Defeats a tough Danvers team, 48-40
Published March 26, 2021
By JENNIFER GENTILE
MELROSE—The Melrose High Unified Basketball team kicked off their 2021 Fall 2 season in the best fashion: with a win.
Melrose topped Danvers on the road on Monday by a score of 48-40. It was their first win of the season after their season opener against Lynn Tech on March 17. Though they lost that game, they got to showcase their new team which consists of returning vets and new faces. On the roster this year are players James Donovan, James “The President” Kavanaugh, Kevin Burke, Erik Rego, Nick Cram, and partners Andrew Beauchesne, Tom Brodeur, Harry Jaggers, Claire Morse, Jack Jaggers, Ben Donovan, Elaine Albuja, Sadie Jaggers, Ava Harrison, Gino Preziosa, Lily Kavanaugh, Dan Urchuk and Dan Freed.
The Red Raiders opened their season at home against a tough Lynn Tech team. Despite taking an early 12-0 lead, Melrose fell to the Tigers, 48-39 after Lynn Tech stormed back from a 24-16 halftime deficit. It was a well rounded scoring effort with offense led by Erik Rego (12 pts.) James Kavanaugh (11 pts) and James Donovan (10 pts) A highlight was an opening game 10 point run by Melrose thanks to James Donovan, a near three by Kavanaugh and some smooth assists by Grace Zinck, who fed Erik Rego on a series of baskets. President Kavanaugh also had a number of steals for layups, never letting the Tigers rest while he was on the court. Lynn Tech players Oliveri and Mendez were a powerful pair in the second half and both scored 15 points which helped Lynn Tech pull away with their first lead of the game, 30-28. Nick Cram of Melrose earned a basket to keep it tight and President Kavanaugh had fans on their feet with a beautiful three pointer to help Melrose finish in scoring. Melrose ultimately fell 48-39 but were not deterred with such a high amount of offense generated.
Just days later, they faced a tough Danvers Falcons team on the road on Monday. But they prevailed in a high-scoring and thrilling game, 60-48. According to Melrose head coach Matt Manfredi, it was a wonderful experience getting to ride as a team together. “Traveling as a team together was a nice sense of normalcy and that’s something our athletes need so much. Danvers is an established team with a good nucleus of players. We were excited to get the win.”
It was a high scoring game that featured top scoring by James Kavanaugh, Erik Rego, James Donovan, Nick Cram and Grace Zinck. This was a tough to beat crew who banded together to put up a huge amount of points, their top scoring effort of the season by far. “It was a total team effort,” says coach Manfredi. “All of our players have been so willing to jump back on to the court after not having competed since last year.”
New player Grace Zinck has impressed in her freshman debut. Says the coach, “Grace is a big part of the action. She’s a freshman who really impresses and knows what to do with the ball.” Meanwhile Erik Rego has shown signs of tremendous growth in the off season. “I suspect Erik may have visited the neighborhood courts on the off season,” says the coach. “His ball handling skills are great.”
And so far James Donovan, Nick Cram and James Kavanaugh continue to impress. Says Manfredi, “Out there they play fearless. James with his threes. How good does it get?”
With a record of 1-1 Melrose will host Beverly next Wednesday at the Marcoux Gym. It will be live streamed for all to see. Beverly is another traditionally tough North Shore team. “As much as we love winning, what we really want this year is to compete and prepare these kids into a normal school year in a fun and competitive way,” says the coach. “Melrose is leading the charge, we temperature check and make sure that everything is done properly on the court. These are resilient kids and it means the world for them to be back out here.”
Masked up, these players’ spirits shine through. “Oh yeah, you can see the smiles under the masks. Their eyes tell the story,” says Manfredi. “They’re having fun representing Melrose.”
Fans can check out their games, and their lineup video, at Melrose High’s YouTube page at tinyurl.com/MelroseLive.
