Lynnfield girls basketball hosted a scrimmage against Essex Tech on Wednesday evening. Even though the score after each quarter was wiped clean, it was a close, competitive game between two strong teams.
Early in the game, Essex Tech began in a 1-3-1 zone defense, which presented trouble for the Pioneers. Lynnfield, in the first quarter, couldn’t find holes in Tech’s defense.
“I wanted them to get used to how to cut [through the zone] and where to look to find the open players,” Breen said.
In addition to finding cutters, Breen instructed her players to press in the full court. The Pioneers started the second quarter in a 1-2-2 press, which disrupted Essex Tech’s flow. Breen’s team was clever in that they trapped the opposition. Lynnfield forced turnover after turnover, leading to easy points in transition.
“We did it [press] last year and the kids really liked it, and they are good at it…they definitely like [to] press a lot,” Breen said.
With Lynnfield forcing turnovers, the Pioneers played fast – to which Essex Tech couldn’t set up its zone defense.
At halftime, Lynnfield was playing with lots of confidence and went on a 9-0 run to start the third quarter. Breen got her team to find the cutters, leading to layups as opposed to the outside shots they were settling for in the first quarter.
The Pioneers played with a lot of energy, which translated to second-chance points as well. Diving on the floor for loose balls, and competing on the offensive glass were all positives to take from the scrimmage.
The fourth quarter saw more of the same (cutting and pressing) from the Pioneers. They found their flow and showed flashes of their potential.
After losing the first quarter, Lynnfield tied the second quarter and won the third and fourth quarters.
“We have so much to work on, but we have good athletes,” Breen said, also noting her team needs to get in basketball shape which takes time. “They have only been playing basketball for seven days so far.”
When asked what Breen would like to see in the upcoming season, she responded with “constant improvement.” Breen believes the team is capable of improving at every practice.
“We have seven kids back from last year and two newcomers. We hope they can keep improving each day. They look better than they did yesterday,” Breen says.
Between the 1-2-2 press and constant cutting, Lynnfield showed the ability and energy it can play with on a nightly basis. With Breen leading the way with her wisdom, alongside the youth at her disposal, Lynnfield girls basketball is on the right path.
Mark Aboyoun can be reached at [email protected]
