Games of the Week - 2/15/13
Boys Basketball Previews
By Ryan Lanigan, Editor-in-Chief
Franklin @ Attleboro
Franklin is coming off the biggest win of their season with an overtime upset of Mansfield. They will be looking to continue to build their momentum but Attleboro will be looking to play the same role Franklin did Wednesday night. The Bombardiers sport the league’s leading scorer in Tim Walsh and will look to him to try and break through the league’s best defensive team. Franklin took a 9-point win the first time the teams met, but now the Panthers will have to travel to Attleboro to try and keep their winning ways up. The Bombardiers will host their last league game of the year and will look for an upset of Franklin.
Foxboro @ Canton
In what could be one of the best games of the night, the Warriors travel to Canton in search of a season sweep of the Bulldogs. It wasn’t easy the first time around as Foxboro edged out Canton 51-48. Foxboro hasn’t experienced much success in the win column since the win, going 1-5 in their last six games. Canton will try to avoid the sweep and clinch a postseason berth with a win. The Bulldogs have had a solid February, minus a slight speed bump loss to Stoughton this week. They beat North Attleboro on the road before down King Philip by 21 points. Expect a battle between these two Davenport foes as they both look to pick up a key win.
Mansfield @ North Attleboro
The two teams will play the back end of a doubleheader on Friday night at North Attleboro High School, and Mansfield will surely mean business. The Hornets were upset on Wednesday by Franklin in overtime to snap their 12-game win streak. Now they will look to take their frustrations out on the 3-15 Rocketeers. North is coming off a divisional win over King Philip, but the playoffs are out of the picture for Big Red. Mansfield will be looking to right their wrongs and gear up for another long winning streak that could possibly end in a state title. North will try to throw another wrench in the way as they look to improve on their 69-30 loss from earlier this season.
King Philip @ Taunton
The Warriors of King Philip aren’t laying down for anybody, and proved that when they beat Stoughton earlier this season. Taunton will be hungry after falling to Attleboro on Thursday, and will look to take out their frustrations on KP. It will be the Tigers last regular season home game of the year and their strong senior class will want to leave their mark on their court. It will be King Philip’s last league game of the year and they will want to end on a high note. The Tigers took the first meeting 62-46 and will likely use this game as a warm up for their big rematch with New Bedford.
Milford @ Sharon
Both teams will be playing their second game in just three days and at this point in the season, fatigue starts to set in. In their first meeting, Sharon saw their lead disappear in the second half as Milford rallied at home. The Eagles will look to avenge that loss as Milford will make their first trip to Sharon as a member of the league. Brian Mukasa and Jimmy Fritzson are coming off huge scoring nights on Wednesday and will need to continue to find ways to score against a deep Milford team. The Hawks are continuing to adjust to life without senior Aaron Anniballi, but fellow seniors David Mercier and Michael Tracy hurt Sharon the first time around and will look to do so again.
Oliver Ames @ Stoughton
In a twist compared to recent years, both teams are still fighting to punch their tickets to the postseason. Oliver Ames is just one win away with four remaining on their schedule, and with Falmouth on deck for the first game in their upcoming tournament, the postseason is a likelihood for the Tigers. Stoughton – the defending D2 South Sectional Champions – are currently fighting to reach the playoffs. They will have to win two of their remaining three games. These two rivals always put on a show, including last year’s split and the two overtime thrillers two seasons ago. OA picked up a convincing 74-62 win earlier this season, but a healthy Joe Bunce-Grenon and his senior classmates won’t want to miss the postseason for the first time in their careers. Andrew Reardon will lead a hungry OA squad on the verge of the playoffs.
Girls Basketball Previews
By Josh Perry, Managing Editor
Attleboro @ Franklin
The Bombardiers may come into this game chasing the one more win that they need to return to the playoffs for the first time in four seasons or they could have clinched on Thursday night in their game against Taunton. Either way, the Panthers should be focused on avoiding the upset after they gave themselves a chance at the league title with a win over North Attleboro on Tuesday. Attleboro will be tired from playing back-to-back games, but Franklin will be on its third game of the week. Franklin needs to be ready as Attleboro has proven to be a tough team down the stretch.
Canton @ Foxboro
The Warriors handled Milford with ease on Wednesday night and Canton has only won two games this season (both against winless Milford). On paper, Foxboro is the clear favorite led by senior forward Ashley Snyder and sophomore guard Katherine Tamulionis.
