Sports
Oak Bluffs sweeps
The Oak Bluffs boys and girls basketball teams proved again to be the class of the Interscholastic League with Championship wins at the Sancy Pachico gymnasium last Wednesday.
The Champion girls team poses for a team picture with coaches Alex McCluskey (right) and Josh Aronie.
Photos by M.C. Wallo
Girls basketball
The Oak Bluffs girls faced Edgartown, a team they had defeated twice during the season.
The Eagles matched the Blazers goal for goal in the early going and even managed a 10-7 lead five minutes into the game. Six of the early Edgartown points were by Jenny Lindland.
But then the Blazers took control of the boards and ran off 10 unanswered points to claim a 17-10 lead and grew that to a half-time 27-14 advantage.
The teams' defenses trumped the offenses in the second half. Both teams managed to add just eight points to their half-time totals. Final score: Oak Bluffs 35, Edgartown 22.
Pat DeBettencourt had the Blazers hot hand, scoring 14 points and leading her squad in rebounds. Jenny Lindland flew highest for the Eagles with a dozen points, most preceded by full-court drives.
Other scorers were Edgartown's Rae Filly and Zoe Nugent and Oak Bluffs's Hayley Maciel and Katherine Stewart.
The winning Blazers with coaches McCluskey and J.B. Blau.
Boys basketball
In the boys game West Tisbury broke on top and led 11-6 after five minutes of play. But in the next five minutes Oak Bluffs posted 10 straight points to take a lead they would not relinquish.
At the half the Blazers held a four point edge, 20-16.
In the second half, Izak Browne and Mike DeBettencourt took turns filling the net for Oak Bluffs Jack Roberts finished with a 10-point rush, including two treys, for the Hawks, but it wasn't enough. Oak Bluffs's Mike Bizzarro hit two, one from downtown, as the game drew to a close. Oak Bluffs 41, West Tisbury 34.
High-scorers were Izak Browne with 17 for the Blazers. Mike Bizzarro and Mike DeBettencourt each added seven.
Jack Roberts led the Hawks with 15 points. Kane Araujo contributed nine, all from long distance, and Jacob Lawrence added six. Browne also had an impressive collection of rebounds,
West Tisbury had qualified for the finals by defeating Tisbury, 60-42. Roberts had scored 37 for the Hawks.
Oak Bluffs had lost just one game, that, by a single point, to West Tisbury at the up-Island school early in the season.
Captain Eli Bonnell of Edgartown holds a 52-pound, 11-ounce albacore tuna that took first place in the state saltwater fishing derby.
Photo courtesy Andre Bonnell
Islander sets new record in State sportfishing derby
Massachusetts fisheries officials presented awards to anglers from across the state at ceremonies held at the Eastern Fishing and Outdoor Exposition on February 8 in Worcester. As in past years, Martha's Vineyard was well represented.
Tim Broderick of Chilmark set a new state record with an 8-pound, 6-ounce king mackerel he caught at Lucas Shoals in September. A semi-tropical species, king mackerel are rarely caught north of Virginia.
In the 2008 Massachusetts Saltwater Fishing Derby, three winners were weighed in on Martha's Vineyard. A 6-pound, 8-ounce black sea bass took top spot in the women's division for Madeline Bourcier, a visitor from Connecticut; Wyatt Jenkinson of Chilmark led the junior division with a 6-pound, 13-ounce bonito; and Eli Bonnell of Edgartown won the men's division with a 52-pound, 11-ounce albacore.
Massachusetts Fish and Game Commissioner Mary Griffin presented gold pins to fishermen who reeled in the biggest fish of 2008 from Massachusetts lakes, ponds, streams, and coastal waters. "We hope these ceremonies to honor sport fishing achievements statewide will encourage adults and children alike to take up fishing and other outdoor sports," she said. "We congratulate this year's winners and look forward to another winning fishing season in 2009."
The state's fresh and coastal waters gave up a number of large fish.
Peter Harand of Easthampton reeled in a record-breaking brook trout weighing 10 pounds at Ashfield Lake in Ashfield. Roger Aziz Jr. of Methuen caught the largest bullhead on state record weighing 6 pounds 4 ounces at Forest Lake in Methuen.
Of the 23 winners in the adult category, the heaviest freshwater fish landed in 2008 included a 29-pound, 7-ounce northern pike caught in the East Brimfield Reservoir by Dean Lisiewicz of Boston. The second and third heaviest fish were reeled in at Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester: a 28-pound, 4-ounce carp caught by Tom Pattiselanno of Worcester, and a 20-pound, 12-ounce tiger muskie caught by Howie Turcotte of North Oxford.
On the saltwater side, the heaviest fish caught was a 496-pound thresher shark, the Men's Division winner taken by James Jensen of Rochester. The second heaviest fish caught was also by a Men's Division fisherman, Tom Eichel of Lynn who caught a 398-pound, 12-ounce blue shark.
Junior Division anglers also reeled in big fish. Christian Krauter of New York caught a 363-pound, 12-ounce mako shark and Jacob Adelberg of Dartmouth caught a 45-pound striped bass.
