Martha’s Vineyard girls hoopsters beat Dartmouth on senior day

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Jenny Lindland charges to the basket, guarded by Dartmouth's Nicole Simas. — Photo by Ralph Stewart

The Martha’s Vineyard girls varsity basketball team closed out the regular season home schedule in style with a 62-40 non-league win over Dartmouth Thursday on senior day in Oak Bluffs.

Vineyard seniors Hailee McCarthy, Alayna Hutchinson, Maggie Riseborough, Kendall Robinson, Jenny Lindland, and Katie Stewart, played their final regular season games in front of the home crowd at the Sancy Gymnasium. It also was a senior day of sorts for Katie’s mother, Head Coach Lisa Stewart, who is retiring at season’s end after seven years at the helm.

“When my kids are both in college, I want to be able to spend some time over the holidays with the family,” Coach Stewart said. “Hopefully, Maureen [girls jayvee coach Maureen Hill] will take over, which is good because her daughter is coming up as a freshman, so it’s a good time to pass the torch.”

Coach Stewart’s team produced a first rate effort against Dartmouth, who defeated the Vineyarders, 61-50, earlier this season.

“We lost at their place,” the coach said, “We actually looked like them, we just were flat. We ended up losing by nine or ten but today they just came out flat and we stayed with pressure, which was great because we’ve had a problem playing down to the pace of the other team, rather than dictating the pace. It was a good win. Everybody got in, I couldn’t ask for more than that.”

The Vineyarders (13-4) were in control from the start and broke the game wide open with an 18-2 run spread over the last two minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the third quarter. M.V led 56-28 heading into the final period and coach Stewart went to the bench for the duration.

Jenny Lindland scored 18 points to lead the Vineyard offense. Maggie Riseborough had 15 and Kendall Robinson 13.

The victory over Dartmouth was particularly sweet for many of the Vineyard seniors, who had never beaten the Indians in several attempts, dating back to seventh and eighth grade travel basketball. The teams have rarely played at the high school level but have an intense rivalry in youth hoops.

The girls are back in action Monday at Norton and close out the regular season at the Brad Sheridan Memorial Basketball Tournament in Marblehead, February 19-20.