8th Girls Cape League: Lakeville Lakers Ride Momentum to Title Game

After a regular season where the Lakers had some ups and downs en route to an 8-5 record, Lakeville ripped through to the competition in the play-offs to set up a match up with Cape League powerhouse Monomoy.

"We look forward to competing in the championship game versus Monomoy on Sunday," said Lakeville Coach Gina Gillen. "We respect their strong record and know we will give them a great game. Playing team basketball is how we got to the final and is exactly what we look to showcase on Sunday."

Lakeville defeated Nauset 42-24 in the first round which set up a game against Rochester.

"Having lost twice in the regular season to Rochester we knew that if we got past Nauset we would have a battle on our hands," said Gillen.

Lakeville avenged those regular season losses and took care of business, 36-21, over Rochester.

"We know that defense is one hundred percent effort and everyone contributed to hold Rochester to just seven points in the first half," recalled Gillen. Lea Seablom, Sophia Gaucher and Brianna Gillen led the scoring charge for the Lakers.

"Having coached this team for five years, it's been a great ride," said Gillen. "Seeing these girls start their basketball careers and grow into amazing teammates and great people has made it all worth it."

Ending the season, and their travel basketball hoops careers, with a win would be truly special for the girls. However, they face a daunting task as Lakeville was 0-3 on the season against Monomoy having lost by a combined 53 points.

We will see if the Lakers can ride their momentum to a title.

6th Grade Girls Cape Final Preview: Nauset vs. Dartmouth

The sixth grade Cape League final should be an extremely competitive battle between Dartmouth and Nauset.

Dartmouth knocked off Plymouth North (22-10) and top-seeded Falmouth (14-12) on its path to the championship game.

In the Plymouth North win, Dartmouth was led by Erin Kate Bailey (9 points) and Audry Morin (6 points).

In the semi-final battle against Falmouth, the offense was once again led by Bailey with eight points. Samara Turgeon chipped in four points in the victory. The key to the win was Dartmouth's defense led by Mariah Beniquez.

"(We) got off to a slow start and lost a few key early season games to division rivals," said head coach Eric Morin about his returning championship team from Dartmouth. "However, with each week we saw steady improvement offensively, and in the second half of the season the defense began to gel and play like a disciplined team should. Winning key games against those same division rivals down the stretch gave our girls a renewed confidence going into the playoffs. The parents and coaches couldn't be prouder of this team."

Nauset scored in the 30s and won by double digits in both their wins in the playoffs as they took care of Nauset 30-10 and then Lakeville 32-17.

In the Barnstable game, Paige McMakin scored 11 points and Stephanie Gould added six points. In the Lakeville game, McMakin carried the scoring load again, this time by scoring 18 points and Ashley Ross added nine points.

Avery Burns did a nice job of handling the point guard duties while Makayla Hutchinson and Shay Risk were the defensive catalysts. Michela Galazza and Korin Mereste also played key roles in the victories.

"I believe we are reaching our goals of improving and becoming a stronger team, and learning from each and every practice and game we have," said Nauset head coach Steve Ross.

These two familiar foes split during the season. This "rubber match" is for the ultimate Cape crown.

"We have played Dartmouth six times over the past two years," said Ross of the two teams familiarity. "They are a very competitive and well-coached team and we are looking forward to meeting up with them again on Saturday."

Eric Morin echoed that sentiment on Dartmouth's end.

"We know Nauset very well, and they provide difficult match-ups for us," explained Morin. "They're tall, fast and well-coached. We're hoping that the momentum we've built up over the last several weeks carries through the championship game. We know that we've got to play our best game of the year, because anything less won't get the job done."

Good luck to both squads this weekend!

Cape League 7th Grade Boys Final - Plymouth North vs. Wareham

The Cape League seventh grade boys’ play-off bracket came up “chalk” as the two best regular season teams are the last two squads left standing – Plymouth North and Wareham.

North Plymouth, led by Jayquan Leonard, Christian Peruzzi and Johnell Fillippini, earned the number-one seed with a 13-0 regular season. During their play-off run, North Plymouth knocked off Barnstable (66-37), Sandwich (45-34) and New Bedford (55-31).

Wareham finished second in the regular season with an 11-2 record. During the play-offs, they buzzed through the competition beating Middleboro (62-37), Lakeville (52-46) and Dartmouth (48-28). “As a whole, everyone on the team made solid contributions in all three wins this past weekend,” said Wareham head coach Jamie Silvia. “Going into the weekend my biggest concern was the possible semi-final matchup against Dartmouth. We split with them during the regular season and they always play us tough. During that game we got balanced scoring and solid defense from the entire team.”

Now these two familiar foes, Wareham and Plymouth North, will face off in the championship.

“Wareham is a great team and on any day they could beat us and we could beat them,” said Plymouth North head coach Johnell Fillippini. “It’s going to be a great game. I can’t wait. I have tons of respect for Jamie Silvia as he does a great job with his group of kids.”

Silvia also shared his mutual admiration for his competition. “I expect my boys to be pushed to their limits as Plymouth is a very disciplined and well-oiled machine with a drill sergeant as a coach,” said Silvia.

