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Sports

"One Family, One Mission, One Team": Lynnfield Girls Hoops Returns to MIAA Tournament

After winning just four games last season, the Lynnfield High girls basketball team is back in the Div. 3 North sectional.

Last season didn’t exactly go as planned for the girls basketball team. After making it to the Div. 3 North sectional the year before, the Lady Pioneers won just four games in 2009-2010. But while Lynnfield has turned things around behind first-year head coach Pamela MacDonald, most importantly is how they did it: as a team. 

Unity A Key Part Of The Strategy

From the start of the season, MacDonald has instilled in her team a sense of unity thanks in part to a slogan the Pioneers have been able to rally around: “One family, one mission, one team.”

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“Everyone does their job,” said MacDonald, who coached at Revere for seven years before coming to Lynnfield. “Everyone works hard, everyone finds someone to box out and everyone runs the floor. Kelsey Mancini and Kelsey LeBlanc get a lot of layups on our transition game because everyone’s running and I think that makes the difference.”

“We’re more of a unit,” said senior tri-captain Whitney Montesanto. “We really brought it together to create more of a team atmosphere this year.”

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A Strong Start To The Season

The Pioneers started off with bang this season, jumping out to a 5-2 start thanks to an early four-game win streak. But things took an ugly turn after a loss to Newburyport on Jan. 14 that started a five-game skid and saw Lynnfield sitting precariously at 5-7. 

But while a lot of teams would have struggled to emerge from a slump like that, MacDonald took some drastic measures to try and challenge her team. 

“Midseason we sort of had a little bit of a slump and I threw down the gauntlet and benched a few seniors and they have come back on fire,” said MacDonald. “They really responded so I’m just really proud of how hard they play.”

It’s that kind of work ethic and never-give-up-attitude that helped Lynnfield go 5-3 down the stretch and qualify for a tournament berth with a 51-50 win over Cape Ann Div. 2 foe North Reading in the last game of the season.  

Team Focuses On Improvement

“We’re always improving,” said Montesanto. “It’s definitely our hard work in practice. Our coach never stops and we’re always pushing. Our hard work keeps us in these games.”

The Pioneers have seen solid play from up and down their starting five and from their bench as well. Whether it be sophomore Jillian Fama leading the way or senior Kelsey Mancini, Lynnfield has constantly found a way to win this season when it counted. 

“I think Kelsey LeBlanc has come so far this year,” said MacDonald. “She’s playing really great for us. All of them have upped their game for us tremendously. Morgan Festa has and so has Whitney (Montesanto) and Brittany (Hunt). Whitney is so much better that she was.”

Lynnfield will have to wait until Friday for the MIAA to release this year’s tournament pair ings. But while it’s been a week since their last game, there’s no doubt that MacDonald has her Pioneers working hard as always as they prepare for whomever it may be they’ll be facing in the playoffs. 

“They work really hard,” said MacDonald. “I tell them they’re the hardest working team out there and I think it shows.”

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