For Notre Dame, a delightful ending
WORCESTER - What the Division 2 girls' basketball final lacked in offense it made up for in drama.
With 48.4 seconds to play, surging Millbury climbed within a point when junior forward Chelsea Perkins drilled two free throws.
Millbury then regained possession after a controversial shot-clock violation. The shot clock didn't start on time, and after 30 seconds expired on the game clock, officials gave the ball to the Woolies. But they missed an opportunity to capitalize by committing two unforced errors in the game's final seconds, and Notre Dame of Hingham seniors Kelsey Reilly and Margaret Riordan each hit a free throw, giving the Cougars a 36-33 victory at the DCU Center.
"I'm speechless," Reilly said. "It's just an awesome feeling right now. We knew we wanted to do this, we knew we had a better team out there, and we just came together and said, 'We're not losing this one. We're going to be state champs,' and we just came together and pulled it off."
Both teams struggled offensively in the beginning. The first quarter was scoreless until Riordan (13 points) sank free throws to give the Cougars a 2-0 lead with 1:27 left. About a minute later, guard Jessica Aruda hit the game's first field goal, making the score 4-0 at the end of the first.
Millbury (24-2) didn't notch its first points until senior guard Cailin Bullett (14 points) netted a 3-point shot to kick off the second quarter. The offense picked up a bit before halftime, with Riordan and senior guard Samantha Whitham combining for 8 of Notre Dame's 13 second-quarter points.
"I think in the first half we were so disappointed with our offense that it was kind of affecting our energy level and it was affecting our defense," said Millbury coach Steve Reno, whose team trailed, 17-8, at halftime. "We tried to tell them, 'Yeah, it wasn't our best offensive night, but you know we have a whole half to go and you've got to keep fighting through it,' and they did."
Both teams emerged from the locker room with increased confidence and it translated onto the court. After a 3-point basket by senior forward Nellie Kennedy (8 points), the Woolies retaliated with 7 straight points to get within 5. Despite Millbury's heightened defensive energy, Notre Dame (21-5) was able to carry a 7-point lead into the fourth.
The Cougars' defense kept them on top in the final quarter.
"These kids they didn't need me . . . they knew what they wanted to do and knew what they had to accomplish," Notre Dame coach Michael Barrett said. "It was just a matter of trying to get the right defense to make sure all five people were on the same page."
Barrett said the team felt comfortable with a three-two zone that had carried them throughout the playoffs and it didn't disappoint yesterday. The Cougars finished the season perfect in Division 2 play.
"You've beat some great teams and nobody thought you'd be here, and now you've got one more game to go perfect in Division 2," Barrett told his team before the game. "And they got it, so I'm proud of these kids."
