Mussachia - Manchester Essex Beat St. Mary's Lynn

Joe Mussachia Has Manchester Essex Flying High

The Mass & NH High School Basketball Report visited St. Mary's of Lynn tonight to watch our seventh ranked junior Joe Mussachia. Mussachia had just recorded his 1,000 career point last evening in a win against Georgetown. Tonight the talented 6'5" wing man turned it on in the fourth quarter to help turn a 43 - 38 deficit at the end of three into a 61-50 victory when it was over. Mussachia had a series of plays in the fourth quarter that inlcuded an offensive put-back, a neat length of the court bounce pass after a steal, and some great kicks to his teammates as Manchester was playing four down and letting Mussachia create off the dribble. Also playing well for the Hornets was senior Brian Ciccionie who scored 18 points inlcuding several offensive rebounds for put-backs. Sophomore guard Nick Gagliolo played well for St. Mary's netting 20 points.

Here's our analysis of the top players in the game:

Class of 2011
Joe Mussachia of Manchester Essex impressed tonight with his ability to put the ball to the floor and create off the dribble. It is clear that the 6'5" junior's handle, passing, and shooting have all improved. Mussachia also plays hard and plays with the purpose of winning, and the result has been good for the Hornets who are 11-4 so far this season. Mussachia still needs to improve his ability to go right with the dribble and needs to continue to improve his jump shot. Because he is so talented, Mussachia is given no breathing room, and sometimes makes it easy for his defender to cover him. Mussachia needs to do a better job moving without the basketball while using his teammates, and change speeds to get open. Having said all that, there is no doubt that Mussachia is a scholarship player.

Class of 2012
Nick Gagliolo of Saint Mary's was impressive tonight and showed that he has nice range and can knock down the three. Gagliolo is 6'2" tall and has good size and a good basketball body. He has a chance to be a special talent. He needs to work on developing a mid-range game and on creating off the dribble.

Sean Nally of Manchester Essex is a scoring point guard. The 5'9" sophomore had 10 points tonight as he worked hard at filling the lanes when Mussachia rebounded and dribbled it out. Nally has a good understanding of the game and knows how to compete. Nally's shot needs work as it has a sideways rotation. He also missed a few passes tonight as he got caught with his head down.