RallyNorth.net

LOWELL | First came the rain, soaking through the roof at the Lowell High School gymnasium and forcing last night's Division 2 North semifinal girls basketball game to be stopped on three separate occasions.

TOPSFIELD | Even in defeat, Tewksbury girls basketball coach Pat McAndrews was thinking like a hoop fan.

Just seconds after fighting back the tears that follow a season-ending loss, a grin crept onto McAndrews' face when asked about Masconomet point guard Annie Burns.

Nineteen times this year, a look of confusion has been painted on the coach's face opposing the Masconomet girls basketball team.

Last night, it was time for Beverly's Matt Smith to take a turn.

"If they're not the best Division 2 team in the state, then they're the best (Div. 2) team in Eastern Mass.," Smith said after the previously red-hot Panthers were dealt a one-sided 64-36 loss in the final of the North Shore Hoop Invitational.

DANVERS -- Danvers girls basketball coach Pat Veilleux has a pretty good idea about what makes Masconomet special.

"Confidence, experience, and coaching. Those are the only things I can think of right now," Veilleux said after the Falcons fell, 57-35, at the hands of the Chieftains in the first round of the North Shore High School Hoop Invitational Saturday night.

As the postseason nears, the express known as the Masconomet Regional girls basketball team just keeps picking up more and more steam.

The Chieftains rolled to their 15th straight victory with ease last night, hammering arch rival North Andover, 74-45, at home. The victory kept Masco unbeaten in Cape Ann League play (13-0) and made them 17-1 overall.

Caroline Stewart doesn't need stats to back up her dominance on a basketball court. But the Masconomet senior center keeps on reaching career milestones just the same.

Already a member of the 1,000-point club, Stewart was inducted into an even more elite club last week when she grabbed the 1,000th rebound of her storied career.

LAWRENCE | Masconomet is playing with the kind of patience, discipline and quality that could ensure a deep run into the Division 2 playoffs.

In their first big road test of the season, the Chieftains confidently took the Central Catholic court and virtually owned it all afternoon. Making the Division 1 Raiders look more like the visitors, Masco led for the last 25 of the game's 32 minutes on route to a 56-50 victory, its 11th in a row and 13th in 14 games.

Masconomet's Jamie White and Swampscott's Marissa Gambale may have different styles on the defensive end of a basketball court, but they strike a similar type of fear in opposing guards.

It's not unusual for point guards to pick up their dribble just over halfcourt to locate either White or Gambale's position on the court | or even to get rid of the ball before facing the heavy pressure that both players can bring.

It's not crazy to think the Chieftains are a front-runner (or, dare we say the favorite?) in Division 2 North. It's still early, but according to coach Bob Romeo, the entire division is wide open.

After a two-point win over Pentucket earlier this week, the rest of Division 2 should have taken notice of Masco's strength. Each of the Chieftains' big three | Caroline Stewart, Jamie White and Annie Burns | have the ability to control a game without scoring high point totals.

If it had been up to him, Pentucket coach John McNamara would have drawn up another game plan and immediately sent his troops back on the court after the final horn had sounded last night.

After trailing for three quarters, the Sachems fought back to build a six-point fourth quarter advantage, only to let it slip away down the stretch in a 55-53 loss to Masconomet. The win boosted the Chieftains into first in the CAL Large (8-1, 5-0 CAL) ahead of previously unbeaten Pentucket (10-1, 4-1 CAL).