Blue Devils look rusty in loss to Generals
NORTH ADAMS -- The Drury girls' basketball team closed out 2010 by winning five straight games, the last four victories being decided by at least a double-digit margin. Unfortunately for the Blue Devils, 2011 didn't start off the same way as a 10-day layoff between games was followed by a 48-45 loss to Pittsfield in the final game of the Coaches vs. Cancer Basketball Classic held at MCLA on Sunday night.Drury (6-2) ended the third quarter with a 32-30 lead, but the Generals (7-1) showed why they're a team to be reckoned with this season by outscoring John Franzoni's club 18-13 in the final frame. Jill Ritrosky led all scorers with 13 points for Pittsfield, while sisters Lauren and Courtney McLaughlin chipped in with 12 points apiece. The Generals used their speed and size to attack the basket at will, and were more efficient than the Devils from outside the arc, draining four 3-pointers to just one for Drury. The Devils failed to make a number of inside shots during a fourth-quarter scoring drought, and a last-minute 3-point attempt by sophomore guard Danielle Racette came up short as Drury tried to even the score late in the game.
Pittsfield gave the Blue Devils two more chances to tie the score with a pair of missed foul shots in the final 30 seconds of the game, but each time the Generals missed, Drury was unable to come up with the defensive rebound. It was a frustrating finish for Franzoni, who had gotten used to his team doing all the little things right in its recent five-game winning streak.
"Two good teams competed hard for 32 minutes tonight, and you have to give credit to Pittsfield because they did the little things in the fourth quarter to earn the victory," he said. "We have to learn from this defeat and understand that in order to beat a quality team, we have to take advantage of our opportunities to score.
"It is these types of games that make the Berkshire teams so tough down the stretch because we challenge each other every night, and you have to play your best every night if you want to be successful."
With senior guard Cassie Lincoln in foul trouble for a majority of the first half, Racette had to play major minutes at the point the entire game. She responded nicely by scoring nine points, grabbing four rebounds and dishing out three assists. Lincoln got her team off to a hot start, scoring six quick points and helping Drury to a 15-10 lead after the first quarter. She was forced to retire to the bench midway through the first quarter, however, and Pittsfield rallied in the second frame, outscoring the Devils 14-7 to take a two-point lead into the break.
Senior forward Kelsey Ouimet battled to 14 points and nine rebounds for Drury, scoring eight of team-high 14 points from the charity stripe. Fellow classmate Meagan McCarthy also dealt with foul trouble, but was still able to help out with six points and six boards. The Blue Devils will try to rebound on Tuesday night when they play at Mount Greylock at 7 p.m.
"It is these types of games that make the Berkshire teams so tough down the stretch because we challenge each other every night, and you have to play your best every night if you want to be successful."
With senior guard Cassie Lincoln in foul trouble for a majority of the first half, Racette had to play major minutes at the point the entire game. She responded nicely by scoring nine points, grabbing four rebounds and dishing out three assists. Lincoln got her team off to a hot start, scoring six quick points and helping Drury to a 15-10 lead after the first quarter. She was forced to retire to the bench midway through the first quarter, however, and Pittsfield rallied in the second frame, outscoring the Devils 14-7 to take a two-point lead into the break.
Senior forward Kelsey Ouimet battled to 14 points and nine rebounds for Drury, scoring eight of team-high 14 points from the charity stripe. Fellow classmate Meagan McCarthy also dealt with foul trouble, but was still able to help out with six points and six boards. The Blue Devils will try to rebound on Tuesday night when they play at Mount Greylock at 7 p.m.