RallyNorth.net

Gritty Hornets make good on goal, headed to Garden

Friday, March, 07 By Matt Langone
Sports editor

A goal was set at the beginning of the season by the Manchester Essex girls basketball team.

Albeit a lofty one, but as we learned last night at Salem State College's O'Keefe Center, a very doable one for these gritty Hornets.

"We lost last year (in the Division 4 North final) and we really didn't want to lose a second time," said Hornets sophomore guard Sam Christopher. "Winning the North is the only thing we've been thinking about all season."

Manchester Essex's bid to redeem itself looked bleak when it trailed third-seeded Mt. Alvernia, 47-41, with 2:30 to go in last night's North final. In a defensive-minded contest, open shots were difficult to come by, and the No. 9 Hornets (16-8) could've easily had a here-we-go-again thought. That, in reference to last year's heartbreaking loss to New Mission (68-62) in the North title game after being oustcored 7-0 in the final 1:32.

But there would be no deja vu last. Instead, the final 2:30 and an extra four-minute overtime period, proved that Christopher and her teammates never quit, and are also quite good at achieving their goals.

The Hornets stormed their way back into the game with an 8-2 run to close out regulation, with five of those points coming from junior forward Elsa Keefe (13 points). From that point, senior center Dani Ciccone (22 points and 19 rebounds) and freshman point guard Lizzy Ball (20 points, 14 rebounds, six assists) took the game over, as they have throughout the tourney, scoring all 10 of the Hornets points in overtime to lead Manchester Essex to an improbable 59-56 overtime win. A result that pleased the largely pro-Manchester Essex crowd, as the green and white faithful were once again in full-effect in the arena drowning out the Mustangs fans who made the trip from Newton.

Next up is the TD Banknorth Garden on Tuesday (2:30 p.m.) for the Division 4 state championship against either Millis or Cohasset.

So the goal has been met, but now that it's a reality, how does it feel?

"It feels unbelievable," said Ball, who, like her teammates, was overcome with emotion. "At first, when we were down, we were hanging our heads. But once we came together, it was amazing."

Keefe could barely put together a sentence due to her half-excitement and half-astonishment.

"It's so unreal," said Keefe. "I can't believe we were able to come back like that."

You got the sense that the Hornets snatched momentum of the game when they were able to send it to overtime. But other than that, Manchester Essex was fighting an uphill battle most of the game.

The Hornets trailed 14-8 after the first quarter and 22-17 at halftime, as they shot just 6 for 32 and struggled with Mt. Alvernia's 2-3 zone that all but eliminated the 6-foot Ciccone's inside presence.

Rattled as they were, the Hornets came out in the second half and got things going after words of encouragement in the locker room from head coach Lauren Dubois.

"Coach told us we weren't playing our game, but if we picked it up then we'd get the win," said Christopher.

Sparked by Ball and Ciccone, Manchester Essex played their trademark brand of basketball and battled their way to a 16-point third frame with efficient offense and aggressive man-to-man defense. The game was tied at 33-33 entering the fourth.

"We were a little rattled in the first half," said Ball, who played poised beyond her years down the stretch. "We just believed in the second half and we wanted this so much more than them (Mt. Alvernia)."

Manchester Essex held a 39-38 lead with five minutes left, but trailed for the rest of the quarter until Ciccone free throw with 6.4 seconds remaining tied the game at 49-49, which is where it was when regulation ended.

After the game Dubois said she was never worried, despite that gut-wrenching span of watching her team claw their way back and keep dreams of a state title alive.

"The girls showed tremendous heart and really believed," said Dubois. "They wanted this game more than anything and did whatever it took to get it done. There was no point where I though it wasn't going to work out. As soon as you think that, it doesn't work out.

"The girls just believed the whole game, and that's what matters."

After last night, it will be tough for anyone in attendance at the TD Banknorth Garden on Tuesday afternoon not to believe in these gritty Hornets.

Additional stories:

• Hornets are going to the Garden on Tuesday
• Mt. Alvernia can't handle Manchester-Essex trio