith hit an open three and Ripley hit a pair of free throws to give Sharon a 30-24 lead going into halftime.
The lead stayed around six or seven points for the until five minutes were gone in the third quarter when Mitchell Sirota converted a put back and Filipkowski drove for two to make it 40-30. Filipkowski then drained a three to give the Eagles their largest lead (12) at 43-31. Two free throws from each Connor Moroney and Kelley were able to keep OA within striking distance at 43-35 going into the final quarter.
“It’s not very often that Sharon is going to have a size advantage in a game but we had it today,” Ferguson said. “We really wanted to work the ball with Mitchell [Sirota], Peter [Banks] and Devon [Mann] and defensively, they had some tall guys but it felt like we were bigger than them. Then our perimeter defense, other than a couple of times when we lost Kelley in the first half, was very good. We made it difficult to get the ball inside which is a big point for us.”
The Eagles had the lead at 11 three separate times in the fourth quarter and after two free throws from Sirota were up as much as 12 again (55-43), but OA continued to hang around. Two free throws from Carter Evin and a bucket underneath from Graziano made it an eight point game and with less than a minute to go, Graziano drained a three to cut it to seven, but Sharon was able to hit their free throws and hold off any late charges from OA for the win.
“We said on the bench we were looking for a run, a 6-0 spurt but I don’t think we did all night,” Byron said. “I felt like we were working pretty hard on it and I thought the rebounding would go our way a bit, which is a good sign. We just made some mistakes, some uncharacteristic. We’ve been better on the ball than we were in that first half. There was a time were they were having some difficulty scoring but we didn’t take advantage of it.”
Ripley and Smith both finished with 12 points and a pair of rebounds, Filipkowski had 11 points, Sirota had seven points and four rebounds, and Banks had six points and 10 rebounds. For Oliver Ames, Kelley had 14 points, Dylan Mahoney and Graziano each had 10 points and Shawn Cardoza had 11 rebounds to go with three points.
“I tell the guys we’re a much better basketball team when the scoring is spread out,” Ferguson said. “When we’re sharing the basketball, we’re buying into it, that means we’re not getting into too much isolation and we’re getting out on the break. After a tough game on Monday, I think having Oliver Ames next on the schedule was a good thing, we were really focused in practice and we had a great talk. Once we got on the bus, I knew everyone was ready to go.”
Sharon (4-3, 3-2) will look to make it two in a row when they travel to King Philip (0-6, 0-5) on Tuesday while Oliver Ames will look to get back in the win column when they travel to Mansfield (5-1, 4-1) the same night.
IMG_6884_2

