Blue Devils Rally Past Warriors in Second Half
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- Playing against an inspired Wahconah team that just pulled off the biggest upset of the year in a road win over undefeated Lee last week, the Drury girls' basketball team knew it had its hands full with the Warriors on Tuesday night.Wahconah came out strong, knocking down a number of 3-pointers to earn a seven-point lead at halftime. The Blue Devils rallied in the second half, however, outscoring the visitors 11-5 in the third quarter on their way to a 47-45 win at Bucky Bullett Gymnasium. Drury picked up its sixth straight win in the process, improving its season to 12-2 overall.
"It was a quality win over a tough opponent," Blue Devils head coach John Franzoni said. "Wahconah was firing threes early and often, but we picked up our defensive intensity in the third quarter to take the lead. Ali Tatro, Shannon Garvey and Danielle Racette all hit clutch free throws in the fourth quarter to clinch the win."
Drury went on an 11-3 run in the third to earn a 31-30 lead, but the Warriors' Maddie Sprague scored a hoop at the buzzer to give her team a one-point edge heading into the fourth frame. Wahconah (7-9) scored the first five points of the quarter to bump its lead to six, but the Devils busted off a 10-0 run after that to take control of the game. With her team up by just two points, junior point guard Danielle Racette hit a huge foul-line jumper to give Drury a 44-40 lead with just 28 seconds left.
Not only did Racette score a game-high 18 points, but she also dished out a team-high five assists with a great effort on the defensive end. She also got some help from classmates Shannon Garvey and Ali Tatro. The two junior forwards combined for 15 points and 22 rebounds.
"I was very proud of our effort to battle back in the second half and earn a hard-fought win," Franzoni said. "We extended our pressure and forced turnovers that led to offensive opportunities. Megan Benoit did a great job stepping in for Mariah Ferrara, who was unable to play due to illness. We also received excellent efforts off the bench from Lyndsey DeGrenier, Tiana Sims, and Emily Moulton. Danielle was tough on both ends of the court and played a tremendous all-around game."
Gabby Lavinio scored a game-high 14 points for the Warriors, who also received 12 points from Katie Dumas.
Drury next plays at Lee at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.