Short-handed Drury Knocks Off Mohawk
SHELBURNE FALLS, Mass. — It wasn't an offensive clinic by any means but given the circumstances, the Drury girls' basketball team was more than happy to walk away with a 31-21 road win over Mohawk on Wednesday night.With three of their regular players out because of either illness or injury, the Blue Devils weren't functioning on all levels on the offensive end. John Franzoni's club never broke double digits in a single quarter and was forced to settle with a season-low 31 points. The defense more than held its own, however, allowing just seven field goals all night and forcing 22 turnovers.
After falling behind 7-6 at the end the first quarter, Drury (7-2) took control of the game by outscoring the Warriors 9-1 in the second frame.
"We had good looks at the basket, but we could not get the ball to go in the hoop," Franzoni said. "We have to work on finishing strong and being aggressive attacking against zone defenses. Although our offense struggled, our defense was solid."
On a night where his team was short-handed, Franzoni said he received good efforts off the bench from sophomore Mackenzie Bona, freshman Tiana Sims and senior Tiha Duncan. All three players played pivotal roles in an 8-0 run in between the third and fourth quarters that helped the Blue Devils put the game away for good.
"Bona finished it off with two jump shots on the first two possessions of the fourth quarter to extend our lead to 27-13," Franzoni said. "Sims led the team with nine rebounds, and Duncan played aggressive defense off the bench that led to multiple turnovers."
Junior point guard Danielle Racette led Drury with eight points, seven assists, four rebounds and four steals, while classmate Shannon Garvey added seven points and eight points from her forward spot.
Alina Schmitt led all scorers with nine points for Mohawk. The Devils next play at Mount Greylock at 7 p.m. Monday night.