Plympton-Halifax Express

You are here: Home / Archives for Thomas Joyce

Boys hockey trounces Blue Hills

By

In their final home game of the season, the Silver Lake High boys’ hockey team clicked on offense, defense and in net. As a result, they trounced Blue Hills 7-2 on Saturday, Feb. 16, improving to 7-10-4 on the season.

Kevin Cardarelli led the way, putting up a hat trick. In addition to his three goals, senior captain David Marani had a pair while Andrew Johnson and Cameron Cavicchi each found the back of the net as well. Plus, Nicholas Solari dished out a team-high three assists in the win. Freshman Grady Sullivan picked up the win in net and once again gave the Lakers exactly what they needed.

The game was also senior night for the Lakers which means they honored their five seniors prior to the game. This season, such names include: Sean McNeilly, Ryan Sullivan, senior captain Alex Heffernan, Marani and Johnson.

The win was also crucial for the Lakers as it kept their playoff hopes alive. While the Lakers will not win 10 games this regular season, beating Blue Hills put their record against fellow Div. 3 opponents on the season at 3-4-1. This meant that if they won their bout against Rockland on February 20, they would earn a spot in the MIAA Div. 3 playoff bracket thanks to the Sullivan Rule. This also explains how the team made the playoffs in each of the past two seasons.

This season, the Lakers scoring effort has been spread out. Headed into this week, their top-three scorers had the exact same point total on the year. Marani, Heffernan and Cardarelli had each put up 23 points apiece. Plus, Johnson was just behind them with 21 points.

That said, the Lakers will have to replace three of their top four scorers on offense next season but in terms of defense and goaltending, they will be loaded with experience.

Boys basketball routs Hingham 8

By

Eight — that is the number of games the Silver Lake High boys’ basketball team had won in a row. At the midway point in the season, the team had a losing record and their playoff chances were in doubt, but they have been dominant ever since. The latest example of this came in their home Valentine’s Day bout against the Hingham Harbormen. In it, the Lakers overcame a double-digit point deficit in the second quarter and picked up a 70-58 victory. The win improved their record to 12-6 on the season.

With the team trailing 30-17 a few minutes into the second quarter, Josh Gilbert hit a three-pointer and Josh Murphy followed it up with a fast break to cut Hingham’s advantage to single digits. The team continued playing sharp defense and early in the third quarter, a Murphy three-pointer made it a 37-33 game.

Hingham then hit a three, but the Lakers responded with a 13-0 run of their own. Nolan Hughes started the run with a bucket. Murphy followed up with a layup. Then Gilbert hit a three to tie it at 40-40; Gilbert then gave the team the lead on a trey. At the end of the run, they led 46-40.

The fourth quarter was hard fought, but the Lakers got hot towards the end of it and ended the game on a 12-4 run to secure the victory.

Gilbert led the team’s offense, scoring a team-high 23 points against Hingham. In addition to the points, he also grabbed eight rebounds and dished out four assists in the winning effort.

The Lakers excelled from three point territory in the win, hitting 47 percent of their shots from outside the arc.

This weekend, the Lakers will likely find out who they are set to face in the playoffs next week.

Lakers B-ball tops Quincy

By

Sophomore Forward Ben Lofstrom looks for the rebound. (Photo by Aaron Duke)

The Silver Lake High boys’ basketball team was dominant in the second half against a tough opponent, and their prowess from the floor made the difference.

The Lakers hosted the Quincy High Presidents on Wednesday, Jan. 30 and walked away with a 61-47 win. With the win, they improved to 7-6 on the season, according to MaxPreps.

The Lakers found themselves in an early hole with the opposition leading 15-6 late in the first quarter. However, a Ben Lofstrom fast break and layup gave the team some momentum–which carried over into the second quarter.

A couple of minutes into it, Lotstrom hit a three-pointer, bringing the Lakers within two points 18-16. Still, the Lakers would not end up holding the lead just yet. That happened as the third quarter progressed.

Down 39-35 early in the third quarter, Silver Lake’s offense exploded. They went on a 26-5 run which extended well into the fourth quarter and ended up being the difference maker in the bout.

Lofstrom tied the game at 39 apiece while a Josh Gilbert three pointer at the end of the third quarter gave the Lakers a 42-39 run. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, a three pointer from Danny Duggan extended the team’s lead to 45-41, and they continued pulling away.

Duggan and Matthew Bettle sank back-to-back three pointers in a 12-0 run which put the Lakers up 57-43 with a few minutes left in the game, essentially putting the contest out of reach for Quincy.

In the win, the Lakers hit 53 percent of their shots, including 62 percent of their three pointers and 85 percent of their free throws. Meanwhile, they held Quincy to a 38 percent field goal rate.

The Lakers next bout is this upcoming Tuesday, Feb. 11 on the road against the Falmouth Clippers (6:30 p.m. start time).

Silver Lake girls swimmers qualify for states, sectionals

By

The Silver Lake High girls’ swim team will have some competitors at the state championship meet later on this month.

That is because they have had strong performances during Patriot League meets this season, showing their talent in a number of categories.

