If you want to see a dominant high school sports team, then look no further than the Silver Lake girls softball team.

The Lakers came into this week undefeated, at 12-0, putting them near the top of a handful of statewide rankings. That is even a big deal for a team who returned a lot of talent, but not a surprise for a team that has played as well as they are playing.

Their most impressive win of the year came last Wednesday, May 3, when they beat Bridgewater-Raynham, 5-4, on a Jill Richards walkoff hit. Albeit she hits well for the team, she is also their primary starting pitcher for the team and a major reason why they are playing as well as they are this year.

Although they are a talented squad, what impresses about the Lakers simply put is their ability to find ways to win games. Sure they have played their share of blowouts, beating up on weaker competition, but have five wins by two runs or less, a sign they do not give up when they face adversity. And among those blowout wins was a 30-0 win over Hingham on Monday, May 1, which is about as much of an indication that the team can hit as possible.

The team is led by their senior captains Emily Critch, Kelly Danahy, Anna Battista and Caroline Videtto at the top, although the team is loaded with valuable players.

The way the Lakers have played this season, they have already clinched a spot in their respective playoff bracket and they appear to be poised for another deep playoff run. After all, they made it to the south section final last year and the state final a year prior.

The Lakers next game is Friday, May 12 at Duxbury High School, and the time is to be determined.

Last year’s high school softball star is this year’s college softball star.

It did not take 2016 Silver Lake alum Maddy Barone long to make a major impact on the Southern New Hampshire University softball team.

Albeit she is only a freshman, Barone has been her team’s most-used pitcher. To start the week, she had made a team-high 23 appearances, including 17 starts, and she had pitched a team-best 109.2 innings. In that timeframe, she amassed an 9-7 record with a 2.87 ERA. She had also struck out 77 batters and hurled seven complete games. Of those six complete games, three were shutouts: February 17 against Le Moyne, March 10 against Caldwell and April 15 against Stonehill College.

At her age, however, many players struggle to find playing time on their collegiate teams. With that in mind, it is safe to say Barone will likely be enjoying even more success in years to come. After all, she enjoyed quite the career at Silver Lake.

The Halifax native, who starred in three sports (also basketball and soccer), was a vital piece of the Lakers success for the duration of her high school career. She went 83-9 and threw 45 shutouts and 10 no-hitters while posting a 0.47 ERA in her career with the team. Albeit she is at college for her pitching, Barone also had a .460 batting average in her varsity softball career. Thanks to that success, she was named the Gatorade Massachusetts Softball Player of the Year last season. She is the only softball player in Lakers history to win the award.

At the start of the week, Barone’s team was 25-19 through 44 regular season games. This week, they were set to compete in the Northeast-10 tournament bracket.

Jocelyn Anderson of Plympton ran her first marathon Monday in Boston with Tedy’s Team, in support of the American Stroke Association. She raised almost $11,000 to help fund stroke research. She ran in memory of her father, John Anderson, who died after suffering a stroke 15 years ago.  Tedy Bruschi, a member of the New England Patriots, suffered a stroke at the age of 31 and has committed himself to being an advocate and inspiration for stroke survivors everywhere.   Jocelyn’s personal goal was to finish the race, raise awareness about stroke, help fund stroke research, and although it was dark when the finish line came into view, the light from her smile at meeting her goal was light enough.       

Kathleen Drane

Coach

The Silver Lake Girls Golf Team notched their first win in a crushing victory over Falmouth at Halifax Country Club on Tuesday, April 11.

The entire squad won their matches, including the two tie-breakers sr. Bea Haens 2-up  and sophomore Emma Lee Deeley 1-up.  Winning at the number 1 spot was captain Olivia Ahlman 4-up; at second spot, jr Anna Lambert 3-up; third spot, sr. captain Alexa Roche 5-up; sr. captain Isabella Levesque 5-upat the 4th spot;  sr Olivia Hughes 4-up at the number 5 spot; and sophomore Nicole Ahlman at the number 6 spot 1-up.   

The girls are now 1-2.

There is nothing fun about losing, but the past couple losing seasons the Silver Lake girls’ lacrosse team has endured could very well lead them to success this time around.

