Trailblazers' NCAA Path Blocked by Amherst
 Photos by Wanda Haley
Head coach Holly McGovern, left, gives encouragement as MCLA takes possession of the ball on Friday night. |
Amherst broke open a seven-point game at the half continued with a decisive second half. With the loss, the Trailblazers end their season at 18-10, while Amherst improves to 29-0. Amherst moves on to face Southern Maine in the round of 32 on Saturday.
"I'm very proud especially of the seniors," said head girls' basketball coach Holly McGovern. "I told them play as hard as you can for as long as you can; they have a never-say-die attitude. Amherst is No. 1 for a reason."
Despite the loss, this was a benchmark for the Trailblazers, who captured their first MASCAC title last week.
"I'm tremendously proud; coach McGovern did a fantastic job," said MCLA President Mary Grant. "They are champions; a terrific team."
MCLA was led by sophomore Jen Wehner of Cooperstown, N.Y., who tallied a game-high 18 points and nine rebounds. She also added four assists, three blocks, and two steals. Freshman Lucy Tremblay added 14 points.
Amherst placed four players in double figures, led by Caroline Stedman and Sarah Leyman with 15 points. Lem Atanga McCormick and Jackie Renner added 10 apiece.
Amherst scored the first five points of the game, before MCLA got on the board with a pair of free throws from Wehner. A put-back from McCormick, of Chicago, with 16:39 left in the half put Amherst up 8-2, before MCLA's Jade Prickett buried a jumper. With 15:17 remaining, NESCAC Player of the Year Caroline Stedman of Walpole drove for a score, before hitting a transition three on the next possession.
A post score by Sarah Leyman of Cincinnati and a layup by Atanga McCormick put Amherst up 17-6 with 12:18 left in the half. After a miss by Shannon Finucane, of Cortland, N.Y., MCLA's Alie Dobrovolc took the ball the distance for a tough runner. Leyman answered right back with a high bank off the glass. Just before the midpoint, Lucy Tremblay cut Amherst's lead to 19-10, finishing off a drive to the right.
Neither team scored for nearly four minutes of game play, before Stedman hit a layup at the 6:33 mark. Wehner answered with a jumper, and after a score from NESCAC Rookie of the Year Marcia Voigt of Skillman, N.J., Wehner completed a three-point play the old fashioned way to close the gap to 23-15. Wehner had a block on the defensive end, and then scored again on MCLA's next possession.
A three from MCLA's Lucy Tremblay with 1:26 to play left Amherst up 29-21, before a 1-for-2 trip to the free throw line with just under a minute to play closed the gap to seven points. Stedman made a pair at the line with 47 seconds showing, before Wehner found Tremblay on a back door cut for a response. Amherst got three shots off on its final possession of the half, but came up empty to head into the break leading 31-24.
 Taking Aim |
After nearly five minutes of second-half action, Amherst was able to add just one point to its lead at 36-28. With 13:11 remaining, Finucane turned a steal by Leyman into three points for Amherst with a deep triple from the right wing. The three put Amherst up 42-30 and forced an MCLA timeout.
Just before the midpoint of the half, MCLA's Molly Broda banked in threes on back-to-back possessions, but Amherst answered with a triple by Kristyn Dunleavy, East Setauket, N.Y., and a bucket by Leyman. Jackie Renner, of Newton, made a three to put Amherst up 53-40 and force another MCLA timeout.
Wehner converted a three-point play with 5:42 showing on the clock, shaving a few off what had become a 20-point Amherst lead, but MCLA never got any closer. Down the stretch, Amherst head coach G.P. Gromacki was able to rest his starters in anticipation of Saturday's second round matchup against Southern Maine.
Neither team scored in the final 1:23 of the game, with Amherst taking home a 68-47 win.
"No one came to this game with a personal agenda," said senior Jade Prickett of Westhampton. "In the past three weeks, we have really come together as a team. We had a nothing-to-lose attitude facing an undefeated No. 1 team in the country."
iBerkshires staff member Wanda Haley contributed to this story.
