After Danvers win, Melrose (19-3) faces #2 seed Pentucket
Published in the March 9, 2018 edition
By JENNIFER GENTILE
MELROSE—The Melrose Lady Raider basketball team is one win away from advancing to the Div. 2 North finals after an exciting, 57-43 Div. 2 semifinal win over Danvers (16-6) at a jam-packed home crowd at the Melrose Veteran’s Memorial Middle School gym.
The win advances Melrose to face #2 seed Pentucket at St. John’s Prep at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday (post deadline) for rights to appear in the Div. 2 North finals, held Saturday, March 10 at the Tsongas Center.
The Lady Raiders earned their 19th win thanks to a big game from freshmen Sam Dewey, who had 22 points—18 of them in the second half.
“Sam was again a big presence for us,” says Melrose coach Bill Hirschfeld. “She had a lot of help from Alexis [Doherty] on assists.”
Doherty was recently named as Middlesex Freedom League MVP for her outstanding senior season. Friday’s game was evidence of that.
Melrose took a nine-point lead in the first quarter behind the work of Lily Cunningham (11 points) and Peri MacDonald (12 points) that helped Melrose take a lead of 29-13 at halftime. Melrose’s defense was as strong as ever with efforts from Sam Smith, Doherty, Lily Cunningham and Peri McDonald. Keeping Danvers low scoring was key for Melrose. “Our defense is our strong suit,” Hirschfeld remarked. “And their work in the first half was key.”
Danvers’ Lili Montanari and Sioban Moriarty both had 12 points to help keep the Falcons in the game during the second half. But they could not contend with Dewey, simply unstoppable in the paint, along with Alexis Doherty (9 points) who shot three treys over the night and helped Melrose finish the job, 57-43.
For coach Hirschfeld, having a standing-room-only crowd at the Melrose Middle School gym was the perfect sendoff as Melrose continues playoffs on the road. The school even rolled out their third set of bleachers to hold the fans. “That was the biggest crowd I’ve seen since I’ve been coaching,” says the coach.
Hirschfeld is also aware of the historical significance of the season. Melrose may be primed to earn their first 20 win season in more than a decade, on par with Melrose’s best teams from ten to fifteen years ago. Melrose’s last appearance in a North final was in 2010, when they clinched the title after a 17-3 season. In 2007, Melrose finished a 19-1 regular season and an appearance at D2 North finals. And in 2006, Melrose had a historic 23-0 season that culminated with an appearance at the Boston Garden.
Next on tap is Pentucket, a team that Hirschfeld scouted recently. “We’ll be focused on preparations. I think our game against Arlington Catholic was great build-up to this. Our goal, at first this season, was to win the conference, and from here it’s to see how far we can go. And with these girls anything is possible.”
Should they prevail against Pentucket, there is a real chance Melrose may face rival Wakefield, who is battling Wilmington to get into the Div. 2 North finals. The Raiders and Warriors have split games in regular season play so a final between the two in the D2N would be must-see for any Mel-Wak fan.
Div. 2 State Semifinals will be held on March 13 at the TD Garden, where the North winner will battle the South champ for rights to play against a Central/West winner at the MIAA Div. 2 State Final on March 17.
One thing for sure is, Melrose has more games in them. “Right now, we have three or four girls scouring double digits and our defense is strong,” says the coach. “All of us want to keep our seniors around longer.”
Fans are encouraged to visit www.miaa.net for updated Div. 2 North playoff information or visit our Facebook and Twitter pages.