THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, March 1, 2024 Page 15 Fast start, strong finish lead King Philip past Malden HS girls basketball Tornado girls comeback not enough, knocked out in MIAA State Tournament first round By Steve Freker T he King Philip Regional High Warriors girls basketball team started out red hot and never stopped off the rest of the way in a 62-38 state tourney win over Malden High on Tuesday night. in Wrentham. Tuesday’s game was in the MIAA Division 1 State Girls Basketball Tournament’s preliminary round. The loss ended Malden’s season with a 13-8 overall record. It was the second time Malden had qualified for the postseason in two years – the first time a Golden Tornados team had accomplished this feat in decades. The #27-seeded Warriors held #38-seeded Malden scoreless until 50 seconds were left in the first period, starting the game on a 13-0 run over the opening seven minutes, including a trio of three-point shots. KP ended up with 7 3-pointers for the first half after burying 4 in the first quarter alone on its way to a 20-2 first quarter lead. “We got in a hole early and it was hard to fight back from that, especially when our shots were not falling,” said Malden High seventh-year Head Coach Scott Marino. “We played better defense in the second quarter and stayed even with them, but still were behind at halftime.” Malden did regroup somewhat in the second quarter, using some better defense and rebounding in the defensive end. The visiting Torvarious scoring deficits it faced. The Tornados did stay aggressive as well, driving to the basket and fighting for offensive rebounds most of the night. Malden found itself at the free throw line frequently, but was not able to capitalize, shooting barely 50 percent from the line. The Tornados also could not match KP’s 3-point range, hitting only 1 3-pointer (Tolete) for the night and missing a bunch. Angie Colon readies for a free throw against King Philip in the State Tournament game. nados kept it even and trailed, 267, at halftime. “I challenged [our team] at halftime to make it a game and I think our players tried that,” said Coach Marino. “King Philip scored quicker and better than us, that was the difference.” Both teams heated up defensively in the third quarter, with King Philip going back to the “three” (finishing with 9 for the game) and Malden getting some scoring from Tori Gammon and Ina Tolete. King Philip’s big start in the first quarter was exactly the game plan, according to Warrior Head Coach Jeff Miszkiewicz.“ [The hot start was] very important, the last couple of games we’ve got [behind] early, so my pregame speech MALDEN VARSITY GIRLS BASKETBALL: In front: Tori Gammon, Kimberly Trompas and Manichia Exilhomme; in back: Ina Tolete, Sophia Rodriguez, Angie Colon, Olivia Rodriguez, Jamila Said, Amanda Ebenezer, Mandy Cook and Jazzy Antoine. (Advocate Photos) “I am glad our players were able to earn the experience of playing in the state tournament – a lot of them two years in a row,” Coach Marino said. “That is something no one can ever take away from them. “We appreciate all the support we received from the players’ families and our other fans all season,” Coach Marino said. “We also are grateful for the cheerleaders, the Malden High School administrators, staff and fans who traveled down to this game to support our team. They have backed us all year and in this game as well.” Coach Marino also noted the efHALFTIME TALK: Malden Head Coach Scott Marino and assistant coach Larry Kelleher talk with the team at halftime at the King Philip state tourney game. was for our defense to create our offense,” Miszkiewicz said in an online report. “We certainly did that in the first quarter.” Malden certainly did not quit throughout the game, despite the forts of senior captains Tori Gammon and Angie Colon all season as well as his other two seniors, Jamila Said and Julisa Ramirez. “We wish our seniors the best of luck in the future and at the same time, we are excited about the future with three starters and 11 varsity players returning,” Coach Marino said. DeLeire leads Lady Eagles basketball team past Chelsea in season finale By Emily Brennan M Bailey DeLeire scored a game-high 13 points against Chelsea. ystic Valley girls’ basketball earned a 48-25 win in the final game of the regular season at the Eastern Avenue Gymnasium on Monday, February 19. The night started with a ceremony to honor all the seniors: Aya Abbassi, Breana Nansamba, Inssaf Machouk, Thaila Jean-Baptiste and Sophie Lebrun. Bailey DeLeire scored a gamehigh 13 points, while Breana Nansamba notched 10 points and 7 rebounds as the Eagles picked up their 14th win. Sylvie LaFeber finished with 10 points and 2 rebounds. Aya Abbassi contributed 6 points, 7 rebounds and 5 steals. The Eagles were outscored by Chelsea in the first minute of play, but they were shortly plagued by turnovers and poor rebounding and managed to outscore them 11-8 in the opening frame. That three-point Eagles advantage turned into a Chelsea seven-point deficit after two frames thanks to Sylvie LaFeber with 7 points and Nansamba with a 3-pointer. Through the third frame, the Eagles paced Chelsea and came away with a very comfortable, 20-point lead. Abby Ssewankambo and Anna Luiza-Batista opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back buckets to give Mystic Valley the lead and victory at 48-25. The Eagles compiled a record of 14-6 throughout the regular season to earn a spot in the Division 4 MIAA tournament. They are the #34 seed.
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