Once the game ends some players on each team, including the coaches, will join forces in the spring for an exciting AAU season with the Boston Bobcats.

Travel League Roundup - January 31st, February 1st

Last Updated: February 4th 9:37AM

6^th Grade Girls – 3 Missing

(1)Easton 45, (15)Westwood 24

(2)Newton 38, Needham 24

(3)Hanover 40, (18)Pembroke 29

(3)Hanover 30, Plymouth 5

(4)Marshfield, Scituate

(5)Belmont, (16)Taunton

(6)Franklin 43, (23)Stoughton 25

(7)Arlington 43, (21)Woburn 26

(8)Bridgewater 29, Mansfield 28

(9)Falmouth 42, Yarmouth-Dennis 10

(25)Dartmouth 14, (9)Falmouth 12

Foxboro 34, (10)King Philip 26

(11)Nauset 30, Barnstable 10

(11)Nauset 32, (19)Lakeville 17

(12)Whitman 31, Hanson 11

(13)Braintree 20, Weymouth 18

(24)Norwood 45, (14)North Attleboro 43

Natick 26, (17)Sudbury 17

(19)Lakeville 25, Rochester 6

(20)Duxbury 26, Raynham 6

(20)Duxbury, Quincy

Norwell 21, (22)Plymouth 18

Hanover 30, (22)Plymouth 5

(25)Dartmouth 22, Plymouth North 10

6^th Grade Boys – 3 Missing

(4)Brookline 47, (1)Stoughton 35

(2)Wellesley 58, (10)Newton 46

(3)North Quincy deafeted Pembroke

(5)Dartmouth 53, South Plymouth B 19

(5)Dartmouth 67, South Plymouth A 39

(6)Hanover defeated Silver Lake

(6)Hanover, Rockland

(7)Scituate defeated Norwell

(7)Scituate defeated Pembroke

(8)Brockton 65, Bridgewater 46

(9)Hingham defeated Rockland

(11)Bellingham 52, (25)Southboro 34

(12)Belmont 54, Westwood 46

(13)Franklin 48, Canton 20

(14)North Attleboro, (15)Barrington

(16)Wayland - Idle

(17)Randolph 51, Westboro 46

(18)Northboro 54, Brookline 29

(19)Arlington, Woburn

(20)Plymouth North 70, Falmouth 17

(20)Plymouth North 46, Lakeville 38

Natick 55, (21)Mansfield 44

Marshfield defeated (22)Duxbury

(23)Braintree, Norwell

(24)Dedham 55, Easton 36

7^th Grade Girls – 2 Missing

(6)Walpole 44, (1)Franklin 39

(2)Plymouth 41, Hanover 40

(8)Norwell 34, (2)Plymouth 30

(3)Newton 44, (4)Belmont 41

(5)King Philip 50, (23)Medway 42

(7)Barnstable 23, Rochester 19

(9)Natick 34, Milford 23

(10)Hanson 46, Whitman 24

(11)North Attleboro 49, (12)Milton 44

(13)Braintree 30, Weymouth 8

Falmouth 31, (14)Dartmouth 23

(15)Needham 30, Foxboro 29

(16)Attleboro 42, Wellesley 21

(17)Pembroke 43, Weymouth 11

(17)Pembroke 43, Hanover 22

(18)Hingham - Idle

(19)Easton 46, (24)Melrose 30

(20)Sudbury, Stoughton

(21)Quincy, Duxbury

(22)Sandwich 35, (21)Quincy 34

(25)Westwood 54, Burlington 30

7^th Grade Boys – 3 Missing

(1)Brookline 54, Westwood 40

(2)Attleboro 53, Needham 36

(3)North Plymouth 66, Barnstable 37

(3)North Plymouth 45, Sandwich 34

(3)North Plymouth 55, New Bedford 31

(4)Marshfield defeated Duxbury

(5)Barrington 58, Norton 22

(9)Belmont 79, (6)Mansfield 55

(7)Wellesley 64, (19)Lexington 36

(8)Westboro 40, (21)Natick 34

(10)Hanover, Rockland

(10)Hanover defeated Silver Lake

(12)Foxboro, Easton

(13)Taunton 60, (11)Randolph 49

(14)Newton, Wachusett

(15)Scituate defeated (18)Norwell

(15)Scituate defeated Pembroke

(16)Wareham 62, Middleboro 37

(16)Wareham 52, Lakeville 46

(16)Wareham 48, (20)Dartmouth 28

(17)Medway 66, Seekonk 54

(18)Norwell defeated Braintree

(20)Dartmouth 63, Bourne 30

(20)Dartmouth 48, Monomoy 20

(22)Burlington 42, Winchester 38

(23)Brockton 52, North Attleboro 38

Newton 60, (24)Northboro 30

(25)Milton 46, Walpole 29

8^th Grade Girls – 3 Missing

(1)Braintree 49, Weymouth 27

(2)Monomoy 60, Barnstable 20

(3)Wellesley 37, (20)Newton 29

(4)Norton 32, (7)Needham 23

(5)Norwell 34, Plymouth 10

(6)Walpole 36, (11)Medway 30

(21)Lakeville 36, (8)Rochester 21

(9)Marshfield, (18)Scituate

(12)Mansfield 43, (10)Westwood 36

(13)King Philip 37, Hudson 8

(14)Medford, Milton

(15)Hanson 37, Whitman 8

Northboro 39, (16)North Attleboro 38,

(17)Rockland - Idle

Hanover 50, (19)Pembroke 46

Weymouth 43, (19)Pembroke 21

(21)Lakeville 42, Nauset 24

(23)Natick 46, (22)Bridgewater 43

Raynham 37, (24)Duxbury 34

(24)Duxbury, Quincy

Belmont 54, (25)Franklin 42

8^th Grade Boys – 4 Missing

(1)Brookline 48, (12)Easton 44

(2)Franklin

(3)Hanover defeated Silver Lake

(3)Hanover, Rockland

(4)Westboro 64, (20)Sharon 53

(5)Burlington 60, Groton-Dunstable 56

(6)Newton 36, (23)Southboro 33

(7)Arlington 64, (21)Randolph 47

