Drury Girls Clinch Tourney Berth on Senior Night
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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- When the Drury High School girls basketball team needed it the most, it played its best.
The Blue Devils outscored visiting Wahconah, 27-13, in the second half to break open a one-point game, get a 50-35 win and secure a spot in the Western Massachusetts Division 2 tournament on Tuesday night.
"We knew we had 16 minutes left to clinch our Western Mass spot," senior center Emily Moulton said of the mood at half-time with Drury clinging to a 23-22 lead. "Being a close-knit group of seniors, we knew we didn't want to end it with regrets. We knew we had to come out a lot stronger."
Drury (9-10) has one more game left in the regular season -- Thursday night against Mount Greylock -- but it has clinched a tie for second place in the Berkshire County North Division and therefore earned a ticket to the big dance, Blue Devils coach Jay Meehan said.
It got there with a big defensive effort in the second half.
Drury held Wahconah (8-12) to just five points and one field goal through the first 12 minutes of the half, building a 47-27 lead in the process.
Eight of the 11 Devils had at least one steal in the second half with Morgan Lamarre and Kasha Wissman accounting for two apiece.
At the offensive end, it also was very much a team effort. The first six Drury field goals of the second half came from six different players, and the Devils had six of their 10 assists during the 24-5 run.
Moulton, who scored nine in the second quarter to help Drury hold on despite four Wahconah 3-pointers, got the third quarter started with a bucket in the post on Drury's first possession. Lamarre hit Heather Morris cutting to the basket for a basket midway through the third that gave Drury its first double-digit lead, 32-22.
It was 39-27 early in the fourth when Drury went on an 8-0 spurt to put the game away. Lamarre converted a Molly Moulton assist and Emily Moulton drove the lane for a basket. Then Molly Moulton put back a rebound in transition, and Emily Moulton (game-high 15 points) scored in the post to start the fourth and make it a 20-point game.
"Emily made some big baskets for us when she's not in foul trouble, but everyone played well," Meehan said. "Heather Morris has been giving us great minutes off the bench. All of them, really -- Molly, Sarah (Lamarre).
"I don't know how many assists we had ... but it was high for us."
Sarah Lamarre and Destiny Crews had two assists each for the Blue Devils.
For Wahconah, Katie Dumas scored 14 points, and Mckenna McIlquham had eight rebounds to go along with nine points.
Wahconah went 2-5 down the stretch after an injury cost Maddie Sprague the rest of her season. But coach June Blake was not making any excuses on Tuesday night.
"Maddie's a big part of our team, and we miss her, but we've had a lot of kids step up," she said of a Wahconah squad that graduates no seniors.
"I've been happy with our team's effort the entire year. They played with a lot of heart and a lot of determination."
The Blue Devils outscored visiting Wahconah, 27-13, in the second half to break open a one-point game, get a 50-35 win and secure a spot in the Western Massachusetts Division 2 tournament on Tuesday night.
"We knew we had 16 minutes left to clinch our Western Mass spot," senior center Emily Moulton said of the mood at half-time with Drury clinging to a 23-22 lead. "Being a close-knit group of seniors, we knew we didn't want to end it with regrets. We knew we had to come out a lot stronger."
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It got there with a big defensive effort in the second half.
Drury held Wahconah (8-12) to just five points and one field goal through the first 12 minutes of the half, building a 47-27 lead in the process.
Eight of the 11 Devils had at least one steal in the second half with Morgan Lamarre and Kasha Wissman accounting for two apiece.
At the offensive end, it also was very much a team effort. The first six Drury field goals of the second half came from six different players, and the Devils had six of their 10 assists during the 24-5 run.
Moulton, who scored nine in the second quarter to help Drury hold on despite four Wahconah 3-pointers, got the third quarter started with a bucket in the post on Drury's first possession. Lamarre hit Heather Morris cutting to the basket for a basket midway through the third that gave Drury its first double-digit lead, 32-22.
"Emily made some big baskets for us when she's not in foul trouble, but everyone played well," Meehan said. "Heather Morris has been giving us great minutes off the bench. All of them, really -- Molly, Sarah (Lamarre).
"I don't know how many assists we had ... but it was high for us."
Sarah Lamarre and Destiny Crews had two assists each for the Blue Devils.
For Wahconah, Katie Dumas scored 14 points, and Mckenna McIlquham had eight rebounds to go along with nine points.
Wahconah went 2-5 down the stretch after an injury cost Maddie Sprague the rest of her season. But coach June Blake was not making any excuses on Tuesday night.
"Maddie's a big part of our team, and we miss her, but we've had a lot of kids step up," she said of a Wahconah squad that graduates no seniors.
"I've been happy with our team's effort the entire year. They played with a lot of heart and a lot of determination."