THE MELROSE High girls’ basketball team found the secret to winning against Stoneham last week. Pictured is junior Chloe Gentile, who had a 15-point double-double against the Spartans. (file photo)
Melrose beats Stoneham, scares Winchester, 55-50
By JENNIFER GENTILE
MELROSE—The Melrose High girls’ basketball team is hitting their stride as they reach the halfway mark of their season and have clinched their first victory with a solid 59-55 win over Stoneham on Friday, January 14 at Stoneham High.
Melrose has seen steady progression since they began their season in December. The underclass-starting team has made an upward trajectory in January, increasing their basket average from the 30s to 50s, and in three of their last four efforts put over 50 points on the board, with efforts against Wilmington and Winchester resulting in close 55-50 losses.
Against Stoneham, Melrose relied on juniors Megan Casey and Chloe Gentile to steer the ship. Casey led with 17 points, with great success on the foul line while Gentile dominated under the net with 14 points and a double double. Melrose’s Sofia Smith was also a standout as she tallied 10 points against the Spartans, many of them on the foul line, where she has shined all season. The Red Raiders had a slow start and was down 11-5 at the end of the first, but had a huge second quarter where they outscored the Spartans 22-8 to take a 27-19 lead at the half. In that quarter, Melrose saw strong work from both Gentile and Casey, who had 8 and 7 points respectively. In the third, junior Lily Kavanaugh added three points while Ava Tormo and Sofia Smith were smooth at the foul line. At the end of the third, Stoneham was knocking on their door with a brief lead of 38-37 but thanks to a strong fourth quarter, Melrose outscored the Spartans 22-17 in the final stretch. In the fourth, Gentile drew an and-one on a layup that pushed Melrose ahead. Casey’s smooth turn on the foul line (4-5) and Sofia’s Smith 4 points, plus a clutch 5 points from sophomore Lily Nolan (7 total) helped push Melrose towards the winning column.
For head coach Bill Hirschfeld, this is a team that is coming together at the right time. “We’re gelling,” he says. “Over the last two weeks, we’ve been playing much better, generating a lot more offense, increasing our offense average from 30 to about 50 points a game.”
Coming into Winchester on Monday, Melrose (1-7) was up against a formidable 9-2 team, so being a threat to the Red and Black—and within a point over most of the game—was quite a statement for Melrose, who saw a big game from junior Sofie Smith who had 16 points and several steals. Her cool hand in the foul line (going 5-6 for shots) helped keep Melrose toe-to-toe throughout the entire game. She had plenty of help with fellow starters Scarlet D’Addadio and Megan Casey who both scored double digits with 11 each. Junior captain Chloe Gentile had a standout game on the boards with 15 rebounds and 6 points while forward Gia Vlajkovic added 4 points.
Melrose took a big lead over the Red and Black in the opening minutes of the game with advantages of 10-3, 17-12 and held the lead until the close of the half. In the first, Gentile would score quickly both on a layup and two follow shots on the line. Scarlet D’Addadio also helped Melrose get off to a 6-1 start in the first and she had 6 first half points. Sofie Smith did much legwork, knocking in a three pointer and two more baskets. Gia Vlajkovic added a score as Melrose finished the first half nearly tied at 26-25, advantage Winchester.
Melrose stayed lock-step with Winchester in the second half thanks to Gentile, who scored a basket and later fed a ball to Gia Vlajkovic for a score that kept Melrose close at 34-32. A Megan Casey layup nearly tied it up at 34-35. Scarlett D’Addario knocked in a much-needed three to help erase a 47-40 deficit and a steal by Gentile resulted in a Sofie Smith three-pointer. Melrose, down 55-48, would rely on Megan Casey’s careful hand on the foul line to keep the game at 55-50, but the Red Raiders had just a minute to attempt a comeback, and came close, but the clock drained and the Red Raiders took the well-fought loss.
It was a game to take much pride in, despite the result. Says coach Hirschfeld, “I thought we played well against a strong team. We made some mistakes and need to work on our defense, but it was good to generate baskets.” He pointed to the efforts of junior Chloe Gentile in the last two games. “I’m really pleased with Chloe, she puts herself out there and doesn’t hold back. Her rebounding and put-backs have been great. She’s a smart player who studies the game and leads by example on the court.”
Seeing the offense come together bodes well for the second half of the season. “To have multiple players such as Sofie, Meghan, Chloe and Scarlet score over 10 in a game is what we want to see,” says the coach. Newcomer Scarlet D’Addario (freshman) is a player he credits as having “a bright career ahead of her” while Sofie Smith is showing skill and command on the court. “Sofie’s really coming into her own and plays with confidence.” Casey, meanwhile, remains very consistent on the court, says Hirschfeld. “She’s a spark plug out there and really positive.” And sophomore starter Lily Nolan has showed maturity on the court in her first varsity season. Says Hirschfeld, “Lily’s an impressive player, very speedy and strong on defense.”
Melrose has seen the use of bench players in the last few games, which may also be key to the renewed offensive output. “The girls off the bench have played great and helped us generate more baskets.” Overall he’d like to see Melrose improve defense work and clean up sloppy passes to prevent turnovers. There is plenty of season left to do it with ten games left on the regular schedule. Melrose will host Lexington (5-3) this evening, Friday, Jan. 21 for a 6:00 p.m. game at home at the MVMMS gym and then again host Medford on Saturday morning at 10:15 a.m.
