girls basketball.htm

Junior Varsity Coach Dennis Baldini Assistant Coaches Matt Ridley and Jay Alicudo

NEC ALL-STAR DIAMOND DOE, Classical - Senior guard ... Captain ... 16.4 points per game, five steals ... NEC all-star ... Team defensive player of the year ... Two-year varsity player.

LYNN -- In the end, the Lynn English girls basketball team's desire to win its third straight Northeastern Conference/Large title -- even if it ends up sharing the crown with Peabody -- meant enough to the Bulldogs to fight through the fatigue of playing their third game in three days.

"We were tired, and we were sore," said English coach Fred Hogan, following the Bulldogs' 49-35 victory at Classical. "We had a tough weekend ... losing two games in two days.

"I took our captains aside after (Monday's loss to Peabody) and told them they had to get the team refocused," Hogan said. "And to their credit, they did."

He can thank his daughter Miranda for a lot of that. She had the hot hand Tuesday night, sinking five three-pointers en route to scoring 17 points as English overcame a painfully slow start to win going away.

"I could hear them making sounds while they were stretching (before the game)," Hogan said. "They were very, very sore."

English could still win the title outright. Peabody's game with Revere, scheduled for Tuesday, was postponed due to the weather and will be played Thursday. A Revere win will give English sole possession of the title.

"Regardless, we're still the champs," Hogan said.

For Classical, the loss couldn't dampen coach Tom Sawyer's pride in his players for putting an 11-win season together and making the tournament,

"I love my team," Sawyer said. "Every time it goes out there, it gives me all it has. Tonight, it just wasn't enough.

"But," he said, "because of their hard work, and their attitude, we're going to have a practice tomorrow. Our season is still going."

It looked, for a while, as if Classical might spring the upset. The Bulldogs were slow to get going, and the Rams jumped out to an 11-2 lead enroute to a 14-9 first quarter edge.

But English began closing the gap immediately once Classical's Diamond Doe (13 points) scored the opening bucket of the second quarter. The Bulldogs reeled off the next 10 points before Hannah Byrne (12 points) hit a basket and Doe sank two foul shots to give Classical a 20-19 lead at the break.

English pulled away in the third, outscoring Classical 21-8 as Hogan hit three treys plus another basket during the quarter.

Classical staged a slight rally in the fourth, getting the deficit down to seven (40-33), but Hogan hit her fifth three-pointer, and Taylor Newhall sank another basket to make it a 12-point game (45-33).

At Everett, Diamond Doe scored a game-high 23 points for the Rams (11-7). Hannah Byrne and Brianna Capone both finished with 15 points. Byrne also finished with 11 rebounds to complete the double-double.

Dora Malila had a monster game underneath, pulling down 16 rebounds for Classical.

The Classical High girls basketball team qualified for the state tournament Tuesday in a nerve-racking 46-43 win over Salem at Classical.

The Rams, who missed qualifying last year with a 7-13 record, started out strong thanks in part to an effective press, but hit a rough patch in the second quarter. By the half, Classical trailed by six and Diamond Doe was in foul trouble.

"We kind of stalled in the second quarter," Classical coach Tom Sawyer said.

The Rams regrouped in the locker room and seized control with a strong third quarter. They also managed to clamp down on Salem sharpshooter Mya Shutzer (15 points), who buried four threes before the half.

"She got one more, but we were able to limit the damage in the second half," Sawyer said.

Sawyer said he thought at the beginning of the season that the team had the potential to get to the magic 10-win mark if it steadily improved and the attitude was right.

Peabody 57, Classical 36

At Peabody, Peabody (13-1) had 10 players figure in the scoring, led by Ginny Fleming (13 points, 14 rebounds) and Haley Dowd (12 points, 5 steals). Janelle Rodriguez had four points, 10 rebounds and seven steals. The Rams (8-7) only trailed by three at the half, but struggled with poor shooting from the field and the foul line in the final two quarters. Hannah Byrne (10 points) and. Diamond Doe (9 points) were tops for Classical.

Classical 62, Saugus 39

At Classical, Hannah Byrne put on a show, scoring 28 points and pulling down 15 rebounds to help the Rams improve to 8-6.

"We got lots of points in transition," Classical coach Tom Sawyer said. "When we needed to set up offense, we found Hannah and she was knocking down shots. Hannah keeps improving every game.

Diamond Doe also had a big night for the Rams with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Saugus was led by Alyssa Furtado and Jill Kotowski, who had nine points each.

