Sophomore Hornet Tess Carpenter dribbles by North Reading guard Caitlin Reilly in a home game on Tuesday, the 31st.
(Photo Paul Clark)
The road that the Manchester Essex girls’ basketball team has taken through the Cape Ann League should have this squad in tournament-shape once the postseason begins.
At the start of this week, the Hornets were 13-5 overall and 6-5 in the CAL (good enough for second place in the CAL’s Baker Division), with two home games remaining in the regular season: Amesbury on February 14 and Ipswich on February 16.
Manchester Essex had beaten both teams on the road earlier this season, which gives them a good shot at closing out the regular season on a high note and gaining decent seed in the MIAA Div. 4 tournament. The games count as divisional games, which will help the Hornets due to the high level of challenge the Cape Ann League poses night in and night out.
This is a division that features 15-1 Newburyport, 13-4 Pentucket and 12-4 North Reading, as well as current Baker Division leader Georgetown (11-6), and the Hornets have played all of these teams this season. Playing against this type of competition should help get the team ready for the higher level of competition they will surely see in the postseason.
“We play against some great teams all season in the CAL and every game against a good opponent makes us better,” explains ME girls basketball coach Lauren DuBois. “It shows us what we need to work on. No matter the score this team plays hard and keeps fighting.”
The level of competition has helped the Hornets in the MIAA Div. 4 Power Rankings, with the team slotted at number 15 out of 67 schools as a result of playing some of the tougher teams in the state. The hope is that this helps Manchester Essex not only qualify for the postseason, but also get a shot at hosting a tourney game.
“We will be in the Div. 4 tournament and are hoping to secure a first-round home game,” says DuBois. “We are going to take it one game at a time and prepare for each opponent the best way we can.”
The Hornets have leaned on their deep roster and team speed to combat the higher level of competition this season, while also putting in some extra effort rebounding the ball.
“We are a quick team and we have a lot of depth,” explains DuBois. “We are able to press and push the pace of the game. We have a different person step up as our leading scorer almost every game and our offense is very balanced. Thought we are small; we work really hard on the boards.”
DuBois credits her seniors for helping to keep the team pointed in the right direction this winter.
“The whole team has stepped up in different moments,” she says. “Our senior leadership from Calista Lai and Kendall Newton has been vital and our young players are all contributing. It’s been a true team effort this season.”
The Hornets also got a boost after picking up a huge win over Georgetown in mid-January, with a win over Danvers on February 2 helping to stop a skid while having a similar effect.
“We had a big win against Georgetown at their place earlier this season,” says DuBois. “They are a great team, and we were able to hold them off. Our win against Danvers broke a small losing streak and helped us get our confidence back.”
