LYNNFIELD — There was a celebratory mood inside the gym at Lynnfield High Monday night, as players, coaches and alumni gathered with friends and family for the second annual “Play for Perry” Lynnfield Girls Basketball Alumni Game. The game honors former Lynnfield girls basketball coach Jim Perry, who died of a heart attack in June 2018 following his third season as coach of the Pioneers.
“It’s a great, fun night that’s commemorating a sad cause,” said Lynnfield coach Peter Bocchino, who was an assistant under Perry during his time with the Pioneers. “To see all of the alumni, the girls who played for him, to see them come back and contribute to the cause is great. It’s a great night.”
Perry took over as the Pioneers’ head coach in 2015, succeeding Bob Melillo. He wanted to establish an alumni game to bring pride and tradition to a struggling girls basketball program and many of his former players saw his wish through.
“Jim didn’t get to see the great program that we built up here with such great girls,” Bocchino said. “But they did most of this for him. They did a bunch of the legwork getting everybody on board and doing the fundraisers. Their effort is a testament to what he started here.”
Bocchino was proud of all the participants from teams past and present, happy that Perry’s memory was alive and well at the game. The players and alumni held numerous raffle fundraisers at the event, with all proceeds going to the American Heart Association.
As for the game, it was a close one. The current Pioneers came out on top for the second straight year, notching a 55-48 win.
Isabella George led the way for Lynnfield with 18 points and five rebounds, while Victoria Morelli had 12 points and five rebounds. Abby Adamo added seven points, while Caroline Waisnor scored six points.
For the alumni, Liz Shaievitz paced the offense with 12 points. Emma Mancini scored 11 points, while Abbie Weaver scored eight points and Katherine Lawless scored seven points. Kelly Look, Toni DiCesare, Emory Caswell, Jess Dwyer and Shannon Furey were also among the alumni who returned.
The two teams went back and forth to open the game, with neither team gaining a clear advantage in the first half. The Pioneers led for the majority of the first three quarters, but never had a lead of more than four points.
But in the fourth quarter, Lynnfield started to pull away. The Pioneers pushed their lead to as many as 10 points midway through the fourth quarter, thanks in part to some superb play by George and the Morelli sisters, Victoria and Melissa. While the alumni made one final run to close to within five points, Lynnfield ran out the clock for the victory.
“We had a lot of fun out there,” Bocchino said. “I didn’t play a lot of my starters until the end, just to give them a real run, but it was great. It’s just nice to get everyone out on the court to celebrate Jim and what he did here.”
The Lynnfield girls basketball team returns to action Tuesday (6:30) with a home game against Amesbury.
“It should be a great game,” Bocchino said. “It might be one of the best games of the year. If we can go out and execute the offense along with playing solid defense, we’re going to be tough to beat.”