Despite loss to AMSA, Stags are off to a good start

MARLBORO - The Tahanto Regional High School girls basketball team dropped a 55-36 decision to the Advanced Math and Science Academy (AMSA), last Friday night, at the Massachusetts Special Olympics building, in a non-league game.

It marked the Stags' first loss of the season. Tahanto and AMSA both own 3-1 records.

The Stags were led by freshman Jessica Forbes, who poured in a game high 19 points. Diana Bibinski and Anna Ciolino scored 18 and 15 points, respectively, to lead the Eagles.

Tahanto came out strong in the first half, going on a 7-0 run.

After Forbes made two free throws to get things started, she followed by grabbing an offensive rebound and going coast to coast for a lay-in. Forbes then went strong to the hoop and drew a foul. She canned both free throws.

Junior Jennifer McGrath finished the burst with a free throw.

AMSA answered with a 5-0 run, and the Stags led 7-5 with a minute left in first quarter.

After McGrath drove the paint for a basket with less than a minute to go, Eagle junior Madelyn Calderwood, of Clinton, nailed a 3-pointer, making it 9-8 Tahanto at the end of one frame.

The second quarter proved to be the Stags' undoing, as they were outscored 19-2.

AMSA held a 27-11 lead at the half.

In the third quarter, the Tahanto offense came back to life, opening with a 11-7 burst.

Sophomore Jordan Money hit a short jumper to start the run. After back-to-back jumpers by sophomore Kyndal Downing, Forbes drained a 3-ball from the top of the key.

Senior Jamie Gross capped the spurt with a running jumper.

The teams exchanged baskets for the final minutes of the frame, with the Eagles up 42-25 at the end of the frame.

AMSA was able to build a 19-point lead in the fourth quarter to win going away.

In addition to Calderwood, sophomore Nina Gavin, also of Clinton, is a member of the Eagles.

"We came out pretty flat in the second quarter and that hurt," Stags coach Dave McCarthy said. "AMSA is a much more experienced basketball team than us.

"I thought, overall, we played well, especially that first quarter, when we came out with a lot of energy," he said. "We made some mistakes against their 1-3-1 (defense).

"This certainly was our toughest game to date, but I'd take this effort every day from the kids," McCarthy said. "I thought they showed a lot of character and played hard."

Stags overview

Tahanto finished last season with a 6-14 overall record and was 4-6 in the Midland-Wachusett League E Division.

The Stags have already won half as many games as they did all of last year and McCarthy, who is in his second year at the helm, sees even more victories down the road.

"I believe, this year, we are going to be taking a step forward, in comparison to last year," McCarthy said. "We are stressing game-to-game goals, rather than long-term goals this year.

"Against Clinton, in our first game, we stressed possession and shooting," he said. "Against Assabet, we focused on the up-tempo game.

"We lost to both Clinton and Assabet at home last year, so I've already seen improvement," McCarthy said. "The kids played phenomenal in both games, and we are winning the close games."

In addition to Tahanto, the other teams in the league are West Boylston, Maynard, Ayer-Shirley, Narragansett Regional and Murdock.

The Stags' captain is senior Jamie Gross, who is a forward.

"Jamie (Gross) is a good decision maker, who exemplifies everything a captain should be," McCarthy said. "She works hard and communicates well to the team on the court.

"She is such a positive influence," he said. "She does a lot of the little intangible things, which allows her teammates to succeed."

The other senior is Jocelyn Sioui, who is a guard/forward.

"Jocelyn (Sioui) has shown senior leadership," McCarthy said. "She will get some minutes, and she is good at keeping the bench involved."

McCarthy has a relatively young team, with a mixture of experience and newcomers. There are two seniors, four juniors, two sophomores and three freshmen on the squad.

Junior Jennifer McGrath and sophomore Jordan Money are the point guards.

"Jen (McGrath) is one whose offense feeds off her defense," McCarthy said. "She had eight points against Assabet and hit two key free throws in the fourth quarter for us, which was huge.

"Jordan (Money) balances the court very well, and she is coming into her own," he said. "She can shoot the basketball and makes good basketball decisions. She is a really good defender and understands what is being asked of her."

Freshman Jessica Forbes, who is the team's leading scorer, averaging 23 points per game, has been a pleasant surprise.

"Jess (Forbes) has, so far, added a lot to the offense," McCarthy said. "She typically plays guard and some forward, and I couldn't ask for more than what she's done in the first four games. I hope she keeps it going."

Junior Estrel Kamnang is a forward/center, while sophomore Kyndal Downing is primarily a forward, but will play some center.

"Estrel (Kamnang) has really come along in a year, and her basketball skills have really improved," McCarthy said. "I've been impressed with her aggressive rebounding. She is also a good free-throw shooter.

"I've really been impressed with Kyndal (Downing), especially her rebounding," he said. "She averaged about 10 rebounds in the first two games. She has generated a lot of possessions for us with her offensive and defensive rebounding."

Junior Elsa Keefe is a forward/center, while junior Rachel Donoghue is a guard/forward.

"Elsa (Keefe) will play mainly center," McCarthy said. "She has some height and raw ability.

"Rachel (Donoghue) works hard, as all members of the team do," he said. "She wants to learn and improve, and that is nice to see."

Freshmen Lauren Wattu and Emma Medeiros, both guards, complete the team.

"Lauren (Wattu) is a reliable defender," McCarthy said. "Emma (Medeiros) has a natural touch with the basketball, and is always around the rim. She is not afraid to shoot and makes good decisions with the basketball."

The junior varsity coach is Chuck MacKinnon, while Sheena Suttlemyre coaches the middle-school team.

Gabby Villani is the team manager/scorekeeper.

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