Julieano, Kirchner Lead Lenox into State Quarters
LENOX, Mass. – Grace Julieano scored 10 points in a 15-0 Lenox run to open the game, and the Millionaires went on to a 56-41 win over Hull on Tuesday in the Division 5 State Tournament Sweet 16.
Julieano and Kelsey Kirchner each finished with a double-double as fourth-seeded Lenox (22-1) earned a spot in the state quarter-finals and a rematch with Renaissance, a 69-45 winner over Monson on Tuesday night.
Julieano finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds, but it was her hot start that enabled the Millionaires to jump on top early.
“We did a really nice job of finding the open person, and in the first half, that was me,” Julieano said. “And when I was open, I just shot it, and it had a good feeling coming off the hands.”
She started the game with a field goal from the right wing corner. Then she converted an assist from Claire O’Brien for a 3-pointer that gave Lenox a 5-0 lead and scored again to make it 7-0.
After Chloe Parsenios (six points, five assists) dropped in a triple, Julieano scored twice more, a putback and 3 assisted by Jocelyn Fairfield (11 points, eight rebounds) to make it 15-0.
“When [Julieano] gets off to a start like that, it’s a good indication for us that we’re going to have a good game,” Lenox coach Nicole Patella said of the junior. “Because when she’s on and other people start to feel it, it just kind of clicks for us.”
In the second quarter, Kirchner (16 points, 10 rebounds) scored four points, and Fairfield scored five, including an and-one, in a 9-2 run that pushed the margin to 26-7.
The Pirates started the third quarter by closing within 10, but Lenox scored six straight, starting a pattern that played out throughout the second half.
Hull got within 15 on a 3-pointer by Fallon Ryan (13 points), and Lenox answered with seven straight capped by Julieano’s 3 to open the fourth quarter.
Hull scored eight straight to pull within 14 at 48-34 with 4 minutes, 22 seconds remaining. Kirchner scored in the post with an assist from Julieano to stop that run, and Lenox outscored the visitors 8-7 the rest of the way.
That allowed the Millionaires to start celebrating – but not the way Patella may have expected from a squad that lost in the Sweet 16 the last two seasons.
“There was not much excitement,” she said. “I’m going to go ask what’s going on. … I don’t know. This group just likes to come in and practice and play. They’re so even-keeled.
“They played really well. They found each other tonight. A lot of assists, a lot of easy baskets under the basket.”
Points could be harder to come by in the next round against Renaissance, a 48-41 winner when the teams met in the final game of the Western Massachusetts Class C Tournament on Feb. 22.
“We’re really excited,” Julieano said about the prospect of a rematch. “We’re going to work really hard and, hopefully, beat them.
“I think we did a really nice job until we started fouling. So I think if we rebound better and cut down on some of the fouls, we’ll do good.”