Lee Snaps Skid with Win over McCann Tech
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Payton Simmons scored 11, and Giana Carlino added 10 on a night when 10 different Wildcats put a mark in the scorebook.
Lee improved to 8-5 this winter and broke a three-game skid in which it faced the second-ranked team in the state in Division 5, Renaissance, twice as well as the fifth-ranked team in the commonwealth – squads that are a combined 28-0.
“It’s been a tough stretch with some really good teams,” Lee coach Rick Puleri said. “So, yeah, it was definitely nice to get back in the win column.”
Lee won by 41 points the first time out against the Hornets, and McCann Tech was without three starters in the rematch.
But McCann (2-12) came in having won two of its last four games.
Hornets coach Justin Kratz agreed that a fully-loaded roster might have been more competitive in the rematch with Lee. Still, he liked what he saw from the young squad that suited up on Thursday night.
“Definitely having more girls out there with varsity experience is going to help against a really good team like Lee,” Kratz said. “But that’s the nature of winter sports, and we had a bunch of illnesses.
“They played hard. And we’ve got a young group that has a lot of basketball to learn. But they’ll get there. There were some moments, some flashes there. We’ve just got to go back to practice tomorrow and keep working.”
Faith Brazeau scored in transition midway through the first quarter to provide one of those moments, cutting the deficit to four points at 10-6.
But Lee scored the next 16 points to take control of the game for good.
Diller started the run with a free throw and scored the next four points to push the lead to nine points.
Kenzie Garrity (eight points) ended the run with a putback midway through the second quarter to make it 26-6.
Madison Rougeau followed with a 3-pointer to get the Hornets back on the board.
She scored a team-high nine points and grabbed five rebounds in the loss.
“She’s going to be a player,” Kratz said of the ninth-grade Rougeau. “She was pretty poised out there tonight, I thought. And she was aggressive. Her shots are starting to come around. So, yeah, she played really well. Definitely a bright spot.”
In the end, though, the Wildcats had too much firepower.
Lee finished the first half with a 33-11 lead and outscored McCann Tech 16-5 in the third quarter as Puleri worked in more and more of his bench players.
“Everybody got to play,” he said. “I had a whole bunch of different lineups out there just trying to run offense and get those kids some time so they can learn and continue to grow.”
Lee will look to up its second win in a row on Saturday when it visits Monument Mountain, where the Wildcats can move within one win of securing a D5 State Tournament berth.
“In terms of seeding, we should do OK,” Puleri said. “I’m hoping to get a home game in the state tournament as well as Western Mass. But, you know, in tournament play, it only takes one clunker and then you’re out. But, we’re excited. And, hopefully, things go in our favor.”
McCann Tech hosts Granby on Monday.
Photos from this game to come.