Schools
Mystic Valley Varsity Basketball Round-up
Both teams claimed victory and the boys' squad set a school record for most wins in a season.
Mystic Valley Girls Beat St. Clement 51-49
The Mystic Valley girls’ varsity basketball team returned to their winning ways on Monday with an exciting 51-49 win over St. Clement High School.
The Lady Eagles got off to a fast start racing out to a 16-3 lead after the first quarter behind 3 Meghan Foley fast break layups and 5 points from Jessica Phinney. The score at half was closer as St. Clements fought back leaving the Lady Eagles holding a 29-20 advantage. The third frame was much of the same and the girls were able to extend their lead to 11 (38-27).
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The fourth quarter however was not so kind to the Lady Eagles. St. Clement was able to get back into the game behind some spectacular play from their point guard who scored 14 fourth quarter points. Mystic Valley was able to hold on though, behind clutch 4th-quarter free throw shooting from Phinney (2-2), Foley (1-2) and Paulina Petras (2-2).
Head Coach Jason Cantwell was pleased with the victory but saw plenty of room for improvement. "Our fourth quarter defense wasn’t as good as it needed to be. At multiple points during the game it looked like we were poised to turn the game into a blowout but it seemed we lacked the killer instinct needed to put the game away. We’re a young team though (no seniors, only 4 upperclassmen), and those things will come in time. At the end of the day the most important thing is the win".
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Freshman Jessica Phinney led the way for the Lady Eagles with 17 points and 7 rebounds. Eighth Grader Meghan Foley added 12 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals and junior Jordan Sullivan added 10 points. Freshman Paulina Petras also had a big game, contributing a double-double 10 points and 10 rebounds 6 of her points came in the 4th quarter.
The girls return to action Thursday at Essex Aggie/North Shore Tech as they attempt to wrap up a second place finish in the CAC.
Mystic Valley Boys Win 16th Game, Set School Record
The wins just keep on coming for the Mystic Valley boys’ varsity basketball team. The Eagles latest win was a 65-36 road victory against Sacred Heart of Kingtson on Monday, February 13.
With the win, the Eagles improved their overall record to 16-3, 7-0 in the Commonwealth Athletic Conference (CAC). The 16 wins are the most ever in school history for the 2012 CAC Small Division champions.
“The team is on a roll and it’s the perfect time of the season to be clicking as a unit,” said Mystic Valley head coach Tony Ferullo. “The important thing is that we’re healthy as we’ve ever been and that is a good and positive feeling heading into the state tournament.”
Against Sacred Heart, Mystic Valley jumped out to a 28-15 halftime lead. In the second half, the Eagles turned up its defense intensity and shared the ball on offense to secure the triumph.
The offensive attack was well balanced as eight players contributed to the scoring column (Greg Statho, 13, Ben Bottrell, 10, Joey Foley, 9, Brian O’Connor, 8, Kyle Howard, 8, Hari Perisic, 5, Ricky Yu, 4 and Kevin Hazelton, 3).
Mystic Valley’s final game of the regular season is a big one, with Senior Night, on Thursday, February 16, at home, beginning at 5:30 pm.
