Tough Spy Ponders team pulls away in 70-60 loss
Published January 15, 2021
By JENNIFER GENTILE
MELROSE—It wasn’t a regularly scheduled game but ended up being must-see viewing. In a last-minute scheduling addition, the Melrose Red Raider basketball team hosted the visiting Arlington Spy Ponders and while they fell, 70-60, it was a wild game that saw Melrose (1-1) overcome a deficit of 57-35 to pull with four points with two minutes left. This weekend, Melrose will travel to Watertown to face the Raiders on Saturday and the game will be live streamed on Watertown public cable access.
Melrose’s previously scheduled game against Stoneham (who Melrose had played and beaten the previous week) was postponed due to COVID-19 issues in Stoneham. The Spy Ponders stepped in and played nearly two hours of entertaining, high-scoring hoop. Melrose senior captain Ryan Maher had 17 points and Chris Paul had 14 points plus numerous assists and rebounds, while Arlington’s Dennis Ho had 20 points and Myles Hess and Rowan Newman combined for 33 points.
Melrose, in fact, enjoyed a comfortable lead until close to halftime behind the work of Maher, Chris Paul, Cam Lippie and AJ Norton Jefferson, whose baskets helped Melrose enjoy early leads of 7-2 and 15-10. A Ryan Maher trey made it 18-12 at the close of the first. Maher hit his second of five three-pointers to extend that lead before Chris Paul and Max Kirby kept things going by making it 26-23.
A solid defense and zone play kept Melrose one step ahead of the Spy Ponders, but that would change as halftime approached. Arlington found their rhythm behind the shooting of Myles Hess who had six points before the close of the half. Arlington took their first lead of the day with just a minute to go with a Henry Burnes three.
Melrose’s AJ Norton Jefferson scored twice at the opening of the third, one off a great assist by Chris Paul. After a series of turnovers by Melrose, Arlington took advantage and pulled to a large lead of 55-35, making the game seemingly out of reach for the Red Raiders. However, Melrose, switching to man to man coverage, launched a furious late third-quarter comeback: an eleven point run fueled by junior Zach Federico who scored a series of baskets, along with a three from Hooper Ward, and two treys from Ryan Maher that had the bench on its feet and narrowed the gap, 57-46 at the end of the third.
Trailing 59-46 at the start of the fourth, Melrose launched a tremendous comeback, holding the Spy Ponders to 4 points while scoring ten of their own thanks to Andrew Norton Jefferson, whose rebounds were critical all game, and Cam Lippie, who scored a clutch offensive rebound to narrow the gap, 63-54. Chris Paul took control of things with eight points in the quarter, showing speed, dexterity and poise as he made it a 4 point game, 64-60, with two minutes to go on a smooth layup that had the Melrose bench and head coach Dan Burns fired up. Some bright defensive work by Hooper Ward helped keep Arlington off the boards, but in the last two minutes, Arlington’s big guys stepped up to keep the ball out of Melrose hands, taking the win 70-60. No doubt but the Spy Ponders felt lucky to leave the Melrose Middle School gym with a victory.
Tune in this weekend as Melrose travels to Watertown on Saturday, Jan 16 at 10:30 a.m. Action can be viewed during at live stream at wcatv.org.
