Spartan Girls Hoops, Boys Hockey Gaining Confidence

It was a critical week for a pair of Stoneham athletic teams, with two Spartan units earning confidence boosting results.

Girls basketball goes 1-1 on the week

Head coach Sara Mills’ charges didn’t get the week off to a great start in a tilt against perennial powerhouse Reading. The Rockets went on to a 64-34 victory despite 12 points from Sam Trant, eight points from Olivia Gaughan and five markers from Grace Macura.

Junior Stephanie Bramante and Britney Fucci each did an outstanding job covering top Reading threat Olibia Healey, according to Mills.

“All in all we just lost to a better team,” said Mills.

Things got better on Friday in a tilt with Woburn, which the Spartans won by a 54-37 decision.

Macura led the way with 17 points, Trant chipped in 11, Gaughan added seven points, Fucci put home six points of her own and Carli Buono found the hoop for five points as well.

The victory was key for the team as it helped them improve to 7-6 overall, and 6-4 in Middlesex League play.

“This was our best game thus far in terms of execution,” said Mills. “We were able to put in a full game of good offense and good defense, which we have been waiting for.”

Boys hockey gets complete effort against tough foe

It’s been a tough season for the Stoneham boys hockey team, but head coach Paul Sacco’s team embraced the underdog role in its recent games.

Stoneham hasn’t won since December 27, but it does have four ties in its last seven games, including an impressive 1-1 draw against state title contender Reading on January 16.

That tie came on the heals of a 2-2 draw with Wakefield, which is 6-3-5 on the year.

While the scoreboard shows the Spartans lost two games last week, they came by just one goal each against Woburn and Lexington. The Tanners toppled Stoneham, 3-2, on January 19 while Lexington escaped with a  2-1 win on Saturday.

It’s been a difficult season for Sacco’s team, which sits in last place with a  3-6-4 overall record and a mark of 0-6-4 in the difficult Middlesex League. Still, the team looks back at the tie versus Reading as one of the season highlights so far.

“I can’t remember the last time Stoneham boys varsity hockey hasn’t lost to Reading,” said Assistant Coach Tommy Scarpa. “Most people chalked that up as a W on their schedule well before the puck dropped."