RallyNorth.net

Manchester Essex knocks off defending state champions

Monday, March, 03 By Richard Slate
Staff writer

It's official, there will be a new state champion in Division 4 girls basketball this season.

No. 9 seed Manchester Essex (14-8) made sure of that as they went to New Mission (19-3) -- the No. 1 seed and defending state champion -- and knocked off the Titans, 68-61, in a Saturday quarterfinal game before a lively, pro-Hornets crowd at the Tobin Community Center.

Manchester Essex now moves on to the Division 4 North semifinals, where they will meet No. 5 Fenway (16-5), tomorrow at 7 p.m. (site TBA).

"It's a pretty amazing win," exclaimed Hornets head coach Lauren Dubois after the game. "It was such an exciting game and New Mission is a great team. We've been preparing for them since they beat us last season (68-62 in the Division 4 North final)."

The win was a total team effort but three Hornets particularly filled the stat sheet. Freshman guard Lizzy Ball had 20 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals. Senior center Dani Ciccone had another monster double-double with 16 points, 18 rebounds and two assists. Finally, junior forward Elsa Keefe had 20 points, seven boards, three steals and two assists.

"It feels so good to beat New Mission," admitted Ciccone. "We proved ourselves today, we pulled together and stayed poised. This was the most intense game I've ever been in, I think my heart stopped a few times."

This was as memorable a high school basketball game as you could ever expect. It had everything: top-notch teams, runs, big shots, outstanding performances and drama.

Before the game, the shot-clock wasn't working properly so the officials decided to go on without it. Especially in the first half, neither team seemed to mind as the pace was frenetic, eliminating any controversy over long possessions.

The first mistake New Mission made (and it was a huge one) was they tried to throw a full-court press at Manchester Essex. The Hornets proved in their win over Lynn Tech (53-43 in the first round) that they aren't fazed by the pressure and they shredded the Titans defense until they switched to a 2-3 zone in the second quarter.

The Hornets opened the game on an impressive 17-5 run. The quarter ended with Manchester Essex up 17-11 as Keefe was the recipient of many fast-break layups, scoring 10 in the frame.

The Titans answered quickly with a 12-0 run to tie it up at 17. Ball got to the line (making 1 of 2) after a nifty spin move in the lane to end the run. The Hornets entered halftime with a 31-24 lead.

New Mission only had eight players, so it was imperative that they stay out of foul trouble. But they racked up 14 fouls alone in the first half and 24 in the game. The Hornets were 18 of 35 from the line for the game, but made the overly-aggressive Titans eventually pay by making just enough free-throws.

The Titans' top scorer Bianca Flores (2 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists) was a non-factor as she picked up her third foul with 2:41 to go in the second and she fouled out in the fourth quarter. In her place, Khadijah Ellison (16 points, 12 rebounds), Niesha Kelly (14 points, 10 rebounds) and Mieshia Reynolds (13 points, 12 rebounds, 6 steals) all had strong games.

The second half was back and forth, as neither team could grab a definitive lead until the end when Manchester Essex closed it out. New Mission had an early 7-2 run in the third quarter, but then the highlight-reel started rolling: Titans sharp-shooter Houng Vu made a 3-pointer, but on the next possession, Hornets junior forward Jordan Biggar (8 rebounds) drained a three. Later, Reynolds dribbled behind her back then hit a jumper. Not to be outdone, Ball drove hard to the basket then utilized a jump stop to get her shot off.

The 6-foot Ciccone was the tallest player on the court, and really started to wear down New Mission in the second half. She had eight points in the third quarter and 12 in the second half. On the other side, the Titans were unstoppable in the third quarter, outscoring Manchester Essex 24-19. The Hornets led 50-48 going into the fourth.

After New Mission grabbed a 52-51 lead, Ball made a key stop on defense as she took a charge on Reynolds. That led to a 6-0 run that gave the Hornets the lead for good. Twice Manchester Essex used free throw misses to their advantage as Ciccone then Keefe made putbacks.

Kelly fouled out with 4:17 left and then a scary moment happened as Titan Chreese Hall (7 points, 5 rebounds, 5 steals, 2 blocks) collided with Ciccone, leaving Hall woozy with what looked to be a concussion.

After a lengthy delay, the action continued as New Mission made one last gasp. They cut it to three, but couldn't get any closer. Ball hit Keefe with a pretty assist and then the freshman guard iced the game, making four of her last six free-throws (10 of 16 for the game).

"It was a great way for us to come back from that loss to New Mission last year," said an exhausted but fired up Ball. "Now that we beat the No. 1 seed I feel like we can go all the way."

When asked if she was nervous at the line in the fourth, she replied, "no, I love free throws."

Dubois could not have been more proud of her team after this monumental win, unquestionably one of the best in Manchester Essex girls history.

"They played with so much heart," Dubois said. "They believed in themselves and they did it. We're real proud of them."