Even as they missed out on the playoffs last season, the Lakers were competitive, finishing their year at 8-12. In fact, it was their best record yet and a major upgrade over 2015 when they won just two games.

As last year progressed, the Lakers got hot. Albeit their first half underwhelmed, starting the year at 2-7, they went 6-5 in their final 11 which is an indication their team grew as the year progressed. And it is not like most of the players who gained that experience and progressed are gone either; the Lakers only lost two players to graduation: Emily Hanson on the attack and goalkeeper Colby Nolan. While both were valuable contributors, the Lakers are fortunate that most of their team returned.

Allowing just 8.6 goals per contest last season, defense is expected to be the Lakers’ strength and it will be up to seniors Jess Howard, Danielle Levin, Mikaela Wilson, Sophia Quinn and Tess Grieber to limit the opposition’s attack this season.

On the attack, the Lakers seniors Leah Mason and Nina Whidden, who were Patriot League All-Stars last year, and Cameron Daly to pour in goals this season. After all, the trip combined for 65 scores last season which was more than 40 percent of the team’s offensive production.

With this sort of experience coming back and the success they enjoyed for much of last year, the Lakers look as though they are built for postseason contention. In order for a team playing a 20 game schedule to make it to the playoffs, they would need 10 wins.

The Lakers next home game is Tuesday, Apr. 11 against the Hanover Indians, who went 11-6 last season.

This could be just as good a year as any for the Silver Lake baseball team.

Fresh off a 21-6 season where they won first Division 1 South Sectional championship, the Lakers roster was not wiped out by graduation, which is always a positive indication.

Specifically, they will have a strong presence on the mound with Dan Collins, a junior, Trevor Dennett, a senior, and Alex Heffernan, a sophomore, back on the bump, anchoring their starting rotation.

“They all won big games for us last year, so their experience will be nice to have,” Lakers head coach Kenny Tocci said.

When he is not on the mound Collins, who was a Patriot League All-Star last year, is also a valuable third baseman.

Aidan O’Neill, a senior center fielder, enters his third year as a varsity starter, as does junior catcher Josh Harvey is now a three-year starter. Junior shortstop Steven Quigley is back at shortstop once again this year. Along with Collins, the trio should be a strong part of the Lakers lineup.

Another asset this Lakers team brings is their flexibility and willingness to do what is best for the team.

“We also have many guys who can play multiple positions and their versatility will help with making in game moves,” Tocci said.

Checking out his team’s schedule, Tocci said there was not one game that stood out as more important to win than another.

“Every game is a big game because we only have so many to play,” he said. “The most important is the game in hand. We don’t overlook anyone because our league is too good to do so and if we disrespect anyone by looking past them, that’s when bad things happen. Sounds cliché, but that’s truly our approach. No one game, no matter who it is against, means more than another. They all matter; that’s why we play them.”

While the Lakers have a talented squad, their main focus will just be improving each and every day.

“If we do that good things will happen,” Tocci said. “Proof is in how we’ve performed in that we have won the Patriot League five years in a row with the mentally of just focus on getting better each day, focus on one game at a time and in those games try and win one inning at a time and we will be fine.”

The Lakers begin their season on Tuesday, Apr. 4 against East Bridgewater.

This has become a regular thing for the Notre Dame Academy (Hingham, Mass.) girls’ hockey team, and one local was a major part of their success.

The Cougars finished their season 23-0-1 and on Sunday, Mar. 19, they topped Canton High, 5-2, in the Division 2 State Championship at TD Garden. The team is led by their three junior captains on defense, including Halifax’s Meredith Stewart.

“It’s amazing,” Stewart said of the win. “I didn’t even think it was real until the final buzzer sounded. It’s just amazing to be able to come here two years in a row and win it with your teammates.”

For the Cougars, not only was the win significant in that they proved themselves as the top school in their division, but they also defended last year’s state title–their first in school history.

Albeit the Cougars returned a talented squad this season, one thing really stood out: they did not have any seniors on their roster. As a result, it led to some players having to step up and lead the squad at a younger age, including Stewart.

“We had good role models last year,” she said. “Our captains last year kind of paved the way for us. We just relied on each other and encouraged each other all year. It worked out well.”

