Sports
Lady Spartans Look to End Tournament Woes
The Stoneham High School girls basketball team will look to end its semifinal losing streak on Thursday when it faces Ipswich High at 7 p.m. at Wilmington High.
For the past three seasons, the girls basketball team has had the pleasure of making it to the MIAA Division 3 North semifinals. For most teams, just one appearance in that amount of time would be a feat.
Unfortunately for the Spartans, playing in the semifinals and winning in the semifinals are two totally different animals. This year, top-seeded Stoneham will look to end its tournament woes when it faces fourth-seeded Ipswich High on Thursday night in Wilmington.
With a win, the Spartans will finally get over the semifinals hump to play in the championship game at the Tsongas Center in Lowell on Saturday. But getting there won’t be easy.
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The Tigers took second place in the Cape Ann League Division 2 with a 13-7 record, while averaging 49.8 points per game, second to first-place Newburyport’s 52.5.
Senior captain and Cape Ann League Division 2 Player of the Year Hannah O'Flynn will be a force for Ipswich. O’Flynn has been the centerpiece of the Tiger offense for most of her career and recently scored her 1,000th career point in Ipswich’s 54-41 win over Winthrop in the first round. Stopping her will be key if Stoneham wants to advance to the finals.
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Stoneham will look to keep the momentum going after a . The Crusaders ended the Spartans’ tournament run in the semifinals last season, so beating them could prove to be a huge boost heading into Thursday night.
Senior captain and point guard Ariana Tuccelli is at the heart of the Stoneham offense, and while she may not rack up big numbers on a nightly basis, coach Angela Billings describes Tueccelli as her “floor general.”
"She controls the game,” . “Her intangibles sometimes go unnoticed. She is very tough, mentally and physically."
Tuccelli is also surrounded by a corps of talented scorers, including Jen Geraghty, Vanessa and Stephanie Bramante, Sam Trant and Alison Brennan.
If the offense can come together like it has all season, and if the defense can limit O’Flynn's scoring opportunities, then a shot at the Div. 3 North championship on Saturday is definitely within reach.
Stoneham will face the Tigers at 7 p.m. on Thursday at .