(8)Duxbury defeated Marshfield

West Roxbury 65, (9)Wellesley 53

(10)Canton 64, Melrose 57

(11)Needham 42, Holliston 36

(13)North Attleboro 63, Seekonk 51

(14)Mansfield 59, Stoughton 40

(15)Belmont, Sudbury

Nauset 72, (16)Acushnet 57

(17)Northboro 58, Maynard 46

(18)Raynham

Walpole 47, (19)Bridgewater 44

(22)Medfield 48, Woburn 41

(24)Waltham 61, Winchester 49

Needham Girls Metrowest Night / Ellie Fund

Needham girls' basketball will host its annual Metrowest night on Tuesday, February 3rd. The Rockets will be taking on the Framingham Flyers.

This is also Needham's Breast Cancer Awareness night. Needham will be accepting donations for the Ellie Fund and donating their portion of the 50/50 raffle. Varsity tip-off is 6:30.

8th Grade Boys Notebook - January 28th

• Attleboro Rallies to Beat Canton

Attleboro 44

(5)Canton 42

Sometimes defense can be a team’s best offense. Attleboro found themselves down 17 points in the second half and then executed a half court, trapping defense that caused turnovers that were cashed in for transition buckets en route to a two-point victory, 44-42.

“A steal by Desmond Woodson and pass and basket by Kyle Marrapese gave us 42-41 lead with 45 seconds left,” explained Attleboro coach Mark Houle.

Point guard Mason Houle then went on to hit two foul shots with 15 seconds to give Attleboro a 44-41 lead. Canton hit a foul shot with three seconds left to make it 44-42 and then tried to intentionally miss the second one but was called for a lane violation resulting in a final of 44-42. 

“Proud of the defensive effort in the second half limiting Canton to 11 points and no second chance points,” said Houle.

David Santiago, Kevin Velasquez and Tyler Churchill all played well on both ends of the court.  Point guard Mason Houle controlled the pace of the game, dished out several assists to go along with critical foul shots at the end of the game.

• Easton Outlasts Southboro

(15)Easton 52

(14)Southboro 44

The Easton boys traveled to Southboro in a battle of evenly matched teams. Easton came out the gate with tenacious defense that limited Southboro to only three first quarter points which enabled Easton to grab an 11-point halftime edge.

That lead was short lived as Southboro cut that deficit to three points in the third quarter, but Easton’s depth and balance was too much for the home team to overcome.

Chris Pearsons, Sean O’Brien, Tim Kemp and Jake Erlich all scored double digits for Easton in the win.

• Wareham Knocks Off Raynham

Wareham 63

(23)Raynham 60

In a high scoring contest, Wareham knocked off Raynham for the second time this season.

Wareham was led by Justin Lopes’s 23 points. Connor Walsh added 15 points in the win.

8th Grade Girls Notebook - January 28th

• Westwood Hands Wellesley First Loss

(14)Westwood 30

(2)Wellesley 29

In an extremely competitive Metro West division-one league, Westwood is a game under .500. However, they scored their biggest win of the season by edging previously unbeaten Wellesley by one point this past Sunday, 30-29. 

"I couldn't be prouder of the girls and the way they have developed over the first half of the season,” said Westwood coach Christy Harrison. “They have really been working on defense and it showed in the game versus Wellesley. Holding Wellesley to only 29 points was huge and couldn't have been done without the smart defensive play of all of the girls. They are a smart, athletically driven group and I expected to see tremendous growth in the second half of the season."

With studs like Sabrina Zeghibe, Hannah Bean and Lauren MacDonald on the roster, the sky is the limit during the second half of the season for the Wolverines.

• Natick Knocks Off Mansfield

(25)Natick 47

(10)Mansfield 46

Natick has had a tough go of it to start its D1 Metro schedule this year, but earned a quality victory over Mansfield over the weekend.

They will look to build a streak next week as they take on (23)Bridgewater.

• Newton Upends Medway

(22)Newton 36

(8)Medway 32

Newton halts its two-game losing streak with a quality win over a very good Medway squad, 36-32.

Newton will have its hands full this Sunday as they take on Wellesley coming off their first loss of the season.