In the Women's Division, Jennifer Phelan of Ayer caught a 64-pound, 2-ounce cod and Erin Williams of Greenland, New Hampshire caught a 51-pound, 14-ounce striped bass.
Saltwater entries must be caught by hook and line and weighed in at DMF-certified weigh stations. Dick's Bait and Tackle in Oak Bluffs is an official state derby weigh station.
For a list of saltwater winners, go to mass.gov/dfwele/dmf/recreationalfishing/saltderb.
Chris Davies tries to find a hole in the Warriors defensive wall.
Photos by M.C. Wallo
The Playoffs
Monday, in the first round of the MIAA Division 2 South Sectionals at Bourne's Gallo Arena, Martha's Vineyard brushed aside 10th seeded Whitman-Hanson Regional, 5-1, a team they had beaten early in the season, 4-2. The Islanders dominated play, taking 17 shots on goal in the first two periods to the Panthers seven. The final SOG difference was 28-17.
Nick Billingham started the scoring in the first period slapping home a rebound off a Darren Gazaille shot. Matt Flynn also assisted. Later in the period Gazaille was fed by Tad Gold and he backhanded the puck past W-H goalie Brandon Lynch.
Gold gave the Islanders a 3-0 lead, unassisted, early in the second period.
The Panthers scored their single goal on a power play. But before the period was over Chris Davies scored unassisted, restoring the three-goal advantage, 4-1.
The final goal of the game was Jock Cooperrider's, unassisted, at 4:41 of the final frame
The win earned the Islanders a shot at second-seeded Mansfield at the Gallo, yesterday. No doubt Mansfield will be eager to avenge the 7-1 trouncing they suffered at the Martha's Vineyard Arena in the season opener.
Alexa Fisher, a senior, rushes the puck into the Franklin end.
Franklin finishes
The Franklin varsity girls hockey team finished the Martha's Vineyard girls season, Friday, shutting out the Islanders, 4-0.
It was senior girls appreciation day at the Arena with seven girls finishing their careers and playing their last games for Coach Sam Sherman: Emily Smith, Alexa Fisher, Zoe Fisher, Phebe Bates, Meghan O'Rourke, Kate Kram, and Shelby Ives.
The coach had words of praise and appreciation for the senior seven and for goalie Jaime Forend who had a "wonderful year." Fortunately, Jaime will be one of the returning players next year.
Sports Highlights
Warriors pacified
Some will recall the not-so-distant past when Vineyarders wanted most to beat Nauset. Of course the Nantucket football game was akin to the Army-Navy rivalry, or Harvard-Yale, but year after year, when a winter sport was concerned, if the Vineyarders were to claim the Cape & Islands league trophy it was Nauset that stood in the way and had to be conquered.
There was some of that "old feeling" in the Arena on Friday as the purple and white suited up to do battle with the black and gold. Both teams had already qualified for the playoffs, so the only thing that hung in the balance was team pride.
On paper Nauset had the edge with a season record of 14-4-1 to the Vineyard's 11-4-4. But the Martha's Vineyard defense had allowed just 35 goals in 18 games while the Warriors had given up 43 in 19.
Nauset drew first blood five and a half minutes into the contest on an unassisted goal by James McCloud. Three minutes later Matt Flynn tied the score, assisted by Tad Gold. Then Nick Billingham did the honors with linesmen Gazaille and Gold, putting Martha's Vineyard up 2-1 with five minutes remaining in the period, time enough for Troy Niesgoda to beat Martha's Vineyard goalie Mike Capen with the equalizer.
The only goal in the second period belonged to Troy Niesgoda assisted by his brother, Dean.
The third period belonged to the Vineyard. Colin Hurd's goal at the six-minute mark evened the count at three. Gold put the Islanders up to stay with help from Trey Rasmussen with less than five minutes remaining and when Nauset pulled its goalie for a sixth skater, Billingham found the empty net. Gazaille and Rasmussen were awarded assists on the play.
Mike Capen won the duel of goalies, stopping 17 of 20 shots on goal. Nauset's Zach Cowing blocked 24 of 29 chances.
It was senior appreciation night at the Arena. Receiving the estimable applause were David Flanders, Elliot Bilzerian, Jason Schwab, Antone Silvia, Nicholas Billingham, Tad Gold, Mike Capen, Colin Hurd, Trey Rasmussen, and Matt Flynn.
Ending on a high note
The Martha's Vineyard Regional High School girls junior varsity basketball team finished its season with a win over visiting Abington at the Sancy, Thursday.
Leading 39-33 with minutes to go, the Islanders ran off nine unanswered points beginning with Hanna Persson's trey and closed out the scoring, 48-33.
Sarah Williston had the hottest hand scoring 17. Hanna Persson had 11 and Alex Mark, 8.
Coach Maureen Hill has reason to be pleased with the girls 11-8 record.
Masterful Ocean
Ocean Eversley, 50, is preparing for the 2009 Indoor National Masters Championship track meet to be held at Landover, Maryland next month.
Ocean has competed in three events this winter. On January 18 she ran 800 meters in 2:48 at the Greater Boston Track Club's Invitational meet at Harvard, shaving five seconds off her personal best time for the event.
