Senior Night Swish! Injured Rangers Touma gets his shot and nails it

Some "Senior Night" festivities just take on a bit more significance.

Take Thursday night at the Klimas Fieldhouse, for example.

Methuen High had already locked down the repeat Merrimack Valley Conference title and was riding a tidy, little five-game win streak. So, the focus could be totally on the senior class when the Rangers hosted Chelmsford.

One Ranger deserved just a little more than the pre-game pomp, circumstance and family photo op. Coach Anthony Faradie knew it.

"Coach and I were talking Wednesday, the practice before the game, about it, but I wasn't cleared (medically)," said Anesti Touma. "My parents talked to (athletic director Matt Curran). I just wanted to go out there one last time."

Touma, through the graciousness of Chelmsford coach Charlie Micol, got his chance and made good, banking in a late top of the key three, to get his name in the scorebook for the first time this season and the final time of his career.

"Coach just said, ‘I want to recognize you for what you have given to this program,’ and it worked out great," said Touma, who missed the entire season save for that one trip up the floor with torn meniscus in his knee.

"It was pretty special."

The place erupted. and why not?

Touma, an Eagle-Tribune All-Star who helped lead the Rangers to an historic football season and a run to the Division 1 state semifinals, injured his knee on Thanksgiving morning. Instead of celebrating the amazing fall campaign, he watched the knee swell up.

He tried to go at Monday's hoop tryouts, but the pain and swelling were too much, forcing surgery.

His hoop career at Methuen was over before the season began.

"It was devastating when I found out I wasn't going to be able to play," said Touma, a starter for Faradie since his freshman season. "Just devastating. It was my first season without basketball for however long it's been."

Touma didn't disappear. He hung tough.

"I knew I had to be there for the team. I showed up to everything — every practice I could, every game," he said. "I was there for them, supported them, just tried to be there for them whenever I could."

The transition was as painful as the injury, going from the spotlight basically every Friday night in the fall to the sidelines for the winter.

That's what made Thursday's Senior Night so important.

"It was just really nice, great to be out there," said Touma. "To be recognized as a whole team, with these seniors, it was all I could ask."

Touma isn't sure what his future holds. In football, he just might go out on top, or as close to it as the Rangers have come in well over a decade.

Schools have inquired about him playing college ball. WPI has been enthused. But Touma has gotten into NC State, and the Wolfpack currently sits at the top of his college list.

Wherever he lands and whatever the future holds, he can always stand by the fact that he shot 100 percent for his senior year.

One shot. One make. Three points. and the memory of a lifetime.

BIG SHOT BECOTTECongrats go out to Pelham High's Jasmine Becotte, who scored 25 points in Wednesday night's loss to Laconia to top the 1,000-point mark for her career.

Becotte needed 19 and left no doubt on the road.

The Pythons suffered only their second loss of the season at Laconia but bounced back nicely on Thursday with a victory at home against Derryfield. The Pythons are now 15-2, alone in third place in the Division 2 standings with the regular season finale on Monday night at Timberlane.

RAIDERS NEED ONE SUNDAY NIGHT

Going 5-5 over its last 10 games, riding a two-game slide, Central Catholic is the perfect case study for the strength of the Merrimack Valley Conference.

The 13-6 Raiders face a humongous pre-MIAA tourney exam in the opener of the IAABO Board 27 Comcast Tournament down at Woburn High on Sunday night against 14-5 Beverly High.

For those keeping score at home, that's No. 3 Central in the most recent MIAA power rankings in D-1 vs. the No. 8 Panthers.

Beverly is 1-1 against MVC power teams to date, having knocked off Andover in the Commonwealth Classic semis before falling the Lawrence twice — once for the Christmas title and then two weeks later in a non-leaguer.

The Raiders are still hunting a signature win. Beverly offers that opportunity.

TOURNEY TALK

With basically a week left in the regular season — less in Massachusetts — we take a quick survey of tournament hopes and chances for the local entries.

Massachusetts

Division 1 boys – Andover, Central, Lawrence, Methuen and North Andover are locked in. Haverhill was No. 34 in the ratings heading into Dracut Friday night. Looks like the Hillies might need some help and some late magic from the calculator.

Division 1 girls – Andover, Central, Methuen and North Andover are all in. Haverhill and Lawrence are on the outside looking in.

Division 3 boys – Greater Lawrence Tech did not qualify.

Division 4 boys – Whittier Tech and Notre Dame Cristo Rey are in. Fellowship Christian is out.

Division 4 girls – Greater Lawrence Tech, Whittier Tech and Notre Dame did not qualify. Fellowship Christian was 8-6 in the last rankings and will need to finish at .500 or above to qualify.

New Hampshire

Division I girls – Both Pinkerton and Windham, with two games left, are in line for first-round home games. Salem, with two wins this week, moved to 7-9 to strengthen its grip on one of the final spots in the field.

Division I boys – With two games remaining, Pinkerton is locked in a battle for the top spot with Nashua North at 15-1. Windham has an inside track to a first-round home date at 11-5. Both 5-12 Salem and 4-12 Timberlane are hanging on the edge of the playoff bubble.

Division II girls -- Pelham High can lock up a top three seed with a win at Timberlane on Monday. The Owls are going to miss the playoffs, it appears.

Division II boys – The Pelham boys at 14-4 sit in the No. 5 seed and await a home playoff opener on February 28.

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