Wahconah Battles Back to Beat Monument

DALTON, Mass. -- After starting the season off with four straight road games, the Wahconah girls' basketball team finally got to play on its home court on Friday night. Despite a slow start against Monument Mountain, the Warriors were able to take advantage of a strong second quarter to lock up a 54-46 win over the Spartans. 

Monument (0-3) started the game off strong, opening up a 9-1 lead out of the gate. June Blake's squad was able to rally back to tie the game at the end of the first quarter, however, before taking control of the contest with solid defensive performance in the second quarter. The Warriors (2-3) held the Spartans to just six points in the second, opening an eight-point lead at halftime. 

"We got off to a slow start in this one," Blake said. "Monument was shooting the ball well early on, but we did a much better job defensively by limiting their scoring opportunities in the second quarter. We were able to build an eight-point lead, which proved to be the difference in the game." 

The hosts kept the Spartans at bay in the second half, receiving double-digit scoring from three different players. Senior guard Gabby Lavinio led the way with 19 points, sinking a pair of 3-pointers to go along with six rebounds. Sophomore forward Maddie Sprague added 14 points and six boards, while senior center Shannon Lussier added 10 points, six rebounds and four assists. 

"Shannon had a solid 10 points but, more importantly, came up with a couple of big blocks in the fourth quarter." 

Kayla Aberdale led Monument with 13 points, while teammate Heather Hassett chipped in with 11.

Wahconah plays at home again next Friday with a North Division game against Pittsfield at 7:30 p.m.