Mansfield @ North Attleboro
North Attleboro needs the win in its final league game of the season to clinch at least a share of the Kelley-Rex division title. Also on the line is the potential Player of the Year candidacy of star forward Meg Ronaghan, who has been putting up incredible numbers for the Rocketeers. Mansfield used a tough 3-2 zone against Foxboro that limited Ashley Snyder's touches and expect the Hornets to follow a similar game plan against Mansfield. The Hornets need Gina Stoyle to have the shooting touch to try and pull the upset. These are old rivals and this will be a battle.
Taunton @ King Philip
Taunton has been a team that has flown under the radar in its first season in the Hock. The Tigers need two wins in their remaining three games, including Thursday night's tilt with Attleboro, in order to qualify for the postseason. Either way, Taunton will look at this as a must-win and with forward Angie Martinez providing double-doubles on a nightly basis and Kim Hixon providing leadership at the point, this could easily be a repeat of the first meeting (a 69-40 Taunton win).
Sharon @ Milford
Similar to the Foxboro girls, Sharon are having a solid season and preparing for the postseason led by forward Karlie O'Driscoll and guard Katie Lowerre and the Eagles are heavy favorites to beat still winless Milford. With all respect to the Hawks, this should be a comfortable win for the visiting team.
Stoughton @ Oliver Ames
The Tigers will be coming off a tough game the night before against Foxboro when they face their division rivals. The first meeting between the teams was tough to judge because Stoughton was missing six regular varsity players including point guard Emma Zuk. This is a match-up of two of the best inside-outside combinations in the league. Caitlin Abela, one of the favorites for Player of the Year, and fellow captain Asia Mitchell have yet to lose this season, but will have a difficult test with Zuk and center Nicole Daniels. The Tigers will have the motivation of finishing undefeated in the league, but the Knights would love to be the team to end their streak.
By Ryan Lanigan, Editor-in-Chief
Franklin @ Attleboro
Franklin is coming off the biggest win of their season with an overtime upset of Mansfield. They will be looking to continue to build their momentum but Attleboro will be looking to play the same role Franklin did Wednesday night. The Bombardiers sport the league’s leading scorer in Tim Walsh and will look to him to try and break through the league’s best defensive team. Franklin took a 9-point win the first time the teams met, but now the Panthers will have to travel to Attleboro to try and keep their winning ways up. The Bombardiers will host their last league game of the year and will look for an upset of Franklin.
Foxboro @ Canton
In what could be one of the best games of the night, the Warriors travel to Canton in search of a season sweep of the Bulldogs. It wasn’t easy the first time around as Foxboro edged out Canton 51-48. Foxboro hasn’t experienced much success in the win column since the win, going 1-5 in their last six games. Canton will try to avoid the sweep and clinch a postseason berth with a win. The Bulldogs have had a solid February, minus a slight speed bump loss to Stoughton this week. They beat North Attleboro on the road before down King Philip by 21 points. Expect a battle between these two Davenport foes as they both look to pick up a key win.
Mansfield @ North Attleboro
The two teams will play the back end of a doubleheader on Friday night at North Attleboro High School, and Mansfield will surely mean business. The Hornets were upset on Wednesday by Franklin in overtime to snap their 12-game win streak. Now they will look to take their frustrations out on the 3-15 Rocketeers. North is coming off a divisional win over King Philip, but the playoffs are out of the picture for Big Red. Mansfield will be looking to right their wrongs and gear up for another long winning streak that could possibly end in a state title. North will try to throw another wrench in the way as they look to improve on their 69-30 loss from earlier this season.
King Philip @ Taunton
The Warriors of King Philip aren’t laying down for anybody, and proved that when they beat Stoughton earlier this season. Taunton will be hungry after falling to Attleboro on Thursday, and will look to take out their frustrations on KP. It will be the Tigers last regular season home game of the year and their strong senior class will want to leave their mark on their court. It will be King Philip’s last league game of the year and they will want to end on a high note. The Tigers took the first meeting 62-46 and will likely use this game as a warm up for their big rematch with New Bedford.