Oliver Ames Girls Remain Undefeated

Right from the start, the Lady Tigers were relentless with their pressure, using a full court press and athleticism to force turnover after turnover.
That defense led to offense for Oliver Ames, which led to a a double-digit lead by halftime and a big 62-30 win over Sharon to improve to 7-0.
The Tigers set the tone on the boards early, using an offensive rebound to get their first basket and then raced continued on for a 12-0 run. OA made it tough for Sharon every single trip up court and then quickly converted on the other end with Kayla Raymond, Kaitlyn McCarthy, Francesca Calabraro and Niyera Mitchell all contributing to the early run.
A 14-4 lead after the first quarter quickly turned into a 15 point advantage when Hannah Carroll drained a three then Calabraro followed up with a jumper. Sharon’s Alyssa Piazza (team-high 10 points) scored three straight for the Eagles but baskets from Kayla Raymond, Samantha Bamford and McCarthy pushed the Tigers’ lead to 25-7.
By halftime, Oliver Ames was up 29-12.
“Turning defense into offense, that’s really what we’ve been living off of,” OA head coach Laney Clement-Holbrook said. “And it helps that we have a lot of athletes, they all play physical and it gets them all jeeped up, which is nice. There will be days when they try to take it away from us. But in the instances people take that away from us like tonight, whether it be self inflicted or what Sharon did to us, I thought we moved very well without the ball and that to me was huge progress.”
The Tigers had their best scoring quarter of the game by scoring 17 points in the third quarter. OA shot 8/15 from the field in the quarter with five different players scoring. Calabraro had five, Bamford and Mitchell each had four and Raymond and McCarthy each hit field goals.
One big reason for the win was how much OA dominated the rebounding battle. The Tigers were able to pull down 23 of their 35 rebounds in the first half to help created the double-digit advantage.
“The first half we had around 25 rebounds, I actually checked with my assistant because that was one of the things we were focusing on,” Clement-Holbrook said. “I’m trying to get them to understand grit and it comes from that kind of stuff and they really did a good job.”
Junior Niyera Mitchell scored a career-high 16 points and pulled in 13 rebounds to pace Oliver Ames while Kaitlyn McCarthy had 13 points and three assists, Francesca Calabraro had 11 points and four rebounds and Kayla Raymond had six points and seven rebounds.
“Best game of her career, she did well against Sharon last year too,” Clement-Holbrook said of Mitchell. “This was really meaningful [for the whole team] because we’re trying different rotations based on what the match ups are. For them, it’s a new experience with the lineups changing. They just all need to bring it, because they all play. I have nine girls on the roster and every single one of them have contributed in every game, it’s awesome.”
Oliver Ames (7-0, 5-0) will host Mansfield (7-2, 5-0) in a battle of league unbeatens on Tuesday at 6:30. Sharon (3-4, 1-4) will look to get back in the win column when they host King Philip (1-6, 0-5) on the same night at the same time.
Ryan Lanigan can be contacted at RyanLanigan@hockomocksports.com and followed on Twitter at @R_Lanigan.

Friday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 01/08/16

Today’s games are listed below.
Boys Basketball
Attleboro, 42 @ North Attleboro, 43 – Final – Brent Doherty was the top scorer for North Attleboro with 20 points. Chad Peterson chipped in with eight points and Ridge Olsen had seven, inlcuding a three-pointer in the final two minutes that turned out to be the game-winner. Attleboro was led by Jake Dunkley with 18 points, including seven in the fourth quarter, and Nate Douglas added eight points and nine rebounds.

Canton, 50 @ Stoughton, 63 – Final – Stoughton sophomore Cam Andrews scored a career-high 24 points to pace the Black Knights while senior Brandon Teixeira had a double-double with 18 points and 18 rebounds. Canton’s Tony Harris scored a team-high 15 points for the Bulldogs.

Foxboro, 64 @ Milford, 44 – Final – Foxboro senior Rob Lowey had his best scoring night of the season, dropping 20 points to lead the Warriors. Alex DuBrow added 15 points in the win. Dimitry Torres led Milford with 15 points while Zach Tamagni had 12 points and Dwight Anderson had 11 points. 

Franklin, 67 @ King Philip, 41 – Final – Franklin senior Tim Prunier scored a game-high 14 points while sophomore Paul Mahon had 12 points. King Philip’s Justin Vine had 11 points and junior Noah Goodwin delivered nine points. 
Sharon, 60 @ Oliver Ames, 51 – Final – It was a balanced offensive attack for Sharon with Ricardo Ripley and Tyler Smith each scoring 12 points and grabbing a pair of rebounds. Senior Andrew Filipkowski scored 11 points off the bench and junior Peter Banks had six points to go along with 10 rebounds. OA’s Tim Kelley scored a game-high 14 points while Dylan Mahoney and Mike Graziano each scored 10 points. 
Taunton, 61 @ Mansfield, 47 – Final – Taunton’s Jose Mercado had a big night, leading the Tigers with 19 points while hauling in 14 rebounds. Tommy MacLean added 15 points and Carlos Borrero had 14 points for Taunton. Mansfield’s Sam Goldberg scored a game-best 21 points and pulled down nine rebounds for the Hornets. 
Girls Basketball
Canton, 40 @ Stoughton, 41 – Final – Sophomore Jordan Motley dropped a career-best 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to record a double-double in the Black Knights’ win. Val Whalen, another sophomore had seven points and 14 rebounds. 

