Sports
Peabody High Girls’ Basketball Ready to Fight Back to MIAA Tournament
The Peabody High girls' basketball team has been successful over the past few years, making postseason appearances in three of the last four MIAA Division I North tournaments.
Success has been a trend for the Peabody High girls' basketball team -- making postseason appearances in three of the last four MIAA Division I North tournaments, only failing to earn a bid in 2008-09.
In the 2006-07 season, the Lady Tanners (16-3) were Greater Boston League champs, earning the third seed in the DI-North tourney and a first-round bye. The team's tournament was short lived though, as they fell 53-38 in the quarterfinals to sixth-ranked Central Catholic, the eventual sectional champions and state finalists.
The 2007-08 season followed a similar path for the Peabody girls (16-6), as they were league champs once again, competing in the Northeastern Conference- Large for the first time, earning the fifth seed in the DI-North postseason. After dropping to number 12 ranked Billerica 64-38 in the first round, the Lady Tanners suffered a hard-fought 46-43 quarterfinal loss to fourth-seed Lexington.
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The 2008-09 campaign marked a rough patch for Peabody, as the team played to an 8-12 record and missed the tournament, but head coach Jane Heil remains positive about the campaign.
"ACL injuries to several key players and two starters took its toll on us," admitted Heil, who is entering her 30th year with the team, "but it was a great season in other ways."
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Last season, the Lady Tanners team regained its status and battled back into the postseason again. The Peabody girls (19-4) once again captured the NEC-Large title and were seeded fourth in the DI-North tournament. In the first round, the team defeated 13th ranked Everett 71-55, followed by a 60-48 quarterfinal victory over the 12th seed Lowell, who upset fifth-seeded Revere in the first round.
In the semifinals, Peabody was once again halted by the girls from Central Catholic, this time falling 80-45. Central Catholic went on to lose 69-65 in overtime in the North Finals against Andover, which were the 2010 State Champions.
As the team enters the 2010-11 season, coach Heil expects her senior captains forward Mary-Kate Helas, forward Brittany LeFave, and guard Hannah Simard to play key roles in the team's success this winter.
"After try-outs [on Wednesday], the team and coaching staff will discuss our goals and what it will take to achieve them," said Heil about her expectations for the upcoming season.
