Male Athlete of the Month:
Gerald Ellison
by Connor Walker
Pembroke Basketball's breakout star Gerald Ellison. Senior forward Gerald Ellison has been incredible throughout the season so far and doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon. So far with help from others Ellison has greatly contributed to his team helping them have a record of 11-5 with only a few games left to play. Ellison has been averaging 11 points, 11 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game throughout the season which are really impressive numbers.
When asked, Ellison said what his personal goal was for the rest of the season and he said, “My goal is to make more 3 pointers to help his team stretch the floor out.” “The team's goal for the rest of the season is to win the state championship."
Owen Reardon said this about Ellison, “He's pushed me harder this year, he's been great to have at practice and he brings all the energy, he's the heart and soul of this team”.
Photo by Andyilles
Photo by Marty Ward
Female Athlete of the Month:
Alissa Marcella
by Jaelyn Resil
The Female Athlete of the Month is Alissa Marcella. She is a Sophomore guard and plays for MT Elite Ducks as well as Pembroke High School Girls' Basketball.
Q. What made you decide to play basketball and how old were you when you started?
A. I think I started playing in 4th grade. I always loved sports and loved playing them. I played soccer for a little bit and my mom told me to start playing basketball. While playing I found out that it was a really competitive sport and I was always very competitive so it made me really like it.
Q. What was your best game so far? Points earned?
A. My best game this season was v.s. North Quincy, and I scored 31 points.
Q. What do you think has gone well for you?
A. I think that even though I'm not a captain I have been able to step up and be a good leader for the team. I can help the team when we are in a slump and try to bring back the energy.
Q. What has been the best part of the season so far?
A. Definitely playing at the TD Garden vs Sandwich, and it was incredible and we are playing on the floor that the Celtics play on and being close to their locker room.
Q. What are you looking forward to in the next two years playing for the school?
A. Hoping next year will get league champs and get that banner. I love my team and we have great chemistry and I look forward to what we will be able to do in the future.
Q. Do you have a hype song that you like to listen to? And why?
A. ‘Why I love you’ by Jay-Z gets me fired up and gives me energy.
Q. Do you have any weird or fun superstitions?
A. I'm not really big on superstitions, but sometimes I will wear the same socks if I have had a good game, and I always get Marylou's before a game with one of my teammates.
Q. What does your future look like? Playing in college? Playing in the WNBA?
A. I know that I want to play in college, and I know that I'm only a sophomore so I still have time to think about what I want to do after college.
Photos by Kathryn Taylor
Photo by Silver Peak Studios
Photo courtesy Tammy Derochea
Girls' Varsity Basketball
by Nora Smith
Girls' Varsity Basketball had an amazing season with a record of 13-8. The team is young, having no seniors and many underclassmen on it, but extremely skilled and talented. The girls basketball team went into the round of 32 on February 29th against Reading Memorial. Although Pembroke lost, this was a competitive game as the teams were ranked close, Pembroke being #18 and Reading Memorial being #15. Junior Captain Caroline Balasco describes the game, “Reading just seemed to be hitting more shorts than us but we got the score up and played hard.” Balasco is excited for the team to come back next season and is very hopeful.
photo credit @AndyillesPhotog
Boys' Basketball
by Sam Hegerich
The boys basketball team finished as the 13th ranked team in division III and have just beat Weston in the first round of the playoffs. They finished 13-7 and beat Weston (20th seed) in the first round 79-67 where Matt Delcore led the team in scoring with 31 points. Led by the all stars Matt Delcore, Thomas Halloran, and Gerald Ellison, they are looking to make a push for the state championship. Ellison was asked what makes the team great. He said, “The chemistry and just the way the Pembroke program is run.” The surprising player was also Ellison, who transferred from Rockland this year and has been outstanding, earning himself a Patriot League All Star. Their best game came on senior night against Plymouth North where they won 76-61 and had a surprising player in Owen Higgins where he knocked down eight three’s combined with Delcore’s 35 to propel them to a win. With the regular season ending the Pembroke boys basketball team prepares for a deep playoff run with hopes for that state championship.
