Racette Delivers for Devils in OT Win over Lenox
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- The Lenox girls' basketball team gave Drury all it could handle on Tuesday night, pushing the Blue Devils into overtime in the championship game of the Gene Wein Holiday Tournament. Drury point guard Danielle Racette pushed backed in the extra frame, however, hitting a pair of clutch baskets to secure the win for her team and tournament MVP honors for herself.Racette thought she had clinched the victory in regulation when she hit both ends of a 1-and-1, giving the undefeated Blue Devils (3-0) a 36-34 lead with five seconds remaining. The veteran Millionaires (2-1) pushed up the court quickly, however, and got a wide-open shot from the foul line as time was winding down. Hayden Zinchuk, who scored a team-high 13 points for Lenox, took the jumper in the lane and swished it with one second left to force overtime.
The visitors scored first in the extra frame, but Racette came back down the court and stepped up to the line to sink a 3-point shot from the left wing. She then knocked down a shot from the free-throw line before senior Mariah Ferrara clinched the win with a driving lay-up from the left baseline.
"We definitely gutted out a win and found a way to get the job done on a night when we did not play our best basketball," Drury head coach John Franzoni said. "I'm very proud of the effort by our team to defeat a very good Lenox squad. Danielle made some huge plays in overtime, and our defense took the game over to earn some crucial stops down the stretch. One of our goals each season is to win Mr. Wein's tournament, and we accomplished that goal with a solid win over a tough team."
Racette hit two threes on the night on her way to a game-high 16 points. She also added six rebounds, six assists and four steals, stats that made her the obvious selection for tournament MVP. Classmate Ali Tatro also made the All-Tournament team after playing some tough defense, scoring nine points, grabbing six boards and collecting six steals.
Liz Mitts and Jaclyn Gigliotti each scored 10 points for the Millionaires, who led 21-20 at halftime. Zinchuk, Wahconah's Gabby Lavinio and Mount Greylock's Lucy Barrett were also named to All-Tournament Team.
The Blue Devils are now off until after Christmas, when they host Monument Mountain at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday night.
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