It didn’t take long for Olivia Foley to find her shot.
Well, seeing as she’s a returning Daily News All-Star, that shouldn’t have come as too much of a surprise.
But after putting together an equally-impressive season on the volleyball court this fall to earn herself a Daily News All-Star nod in that sport, too, Foley wasted no time carrying that momentum over to basketball. The senior tri-captain led the way with 17 points on Tuesday, leading Newburyport to a commanding season-opening win over visiting Essex Tech, 50-23.
Another senior tri-captain, Maddie Hopwood, chipped in 9 points along with sophomore Ava Bailey, and Morgan Rouba drained two 3s and finished with 7 points.
And for the Newburyport boys, it was an emphatic TKO.
Fresh off a run to the Division 3 quarterfinals last year — and with a roster to perhaps go even further this time around — the Clippers opened their season on the road and steamrolled Essex Tech, 86-30. The result certainly acted as a continuation from last year, where the Clippers won their CAL games by an average of 27.1 points per.
Returning Daily News MVP Carson Gretz drained a 3 and had a game-high 17 points, and fellow returning Daily News All-Star Cal Atherton was right behind with 16 points on a pair of triples. Sam Craig hit double figures with 10 points, and 6-foot-6 junior Ben Cormier showcased that he’s going to be a factor this year with 8 points.
AMESBURY: Boys and girls both 2-0!
You’d have to go back nearly two decades to find the last time both the Amesbury boys and girls basketball teams started off 2-0.
For the boys, it was the 2015-16 season.
For the girls, it was the Division 4 State Championship season of 2021-22.
For both together, it’s a mystery. The website MaxPreps has records dating back to 2005-06, and it hasn’t happened once during that now-19-year stretch.
But at long last, the streak is over.
Both the Amesbury boys and girls teams can brag at school this week that they’re 2-0 following wins over Ipswich on Tuesday. The boys put together an epic third quarter to take down the Tigers, 66-62, while the girls absolutely cruised in their second straight game to the tune of a 57-26 blowout.
Trailing by 21 at halftime, the boys won the third quarter, 32-9, to miraculously take a 51-49 lead into the fourth. Trey Sullivan finished with 24 points on six 3s and hit three of those triples during the frame, and Parker DeLong also scored 9 of his 12 points in the quarter. John Adams hit three 3s and finished with 9 points, and Connor Mazzaglia hit two from beyond the arc and chipped in 8 points.
For the girls, the dynamic duo of Ellison Talbot (14 points) and Ellie Marden (13 points) were out in front. Also, the freshmen tandem of Olivia McKay and Delaney Sargent are each averaging over 5.0 ppg across the team’s opening two games.
PENTUCKET: Girls roll; Pipan excellent in OT loss
The final score is a touch deceiving.
The Pentucket girls opened up a sizeable lead over Lynnfield, and were able to withstand a last-minute, eight-point flurry to hold on for a 58-50 victory on Tuesday. Amelia Crowe hit a pair of 3s and finished with 21 points, Allie Gagnon chipped in 9 points, Lexi Thompson was right behind with 8 and Chloe Dancewicz added 7.
For the Pentucket boys, Matt Pipan did all that he could.
The senior captain poured in a game-high 29 points on six 3s, but the Panthers weren’t able to pull it off in overtime in a 56-47 loss to the Pioneers. Fellow captain Dylan Scott had a solid game with 9 points.
GEORGETOWN: Yones, Royals force 27 turnovers
With 3-point threats and athleticism all over the court, we all knew that the Georgetown boys would be able to score the basketball this year. But if the Royals are going to defend like they did during Tuesday’s season opener … wow, look out.
How does forcing 27 turnovers sound?
In what had to make coach Josh Keilty proud, Georgetown was relentless with its press and its defensive intensity in a 72-35 stifling of Rockport. When any team defends like that, the offense always comes easier at the other end.
The Royals certainly found that out with Marcos Yones leading the way with 16 points. Brady Kent hit a pair of 3s and had 13 points, Jalen Andujar made three triples and chipped in 11 points, and senior John Alcantara came up with 7 points.
TRITON: Boys doubled up by North Reading
The North Reading boys basketball team came out with its hair on fire during Tuesday’s season opener, and Triton wasn’t able to match the intensity in a 81-40 loss. Leading the way for the Vikings was Jason Holscher with 12 points, and both Harrison Huynh (9 pts) and Mateus Pinto (7 pts) had solid games.