Seniors celebrated as season ends early
Published February 19, 2021
By JENNIFER GENTILE
MELROSE—The Melrose Red Raider basketball team saw their season cut short this week due to COVID-19 policy, cancelling both scheduled games against rival Wakefield and an appearance in a league tourney season finale. It was a stunning and disappointing end for Melrose, who finish now 4-4 on the season and without having seen Wakefield for two games. Melrose did however, manage to get 9 games in during a season in which many teams temporarily shut down earlier in the season.
They say goodbye to departing seniors Andrew Beauchesne (captain) AJ Norton Jefferson (captain) Ryan Maher (captain) along with Zach Horgan, Connor Doherty and Hooper Ward. According to Melrose head coach Dan Burns, this was a group of upperclassmen who led during the strangest and most unpredictable seasons in the history of the program. For that, their legacy will stand.
“Our seniors were great leaders,” he says. “This was not the season they expected and they adjusted well. It’s hard to think what might have been to get a few more games in and see a larger pool of competition in the tournament. We wanted it so much. But we got to play 9 games in a season in which some schools didn’t compete at all, or just had a handful of games. We’re glad for the season that we had.”
It’s worth noting that Melrose had a .500 season against a very competitive league. Wilmington put a scare in Melrose twice, Stoneham was vastly improved and both Burlington and Wakefield would have enjoyed a strong playoff run season in any other year. Add undefeated Watertown and you are looking at two games each week against teams Melrose couldn’t sleep on. “There were no nights off,” says Burns. “No easy wins. It will be interesting to see how the Freedom League teams do against the Liberty competition moving forward.”
Officially, Melrose’s last date of play was a 49-39 loss to Burlington at home on Wednesday, February 10. A talented Red Devil team took an early lead of 23-8 behind the shooting of Burlington’s Shane Mahoney and freshman find Eric Sekyaya. Burlington was a 3-pointer team who scored 7 of them in the game. Melrose’s Ryan Maher led in scoring with 13 points, a double-double with numerous assists and great defense in his career finale. Junior Chris Paul also had a strong game with 8 points courtesy of some successful foul line appearances. Melrose had some key moments, including a seven-point run in the second that narrowed the gap at 26-15 at the half. But Melrose looked like a new team in the second half courtesy of some key shooting and defense from Ryan Maher, Chis Paul and junior Zac Federico. Melrose would pull it to 35-30 at the end of the third on an Ellis Davis shot, and Federico nailed a layup that drew a foul to keep it a 35-34 game in the fourth. But the three point machine burned Melrose and the Red Devils stretched their lead to 44-34 and 47-37 for an ultimate 49-39 win.
According to coach Burns, the plan was to keep Burlington to under 50 points. While he saw some good defensive moments, Melrose’s inconsistent offense was hard to overcome. “We had some turnovers and missed layups that made the difference. I think maybe we saw a little bit of inexperience on the court. Much of this season has been a learning curve for us. The players coming back next year are gaining valuable experience. And I think they know that next year, just because you’re a year older, that doesn’t mean you’re a year better. You have to work on it in the offseason.”
It’s bittersweet to say goodbye to his seniors, Andrew Beauchesne, Andrew Norton Jefferson, Ryan Maher, Zach Horgan, Connor Doherty and Hooper Ward, many of whom were sophomores when Burns came on board at Melrose. He feels that his captains, Andrew Beauchesne, AJ Norton Jefferson and Ryan Maher deserve all the credit in the world for leading during a pandemic season. “Andrew is a gritty and tough kid, a great kid who loves the game—truly a defensive specialist,” he says. “AJ is a player who had to wait his turn to get his starting spot and he really took to his role as captain. He’s a tough physical player and great rebounder. And Ryan is a natural leader who stepped into the his role easily. He led in scoring for us this year. He’s just strong in all areas of the game.”
But the future is bright. Melrose returns some key players including starters and heavy-time players like Chris Paul, Zac Federico, Cam Lippie, and Ellis Davis. Until then, it’s up to Melrose Red Raiders to sharpen their game in an increasingly-tough Middlesex Freedom league. Summarizes Burns, “I think we’ve shown what we can do this season. We won games and in those we didn’t, we certainly battled back from deficits. We give competitors a run for their money.”
