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In its first two victories in the Division 4 North girls basketball state tournament, Manchester Essex relied heavily on the rebounding and post presence of center Dani Ciccone, who had been gobbling up every rebound within a 10-foot radius of her.

At just the right time, the Manchester Essex girls basketball team is playing its best basketball of the season.

After a 69-46 win over Fenway (16-6) at Malden High School in the Division 4 North semifinals last night, the Hornets (15-8) advanced to face No. 3 Mt. Alvernia (17-2) in the North Final at Salem State on Friday (6 p.m.).

Going forward, perhaps the biggest obstacle for the Manchester Essex girls basketball team is preventing a let-down after their emotional win on Saturday over top-seeded New Mission, the defending Division 4 state champions.

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.

Rarely does a quarterfinal round game in the state basketball tournament have legit championship implications. But it would be fair to consider tomorrow's Division 4 North girls basketball quarterfinal between ninth-seeded Manchester Essex and No. 1 New Mission one of those rare exceptions. At least based on what happened last year.

It's an age-old question in basketball, which is more effective: Size or outside shooting?

There may not be a definitive answer. But if a team has both, it's usually a recipe for success and last night the Manchester Essex girls had both of those ingredients.

The Manchester Essex girls basketball team will be heading into the state tournament on a very positive note.

In their final regular season game against rival Rockport last night, the Hornets rolled to a 53-35 victory and picked up their third straight victory. The win was also the team's sixth in their last seven games. At 12-8, Manchester Essex feels good about its position as it waits for its tourney seeding.

With just one game remaining in the regular season, the Manchester Essex girls basketball team is playing its best when it really matters.

The Hornets are trying to get the highest possible seed in the Division 4 North tournament which will begin in two weeks. After losing on the road to Georgetown, 56-35, in its season-opener, the Hornets exacted revenge on the Royals by taking a 60-47 win on senior night in Manchester. Centers Allison Hogan and Dani Ciccone are the only Hornet seniors and they were honored before the game.

The Manchester Essex girls basketball team punched their ticket to the state tournament last night.

It was not their best offensive night, but the defensive-minded Hornets defeated Essex Aggie 39-15 to improve to 10-8 on the season. Manchester Essex held Essex Aggie to just five points in the second half to make up for its own offensive struggles.

The Manchester Essex girls basketball team seems to be hitting its stride as the state tournament looms near.

The Hornets captured their third straight victory last night with a 48-37 decision over North Andover. Manchester Essex boosted its record to 9-7 with the win, while North Andover slipped to 8-7 in the ultra-competitive Cape Ann League.