By Julie McCay Turner
Bedford’s Lady Bucs varsity basketball team clinched their fourth successive Dual County League Small Championship even before the end of the 2015 season. The Lady Bucs are undefeated in their division, and statistically there isn’t a team in their league who will be able to beat them by the time the season ends on February 16. Other than the rifle team, no other Buccaneer team has won four championships in a row.
“I have been given the privilege of coaching an amazing group of girls the past four years,” said Coach Matt Ryan. “I have never been nervous in my life coaching basketball other than the first day of practice in 2011. Kristen Baratta and Elizabeth Watson were the co-captains that year, and they welcomed me into the program and went along with everything I was pushing the team to do.”
Under Ryan’s leadership, the culture of the program has changed over the past four years, and he gives all the credit to the players: “I am not an easy guy to play for with my intensity, and I know that. I accept the criticism I’ve received over the years but honestly brush it off and don’t think twice about it. My only concern is my relationship with my players and what they think about me.”
Games are only about 10% of the season, noted Ryan. “We are together for at least 2 hours every day over the course of 3+ months. I am hard on [the team] because I know what they are capable of and I know they respect that. I have actually had players get mad at me for not yelling at them during games because they use it as motivation.”
Coach Ryan attributes the Lady Bucs’ 2015 season’s record of 11-5 to a slow start as the team found its way after Alaina Greaney and Samantha Cowan, key players in last year’s team, graduated and went on to play college basketball for Division 2 and Division 3 schools.
“We use the same ‘next man up’ strategy as the Patriots,” said Coach Ryan. “This year is the same as the others: players go off to college, new girls come in, and we create a team.”
“Every year we have had a different team,” said Ryan. “We have tried new schemes and plays and the girls have always been positive and receptive to what we were trying to do. I have been very lucky to have Robin Lowe and Jim Greenwood with me the past four years assisting with the program. The accomplishments this program and the individual girls have received are well earned. We have been able to have at least 4 DCL All-Stars on our team every year. It is all attributed to the talent and competiveness of the girls. I constantly remind [the team] that the coaches can only tell them what to do, but they are the ones that have to execute. 100% of the credit for what this program has accomplished the past four years needs to go to the amazing players. I am just lucky enough to be the guy they chose to coach them.”
Seniors Kristen Bullock and Amanda Cohen have started each of their four high school years with Coach Ryan, and this year’s team includes three siblings. Members of the Class of 2016, Olivia and Nicole MacLellan, are playing alongside their sister Jess , a member of the Class of 2018. Junior Bridget Towle stepped into a starter role this season and quickly became one of the team’s best players.
The Lady Bucs’ season began on December 12, and there are two games left to play, both at home on February 10 and 12h versus Westford and Wayland respectively.
The February 12 game will honor the four seniors on the team, which includes Keara Russell and Rory Lavery as well as Kristen Bullock and Amanda Cohen.
The Lady Bucs will end their regular season on February 16 in a regular season finale tournament at St. Mary’s of Lynn. They will then have the week of February vacation to prepare for the state tournament which will begin during the week of February 23.
A Lady Bucs Photo Gallery – Click each image to enlarge it and to read its caption
Celebrating!
Loading ...
