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Masco's Stewart, Ipswich's Smith set for showdown tonight

Friday, January, 11 By Matt Jenkins
Staff writer

After hearing the question, Masconomet girls basketball coach Bob Romeo rocked back in his chair and took a deep breath.

The body language told the story of a man putting deep thought into the query. The answer that followed proved the thought was actually focused on finding a way to be polite. In your opinion, are Masco's Caroline Stewart and Ipswich's Amber Smith the two most dominant players on the North Shore?

"As far as the two players that have the most to offer at the next level, I would have to say yes," Romeo said in anticipation of tonight's showdown between his 6-1 Chieftains and unbeaten Ipswich (8-0) in Topsfield (7 p.m.). "Caroline's had the good luck of getting all signed, sealed and delivered at Boston University, and I know Amber is getting similar looks. When you're getting that type of look from the next level, that says something about them as players."

Romeo is a pretty good example of a hoop junkie, the type that finds local girls games to watch or scout when he's not coaching his own team. He knows the talent in the area, and after pointing out the strengths of some other North Shore basketball players, including Swampscott's Allie Beaulieu and Tara Nimkar, he couldn't help but come back to Stewart and Smith.

Stewart and Smith will match skills tonight in a game that will likely add fuel to the fiery debate over who is the better player.

Some would like to believe that Stewart and Smith snarl and curse at one another when they cross paths, but that's hardly the case. Friendly banter, smiles and laughter ensued when the two met for a photo at The Salem News office earlier this week.

Like all good high school basketball players, Stewart and Smith expect to be the best. It's only natural that a rivalry would develop between the two but it's remained friendly.

Stewart, who transferred to Masconomet after playing her freshman year at Pingree, scored her 1,000th career point just before Christmas. Smith, who is only a junior, followed by netting her 1,000th about a week later. Stewart was named the Salem News Player of the Year for 2005-06, while Smith took home the award last year.

Currently, Smith leads the North Shore with a 22.8 points-per-game average; Stewart is third at 18.4. Both are their team's leading rebounders.

Although their styles are different, it's easy to compare the two because of the ways they help their respective teams win.

Neither one likes to openly compare herself to the other, but they see ways to improve when watching each other play. "Her height is nice. That's not something I can actually get though," the 5-foot-8 Smith laughed, in reference to Stewart's 6-foot frame. "Caroline is strong and smart | and being a smart player is not always something I possess."

Stewart and Smith were quasi-teammates with the Mass. Warriors AAU program a few years ago. Technically, they were on different teams, but practiced together frequently. It was at that point that Stewart recognized how hard Smith worked.

"I'd take her toughness," Stewart said of her counterpart from Ipswich. "To take my toughness plus hers ... I would be going through people.

"Amber's got a lot of heart, too. I'm a small post player and for her to be smaller than me, it's a lot of work. I know that she's put a lot of time into it." There may be a friendly rivalry between Stewart and Smith, but according to Ipswich head coach Mandy Zegarowski, it's hard to consider the Masconomet-Ipswich matchup a true rivalry at this point.

"We've lost big to them two years in a row, so as far as we're concerned it's not a big rivalry," Zegarowski said. "It looks like it (this year) because of the records, but rivals typically have tight, back-and-forth games. We haven't played great (against them) or haven't been able to compete against them. It's a challenge for us."

Ipswich has played Masconomet twice over the last two years, and both games were over early. The Chieftains beat Ipswich, 66-32, two years ago and dropped a similar 60-38 score on them last season.

Both Smith and Stewart feel Ipswich's supporting cast is more prepared for a big game this time around. For instance, when Wilmington held Smith to a season-low 16 points earlier this week, it was Hannah Macklin who knocked down four 3-pointers and scored 14 points to help the Tigers prevail. "I feel like we've developed a deep bench this year and are clicking as a team," Smith said. "We're working together very well with our chemistry. We have less standout players and more of a team. When we have three or four players that are hot, it's a good thing."

In 2<1/2> years as a high school player, Smith has seen all sorts of gimmick defenses thrown at her. She knows she can still score against them, but realizes it's a much better option to involve open teammates.

Stewart insists Masco won't run any special defenses for Smith tonight, and you can't expect many 1-on-1 matchups between the two. But you can expect an Ipswich team that is excited to get an enormous challenge from a Cape Ann League power.

"I think it's huge for the team's confidence to be 8-0 going in to Masco. It's a good feeling to walk in having won a couple good games (this season)," Zegarowski said. "We've said all along that we have to take it game by game. You only get one high school career and you have to enjoy each game | then prepare for the next one."