Junior Alexis Connors will make it back to states for the third straight year and will show off her versatility in the process. She qualified for the state championship in three different events through the Lakers first five meets of the season (in which they went 2-3).

Leading the way for the team, she has earned the right to compete in the  200 freestyle, the 200 individual medley and the 500 freestyle. Plus, qualified to compete in sectionals in the 100 breaststroke.

To qualify in the 200 freestyle, she swam a 1:56.71 in the team’s meet against Duxbury last month; in the 200 IM, her first place finish against Quincy (2:17.56) got the job done; and in the 500 freestyle, her winning time against Duxbury (5:08.55) also got the job done. She qualified for sectionals in the 100 breaststroke against Rockland (1:14.71).

Connors will not be going to the state meet alone. Senior Katherine Morrissey has also qualified to compete there for the Lakers in the 100 butterfly. She swam a 1:01.13 against Duxbury in order to earn the nod. She will also compete in the sectionals meet in the 100 breaststroke.

The girls 200 freestyle relay team also qualified for sectionals earlier in the season. In addition to Morrisey and Connors, junior Chloe Duran and sophomore Aly Truckenmiller round out that team.

The Lakers wrapped up their regular season on Wednesday, Jan. 30, against Hanover. Now, a handful of their swimmers will continue practicing to prepare for sectionals and states–although those dates have not yet been announced.

Reeder-Morning makes debut following ACL injury

By

The Silver Lake High girls’ basketball team might not be enjoying the best results this season, but they have one reason to be more confident now.

That is because they had been missing one of their top players for the first seven games of the season with a torn ACL and now, junior captain Holly Reeder-Morning is back on the court for the squad.

Reeder-Morning is a third-year varsity player and made her season debut on Tuesday, Jan. 8. She came off the bench in the Lakers loss against Scituate, wearing a brace on her right leg.

The Lakers were enthusiastic about her return to the court as their official athletics account tweeted out, “Welcome back Holly!” with a video of her jogging onto the court to sub in before a Scituate player took two foul shots.

Reeder-Morning, who missed all of soccer season with her injury, was a key asset to the Lakers squad last season and is one of the few returning varsity players. She was a Patriot League All-Star as a sophomore so certainly, her ability on the court will provide the team with a boost as she works her way back into the lineup.

Reeder-Morning will also provide the girls’ soccer team with a boost next season as she missed the entire fall with her injury this season; she was also one of the soccer team’s top scorers during the fall 2017 season.

The Lakers have a chance to pick up their second win of the season in their next contest on Friday, Jan. 11. They host the Whitman-Hanson Panthers. The start time for the game has yet to be announced but presumably, it will take place at 6:30 p.m., the typical start time for the team’s varsity Friday games. Whitman-Hanson is 5-2 this season, according to MaxPreps.

Silver Lake girls’ hockey co-op building experience

By

With only two seniors on their roster this season, the Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake girls’ hockey co-op is working its way up and gaining experience along the way.

As of the start of the week, the Skaters were 0-4 on the season, although they played a competitive game against Marshfield on Thursday, Dec. 27, they dropped 7-6. They fell to Archbishop Williams in their other contest last week 8-1 on Saturday, Dec. 29.

Looking up and down the Skaters’ roster, they are an extremely young team. The bulk of their roster is comprised of sophomores with 12 in total. There are also five freshmen and two juniors, meaning they should have most of their roster returning next season as well.

On the attack, the Skaters are led by a few Silver Lake players: junior captain and forward Alyssa Murphy (3 goals, 1 assist), sophomore forward Ellie Grady (2 goals) and freshman forward Lilly Ulvila also has a goal this season while her classmate Abby Powers has a pair of assists. Murphy is back with the team after playing for the Walpole Express junior hockey team last season. However, she was dominant as a freshman for Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake, putting up 20 goals and 23 assists.

Kat Gilbert is back in net for the Skaters this season. The Silver Lake sophomore took the reigns her freshman year despite having played defense for the majority of her hockey career prior to high school.

Even so, she has recorded 77 saves through the team’s first four contests. Sophomore Rylee Moran, also a Silver Lake student, serves as the team’s backup in net and has made six stops so far this season.

The Skaters next bout is this Saturday, Jan. 5 (5:15 p.m. start time) against the Pembroke Titans at Rockland Ice Arena.

The Titans were 6-0 as of the start of the week, according to MassHSHockey.

Silver Lake boys’ basketball continues to be competitive

By

The Silver Lake boys’ basketball team has played some tough basketball this season.

At the start of the week they were 3-3 on the season and five of their six games so far this year had been decided by single-digit margins. The lone exception to this was their 62-42 blowout win over Plymouth North on Thursday, Dec. 20.

Right now, the Lakers goal has to be to make it to the tournament. After all, they barely missed out on it last season and finished the year at 8-12.

This season, they returned the majority of their squad. They have four of their starters from last season back and in total, there are 10 seniors on the roster.

On offense, the Lakers turn to Nolan Hughes for production. The 6-foot-5 junior was the team’s leading scorer last season and provides the team with a presence in the post.

