Short-handed Hornets Fight Hard in Defeat
CHICOPEE, Mass — The McCann Tech girls' basketball team put up its best defensive effort and worst offensive showing of the season in a 31-20 loss at Holyoke Catholic on Thursday.Despite her team losing its sixth straight game, Hornets head coach Kristen Lewis was upbeat about a defensive performance that held the Gaels' two top scorers well below their season average. Melissa LaFlamme, Holyoke's leading scorer, was held to just three points on the night, making other players like Kieran Ramsey (10 points) and Kyra Robins (seven points) pick up the slack.
With three of its players missing due to injury, however, McCann (0-6) just couldn't generate enough offense to pick up its first win of the season. After taking a 7-3 lead at the end of the first quarter, the Hornets managed just two points each in the second and third quarters, leaving them down 26-11 entering the fourth.
"We did a great job defensively against this team," Lewis said. "Our defense was the best I have ever seen. Despite this fact, we still struggled offensively. We have yet to get into a groove where we can consistently score in a game. We struggled with the offense and although we got many open shots, they didn't fall for us. We were cold from the 3-point arc, which is usually a place we can score from.
"It is hard to go two quarters only scoring two points in each. That makes for a big gap we have to fill as time dwindles down. However, my team never gave up and continued to play with 110 percent effort and positive attitudes until the end."
Senior guard Ashley Alibozek had six points and eight rebounds for McCann, while senior forward Cassie Field also chipped in by snagging a team-high nine boards.
"Injuries have really hurt us this season," Lewis said. "We had two girls out with concussions tonight and another one with a pulled muscle in her neck. The limited players and short bench are not helping us. Hopefully, we get everyone better and back on the floor as we look ahead to more league games approaching next week."
The Hornets next play at Putnam at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.