Milford @ Sharon
Both teams will be playing their second game in just three days and at this point in the season, fatigue starts to set in. In their first meeting, Sharon saw their lead disappear in the second half as Milford rallied at home. The Eagles will look to avenge that loss as Milford will make their first trip to Sharon as a member of the league. Brian Mukasa and Jimmy Fritzson are coming off huge scoring nights on Wednesday and will need to continue to find ways to score against a deep Milford team. The Hawks are continuing to adjust to life without senior Aaron Anniballi, but fellow seniors David Mercier and Michael Tracy hurt Sharon the first time around and will look to do so again.
Oliver Ames @ Stoughton
In a twist compared to recent years, both teams are still fighting to punch their tickets to the postseason. Oliver Ames is just one win away with four remaining on their schedule, and with Falmouth on deck for the first game in their upcoming tournament, the postseason is a likelihood for the Tigers. Stoughton – the defending D2 South Sectional Champions – are currently fighting to reach the playoffs. They will have to win two of their remaining three games. These two rivals always put on a show, including last year’s split and the two overtime thrillers two seasons ago. OA picked up a convincing 74-62 win earlier this season, but a healthy Joe Bunce-Grenon and his senior classmates won’t want to miss the postseason for the first time in their careers. Andrew Reardon will lead a hungry OA squad on the verge of the playoffs.
Girls Basketball Previews
By Josh Perry, Managing Editor
Attleboro @ Franklin
The Bombardiers may come into this game chasing the one more win that they need to return to the playoffs for the first time in four seasons or they could have clinched on Thursday night in their game against Taunton. Either way, the Panthers should be focused on avoiding the upset after they gave themselves a chance at the league title with a win over North Attleboro on Tuesday. Attleboro will be tired from playing back-to-back games, but Franklin will be on its third game of the week. Franklin needs to be ready as Attleboro has proven to be a tough team down the stretch.
Canton @ Foxboro
The Warriors handled Milford with ease on Wednesday night and Canton has only won two games this season (both against winless Milford). On paper, Foxboro is the clear favorite led by senior forward Ashley Snyder and sophomore guard Katherine Tamulionis.
Mansfield @ North Attleboro
North Attleboro needs the win in its final league game of the season to clinch at least a share of the Kelley-Rex division title. Also on the line is the potential Player of the Year candidacy of star forward Meg Ronaghan, who has been putting up incredible numbers for the Rocketeers. Mansfield used a tough 3-2 zone against Foxboro that limited Ashley Snyder's touches and expect the Hornets to follow a similar game plan against Mansfield. The Hornets need Gina Stoyle to have the shooting touch to try and pull the upset. These are old rivals and this will be a battle.
Taunton @ King Philip
Taunton has been a team that has flown under the radar in its first season in the Hock. The Tigers need two wins in their remaining three games, including Thursday night's tilt with Attleboro, in order to qualify for the postseason. Either way, Taunton will look at this as a must-win and with forward Angie Martinez providing double-doubles on a nightly basis and Kim Hixon providing leadership at the point, this could easily be a repeat of the first meeting (a 69-40 Taunton win).
Sharon @ Milford
Similar to the Foxboro girls, Sharon are having a solid season and preparing for the postseason led by forward Karlie O'Driscoll and guard Katie Lowerre and the Eagles are heavy favorites to beat still winless Milford. With all respect to the Hawks, this should be a comfortable win for the visiting team.
Stoughton @ Oliver Ames
The Tigers will be coming off a tough game the night before against Foxboro when they face their division rivals. The first meeting between the teams was tough to judge because Stoughton was missing six regular varsity players including point guard Emma Zuk. This is a match-up of two of the best inside-outside combinations in the league. Caitlin Abela, one of the favorites for Player of the Year, and fellow captain Asia Mitchell have yet to lose this season, but will have a difficult test with Zuk and center Nicole Daniels. The Tigers will have the motivation of finishing undefeated in the league, but the Knights would love to be the team to end their streak.
The Pick:
HockomockSports.com Picks | ||||||||||
Ryan Lanigan |
Josh Perry |
Dan Libon |
Andrew Cyr |
John Botelho |
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HockomockSports.com Staff | ||||||||||
Game Day, 0:00 |
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Boys Basketball | Lanigan 8-2 | Perry 7-3 | Libon 7-3 | Cyr 8-2 | Botelho 2-2 |
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Girls Basketball | Lanigan 5-2 | Perry 6-1 | Libon 6-1 | Cyr 6-1 | Botelho 1-0 |
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Hockey | Lanigan 1-1 | Perry 0-2 | Libon 1-1 | Cyr 1-1 | Botelho 1-1 |
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