January 29, 2014
By Ellen Oliver
Basketball – Girls
The Chieftains are poised for a return to post-season success, qualifying for the play-offs with their 83-54 win over Auburn. The key for the girls is to look no further than the next opponent.
“We are focusing on each game, seeing what we can do to get better,” said senior Cecilia Burke, who is a team captain along with Emma Duggan and Emmalie Keenan. While the focus may be near-term, there is a larger goal. “We really want to win, we’re looking for states. For me, it’s the last year to do it,” added Burke.
With an 12-0 record, Nashoba has been dismantling opponents with double digit leads. Friday’s game against Marlborough was a 51-21 victory with juniors Kelly Poole netting 10 points and six assists, and Erin Cressman with 10 points and 11 rebounds. The only close games this season for Nashoba were the opener against Algonquin (48-44) and Westborough (55-53).
“We focus on the things we’re not doing well when we play tough teams,” said Burke. “The tough teams show our weaknesses. They’re good for us to play. We know in the playoffs we’ll be playing tough teams.”
Basketball – Boys
The boys are sitting in the middle of the Midland B League with an 8-4 overall record, 3-2 in the league. The boys have won three of their last games, including a great win over Shrewsbury on Sunday (63-51). The boys lost a close one to Westboro last night 59-54.
Hockey – Girls
The combined Algonquin/Hudson/Nashoba team is trying to turn the tide after 2 losses and 2 ties in the last four games. The team still has a winning percentage, now 5-3-3.
“We could be playing better,” said Janice Bolton, one of the Nashoba players on the new co-op squad. Nashoba had been in a co-op with Gardner last year, but switched to Algonquin when the Gardner team switched to Leominster. Bolton played members of her former Gardner co-op team early in the season, beating them 2-0.
“It was bittersweet playing against them,” said Bolton. “I made a lot of friends on that team.”
Bolton said Algonquin’s search for additional players coincided nicely with the needs of the Nashoba community.
“It’s been a good switch. It’s easier for us. We play at NESC [in Marlborough] while Leominster/Gardner played in Fitchburg,” she said.
Hockey – Boys
After struggling with a tough opening schedule, the boys’ ice hockey team is still trying to regain their footing. The Chieftains racked up three wins over the last five games, but the last two were losses to Oakmont (3-1) and North Middlesex (3-2). The team is 4-5-2.
Indoor Track
The boys and girls team competed in the MSTCA Invitational Track and Field Meet. The girls relay team of Sarah Militano, Meiling DellaGrotte, Stephanie Palis and Kristina MacLure placed sixth in the 4x200m relay (14-11.75). Militano also took third in the 55m (7.28). MacLure placed fourth (41.16) in the 300m and 16th in the long jump (4.56M)
Wrestling
Nashoba defeated Tyngsborough 26 to 17 with six no-contest weight classes due to a small but talented Tigers team last Wednesday night. Nashoba wrestlers Mike Dube (126), Ronan Ball (145), and Brian Heffernan (182) pinned their opponents. James Kilgo (132) outscored his opponent 17–1 for a technical fall in the third period. Jake Kallio (160) won a seesaw match in overtime 8–6. Isaac Luke (113), Josh Hodsdon (138), and Nick Picccioli (152) fought challenging matches but lost to seasoned opponents. The wrestling squad is now 11-1-1 on the season.
Swimming
With one win under their suits, the swim/dive team celebrated senior night on Friday night during the meet with Bromfield. This year’s seniors are Cameron Buccholz, Spencer Dansereau, Matt Glauner, Andrea DeLisle, and Danielle Tremblay. The team lost to Bromfield 93-80, but took home a win the meet before, beating Gardner 82-79.
Nordic Skiing
With almost 30 skiers on the team this year, the Nashoba Chieftains placed sixth in the boys and girls races on January 14. Gareth Carey (36th, 17:36) was the top finisher for the boys and Olivia Hurd (23rd, 17:27) for the girls.
Alpine Skiing
In the January 23 ski race, the boys’ squad placed 7th with 278 points with Luke Traverse the fastest Nashoba boy. The girls were fifth with 399 points bolstered by a third place finish by Jenna Peabody.