With all the snowy weather we’ve had recently, the term, “tough sledding,” seems appropriate when describing the Hornets’ season so far.
The Cape Ann League (CAL) is a challenging gauntlet for the Manchester Essex girls’ basketball team, which is not out of the ordinary. The Hornets just finished up a swing of games against the larger, deeper teams in the CAL, and now look to close out the season with Baker Division rivals and out-of-conference games against traditionally strong basketball programs.
“We have Georgetown and Amesbury in league matches and Danvers and Winthrop on non-leagues to finish the regular season,” explains Manchester Essex coach Lauren Dubois. “All will be tough battles and we need to play well to keep our season going.”
The Hornets are looking to gather some momentum in this homestretch and finish the season strong, aiming to reach .500. At the start of the week, Manchester Essex was 6-10 overall and 5-7 in the CAL, with the team’s tough schedule helping to keep them in a hunt for a tournament berth: The Hornets were ranked 21st in the MIAA Division 4 Power Rankings, with the top 32 ranked teams qualifying for a playoff spot at the end of the season.
“It’s definitely the level of competition,” Dubois says of her team’s ability to stay in contention despite a sub-.500 record. “We play some great teams in the CAL but we also picked up some very difficult non-league opponents this season as well in Masconomet, Burlington and Danvers.”
A win over Ipswich on February 10 gave the Hornets a boost, and the team has gotten a boost from some key players throughout the course of the 2024-25 season. Lily Oliver (9 points/5 rebounds per game), Tess Carpenter (2.4 steals per game) and Anna Gardner have gotten it done on both ends of the court, while Penelope Riggs and Ella Arntsen have provided a strong presence down low.
“Lily Oliver and Tess Carpenter have been fueling our offense and are very tenacious defenders,” says Dubois, adding, “Penelope Riggs and Ella Arntsen have been battling in the post. Anna Gardner has also stepped up on both ends of the court. “
Other players have stepped up to the challenge this season over the last few weeks of the season as well.
“Honestly a lot of different people step up each night,” explains Dubois. “We have been getting some good offensive contributions from Emerald Jakes and Kacey O’Connell and some solid defense from Tori Moulton, Isabelle Donnellan Valade and Charlotte Donnellan Valade.”
The Hornets have definitely shown a good deal of improvement since the first few games of the winter, and the hope is that the team can find more consistent footing in the remaining regular season games, which include home games against Georgetown (Feb. 11) and Danvers (Feb. 14, 6:30 p.m.), and away games against Amesbury (Feb. 13, 6 p.m.) and the season finale versus Winthrop on President’s Day (Feb. 18, 1 p.m.).
“We have definitely improved over the course of the season on both ends of the court,” explains Dubois. “Our defense is bringing more intensity and helping us create offense. On offense we are getting more people involved and everyone is looking to create opportunities. We still need to stay consistent for the full 32 minutes, but we are improving there too.”
