RallyNorth.net

Thu, Feb 28, 2008 07:00 PM @ Lowell

Team	1	2	3	4	Final
Playoff Game Division 1 North -Quarterfinals
Methuen	13	13	6	13	45
Lowell	19	10	17	15	61

Loss nothing for Rangers to hang their heads about

Friday, February, 29 By Alan Siegel
Staff writer

Amid her teary-eyed players, Methuen High girls basketball coach Karen McLaughlin dispensed a small nugget of wisdom. "This is the hardest part," she said. "I always said, to get here, you had to be successful."

Not that it makes it any easier to take. The No. 10 Rangers, after all, fell to No. 1 Lowell 61-45 last night in the Division 1 North quarterfinals.

A small crowd of about 200 at Riddick Field House watched the Red Raiders (19-2) go on a 28-2 run in the second half to pull away.

What had been a close game | Methuen trailed 29-26 at the half | simply slipped away.

"We said in the break room that we couldn't lose the second half," said senior center Lea Freeman, who scored seven points. "But it didn't work out."

The Rangers (13-9) finish with their best record since the 1999-2000 season, when they went 17-8 and fell to Brockton in the EMass. final. Tuesday's win over Somerville also marked their first state-tournament victory in eight years.

"Each year," said McLaughlin, whose club qualified for the postseason for the second straight season after not making it since 2000-01, "we've made baby steps. We've been getting better and better."

Freeman leaves the program in much better shape than when she started. In her first two years, the Rangers went a combined 8-35. In the past two, they've gone 24-19. "In the years to come," she said, "Methuen's going to be awesome."

She may be right. Center Rashidat Agboola (8 points), who teamed with Freeman in the front court this season, is only a sophomore.

Still, the Rangers will miss Freeman.

"She's a great player, sort of unassuming," McLaughlin said. "But she's great when she comes to play."

They'll also miss senior Sujaliz Dominguez (game-high 14 points), a lightning quick point guard who McLaughlin said, "goes out and competes every single night."

Dominguez, Freeman and the rest of their teammates shed a few tears afterward. Understandable, considering the momentum they had built. Before last night, McLaughlin's club had won nine straight games.

But in the end, the Rangers fell to perhaps the best team in the state. After the season Methuen had, there's no shame in that.