Clips/ Feature Article

Lady Lancers prepare for first tournament match vs. Chicopee
By Richard Trombly | Longmeadow News : February 27, 1997

Shortly after this paper goes to press Wednesday, the Longmeadow High School girls basketball team faces the girls from Chicopee High School in the preliminary round of the Western Massachusetts Division I girls basketball tournament.

The seventh-seeded Lancers have been training hard for this upcoming home game. First season coach Kristen Flynn said she felt optimistic about Wednesday's game.

"It's been great," she said. "It's where we thought it would be. We're ready to go."

She brings two years of JV coaching experience to her new job and took the team to a 10-10 record for the season.

"The Lady Lancers were in similar standings before going on to last year's playoffs," said assistant coach Wayne Patterson. "They've been in the playoffs for the past eleven years but haven't advanced."

Longmeadow is fourth-ranked in its Valley Wheel League, with four wins and six losses against other Valley Wheel teams.

Bridget Dullea and Jessica Fanner are the two top scorers, with an average of 12.5 and 10.3 points scored per game. So far this season, Dullea has scored a total of 238 points and. Farmer follows with a total of 195 points.

Chicopee is 8-9 this season and was 10th seeded going into Wednesday's game. It ranks second in the Valley League. Chicopee's top scorer is Missy Beecher, with an average of 11.6 points per game and 208 scored so far this season.

If Longmeadow wins Wednesday, the team will face second-seeded Minnechaug on March 1. Flynn said her team was ready for the challenge.

"We are hoping to pull it all together," she said.

Patterson said he is pleased with the team's performance this year. He said that, although the team has a good offense, it is all defense at this time of the season.

"We have played against, and watched all the other teams," he said. "And by the time of the tournament, offense has no secrets."

While noting the talent displayed by Dullea and Farmer, Patterson and Flynn stressed the importance of the team playing as a unit.

"No matter what the outcome of Wednesday's game," Patterson said, "They will win as team or lose as a team."

Dullea, interviewed after a team practice on Monday, said that she supports the coaches' philosophy.

"If the team works together as a whole, we're going to make it through the game with Chicopee," said Dullea, a junior.

"Even though we didn't have a totally winning season, if we work as a team we can pull it off. The greatest challenge will be Minnechaug."

Minnechaug High School has an overall record of 18 wins and only 2 losses this season and their leading scorer, Jillian Danker, leads the league with a 23.2 points per game average and a total of 465 points scored so far this season.