Lee Wins at Lenox on Opening Night
LENOX, Mass. – The Lee High girls basketball team had a great season in 2024-25, going to the Division 5 State Tournament Semi-Finals and going 16-8.
One thing that stuck out to the Lee players: Three of those losses were at the hands of the rival Lenox Millionaires.
Lee got a measure of revenge in Thursday’s season opener as Giana Carlino scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a 61-33 win at Lenox.
The Wildcats forced seven first-quarter turnovers to set the tone and held the Millionaires to just 13 points in the second half.
Lee’s first-year coach, Lexi Mercier, put her stamp on the game by having her team play full-court pressure reminiscent of the style she played in as a perennial Western Mass power and 2019 state champion at Hoosac Valley.
“She insists on that lot,” Lee senior Kenzie Garrity said. “From Day 1, she said, ‘We’re going out and pressing this team.’
“We lost three times last year, and this year, we wanted it and wanted it bad.”
Mercier said this Lee team is capable of covering the court.
“All I’ve ever known is pressing,” Mercier said. “So, for these girls, it’s new for them. But putting it in, I think we’re a quick team. We can track the ball well, get down the court and fast break really well.
“You’re gonna see a lot more different presses this season.”
Carlino scored six points in a 9-0 opening run to start the game for Lee, which never trailed.
The Millionaires answered with a seven-point spurt that ended with Caire O’Brien’s triple assisted by Katie Shove (eight points), to get Lenox within two.
But Ava Lucey answered at the other end for Lee. Ari Noyes (10 points) hit a 3-pointer and Carlino put back an offensive rebound to make it 16-7 late in the first quarter.
Lenox coach Nicole Patella said her team had more trouble on the boards than it did handling Lee’s press.
“I thought our rebounding was the factor,” Patella said. “We were down 12, and probably all 12 of those were offensive rebounding for them. I don’t think we did bad handling the pressure.
“And I lost [senior guard Chloe Parsenios] to injury, so another one had to step up. They found out that’s not an easy position. Chloe’s been my point guard for three years.”
Lee got strong games on the boards from Mika Diller and Leanna Drsicoll, who had nine and eight rebounds, respectively.
Diller also scored 10 points. Garrity and Ella Simone each scored seven in the win.
Lenox was within five to start the second quarter, but Lee scored eight straight – a 3 from Garrity and six straight from Carlino – to go up, 24-11.
The Millionaires briefly got within single digits early in the second half when Shove hit one of her two 3-pointers to make it 34-26.
But Noyes scored five straight at the other end, and Lee maintained a double-digit margin the rest of the way.
Grace Julieano and Layla Soules each scored seven points for Lenox (0-1), which will look for its first win on Tuesday when it hosts Pope Francis.
“We have a lot of things to work out,” Patella said. “A lot of people are in different positions. We had some good shots. They weren’t falling in our gym for some reason.”
Lee opens the home portion of its schedule on Monday against Drury.
“It was definitely a big thing for us,” Mercier said of the opening night win. “This is a rivalry game coming into it – a lot of pressure, girls get nervous, great fan base from both sides. We knew we were coming in to great competition.
“I just think it’s a great confidence boost for these girls. They’ve been working their tails off in practice, putting in everything they have. And I couldn’t be more proud of them today.”
Photos from this game to come.