In the senior class, point guard Josh Gilbert has proven himself as a dependable scoring option as well while his classmates, Dan Duggan, Matt Bettle and Cam Danahy, who round out the starting lineup, are also capable players on the attack.

In terms of depth, the Lakers typically rely on seniors Dan Coffey, Josh Murphy and Jack Peterson to provide the team with depth and valuable contributions off the bench.

Over the Winter Break, the Lakers had some tough luck in the Silver Lake Holiday Tournament. They dropped a 49-46 bout against the Sandwich Blue Knights on Thursday, Dec. 27. The next day, the Lakers faced the Falmouth Clippers and fell in a 45-38 contest.

The Lakers do not have any games scheduled for this week. Instead, their next bout is on Tuesday, Jan. 8 on the road against the Scituate Sailors (6:30 p.m. start time). The Sailors were 4-0 on the year as of the start of this week, according to MaxPreps. 

SL girls basketball falls to Hanover

By

Number 14, Molly Terbush, prepares to make her shot. (Photo by Aaron Duke)

The Silver Lake High girls’ basketball team played hard and enjoyed success at various points in the matchup. Ultimately, however, their opponent surged in the fourth quarter and the team did not get its first victory of the season.

The game was tight after three quarters, but Hanover pulled away in the fourth and ended up winning the contest, 62-49. With the loss, the Lakers fell to 0-5 on the season.

The Lakers enjoyed a lot of success in the first quarter, taking a sizable lead. By the end of it, they found themselves up 22-12 thanks to some sharp shooting and stout defense.

In the second quarter, the Lakers were able to preserve this lead, although the game started to become a little more evenly matched. Still, they took a 34-26 lead into the second half.

In the second half, Hanover gained the edge in terms of momentum. They outscored the Lakers by nine points in the third quarter and ended it with a 42-41 lead. They also held onto the lead in the final frame.

Hanover went on to outscore the Lakers by 12 points in the final quarter of the bout in order to pick up the victory.

The Lakers are on the younger side this season with the overwhelming majority of their players being underclassmen. With this in mind, they have some young talent on their squad that should grow and develop over the next few seasons.

This year’s team has five seniors on it including: shooting guard Izzy Ruprecht, point guard Jessica Stas, small forward Brianna Villanova, small forward Angela King and small forward Stephanie Barrett.

The Lakers next game is on Friday, Dec. 28 at home against the Falmouth Clippers (5:00 p.m. start time). The Clippers are 0-1 to start the season, according to MaxPreps.

SL field hockey building up for the future

By

The Silver Lake High field hockey team had a bit of a rebuilding year this past season, but there were certainly positives to take away from it.

The Lakers finished the season at 2-14-2 under first-year head coach Lori Bennett, but saved some of their best play for the end of the season; in their final three games, they went 1-1-1, picking up three points in the standings. In both of the team’s wins, goaltender Sophie Russo had shutouts in net, making the job a lot less stressful for her team’s attack.

With the season over, the Lakers will lose eight seniors to graduation, six of whom were in their starting lineup. These players include Russo, Megan Fay, Hayden Wechter, Colleen Foley, Ashley Swift, Stephanie Bennett, Joe Detterman and Cassie Peck. Of that bunch, Russo, Fay and Foley were the team’s captains.

Although they are losing a pretty good sized senior class, they will have plenty of talent coming back next season. After all, field hockey teams have 11 starters which means nearly half of their starting lineup is expected to return.

Most notably, the team’s returning scorer, Abby Colton, should be back again next season. The junior put up a team-high six goals this past fall. This should prove especially beneficial for the team as offense was not their strong suit this year, so bringing back a top scorer along with some experienced varsity players may help them there.

In addition to Colton, junior Rosalie Moynihan, and sophomores Ava Mirisola and Paige Nally were among the team’s key players this past fall, so they should help propel the Lakers next season in even bigger roles.

The Lakers will also have some of their JV players from this past season help fill some of the voids on their roster next fall.

SL Football ready for Thanksgiving bout against Pembroke

By

The Silver Lake High football team has a real opportunity to end their season on a strong note this Thursday.

The Lakers have been in what is essentially a rebuilding year, going 2-8 in their first 10 games, but they can at least up that total to three wins as they host the Pembroke Titans on Thanksgiving morning (10:00 a.m. start time) in their annual bout.

While the game does not really have any implications, it will be one to remember for members of their senior class as it will be the final football game of their Laker careers.

This year’s senior class is exceptionally small for a Patriot League football team, featuring just nine players in all: Jake Waters, Ben Winslow, Dan Duggan, Cam Danahy, Dan Walsh, Bobby Ohlson, Alex Duke, Marshall Roy and Derek Ingersoll. Waters, who has been an asset to the Lakers as a defensive back, may be able to participate in the Thanksgiving bout despite having missed much of the season with an injury.

The game provides the Lakers with a few opportunities: one being to potentially pick up their first Patriot League win this season, another to get their first home win this year and another being to see what type of shape they are in headed into next season. The team will have plenty of returning starters so the bout will be a good indicator of where they look sharp and where they need to improve .

for the 2019 season.