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Bishop Fenwick can't hold on

Friday, December, 28 By Bill Kipouras
Staff writer

The Bishop Fenwick girls basketball team all had that solemn look as they exited the locker room. Even their best game of the young season and a 63-61 lead with 56 seconds remaining against their third top 15 ranked opponent couldn't put the Lady Crusaders out of their misery in the Tanner City Holiday Tournament last night.

"We've got to find a win somewhere," the new coach, Tim Harrington, said. "This wasn't just disappointing. It was very disappointing."

"I thought we had it (tonight)," Fenwick's game MVP, junior Lauran DiCarlo, a 20-point scorer and a tough rebounder, said.

Instead, it remained for a member of one of Melrose's high profile hockey clans, Hannah Brickley, niece of Bruins' TV analyst Andy Brickley, to put the 66-63 victory on ice.

Melrose, No. 12 in the preseason rankings, had an awful night from the foul line, 17 for 32, but staved off an upset loss by hitting 50 percent from the floor, 25 for 50, to escape what was a pretty spirited Fenwick effort, especially on defense in prime time at the end.

The Red Raiders also had a difference-maker in senior Meghan Kirwan, who played the point and two position and was a thorn in Fenwick's side for the full 32. She went for 24 points, shooting 7 for 12 from the field, 3 for 6 on threes, and had six boards, four assists and two steals. The Red Raiders lost the incomparable Shey Peddy to Wright State, but Kirwan will do in any pinch situation, thank you.

Brickley, a sophomore who had a game-high nine boards, had only two field goals on the night, but came up with the big shot for the 4-1 visitors, connecting from deep in the left corner | she was fouled for a conventional three-point play, and a 64-63 Melrose advantage with 25.2 seconds showing. Fenwick held Melrose to five points in the final 5:50 and was "right there," as senior Maddie Bissaillon, who is headed to UMass Lowell on a soccer scholarship, said.

Melrose seemed stuck on 60 (at 60-55) and left the door open for 1-3 Fenwick, which hung tight behind DiCarlo, Lizzy Trainor, and Kristan Krom, and finally tied it 61-all on DiCarlo's two free throws with 1:46 left.

Then it was sophomore Bria Tiro giving Fenwick a running leaner from the base line for a 63-61 lead at the 56 second mark.

After that, as Harrington said, Fenwick went 0 for-2, turning the ball over, and after Brickley made it 64-63, the Fenwick coach said the Crusaders had a set play and didn't execute it. Tiro wound up with a 22-footer that was off the mark.

"They wouldn't go away. They were a tough team," Kirwan said, "but we weren't going away, either."

Fenwick's accuracy from the foul line, 18 for 22, allowed it to remain a factor. It boxed out well against a taller team (Melrose led, 29-25, on the boards), and it finally produced some fluidity on offense (23 for 44, 52 percent). Fenwick also paid the price of its turnovers. Melrose's transition game ("We love to run, like the Celtics," Kirwan laughed) was one of its strongest points. The Red Raiders also played tough D, making it tough for Fenwick to penetrate.

"We're up and down," Harrington said. "We play well, then play in a funk. Lara Bruni only played five or six minutes and fouled out. She's our best rebounder. That hurt us. We battled, but were in a funk at the end of the first half after leading 26-18, then hit another dry spell to start the third period. Our foul shooting was great. We need to be more consistent.

"Melrose was a little more composed," the coach said. "Melrose played good defense. We want to play defense like they do. DiCarlo had a great night. If everyone played like she does we'd be a pretty good team. Bridget Dullea (19 points) also was tremendous. We did make some progress, but we're not there yet."

Rob Ferrante, the Melrose coach, gave Fenwick high marks. "Their record didn't mean anything. We knew they had played Abp. Williams and Arlington Catholic," Ferrante said. "Nos. 24 (DiCarlo) and No. 14 (Dullea) did a nice job for them. They were athletic at every position. We were ranked No. 12, but we only have two seniors and eight sophomores. The foul line hurt us huge tonight.

"Fenwick picked up is intensity late in the game and we didn't execute our offense," Ferrante said. "They played the kind of defense that will keep a team in the game."

It'll be Peabody vs. Bishop Fenwick in the girls consolation final today at 3:30 p.m.