Foxboro, 66 @ Milford, 55 – Final – Ashley Sampson scored a game-high 18 points to lead the Warriors while Cassidy Harrison paced Foxboro early, finishing with 14 points. Milford’s Jill Powers had 15 points and six rebounds while Nicole Dahlgren had 10 points and five rebounds. 
Franklin, 64 @ King Philip, 44 – Final – Franklin’s Olivia Adiletto scored a game-high 20 points while Aubrie Kutil registered a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Panthers. Maddie Purdue had 13 points, Sam Madden had 11 points and Hadley Zolak and Julia Leroux each had six points for KP. 

Taunton, 32 @ Mansfield, 59 – Final – Meg Hill scored 10 points and added nine rebounds and six blocks for the Hornets. Lindsay Dalton added a career-high seven points for Mansfield. Taunton was led by Hannah Moniz with eight points.

Attleboro, 51 @ North Attleboro, 43 – Final – Attleboro had three players earn double-doubles. Sam Pierce scored 15 and had 12 rebounds, Emily Houle had 13 points and 11 boards, and Sarah Deyo had 13 and 10, despite missing all but 1:17 of the second half. North Attleboro was led by Emily Schromm and Samantha Taggart, who each scored nine points.

Sharon, 30 @ Oliver Ames, 62 – Final – Oliver Ames junior Niyera Mitchell had a career day, scoring 16 points and pulling down 13 rebounds in the big win. Kaitlyn McCarthy added 14 points for OA and Francesca Calabraro had 11 points. Alyssa Piazza led Sharon with 12 points. 
Swimming
Boys
Canton, 103 @ Franklin, 63 – Final
Foxboro, 44 @ Sharon, 77 – Final
Girls
Canton, 65 @ Franklin, 100 – Final
Foxboro, 74 @ Sharon, 87 – Final

Sharon Edges Milford In Davenport Battle

By Allie Piergustavo, HockomockSports.com Contributor

MILFORD, Mass. – Both the Milford Scarlet Hawks and the Sharon Eagles entered Monday night’s contest with similar goals in mind.

Milford entered the game off of a close and exciting win against border rival Hopedale and was looking to keep momentum in its direction. Sharon entered with the same goal, winning the past two games at its own holiday tournament over winter break and looking to get back to .500 for the season.

It was the Eagles that came out on top in the divisional matchup, defeating the Hawks 39-31. Senior Charlotte Ransom and freshman Emma Eberhardt tied with for the team-high 11 points apiece and senior Alyssa Piazza added 10 for the Eagles.

The game, however, did not begin in Sharon’s favor. In the first 2-1/2 minutes of play, Milford held a 6-1 lead.

“We started off with a man press, full court, it wasn’t really working to our advantage in the first quarter,” said Sharon coach Cliff Tomassian. In fact, Sharon scored more points via free throws than field goals, while committing only one foul of its own in the first quarter.

At the end of the first quarter, Milford led Sharon 10-5. Sophomores Juliana Tracy and Kate Irwin dominated the quarter, with Irwin scoring six points and Tracy scoring four.

“We started off the way we wanted to,” said Milford coach T.J. Dolliver, “getting a couple steals, couple easy buckets, and that’s the way you hope to start out every game.”

Milford, however, could not keep its lead. Sharon began the second quarter on a 3-0 run, and held Milford without a point for the majority of the quarter.

Sharon committed just one foul in the second quarter, while also scoring 14 points. Milford, on the other hand, committed five fouls, and were limited to just three points in the entirety of the second. 

“There was really good teamwork and communication on the defensive end to get those steals,” Tomassian added. “It led to a pretty good second quarter for us.”

While reflecting on the game, Dolliver said, “We just couldn’t buy a bucket; shots weren’t falling for us. It’s not something you can really be mad about as a coach. I think a lot of shots were forced, they just didn’t fall for us tonight.”

One of Sharon’s main advantages that gave them the lead was making Milford pay for its fouls and turnovers. Milford turned the ball over 20 times in the game.’

