By Marc Thaler
Staff Writer

With Concord junior Ally Daniels in her path, Trinity junior Danielle King is still able to make a pinpoint outlet pass after rebounding the ball in the third quarter. The Pioneers downed the Crimson Tide on Friday, Jan. 28, 70-44, for their 10th win of the season. THS finished the first two months of play unbeaten at 10-0. (Marc Thaler Photo)

MANCHESTER – With 10 games down heading into a matchup against Manchester Memorial on Tuesday, Feb. 1, the 2004-05 Pioneers of Trinity girls basketball had posted some truly sensational statistics.

After defeating visiting Concord inside the Kevin T. McHugh Gymnasium on Friday, Jan. 28, 70-44, Trinity closed out the December and January portions of its schedule a perfect 10-0.

“We have girls that just love to play basketball,” said Trinity head coach Kerri Moynihan. “They work hard day in and day out in practice.”

Through the first two months of their campaign, the Pioneers scored a shade under 71 points per game, allowed less than 43, winning by close to 30 per contest.

Trinity’s two closest calls during that stretch? A pair of 16-point wins at Bishop Guertin of Nashua on Dec. 17, and at Londonderry on Jan. 21.

But regardless of how impressive those numbers might appear, THS senior co-captain Annie Alosa said she remains quite unimpressed.

“Numbers mean nothing,” Concord’s Alosa said after netting a game-high 20 points against CHS. “A win’s a win. That’s how I’ve been taught and that’s how I’ve grown up. I just want to win them all and win that last one that counts the most.”

Alosa’s outlook extends to each of her teammates as well, she said.

Last year, the Pioneers advanced out of the Class L tournament’s opening round, only to lose to Nashua, the eventual 2003-04 state champion, at Southern New Hampshire University.

“I definitely thought after that game I didn’t want to lose again,” Alosa said. “I didn’t want to lose to a powerhouse like that. I wanted to be that powerhouse. That was my goal.”

To this point, Trinity’s abundance of talent has allowed the Pioneers to overpower the opposition.

Adding sophomore transfers Megan Jackson and Hopkinton’s Kelley Flynn to start alongside Alosa, fellow senior co-captain Jillian Martin, and sophomore Katie Larkin of Goffstown, have made THS a phenomenal force.

“Offensively, I feel that we’re not untouchable, but we just have so many weapons,” Alosa said. “As long as one or two of us are on, we’re gonna be pretty good.”

Still, it all starts with defense, according to the head coach.

“That’s been our strength every single game,” Moynihan said. “When our defense is on, our offense ends up turning on.”

Larkin, described by Moynihan as the team’s defensive spark plug, plays at least 75 percent of every game, leading a full-court press on almost every play.

On offense, Larkin runs the point and makes sure to find her teammates, who can seemingly score from anywhere in the gym.

“Once she gets going,” Moynihan said of Larkin, “the rest of the team gets going.”

Along with Alosa, Flynn, Jackson, Larkin and Martin, the 2004-05 Pioneers include Bedford residents Danielle King and Kate Thomas, plus Lauren Duhaime, Aly Jodoin, Espy Ndombe, Danielle St. Pierre and Kathleen Twomey.

“My biggest challenge is keeping them challenged,” Moynihan said. “I don’t want to see them get complacent and get that ‘We’re 10-0‚ attitude ... I want to keep them improving in every practice, every game, and get some of these girls to play at a little bit of a higher level than I know they can play at.”

“Whether we score 50 points, 70 points, 60 points, as long as that margin of victory is big I like it,” Alosa said.

“We just want everyone to know this is our game and we have one year,” she added, referring to the team’s six seniors. “This is how it’s gonna happen and we’re gonna win it.”