At Boston University, on February 13, she ran the 200 (meters) in 30 seconds. On Sunday, Feb. 22, in the New England Indoor Championships at Harvard, Ocean ran the 400 in 68 seconds.
Ocean is now ranked number one in the U.S. in her 50-54 age group at 200, 400, and 800 meters.
Bulls, Heat win
The RCBL teams were short-handed, Monday, due to school vacations and the opportunity afforded to fathers to take their families off Island.
In the first game of the twin bill, the Bulls won a low-scoring game (by RCBL standards) defeating the Knicks, 80-57. Will Burvey was most bullish with a game-high 30 points. Also in double figures were Mike Manfredi (20), Clark Agnew (17), and Scott Dyer (11).
The Bulls broke on top, running up a 16-5 lead, but then cooled down and the Knicks took advantage to lead 23-20 after the first 12 minutes of play. The Knicks went cold in the second quarter scoring only six points. The Bulls took full advantage and led at the half 39-29. With Manfredi filling the net from beyond the arc, the Bulls coasted to an 80-57 win.
In the nightcap game Jason Dyer could not miss from long range. Thirty of his game-high 39 points were of the
ICBM variety. Both Damon Mello and Sterling Bishop contributed 25 to the Heat's winning score of 115.
All five of the Lakers finished in dual columns - Nate Scott (34), Adam Rebello (26), John Healy (18), Caleb Nicholson (17), Jared Silva (12) - but they trailed the Heat at the buzzer, 115-107.
Beginning next week, March 5, the RCBL will begin playing two nights each week, Mondays and Thursdays, at 6:15 and 7:45 pm.
RCBL Standings
Warriors 5-1
Heat 4-3
Bulls 4-3
Lakers 2-4
Knicks 1-5
Tennis on the Cape
Players from the Vineyard Tennis Center at the airport took on off-Island opponents at the Falmouth Sports Center last week in ladies and mixed doubles.
Susan Johnson and Cathy Lattanzi won their first set with ease, 6-2, but were challenged in the second, 6-5, as time ran out.
Christine Paffendorf and Sue Fuller battled with the second team. Long rallies resulted in a tight win, 6-4, 7-6.
Connie McHugh and Paul Adler challenged the strongest mixed doubles team and tasted defeat. Strong serves set up easy net play for the Cape team, which prevailed, 6-2, 6-1.
The closest match was at second mixed doubles. Deb Rosenthal and Fran Megan prevailed easily in the first set, 6-2. But their opponents changed strategy in the second and won, 6-4. The third set was knotted 2-2 when time ran out.
Mixed doubles teams and singles players traveled further to the Mid Cape Tennis Center. Jill and Al Woollacott played at first mixed doubles, meeting an aspiring teaching pro and his partner. Despite the loss, the Woollacotts enjoyed some talented shot making and strategy.
Carmen Wilson and Tom Rosenthal also met a strong team. The Islanders won only a few games but appreciated the opportunity to meet strong new opponents.
Reid Yennie had the closest battle. Evenly matched with another high schooler who plays in USTA tournaments, Reid stretched his court time into the final minutes, losing by just a few games.
Kia Minor soars for a lay-up in her last game for the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School basketball team. Kia finished the season and her high school career with a game-high 21 points.
Photo by M.C. Wallo
Riding a Green Wave
The varsity girls basketball team finished is season on a high note with a 55-32 defeat of Abington at the Sancy, Thursday.
Senior Kia Minor, playing her last game in purple and white, led the assault on the Green Wave basket, scoring 21 points. The team's other seniors, Alexia Schroeder and Erin Morris, combined efforts for another 10 points and were keys to a strong defense that stole the ball 15 times.
The seniors, Kia, Alexia and Erin, were honored for their leadership and dedication.
The Islanders lead at the half was 25-14.
Crystal Miske scored eight points, six from downtown.
Darts at the P.A.
Mike Dow, Ken Cottrill, Jack Welch, and Linda Wood were the winning combination the first two weeks of the Martha's Vineyard Dart League winter-spring season. On February 12, the Dow team topped Jake Gifford & Co. (Pat Whalen, Fred McDougal, Brenda Welch) 10-1. The following week they topped Ray Blanchette, Kurt Crossland and Raphael Magri, 8-3.
Kurt Crossland tossed a 112 three-dart-on. Brenda Welch scored a 99 three-dart-out.
Icing the cake
Six skaters of the Island Ice Skating School skated in the seventh annual Golden Blades ISI competition at Bridgewater last weekend.
The youngest Martha's Vineyard skater, two-year-old Savannah Meader received a gold medal for her performance in Tots level 2.
Hunter Meader, 6, competed in Hockey Agility and Speed, placing first in both categories. Hailey Meader, 8, earned third and fourth place medals in Artistic 3 and Freestyle 3.
Lacey Dinning, 9, competed in Freestyle 1 and placed fifth. Alyssa Whitney, 10, received two gold medals for her work in Artistic 4 and Footwork 4.
Darci Whitney, 13, was sixth in Artistic 4 and second in Footwork 4.
The skaters are coached by Julie Meader and Diana Woods.
