Recap for the game: Pittsfield vs Drury on Jan 09
Devils Miss Out on Golden Chance to Beat PHS
Staff reports
08:23PM / Tuesday, January 10, 2012
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A couple of missed free throws are a hard pill to swallow when a team loses by a few points or less. So it's easy to imagine just how the Drury girls' basketball team felt after shooting 19 of 38 from the foul line in a 43-42 loss to Pittsfield at home on Monday night.
The Blue Devils (6-2) did a lot of things right in their battle with the Generals (6-3) for second place in the North Division, but free-throw shooting was not one of them. John Franzoni's club battled back from a 20-12 deficit in the second quarter to take a one-point lead into halftime. Drury then outscored Pittsfield 11-8 in the third quarter, but several missed foul shots prevented the hosts from stretching its lead into double digits.
"We did not take advantage of our opportunities to extend the lead in the third quarter and allowed a good PHS team to stay within striking distance," Franzoni said. "We did a good job of attacking the hoop to get PHS in foul trouble, but you can not win tournament-type contests when you miss 19 free throws. It was a hard-fought game, but it feels like we missed out on a golden opportunity to defeat a very good team on our home court."
Franzoni said substitute Meghan Face was key for the Generals, draining four 3-pointers on her way to a team-high 14 points. The junior guard hit several key shots to keep Pittsfield close, while teammate Rachel Hunt added eight points and a team-high 17 rebounds. After taking a four-point lead into the fourth quarter, the Blue Devils found themselves down three when sophomore Megan Benoit hit a jump shot with six seconds left to cut the Generals' lead down to one. Pittsfield missed a pair of free throws with three seconds left, but Drury was unable to get a shot off before time expired.
Junior point guard Danielle Racette led the Devils with a game-high 18 points to go along with five rebounds and three assists. Classmate Shannon Garvey added 11 points and six boards, while fellow forward Ali Tatro finished with six points and a game-high 18 rebounds, 14 of which came on the offensive end.
Drury will try to regroup on Wednesday night, when it plays at Mohawk at 7:30 p.m. The Generals next play at Mount Anthony at 7 p.m. on the same night.
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