Groton Dunstable Travel Basketball
January 31, 2016
Press Release
G4/5
The fourth-and fifth grade girls had a sluggish first half, but come out storming for the second half. The girls fell behind 15-2 at half. While they battled on D, bounces kept going Wachusett’s way. In the second half, things improved for the hard working players. Regan Gilmore and Caroline Clinton sparked a rally and the entire team refocused their defense. G-D was able to limit the top ranked Wachusett team to just six points in the second half, closing the deficit, but falling 21-9.
B4/5
The fourth- and fifth-grade boys lost a tight 25-14 game to Narragansett. Kevin Broderick led all scorers with six and handled the ball extremely well against an aggressive Narragansett full court press. Patrick Kelly added three points and numerous rebounds. Ryan Hamill and Theo Murphy played strong defense for B4/5.
B5
The fifth-grade boys ran into top ranked Wachusett this weekend and the hosts were simply too much for the Crusaders to overcome. Trailing 29-11 at the half, B5 could not stop hot-shooting Wachusett from the opening tip. GD played with tremendous effort and improved play, but they left Holden with a 57-27 defeat. Andrew Stenstream and Taylor Wiercinski led the offensive charge with 11 and 10 points, and Will Vogel led the rebounding efforts with eight. B5 will have a bye this upcoming week.
B6
The sixth-grade boys lost to #3 ranked Maynard, 36-50. High scorer of the day was Josh Dai with 14 points, followed by Curtis Lacombe with a season high of 11 points. B6 played hard and played as a team buzzer to buzzer.
G7
In a heartbreaker, the seventh-grade girls fell to a short-staffed Lunenberg team late this Sunday. G7 returned home to the Middle School North after a month on the road, and looked poised for a win at the close of the first half as they opened up an 11-5 lead with a punishing press in the final minutes of the half. Groton lengthened the lead entering the second half until Lunenberg’s #15 got blazing hot, hitting four three-pointers and a deep two. It was an exciting back and forth game down the stretch spurred in part by aggressive play from Amanda Lacombe (five points) who had a beautiful steal that she converted into a breakaway layup. With 11 seconds to go, G-D had a chance to win, but the ball didn't drop and they lost 25-26. Katie Eberhardt (six points, seven rebounds, six steals) had another inspiring game, along with Ali Vogel (seven points, five rebounds).
B7
The seventh-grade boys hosted Leominster this weekend resulting in a 53-35 win and a move into divisional first place. B7 launched into a strong offense right away, setting a fast game pace and forcing turnovers resulting in fast breakpoints. Top scorers were Brandon Wiercinski with 16 points, Jack Barry for 11, Andrew Watkins for eight, and Alex Bushnell for six. Leading by just two points at half-time, the Crusaders maintained their intensity and held Leominster to nine points in the second half. Dougie Tompkins was instrumental on defense with his strong rebounding. It was a great B7 team win!
G8
The eighth-grade girls had a busy weekend, playing two league games. Game 1 had G-D taking on Nashoba. The pace and intensity of the game was high from the opening tip. Every time G8 opened up a double digit lead, Nashoba would come storming back. G-D led 25-18 at the half. The second half saw much of the same as G-D saw a 12-point lead dwindle down to 4, before they finally put Nashoba away 46-38.
Game 2 of the weekend had the G8's facing off against Acton-Boxboro. The girls played one of their most complete games of the season as their offense, defense and team chemistry were a thing of beauty. G-D raced out to a 14-3 lead and never looked back, eventually taking a 31-13 lead into the half. The second half was much of the same as G-D cruised to a solid 59-23 team victory. Standout players:
Nicole Tammaro - 16 points, four rebounds, five assists, two steals
Emma Wilson - 13 points, three rebounds, two steals
Bronwyn Mulligan - 11 points, four rebounds, three blocks
Jillian Van Pelt - seven points, three steals, three assists
Abby Eisenklam - five rebounds, five assists, three steals
Molly Braley - six points, one rebound
Lauren Hill - three rebounds, two assists
Rachel Erickson was a defensive stopper, holding A-B's best player to one point, while Olivia Ray, Carolyn Mullins and Cate Bolton all racked up key defensive stops, rebounds and steals. It was a huge team win with key contributions from all 11 players!
B8
In a crossover match-up with a Metrowest opponent, Winchester made a trip to face the eighth-grade boys. With excellent team defense leading to quick scoring opportunities, the B8 raced out to a 20-0 lead. Winchester settled down, outscoring G-D 10-4 over the next few minutes. B8 then closed the half with 15-4 run to take a 25 point lead at half, 39-14. The second half was much closer, G-D outscoring Winchester 19-16 for the 58-30 victory.
Tim Stark and Joe O'Malley led the scoring with 16 each, each contributing 12 in the explosive first half. Tyler Peck had 11, all in the first half. Jack Foster played a strong game, assisting on several baskets. Elias Jiser was key on the defensive end with numerous blocked shots. Sammy Eggimann wins the hustle award for the game and also contributed five points.