Milford’s top scorer for the night was sophomore Kate Irwin with 11 points. The Hawks’ top rebounders were sophomore Juliana Tracy and junior Nicole Dahlgren, tallying seven apiece.

Milford (4-3, 1-3) returns to the court on Friday at home against Foxboro and Sharon (3-3, 1-3) travels to Oliver Ames that night.

Monday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 01/04/16

Today’s games are listed below.
Boys Basketball
King Philip, 53 @ Attleboro, 69 – Final – Four different Attleboro players scored in double figures, led by Andrew Milliken’s 15 points and seven rebounds. Nate Douglas added 14 points, Jake Dunkley added 13 points and Lucas Boucicaut had 12 points. Kyle Murphy had 13 rebounds for the Bombardiers. Seth Sullivan had a team-high 12 points for King Philip.
Oliver Ames, 66 @ Canton, 47 – Final – Oliver Ames senior Tim Kelley scored a game-high 17 points, junior Dylan Mahoney dropped 14 points and seniors Connor Moroney and Shawn Cardoza each scored 10 points for the Tigers. Tony Harris had a team-high 16 points for Canton. 
Stoughton, 41 @ Foxboro, 63 – Final – Senior Alex DuBrow dropped a game-high 18 points, senior Jonathan Carnino scored a career-high 14 points and senior Jason Procaccini scored 10 points. Brandon Teixeira had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Black Knights. 
Taunton, 57 @ Franklin, 53 – Final – Taunton outscored Franklin 20-10 in the final quarter to secure the win. Five different players scored in double figures for Taunton: Quan Roberson had 14 points, Tommy MacLean had 11 points, four rebounds and seven assists, Carlos Borrero had 11 points and five assists, Dominique Smith had 11 points and six rebounds and Jose Mercado had 10 points and eight rebounds. Franklin’s Tim Prunier had 15 points and four assists, sophomore Connor Peterson had 11 points and Kevin Gill had 10 points for the Panthers. 
Milford, 62 @ Sharon, 55 – Final (OT) – Milford’s Anthony Arcudi came off the bench and scored a career-high 11 points, all coming in the 4th quarter and overtime. Dimitry Torres led the Scarlet Hawks with 16 points and Dwight Anderson had 12 points, including 10 from the free throw line. Ricardo Ripley had 15 points for Sharon and Tyler Smith had 12 points. 

North Attleboro, 43 @ Mansfield, 61 – Final – Christian Weber led Mansfield with 13 points while Phil Vigeant had nine points, Sam Goldberg and Max Boen each have eight points and Tyler Boulter had seven points. North Attleboro’s Brent Doherty had a game-high 17 points while Jonny Friberg had eight points. 
Girls Basketball
Canton, 21 @ Oliver Ames, 55 – Final – Sophomore Abby Reardon had a team-high 12 points and junior Francesca Calabraro chipped in with nine points for OA. 

Foxboro, 66 @ Stoughton, 38 – Final – Ashley Sampson paced Foxboro with 19 points, six assists and nine rebounds. Cassidy Harrison helped out with 16 points for the Warriors and Grace Tamulionis had eight points and 16 rebounds. Val Whalen had eight points and 13 rebounds for Stoughton, while Bridgette Whalen had eight points and nine rebounds. Foxboro broke open a three-point game with a 14-3 run to end the first half and 26-9 through the end of the third quarter.

Franklin, 50 @ Taunton, 32 – Final – Lauren Rudolph was the top scorer for the Panthers with 15 points and Carli Koffinke added 11 for Franklin.

Attleboro, 55 @ King Philip, 41 – Final – Emily Houle led the way for Attleboro in her second game back from injury with 21 points. Sarah Deyo added 18 for the Bombardiers. KP was led by Sam Madden with eight points.

Mansfield, 39 @ North Attleboro, 31 – Final – Jackie Carchedi scored 19 points to lead the Hornets. Meg Hill added six points and seven rebounds for Mansfield. North was led by Emily Peters with nine points and 10 boards.

