St. Clement girls basketball off to a strong start

The St. Clement Lady Anchors are off to a great start this season at 4-2. With wins against Cristo Rey, St Joseph Academy, Essex-Aggie Regional, and most recently against Nazareth Academy 49-24, the Lady Anchors continue to show a huge improvements from last years disappointing 0-6 start.

This week, in the win against Nazareth Academy, the Anchors had seven players score. Leading the way was freshman point guard Katie Monestime (Somerville) with 17 points and sophomore captain Jessica Popken (Medford) with 16 points. Popken had an impressive 4 three pointers in one half. Senior captains Allison Caloggero (Medford) and Kristina Ofoedu (Methuen) dominated the boards both offensively and defensively collecting 8 rebounds apiece.

The Anchors defense was on point in the second half, holding Nazareth to only 6 points. Head Coach Alyssa Jann (2nd year) is happy with the over .500 start. “We have improved so much over the last year, now the girls have a chance to show it. We have great senior leadership and confidence, which has helped us get out to a strong start. There is a long season ahead with many tough competitors but our tournament goals are certainly within reach.”

This week the Lady Anchors will face the league rival Lowell Catholic and Mt Alvernia.

Boys basketball

The St. Clement boys jumped out to an impressive 6-2 start and lead the Catholic Central League Small after an impressive win against Austin Prep 60-36.  Led by longtime coach Leo Boucher, the Anchormen defeated Cristo Rey, Fellowship Christian Academy, Maimonides and St. Joseph. The Anchormen collected a 30 point win against local rival Matignon.

Senior Captain Kevin Foley (Medford) leads the Anchors in scoring while the other senior captain Jesus Gambaro (Charlestown) is dominating on the boards. The team takes on league rivals Lowell Catholic and Marian High School this week.

The St. Clement boys program has expanded to four teams this year as they have 36 boys playing basketball. Teams consist of the varsity team, 2 JV teams, and a 5th and 6th grade squad. St. Clement looks to expand and become a powerhouse in basketball.