TONI DICESARE (22) stands her ground against an M-E guard, the first win in their three-game streak that qualified them for states. (Maureen Doherty Photo)
By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — The girls’ basketball team is headed back to the Division 3 North state tournament for the second straight year.
“It feels good,” said Pioneers head coach Bob Melillo. “I am excited that we have made it, but as any coach will tell you, I wish we had made it sooner.”
The Pioneers (10-6) pounded Amesbury 49-31 on Friday, Feb. 6.
Lynnfield dominated the game right from the opening tip and had a 23-13 lead at halftime. The Pioneers kept rolling during the second half and never looked back.
FLOOR CAPTAIN. Abby Weaver demonstrates her command of the floor running the point. She scored four points and added five assists in Lynnfield’s 49-31 win over Amesbury. (Maureen Doherty Photo)
Senior captain Emma Mancini had a monster game for the Pioneers, finishing with 22 points and 20 rebounds.
“Emma has been playing great,” said Melillo.
Senior captain Toni DiCesare had 10 points against Amesbury. Junior Abby Weaver finished with four points and five assists.
“Abby did a nice job at the point guard position,” said Melillo.
Junior Kelly Look and senior Katie Scanlon both played great lockdown defense against Amesbury’s Maddie Napoli. Look and Scanlon limited Napoli to just 2 points.
“It was a tremendous defensive effort,” said Melillo. “We lost 52-48 to Amesbury earlier this season and it feels good we were able to pull out a win against them.”
Defeats Georgetown
The Pioneers began last week defeating Georgetown 51-48 on Tuesday, Feb. 3.
Lynnfield navigated its way through a sluggish first half and the Pioneers had a 23-21 lead at the break. The locals had a 38-30 lead heading into the fourth quarter when the Royals began chipping away at Lynnfield’s lead. The Pioneers held on for the narrow 51-48 victory.
Mancini led the Pioneers with 22 points and 19 rebounds. DiCesare had 16 points. Look had nine rebounds.
“It was a fairly close game, but it was a bit of a struggle,” said Melillo. “We didn’t defend as well as we are capable of. We were sloppy with the ball and turned the ball over 23 times.”
Upcoming games
The Pioneers will tentatively travel to Newburyport on Wednesday, Feb. 11. Lynnfield is scheduled to host West Roxbury on Thursday, Feb. 12, beginning at 4 p.m. The locals will travel to Ipswich on Friday, Feb. 13, beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Melillo said the Pioneers are currently tied for first place with Manchester-Essex in the Cape Ann League Small Division. The locals will win the CAL Small title if they defeat both Newburyport and Ipswich.