Sharon, 39 @ Milford, 31 – Final – Alyssa Piazza had a double-double for the Eagles with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Sharon also got 11 points apiece from Charlotte Ransom and Emma Eberhardt and five steals from Shira Stoller.
Hockey
Taunton, 7 @ Apponequet/Connolly, 5 – Final

Wednesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 12/30/15

Today’s games are listed below.
Boys Basketball
Foxboro, 70 @ Westwood, 55 – Final – Senior Jason Procaccini scored a career-high 25 points and had 10 rebounds for his first double-double with the Warriors. Classmate Alex DuBrow also had a career-high, scoring 24 points and adding six assists. DuBrow was named the Westwood Holiday Invitational MVP. Robbie Lowey had seven points and 11 rebounds for Foxboro. 
Milford, 59 @ Hopedale, 81 – Final
North Attleboro, 37 vs. Bishop Feehan, 50 – Final – Junior Jonny Friberg scored a team-best 11 points off the bench for the Rocketeers and classmate Brent Doherty chipped in with seven points.
Oliver Ames, 67 vs. Falmouth, 42 – Final – Oliver Ames’ offense had its best game of the season led by Carter Evin, who scored 15 points and was named the Muscato Tournament MVP. Dylan Mahoney had a team-high 16 points and was named a tournament all star.
Stoughton, 54 @ Randolph, 61 – Final – Brandon Teixeira scored a team-high 20 points and was named an all star for the Blue Devils Holiday Tournament.
Girls Basketball
Attleboro, 55 @ Dartmouth, 45 – Final

Foxboro, 39 @ Bridgewater-Raynham, 37 – Final – Cassidy Harrison led Foxboro with 12 points as the Warriors were able to hold off a late push from the Trojans.

Milford, 54 @ Hopedale, 41 – Final

North Attleboro, 51 @ Bishop Feehan, 85 – Final – Samantha Taggart led the Rocketeers with 12 points while Ashley Ahern and Caroline Collard each chipped in with nine points.
Sharon, 59 vs. Sandwich, 41 – Final – Charlotte Ransom was the top scorer for Sharon with 19 points and fellow captain Alyssa Piazza had 15. The Eagles broke open a one-point game with a 22-8 third quarter.
Hockey
Attleboro, 6 @ Foxboro, 2 – Final – Sam Larkin scored his first career goal with a penalty shot and Evan Andrews made 16 saves to earn his first varsity win for the Bombardiers. Attleboro also got goals from Nick Miniati, Jack Flynn, Keigan Larkin, Dan Creavin, and Jake Parker.

Canton, 1 vs. Westwood, 1 – Final – Bobby Mullaney gave Canton the lead in the first period off an assist by Shaun Kirby but Westwood tied it in the second against the run of play. The Bulldogs outshot Westwood 30-14 for the game (25-5 in the final two periods). 
Franklin, 2 vs. St. Joseph, 4 – Final

King Philip, 3 @ Oliver Ames, 6 – Final – Matt Mancini netted his first hat trick and Owen Gallagher had a trio of assists and one goal for Oliver Ames. King Philip sophomore Collin Cooke had a pair of goals for the Warriors. 

Taunton, 7 @ Milford, 2 – Final – Tyler Pietrzyk and Jordan Hoey each scored a pair of goals for Taunton while Nick Croft, Mike Volkmann and Mike Albert each scored once. RJ Stansbury and Griffin Burns each scored for Milford.

North Attleboro, 2 @ Dedham, 1 – Final – Junior Zach McGowan scored his first goal in the second period to tie the game and then scored the game-winner in the third period to lift the Rocketeers. 

