Sports
By Ralph Stewart
Published: January 29, 2009
Vineyard ends losing streak, but misses playoffs
The Martha's Vineyard boys varsity basketball team put an end to its ten-game losing skid by defeating Bishop Stang, 72-68, Tuesday night at Martha's Vineyard Regional High School.
However, consecutive losses to Wayland and Canton over the weekend left the Islanders out of the postseason. Martha's Vineyard stands at 4-11 with five games remaining, six wins short of qualification.
Against their future Eastern Athletic Conference foes from Bishop Stang, the Vineyarders started well, mixing aggressive defense with a more patient, passing oriented offense.
Photos by Ralph Stewart
Martha's Vineyard led 19-12 after the first quarter and capped off one of their better halves of the season with a Cody Brewer buzzer-beater to make it 40-24 at the break.
Unfortunately, as has been typical from quarter to quarter this season, Mr. Hyde came off the bench for Dr. Jekyll early in the second half and a decline in Vineyard fortunes soon followed.
"We stopped passing the ball," coach Mike Joyce said. "Everyone thought they could dribble again. They weren't sharing and thought they could put on a little show."
The Spartans chipped away at the lead until they trailed by 68-66 with 20 seconds remaining.
Enter Lamar Moreis, who sank four crucial free throws to provide the winning margin.
"That was huge for him," Mike Joyce said of the junior guard. "He's had minimal varsity time, but he came through big at the end."
Moreis finished with 11 points, as did Jess Swaringen. Steve Handy led Martha's Vineyard with 19.
Sunday, the Purple lost to visiting Canton 68-58.
The Vineyarders finished the game with a tremendous fourth-quarter effort, slicing a 19- point deficit to five. Initially, though, they put themselves in a world of trouble against the talented, disciplined Bulldogs by posting five points in the first quarter and 10 in the third.
"It's the same as it's been all year, we don't play 32 minutes." coach Mike Joyce said following the loss. "You can't have a five-point quarter and beat a varsity basketball team."
Steve Handy led Martha's Vineyard with 21 points. Alex Poole played a fine two-way game and scored 13. Andrew McHugh was excellent defensively.
Handy was again the star performer in a 78-68 loss at Wayland, sinking 13 of his 27 points in the third quarter to keep the Vineyard close.
The jayvee boys dropped a pair of games this week, losing at home 68-55 to Bishop Stang and away at Wayland 60-46.
T.J. Van Gerven put up 29 points in the two contests, while Nick Jerome added 26.
The Freshmen boys also tangled with Bishop Stang on Tuesday, losing 53-36, despite the best efforts of Ryan Fisher who scored 11 points and Carlos Guzman who had 8.
Vineyard girls top Wayland, lose to Stang
Crystal Miske and Kia Minor keyed a fourth-quarter comeback as Martha's Vineyard came from 10 points down to win at Wayland 50-47, Saturday.
Miske hit two treys and four free throws down the stretch to finish with 10 points. Minor had 19 points, eight steals, and seven rebounds. Katie Hines had eight points and Erin Morris made two steals in the final minute.
Tuesday night, the Vineyarders (4-10) fell short in North Dartmouth against Bishop Stang, 55-50. Kia Minor had 15 points and 14 rebounds. Crystal Miske and Katie Hines both scored 13 points. Alicia Oliveira and Erin Morris did a great job defending Stang's star player.
The jayvee girls ran up a 20-point lead on Stang and survived a late Spartan charge for a 44-43 win, their sixth straight.
Sarah Williston continued her stellar play, putting in 25 points. Ana Irwin, Hanna Persson, and Megan McHugh also had strong games for 10-4 Martha's Vineyard
In Wayland, Saturday, Cat Todd sank a key free throw in the final seconds to seal a 47-42 victory. Sarah Williston scored 23 points and Hanna Persson added 11.
Blazers en fuego in junior high hoops
The Oak Bluffs girls and boys both sit atop the interscholastic basketball standings with two weeks left in the regular season.
The girls started the game with a 20-0 run and never looked back in a 66-15 win over the West Tisbury Hawks at the Oak Bluffs School, Monday.