Classical 53, Everett 44

At Lynn, the Rams enjoyed a 17-point halftime lead and never looked back. Diamond Doe led the offense with a

game-high 22 points. Hannah Byrne recorded another double-double, scoring 13 points and pulling down 12

boards. Tashanna Brown had a very strong game playing point guard. Coach Tom Sawyer stated that it was her

Classical Edges out Gloucester 51-49

At the Benjamin A. Smith Field House in Gloucester, the Rams (6-6) had the lead for most of the night but Audrey Knowlton's 3-pointer with just under a minute to go looked to have given the hosts a shot to win.

Diamond Doe had other ideas, however, as she immediately put the Rams back in front and added a free throw with 15 seconds left to make it a two-point game. Gloucester had two shots to tie the game in the final moments, but the iron was unkind.

"The ball was just bouncing our way at the end," Classical coach Tom Sawyer said.

Hannah Byrne also had an outstanding game for Classical, finishing with 16. Brianna Capone chipped in nine as well. Gloucester got 15 points from Heather Cain and 14 from Knowlton in the loss. Gloucester's Hannah Cain, who injured her knee against English last week, did not play.

Danvers 69, Classical 42

At Classical, Hannah Byrne had a huge game for the Rams (5-6) scoring 13 points, while pulling down 11 rebounds. Brianna Capone led Classical with 14 points.

Casey Sherry led all scorers with 27 points for the Falcons (8-3, 6-3). She had a huge game from behind the three-point line. As a team, Danvers hit 12 three-points with Sherry accounting for eight of them.

Solid defense and a 17-point performance by senior Diamond Doe propelled Classical to a 43-32 win over Swampscott Friday at Swampscott.

"Defense was the name of the game again," Classical coach Tom Sawyer said. "We got a lot of transition point, which is the key to our success."

Swampscott was without its top gun Kara Gilberg, who was out due to illness. The Big Blue also took a hit when Tara Driscoll left the game in the first quarter due to an injury.

"You have to give the credit. They were without key players and hung tough," Sawyer said. There was never a comfortable margin."

Classical (5-5, 4-4 Northeastern Conference) sustained it momentum in the second half with good free-throw shooting and balanced scoring.

Hannah Byrne had 10 points, Briana Capone, five and Ashley Flores, who hit a big three at the end of the first half, five points. Freshman Ara Talkov had 12 points for the Big Blue and Carline Murphy, seven points.

At Classical, the Rams' pressure defense stymied its opposition, and senior Diamond Doe scored a career-high 26 -- much of it due to fast-break points created through steals and deflections -- for Classical (4-5).

The Rams held Winthrop to three points in both the first and third quarters. Hannah Byrne added 11 in the win.

At Marblehead, Diamond Doe has 22 points and Hannah Byrne added 16 as the Rams (3-5) took over in the fourth quarter. Classical made 11 of 13 free throws in the finals period and shot 17-for-22 from the line for the game.

The Magicians (2-6), who led through three quarters, were paced by 13 points from Bridget Forbes and nine points from Carly McIver.
Doe also had 12 steals for Classical.

English's Miranda Hogan plays defense as Classical's Hannah Byrne launches a shot at English on Tuesday. (ITEM PHOTO / REBA M. SALDANHA)

Duggins, English get past Byrne, Classical

By Steve Krause / The Daily Item, January 6, 2010

LYNN -- Forget records when Classical and English meet in any sport. And if you needed any verification of that fact, you'd have done well to attend Tuesday's girls basketball game.

The records would have indicated that it wouldn't be much of a game. English is 6-1 while Classical is 2-5 (1-4 in the Northeastern Conference).

Yet none of that mattered. Classical junior Hannah Byrne and English senior Jenicia Duggins staged an all-out war, scoring 22 points apiece, with each drawing from their strength with the other team able to do little to stop them. English won the game, 53-47.

Byrne is emerging as a force around the basket. She scored her points on a variety of moves, plus a deadly 10-footer.

Duggins, once she got going, was her usual whirling dervish, wowing the crowd (not to mention her coach and teammates) with several twisting coast-to-coast moves that resulted in improbable layups ... and ones.

"Hannah is getting better and better with each game," said Classical coach Tom Sawyer. "I think with her, it's confidence. She's becoming more confident in what she can do, and she's playing the game now and letting her instincts take over."

English coach Fred Hogan says he understands softball is primarily Byrne's sport, "but she ought to think more about basketball. She's very good."

As for Duggins, who got off to a slow start before picking up momentum, "that's what she does. When you need her, she's there."

The difference in the game proved to be the supporting casts. The Rams did get 13 points from co-captain Diamond Doe, but she missed a good portion of the fourth quarter after picking up her fourth foul, and she fouled out with two minutes to go.

"Us getting into foul trouble obviously hurt us, especially with Diamond," Sawyer said.