Stoughton, 4 vs. Apponequet/Connolly, 3 – Final – Junior captain Jon Lessa found the back of the net twice to help Stoughton edge Apponequet/Connolly at home. 
Wrestling
Mansfield, 3 @ Norton, 63 – Final
Swimming
Foxboro @ Hopkinton, 6:00
Gymnastics
Canton, 118.05 @ Mansfield, 134.90 – Final
Girls Hockey
Canton, 1 vs. Medfield, 0 – Final
Franklin, 1 @ Westwood, 5 – Final
King Philip, 3 vs. Cohasset/Hanover, 5 – Final
Stoughton, 0 vs. Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake, 7 – Final

Tuesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 12/29/15

Today’s games are listed below.
Boys Basketball
Foxboro, 65 vs. Walpole, 50 – Final – Foxboro’s Alex DuBrow scored 16 of his team-high 20 points in the second half. Jason Procaccini added 15 points and Rob Lowey chipped in with 13 points. Foxboro will take on Westwood in the finals of the Westwood 2015 Holiday Invitational on Wednesday at 2:00. 

Franklin, 77 @ Algonquin, 72 – Final – For the second straight game, freshman Jay Dieterle led the Panthers in scoring with 22 points. Franklin had five players reach double figures with Connor Goldstein adding 15 points, Paul Mahon scoring 12 points and Kevin Gill and Josh Macchi each scoring 10 points. 
Sharon, 61 vs. Tewksbury, 63 – Final – The Eagles were unable to convert the game-tying shot at the buzzer in a close game with a favorite in D2 North. Mitchell Sirota had a team-high 16 points, Matt Lowerre had 13 points and Ricardo Ripley scored 12 points. Lowerre and Tyler Smith were named tournament all stars. 
Girls Basketball
Mansfield, 33 vs. Shenendehowa, 69 – Final – The Hornets split the two games in New York. On Tuesday, they were led by Caroline Maher with 10 points (all in the second half) and Juliana Newell with 8. Mansfield coach Mike Redding called Shenendehowa “the top team in New York.”

Oliver Ames, 47 vs. Needham, 39 – Final – Needham rallied from a 14 point halftime deficit to get within two late in the fourth quarter by free throws from Kaitlyn McCarthy and Kayla Raymond sealed the win for the Tigers. Junior Francesca Calabraro had a team-high 13 points for OA. 
Sharon, 49 vs. Holliston, 35 – Final – The Eagles were led by senior Alyssa Piazza and freshman Emma Eberhardt who each scored 12 points. Sharon advances to the final of the Davenport Tournament to face Sandwich. The game will also be the final night for the team’s Coaches vs. Cancer event, which is raising money for the American Cancer Society. The Eagles have raised $300 so far.

Taunton, 34 vs. Durfee, 40 – Final
Hockey
Franklin, 1 @ Mount Saint Charles, 0 – Final – Jeremy Miller scored with 35 seconds left in overtime to give the Panthers the win. Franklin will play St. Joseph Collegiate (NY) on Wednesday in the championships game of the Mount St. Charles Holiday Faceoff. 
Wrestling
Lowell Tournament (Canton, Foxboro, Franklin) – Foxboro’s Matt Kelley lost a close 1-0 decision in the finals at 126. Franklin’s John Miller was 4th at 220. 
Framingham Tournament (Milford) – Milford came in 6th with 125 points.Nick Johnson won the 195 bracket, Nick Marcolini finished 2nd at 106, Brett Kimball was 3rd at 132, Ryan Gray was 3rd at 182, Carlos Terrinha wrestled to a 5th place finish at 113, Ryan Nesta was 6th at 170, Ian Lataille was 7th at 160 and Stan Demko finished 7th at 220. For team scores, Foxboro finished 29th with 72.5 points, Franklin finished 32nd with 68.5 points, Stoughton was 52nd with 43 points and Canton was 55th with 41 points. 
Gymnastics
Attleboro, 134.15 @ North Attleboro, 130.20 – Final
Girls Hockey
Mansfield/Oliver Ames, 4 @ Quincy/North Quincy, 4 – Final

Balanced Rocketeers Hold Off Sharon Rally

Caroline Collard
Caroline Collard led eight North Attleboro scorers with 13 points as the Rocketeers continued their unbeaten start with a win against Sharon. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

By Josh Perry, Managing Editor

NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. – In the first half, the North Attleboro full-court press was dominating. The Rocketeers smothered Sharon, forcing nine turnovers in the first quarter alone and pulling out to a 21-point advantage by halftime.