Boys' Hockey
by Sam Hegerich
The boys' hockey team has had an amazing year so far. They are 11-5-4 and are in the top 10 in The MIAA Division 3 power rankings. They played Taunton in the first round at home where they won 3-0 with goals from Brandon Perry, Ryan Bradley, and Colin Blake. Pembroke is in line to play Grafton in the second round at home again on saturday. Last year the hockey team lost in the second round and are looking to go further than that. Senior Brandon Perry, The Alternate Captain, said, “If we keep this momentum up we should make a long run.” Perry was also asked who a surprising player was this year and Perry said, “Callaghan Nee has been great defensively and can hit great for his size.” Perry had just got his 100th point against Quincy where he had three goals and one assist. Their best game of the season came against Plymouth north when they upset them 3-1. They all played their very best and all came together to get the win. As the season wraps up the state championship is all that is on their minds.
photo credit @AndyillesPhotog
Wrestling
by Sam Hegerich
The wrestling team just finished their season where Senior Nate Rosas and sophomore Logan Schipper competed for a division III state title at Wakefield High School. Rosas walked away as the South Sectional Champ. Rosas was asked who a surprising player was and he said, “All the first year wrestlers, the freshman did a great job and even surprised me.” Rosas is the team Captain and is happy about how his season turned out. They got a couple of wins and are excited how next season will turn out. Senior Captains Jack Farrell and Rosas are upset that their season is over but excited to see what the underclassmen can do next year.
Photo by Jack Farrell
photo courtesy Ryan Kanya
Swim Team
by Nora Smith
The Pembroke Swim Team’s season came to an end with both team and individual successes. Captain Rowan Donlon says, “Swim had a great season. While we didn’t have very many overall wins, everyone dropped time and improved significantly, which is always the goal.” The team is overall proud of their accomplishments this season, although they are losing multiple seniors they are excited for what next year will bring.
photo courtesy of @pemberlakegymnastics (instagram)
Gymnastics
by Nora Smith
The Pemberlake girls Gymnastics team ended their season on a good note. The team only had 8 girls this year but still did great. Junior Ella Shea says, “Even with having a very small team this year we were able to become the Patriot League champions. Our best meet of the season was against Hanover where we scored a 134.85.” The girls had a good season and are already excited for what the next season will bring. Ella says, “This season was very fun and we’re looking forward to next year.”
Photo courtesy Alexa Lewis
Girls' Hockey
by Nora Smith
The Girls Varsity Hockey team had a great season with a record of 16-5-0. They had many successes and ended their regular season as being ranked #8. Their first tournament game was Thursday February 29th against the #25 Whitman Hanson-Silver Lake team. Before the game, Captain Maria Cantino recalled their last game against the team, “Silver Lake-Whitman Hanson was a difficult game for us. They knew our strategies and our weaknesses which made it tough, but we ended up winning in overtime.” Pembroke won 5-0 and are now headed into the round of 16.
Photo by Marty Ward
Photo courtesy Pembroke Track Team
Indoor Track
by Sam Hegerich
The boys track team is in the midst of getting ready to bring home some state titles. Joe D’angelo, Jayden Leonard, Riece Dunton, and Luke Lamar qualified for the 4x200m relay at the State Meet of Champions but also are competing in their own race, with D'angelo and Leonard running the 55m and Lamar running the 55m Hurdles. D’angelo was asked what makes the team so great. He said, "The coaching is what makes this team great. We have 4 coaches who really dedicate themselves to helping the team succeed.” They also have a great coach in Coach Rooney who was recently inducted into the Massachusetts State Track Coaches Association Hall of Fame. With how these boys have been running they could easily bring home a state championship.
*Follow PHS Athletics on Twitter @PHS_Titans for any updates.