Byran Hurley Heading to Bowdoin

Byran Hurley

A couple of day's ago we announced that our 24th ranked senior in Massachusetts, Lincoln Sudbury center John Swords would be playing his college basketball at Bowdoin College.

Today, we announce that Boston College High School standout Bryan Hurley will be joining Swords at Bowdoin. Hurley had narrowed his choices down to Rochester and Bowdoin before making the decision. Hurley, a 5'11" point guard, is our 9th ranked senior in Massachusetts. We watched him on the road this Spring and Summer with the Middlesex Magic and we were impressed with his desire to win. Hurley is a scoring point guard who can knock down jump shots and can get to the rim and finish.

Hurley has had a great career at BC High where he has averaged 15 points and 6 assists in his career. It was much of the same on opening night when Hurley posted 16 points and 8 assists in BC's big win over Brockton.

Connor Green and John Wickey Battle It Out

Connor Green leads Bishop Guertin to victory

The Mass & NH High School Basketball Report visited Bishop Guertin High School in Nashua, NH this evening to watch several of our top rated NH boys compete in what many think is a preview of what is to come in the division 1 NH State Finals. In this highly anticipated contest, our #3 rated NH senior (John Wickey) and our #7 rated senior (Connor Green) battled it out.

In the end, it was the pressure defense of Bishop Guertin that prevailed in a closely contested contest. The Cardinals came back from a 36-27 deficit to win 62-55 behind 25 points from 6'5" G/F Connor Green. Green scored in a variety of ways knocking down the three, getting to the rim off the dribble, as well as adding a couple of nice pull ups.

In the first half it was the play of John Wickey (20 points) that propelled Manchester Central to a half time lead as the 6'7" forward dominated the paint. When Wickey stepped out and hit a three Manchester Central would go up 26-23 and have a lead that they would not relinquish until the 4th quarter. We were impressed with Wickey tonight as he showed that he can run the floor, has good rotation and a nice touch, and can get after it on the boards.

Also impressive tonight were Manchester Central's 5'9" senior guard Audie Melendez who knocked down a couple of big threes and finished a couple of nice baskets around the rim to finish with 14 points.

Bishop Guertin's 6'2" G/F Logan Kesty finished with 9 points, including a big three to put Guertin up 49-48 with 7:10 to play. Kesty also put together another 4 point run late in the game to tie the score at 55-55 and then give Bishop Guertin the lead 57-55. Bishop Guertin would not give up another point the rest of the way as their pressure defense forced several Central mistakes down the end.

Bishop Guertin's 6'3" forward Sean McClung (our #8 rated senior) added 11 points and Manchester Central's 6'0" guard Gabe LaCount (our #6 rated junior) finished with 10 points.

Jeff Amazan Leads East Boston

Jeff Amazon Leads East Boston


6'3" senior wing Jeff Amazon (our 23rd rated MA player) scored 27 points for East Boston as the Jets improved to 2-0 with a 68-43 Boston City League win over Latin Academy last evening. Teammate Steve Winn added 16 points.

St. John's Shrewsbury's Richard Rogers Nets 1,000

Richard Rogers Scored His 1,000 Point

Senior Richard Rodgers led all scorers with 21 points and earned his 1,000th career point with a put-back early in the game to help Saint John's Shrewsbury (1-3) win their first game of the season with a 63 - 43 home victory over Xaverian (0-1). Center Matt Palecki added 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Pioneers.

Kelsey Brown Leads Oyster River

Kelsey Brown Had Big Night

Sophomore guard Kelsey Brown (our #2 ranked NH sophomore) scored 22 points, had 12 rebounds, 3 assists, & 3 steals in Oyster River's 54-41 win over Coe-Brown Northwood Academy on Tuesday night. After trailing by five at halftime, Oyster River turned up the intensity in the second half and went on a 9-3 run over the final four and a half minutes of the third quarter. Danielle Walczak's (our #1 ranked NH senior) made a layup with 30 seconds remaining in the third quarter giving the Bobcats their first lead at 33-32 since midway through the second quarter. Brown started the fourth quarter by knocking down a deep 3-pointer to extend Oyster River lead to 36-32. Oyster River never looked back.

Swords to Bowdoin

John Swords To Bowdoin

Lincoln Sudbury Senior center and Captain John Swords will play basketball at Bowdoin College next season. Swords is our 24th ranked senior in Massachusetts. As we said before, Swords is an intriguing big man because his size automatically changes the game. At 6'11", he can block and/or changes a slew of shots. Swords can also move a bit for a big guy and can finish close to the basket. Swords is a great pick up for Bowdoin and we expect he will be an impact player in the NESCAC from the get go. We congratulate him on a great choice.

Andover Gets Best of Vonleh, Haverhill

Joe Bramanti Leads Andover

The Mass & NH High School Basketball Report visted Andover High School last night to watch Andover's Joe Bramanti & Sam Dowden take on Haverhill's Noah Vonleh. Last night Andover got the best of the young 15 year old as the Warriors prevailed 59-50.

Joe Bramanti had 22 points including a big three to start the fourth quarter that was part of an 11-0 Andover run that stretched a 42-38 lead into a 53-38 lead with 5:00 minutes left to play in the game. Bramanti also connected on a couple of nice pull-ups and had a nice finish in transition. Sweet stroking Sam Dowden was his usual efficient self as he scored 15 points on 7 of 10 shooting from the floor and put the ball in the basket in a variety of different ways. We love Dowden as he is a complete player that gets the job done in so many different way. He started the game with a college looking pull-up off the dribble, knocked down a three that came off his hand with beautiful rotation that was all net, and had both nice right and left hand finishes in this one. Dowden also competed hard and was active on the glass for the Warriors.

