WHS Girls Basketball Defeats Swampscott; Ranked 19th in D-4
The Winthrop High girls basketball team turned in a solid two-way performance to earn a 45-35 victory at Northeastern Conference South Division rival Swampscott last Friday.
Grace Fleuriel, who was questionable to play because she had been ill for a couple of days leading up to the game, came through with a monster game in which Grace achieved a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
“We were trailing at halftime by single digits,” said WHS head coach Anthony Hatzisavas. “We were struggling to maintain possessions as turnovers were a little bit of an issue, but we talked about if we control the ball, we will be fine.”
Swampscott came out fast to start the second half, scoring two quick hoops to increase their lead to six points, but then Fleuriel really stepped up and controlled the game from there.
“We kept looking to get Grace the ball in the middle and she made play after play for herself and for others,” said Hatzisavas. “It really was a great performance, especially with her feeling under the weather, but she toughed it out.”
Kaylee Farrell also forwarded a superb effort, reaching double figures in the scoring column with 12 points and pulling down seven boards.
“Kaylee has been a constant for us all season and is really starting to heat up on the offensive end,” noted Hatzisavas, who also lauded the play of Sophia Lindinger, Zoey Boguscz, Lily Conway. and Poli Tsiotos, “all of whom provided us with valuable minutes off the bench.”
Reese Brodin also hit for double figures with 10 points, including some big free throws in the final minutes to ice the game down the stretch for the Lady Vikings.
Hatzisavas and his crew, who were scheduled to take on Beverly last night (Wednesday), will wrap up their regular season with a home-and-home series with non-league opponent Watertown — they will travel to Watertown tomorrow (Friday) and will host Watertown next Tuesday at noon.
The Lady Vikings, who presently are ranked 19th in the MIAA’s Division 4 power rankings, then will await the announcement of their final seeing and first-round opponent in the D-4 state tourney.
Rough Stretch for Boys Hockey; But Still Ranked #1
The rough stretch for the Winthrop High boys hockey team, which dropped its first game of the season to Northeastern Conference (NEC) North rival Marblehead last week, continued this past week with a pair of losses to non-league rivals Essex Tech (2-0) and Medford (3-2 in overtime) and a 1-1 tie with NEC North foe Gloucester.
In last Wednesday’s contest at Essex Tech, which is ranked #5 in Division 3, the teams battled through a scoreless first two periods before Tech broke the deadlock with a short-handed goal with five minutes to play in the game. The Vikings battled furiously to notch the equalizer in regulation with many chances to do so, but could not dent the Essex net, and Tech slid home an empty-netter for the 2-0 finale.
Junior goalie Robbie Biancardi made 24 saves in his first varsity start for the Vikings.
In the 1-1 tie at Gloucester on Saturday, the Vikings and Fishermen, who are ranked #10 in Division 2, engaged in a fast and physical encounter from the drop of the opening face-off. After a scoreless first period, Gloucester grabbed a 1-0 late in the middle period, but Winthrop responded before the period ended with a goal from Phil Boncore, assisted by Mike Holgersen.
After a hectic, but scoreless, third period, in which both teams had scoring opportunities, the contest went into the five-minute OT session. Winthrop’s Petey Silverman almost gave the Vikings a victory in the closing seconds, but his shot rang off the crossbar. However, the tie earned the Vikings a crucial point in their battle for first place in the NEC North.
This past Monday the Vikings hosted Division 1 Medford and came up short in OT. Winthrop trailed for most of the game — the Vikings clanged five shots off the post throughout the game — until Silverman notched the tying goal with 40 seconds left in regulation. However, the visiting Mustangs scored the game-winner in OT on a broken play.
Coach Dale Dunbar and his crew, who still are ranked #1 in the MIAA’s Division 4 power rankings by a wide margin with a 12-3-2 record and are in first place in the NEC North with a 7-1-1 mark, are scheduled to wrap up their regular season this week. They were scheduled to host NEC North rival Masconomet yesterday (Wednesday). A win or tie in that contest will clinch a second straight NEC North title for the Vikings.
This Saturday afternoon at 3:00 they will host NEC South foe Peabody in a contest that will be highlighted by Senior Day festivities. The Vikings will travel to non-league opponent Grafton next Tuesday afternoon at 2:30 and then will await word of their final seeding and first-round opponent in the D-4 state tourney.
WHS Boys Basketball Hosts Ipswich Tuesday
Coach Quinton Dale II and the Winthrop High boys basketball will wrap up 2024 season with a home contest next Tuesday afternoon against non-league opponent Ipswich, whom the Vikings defeated in their first meeting earlier this season. The opening tip is set for 2:00.