The Lady Blazers played suffocating defense, were great on the dribble, and repeatedly threaded deft passes to cutting players in the paint.
Coach Alex McCluskey has his 4-0 team playing flawless basketball and in hot pursuit of the title that eluded them last year following a defeat to Edgartown in the final.
"They are focused and practicing hard. They remember last year and they've got their sights on the championship," coach McCluskey said.
Kat DeBettencourt led Oak Bluffs with 12 points and Tiana Souza had 10.
The Oak Bluffs boys avenged their lone defeat in two years by downing visiting West Tisbury 58-40, Tuesday afternoon. The first half was close and ended with Oak Bluffs up 24-20. Mike Bizzarro (16 points), Izak Browne (12), and Mike DeBettencourt (12) paced the winners.
Jack Roberts led the Hawks with 20 points.
Last Thursday, the Blazers (4-1) raced out to a 33-10 halftime lead and beat the Tisbury Tigers 58-33. The usual suspects of Bizzarro (19 points), DeBettencourt (19), and Browne (12) topped the score sheet.
Brandon Watkins and Mike Cutrer scored 8 points each for Tisbury.
The Tigers also fell to West Tisbury on Friday, 75-32. Jack Roberts (28 points), Kane Arujo (21), Jacob Lawrence (12), and Harry West (11) all scored in double figures for the Hawks.
Mike Cutrer and Alec Tattersall had 9 and 8 points each for the Tigers.
Tisbury's tough week continued with a 41-32 loss in Edgartown, Tuesday. Ryan Gosson was the high-flying Eagle with 23 points. Brandon Watkins scored 14 for Tisbury.
Ryan Mone Tourney
What a difference a year makes in the world of youth hockey.
Last year, the Vineyard Cape and Islands squirts won the Ryan Mone Memorial Tournament, but this time around the home side struggled to find the net and lost all three games at the Martha's Vineyard Arena.
Martha's Vineyard began play Friday night, losing to the Coastal Stars C3s, 6-0.
Martha's Vineyard played twice Saturday and came close, but lost to the South Shore Seahawks 2-1 and the Coastal Stars C1s, 1-0.
Sunday's consolation game was a rematch with the Coastal C3s. The Islanders played a great first period and tied the game 1-1 after J.J. Mendez made an end-to-end rush and beat the Stars goalie between the pads, while falling to the ice.
From there, though, the Stars fired off six straight goals for a 7-1 final score. Zach Fullin did his job in net time and again by stopping the first shot, but the rebounds went the Stars' way.
In other youth hockey action, the Vineyard squirts of the Neponset Valley League (NVL) took on league leaders Barnstable in Foxboro, Sunday. Joe Davies tallied twice, Greg McCarron once, and Tyson Araujo added one more, but Martha's Vineyard lost 7-4.
Needham downed the Vineyard Peewee B's 11-5 in Foxboro, Saturday.
The Martha's Vineyard junior high squad fared best over the weekend, thrashing the Rhode Island Independents, 8-2, at the CDL Arena in Raynham.
Sports Highlights
Icemen blank Cambridge
The Vineyarders used a five-goal second period to put away Cambridge Rindge and Latin 8-0, Saturday night at the Martha's Vineyard Arena.
The Falcons didn't help their cause by taking 13 penalties, including two sets of simultaneous minors.
Tad Gold scored twice and had two assists. Chris Davies had a goal and two assists. Jock Cooperrider and Matt Flynn chalked up two assists each. Jason Schwab, Henry Smith, Trey Rasmussen, Brooks Billingham, and Darren Gazaille scored the other Vineyard goals. Nick Billingham, Ben Ferry, Colby Gouldrup, Rasmussen and Gazaille earned an assist each.
The jayvee boys racked up an 8-2 win over visiting Nantucket, Friday.
Alex Bilzerian notched the hat trick and added an assist to pace Martha's Vineyard.
Daniel Serusa, Tyler Araujo, and Bobby Perry all had a goal with two assists. Dakota Delviento had one of each. Kevin Galligan set up two goals, while Nelson Dickson and Teddy Kram assisted once.