The second half was very different. North pulled back into its half-court defense to try and preserve the energy of a short bench, the Eagles turned the ball over less and Sharon cut into the Rocketeers lead, getting it as low as 13 twice in the fourth quarter.

The first half deficit was too large for Sharon to overcome and the Rocketeers, the three-time defending Hockomock League champions, got points from eight of the nine players on the roster to pull out a 57-44 win at the Kenneth Pickering Gym and move to 3-0 on the season.

“They’re a well-coached team,” said North coach Derek Herber, “and they’ve got some players that can do some damage. They posed us some problems on the edge. We played well and luckily we hit some shots early that kept them off-balance.”

The game started with neither team able to find the bottom of the net. It took three minutes for the first basket and that was scored by Sharon freshman Emma Eberhardt, who was making her first career start, on a driving layup.

“I talked to her before the game and she was very calm. She’s like coach I feel good,” said Sharon coach Cliff Tomassian. “What I like about Emma is when we emphasized taking it to the basket, she’s one of the ones that will do it.”

North countered with senior Kiersten Bixby, who came off the bench and scored a pair of buckets in the paint. Caroline Collard (team-high 13 points) added a pair of layups, Ashley Ahern buried a three-pointer and the Rocketeers closed the quarter on a 7-0 run.

Turnovers continued to plague the Eagles throughout the half and in the second quarter North pulled away.

The Rocketeers knocked down four threes, including a pair by Emily Schromm who scored eight of her 10 points in the second. Sophomore Emily Haskell hit one from beyond the arc and even senior forward Emily Peters got in the act with a shot from straightaway that made it 34-11.

“The second quarter kind of got away from us,” said Sharon coach Cliff Tomassian. “We tried a bunch of different defenses – 2-3, 3-2 – and nothing really worked so that’s what we talked about in halftime was getting back and rotating and talking to each other on defense.”

The defense improved in the second half, as the Eagles held North to just 10 points in the third. The Rocketeers also pulled out of the press and Sharon was able to get the ball into senior Alyssa Piazza in the post. Piazza (10 rebounds) scored seven of her game-high 18 points in the third quarter, five of those from the free throw line.

Charlotte Ransom knocked down the first of her two second half threes and Sharon had cut the lead to 16. Ransom (13 points) would add seven points in the fourth quarter, including a three inside the final two minutes that cut the lead down to 53-38.

“We talked about being patient and not looking to try and score on the fast break but to set up and get into our offense,” said Tomassian about the improved offensive play in the second half.

Herber admitted that North is probably at its best when it is pressing and forcing the game to be played at its tempo, but he was also worried about wearing his team out so early in the season.

He explained, “A couple of the kids were out sick so we can’t put it on the whole time. In the second half we stayed away from it because we had some illness and we’re trying to keep people fresh.”

Although Sharon cut into the North lead and the Eagles defense was much better in the second half, particularly in rotating from side to side, the Rocketeers’ ball movement opened up passing lanes and created good scoring opportunities.

One sequence of quick passes around the perimeter led to an angled skip to Samantha Taggart (five assists) at the three-point line and she fired a quick pass into the post for a Collard layup. On another sequence, Ahern (13 points, six assists) drove through the lane and was able to squeeze a drop pass between two defenders for another layup.

“Everything is going to start with them and we’re trying to get them to be more assertive, but they want to share the ball sometimes to a fault,” said Herber of his two junior guards, Ahern and Taggart. “They’ve been playing great for us all year.”

He continued, “These kids share the ball very well and I’m very proud of the way they play that aspect. There’s not one kid who is trying to take a lot of shots.”

Piazza scored a pair of buckets in the final minute, both times cutting the North lead to 12. In the end, the Eagles had only four players get on the scoresheet (none off the bench) compared to the Rocketeers’ eight and it was too much to overcome.

North Attleboro (3-0) will now prepare for rival Bishop Feehan on Dec. 30. Sharon (0-3) will host Sandwich two days earlier.

Josh Perry can be contacted at JoshPerry@hockomocksports.com and followed on Twitter at @Josh_Perry10.