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"We played great defense," said North Reading head coach Karla Sullivan after her team held Rockport to just 12 points in a 44-point blowout, 56-12.

Alison Friberg led the Hornets with 14 points Casey Denofrio added eight.

Lindsey Tomasz scored eight points to lead Newburyport (3-5). Beth Castantini added seven.

Caitlin Hill (10 points) and Lindsey Tomasz (9 points) led the way as the Clippers defeated Rockport handily, 52-21.

Senior center Kirsten Daamen had 20 points and 18 rebounds for Pentucket (8-1). Erin McNamara added 12 points. Andrea Attenasio scored 10. Pentucket led 34-16 at halftime.

Danielle Fournier and Bri Connolly scored 10 points each and Fournier grabbed 18 rebounds to lead the North Andover girls basketball team to a 48-15 win ovr Rockport. It was the first varsity points scored by both players.

The Georgetown girls basketball team crushed Rockport yesterday, 72-27, to improve to 1-1.

Said coach BarriAnn Alonzo, "Everyone had a personal challenge to accomplish, and they worked hard to do it. We had some mistakes to fix from our first game, so we set goals, and we made them. When we can do that, we will come out with a win."

Coming off a one-point loss to rival Manchester Essex, Georgetown dropped the hammer down in the second quarter against Rockport, outscoring the Vikings by 17 points and never looking back in a 72-27 win.

Taryn O'Connell showed off midseason form, erupting for 30 points and 12 rebounds for Georgetown in a 64-63 heartbreaking loss at Manchester.

Georgetown, which opened the game in an 11-0 hole, actually had the ball with a chance to win with 4.9 seconds to play but couldn't click.

POLLS WILL CLOSE MONDAY APRIL 14, AT NOON

We want you to choose who the top boys ice hockey players were at each position this winter. Vote in the polls below for each position. Think we left someone out? Let us know by writing the players name in the other text area in the poll.

As we still sit in limbo waiting for the high school spring sports season to begin, now is as good a time as any to clean out the old inbox and take a  look at how a few of our local athletes are performing at their respective colleges.

There was no victory parade through Manchester on Tuesday evening.

But even without that display of affection, it's clear that the community greatly appreciates what their beloved Manchester Essex girls basketball team accomplished this winter.

The Division 4 state tournament had presented its share of challenges to the Manchester Essex girls basketball team. But none had been too difficult to overcome.

That was the case until yesterday, when a bit of irony ultimately doomed the North champion Hornets in the Division 4 state title game at Boston's TD Banknorth Garden against South champ Cohasset.

Tournament wins used to be foreign to Manchester Essex girls basketball coach Lauren Dubois.

Now, after just three years at the helm, the Beverly native knows the postseason as well as the information she presents in her history classes at Manchester Essex.

Over the past few weeks, drama and the Manchester Essex girls basketball team have become synonymous. So it was fitting that yesterday's Division 4 state title game would be no different.

Regulation was not enough time to settle the score between the North champion Hornets and South champ Cohasset at Boston's TD Banknorth Garden.

This is what the Manchester Essex girls basketball team has worked for all season.

There are no more meetings, no more practices. It all comes down to one game.

That would be today's Division 4 state championship, where the North champion Hornets (16-8) face off against South champion Cohasset (22-2) at Boston's TD Banknorth Garden (2:30 p.m.) for the Division 4 state title.