Post by Select Hoops on Mar 27, 2011 18:39:02 GMT -5
Three members of the Norton eighth-grade girls’ basketball Division 1 travel team participated in the talent-laden Mansfield SportsPlex-Select Hoops 2011 All-Star Showcase on Saturday night at the Mansfield SportsPlex.
The M-Plex/Select Hoops Showcase is an all-star game featuring 25 of the top eighth-grade girls’ players from Eastern Massachusetts.
Three standouts from the Norton Division 1 travel team took part in the game: Laura Johnson, Amy Pereira and Kyla Prosper. Johnson and Prosper played for Team Select Hoops, while Pereira was part of Team M-Plex. Johnson and Prosper’s squad emerged victorious as Team Select Hoops held off Pereira and Team M-Plex, 59-49.
The 5-foot-2 Johnson, who is 14 years old, scored three points for Select Hoops in the game. She played both three-guard and two-guard for the Norton Division 1 travel team this winter and will play for Mike O’Brien at Coyle-Cassidy next year.
“I know a lot of these girls from AAU,” Johnson said. “It was cool to be able to play with and against them again. Taking on good players from the best teams only makes you better.”
The 5-foot-7 Prosper had two points and two rebounds for Select Hoops. The 14-year-old was a center for Norton this season and will be heading to Bishop Feehan to play for head coach Mike Deady next year. Deady was in attendance at the game on Saturday night, watching Prosper as well as standout Madison Jolin of Rehoboth and Jamie Warren of Wrentham, who will both be attending Bishop Feehan next year as well.
“It was different playing with a lot of the other kids instead of against them,” Prosper said. “It was more intense playing against some of these kids in Metro, but coming to this game you are able to talk to the other girls as friends and actually become friends with some of them. Playing in a game like this, you see different types of players and different types of moves. You get more experience and you learn more moves that you can use in the future.”
The 5-foot-4 Pereira, also 14, played well for Team M-Plex, collecting four points, four rebounds and one steal. She was a forward for the Norton Division 1 travel team this winter and will be taking her skills to Norton High to play for Nicole Nunes next year.
“Some of these players are usually on the other teams in our league,” Pereira said. “It was really nice to be able to be on the same team as some of the kids that we are usually playing against. And when you play against better players, it makes you better.”
The three Norton girls were part of an outstanding 25-player roster. Also taking part were standouts from Foxboro, Franklin, Canton, Newton, Wrentham, Abington, Walpole, Plainville, Sharon, Millis, North Attleboro, Brookline, Rehoboth and Medfield.
Dan Nagle coached Team M-Plex, while Tiffany Elms guided Team Select Hoops. Nagle is a Norton native and former Norton High boys’ junior varsity coach, who is now an assistant with the UMass-Boston women’s program. Elms is an assistant coach with the Curry College women’s basketball team.
Select Hoops held a 20-15 lead after the first quarter, Johnson scored her only three points of the game on a three-pointer with 1:52 left in the period, giving her team a 13-8 lead. Team M-Plex had pulled within three at 22-19 with 6:15 left in the second quarter, but Select Hoops went on an 11-1 surge to open up a 13-point lead at 33-20 with 2:37 left in the first half. Select Hoops would go on to hold a 35-24 lead at the break.
Select Hoops scored the first four points of the third quarter to push its lead to 15 points at 39-24, 35 seconds into the half. But M-Plex responded by scoring 15 consecutive points to tie the contest at 39-39 with 2:50 left in the third. Pereira scored all four of her points during this surge. She began the run with a basket at 7:10 to make it 39-26 and added a pair of free throws at 5:08 to help M-Plex close the gap to six points at 39-33.
With the score tied at 39-39, Select Hoops scored the final six points of the third to take a 45-39. Prosper capped the surge with her only points of the game, converting a rebound and put back with five seconds remaining in the quarter to make it 45-39.
Select Hoops continued to retake control at the start of the fourth, scoring the first three points to make it 48-39 with 6:55 left. Select Hoops extended the run to 20-3, opening up a 59-42 lead with 2:28 left before M-Plex scored the final seven points of the game.
Franklin standout Tracy Pisani led Select Hoops with 10 points, four assists and three rebounds. A familiar face to the Norton players led the way for M-Plex, Amy Assad of Millis. Assad collected a game-high 13 points along with six rebounds and three steals. Assad and Millis handed Norton its only loss of the regular season this winter in the MetroWest League, defeating the locals 54-44 on Feb. 13 at Millis High.
