Sports
By Don Lyons - December 15, 2005
Allison Carr shoots, with Nicole Woodard watching. Photos by Ralph Stewart
Girls win a laugher
At the MVRHS girls varsity basketball season opener as a member of the South Coast Conference, Tuesday, in the Sancy Pachico Gym, one found oneself rooting for Greater New Bedford to make a field goal They trailed at the half 34-2. Both of their points were made from the foul line.
In the second period, New Bedford's Jessica Starkie found the hoop from the floor and with seconds left on the clock did it again. Final score: MV 60, NB 10. Nina Butler, Taylor MacDonald, and Brittany Stone scored in double figures. Kelly Silvia and Allison Carr both contributed eight.
Prior to the girls game a handsome new scorer's table, donated by the MV Coop Bank, was received with gratitude by AD Glen Field from bank president Dick Leonard.
Athletic Director Glen Field (right) accepts the gift of a new scorer's table from Dick Leonard and the MV Coop Bank.
Boys at GNB
At Greater New Bedford, Tuesday, the MVRHS boys varsity found the going tougher. The teams played themselves into a tie with three minutes left on the clock. But New Bedford had the last laugh and won by six, 57-51,
Vineyarders Matt Rivers (18) and Jacob Vanderhoop (10) scored in double figures.
Tuesday, the MVRHS varsities, boys and girls, play at Apponequet.
This Saturday the boys and girls freshmen basketball teams are host to Dighton-Rehoboth: girls at 11:30, boys at 1 pm.
Tisbury's Larissa Cacique hurries the ball up court pursued by Naomi Scott. Lauren Lucas follows the play.
Interscholastics
The girls interscholastic basketball season got underway slowly at Oak Blufs with the Blazers hosting fhe Eagles of Edgartown. After seven minutes of play the score was 6-4, advantage Edgartown. In the next five minutes OB rallied to lead at the half, 10-7.
The second half was a different story. Edgartown, led by Haley Pierce, rang up twice as many points as they did in the first, to finish with 21. Haley's 10 were the game high.
But Oak Bluffs did even better ending up with 32. Seven Blazers contributed to the winning total of 32, paced by Katie Hines's 8.
At Vineyard Haven, the Tisbury Tigers bested the West Tisbury Hawks, 33-24. Both Katie Cecilio and Larissa Cacique had 15 for Tisbury. Maili Scott scored 14 for the Hawks. Molly Fischer and Crystal Miske each added six.
In the JV game, the WesTiz girls led at the half, 12-2, but cooled off in the second period while Tisbury warmed to the task and overtook the Hawks to win, 15-14.
Boys - week 2
The Oak Bluffs Blazers trailed Tisbury by as much as 11 in the first half of their game at OB, Tuesday, but at the break they had reduced the deficit to seven, 28-21.
Eric Dolliver had ruled the defensive board for the Tigers and Michael Araujo and Mark Nicowal had combined for 18 points to lead the offense.
The Blazers scored the first eight points of the second half to take the lead, 29-28. Tisbury responded with eight of their own and went up, 36-29.
At that point referee Phil Hughes injured an ankle and had to retire. Robin Maciel Wingate came from the stands to sub for the injured ref.
For the next ten minutes, the teams exchanged goals with OB scoring two to Tisbury's one. With two minutes remaining a bucket by Lance Todd put the Blazers ahead to stay, 47-46.
Lance Todd was high for OB with 14. Michael Jette had 12. High scorer for Tisbury was Michael Araujo, with 16. Cole Maciel and Mark Nicowal added a dozen each.
The Tiger-Blazer junior varsity teams were well matched in the first half and reached the break tied at 10. But in the second period, the Tigers couldn't buy a basket and the Blazers got hotter and hotter, grabbing every rebound and running off 14 points to claim the game, 24-10.
At West Tisbury, the Hawks flew higher than the Eagles, 55-51. Lian McCarthy (14) and Michael Kendall (13) were high for WesTiz. Edgartown's Justin Mercier had the game-high 25, and Nick Jerome added 13.
Edgartown won the junior varsity game, 21-16.
Tisbury vs. Charter
Andrew Williamson had the hot hand and scored 20 points for the Tisbury JV in their 48-12 drubbing of the Charter School, Monday.
Guilermo, Lorena Seri, Stefano and Francesca Varela
Tennis for kids - It's free
The head pro at Vineyard Youth Tennis (VYT) is Guillermo Varela, a 38-year-old Argentinian who lives in Vineyard Haven with his wife, Lorena Seri, daughter Francesca, 7, and son Stefano, 4.
Guilllermo studied physical education and graduated from the University of Obras Sanitarias. He received a one-year scholarship amd studied at Auburn in Alabama.
As a younger man, he traveled the pro tennis circuit playing tournaments in Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Paraguay, Spain and France, to name some. Before coming to the Vineyard he was the personal coach of 15th ranked Meghan Shaughnessey in Arizona.
On Island, his students range in age from three through high school.
Guilermo Varela shows Connor Downing how to serve the ball.
Guillermo shares his dedication to tennis with a passion for soccer, a game he played in and out of school.
According to Karen Downing, mother of seven-year-old Connor Downing of Edgartown, Guillermo makes learning tennis fun. "Connor is up there five days a week and loves it." One of the nice things, Mrs. Downing said, is that VYT makes time for kids to play with their parents every other weekend. Connor's father, Chris, tracks his son's improvement personally. "It's getting harder," Mrs. Downing said with a chuckle.
Learning tennis at VYT is not only fun, it is free, thanks to the generosity of Gerald DeBlois of West Tisbury. For more information, call Vineyard Youth Tennis Inc. at 508-693-7762.
