WHS Sports

WHS girls hockey deadlocks AC, 1-1

The Winthrop High girls hockey team battled non-league opponent Arlington Catholic to a 1-1 deadlock last Tuesday evening at Larsen Rink.

After the Lady Cougars grabbed a 1-0 lead in the opening period (when two AC players upended a Lady Viking defenseman to steal the puck deep in the Winthrop end, setting up the goal), Winthrop brought the contest back to level in the middle period on a goal by sophomore Abby “Skip” Githinji that was set up by senior captain Reese Ferrara. Reese made a rush toward the AC net and slid a pass over to Githinji, who slotted the puck in the back of the Cougar net.

“Reese has been great in every game so far,” said WHS head coach Anthony  Martucci. “She is doing a ton of great things for us. She is leading and working to make sure that our team is in a position to win each game. This was a warrior-type rush, where she refused to be denied, and was able to push the puck through to Abby for the goal.”

The remainder of the second period saw both teams exchange power plays and have a lot of quality scoring chances that were denied by the two goalies.

“There were two very good goalies battling it out. Riley Towse was outstanding once again for us, stopping 27 shots,” said Martucci. “The third period was a continuation of the goaltending duel. Riley, who truly has been a superstar for our program, was unreal, as she has been especially in the last two games. She is so dialed in and focused, making many ‘10 bell’ saves, highlight-reel stops in succession, and some insane glove saves as well.

“Riley is one of our captains this year, and she has really taken on a huge role in our net,” Martucci added.

After the teams finished deadlocked in regulation, they went into a 4-on-4 overtime period. Both teams had chances, but none connected and the game ended in a 1-1 standoff.

“Two of our other players also had very good games,” Martucci added. “Amelia Serino has really been great through the first four games. Amelia is a strong skater with good speed, and she is using both of those attributes very well. In addition, senior Stella Pelletier has given us some big shifts. Stella is doing the little things right, bringing great energy and buzzing around.

“The A.C. game was an all-out war,” Martucci concluded. “It was a great girls high school hockey game between two good teams that both wanted to win. It was a very even matchup. They were fast and physical, just like us, so we matched up well.”

Martucci and his crew, who now are 2-1-1 (2-0-0 in the Northeastern Hockey League) on the season, were scheduled to meet NHL rival Gloucester this past Tuesday and will travel to non-league opponent Burlington on Saturday.

They will return home to host NHL foe Peabody next Wednesday evening at Larsen for a 6:10 opening faceoff.

WHS girls defeat Gloucester, 58-46

The Winthrop High girls basketball team went on a nine-point run at the end of the third period to break open what had been a tightly-contested battle with Gloucester to earn a 58-46 victory in the opening round of the David Green Memorial Tournament this past Monday afternoon at the Winthrop High gym.

Gloucester held a 16-14 advantage after one period and Winthrop led 26-25 at the intermission. The teams were deadlocked at 35-35 before the Lady Vikings exploded for nine unanswered points in the final 2:46 of the third period to build a lead that they never relinquished.

The surge was keyed by the backcourt duo of Bailey Ferguson and Polixeni Tsiotos. Ferguson made two drives to the bucket from the top of the key to make it 39-35. Bailey then stole a Gloucester pass and fed a streaking Tsiotos for a layup  and, after a Gloucester miss, Poli went the length of the floor, pulled up at the three-point line, and drained a trey just before the period ended to make it a 44-35 Winthrop lead.

The Lady Fishermen scored the first two hoops of the fourth period, but Josie Barry put back an offensive rebound to stop the Gloucester momentum and Tsiotos sank another triple to boost the lead to 10, 49-39, with 4:03 to play.

The Lady Fishermen responded with a three on their next possession, but Tsiotos once again had an answer with yet another trifecta to make it 52-42. 

After Amina Barry made a move inside off a nice pass from Ferguson, Josie Barry made a steal and delivered the ball to a streaking Ferguson at midcourt, who drove in for the layup to seal the deal, making it a 56-42 ballgame with 1:30 to go.

Tsiotos led all scorers on the day with 22 points, including four three-pointers. Ferguson reached double figures with 17 points (to go with four steals) and Amina Barry turned in a powerful double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds.

“This was a great win for our team,” said WHS head coach Anthony Hatzisavas. “We have been struggling at home, so we really focused on coming out and making a statement and turning this thing around. 

“We had a great lead-up of practices this past week,” Hatzisavas continued. “We came out quickly. Gloucester was in a zone, so we used our shooting to our advantage. Bailey Ferguson was aggressive from the get-go, making a three on our first possession of the game. Jenna Whitehead was able to knock down back-to-back threes and did a great job on the defensive end. She chipped in seven huge points. 

“Josie Barry did a great job on the defensive end, flying around anticipating passes,” said Hatzisavas. “Amina Barry chipped in 12 points and finished with 14  rebounds and was a huge factor finishing around the rim on Bailey and Polixeni’s drives.”

Hatzisavs lauded the play of his backcourt duo of Ferguson and Tsiotos. “Bailey was super aggressive on both ends of the floor. Polixeni had six points in the first half, but was dealing with foul trouble, which limited her minutes a little bit,” said the coach. “I told Poli at half time this was her game. We are going to ride and live with her throughout the second half, despite the foul trouble, and we want her to really commit to taking more shots. She responded with four big threes in the second half and finished with a game-high 22 points. Both Polixeni and Ferguson did a tremendous job for us leading the way. Their totals of 22 and 17 points from our starting backcourt is one of the highest out of any backcourt I’ve had since I took over this job four years ago.

“The energy and effort were there,” Hatzisavas added. “We talk about whether we win or we lose, but the one thing I care about is the effort we put into it and everyone who stepped on the floor brought that. I was very proud of the team.”

On a separate note, Hatzisavas spoke about the significance of the tournament, which honors retired State Trooper David Green, a lifelong Winthrop resident and former WHS basketball player, who was shot while protecting others from a hate-filled assailant on June 26, 2021.

“This tournament is a great thing around the holidays, but it’s also to show a bigger picture,” Hatzisavas said. “I didn’t know David Green personally, but from everything I was told about him, there isn’t a better person to honor this tournament for. He showed courage in a time of need for others. Athletic Director Mark DeGregorio is doing a great job keeping this tournament going and I hope it stays a staple in this town forever. I only expect it to get bigger and bigger every year and we appreciate the boys and girls teams that come down year after year to participate in it.”

The Lady Vikings were scheduled to meet Lynnfield in the championship game on Tuesday as the Sun-Transcript was going to press. They will travel to Winchester on Friday (January 2) and then entertain Saugus next Tuesday (January 6) and Salem next Thursday (Jan. 8). The opening tip-offs for the two home games are set for 6:00.

WHS boys hockey at Peabody, Danvers

The Winthrop High boys hockey team, which stands at 4-3-0 on the season (2-0-0 in the Northeastern Conference) will travel to NEC foes Peabody this Saturday and to Danvers next Wednesday.

The Vikings took part in the Michael Giordano Tournament in South Boston during the vacation break, splitting their two games, with a 6-1 loss to Hanover in the preliminary round and a 2-0 victory over Boston Latin in the consolation contest.

WHS boys win tourney opener

The Winthrop High boys basketball team posted an 80-44 victory over Excel Academy in the Vikings’ opening round contest in the David Green Memorial Tournament this past Monday. Coach Quinton Dale and his crew were scheduled to face No. Reading, which defeated Arlington Catholic, 79-68, in its preliminary contest, in the tourney championship game this past Tuesday. The Vikings will travel to Saugus next Tuesday and to Salem next Thursday.