Stewart was a fixture on a Cougars defense that allowed a mere 27 goals in 24 games this season. Statistically speaking, they were arguably the state’s top defense this season. So what made them so special?

“We have some experience back there and worked really hard,” she said. “We encouraged one another, believed in each other which got ourselves through those games.”

While it is still about a year away, perhaps the Cougars could win a third straight title next season. After all, they had no seniors on this year’s squad, so they could retain their entire team and gain talent from an incoming freshman class.

Of course, there are no guarantees as there is always the potential for transfers, but the Cougars should be in contention once again next season.

Bouchard healthy, going strong

Injuries kept him off the basketball court, but they could not stop him from coming back strong.

After missing two seasons of his college basketball career, UMass Dartmouth guard Tucker Bouchard, a junior, worked his way back onto the basketball court this season for once again another strong campaign.

Seeing the court for the first time since the 2013-2014 season, Bouchard did not see the minutes he did as a freshman when he averaged 15.4 points per game, but was still a valuable contributor nonetheless.

Off the bench, he played a significant role for the Division 3 squad, averaging 20.8 minutes per game on the floor. He made the most of that time, averaging 8.8 points per contest with a 46.9 field goal percentage and a 38.1 percent 3-point rate.

Despite not attending Silver Lake, the former Laker still holds a special place in team history. Homeschooled for his childhood education by his parents, Bouchard was able to play for the Lakers basketball team and in doing so, scored 1031 points in his high school career. At the same time he was making history for the Lakers, he was also earning college credits at Quincy College.

Bouchard’s younger brother, Tanner, who also scored 1,000 career points as Laker, also played basketball at UMass Dartmouth as a freshman and he too was a guard, who saw time off the bench.

Bouchard still has another year of eligibility remaining.

Knight stars as a freshman

As a freshman at Massasoit Community College, another Lakers hoops alum, Monica Knight, had a bright year for the girls’ basketball team.

The 5-foot-10 center and forward started in 19 of the 22 games she played in. During those games, she averaged 12.4 points per game while hitting 44.8 percent of her shots. Putting up 12.4 rebounds per contest, Knight averaged more than a double-double per contest.

With her strong performance for the junior college program, Knight could receive interest to continue her career past next season.

Usually this season, the Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake girls’ hockey team (15-4-3) was one of the offensive juggernauts in the state.

Unleashing 120 goals in the regular season, they put up nearly six goals per game, but they could not find the back of the net once in their final game of the year.

In the first round of the Division 2 South playoffs, the Skaters hosted a defensive-minded Winchester team, that had allowed just 35 goals all year — about 1.5 goals per game. Going in with complete opposite strategies, the strong defense won the battle and the Skaters took a 2-0 loss at The Bog Sunday night.

Winchester scored in the first few minutes of the game, and they just held onto their lead throughout. Their defense was strong, and it limited the Skaters chances.

With three minutes left in the game, Winchester doubled their lead and made it 2-0 with another goal. The Skaters would not answer the deficit.

Although it may be the end for the Skaters, they still had a strong season.

The squad will graduate a strong senior class led by captains Mel McAcleer, Mary Kate Webb, Melissa Crone and alternate captains Katie Johnson and Hannah Tracy.

McAleer and Webb, both forwards, were their team’s leading scorers. McAleer put up 30 goals and had 33 assists while Tracy added 22 goals and 27 assists.

Webb was also one of the team’s top forwards, adding 13 goals and 15 assists while Johnson led the team defensively.

Crone was strong in net all season, allowing 1.95 goals per game.

Outside of their captains, the Lakers will lose three more forwards to graduation — Sophia Dauksevicz (2 goals, 8 assists), Tess Corkery (2 goals) and Emily Knights (2 goals, 3 assists), rounding out their strong senior class. Dauksevicz and Crorkery also showed versatility playing defense at times.

Freshman Alyssa Murphy will be the team’s top returning scorer; she had 20 goals and 23 assists this season.

Defensively, expect freshmen Natalie Nemes and Delaney Grace to shine once again next season.

The co-op’s schedule for next season has yet to be released.