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SHE SHOOTS, SHE SCORES...IN A BIG WAY!!!"

Meagan Parsons '09

The atmosphere in the John P. Harrington Gymnasium was tense. Everyone was waiting for the big moment. The fans were cheering for one person, #31...Melissa Barbosa.

Melissa is a Diman senior in the Dental Assisting shop. She has been a varsity basketball player since her freshman year. On January 9, 2007, Melissa reached a huge milestone: she became the first female to score 1,000 career points. She is the third person in Diman's history to accomplish this. Melissa is co-captain of the varsity team, along with senior Diane Pelton.

Melissa scored her 1,000th point in home game versus Blue Hills Regional High School. In the final seconds of the game's first half, Melissa passed the ball out-of-bonds to teammate Korie Torgien (#35), Korie then passed the ball back to Melissa. She attempted to make a basket, but missed. Melissa was able to quickly recover the ball, and she attempted the shot again. The ball went in the hoop, and history was made! An announcement was made by Mr. Belliveau about the milestone. Coach Noversa then presented Melissa with flowers and balloons.

Melissa ran across the court to see her proud parents. I was sitting by them during the game. They were very proud when Melissa scored her 1,000th point. Melissa gave her parents a hug and kiss, then began to get ready for the second half of the game.

Everyone from the coaches, to the players seemed much more relaxed in the second half. The pressure was off; Melissa scored her 1,000th point, now they could play some basketball!

The game resumed with Blue Hills and Diman with a very close score. Diman had fallen behind by only a few points. But, in the final moments of the game, Melissa Barbosa tied up the score with two, 2 point foul shots. With 3.4 seconds left in the game, both teams were tied at 43. As the game ending buzzer rang, Melissa scored a three point shot, to win the game! The final score was Blue Hills: 43 Diman: 47.

I was able to get a few words from Coach Allen after the game. He was full of emotion when I spoke to him. He said that this game was a great day for Melissa, and a darn good day for the team: "Melissa deserves this. It is very fitting for her to score the game winning shot and get her 1,000th point in the same night. I'm very happy for her and the team, because they helped in scoring the points." Coach Allen is very proud of everyone who played in that game.

After the game, Melissa was being interviewed and having many photos taken, but I was able to speak with her for a minute. She stated, "It was an amazing game. It felt great to score my 1,000th point."

By the end of the game, Melissa scored 18 points for Diman.

The road for Melissa has not been an easy one. At the end of the 05-06 basketball season, Diman was facing Blue Hills. Melissa tore the ACL muscle in her knee. During the off-season, she underwent quite a few surgeries to repair the injury.

With a knee brace and ankle wrap on, Melissa was still able to give an outstanding performance for the game.

January 9, 2007 was a day many people will never forget, especially Melissa Barbosa!