LEE, Mass. – After nearly a week without competition, the Lee girls basketball team Friday could have been a little more efficient on offense in Friday’s Division 5 State Tournament opener.
But the Wildcats’ defense was in complete command.
And when the offense caught up in the third quarter, sixth-seeded Lee rolled into the Sweet 16 with a 53-25 win over Granby.
“[The offense] got a little flat,” Lee coach Rick Puleri said. “I thought we got good shots. They just went a little cold there for a spell, some short ones that we normally make. They picked it up in the third quarter. We talked about that at half-time, winning the first four minutes, and they certainly did that.
“They work hard at [defense], and they do well with it.”
Lee (17-5) will be home next week to face Douglas, a 55-48 winner over Westport, with a berth in the state quarter-finals on the line.
On Friday, Caroline Maloney led the way with 16 points, and Carina Brown scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Brianna Kelly also had a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards.
Lee’s defense, meanwhile, forced 13 first-half turnovers and held the Rams to just seven points in the first 16 minutes.
Lee opened the game on a 13-0 run to take control early.
Kelly got things started with a bucket in the post and ended the run by converting an assist from Mia Puleri (eight points, seven rebounds, three assists).
Granby pulled back to within 12 midway through a low-scoring second quarter, but Lee finished the half with five straight points, including Maloney’s buzzer-beating lay-up to make the score 24-7 heading to the locker room.
In the third quarter, Lee nearly equaled its first-half offensive production, scoring 20 points to put the game out of reach.
Maloney scored eight in the quarter, and Brown scored six, twice putting back offensive rebounds in a 12-1 run that put the Wildcats up by 27 points late in the quarter.
Lee won for the fifth time in six outings, three of those wins coming without leading scorer Emma Puleri, who averages more than 14 points per game.
Coach Puleri said he is optimistic about getting the senior back for next week’s round of 16.
“Honestly, the kids have really stepped up,” he said. “We talked about it, about ‘Next man up.’ And they really embraced it. All of them – the starters, the bench players – they all elevated their game. They played well with her being out. I’m proud of them for that.
“You’re going to need that in the tournament. It’s good to see. But that’s a credit to them. They’ve worked hard.”
