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Beverly Finishes the season strong

Fourteen games into the season the state tournament was already out of reach for Beverly, but that didn't stop the Panthers from making a great run late in the year. After going 3-11 through 14 games, Beverly concluded with a 5-1 sprint to the finish line, with the only blemish coming at the hands of Masconomet in the North Shore Invitational final.

Seniors Alex Vavladellis, Alicia Couture, Amy Couture, Michelle Lubas, Breezy Dwyer, and Samantha O'Neal will be missed, but Beverly coach Matt Smith loves the group that will return next winter.

He's certain that his team will play with more confidence from the very first practice next year.

"I play everybody and we're young. I've got four sophomores, a freshman, and three juniors, so it can only help," Smith said. "In that run we beat some good teams | English, Classical, and Fenwick. None of those were gimme wins. It can only help those girls."

Junior Kellie Shea looks like the type of player who will give opposing coaches fits as a senior. She's long with a good handle and a nice outside touch. She was named to the All-Tournament team earlier this week and will be one-half of a great tandem along with Meghan Chatellier.

Chatellier, a junior forward, was the only Panther named to the Northeastern Conference all-star team.

If Beverly found a way to defeat Masco in the final, it would have been bittersweet because the team would have finished one game away from a tournament berth. In a strange way, going 8-12 was better.

"Had we by chance pulled this game off (against Masco), that (9-11 record) would have been a tough pill to swallow," Smith said. "But it's better than no run at all. It was a good way to finish."

Dwyer, Beverly's starting center for the last three years, will be the player most missed.

In a reminder of how emotional playing in the final high school game of your career can be, Smith subbed for Dwyer with about a minute remaining in Beverly's loss to Masco. Dwyer left the court in tears and had to be consoled at the end of the bench.