Senior basketball players Tierney Lawlor and Melissa Tirella just completed two of the most successful careers in the history of Ansonia High School girls’ basketball.
For the past four years, when you played Ansonia, you had to deal with these two. They have been in the lineup ever since their freshman year.
Tierney started all 92 games and Melissa started 88 out of 92 games in their careers. They were both two year captains and for the past three years, rarely if ever, came out of a game.
“It was very hard to ever take either of them out for the past three years,” explained Patrick Lynch, who started coaching Ansonia in 2009-10, Lawlor and Tirella’s freshman year. “They were the best ball handlers and scorers we had, so they really couldn’t come out. They fed off each other and really helped carry our team and program to great places.”
Ansonia had one of its most successful seasons in school history this season and most of the credit needs to go to these two girls. The Lady Chargers finished with a 17 – 8 record and advanced to the Class M State tournament quarterfinals for the 1st time in over 30 years. The team made four straight NVL and State Tournament appearances for the 1st time ever and compiled a 55 – 37 record in their four year careers.
Melissa Tirella, a 5’3” shooting guard who will play basketball at Post University in Waterbury next year, is the 2nd leading scorer in Ansonia girls’ basketball history, with 1,293 points. She holds the school record with 149 career three-pointers and was named 1st team All-NVL for the past three years.
This season she received the Dottie Shortell Award for the NVL’s most outstanding senior and was named to numerous all-star teams. She was named to the CHSCA and CHSSBA All-State teams, New Haven Register All-State 3rd team & All-Area team and Connecticut Post Super 15 (2012 & 2013). She was on the New Haven Register All-State 3rd team and also played in the BAGS and CHSCA All-Star games.
Tierney Lawlor, who is ranked third in her class and will attend UConn in the fall, was a rare player that was asked to be the point guard on offense and center on defense. She led the team in assists and rebounds for the past three years and was the best defender on the team. She compiled over 900 points, 700 rebounds and close to 200 assists in her career.
She was named to the CHSCA Academic All-State, Waterbury Republican Winter All-Academic and Connecticut Post Super 15 teams. She was named to the NVL Brass Division team for the past three years and was honorable mention New Haven Register All-State, as well as playing in the BAGS and CHSCA All-Star games this year.
“Melissa and Tierney did everything they were asked and more,” said Lynch. “They made sure people showed up to our summer league games, got girls to work on their games in the offseason; they were like an extension of our coaching staff. They can’t be replaced but you just hope their dedication to the sport, team and school rubs off on the younger girls and they understand what it takes to be successful both on and off the court.”
In addition to the plaudits for Lawlor and Tirella, Lynch was named the All Area Coach of The Year by the New Haven Register.
