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Sports

Season Recap: Girls Hoops Has Turnaround Season

After winning four games last season, the Lynnfield High girls basketball team came back to make the tournament this season.

The Lynnfield High girls basketball team won just four games last season. Combine that with a new head coach this year, it's safe to say expectations weren't too high for the Lady Pioneers. 

But Lynnfield put on a heck of a show in 2010-2011, and turned its season around to finish 10-10 and make the MIAA Div. 3 North sectional for the first time since 2009. 

The Pioneers started the season off on the right foot with a big, , but struggled to get any offense going in its next game, . But while the defense shined in that game, the Pionerrs dropped its second in a row in a 63-43 blowout to Ipswich. 

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After the back-to-back losses though, Lynffield went on a nice little four-game tear, beating Georgetown,

That seemed to be a high-water mark for Lynnfield, because things took a turn for the wors as the Pioneers dropped five games in a row, including , a , and .  

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Head coach Pamela MacDonald took some drastic measures during the skid, and benched several of her starters heading into a nonleague game with Malden. The tactic proved to work as Lynnfield snapped its losing streak to beat the Golden Tornadoes, 48-40 to bring its record to 6-7. 

The Pioneers pulled to .500 with their second straight win, a convincing, 65-51 victory over Amesbury, but lost back-to-back games to Wilmington and Triton. 

Sitting precariously at 7-9, Lynnfield headed to Malden where the Pioneers won again, , followed by a and even their record at 9-9. 

With just two games remaining on the season and just one win needed to qualify for the tournament, the Pioneers that looked to crush their hopes for a spot in the postseason. 

It all came down to Lynnfield's final game. A Cape Ann League showdown with North Reading, a team that held the Pioneers to just 29 points in their first matchup two months earlier. 

After going up by 13 late in the game, a win looked almost certain for Lynnfield. But North Reading came storming back before the  to qualify for the Div. 3 North sectional. 

Jillian Fama led the Pioneers with 15 points in that gamewhile Brittany Hunt had 14. 

As sweet as that win was though, Lynnfield would ultimately fall in the tournament, . 

Hunt will be one of several key seniors grauating this season. Joining her will be Whitney Montesanto, Kelsey Mancini, Morgan Festa, Jennifer Schelzi and Gretta Hunt. 

But while Lynnfield will be losing several key players, there a lot to look forward to next season with the return of sophomres Jillian Fama and Shannon Lamusta, and junior Kesley LeBlanc. 

 

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