The M-Plex/Select Hoops Showcase is an all-star game featuring 25 of the top eighth-grade girls’ players from Eastern Massachusetts.
Three standouts from the Norton Division 1 travel team took part in the game: Laura Johnson, Amy Pereira and Kyla Prosper. Johnson and Prosper played for Team Select Hoops, while Pereira was part of Team M-Plex. Johnson and Prosper’s squad emerged victorious as Team Select Hoops held off Pereira and Team M-Plex, 59-49.
The 5-foot-2 Johnson, who is 14 years old, scored three points for Select Hoops in the game. She played both three-guard and two-guard for the Norton Division 1 travel team this winter and will play for Mike O’Brien at Coyle-Cassidy next year.
“I know a lot of these girls from AAU,” Johnson said. “It was cool to be able to play with and against them again. Taking on good players from the best teams only makes you better.”
The 5-foot-7 Prosper had two points and two rebounds for Select Hoops. The 14-year-old was a center for Norton this season and will be heading to Bishop Feehan to play for head coach Mike Deady next year. Deady was in attendance at the game on Saturday night, watching Prosper as well as standout Madison Jolin of Rehoboth and Jamie Warren of Wrentham, who will both be attending Bishop Feehan next year as well.
“It was different playing with a lot of the other kids instead of against them,” Prosper said. “It was more intense playing against some of these kids in Metro, but coming to this game you are able to talk to the other girls as friends and actually become friends with some of them. Playing in a game like this, you see different types of players and different types of moves. You get more experience and you learn more moves that you can use in the future.”
The 5-foot-4 Pereira, also 14, played well for Team M-Plex, collecting four points, four rebounds and one steal. She was a forward for the Norton Division 1 travel team this winter and will be taking her skills to Norton High to play for Nicole Nunes next year.
“Some of these players are usually on the other teams in our league,” Pereira said. “It was really nice to be able to be on the same team as some of the kids that we are usually playing against. And when you play against better players, it makes you better.”
The three Norton girls were part of an outstanding 25-player roster. Also taking part were standouts from Foxboro, Franklin, Canton, Newton, Wrentham, Abington, Walpole, Plainville, Sharon, Millis, North Attleboro, Brookline, Rehoboth and Medfield.
Dan Nagle coached Team M-Plex, while Tiffany Elms guided Team Select Hoops. Nagle is a Norton native and former Norton High boys’ junior varsity coach, who is now an assistant with the UMass-Boston women’s program. Elms is an assistant coach with the Curry College women’s basketball team.
Select Hoops held a 20-15 lead after the first quarter, Johnson scored her only three points of the game on a three-pointer with 1:52 left in the period, giving her team a 13-8 lead. Team M-Plex had pulled within three at 22-19 with 6:15 left in the second quarter, but Select Hoops went on an 11-1 surge to open up a 13-point lead at 33-20 with 2:37 left in the first half. Select Hoops would go on to hold a 35-24 lead at the break.
Select Hoops scored the first four points of the third quarter to push its lead to 15 points at 39-24, 35 seconds into the half. But M-Plex responded by scoring 15 consecutive points to tie the contest at 39-39 with 2:50 left in the third. Pereira scored all four of her points during this surge. She began the run with a basket at 7:10 to make it 39-26 and added a pair of free throws at 5:08 to help M-Plex close the gap to six points at 39-33.
With the score tied at 39-39, Select Hoops scored the final six points of the third to take a 45-39. Prosper capped the surge with her only points of the game, converting a rebound and put back with five seconds remaining in the quarter to make it 45-39.
Select Hoops continued to retake control at the start of the fourth, scoring the first three points to make it 48-39 with 6:55 left. Select Hoops extended the run to 20-3, opening up a 59-42 lead with 2:28 left before M-Plex scored the final seven points of the game.
Franklin standout Tracy Pisani led Select Hoops with 10 points, four assists and three rebounds. A familiar face to the Norton players led the way for M-Plex, Amy Assad of Millis. Assad collected a game-high 13 points along with six rebounds and three steals. Assad and Millis handed Norton its only loss of the regular season this winter in the MetroWest League, defeating the locals 54-44 on Feb. 13 at Millis High.