Zenevitch, Central stand tallest
WORCESTER - Katie Zenevitch stood at the free throw line with 7.7 seconds remaining and her team leading by 3 points.
Shepherd Hill supporters rose and roared but Zenevitch remained calm. The Central Catholic captain simply tuned out the noise, took a deep breath, and sank both free throws.
"I knew I had to make them for my team," said Zenevitch, who hit each of her 10 free throws last night at the DCU Center. "So I stepped to the line with confidence."
Zenevitch helped the Central Catholic girls' basketball team make history last night. The Raiders defeated Shepherd Hill, 67-62, to win the Division 1 state championship -- an accomplishment that hadn't been achieved in the program's 13-year history.
And when the 6-foot-3-inch junior center sank both free throws to put the game out of reach, Central Catholic coach Sue Downer wasn't surprised.
"I knew when I needed Katie to step through, she was going to step up and be huge," Downer said.
Sophomore forward Melissa Miller started off hot for the Raiders (22-3), netting 5 points in the first quarter. Shepherd Hill junior forward Megan Boutillette tallied 6 of her team-high 17 points in the first.
Zenevitch, who had a game-high 28 points and 26 rebounds, took control in the second, working inside to notch 6 points. Shepherd Hill's strength came from drawing fouls and they were 6 of 7 from the line in the quarter. The Fighting Rams had an 8-point run in the beginning of the quarter, and guard Mary Barbale hit a 3-point shot with 18 seconds remaining to give them a 27-26 lead at halftime.
The third quarter was just as close, and the teams were tied at 47 heading into the final eight minutes. Shepherd Hill (21-5) took an early lead in the fourth, but with less than three minutes remaining, Zenevitch netted a basket to give the Raiders their first lead of the final quarter. With about 40 seconds to play, Central senior forward Gia O'Connor (10 points) had a huge block, and sophomore guard Gabie Polce (9) ran it down court, drew a foul, and hit one of two free throws.
"I kept telling them our defense is what's going to win this game and I think us going to that full-court pressure [in that second half] . . . that was huge," Downer said.
Senior guard Ashley Evangelista (8 points) put the exclamation mark on a Central Catholic run, stealing the ball and then running in for a layup to give the Raiders a 5-point lead with less than 20 seconds to play.
"She's such an athlete and she has such great instinct," Downer said of Evangelista.
Barbale (12 points) notched 2 more points for the Fighting Rams before Zenevitch put the game away.
"I'm so excited for these girls, the school, the community," said Downer, who has coached the team since the program's inception. "It's awesome."