As far as Noah Vonleh, he really never got a chance to get into this one as he got his first foul less than 30 seconds into the game when he was dribbling East-West and no advantage was gained. He got his third foul with over two minutes left in the first quarter on a charge that was taken with the defender standing under the basket and falling down before the contact. What should of been an and-one turned into a game changing foul that put Vonleh on the bench for the remainder of the first quarter and all of the second quarter.

With three fouls, Vonleh for the most part became the designated passer on the offensive end. The 6'7" phenom ran the point, and found the open man every time the help came. As a result, Haverhill was 10-23 from behind the arc (all open looks) and stayed close until Andover's fourth quarter run. Vonleh finished with 6 points on 3 for 8 shooting, had 12 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 8 assists in 2 1/2 quarters of play. Vonleh, who had received his second big time offer from Pittsburgh just yesterday had Syracuse long time Associate Head Coach Bernie Fine in attendance to see him. Vonleh need not worry, at 6'7" he plays above the rim, can play five positions on the court, and has a very high basketball I.Q. Last night it was quite impressive to watch him run the offense from the point guard position. He's as good a 15 year old as I've ever seen. The future is big and bright for Mr. Vonleh.

Andover moved to 1-1 with the win and Haverhill starts the season 0-1.

Nicole Boudreau Nets 1,000 Point

Nicole Boudreau scored her 1,000 point

Andover and Boston College bound Nicole Boudreau hit the 1,000 point mark last night as part of an 80-51 drubbing of Methuen. Boudreau scored 21 points and added 10 steals, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists on the evening. That's quite a night. She hit a jumper at the beginning of the fourth quarter for her 21st point of the game and her 1,000 point before retiring for the evening.

Boudreau is a combo guard who has a history of putting up big numbers. She is a deadly shooter from the outside but she can also attack the hoop and finish at the rim. Boudreau is also an exceptional passer. She seems to thrive when the game is on the line and likes to have the ball in pressure situations. Boudreau plays with a little swagger to her and plays with a lot of heart and confidence. She is a natural leader who loves to win. Boudreau is currently a top 100 prospect in the country and it will be fun to watch her finish her career in Andover and to follow her for her four years at Boston College.

Boudreau is on pace to shatter the school record held by 1998 Andover graduate Charlotte Muller (1,616). Given she has two years to play, a healthy Boudreau will surely do that.

Noah Vonleh Lands Another Big Time Offer

Noah Vonleh lands Pitt Offer

This article appeared on ESPN Insider on December 14, 2010

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recruiting/

Noah Vonleh (Haverhill) picked up his second high-major scholarship offer on Tuesday from Pittsburgh.

Panthers assistant coach Pat Skerry was in the Haverhill gym to watch practice and extended the offer before leaving. The Panthers join Boston College, who became the first high-major school to offer the talented sophomore earlier this summer.

Despite the early offers, this is undoubtedly just the beginning of Vonleh's recruitment as schools like North Carolina and Kentucky have already called to express interest, according to Vonleh's AAU coach Vin Pastore.

"He's 6-foot-7 and plays all five positions on the floor. He's actually playing the point at Haverhill this year," Pastore said. "His skill level is through the roof as well as his body."

Vonleh's development has been quick and consistent since entering the high school ranks a year ago when he averaged 18 points and 13 rebounds in his freshman season while earning all conference nods.

Since that time he has celebrated his 15th birthday in late August, grown another three inches, developed a powerful body despite having never lifted a weight, and seen his skill set blossom at an equally rapid rate.

Pastore, who is known for his ability to develop skilled young big men (most recently Evan Smotrycz and Carson Desrosiers, says Vonleh is still only scratching the surface of his potential.

"He already has a college-ready body and a handle that is a weapon. The next thing is the shot," Pastore said. "He has good touch but the next step is to make the shot a weapon. He can already go where he wants, he's strong, he's physical, his body is coming fast now."

Vonleh's sophomore campaign is set to begin on Tuesday night when his Haverhill squad tips their 2010-2011 season against Andover High School with an assistant coach from Syracuse expected to be among those looking on.

Expect that door to be a revolving one for the rest of the year as Vonleh has the tools and talent to be among the very best prospects in the country.

Bishop Feehan & Lexi Sells too much for Attleboro

Lexi Sells Heads to the Basket

On Monday evening, the Mass & New Hampshire High School Basketball Report was on hand to see Bishop Feehan take on cross town rival Attleboro. Bishop Feehan features our 4th ranked junior Lexi Sells. Attleboro hung tough with Feehan in the first quarter trailing by only 5, but Feehan responded with back-to-back 20-point quarters, outscoring Attleboro 40-19 over the second and third frames and eventually cruised to a 72-43 victory. Junior guard Lexi Sells lead the way with 15 points and 12 rebounds. We have always said that Sells is a special player. Tonight Sells proved just that, as she didn't have her best shooting game, but showed that she can score in variety of other ways. She was relentless at attacking the hoop, and very aggressive on the glass rebounding at will. Feehan also received a strong effort from 5'10" senior forward Kate Hill. Hill pumped in 11 points for Feehan, 9 of which came in the first half. Attleboro's Briana Hochwarter who tallied 20 points in her season opener against Sharon finished this one with a team high 13 for the game.