The Northeastern Conference has always prepared Winthrop High girls basketball teams well for the MIAA Tournament. Just ask former Hall of Fame coach Ron Spinney, whose teams regularly pounced on opponents from other leagues.
Head coach Anthony Hatzisavas felt this year’s team was “battle tested” during the regular season. Monday night in the opening round of the MIAA State Tournament, the Vikings demonstrated their higher level of preparedness from the opening tapoff on the Chris Tsiotos Court.
Senior center Grace Fleuriel had 12 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Vikings to a 73-29 victory over Bethany Christian Academy (Mendon).
Fleuriel accomplished all that in 18 minutes of play, helping Winthrop race to a 27-10 lead after one period and 48-21 advantage at the half.
“Grace played tremendous,” said Hatzisavas. “We were looking to get the basketball to her in the middle and she spread the basketball out and had four assists.”
Fleuriel was coming off a dominating 17-point-15 rebound performance in the first of two late-season, non-league tests against Watertown, one of the better teams in Division 3. Fleuriel plays an unselfish brand of basketball, establishing her presence and finding her open teammates around the perimeter with blazing passes.
Senior guard Reese Brodin led all scorers with 14 points while also contributing four steals and some transition layups.
Senior forward Kaylee Farrell had 11 points and five rebounds, connecting on one 3-pointer. Junior guard Sophia Lindinger scored 10 points in a reserve role, showing her long-range capabilities with two 3-pointers. Sophomore guard Bailey Ferguson scored nine points.
Hatzsivas used a first-ever (this season) 1-2-2 zone defense, with Farrell creating havoc on the Bethany backcourt from the outset. Brodin was the key ‘1’ at the top of the defensive alignment in the second half.
Hatzisavas was pleased with the hometown support at the Bethany Christian-Winthrop game.
“We had a tremendous crowd, the student body was out in full effect at the game,” said Hatzisavas. “It was very nice to have that support.”
Bethany Christian, who plays in the Worcester County Athletic Association, finished its season at 7-6. Winthrop improved its record to 9-12.
Winthrop is set to play at No. 13-seeded Wahconah Regional (14-6) in Dalton Thursday at 5 p.m. Dalton is approximately 150 miles from Winthrop.
“I think it’s near the border of New York, it’s past Pittsfield,” said Hatzisavas. “It’s about a three-hour ride.”
Winthrop is playing in the first game of an MIAA Tournament doubleheader. The Wahconah boys team will host Case High School in the second game at 7 p.m., meaning there will be a large crowd at the games. Wahconah draws students from seven towns in the Central Berkshire Regional School District.
Anthony Hatzisavas Scripted His Own Post-Season Masterpieces
Watching Anthony Hatzisavas coach the Winthrop High School girls basketball team in the MIAA Tournament rekindles the grandest of memories for long-time Viking sports followers.
Hatzisavas was the 6-foot-3-inch senior starting center on the 2011 state champion WHS boys basketball team. His performances on the Vikings’ road to the title were, in a word, legendary.
In fact, here’s the Sun-Transcript recap of Hatzisavas’ clutch 22-point-17 rebound effort in a 71-58 victory over Georgetown in the North sectional semifinals at Malden High’s Roy G. Finn Gymnasium (which is named after the father of former Supt. of Schools Peter Finn of Winthrop):
“On any given night a student-athlete can produce something extraordinary, a performance that will be remembered for a long-time and rehashed at every class reunion. Anthony Hatzisavas, who has battled his way back from herniated disc surgery, had one of those awe-inspiring efforts that helped keep alive the dream of a state championship for Dave Brown’s overachieving basketball team.”
But Hatzisavas wasn’t done etching his name alongside some of Winthrop High’s greatest post-season heroes. In the state championship game at the Boston Garden, Hatzisavas had team-highs of 17 points and 13 rebounds in a thrilling 58-55 victory over Cohasset. Hatzisavas scored in every quarter of that game as did Quinton Dale (12 points), now the WHS boys basketball head coach.
Yes, Anthony Hatzisavas – whose terrific pivot play earned him commendation as “the big man with the soft inside touch” – was immense throughout the Vikings’ march to the state title, the program’s first since Coach Peter Grimes’ contingent had captured a crown in 1995.
The Winthrop Police’s escort of the team bus from the town border to the high school gymnasium for the championship celebration capped off one of the most memorable days in Viking sports history – and tall and talented Anthony Hatzisavas was in the middle of it all.