In the Hornets Nest this week, teams are back to the boards after a holiday break. Check out updates on games for both basketball teams and competitive swim.
Girls Basketball:
The Manchester Essex Hornets went 1-1 in the week after the Winter break. On Wednesday, the Hornets traveled to Danvers to face off against the Falcons in a non-league matchup. The Hornets built an early lead and held on to win 36-30. Lily Oliver led Manchester Essex in scoring with 10 points, including 2 three-pointers. Harper Brooks contributed 9 points and 13 rebounds, while Kacey O’Connell added 8 points. Mechi O’Neil had 6 points, and Mackay Brooks rounded out the scoring with 3. On Friday, the Hornets hosted league rival Georgetown. After falling behind in the first quarter, the Hornets battled back to within 1 point in the second but could not close the gap any further despite a great defensive effort. Lily Oliver had 13 to lead the Hornets in scoring again. Harper Brooks added 7, Kacey O’Connell 6, Tess Carpenter 5, and Isabelle Donnellan Valade and Emerald Jakes each added 2 points in the effort. Harper Brooks also added 8 rebounds and 3 assists in the game. The Hornets are 5-2 and will face Essex Tech and Ipswich this week.
Swim/Dive:
The Manchester Essex Swimming and Diving teams are small but mighty.
The Girls team is led by the following captains: Junior Libby McKinnon and sophomores Megan Graeter and Sydney Hemme. These three are joined by 8th graders Claire Masters and Paisley Kopelin and 7th graders Maggie Bediz and Harper Hemme. The Girls have lost to Triton, Ipswich and Lynnfield. Their closest meet was against Ipswich where they won 7 out of the 11 events but lost by just 14 points. Graeter is an extremely strong and versatile swimmer. She has made Sectional and State cuts in 5 individual events, the 200 IM, 200 Free, 500 Free, 100 Butterfly and 100 Backstroke. The 200 Medley Relay team of Graeter, Hemme, McKinnon and Masters also made the Sectional cut. Hemme leads the Girls’ team in points scored. The Boys team is led by the following captains: Seniors Diego Sanson and Erik Bischoff and Junior Colin Conway. They are joined by freshmen James Aloi and Max Deery and 7th grader Ben Ochs. The boys lost to Triton and Lynnfield but won against Ipswich! Conway leads the Boys’ team in points scored.
Saturday, 1/13 is an away meet for both teams in North Reading. The next home meet for both teams is Sunday 1/21, 5 p.m. at the Beverly YMCA. It is Senior Night for Sanson and Bischoff. Please come and cheer the teams on!
