Bromfield’s Brittany Lee (center) battles her Hopedale opponents for the ball. (Photo by Vishwa Rasania)
The Bromfield girls basketball team lost its second straight game last Tuesday against Hopedale’s Blue Raiders, whose powerful offense outscored the Trojans 56-32. Hopedale held a substantial lead throughout the game.
Both teams came onto the court with high energy, but the Blue Raiders were the faster team. Even so, strong plays were made by Bromfield sophomore Montana Burke, who scored a point from a free throw and also scored a three-pointer. Senior Ali Waterhouse followed suit, beating the defender in a drive to the hoop and earning another point on a free throw, after drawing a foul.
Bromfield was not able to pull ahead with Burke and Waterhouse’s seven points, as the Blue Raiders managed to steal the ball and double back to score on Bromfield multiple times. The first quarter ended with a 17-7 lead for Hopedale.
The Blue Raiders did not let up in the second quarter, and despite points from Burke, Meaghan Bradshaw, and Kaitlyn Drummey, the Trojans fell further behind. At halftime, Hopedale led, 31-15.
Bromfield came out after the half with a renewed burst of energy. Burke scored nine points during the third quarter, while Katja Lierhaus scored two points from a rebound. The Blue Raiders stepped up their game in an attempt to counter the sudden Trojan scoring streak by going on a 9-0 run, and ending the third quarter at 40-24, Hopedale.
Throughout the fourth quarter, Bromfield attempted to catch up. The team ratcheted the score up to 32 on points from Susannah Wright, Sue Ross, Burke, and Rebecca Kasabian. But the Blue Raiders fought back and ended the game with a 56-32 win.
Bromfield senior and team co-captain Jackie McHugh said after the game, “Hopedale is a very strong, talented team. Playing them can only make us stronger and help us all become better players. Seeing everyone work so hard during our game against Hopedale made me realize how much talent we really do have. We never gave up during the game, and we all had some pretty good moments. I look forward to playing more games and improving along the way with the rest of my teammates. The score isn’t everything; the intensity that we bring on the court is much more important to me as a team captain.”
Bromfield team co-captain Bradshaw commented, “I believe every girl on the [Bromfield] team left everything they had on the court. Hopedale is a very good team but our girls played as hard as they could and didn’t let anything change their attitude.”
Despite the Trojans’ second defeat in a row, Coach Mike Dube remains optimistic. Dube said after the game that “the effort was there. Hopedale was just a more skillful team with a lot of talent. Currently, we are working on a new system in which we can improve our defense and passing.” This is only Dube’s third game with Bromfield.
The Trojans’ record now stands at 1-2.