Dickson turned goal-scorer Saturday afternoon, going the length of the ice in the second period to lift Martha's Vineyard to a 1-1 tie with Framingham.
RCBL week four
The upstart Warriors downed the defending champion Bulls 108-93, Monday night at the Martha's Vineyard Boys and Girls Club.
The Warriors drained 17 three-pointers, four each from Tim Scott and Patrick Rolston, and three each from Monte Bizzarro and Matt Rivers. Jade Cash was the high scorer with 26 points.
Ryan Murtha had 27 points for the Bulls and Clark Agnew recorded the double-double with 22 points and 20 rebounds. Mike Joyce added 13 points.
In game two, the Knicks got their first win with a 93-92 decision over the struggling Lakers.
Four Knicks reached double figures-James Holenko (27 points), Ryan Kurth (20), Chris Fager (14), and Caleb Costas (10).
Heath Estrella (23 points), Nathaniel Scott (22), and Adam Rebello (11) led the Lakers.
RCBL standings
Warriors 3-0
Heat 2-1
Bulls 2-2
Knicks 1-2
Lakers 0-3
Travel Basketball
The Martha's Vineyard seventh- and eighth-grade girls swept a trio of games in the Cape Cod Youth Basketball League last weekend.
Martha's Vineyard (9-2) won away over Berkeley, 40-21, on Saturday. Jenny Lindland (17 points, 9 steals) and Kendall Robinson (9 points, 7 rebounds) led the Vineyard.
Sunday, the girls won at Sandwich 46-26. Kendall Robinson had 11 points and 11 rebounds. Jenny Lindland and Kat Debettencourt scored 11 points each.
Returning to Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard routed Bourne 44-17. Maggie Riseborough had nine points.
The sixth-grade boys improved to 8-3 in the CCYBL, winning twice and losing once. Saturday, Martha's Vineyard stayed close with 12 points from Alex Beck and eight from Mike Mussel, but lost to host Yarmouth 42-35.
Sunday, on the Island, Jack Roberts scored 11 points to lead the Vineyard over Mashpee 30-23 at the Boys and Girls Club.
Later at the Oak Bluffs School, Martha's Vineyard downed Falmouth, 44-31. Colin Cameron and Brandon Dwane scored 10 points each.
Harlem Rockets return
The Harlem Rockets Showtime Basketball team will play the Martha's Vineyard Dream Team on Friday, Feb. 6, at Martha's Vineyard Regional High School. Game time is 7 pm.
The game is sponsored by the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School Hoops Club.
Adult tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Student tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door.
Tickets can be purchased at the high school through Dawn Feinsmith and at all Vineyard elementary schools.
Local skaters shine
Four skaters from the Martha's Vineyard Figure Skating Club placed in the basic skills competition at the Skating Club of Hingham on January 19.
Vineyard skaters took three of the four top spots in the Beginner Freestyle, with Lily Davey finishing first, Shelby Regan third, and Shannon O' Connor fourth.
Davey also placed third in the Preliminary Showcase event.
The skaters are coached by Jane Elizabeth Taylor and Beth Blankenship O' Connor.
Youth Tennis fundraiser
Vineyard Youth Tennis hosts an Adult Round Robin Tournament and silent auction fundraiser February 2-8.
The event benefits the Vineyard Youth Tennis Scholarship Fund.
A silent auction will run throughout the week. Items will include: Cape Air tickets, Red Sox tickets, and a round of golf at Vineyard Golf Club. Items may be viewed at vineyardyouthtennis.org.
A cocktail party, bidding, and a tennis exhibition takes place February 5 from 5 to 8 pm.
Tournament play is February 6 to 8.
Sign up for darts
The Martha's Vineyard Dart League will hold a sign-up for the winter/spring season on Thursday, Feb. 5, 5-6 pm at the P.A. Club in Oak Bluffs.
Please call Charlene Alley at 508-693-9875 or Linda Wood at 508-939-8499 if unable to attend or for more information.
League play begins Thursday, Feb. 12, at 7:30 pm.
