Racette Helps Drury Girls Finish Strong
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. -- Danielle Racette and the rest of the Drury girls' basketball team appear to be more than ready for the upcoming Division 2 Western Mass. tournament. Racette had big game on Wednesday, scoring a game-high 12 points with seven assists and five steals to lead the Blue Devils to their eighth win a row, a 52-25 victory at Monument Mountain in the final game of the regular season.
Drury took control of the game right from the start, opening up a 17-2 lead by the end of the first quarter. The Spartans (8-12) regrouped in the second quarter, but the visitors still managed a 25-12 lead at halftime. The Blue Devils' defense sealed the win in the second half, holding Monument to just 13 points over the final two quarters of play.
"We played a tremendous first quarter on both ends of the court, holding Monument to just two free throws in the opening frame," Drury head coach John Franzoni said. "Once again, our defense and our bench were the key factors that allowed us to earn our third victory in three nights this week. Danielle Racette dominated the game when she was on the court with a strong defensive effort and excellent play from her point guard position.
"We wanted to come out strong and take an early lead because we know that Monument can be an explosive team. Our strong defensive effort forced 21 turnovers and never allowed Monument to get into a flow offensively."
The Devils finish the regular season with an overall record of 15-3 and an 8-2 mark in North Division play. Franzoni's squad lost out on the division title to Lee (15-5, 9-1), which protected its one-game lead in the standings with a hard-fought 38-33 win over Wahconah on Wednesday. Despite finishing second in the North Division race, the Blue Devils should feel excited about being one of the top two seeds in the upcoming Western Mass. tournament. Early projections by the Daily Hampshire Gazette have Drury with a slight edge over Hampshire for the top spot in Division 2. Official seeds will be released on Saturday at the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield.
"We had another solid team effort tonight to beat Monument," Franzoni said. "I am very pleased to finish our regular season riding an eight-game winning streak that has us playing good basketball with a ton of confidence."
Senior forward Shannon Garvey shook off early foul trouble to contribute 10 points for the Blue Devils. Fellow captain Ali Tatro added eight points and five rebounds, while junior forward Emily Moulton scored six points to along with a team-high nine boards.
Vanessa Troiano led the Spartans with 10 points. Samantha White was right behind her with nine.
JV Game: The Drury girls' junior varsity team capped off a perfect 15-0 season on Wednesday with a 36-25 victory over Monument. Sophomore Heather Morris posted a double-double for the Blue Devils, scoring 12 points and snagging 12 rebounds. Freshman Molly Moulton added 10 points and seven boards, while classmate Jill Tietgens also finished with 10 points.
Lily Cormier netted a game-high 17 points for the Spartans, going 6 for 6 from the free-throw line along the way.