Tatro Takes Control in Win over Taconic
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Coming off its first loss of the season, the Drury girls' basketball team quickly returned to its winning ways on Friday, earning a hard-fought 50-40 victory at Taconic.Junior forward Ali Tatro played a huge role in the win for the Blue Devils, making nine field goals on her way to a game- and career-high 24 points. Tatro also had seven rebounds, four steals and was a standout on the defensive end for Drury, which improved to 6-1 with the win.
"It was an excellent team effort on the road to earn a hard-fought win over a good opponent," Blue Devils head coach John Franzoni said. "Ali Tatro played a strong game on both ends of the court, while Danielle Racette had a solid game playing through an injury. We again received good efforts off of the bench from Lyndsey DeGrenier, Megan Benoit and Tiana Sims."
The Devils started and finished the game strong, opening up a 10-2 lead after the first quarter and clinching the win with a 12-2 run in the fourth. The Braves (2-4) hung tough in the middle of the game, though, outscoring Drury by five in the second quarter before opening up a three-point lead early in the third.
"We jumped out to an early lead, but Taconic fought back and played well to take the lead in the third quarter," Franzoni said. "Our defensive effort picked up after a timeout to force turnovers and limit Taconic to one shot. We went on a 15-6 run to end the third quarter, giving us a six-point lead heading into the fourth. The strong effort continued in the fourth, and we went on a 12-2 run to open up a 50-34 lead."
Racette finished with six points, seven assists, five rebounds and three steals, while DeGrenier and Benoit each chipped in with six points apiece. Taconic had two players in double figures, with Angela O'Neil and Nyanna Slaughter scoring 15 and 11 points, respectively.
The Blue Devils next host Pittsfield in a key North Division matchup at 7:30 p.m. on Monday.