No one else from Classical got more than six. English got 12 points from Lashaunda Hogan and eight from Tia Murkison. The Bulldogs also got some strong contributions from their bench, with Taylor Newhall and Shaday Imadiyi playing meaningful minutes and each scoring a bucket apiece.

"It's always a war when these two teams play," Hogan said. "They know each other inside and out. They play against each other all summer long. That's why they call it a rivalry."

This was the second time in a little over a week that English and Classical staged a tong war. The first time was in the first round of the Boverini Tournament, when English pulled out a 40-37 win.

"I have to commend my team on great efforts in both of those games," Sawyer said.

The game was close at every juncture: 12-12 after one quarter; 25-23, English, at the half; and 34-34 after three.

But in the fourth quarter, the Lady Bulldogs opened with a 12-2 run to go up by 10 (46-36), with Duggins picking that particular time to get hot (10 of the 12 points).

But the Lady Rams never blinked. Brianna Capone stuck one in to cut the lead to eight, and the lead teetered between eight and 10 for a while. But Tashanna Brown and Doe combined to cut it to five, with just over a minute to go. By then, however, it was too little, too late. Byrne scored four points in the last minute, but Murkison and Duggins kept the Lady Rams at arm's length the rest of the way.

English's Lashaunda Hogan and Classical's Diamond Doe at Lynn English High School Tuesday January 5, 2010. Item Photo/ Reba M. Saldanha English's Brianna Vaughan and Classical's Brianna Capone at Lynn English High School Tuesday January 5, 2010. Item Photo/ Reba M. Saldanha English's Lashaunda Hogan and Classical's Tashanna Brown at Lynn English High School Tuesday January 5, 2010. Item Photo/ Reba M. Saldanha English's Kayla Murkison and Classical's Dora Malia and Brianna Capone at Lynn English High School Tuesday January 5, 2010. Item Photo/ Reba M. Saldanha
English player Jenicia Duggins takes a shot against Classical at English on Tuesday. (ITEM PHOTO / REBA M. SALDANHA)

Revere 62, Classical 46

At Revere, junior Morgan Jenkins had a monster game for the Patriots (4-1), scoring 30 points with nine coming from the line on 9-for-9 free throw shooting.

"She's very hard to stop on the boards once she gets going," Classical coach Tom Sawyer said. "She was a force."

Revere coach Diana DeCristoforo, referring to her team's 4-1 start, said she knew the Patriots would come together this year, but she didn't expect it to happen this quickly. Jenkins, who has already surpassed 700 career points, has been a big factor in the early success.

"She has such a quiet confidence. She contributes however we need her to contribute ... I'm just glad I have her for a year-and-a-half more," DeCristoforo said.

Classical junior Hannah Byrne had a good game for the Rams (1-3), scoring 22 points to go with seven rebounds. Teshauna Brown and Diamond Doe (6 steals) also played well.

Salem 50, Classical 41

At Salem, the Rams trailed by one point after three quarters, but Salem went on a run in the fourth quarter. Classical found itself playing catch-up, opening the door for the fouls. The Witches didn't crack at the line, hitting 11 of 15 in the final eight minutes.

Stephanie Garcia (14 points), Jasmine Bryant (14 points) and Amanda Wilkins (13 points) fired up the Salem offense. Junior guard Briana Capone had a big game for the Rams (1-2) with 13 points. Hannah Byrne had eight points and nine rebounds and Diamond Doe added seven points.

Peabody 59, Classical 31

At Classical, the Tanners (1-0) got a lift from Brandeis-bound Janelle Rodriguez, who had 13 points, six rebounds and six steals. Julia Kayal (9 points) also helped the cause.
Classical trailed 26-4 at one point, but closed the gap to 12 points in the fourth quarter before the Tanners put the game away. Diamond Doe had 11 points and Hannah Byrne, eight points, for Classical (0-1). Dora Milila had 10 rebounds.

Congratulations to the Girls Basketball Team for winning against Malden 26-21 in the Duchane Tournament run by our retired Athletic Director Dick Ruth.

NAME	#	GRADE	POSITION
HANNAH BYRNE	5	11	FORWARD
DIAMOND DOE	10	12	FORWARD
TASHANNA BROWN	12	11	GUARD
BRIANNA CAPONE	13	11	GUARD
ASHLEY FLORES	15	12	FORWARD
DORA MALILA	20	12	FORWARD
DIEDRE ARCHIBALD	25	12	FORWARD
ROSANE BATISTA	32	11	GUARD
JENNIE EREKSON	40	10	GUARD
MARINA FERNANDEZ	44	11	GUARD
CRISTINA RODRIGUEZ	45	11	GUARD

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