LYNNFIELD — Last year ended in disappointment for the Pioneers as their season ended without a bid for the state tournament, something head coach Sue Breen and her players were hopeful about.
“We were really disappointed because we thought we did enough,” Breen said. “We thought when we won our eighth game, we would get in.”
This year, Breen and the Pioneers are confident in making it. Lynnfield won its ninth game of the year against Melrose – a team that was also fighting for state qualification. Melrose had an 11-point lead at halftime, but the second half belonged to the Pioneers. Lynnfield outscored Melrose 26-11 in the second half to pick up the crucial win.
The win moved the Pioneers to 9-11 on the year, but more importantly, placed them at No. 28 in the power rankings. Last year, when they missed out, they were ranked No. 33.
“We’re a much better team this year than last year,” Breen said. “We played a more competitive schedule.”
The Pioneers suffered a slow start this year, failing to win in their first four games.
“We started slow. We couldn’t put the ball into the basket,” Breen said. “One of the games, we had to play with only six players because we had three kids sick.”
Despite the slow start, Breen described the two wins before the New Year as “really important” to turning the season around. The Pioneers defeated Gloucester and Shawsheen on back-to-back days, winning both by double digits.
Some key players who helped turn the ship around were senior Isabella George, junior Jaelynn Moon, and sophomore Erika Pasquale.
George was a first-team all-conference player last season, as well as Pioneers’ leading scorer.
“It’s always nice when you have your leading scorer return,” Breen said. “As our point guard, she was very steady.”
Breen said the team, at the beginning of the year, was “dependent” on George. As the year went on, however, more players began to contribute.
Breen said Pasquale “grew leaps and bounds” and is a good passer who “sees the court well.” Breen also pointed to Pasquale’s defense, adding she would often guard the opposing team’s best player.
Moon came off the bench and was Lynnfield’s “spark.” Breen described Moon as the Pioneers’ “best low-post presence who is a good passer.” Breen also mentioned that Moon showed a lot of growth from last year and had four double-doubles this season.
The Pioneers finished the year winning nine of their final 16 games, and now await Saturday’s decision to see if they did enough to qualify for the state tournament.
