RallyNorth.net

Georgetown junior Taryn O'Connell could've done without the celebration that ensued when she scored her 1,000th and 1,001st career points last night.

The milestone meant little to the 5-9 forward, who was far more concerned with her team being only seconds away from having its season come to an end.

As far as the Georgetown Royals girls basketball team is concerned, tournament rankings don't mean a thing.

In a matter of five days, the No. 15 seed Royals (12-10) have turned the Division 4 North bracket upside down with upsets over No. 10 Lowell Catholic (59-52) and No. 2 Matignon (67-62). With a variety of experienced upperclassmen and passionate coaches in BarriAnn Alonzo and Bob Graffum, the Royals look to continue their dominance against another higher-ranked squad in No. 3 Mount Alvernia (16-2) this evening (7 p.m., Concord-Carlisle).

No. 15 Georgetown pulled off the biggest local upset of the state tournament thus far, shocking No. 2 Matignon, 67-62, in the first round of the Division 4 North tourney.

Taryn O'Connell tallied 24 points and 17 rebounds for the Royals, who improved to 11-10. Matignon, which fell to 18-3, trailed 45-23 at halftime before outscoring Georgetown 39-22 in after the break. But they couldn't overcome the Royals.

With just one game remaining in the regular season, the Manchester Essex girls basketball team is playing its best when it really matters.

The Hornets are trying to get the highest possible seed in the Division 4 North tournament which will begin in two weeks. After losing on the road to Georgetown, 56-35, in its season-opener, the Hornets exacted revenge on the Royals by taking a 60-47 win on senior night in Manchester. Centers Allison Hogan and Dani Ciccone are the only Hornet seniors and they were honored before the game.

Taryn O'Connell scored 12 points and Haley Gisonno scored 13 points to lead Georgetown in a tight contest. The Royals, however, fell to North Andover, 43-34.

Nicole Zahoruiko hurt the Royals down the stretch, scoring 21 points for the Scarlet Knights. Georgetown hung around for much of the contest, only trailing 25-23 at the half. North Andover outscored the Royals 18-11 in the second half, however, to pull away. The Knights improved to 8-5 and the Royals dropped to 7-6 on the season.

Taryn O'Connell tallied 18 points, 13 rebounds and three assists for the Royals (6-5). Julie Fehlmann added 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Haley Gisonno had 13 points, nine rebounds, and three steals. The Royals snapped a four-game losing streak.

Newburyport sophomore Lindsay Tomacz has seen her share of pressure situations as goalie of the Division 3 state champion soccer team.

But her soccer talents couldn't help her last night when she came to the free throw line four times in the closing three minutes of a River Rival game with Georgetown.

WEST NEWBURY | Sophomore guard Emily Lane is making the most of her opportunity for the talented Pentucket girls basketball team.

Primarily a JV player last year, Lane is among those battling to provide the Sachems with added depth this season and, in last night's 59-20 romp over Georgetown, she once again stated her case, scoring seven points on 3-of-4 shooting with one 3-pointer and generally moving the ball effectively in the backcourt.

Experience is a coveted thing in high school sports.

If you can couple that with talent then you have a deadly combination as the Rockport girls basketball team found out last night. They hosted Cape Ann League Small rival Georgetown, who boasted all five returning starters (although one is out with an injury) from a team that went 14-8 last season. The Royals led from start to finish in an impressive 60-24 win.

2006-07 record: 14-8, lost in Division 4 North quarterfinals

Returning starters (5): Gina DeGenova, 5-5, Jr., guard; Haley Gisonno, 5-10, Jr., center; Taryn O'Connell, 5-9, Jr., forward; Julie Fehlmann, 5-9, Sr., forward; Kelly Gillen, 5-7, Jr., forward